RFI Task Group to Highlight Interference to Amateurs for ARRL Board
NEWINGTON, CT, Jul 14, 2000--When the ARRL Board of Directors meets July 21 in Hartford, members will hear an extensive report on the recent activities of the RFI Task Group, which has concluded that interference to amateur operations appears to be today's most significant RFI issue. "RFI, especially RFI from unlicensed devices, poses real threats to Amateur Radio," the Task Group's report says.
Board members will hear of recent Task Group efforts to resolve interference complaints involving wireless modem jacks and power line interference, among other issues. The Task Group report will address the interference potential of other Part 15 devices, including unlicensed emitters on 2.4 GHz, home phone networking devices, and Very High Speed Digital Subscriber Line technology, which could affect amateur HF bands.
The Task Group's membership recently was expanded to include representatives of the electric utility and cable telecommunications industries, and other members are being sought.
FCC Special Counsel for Amateur Radio Enforcement Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, will meet informally to discuss enforcement topics with ARRL officers and members of the Board when he visits ARRL Headquarters July 20. The visit will be Hollingsworth's second to ARRL Headquarters. A report from the Enforcement Task Force is on the Board's formal agenda.
The Hartford Board meeting will mark the first for Jim Haynie, W5JBP, in his role as ARRL President. Haynie was elected to office at the Board's January meeting in Memphis.
The Board also is scheduled to hear a progress report on the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Program. The program expects to roll out a pilot project in emergency communications by late summer.
Discussion of the first six months since the FCC announced its decision to restructure Amateur Radio licensing is expected to take place during the Board meeting as well.
The Board also will hear a report on the recently concluded World Radiocommunication Conference 2000 in Turkey and the recommended agenda for the next WRC, likely to be held in 2003. Board members are expected to consider the implications of the 7-MHz band realignment--or "harmonization"--tentatively on the agenda for WRC-2003. The 40-meter realignment is the topic of the August QST "It Seems to Us . . ." editorial by ARRL Executive Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ. The International Amateur Radio Union seeks an exclusive world-wide amateur allocation in the vicinity of 7 MHz of no less than 300 kHz. One way to accomplish this would be to shift the band downward.
Visiting from Radio Amateurs of Canada and addressing the Board will be RAC Vice President Ken Pulfer, VE3PU. As part of the Canadian delegation, Pulfer was among the amateurs on hand for WRC-2000 in Istanbul in May and early June.
Page last modified: 01:18 PM, 14 Jul 2000 ET
Page author: awextra@arrl.org
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