ARRL WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA SECTION LINKS

WCF SECTION WEBSITE:  http://www.arrlwcf.org

WCF SECTION FACEBOOK PAGE:  http://www.facebook.com/arrlwcf

WCF SECTION TWITTER PAGE:  http://www.twitter.com/arrlwcf

WCF PRESSER:  http://arrlwcf.org/home/the-wcf-section-presser-arrl-west-central-florida-section-news/.

WCF EXPERIMENTER:  http://arrlwcf.org/home/the-wcf-experimenter-technical-newsletter/.

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LATEST WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:

ANNOUNCEMENT - LOCATION OF THE WCF PRESSER:  The WCF PRESSER, the monthly newsletter of the ARRL West Central Florida Section will no longer be available on the ARRL Main Site Section News due to the new graphical layout of the WCF PRESSER and the Section News Section does not support the new graphical layout. 

You may download all current and past issues of THE WCF PRESSER at http://arrlwcf.org/home/the-wcf-section-presser-arrl-west-central-florida-section-news/.

Listed here will be the WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASES for the current and previous calendar month.  For all current and past WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASES go to http://www.arrlwcf.org.

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WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASE #19-30 - 9/10/19:  STATEMENT CONCERNING VOLUNTEERING FOR HURRICANE DORIAN RELIEF IN THE BAHAMAS

There have been recently some inquiries about amateur radio operators volunteering for possible communications duty in the Bahamas following the devastating impact of Hurricane Dorian.  The following statement from the ARRL West Central Florida Secton will hopefully address and clarify some of these questions:

“Any mutual aid that is to be mobilized through the ARES program, which is under the ARRL Field Organization, must be at the direction of ARRL Headquarters in Newington, CT.  Per ARRL policy, any mutual aid that is requested outside the Southeastern Division must be directed by ARRL Headquarters.  The Bahamas is a foreign county and therefore outside the Southeastern Division.  If there are any request for assistance either from or through the ARRL, the ARRL will notify the West Central Florida Section and the West Central Florida Section will issue a WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASE concerning that request.  Individual amateur radio operators or informal groups of amateur radio operators may volunteer for another served agency on an individual basis if that served agency requests such assistance.  That arrangement must be made between the served agency and that individual amateur radio operator or a group of amateur radio operators.  As is normal, the ARRL recommends that amateur radio operators do not self deploy to a disaster but volunteer through a served agency.”

END OF PRESS RELEASE

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WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASE #19-29 - 9/04/19:  FLORIDA ARES EMERGENCY NET TO BE DISCONTINUED
ARRL WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA SECTION ARES DEMOBILIZING FOLLOWING HURRICANE DORIAN RESPONSE

Per request of the State EOC, the Florida ARES Emergency Net on 3950 KHz, that was scheduled to run from 0700 through 1900 daily is to be discontinued after 1900 EDT this evening.  The Florida ARES Emergency Net on the SARNET repeater system is being discontinued after 1900 EDT this evening.

Due to the discontinuance of the Florida ARES Emergency Net on 3950 KHz and on the SARNET repeater system, the response to Hurricane Dorian by ARRL West Central Florida Section ARES is concluded.  ARRL West Central Florida Section ARES will demobilize at 2000 this evening and return to a No Activation status.

According to Karl Martin K4HBN, the Northern Florida Section Emergency Coordinator, 41 amateur radio operators had filled out the Florida ARES Operator Application and were willing to be deployed for mutual aid if necessary, which never materialized.

The ARRL West Central Florida Section Manager Darrell Davis KT4WX said the following, “I am extending my sincere thanks to all of you who took time away from your familes, friends, and even jobs, to serve the public interest with your amateur radio skills. Without you, we could have not served our served agencies.  Again, thank you for your service.”

END OF PRESS RELEASE

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WCF SECTION SPECIAL BULLETINS - HURRICANE DORIAN

WCF SECTION SPECIAL BULLETIN #13 – 1300 – 9/04/19

WCF SECTION SPECIAL BULLETIN #12 – 2000 – 9/03/19

WCF SECTION SPECIAL BULLETIN #11 – 1300 – 9/03/19

WCF SECTION SPECIAL BULLETIN #10 – 1930 – 9/02/19

WCF SECTION SPECIAL BULLETIN #9 – 1300 – 9/02/19

WCF SECTION SPECIAL BULLETIN #8 – 1700 – 9/01/19

WCF SECTION SPECIAL BULLETIN #7 – 1200 – 8/31/19

WCF SECTION SPECIAL BULLETIN #6 – 1900 – 8/30/19

WCF SECTION SPECIAL BULLETIN #5 – 1100 – 8/30/19

WCF SECTION SPECIAL BULLETIN #4 – 1100 – 8/29/19

WCF SECTION SPECIAL BULLETIN #3 – 1100 – 8/28/19

WCF SECTION SPECIAL BULLETIN #2 – 2000 – 8/27/19

WCF SECTION SPECIAL BULLETIN #1 – 1100 – 8/27/19

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WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASE #19-28 -9/03/19:  THE WCF PRESSER ISSUE #41 SEPTEMBER 2019 IS NOW PUBLISHED

The WCF PRESSER Issue #41 September 2019, has been published on the Section website.  An announcement of the publication of the WCF PRESSER will be disseminated on the ARRL remailer shortly. If anyone has any information that is amateur radio related that you would like to go into the next issue of THE WCF PRESSER, please send that to our newsletter editor, Jim Weslager K3WR via email at weslager@gmail.com.

For the PDF version of this newsletter and past issues in PDF format go to http://arrlwcf.org/home/the-wcf-section-presser-arrl-west-central-florida-section-news/.

END OF PRESS RELEASE

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WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASE #19-27 - 8/27/19:  SECTION NET CANCELLATIONS FOR LABOR DAY

In observance of Labor Day on Monday September 2nd, the ARRL West Central Florida Section ARES and Information Net scheduled for Saturday August 31st on 3940 KHz at 0730 EDT and the ARRL West Central Florida Section ARES and Information Net scheduled for Monday September 2nd on the NI4CE Repeater System at 1930 EDT are cancelled.  These nets will resume normal operation on Saturday September 7th and Monday September 9th respectively.  All other Section nets will operate as scheduled.  The ARRL West Central Florida Section wishes everyone a Happy Labor Day weekend.

END OF PRESS RELEASE

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WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASE #19-26 - 8/22/19:  FDOT TALKING WITH SARNET MANAGEMENT TEAM ABOUT RESUMING SARNET SUPPORT19-26

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Chief Engineer issued the following statement on Wednesday August 21, which was posted on the SARNET website, concerning the initial decision to discontinue maintenance on the SARNET:

“Thank you for your input regarding the Statewide Amateur Radio Network (SARNET) devices on the Florida Department of Transportation (Department) communications infrastructure used by amateur radio operators.  We are currently evaluating several options available to the Department concerning the future of the SARNET devices and no decision has yet been made.  Thanks again for your input.”

The SARNET management team has reported that the support for SARNET has been overwhelming and that FDOT has been in contact with them to see what the next step might be.  Sending in your email and letters has sent the right message:  Letting FDOT know how SARNET supported emergency management and the communities during the past hurricanes have alerted them to what SARNET means to emergency communications in the state of Florida.

The SARNET management team extends their thanks and asks for everyone to be patient. The team is working with officials, and as soon as they know more they will post it to SARNET website.

Also announced today on the SARNET website was the donation of a Hytera repeater to the SARNET network to provide a link into SARNET for the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

For the latest information the SARNET website can be found at http://www.sarnetfl.com.

END OF PRESS RELEASE

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WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASE #19-25 - 8/21/19:  SARNET SUPPORT FROM THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION DISCONTINUED.

On Thursday August 15, the management team of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) announced that FDOT support of SARNET would be discontinued and was effective immediately.  SARNET stands for Statewide Amateur Radio Networking in Florida.  SARNET, which began operation in 2012, is a series of UHF repeaters that are linked together via the Florida Department of Transportation microwave network that runs along the Florida interstate system.  The primary purpose of SARNET is to provide amateur radio communications support in times of emergencies.  The SARNET was quite extensively used in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in October of 2018.  Some of the repeaters are privately owned and most are owned by FDOT.  As of the date of this press release, there are 35 repeaters on the air and 8 more that have been approved for construction and or were in various phases of construction.

Although the SARNET is still currently in full operation, the discontinuance of this support will, according to the statement on the SARNET website, will have detrimental effects to the SARNET system over time.  A quote from the SARNET website says the following, “This action will have an immediate affect on SARNET since ongoing maintenance activities have also been stopped.  In addition, it will lead to the slow-death of SARNET as problems occur that are not addressed. It is particularly disturbing that this decision was made in the middle of hurricane season”.

The management team for SARNET is requesting that amateur radio operators write a letter, sign it, and mail it to the chief engineer of the Florida Department of Transportation.  They also ask that everyone be courteous and professional in your comments, so FDOT can persuaded to come back to a supporting position for this important communications resource.  A template of a suggested letter in Microsoft Word format can be downloaded from the SARNET website directly at https://www.sarnetfl.com/uploads/6/1/7/0/61701057/william_watts.docx.  A template of a suggested form letter in PDF format can be downloaded from the SARNET website at https://www.sarnetfl.com/uploads/6/1/7/0/61701057/william_watts.pdf  The SARNET website is located at http://www.sarnetfl.com.

For more information on SARNET, including maps of the repeaters in the system, coverage maps, facts and history of SARNET you may go to the SARNET website at http://www.sarnetfl.com

END OF PRESS RELEASE

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WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASE #19-24 - 8/01/19: THE WCF PRESSER ISSUE #40 AUGUST 2019 IS NOW PUBLISHED

THE WCF PRESSER Issue #40 August 2019, has been published on the Section website.  An announcement of the publication of the WCF PRESSER will be disseminated on the ARRL remailer shortly. If anyone has any information that is amateur radio related that you would like to go into the next issue of THE WCF PRESSER, please send that to our newsletter editor, Jim Weslager K3WR via email at weslager@gmail.com.

For the PDF version of this newsletter and past issues in PDF format go to http://arrlwcf.org/home/the-wcf-section-presser-arrl-west-central-florida-section-news/.

END OF PRESS RELEASE

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 WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASE #19-23 - 7/21/19:  TECHCON 2020 DATE AND VENUE SET

The 6th Annual TECHCON date and venue have been set.  The 6th Annual TECHCON, the ARRL West Central Florida Section Technical Conference, will be held on Friday February 21, 2020 and Saturday February 22, 2020.  The location for the 6th Annual TECHCON will be at the Charlotte County Emergency Operations Center located in Punta Gorda.  The Friday Afternoon Workshop will be on "Introduction to Internet of Things" by Jon Pellant W1JP, the ARES Emergency Coordinator for Charlotte County and ARRL Technical Specialist.

Registration is now open for the 6th Annual TECHCON.  If you are planning on attending TECHCON, please register for TECHCON by filling out a TECHCON Registration Form on the Section website at http://arrlwcf.org/section-forms/wcftechconfregistration/. Some of our previous presenters at TECHCON are planning on returning for the 6th Annual TECHCON but we are looking for new presenters for the 6th Annual TECHCON as well.  If you wish to be a presenter, please fill out the TECHCON Registration Form and our Section Manager Darrell Davis KT4WX will get back with you.  For more information on TECHCON you may go to the TECHCON web page on the Section website at http://arrlwcf.org/wcf-special-events/wcftechconference/. 

END OF PRESS RELEASE

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WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASE #19-22 - 7/10/19:  WCF EXPERIMENTER IS BACK IN PUBLICATION AND SUMMER 2019 ISSUE IS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD

The WCF EXPERIMENTER is back in publication and has a totally new look.  The WCF EXPERIMENTER Summer 2019 issue is now available for download. To download the Summer 2019 issue and any other previous issues please go to the WCF EXPERIMENTER webpage at http://arrlwcf.org/home/the-wcf-experimenter-technical-newsletter/.  The WCF EXPERIMENTER will be published quarterly, and on occasion a supplemental issue as needed.

Jim Weslager K3WR is the new editor for the WCF EXPERIMENTER and also the WCF PRESSER, our Section monthly newsletter.   We are looking for articles for future editions of THE WCF EXPERIMENTER.  If you would like to submit an article, please send those submissions to Jim Weslager K3WR via email at weslager@gmail.com.

END OF PRESS RELEASE

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WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASE #19-21 - 7/03/19:  WCF SECTION NET ABBREVIATIONS AND CANCELLATIONS FOR THE MONTH OF JULY

The following Section Nets will be either abbreviated or cancelled for the month of July.  The West Central Florida Section Technical Net for Thursday July 4th will be an abbreviated due to Independence Day.  The Section ARES and Information Net at 0730 on 3940 KHz on Saturday July 13th will be cancelled due to the Section ARES Meeting and Luncheon being held at the Highlands County EOC later that morning and afternoon.  All other Section Nets will run as scheduled.

END OF PRESS RELEASE

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WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASE #19-20 - 7/01/19:  THE WCF PRESSER ISSUE #39 JULY 2019 IS NOW PUBLISHED

 The WCF PRESSER Issue #39 July 2019, has been published on the Section website.  An announcement of the publication of the WCF PRESSER will be disseminated on the ARRL remailer shortly. If anyone has any information that is amateur radio related that you would like to go into the next issue of THE WCF PRESSER, please send that to our newletter editor, Jim Weslager K3WR via email at weslager@gmail.com.

For the PDF version of this newsletter and past issues in PDF format go to http://arrlwcf.org/home/the-wcf-section-presser-arrl-west-central-florida-section-news/.

END OF PRESS RELEASE

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WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASE #19-19 - 7/01/19:  NORM FUSARO W3IZ TO BE THE ARRL REPRESENTATIVE AT THE 2019 TAMPA BAY HAMFEST.

Norm Fusaro W3IZ will be the ARRL Headquarters representative at the 2019 Tampa Bay Hamfest and ARRL West Central Florida Section Convention.The 19th Annual ARRL West Central Florida Section Convention, will be held in conjunction with the 2019 Tampa Bay Hamfest on Friday December 13, 2019 and Saturday December 14, 2019.  For more information on the 2019 Tampa Bay Hamfest you may go to the Tampa Bay Hamfest website at http://www.fgcarc.org.

Fusaro is the Director of Operations at ARRL Headquarters and is responsible for the programs and services that create value for members of the ARRL. These programs include; DXCC and awards; LoTW; ARRL Lab and Technical Information Service; W1AW; QST and publications; ARES and Emergency Preparedness; Affiliated Clubs and Field Services; Regulatory Information; and VEC license exams. In addition to his work at HQ, Fusaro works with other IARU societies promoting on-the air activity.  Fusaro has been a licensed Amateur since 1984, is now an Extra class operator, and enjoys contesting and DXing and casual operating on the HF bands. Before joining the staff at ARRL Headquarters, Fusaro had taught many Amateur Radio licensing classes and has mentored dozens of hams.  Fusaro is originally from Pennsylvania and grew up in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs. He and his wife Debbie, W3DAF now reside in Bristol, CT.

END OF PRESS RELEASE