CCARC NEWS 16-14
THE PERIODIC NEWSLETTER OF THE CENTRAL COAST AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
ISSUE No 16-14 5th August 2016
In this Issue:
- Business Meeting This Saturday
- ACMA computer system issues affecting licence issuing and renewals
- Fox Hunting Expressions of Interest
- Polluting LED Street Lights
- Broke & fixed
- Reminders
1. Business Meeting This Saturday
The next CCARC Business meeting will be held on Saturday 6th August 2016, commencing at 1300 hours.
2. ACMA computer system issues affecting licence issuing and renewals
As some licensees have discovered, there has been a problem recently with the ACMA’s online licensing database not showing that a licence was current after a renewal or new licence payment had been made.
The WIA has had discussions with the ACMA over the past week concerning this issue. Late on Friday, 29 July, the Licence Issue & Allocation Section of the ACMA provided the following statement:
“The ACMA is currently experiencing an issue with our finance system that is affecting the issue and renewal of some licences. The issue occurs where an invoice, either a request for payment or a renewal notice, was issued last financial year but has been paid this financial year.
“Clients who have paid their invoices on or before the payment due date can consider their licences to be issued and may commence operation. This includes payments for the renewal of licences.
“We are working with our provider to address this issue. Until the issue is resolved, data on the Register of Radiocommunications Licences will be inaccurate.
“The ACMA suggests call sign recommendations cease until this problem is resolved as there is a risk that duplicate call signs will be issued.”
Accordingly, the Public List of Available Callsigns on the WIA website has been suspended until we are advised by the ACMA that the issue with its finance system is resolved.
For the time being, the National Office is unable to proceed with any callsign recommendations for the same reason.
In summary, if you have paid the fee for your new licence, or your renewal, before the due date, you can go on-air and operate with confidence.
If you missed the due date for payment of your renewal and paid subsequently within the 60 days grace period, you may wish to contact the ACMA to follow up. Ensure that you have proof that you made the payment.
Author : Phil Wait – VK2ASD
Source: WIA News
3. Fox Hunting Expressions of Interest
Jamie Vk2FJAY is looking for expressions of interest for constructing and testing some fox hunting gear at CCARC into the coming weeks/months. Those who share this interest please contact Jamie.
4. Polluting LED Street Lights
In the USA, the Buck County Courier Times report: Buzz kills the fun for Bristol Township ham radio operator
The newspaper says one night this spring, the static Charles Dillenbeck AB3MQ normally heard on different frequencies became much louder, so loud he could barely hear the people with whom he was chatting.
A few days later, as Dillenbeck — a Navy veteran and retired commercial heating and refrigeration engineer — stared out a window in his home trying to figure out the problem, the street light came on. Immediately, the static started again. Was it the light, he wondered.
It turns out Bristol Township installed a new LED fixture in the light in front of his house as part of its plan to replace incandescent street lights with cost-saving LED bulbs.
“The old lights didn’t interfere at all,” Dillenbeck said. He talked with another ham radio enthusiast who lives in the township who also had the same problem. He used a “noise finder” piece of equipment to test other street lights. The same static occurred, he said.
The electronics in the new lights appeared to be causing the static.
Read the full story at
http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/local/buzz-kills-the-fun-for-bristol-township-ham-radio-operator/article_a5e03722-4854-11e6-ba19-3773ecb24e3a.html
Watch the video report at
http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/local/video-ham-radio-operator-points-to-streetlight-for-interference-in/html_c0478e68-ff49-5caa-b672-0d9651ae8388.html
A recent ARRL report highlights the problem of LED lights and other electronic equipment creating more radio frequency interference for the more than 725,000 amateur — or ham — radio operators in the United States
http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-s-oet-clarifies-emissions-compliance-testing-for-rf-led-lighting-devices
Source: Southgate AR News
BROKE & FIXED
Nothing to report.
REMINDERS
This section lists important announcements and possibly items from previous CCARC NEWS editions that are still current and may need your input:
Anyone reading this on the website who is not yet a member of the CCARC, please consider joining by emailing ccarc at ccarc dot org dot au for full details.
For submissions to this newsletter from CCARC club members please email the editor news-editor at ccarc dot org dot au
For what’s coming up in the next few months at the CCARC, please check the club calendar, accessible from the header on any page on the website.
Dave VK2DLS … News & Publicity Officer …
