Welcome to the Louisiana Section Web Site
   ARRL ARRL Louisiana Section

Section Manager - Gary Stratton, Sr., K5GLS

Delta Division

Delta Division
           HOME    ARES® Staff   Section Appointments   CLUBS   EVENTS   LINKS   SWAPMEET   Contact Us           
ARRL Web Site
Facebook   twitter youtube
We Do That With Radio

MORE ABOUT:
Emergency Radio
Printable Frequency Chart(PDF)
Authorized Frequency Bands
Authorized Emission Types
US Radio Freq. Chart (PDF)

ARRL Publications
ARRL Section Page

Delta Division Site
Arkansas Section Site
Mississippi Section Site
Tennesee Section Site


Callsign lookups provided by qrz.com


Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network


Hurricane Watch Network

      
NWS Skywarn Network

    MARS
Military Auxilliary Radio Service

     MMSN
Maritime Mobile Service Network


YLRL


Universal Licensing System
Louisiana Section Announces
An Online Swapmeet Forum
The Louisiana Section has monitored the site for the past year, noting what has generated interest and what has wained in interest. One of the things that has the least amount of interest (by lack of activity) is the message forums. Therefore, in the interest of providing the maximum of utility to visitors to the Section Web Site, we are changing the message forums.

We announce the new Louisiana Section Online Swapmeet. This new forum will provide an opportunity for Section members who wish to provide information to potential buyers of new or used equipment and accessories for ham radio. We must have some ground rules to operate from, so we offer the following as the forum rules for use of the Swapmeet Forum:

Rules for use of the LA Section Online Swapmeet

These rules are simple and few. They are scarcely different from other sites of the same type. We want your experience to be a good one. You must register in order to use or view the swapmeet forum. This is somewhat of an inconvenience but it is for your protection. There are many many spammers out there that want to invade our space to post inappropriate content or use it for commercial purposes. We log a minimum of 1700 attempts per month from outside the USA alone. So we had to find a way to restrict access in order to keep those invaders out. Most are from Russia and Nigeria or places outside the Louisiana Section that have no good intention. When you register, please use only your call sign and nothing else. A password is more secure when you use capital letters, numbers, and a special character like the period (.) or a dash (-). Your registration as a forum member signifies you agree in full with any and all of these rules. The LA Section, and the WebMaster reserve the right to remove or deny listings for any reason whatsoever. We will exercise this right when necessary and there is no recourse. If you see a listing that needs our attention you can contact the WebMaster at AD5XJ@arrl.net — we will not divulge your name or callsign if you do.

Unfortunately, far too many section members have either not read our rules, or, have ignored them. The result could mean suspended editing privileges on the forum. Please read these few rules carefully.

RULE # 1: The responsibility for the content displayed in the Swapmeet Forum is with the person listing the item and is not in any way the responsibility of the LA Section, The LA Section Manager, his staff, or the WebMaster of the site. Listings that contain illicit, inappropriate, or profane content, or links to pages with such content, will be removed without notice and your editing privages may be restricted. The WebMaster is the sole arbitrator of what is listed on this forum in determining suitability for listing.

RULE #2: You must have a valid amateur radio operator license and reside within the state of Louisiana to post an item. You may NOT post items for other persons living in another state. The item for listing must be in the possession of the person listing the item and that person must be authorized to sell the listed item by virtue of ownership or authority in writing from the actual owner (executor, executrix, surviving family member, etc.). References to eBay or other auction sites is prohibited! This is not an auction site. The price you list will be the selling price. There will be no bidding for lowest price on this site. You must negotiate a final price for sale with the buyer yourself offline (other than the forum).

RULE #3: If the items for sale or trade are from the estate of a silent key, it must be stated in plain language in the description or the words "ESTATE SALE" must be in the title.

RULE #4: Conditions of payment, the vehicle of payment, and the verification of payment to the seller is solely the responsibility of the buyer and seller and is in no way the responsibility of the forum or the LA Section.

RULE #5: Responsibility for updating the listing with new information, completed sale notice and corrections are the sole responsibility of the person making the listing. No listing will remain if contact information of the seller is not listed with the forum. It is not the responsibility of the LA Section Web Site, The LA Section Manager, nor the WebMaster to contact a seller about a sale on behalf of a buyer. Be sure your profile information is up to date and valid so the buyer can contact you.

RULE #6: A "SOLD" notice must be placed for the item within 48 hrs. on the completion of the sale by the seller. The preferred method is to edit the title and place a "SOLD" in the title or post a reply with a notice.

RULE #7: No item will be listed more than 4 weeks - period. All items more than 4 weeks old will be purged and must be re-listed if not sold. Do not re-list an item within 2 weeks of removal.

RULE #8: The LA Section does not determine the outcome of any listing on this forum and will not be held responsible in any way if the item does not sell. Buyers should read the listing carefully and know exactly what you are buying. If necessary, post a message for more information or contact the seller directly. The sale transaction is between the buyer and seller and the Louisiana Section does not have any responsibility for the condition of the product sold, the timeliness of payments, the condition of the product as it arrives at the buyers destination, nor is the LA Section responsible for claims made by the seller.

RULE #9: DO NOT use obvious words like "FOR SALE", or abbreviations like "nos", "nib", or "perfect" in the title as these are inappropriate or redundant and unnecessary. All listings must be assumed as for sale items. Abbreviations are often confusing, or misleading, and reduce the possibilities for quick sale.

RULE #10: DO NOT list items that are "WANTED" or "FOR TRADE" only. If a swap is a condition of sale, it can be listed as part of the description but cannot be the ONLY condition. All items are considered for sale at minimum and must be accompanied by a reasonable sale price.


Keys to having a pleasant selling experience
  1. Make sure that the title of your listing contains the correct and complete model number(s) of the equipment that you're selling. Examples: Icom 756 Pro III, Kenwood TS-440S/AT, etc. BE SURE AND CHECK YOUR SPELLING.
  2. DO NOT PUT THE WORDS "FOR SALE" IN THE TITLE
    This includes terms such as "FS", or "FS/FT", "NOS", "NIB", or other words 100% unnecessary. Because everything in this forum is "for sale", otherwise it wouldn't be here. Abbreviations often confuse the buyer and slow the sale process.
  3. DO NOT LIST THE PRICE IN THE TITLE — Say whatever you like in the listing, but, keep the title clean. Just the name or the model number, in the listing title.
  4. DO NOT LIST THE CONDITION IN THE TITLE — Titles that say "new", "mint", "re-list", or "must sell", etc., go in the description of the listing, not the title. Use of such hyperbole reduces the credibility of the listing. Use brief and accurate descriptions.
  5. WHENEVER POSSIBLE PROVIDE A PICTURE — Buyers are far more likely to make a quick purchase if there is a clear, recent picture of the item being sold. Try to use a picture with a file size as small as possible and still provide the necessary amount of detail. Picture files attached will be limited to 2 Mb. DO NOT USE product pictures from RigPix, manufacturers, or other online sources. These are obvious and destroy the credibility of the listing.
  6. YOUR REPUTATION IS ALSO ONLINE — Make sure you do what you say and give a true and accurate representation of the item listed, all items included in the sale price, the method you will accept for payment, and any warranty. Nothing will destroy your reputation quicker than a buyer that is unhappy with the sale. Make sure BOTH you and the buyer have the same understanding BEFORE money changes hands. Make sure that you state your warranty / return policy before you accept any money. "AS-IS" means "no warranty". "NOT DOA" means that it works. "MINT" can mean anything - but generally that it's a clean box (at least), with original paperwork, packaging, and original manuals and has no scratches, mars, or other cosmetic or electronic defects.
  7. COMMUNICATE OFTEN — this is especially true for sellers. Keep your buyer informed with frequent emails or replies to questions posted until the item changes hands. Communication of the progress of the deliviery process reassures the buyer of prompt delivery and your honest intentions.
  8. Buyer Beware — Check out all the information available on the item you want to buy. If you have questions, ask. If you want pictures, ask. The deal you make is between you and the seller and is your responsibility to get all necessary information from the seller BEFORE you buy.
  9. Consider Accepting PayPal — Sure, they charge a couple of percentage points, but don't let that bother you. You're better off accepting PayPal than not. You will have more selling success. People tend to trust PayPal more than most other forms of payment. BUYERS — always demand shipping insurance, and tracking numbers. Sellers, always get a delivery receipt. You have no recourse without one.
  10. Offer to pay shipping may speed up the sale — include it in your price. Folks are more likely to buy when they know the total and final price right up front. If you do not wish to ship and the item is for pickup only, say so in the description and provide a reason.

We hope this addition to the web site will provide you with many hours of pleasure and a few sales as well.


Field Day 2010 Is In The Books
JARC1
[30 July 2010] What a great day we had for Field Day. We had over 60 people in attendance, and all had a good time. Thanks to our Field Day Chairman, Mike, AE5MW, for coordinating the joint effort by the Delta DX Association, the Greater New Orleans Amateur Radio Club, Jefferson Amateur Radio Club, New Orleans Amateur Radio Club and the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 081-45, we all had a super event. We all enjoyed the Laketown site, where many visitors came by to ask what was going on. The Times Picayune sent a photographer and reporter out to cover the event which resulted in a very nice report on not only what the event is about but also about what Amateur Radio does for the community.

JARC2
The Coast Guard’s trailer facility added just the right touch for the beam antenna as you can see by looking at the photo’s in this [article]. The Communications Response Vehicle made its successful debut and was pretty comfortable considering the 110 degree heat indices we experienced over the weekend.

Also in attendance were Kenner City Councilman Ben Zahn and his family, and Louisiana and Net Schedule State Senator Conrad Appel who were quite impressed with the demonstration of our abilities to operate in extreme conditions.

The food was in abundance and the fellowship was also wonderful. There was even a flyby of the WA5W Acrobatic Helicopter (R/C) Demonstration Team.


FCC Launches Consumer Help Center


FCC
[27 July 2010] Beginning July 28, those who have dealings with the FCC will have a new tool that the FCC claims will put them "within one click of all the information they want" from the Commission: a new "easy-to-use" Consumer Help Center.

"Our new Consumer Help Center makes it easy for consumers to learn about our work and take action," said FCC Chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Joel Gurin. "Here, in one place, consumers can do a number of things, such as read about consumer issues, get practical advice for avoiding problems, file a complaint, comment on our rulemakings, or read what our FCC experts are saying in our Consumer Blog."

The Consumer Help Center is produced by the FCC's Consumer Task Force, an inter-bureau group established by Chairman Julius Genachowski at the beginning of 2010. The Task Force has led several recent initiatives on major consumer issues. The Consumer Help Center includes:

  • Everything consumers need to know about Bill Shock and Early Termination Fees -- two common issues that affect wireless customers.
  • Savvy Traveler tips -- advice on making phone calls when travelling abroad.
  • Broadband Speed Test -- consumers can test the speed of their broadband service.
  • Fact Sheet Library -- more than 150 consumer Fact Sheets on telecom subjects.
  • Links to additional resources on a range of issues, including privacy.
  • Links to file a complaint to the FCC or comment on our rulemakings.
  • Blog posts about consumer issues -- with consumer comments welcome.
  • News releases, statements and FCC actions.
The site will be updated to include new FCC consumer initiatives as they are launched.


Monthly Summary of
June 2010
Louisiana Section News


K5MC
Gary Stratton Sr., K5GLS
Louisiana Section Manager
I apologize for the late report, but I had a computer operating system crash about four weeks ago and recovery has been quite a task. I had all my important files backed up to an external drive but lots of information stored in files associated with Outlook was not backed up. Thank goodness for my external hard drive! Remember, it is not a question of IF you will have a computer failure, but a question of WHEN. Backup your important data. External hard drives are cheap and backup can be accomplished automatically.

UPCOMING EVENTS - (See the "Events" link on this page for more detail)

Sep 25 - Jefferson ARC, Delta DX Assn., New Orleans ARC - Harahn, LA
Oct 9 - Amateur Radio Club of Central Louisiana - Pineville, LA
Jan 8 2011 - Delta Division Convention, Southeast Louisiana Amateur Radio Club  - Hammond, LA

Note: The West Central Louisiana Amateur Radio Club of Leesville has decided not to hold their hamfest this year.

SECTION APPOINTMENTS: Marvin Rush, W5MRR Emergency Coordinator Beauregard Parish

SECTION TRAFFIC REPORTS: Carlos Ingram, KB5YEG Section Traffic Manager
PSHR Report
CALL SIGNTOTALSTRAFFIC
K5MC9466
N5NVP18571
WC5M7629
W5HUD600
N5MELNRNR
K5KV110148
WA4ERUNRNR
KE5PWLNRNR
KB5SDU844
K5GLS709
LCW/LTN/LSN Statistics
NETSESSIONSQNIQTCQTR
LTN3057749322
LCW5929460288
LSN827554

SECTION ARES STATISTICS:
    ARES MEMBERS 524,
    DRILLS/TRAINING 16 MH 591,
    PUBLIC SERVICE EVENTS 1 MH 96,
    EMERGENCY OPERATIONS 1 MH 1,
    TOTAL OPERATIONS 18 MH 688,
    ARES NET SESSIONS 57 CHECKINS 578

EC REPORTS RECEIVED: Avoyelles, Bienville, Calcasieu, Cameron, Catahoula, Claiborne, Concordia, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Madison, Orleans, Ouachita, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, Sabine, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Vermillion, Vernon and Washington.

OTHER REPORTS RECEIVED: Chuck Standlee AC5PW OO, Virginia Bryant KE5DJA PIA, Ron Riviere WB5CXJ OOC.

AFFILIATED AND SPECIAL SERVICE CLUBS: ARRL Club Database not functional at this time. If you have questions or need help please contact Jim N5NVP at n5nvp@arrl.net.

FLOWER FUND: Virginia reports that the fund total stands at $125. There have been no expenditures to date.

Field Day: This year for Field Day I visited as many sites as I could south of Alexandria. By the time I made it back to Shreveport I had clocked 975 miles in two days. I enjoyed visiting with the clubs and groups that I was able to reach and I apologize to those that I couldn't. Just too many miles and not enough time! I was impressed with the operation of each group and I know that everyone had lots of fun.

The heat was a real problem for everyone. We were experiencing 105+ heat index and it really took its toll on everyone. We are working to try to change the Field Day schedule to at least earlier in June to remedy this situation. There are several alternatives to late June. This problem has been discussed many times with ARRL to no avail, but we are trying once more.

USS Kidd June Events: From the Baton Rouge Amateur Radio Club -- We had one demonstration this month. Two separate groups enjoyed a presentation by Ava, Buddy, and Les. Young people from the West Baton Rouge Library youth program and some older cadets from the Civil Air Patrol were our guests. Thanks to Wayne Matherne N5YFC who was able to put both of our Ten Tec transceivers online and update their software. Most changes were subtle but a noticeable improvement is the addition of the 60 meter band.

Museum Ships weekend proved to be touch and go as the bands typically would fade and return with a vengeance. One of the most interesting contacts was made by Marvin Owen when he answered a call from a 10 year old girl, extra class, who had been licensed for a year. Other museum ships of note were the Queen Mary, the New Jersey, the Lexington, and the Missouri. There were a total of 313 contacts of which 38 were CW. Thanks to the volunteers of the day: David Ducote, Ava Gerald, Marvin Owen, Russ Allor, Mike Hammet, Cheryl Warren, Jeremy Gerald, Dave Thomas, and Wayne Matherne.

THE PURSUIT OF DX: The opening paragraph of N4AA, Carl Smith's DX Column in the July, 2010 CQ Magazine read as follows: "The solar flux has started rising. Although slowly, it is still an improvement. Signals have started appearing on 12 and 10 meters and 10 meters is proving to be quite interesting in the late evenings (east coast time). There have been real signals from VK and ZL — not loud, but there. Cycle 24 is certainly turning out to be one for the books. Nothing makes much sense, as the historical guidelines don't seem to apply. Well, it's like the weather, there is nothing we can do about that either. We just have to take what we can get. If we turn on the radio and hear signals, good; if not, oh well."

This seems to sum up what our DXing situation is today. This situation was summed up during the recent Field Day weekend. We did experience better propagation than last year, but not as good as we would have liked to have had. Right now, the hottest DX activity is Prince Edward and Marion Islands where Pierre, ZS1HF, is operating ZS8M. He is on a one year work assignment as the radio technician on the scientific expedition team there. He will be there until May of next year. He is not on a DXpedition and will operate when he has time available. Operation is limited to SSB only.

A celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Wireless Institute of Australia will air a special event station VK100WIA May 1 to October 31. Awards will he given for contacting this station.

There are several announced operations scheduled to take place in the future:
Jan Mayen — SQ8X is planning to be there for 6 to 7 Days July 4-14, 2011.
South Orkney — Microlite Penguin DX Team plans to be there January, 2011.
Djibouti — F5IRO will be operating J28RO for a few years starting July 6.
Sable Is. — CY0??,Mid October.

Some current operations are:
Zambia — 9K2KK from now through September, 2011.
Sardinia — IS0/I2MOV will be active until the end of September 2010.
Ogasawara — JI1LET/JD1 is active July 24 - 30 2010.

5th Anniversary K5R Special Event Station in commemoration of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita will be held Saturday-Sunday, August 28-29, 2010. Sponsored by the Southeast Louisiana Amateur Radio Club (SELARC). Info at: groups.yahoo.com/group/K5R

[WEBMASTER NOTE: See information on special events on our EVENTS page. Click the menu link above.
A calendar of DX events and contests, current propagation conditions, as well as a weekly propagation column (Fri-Sun) appears on the Contesting and DX page of this site. Click on the link provided in the blue SITE QUICK LINKS box on the right sidebar]


LOUISIANA SECTION WEBSITE The site is updated daily by Webmaster Ken Standard AD5XJ. It would be a good idea to check it daily. As stated [in the email summary] the Louisiana Section Summary will be available here and not on the ARRL site until the ARRL site is functional.

SILENT KEYS:
Sadly the following Section Silent Keys were reported to me this month:
  Rosa Duchan, KA5RQU
  Ben Roumain Babin Sr., W5ROQ

Section News last updated: Tuesday, July 21, 2010 at 08:12 CDT



Slidell Hamfest Highlights

[UPDATED 20 July 2010] On July 17, 2010, the Ozone Amateur Radio Club held their annual Hamfest in a new location this year. The John Slidell Park Gymnasium was the site this year. Included here are candid snapshots of the event where a good time was had by all who attended. Good food there as well.

You will notice from some of the pictures that there is a yellow cast to the color. That is due to the low-sodium florescent lights used in the gym. No amount of color correction gets it all out, but we tried.

There were several forums held including the ARRL forum. Speakers in the forum included Gary Stratton K5GLS Section Manager, Ray Husher W5EW Delta Division Assistant Director from Louisiana, Jim Bookter N5NVP Section Clubs Coordinator, and Jim Coleman AI5B Section Emergency Coordinator.

slide
 
Start Next Prev End


Site Quick Links
   LA Section Staff
   LA ARES Staff
   LA Section ARES
   LA Section NTS
   LA Section Clubs
   LA Section Events
   LA Section Swapmeet
   LA Section Nets Listing
   Ham Radio Links
   Digital Communications
   Contesting and DX
   Technical Help

    ONLINE EC Report


LA Section Events
Click on the EVENTS link above
for all the details.

Link to RSS feed in RSS Feed
Powered by Garden Software™ Inc. ©ListGarden



This site best viewed with
Firefox

Safari

Ephiphany

Opera Opera Web Browser

Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional

Valid CSS!

[Valid RSS]

100% wind powered host


ARRL - The American Radio Relay League
250 Main Street
Newington, CT 06111-1494 USA
Tel 1-800-594-0200
Fax 1-800-594-0303
email: hqinfo@arrl.org
web: www.arrl.org

The ARRL diamond, ARES and NTS shield, abbreviation ARRL, name, and the "When All Else Fails" badge and slogan are ©Copyrights, ™Trademarks, ®Registered Trademarks, or SMServicemarks of the ARRL
  ARRL Delta Division Headquarters - West Monroe, LA
Delta Division Director - Mickey Cox, K5MC
web site: www.arrldelta.org
email: k5mc@arrl.org
Tel 1-318-397-1980




Webmaster
AD5XJ 2009-2010
This is the Official Site of the
ARRL Louisiana Section
Headquarters - Shreveport, LA
Section Manager - Gary L. Stratton, Sr.
email: k5gls@arrl.org
Tel 1-318-286-1601

All content of this site are ©Copyright, 2010 ARRL LA Section all rights reserved under the laws of the United States of America and other countries.