ARES Presentation May 2nd! By: Dennis Smith KA6GSE Dennis will be giving a presentation on where ARES in the LAX Section is going in the next year. Northwest District ARES Monthly Meeting Date: Saturday May 2, 2009 Time: 8:00 am - 10:00 am Location: Valley Presbyterian Medical Center (Education Center) 15107 Vanowen St., Van Nuys, CA 91405 (Click for MAP!) Check out everything going on with ARES in the LAX Section by visiting their web page! You can also download the latest newsletter! Check the links in the sidebar to the left! Judge Rules in Favor of Amateur in Palmdale Antenna Support Structure Case Marty Woll N6VI In Los Angeles Superior court late this morning, Judge David Yaffe ruled in favor of Alec Zubarau WB6X, invalidating the City of Palmdale's 2008 order that he remove his tower. I joined counsel Len Shaffer WA6QHD in the courtroom, and we both walked out pleased that the court found the City's action to be improper. The preliminary ruling had included a decision invalidating the city's current antenna ordinance, but it appears that the final ruling, which Len will receive next week, will not include that provision. Nonetheless, the fact that the City lost and came very close to having their ordinance invalidated should serve to bolster the position of local hams who are trying to negotiate the language of a replacement antenna ordinance with city officials. A brief story just appeared on the ARRL Web site. We should have more detail to report once we see the written ruling. Sincere thanks to Len for his tireless efforts and to all who have provided support financially and otherwise, including the many who added their ideas and comments. Please feel free to contact me if you wish to discuss further, although I have no written decision to share at this time. 73, Marty Woll N6VI Vice-Director, ARRL Southwestern Division Ass't DEC, ARESLAX BCUL 15, LAFD ACS CERT III Welcome to the new ARRL Los Angeles Section Website! We LOVE it! Welcome to the NEW LAX website! Here you'll find out what's happening in our Section, including links to the many volunteer opportunities, contact information for those in charge, and the latest news right here in your backyard! The LAX Section incorporates all of Los Angeles County, and our Section Manager is Phineas Icenbice, W6BF, who is elected to this position by the ARRL members in the Section. His staff consists of volunteers who decided to get involved with Amateur Radio. If you are interested in getting involved yourself, we would love to hear from you! You'll find menu links on the left side of the screen as well as a brief description of the different Field Organization programs below. These programs are staffed by volunteers, just like you, and provide a much needed service to our fellow Amateurs and our communities! Please give some serious thought to volunteering your time! ARRL Legislative Action Program Promote and Protect Amateur Radio at the FEDERAL level! The League maintains a legislative action program to educate our government leaders on issues pertinent to Amateur Radio. The ARRL Legislative Action Program is designed to make it possible for ARRL members to promote and protect Amateur Radio through coordinated, legitimate political action at the Federal government level. This includes reminding them of the work we do in support of disaster communications as well as the potential impact of BPL systems on radio interference. This program is administered on the DIVISION level. Work obligations have made it impossible for our Division Legislative Action Coordinator to continue, and we need to find a replacement. Please contact Southwest Division Director Dick Norton, N6AA, if you have interest in helping with the program, either as a coordinator or an assistant. A new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the ARRL Legislative Action Program now is available for ARRL members and others interested in this ARRL grassroots effort. There's more information on the ARRL Government Relations page. LAX Affilated Clubs/Special Service Clubs Affiliated and Special Service Clubs with the ARRL. For some 70 years now, the ARRL has sought to affiliate itself with worthy and well qualified, organized, noncommercial Amateur Radio groups or societies of kindred aims and purposes. Doing so allows these clubs to draw on ARRL's resources and allows ARRL to stay aware of activities at the local level, information we can use when defending Amateur Radio's interests. The result is stronger clubs, a stronger LAX Section, a stronger ARRL and a stronger Amateur Radio. The ARRL is especially proud of our affiliated clubs that excel in their activities. Clubs that go the extra mile to provide on-going training and support for the benefit of their community, fall into our Special Service Club category. These extraordinary groups actively pursue all aspects of Amateur Radio: New Ham Development and Training; Public Relations; Emergency Communications; School Club Support; Technical Advancement; Operating Activities; Annual Reports, and more. Click HERE for a list of clubs in the LAX Section. We are currently looking for a volunteer to be our Affiliated Club Coordinator for the LAX Section. Click the link for a full description of the appointment duties. If you feel you could be an asset to the LAX Section, the ARRL, and Amateur Radio, contact our Section Manager by clicking HERE. Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) Amateur Radio giving BACK to the community! The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes. Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in ARRL or any other local or national organization, is eligible for membership in the ARES. The only qualification, other than possession of an Amateur Radio license, is a sincere desire to serve. Because ARES is an amateur service, only amateurs are eligible for membership. The possession of emergency-powered equipment is desirable, but is not a requirement for membership. National Traffic System (NTS) Messages that will ALWAYS get through! The NTS is a field organization of the ARRL (American Radio Relay League) which was formed to pass formal written messages (traffic) from any point in the United States to any other point. The NTS has it origins in the earliest days of radio as indicated by the name, "American Radio Relay League". These messages, which are put in a standard format called a "radiogram", are relayed from one ham to another, using a variety of modes, including voice, Morse code, radio teletype, or packet. The message is ultimately delivered to the addressee by an NTS operator who lives fairly close to the recipient, either by telephone, mail, or hand delivery (uncommon). ARRL News: LAX E-Mail List: Keep up to date by joining the LAX Section E-mail list! Join by clicking HERE!