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Happy New Year

BREAK BREAK BREAK !!!


No January General Membership Meeting
We were planning to have the 2022 1st Quarter General Membership meeting at the Hub on Saturday January 15, 2022 at 2:00 PM. However due to the increase in COVID related outbreaks and restrictions, we have canceled the January Quarterly General Membership meeting.
From the Club President

First of all, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and welcome to 2022.
I want to bring to your attention to an additional new annual $1,400 fee per site the US Forest Service is proposing. Below is a link to the full document.
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/12/22/2021-27681/land-uses-special-uses-annual-programmatic-administrative-fee-for-communications-use-authorizations
 
I see no exclusion for amateur radio sites like the URFMSI’s. We are a non-profit that supports emergency communications and our sites are not related to revenue producing income, like commercial sites. I see this as a big problem for the URFMSI and many other amateur radio clubs.
 
The ARRL plans to vigorously oppose the imposition of the proposed fees on amateur radio. But the ARRL is encouraging amateur radio licensees to file comments opposing the imposition of the proposed administrative fee on amateur radio users. Comments must be received in writing by no later than February 22, 2022. Comments may be submitted online at the Federal Rule Making Portal or via USPS mail to Director, Lands & Realty Management Staff, 201 14th Street SW, Washington, DC 20250-1124, and must include the identifier "RIN 0596-AD44."
 
Please help.
73
Jim Dalton
AF5FI
 
Repeater Report
 
Capilla Repeater
Since the loss of our tower on September 9, 2020, the site was operating with temporary antennas. Adding insult to injury, on July 5, 2021 lighting damaged the Internet connection equipment and the site was forced into a stand-alone repeater mode (not linkable). We are happy report that as of December 18, 2021, the site can once again be linked into the system. Thank you Russell for getting and installing the Internet equipment needed to get the site back online.

We had hoped to get started on rebuilding the tower last year. The first task to putting up a new tower is to install new guywire deadmen anchor connections. Due to several questions/issues about what and how to get new deadmen anchors installed, the rebuilding of the tower is on hold.

Here are a few pictures of work performed at the Capilla site last quarter.
Top Left:
Russell and Alec installing Internet RF link
Top Right:
Attempting to Burying conduit for fiber optic cable but too much frozen water in it to get cable through it.
Top Left:
Checking the status of the generator
Top Right:
New Shelf with Flight-radar 24 receiver and internet switch
Hub
All the repeaters are online and operating normally. Some tower work is planned for the Hub to install a HF antenna for emergency support for the VA and CAP. We also hope to put up a donated crank-up tower with a HF beam antenna.
 
Sandia Crest Repeater
The Sandia Crest repeater (442.450 MHz) is operating normally.
 
La Mosca Repeater
This repeater went dead on December 24, 2021 due a power outage. The backup battery power was exhausted and 94 did not come back after commercial power was restored. We have not been able to get to the site to find out what the problem is due to winter conditions. The La Mosca GMRS, packet, and APRS radios are also not functioning. All these radios use the same 12 VDC power source.
 
Microwave Ridge Repeater
This repeater is operating normally with no problems reported.
 
Tapia Mesa Repeater
This repeater is operating normally with no problems reported.

 
Other Club Related News
 
GMRS
The URFMSI and the NM Linked GMRS system share several repeater sites. This is a win-win for both. Mountain top radio sites are important for good repeater coverage and the sites are very limited. So, it makes sense to share the available facilities, equipment and technical duties as much as possible. A number of new GMRS repeaters have been put up this summer, visit https://swcrs.org for more information.
 
VA “N5VA” Station
Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the N5VA station at the VA hospital has been off the air. But the VA operators have set up a 20 meter dipole plus a multi-band vertical antenna at the Hub and are on the air again operating from the Hub. Please stop by and talk to them from 10:30 to 11:30 AM, Monday thru Friday on 14.287 MHz.
 
Civil Air Patrol
The URFMSI provides the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) with an auxiliary radio operating station at the Hub. New this last quarter was the installation of a large batter backup system.
 
Cibola SAR
The URFMSI is hosting the Cibola Search and Rescue VHF/UHF crossband repeater at the Hub. The installation of the crossband repeater has been a great help for their missions on the west side of the Sandia mountains.
Announcements
 
Duke City Hamfest
The Duke City Hamfest is looking for Board of Director (BoD) volunteers, they have lost some of the directors to a SK and others reasons. If interested go to their website https://www.dukecityhamfest.org/ for more information.
 
Tailgates
Winter Tailgate hosted by the 146.580 Simplex Group will be on Saturday January 29th @ the Stoneface Tavern, 8201 San Pedro NE. There is no admission charge or vendor fees and there will be a port-potty onsite.
 
FREE!
The club has a large selection of electric parts for projects, repairs or other uses. Contact Don at W5FHA@arrl.net.
 
Ham License Testing
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Ham license testing is limited at this time. However, Valencia County Amateur Radio Association (VCARA) is providing VE testing. Visit VCARA’s website (www.kc5our.com) for more information.

In addition, the High Desert Amateur Radio Club (NM5HD) is giving tests, for more information visit the club’s website (https://nm5hd.org).
 
Amazon Smile
We are pleased that club members have signed up for the Amazon Smile program and listed the URFMSI as their charitable organization. Signing up to Amazon Smile does not add cost to the items you buy but provides much needed funds back to the club.
 
Membership
Please remember to go to our website and check your membership status. We have many members that are past their membership expiration date. We continue to need your support. With your help we can rebuild our Capilla site, pay our electric bills and other club expenses. See the link to the abbreviated roster in the upper right corner of http://www.urfmsi.org.
 
Club Mission Statement
 
The mission of the Upper Rio FM Society, Inc. is to provide a State-of-the-Art Amateur Radio repeater network for the benefit of our members, licensed Amateur Radio operators, the community and provide public service communication support in times of emergency.
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