The January RRRA Business Meeting will be conducted through the Zoom teleconferencing service. Connection information for the RRRA Virtual Club Meeting may be found in the President’s January Zoom meeting invitation.

Club Members are reminded that annual membership renewals are due at the January Business Meeting. Available dues payment options may be found through the Join the Red River Radio Amateurs page.

On December 23, 2020, The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a reduced Amateur Radio application fee of $35. This new fee is part of the application fee schedule published in Report and Order FCC 20-184 (R&O).

ARRL News reported on December 21, 2020, “The FCC is encouraging users of the Universal Licensing Service (ULS) to have an e-mail address on file with the FCC.” ¹

This is to ensure that ULS users are ready for the FCC’s upcoming transition to electronic-only licensing correspondence.

Sometime in mid-2021 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will complete their transition to “electronic correspondence and will no longer print or provide wireless licensees with hard-copy authorizations or registrations by mail.” ¹

This transition will require all Amateur Radio licensees—both existing and applicants—to provide a valid e-mail address on license applications. Licensees will also be required to maintain a valid e-mail address in their ULS record in the same way that they must maintain a valid mailing address.

Many months have passed since RRRA members were forced by the COVID-19 pandemic to replace face to face club meetings with a monthly directed net. Fortunately this isolation will be somewhat ameliorated at 7pm on Tuesday, December 15, 2020, with the first RRRA Virtual Club Meeting which will be conducted through the Zoom teleconferencing service.