BYLAWS

OARC BYLAWS
I have talked to several people that have expressed exasperation at not being able to obtain a copy of the OARC Bylaws. I have been given a copy and they are reproduced here without editing and are believed to be an accurate reproduction of the original.

Perhaps it is time to revise them!

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BYLAWS

Of the

OHIO AREA REPEATER COUNCIL INC.

Adopted April 14, 1984

Part One - Dues

Subject to adjustment at any annual meeting by simple majority vote annual dues will be as follows: regular Memberships $5.00 per repeater.

Part Two - Meetings

Two (2) meetings of the Council shall be held each year on the second Saturdays of April and October.

Meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Roberts Rules of Order, except that any properly announced meeting shall be valid if called to order.

SPECIAL MEETINGS may be called by the Directors, or upon petition of the membership as provided for in the Bylaws.

Part Three - Data Base

The Council will require a comprehensive record of the repeaters operating in the Ohio area for the use by the Secretary and the Frequency Coordinator. For this purpose the Council should maintain a competent database of such records that can be analyzed for any required purpose.

This database should be reproduced and submitted, each year, to ARRL for use in preparation of the Repeater Directory.

Part Four - Coordination Policy

The Council will coordinate frequency assignments for repeater operators in the Ohio area on any bands in which repeater operation is permitted by the FCC.

No applicant for coordination shall be required to become a Council member or make a financial contribution; the only requirement shall be willingness to supply the information requested and cooperate in carrying out Council policies.

Part Five - principals of Coordination

Part 97 of the FCC Rules states that repeaters are intended to increase the range of handheld and mobile units and to facilitate their communications. In its administration of coordinations the Council shall adopt such policies and formulae as may be reasonable to protect this use of repeaters. To this end judgments shall be made as to power levels and antenna heights which, in combination, will result in undue overlap of the service areas of machines on the same frequency pairs during periods of normal propagation.

While the Council believes that Part 97 is outmoded in not addressing the potentials of additional modes (RTTY, ATV e.g. ), it seems the Council must be neutral as to machines dedicated to these modes. The Council will register the operation of such stations but it will not, pending changes in the rules, grant coordination.

5.1 There shall be no distinction between so-called primary, secondary, or tertiary channels in the establishment or application of Council policy on spacing, guarding, or other application of Council policy on spacing, guarding, or other means of minimizing interference between repeaters.

The following paragraph has been tabled for future consideration.

5.2 In assigning frequencies, repeaters using the same channel shall be separated by enough distance so that under normal conditions a 25-watt mobile will not access both repeaters, and that the output of one repeater will not cause objectionable interference to users of the other within 25 miles of the other transmitter.

5.3 Repeaters on adjacent channels shall be separated by such distance as will ensure that the output of one does not interfere with the input of the other.

Part Six - Coordination Procedure

Initiation by Applicant

Information to be supplied by Applicant

Repeater call sign

Call sign, name and address of the trustee for the repeater.

Call sign, name, and address of the official representative to the Council if other than the trustee.

Name and address of sponsoring group or individual.

Band or bands on which operation is planned, including control circuits and links.

Repeater Location (City, street address, and map coordinates) elevation above sea level, antenna height, and whether there will be tone on output.

Mode of operation.

6.2 Forms for registration of repeaters shall be available from the Area Coordinator or from the Secretary of the Council.

The original registration form for any repeater will be treated as a request for coordination, and should be submitted to the area coordinator.

Application for coordination may be made to the Area Coordinator or, at the option of the applicant, directly to the Coordinator.

6.3 In general, an applicant will be considered to be justified in commencing operation on an un-coordinated, non-interfering trial basis after consulting with the Area Coordinator and the filing of an application for coordination. In the event that interference results he/she will expected to take steps to alleviate the problem.

The applicant shall have six months from the date of making application to get the repeater on the air, or the frequency may be reassigned unless the Board grants a request for an extension.

Applications for coordination shall be investigated by the Area Coordinator for the area in which operation is contemplated. The Area Coordinator will counsel the applicant concerning possible problems of interference, and will accept the application for coordination for forwarding to the Coordinator with any recommendations.

6.5 The Coordinator will advise the applicant within a reasonable time of the receipt of the application, and will take such other steps as are indicated to determine if conflicting coordinations and/or applications exist.

A proposed frequency assignment shall be submitted in writing to all coordinated users of the same and adjacent channels for comment. This mailing shall be to the official representative named on the application or membership roster.

If any conflicts are found to exist the parties will be invited to consult with each other to resolve the problem.

The Coordinator shall consult the records of coordinations within the State, and in the adjacent States to the extent that they are known, and shall make recommendations to the Board concerning each application. If coordination is approved by the Board the applicant will be so notified.

6.6 Only the Coordinator shall be empowered to grant coordinations on behalf of the Council and its Directors.

The assignment shall be considered final if no written interference complaint is made to the Council within 90 days after the repeater starts full-time operation.

6.7 If a written objection to the assignment is made by any user of the same or adjacent channels during the above reviews, the coordinator shall send a copy to all those who were sent the original notice, with a request that they submit their comments, and pertinent test data if available.

These data shall be referred to the applicant with a request to attempt to resolve the problem(s) by working directly with the complainant(s). If an agreement is reached the Council will approve the assignment subject to its terms.

6.8 If no agreement is possible either party may request non-binding arbitration by the coordinator.

If no solution is found either party may request a hearing by the Board.

If the Board is unable to reconcile the parties recourse may be had o the next meeting of the Council. The decision of the representatives at that meeting, as expressed by a majority vote, shall be final.

6.9 In adjudicating conflicts between repeater operations the Council will rely upon the relevant data contained in the registrations of the respective machines, and upon evidence of use of good amateur practices and procedures by the parties.

7.1 A repeater in operation may be transferred to another group or individual and continue to operate under the same or a new call without recoordination provided the location and operating characteristics are not changed. The right to use a coordinated frequency assignment is not transferrable to another repeater or applicant without re-coordination according to the procedures described above.

7.2 Coordination, once granted, will be renewed by annual registration until one or more of the following occure:

The repeater is out of operation for a period of six months, or more.

The repeater is moved more than five miles from the site for which

coordination was originally requested.

The power level is increased by 3 db or more.

The antenna height is increased more than 15 feet above that originally applied for (AMSL)

The Secretary of the Council should be notified if any of the following occur:

The call sign of the repeater is changed.

The trustee of the repeater changes.

Sponsor of the repeater changes.

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Last update 04/15/99