The ARRL Letter Vol. 13, No. 3 February 10, 1994 US, Russia give shuttle last-minute lift, agree to reciprocal, 3rd party privileges Russian and American amateurs aboard last week's space shuttle were able to carry out some of their operating plans only thanks to a last-minute pact between their two countries, who finalized temporary third party and reciprocal operating agreements just after the shuttle lifted off. On February 3 the US Department of State and the Russian Ministry of Post and Telecommunications each approved the temporary arrangements, which allowed cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, U5MIR, to contact, on February 6, the House of Science and Technology for Youth, in Moscow. The contact was retransmitted in Russia on HF and VHF, according to the ARRL SAREX Working Group. After the two countries approved the arrangements, it still was necessary to obtain a Special Temporary Authorization from the FCC (since operating from the shuttle is viewed the same as operating from US soil). The ARRL contacted the FCC's Personal Radio Branch, and the STA was granted on February 4. Permanent reciprocal operating and third party agreements between the US and Russia have been in negotiations for several years. Krikalev's school contact was the first by a cosmonaut from a US space shuttle. Russian coordinators for the event were Leo Labutin, UA3CR, and Valery Agabekov, UA6HZ. During the contact, Aleksandr Kaleri, U8MIR, spoke to Krikalev from the school, and several other cosmonauts were on hand. Six Russian students were able to ask questions of the shuttle astronauts. In addition to schools contacted, the shuttle's robot packet station had logged nearly 2000 contacts as of February 7. The Associated Press reported this story on Friday evening, February 4, noting that failure to obtain the agreements could have rendered illegal not only Krikalev's contact with the Moscow school but also an amateur-band contact between him and the Russian Mir space station. The US continues to pursue permanent reciprocal operating and third party agreements with Russia and hopes to conclude them with a signing ceremony later this month in Washington, the State Department said in announcing the temporary shuttle agreements. US astronauts aboard the shuttle are Charles Bolden, KE4IQB, and Ronald Sega, KC5ETH. RF exposure plan wrong-headed, League says The ARRL has told the FCC that a proposal to adopt new standards for exposure to radio frequency radiation should be terminated. The League said that the proposal, which would change the Commission's guidelines to match those adopted by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) in 1992, was premature, and more properly should have been introduced as an FCC notice of inquiry. The ARRL said that the ANSI-IEEE standards were not properly delineated and not a proper basis for evaluating communications facilities. Under the proposal, the new standards would replace less stringent standards adopted in 1982. "The Commission's handling of this proceeding," the League said, "is not conducive to a fair determination of which RF exposure standard, if any, should replace the 1982 ANSI standard, on which most of the current communications systems in operation in the United States are based." The League said that an FCC report and order in 1987 that concluded that amateur stations should be exempted from such RF exposure guidelines, because amateur stations operate only intermittently, and at low power levels, still applies. Only rarely, the League said, would amateur stations exceed even the proposed, more stringent 1992 ANSI-IEEE standard. According to the ARRL, the FCC's notice of proposed rule making has five main shortcomings: * It doesn't actually propose rule changes, or suggest anything on which to base substantive comments; * It asks for comments not on the 1992 RF exposure guidelines themselves but rather on how to implement them; * It suggests that the Commission has not decided to adopt the 1992 ANSI standard, yet offers no other standard as an alternative; * It discusses a standard -- the 1992 ANSI-IEEE standard -- that is not readily available to the public for review; * It addresses a subject that is, according to the Commission itself, beyond the Commission's expertise to deal with. The League said that the FCC's proceeding should be terminated in favor of more study, by a more appropriate government agency, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, or else by an FCC notice of inquiry. The Commission's NPRM is, the League said, actually "in the nature of" a notice of inquiry. Based on the 1978 National Environmental Policy Act, which granted exclusions to some "routine" environmental processing, the Commission in 1987 said the following: "Regarding amateur radio facilities, no specific evidence has been submitted that these facilities present a significant risk to the public that would warrant routine environmental evaluation. While hypothetically, RF radiation limits could be exceeded in a few instances, such situations apparently seldom occur in actual operation. "Furthermore, because amateur stations are not individually licensed by frequency, modulation, power output, or location, it would not be administratively feasible to evaluate amateur applications for this environmental factor. "Consequently, we find that amateur radio operators, at the time of licensing, should not be required to routinely submit environmental information concerning exposure to RF radiation. Nevertheless, as an added precaution, we agree with [the League] that operator education would help to assure compliance with ANSI guidelines. In that connection, RF radiation safety questions are being incorporated into amateur examination study guides." The League said that even before that exemption was granted, it had taken an aggressive approach toward education of amateurs about RF exposure. Finally, the League said that if the FCC does decide to adopt a standard to replace the 1982 standard, it should not be the 1992 ANSI-IEEE standard, because it is "arbitrary on its face," and that some of the 1992 standards would be practically impossible to assess for either commercial or amateur facilities. The League said that most amateur installations use antennas from 40 to 100 feet above ground, producing, according to the Commission's own measurements, minimal energy at ground level. The possible exceptions, the League said, are where amateurs are forced to use indoor antennas because of restrictive land-use covenants that prevent outdoor antennas. Many of the League's arguments to the FCC proposal paralleled those made last month at a hearing in New Jersey concerning a proposal to register and tax RF sources. In both instances, the League said that the infinite variety of amateur installations, and their ability to change configuration with something as simple as rotating a directional antenna, made "routine environmental processing" of amateurs nonsensical. This FCC proposal, in ET Docket 93-62, was made in the spring of 1993, and its comment deadline has been extended several times, most recently to January 25, 1994, based on a request by CBS Inc. The reply comment deadline is February 24, 1994. Ga. bill would outlaw restrictive covenants A bill introduced in the Georgia legislature that would eliminate the effect of restrictive property covenants on amateurs is believed to be the first of its kind, according to ARRL Georgia Section Manager Jim Altman, N4UCK. The bill, H.B. 1134, would prevent all new and renewed covenants from regulating, controlling, or restricting antennas owned and operated by licensed amateurs in the state. Altman said that, in Georgia, all restrictive covenants have a life of 20 years, but can be renewed. This law, in banning new and renewed covenants, would leave existing covenants in place until their natural expiration, and prevent new ones. Over the next 20 years, all existing covenants would disappear. The bill was initially referred to the State Bar committee on real property law, which gave the measure a "do pass" recommendation. The bill mentions that Amateur Radio is federally created and protected, in part to provide emergency communication; that local zoning laws are partially preempted by an FCC declaration; that local zoning authorities do have the power to ensure the safety and "appropriateness" of antenna installations: and that restrictive covenants on antennas are a "serious frustration" of amateurs' role in emergency communication. The new bill would add the following subsection to Georgia law on covenants: No covenant shall control, regulate, or restrict the installation of antennas within the subdivision by federally licensed amateur radio operators. Amateurs in Georgia are urged to contact their state legislators and ask for their support of H.B. 1134. For more information, contact Altman or the Regulatory Information Branch at ARRL Headquarters. VANITY CALL SIGN EXTENSION SOUGHT The ARRL has requested an extension of the comment deadline on an FCC proposal to establish a "vanity" call sign system. The FCC's Notice of Proposed Rule Making, in PR Docket 93-305, was released December 29, 1993, with a comment deadline of March 7, 1994. The League immediately published the NPRM, in its entirety, in February 1994 QST, asking members to make their views on the matter known to their directors. In its request for an extension of time for comments, until April 21, 1994, the ARRL said that enabling amateurs to choose a call sign was a great opportunity and a "difficult administrative process for the Commission. "The allocation of a scarce resource, such as preferred call signs, raises distinct issues of fairness," the League said. "Of particular concern is the establishment of a system of priorities for applicants for special call signs," the League said. The League also said that the March 7 comment deadline simply did not allow enough time for ARRL members to express their views on the proposal and for the ARRL board to then formulate a position, and that legislation pending in the Congress could affect the way by which the FCC could charge fees for call sign requests. BRIEFS * Beginning March 1 the FCC will accept only the new version of its Form 610, as explained in February and March QST "Exam Info." The current ARRL-VEC newsletter, VE Express, includes a full-size version of the new Form 610, and the ARRL-VEC has sent bulk quantities of the new form to all of its 650-plus "field stocked" VE teams, recommending that they begin using the new form on February 12, to allow sufficient turnaround time. Copies of the new 610 form are available for an SASE from ARRL Headquarters. * Contest operators once again will have the chance to swap lies about their QSO rates at the 2nd Annual Dayton Contest Dinner. It's the Saturday evening of the HamVention, April 30, 1994, at 6:30 PM at the Stouffer Center Plaza Hotel. Cost is $25 per person and reservation deadline is April 10, 1994. Send check and SASE to North Coast Contesters Dayton Dinner, PO Box 59, New Bedford PA 16140. * On January 15 Ian Suart, GM4AUP, was installed as the 60th president of the Radio Society of Great Britain, succeeding Peter Chadwick, G3RZP. The new RSGB executive vice president is Clive Trotman, GW4YKL. The RSGB said that "although the EVP frequently becomes president for the following year, this is not decided until the autumn." * On January 26 the FCC granted the ARRL-VEC an extension of time to provide financial information concerning reimbursement arrangements for volunteer examiners. Last fall the FCC asked all VECs to provide such information for 1993, with a deadline of the end of January. The ARRL said that its auditing firm will not complete its work on the League's 1993 finances until sometime in March, and the ARRL wished to wait until the audit is complete. The League said it assumed that the other VECs would be given the same accommodation. The FCC extended the deadline to March 31, 1994. * Russia has reserved new call sign blocks as follows: R1MVA-R1MVZ for Malyj Vysotskij Island; R1FJA-R1FJZ for Franz Josef Land; and R1ANA-R1ANZ for Antarctica. These replace the 4J/4K call signs previously used, which are no longer available to Russia. The new call signs may not immediately be put into use. * Here's a list of countries who joined the International Telecommunication Union in 1993: Czech Republic; Georgia; Slovakia; Kazakhstan; Micronesia; The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; Turkmenistan; Eritrea; Andorra. The ITU now has 182 members. * The average cost of a hard cover technological book is now $48.83, according to Publisher's Weekly. The cost of the ARRL Handbook? -- $25. The Handbook has sold more than six million copies since Ed Handy, W1BDI, wrote the first one in 1926. * The commander for space shuttle and SAREX flight STS67 in early 1995 will be Steve Oswald, KB5TSR. He will join SAREX veteran Payload Specialist Ron Parise, WA4SIR. * The FCC has tallied some numbers on the Volunteer Examiner system since its 1984 debut, through late 1993: number of VE sessions, 56,485; number of people attending: 640,453; number of examination elements administered: 1,052,269. * In the days following the January 17 earthquake near Los Angeles, amateurs were active in support of public service agencies and the Red Cross through both the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) and the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), according to ARRL Los Angeles Section Manager Phineas J. Icenbice Jr, W6BF. If you have photos and/or stories about amateurs in action following the quake, please send them to Rick Palm, K1CE, at HQ. * A call for papers has been issued for the 13th ARRL Digital Communications Conference, with a deadline of June 20, 1994. The conference will be held August 19 to 21 in Bloomington, Minnesota, and its theme is "Digital Communications -- Amateur Radio of TodayÉ and the Future." Submit papers to Maty Weinberg at ARRL HQ. * Broadcast professionals are invited to visit the ARRL Amateur Radio booth at the annual convention of the National Association of Broadcasters, March 21 to 24 in Las Vegas. The League will be in Booth 2703. * New amateur satellite Korean Oscar 25 (KO-25) became available for use on February 1. The satellite, launched last fall and originally designated KITSAT-B, has been under test since then. "We hope you enjoy our new star in space," said Hyungshin Kim, a staff member of the satellite's sponsor, the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. More information on KO-25 was in October 1993 QST, page 98. * Tom Hogerty, KC1J, has been named Special Projects Manager at ARRL Headquarters. Building on his success in the clearance of the DXCC backlog last year during his tenure as DXCC manager, Tom's first project will be to investigate how services to members are rendered and how they can be improved.. The new DXCC Manager is Bill Kennamer, K5FUV, who joined the staff in June 1992. Bill also conducts the QST "How's DX?" column. 10 years ago in The ARRL Letter The FCC clarified new rules under which Novice examinations were given regarding who was eligible to administer those exams. The FCC opened 144.5 to 145.5 MHz to RACES operations during declared emergencies, a move favored by the League because it would allow ARES operators to participate in RACES communications with their existing 2meter equipment. Two years after their debut, cordless telephones were assigned 10 duplex channels at 46 and 49 MHz while the FCC sought "a permanent home for these devices." Early cordless phones operated near 160 meters, causing headaches for their users and Top Band operators alike. 2 meters a life saver Amateur Radio may have saved a life when Diana Carlson, KC1SP, used a local repeater to report an apparent suicide attempt to police. Carlson, of Hudson, New Hampshire, was on her way to work at GenRad in Concord, Massachusetts, the morning of January 10, when she and another motorist observed a man climbing the railing of the Merrimack Bridge, which leads into the city. The man's auto was parked directly in front of Carlson. While the other motorist talked to the man, Carlson first tried a call on 146.52, which she knew was sometimes monitored by the Westford, Massachusetts, police, then switched to the 147.120 repeater in Billerica. Larry Garneau, N1QEZ, who was mobile, responded and passed the message to his wife, Virginia Garneau, N1QFA, who telephoned police. An officer of the Tyngsboro Police arrived in time to pull the 27-year-old man from the railing of the bridge. "The policeman jumped out and hurriedly ran to the man, grabbed his arm and pulled him back onto the bridge," Carlson said. "My heart is in my throatÉ and then it's over. All of this, from first call to the rescue, took less than five minutes." Carlson's husband David is N1JYX, her son is KA1VWX, and her daughter is KA1VUA. Shipping Shipping The ARRL shipping department has moved to a new, offsite leased warehouse. The League's list of titles, including books and supplies such as maps and logbooks, has grown to more than 150 since the Headquarters building was expanded in 1978, and the weight finally became more than the present building could accommodate. "The Handbook alone weighs more than five pounds," Circulation Manager Debra Jahnke said, "and we store and ultimately ship more than 20,000 of them a year." The new warehouse, about half a mile from HQ, has 9800 square feet, compared to 6200 formerly devoted to shipping and storage at HQ (and the new warehouse is on the first floor of its building!). "We expect much more efficient inventory control," Jahnke said. "We used to have to store books at not only a rented off-site facility in Connecticut but also at an R. R. Donnelley warehouse in Indiana." The ARRL shipping department moves out more than 500,000 pounds of publications a year.