HAM Radio 3/hamradioversion3.0examsandprograms1992.iso/news/yi0215/yi0215.88

Text File | 1988-02-15 | 18KB | 327 lines

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 ::  T H E   W 5 Y I   R E P O R T  ::
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 ::      D i t s   &   B i t s      ::
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 ::      Vol 10 #4 --- 02/15/88     ::
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 ::    HamNet Electronic Edition    ::
 ::   CompuServe's  Ham/SWL Forum   ::
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Up to the minute news from the worlds of amateur radio, personal computing and
emerging electronics.  While no guarantee is made, information is from  sources
we believe to be reliable.  May be reproduced providing credit is given to The
W5YI Report.

This HamNet Electronic Edition is a limited excerpt from the full published
edition of The W5YI Report.  Selected and prepared by Scott, W3VS.

Commercial redistribution of this copy is prohibited.

IMPORTANT Note: Some of the material included in The W5YI Report - Electronic
Edition may not be suitable for transmission via Amateur Radio.


In this issue:

-    Status of Amateur Radio Rulemaking
-    Uniden to Enter Ham Radio Market

HamNet thanks Fred Maia, W5YI, for permission to excerpt this Electronic
Edition of his W5YI Report.  The full ten-page biweekly newsletter is available
by mail for $21 per year from Fred at Dept. C, PO Box 10101, Dallas, TX 75207.
Samples available for a 2 stamp large SASE.

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W5YI has developed a complete Novice Package that enables an Amateur Radio
operator candidate to learn everything necessary to obtain a ham ticket
without formal classroom training.  Kit contains 3 manuals, 2 code tapes,
telegraph key, tone oscillator, battery...and more!  Satisfaction guaranteed
or your money back!  Same Day Shipping!  Price: $21.95+$2.40 postage.  W5YI-
VEC, PO Box 10101-N, Dallas, TX 75207.

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Do you have Amateur Radio news to contribute to The W5YI Report?  If so,
please call [phone] and leave a message on Fred's recorder!

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o Status of Amateur Radio Rulemaking
  ----------------------------------

We made our regular telephone call to the FCC in Washington this past week to
determine the present status of Amateur Radio Rulemaking.  We chatted with John
B. Johnston, W3BE, Chief of the FCC's Personal Radio Branch.  Among other
things, we talked about Novice Enhancement, PRB-3 - the privatizing of amateur
radio callsigns ...and the reorganization and rewriting of the Part 97 Amateur
Radio Rules.

"Gauging the success of Novice Enhancement depends upon what objective you had
in mind," Johnny said.  "If you objective was to keep people from dropping out
of the service and to move up from Novice to Technician ...which I think was the
major FCC thrust of the Rulemaking ...then Novice Enhancement is successful.
For those that thought that this was going to bring in lots of new people
...Well, I don't think that is working.  The initial rush of newcomers we saw
back last Spring apparently was just to beat the deadline... (for taking the new
expanded examination)."

Johnston also said that many times information published or circulated
concerning amateur radio growth - or lack of it - is not supported by the actual
licensing numbers.  "Ham radio is not going to the 'dogs' ...nor is ham radio
growing too fast.  There have been reports of both ...possibly based on sales of
amateur equipment or magazines."

He sent us several pages of ham licensing records for every month and class over
the past ten years.  Due to space consideration, however, we are publishing only
the December chart which is fairly indicative of all of the other months.  For
those readers who don't care for stats, bear with us.  We have many manufacturer
and dealer subscribers and these statistics are very important to the amateur
radio industry who use them for market forecasting purposes.

The number of Novices hit a high in April of 1983 (92,918).  It is interesting
to note, however, that the total number of Novices and Technicians taken as a
group has not changed much over the years.  There were 168,514 in April 1983 ...
168,852 in April 1987.  The December 1987 amateur census shows this to be
176,479.

If you think that determining ham radio expansion is confusing now, wiat until
next year!  Johnston cautioned that "...1988 will be the last year that
licensing figures will actually indicate amateur radio growth.  We went to a ten
year license term in January of 1984.  For five years -- 1989 through December
of 1993 -- we won't have any renewals ...and we won't have any 'drop out'
figures.  We will go for a five year period where no one will be deleted from
the data base.  The numbers will soar!  The Call Book magazine will get fatter
...much fatter!"

"A lot of amateurs that would ordinarily let their license lapse will continue
on for an additional five years.  We will see increases in Amateur Radio which
will be totally artificial.  New application records will be added to the data
base ...but none will be deleted for a five year period."

We looked into what this would mean to the amateur census and found that
approximately 3,500 amateurs renew their ham tickets monthly.  (Calendar year
1987 FCC Amateur Radio licensing records show 40,327 renewals, 26,517 new
amateurs and 15,336 "deleted records" [drop-outs]).  Thus the total number of
amateurs will artificially increase at least by 30% (more than 125,000) over a
five year period.

"We will see five years of substantial growth beginning with January 1989 -- and
then much slower growth from 1994 on..." when the ten year term licenses that
were issued in 1984 must be renewed.  "We will be comparing apples and oranges
for the next five years," Johnston said.

...And that is assuming no real increase in the US amateur census.  Any actual
increase will be in addition.  If last years dismal growth (3.25%) is compounded
for five years, the ham census will stand at 650,000 in 1994 -- nearly a 50%
increase over today.  Clearly, a million US licensed amateurs within a five year
period is within our grasp.

On a No-Code Amateur License...  "We have completed the staff work on Ben
Johnson's proposal (NY0O, Washington, Iowa) to drop the code requirement for the
Novice and Technician license, but the decision has not yet been released.  We
are aware that Canada is considering a no-code license.  Ray Kowalski (ex-FCC
Division Chief) made a comment that pretty much sums up our feeling on the
matter.  'In the United States, no-code is dead ...is laying in the coffin
...the ARRL drove a stake through its heart ...and it is not going to go any
place until the ARRL pulls that stake out."

I have gone through numerous no-code exercises ...two of which actually got out
on the street.  Both of them were very expensive ...involving a lot of comments,
...Congressional inquiries ...and an awful lot of staff work.  Both of them led
to the same conclusion.  The hams do not want a no-code license."

"The comments in the last one ran twenty to one against it.  While this may have
been orchestrated, never-the-less this is what the record shows.  There is
nothing 'internal' being discussed about a no-code amateur license.  Another no-
code proposal dealing with handicapped people by a Mr. Hailey was denied and
dismission on January 12th."

I asked Johnston where the reported reorganization of the Part 97 Amateur Rules
stood.  Ray Kowalski had told us that the FCC staff work had been completed.
"We are still working on it actually.  We had completed work on that matter for
the division, but now that we have new management...we did some more work on
it."

"There is still a question as to whether it will be released at all, but if it
is, I would guess it probably would be this Spring.  It is one of those things
where you take it to the Commission and ask their opinion.  You never really
know if it will go out or not.  Basically the revision tries to get rid of a lot
of obsolete rules.  There are no 'earth shaking' changes proposed.  We are just
trying to make Part 97 a litte bit easier to use."

Kowalski had mentioned about the possibility of some new 'wrinkles' in amateur
emergency communications but Johnston said that "there were none.  We wanted to
get that in at one time, but it 'didn't fly'," he said.  Part 97.1 says that
these rules are designed -- among other things -- to provide emergency
communications, but you look what is in the rules and there is ot much in
there."

"We are spectrum managers, not emergency people.  The biggest request we get
during emergencies is to be able to work phone on the CW only bands.  This is
interesting because one of the major reasons for keeping the telegraphy
requirements is for emergencies.  One of the major problems in handling
emergencies on the ham bands is too many amateurs want to get involved.  it
would be better if a lot more of them just 'stood by'."

"This is coming down to a decision point ...it shouldn't be too long.  We have
completed our work on it and we are getting ready to submit it now.  There is a
big long approval cycle.  When I say we have completed work on the issue, I mean
at the branch level.  We are no where near the end of the line.  There are still
a lot of approvals and reviews ahead yet."

"The threshold decision is whether we want to do it or not.  One of the key
things is whether or not it is going to cost us any resources.  We have analyzed
all of the comments.  Thirteen people have proposed to issue amateur callsigns
in the private sector.  The major proposals were by the League, the Callbook,
Buckmaster Publishing, CAVEC and Forest Industries ...among others. Any decision
is a couple of months away ...at best."

"We have a lot of petitions that are in various stages of being worked on.
Among them..."

"...the VEC petition on code examinations is a little confusing to us.  There
are two considerations.  One, the VEC's say it is difficult to use all of the
characters in a five minute telegraphy test ...another is not to require
examinations to contain all of the specified characters.  Which is most
important?  Unfortunately, the VEC's didn't make that decision and sent us two
requests.  We now have to decide which is more important.  We are talking about
telgraphy requirements on both the examiner and the examinee."

"...A Mr. Fisher wants to limit the transmission of information bulletins over
amateur radio to ten minutes per day per station."

"...A Mr. McKeathian filed a petition seeking more HF phone privileges for
Technician operators."

"...A Mr. Ballentine wants to add six more license classes by having CW only,
phone only and combined variations of the Novice, Technician and General
licenses.  Applicants that pass the written portion of amateur examinations
would get voice privileges ...with CW privileges and spectrum added when the
telegraphy element is passed.  Under his proposal there would be eleven amateur
license classes instead of five."

"...A Mr. Cisco asks that the FCC automatically upgrade all Technician, General
and Advanced amateur operator licenses of Senior Citizens up one class providing
they are 65 years or older and have held their amateur operator license twenty
years or longer."

"We are now planning our (rulemaking agenda) for next quarter which starts in
April."


Year-Ending Amateur Radio Census
by Year and License Class for the Last 10 Years

Dec. 31    1987    1986    1985    1984    1983    1982    1981    1980    1979    1978
    ----    ----    ----    ----    ----    ----    ----    ----    ----    ----
Extra    43902    41082    38495    36149    34511    31530    29768    26613    24232    22498
Adv.    98610    97771    97959    97765    95771    94588    94428    88715    84981    83436
Gen.    114398    115715    117107    116963    118223    119684    125747    123904    122783    118808
Tech.    93466    85312    83679    80680    77298    75703    76976    70061    69022    68738
Nov.    83013    79882    78616    80599    85823    88799    80162    72588    61436    62856
    ------    ------    ------    ------    ------    ------    ------    ------    ------    ------
TOTAL    433389    419762    415856    412156    411626    410304    407081    381881    362454    356336


o Uniden Corp. To Enter Ham Gear Biz
  ----------------------------------

We had heard a report that the Uniden Corporation of America, a large
Indianapolis, Indiana, maker of consumer and business electronic equipment was
entering the Amateur Radio equipment business.  What alarmed us was the rumor
that the major marketing effort of this amateur gear would be to truck stops
...and non-amateurs.  This was more or less confirmed when a major amateur radio
magazine called Uniden seeking advertising.  We decided to investigate.

Uniden manufactures a very broad line of radio and electronic equipment.  A
billion dollar firm, they make the 'Bearcat' line of scanners, CB radios, marine
electronics, land mobile and police radios, cordless telephones, satellite TV
receivers ...and all sorts of sophisticated personal communications products.
Developing a line of amateur gear certainly would not be difficult for them.

We telephone Jim Haynes, their Chief Engineer, last week to ask him about the
HR-2510, a 25 watt 10 meter Ham Radio that we had heard about.  Jim said that he
was not an amateur, but used to sell amateur gear when he was in the retail
business in the Baltimore area.  Haynes said "the HR-2510 was designed in the
Far East from features we put together here."

As far as the promotional emphasis went, Jim said he did not get involved with
that.  Jim referred us to a John Heenan in their Marketing Services Department.
Jim said he certainly hoped that Uniden's main marketing thrust would not be to
truck stops.  He also said that he had almost daily contact with the FCC.

Amateur equipment need not be type accepted, but promoting ham gear to truck
stops would not help Uniden's image with the Commission.  Uniden's entry into
the amateur equipment business, according to Haynes, stems from last year's FCC
rulemaking allowing entry level amateurs to operate in the voice mode on 10
meters.

We tried to telephone John Heenan several times, but he was never available.  We
did reach a Uniden customer service department girl at their toll free number
(1-800-521-9627) who said she knew nothing about a model HR-2510.  She said
"...it might be a new CB radio."

We were also able to talk to their lawyer in Washington, DC.  I asked Gregg
Skall of the Washington law firm of Baker & Hostetler about Uniden's entry into
amateur radio and he was also unaware of it.  We told him of the report that we
had that the amateur transceiver would be primarily promoted to non-amateurs.
Although a lawyer, Gregg was even completely unaware of ham radio rules and
asked us what FCC part number covered the Amateur Radio Service.  I told him to
carefully check Part 97.40.  He was very friendly, helpful and thanked us for
the information.

A couple of days later, after giving up trying to reach John Keenan, we were
able to talk to his boss, Paul Davis, the Vice-President of Sales.  It is
possible...even probable...that his Washington lawyer or Jim Haynes had spoken
to him before we got to him, because he immediately said that the HR-2510 would
indeed be promoted to the licensed amateur market.  He said that the marketing
report we hears was simply not true and that "the magazine" must have spoken to
someone that thought the transceiver in question was a CB radio.  Our
advertising department must have erred," he said.  "We will follow the 'letter-
of-the-law...'"

Davis said the HR-2510 was a 28.000 to 29.899 MHz transceiver that covered ten
meters in 4-bands -- bands "A", "B", "C", and "D" each cover a segment.  The
radio features USB/LSB/CW/AM/FM ...25 watts sideband, 10 watts AM/FM.  The HR-
2510 sports a "5-function" 12-digit LED readout that yields standing wave ratio,
relative signal strength, RF modulation, calibration readings, and so forth.
Retail "will be in the $399.00 class" but that would be up to the retailer to
decide.

I asked Davis who would be selling the transceiver.  He said the radio will be
sold through Unide's regular two-step distribution program.  They will market it
to their network of distributors and will have no control over who they sell it
to.  Davis said they had distributors in every market and "it is up to them
where they sell it."  There will be advertising materials ...ad mats and slicks
...available to support them.  It will be promoted in ham publications.

The HR-2510 has not yet been produced.  The first production run is scheduled
for April and "...it will be available to us in May."  Davis also told us that
Uniden would be relocating their sales, marketing and distribution department to
the Dallas area.  A new 240,000 square foot distribution facility has been
leased near the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport's "Centerport Industrial Park."

In all cases we found the folks at Uniden to be very personable, open and
candid.  Our investigation indicates that they indeed will be entering the
amateur equipment business and they say they intend to follow the rules.  It is
questionable, however, as to whether their distributors will exercise any
control whatsoever over who their dealers sell to.  As a whole, their
distributors do not primarily sell the amateur radio market.  Some amateur
equipment -- maybe a substantial amount -- is bound to fall into non-amateur
hands.

We also were told that Tandy/Radio Shack would also have 10-meter transceivers
available "near year end."  Radio Shack's Bob Miller/KG5AK -- a Tandy consumer
marketing VP and Advanced Class amateur - said he had no comment on that report
and that it was Tandy's policy not to comment on new products until they were
available.

[End this issue]