QRZ! Ham Radio 4/QRZ Ham Radio Callsign Database - Volume 4.iso/files/arrl/hiram/ltr12n11.txt

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The ARRL Letter
Vol. 12, No. 11
June 15, 1993

ARRL supports HF data proposal

     The League on June 1 submitted reply comments supporting its
petitiion to the Federal Communications Commission to change FCC
rules for HF data communications (RM-8218; see *The ARRL Letter*,
May 25, 1993, and July, 1993 *QST*, p 75).
     The League once again reiterated its original petition for
rule making, made in February, 1993, and responded to comments in
response to that petition, saying that those comments "aptly
illustrate the difficulty in making provision for automatic
control of HF communications in the heavily occupied high
frequency bands."
     The League said that a number of comments opposed the
creation of band segments within which automatically controlled
data stations could operate, because such segments would include
frequencies on which Baudot communications currently take place.
     Other commenters suggested that the proposed subbands would
be ill-advised because they would intermix automatically
controlled, incompatible digital communications modes, leading to
interference.
     Still others suggested that certain "outdated"
communications modes (such as Baudot), which do not include error
correction or detection, should be prohibited, to make room for
newer, more efficient digital modes.
     Finally, the League said, a number of commenters suggested
that although the proposed subbands are acceptable, they do not
sufficiently encourage development of digital message networks.
     Those commenters suggested that to permit significant
expansion of data networks at HF, automatically controlled
stations should be allowed throughout the HF bands where data
communications are permitted.
     To minimize interference to other stations, they suggested
that automatically controlled stations be permitted to
communicate only with stations operated under local or remote
control, and that two automatically controlled data stations
should not communicate with each other in the HF bands.

Merit to comments

     While there is some merit in each of these concerns, the
League pointed out what it called "myths" regarding the proposal,
saying that limiting automatic control to specific proposed
subbands would *not* stifle the development of non-packet data
modes, that its petition did *not* suggest that data networking
should be segregated, and that nothing would be taken away from
anyone by the League's proposal because currently automatic
control is *not* permitted on HF (except for the stations
operating under the ARRL's FCC Special Temporary Authorization).
     The petition also *does not*, the League said, propose that
all data operation be located in the proposed subbands, but only
that those stations operated under automatic control operate
there. Nor is it "flawed" in not addressing "semi-automatic
control" outside the proposed HF subbands, since that is a
separate issue that has been studied by the League's Digital
Committee and will be discussed by the ARRL Board of Directors in
July.

Called best solution

     The League said that the subband concept it proposes is the
only plan to date which would accommodate automatically
controlled operation while minimizing interference. It does not
appear that sufficient safeguards against interference currently
exist to permit automatically controlled data stations to operate
outside limited subbands, the League said.
     The League also said that the recently-adopted IARU Region 2
HF band plan, although not having the force of ITU regulations,
still is adhered to by most countries, and therefore any plan
adopted by the United States should take it into consideration.
     Amateurs using data modes can continue to do so anywhere in
the HF bands that data operation is permitted, with only the
automatically controlled stations limited to the proposed
subbands by the League's proposal. Those subbands can be expanded
or modified in the future after experience with them is gained,
the League said.

Longtime director W0FIR dies

     Paul Grauer, W0FIR, died June 5 at his home in Wilson
Kansas. He was 81 years old and the husband of Helen Grauer,
N0BCI.
     Paul was named an ARRL Honorary Vice President on June 4. He
had resigned as Midwest Division Director on June 3, after nearly
20 years of service. He became a director on January 1, 1974, and
at the time of his resignation was the longest-serving member of
the board. He also was a vice director for one tern in 1972 and
1973 and had been president of the ARRL Foundation since 1985.
     "To say that Paul was an institution in the ARRL," Executive
Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ, said, "would be an
understatement. In his more than two decades of service he played
the role of sensible, conservative patriarch of the ARRL family."
     Vice Director Bill McGrannahan, K0ORB, has assumed the
office of Midwest Division director, and Central Division
Director Ed Metzger, W9PRN, is acting president of the
Foundation.
     Paul Grauer was born August 13, 1911, in Winside, Nebraska.
He had lived in Wilson for 50 years, an anniversary celebrated on
the front page of *The Wilson World* in March of this year. He
and his wife Helen had owned and operated the Wilson Telephone
Company since 1948; they began the company in a partnership in
1943.
     The funeral and burial were June 8, in Wilson. Attending on
behalf of the ARRL were EVP Sumner; Central Division Director Ed
Metzger, W9PRN; new Midwest Division Director McGrannahan;
Missouri Section Manager Roger Volk, K0GOB; Kansas SM Bob
Summers, K0BXF; and several ARRL assistant directors and members.
     The funeral was attended by several hundred people, "an
impressive turnout in a town of about 800 people," Sumner said.
Grauer had been active in his church and community, serving as
mayor of Wilson for six years.
     Paul Grauer was buried wearing his ARRL Director and Vice
President pins.
     In addition to his wife, Grauer leaves three sons, two
brothers, a sister, and eight grandchildren and six great-
grandchildren.
     Director McGrannahan replaces Paul Grauer on the Membership
Services Committee; Pacific Division Vice Director Brad Wyatt,
K6WR, replaces McGrannahan as board liaison to the Contest
Advisory Committee.

Jim Rafferty, N6RJ, dies at 43; was v.p. of Ham Radio Outlet

     Jim Rafferty, N6RJ, the vice president of Ham Radio Outlet,
died June 13, 1993, in Yorba Linda, Calif., after a long battle
with cancer. He was 43 years old, born June 19, 1949, in
Rockford, Ill., and was the husband of Shirley Rafferty.
     An active operator, Rafferty is remembered for his
participation in the first operation from Kingman Reef, KP6KR, in
1974. He was one of the team to gather around the microphone and
put out the first CQ from the new country.
     In recent years he operated from the Cayman Islands as ZF2FL
and later as ZF2JR, specializing in 40 meters.     He held the
world record for single-band 40 meters in the CQ Worldwide Phone
Contest.
     One of his labors of love was, every fall, to update the
DXCC countries file for the "CT" software used by many active
contest operators. He mailed copies of the new file to friends
around the country who passed it along to others.
     Rafferty also teamed with KL7GRF to translate the famous
"W9IOP Second Op" into software and then marketed it as the N6RJ
Second Op.
     Although an executive at HRO, Rafferty manned the "800" line
in Anaheim side-by-side with other store employees, over the
years answering questions for thousands of ham callers. He was
friendly and knowledgeable, always knowing where the best deal
was, even if it wasn't at HRO.
     Rafferty was first licensed in the early 1960s in Illinois,
as WA9UCE. In the early 1970s he moved to California, becoming
K6AAR and then N6RJ.
     A final honor for N6RJ was appearing on the cover of the
July, 1993 issue of *CQ* magazine. He saw a copy of the magazine,
just off the press, only hours before his death.
     Jim Rafferty died at Placentia Linda Hospital in Yorba
Linda. With him at the time of his death were his wife, along
with other family members. Also there were his friends Chip
Margelli, K7JA; Janet Margelli, WA7WMB; Joe Clement, KF6OG; and
Lois Clement, N6NAS.
     "I could communicate with Jim by squeezing CW on his foot,"
Chip Margelli said. "His code speed was down a little but he
could still copy it."
     In addition to his wife, Jim Rafferty leaves two sons, Jim
and Mark; and a daughter, Whitney, all at home.
     The funeral was scheduled for Friday, June 18, at St.
Martin's Catholic Church in Yorba Linda. In lieu of flowers,
donations may be made to the ARRL Foundation or to the Northern
California DX Foundation.
     The last weekend in October will never be quite the same
without that big 40-meter signal from ZF2JR. R.I.P., Jim. --
K1TN.

JUNE 20 NEW DATE FOR 3RD SAREX SHUTTLE OF '93

     The next Space Shuttle launch carrying the Shuttle Amateur
Radio EXperiment is scheduled for June 20 at 1338 UTC.  The ham
radio-licensed crew includes Pilot Brian Duffy, N5WQW, and
Mission Specialist Janice Voss, whose license is pending. The
flight was rescheduled from June 3.
     As part of its primary mission, the Shuttle *Endeavour* will
carry the SPACEHAB payload, a laboratory which is leased by
various industry to expand research in commercial microgravity
development opportunities. The crew also will retrieve the
European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA) satellite, which was
deployed from Shuttle *Atlantis* on the STS-46 mission in August
1992.
     During the 7 day flight, Duffy and Voss will use 2-meter FM
voice and packet. The astronauts will use their own call signs
for voice contacts. The primary packet call sign will be W5RRR-1.
The astronauts have pre-scheduled numerous contacts with schools
and their assisting radio clubs in the United States and Mexico.
     The attitude and elevation of the spacecraft are expected to
change significantly during the EURECA rendezvous and retrieval
on flight day 4. As a result, amateurs attempting to make a
random contact or eavesdrop should update their Keplerian
elements regularly throughout the mission.
     For more information on this and other upcoming SAREX
opportunities, please contact the ARRL Educational Activities
Department, SAREX office. Listen to W1AW for more details as the
launch time near.

 GOVERNMENT AIRS NEW HF BEACON STATION
     A new beacon began operation May 13 from Cape Prince of
Wales, Alaska (67N, 168W). Its call sign is NAF and it runs 100
watts to a 3-band fan dipole on the following schedule:
     00 and 01 minutes after the hour on 5604 kHz; 20 and 21
minutes after the hour on 11004 kHz; and 40 and 41 minutes after
the hour on 16804 kHz. Transmissions are narrowband CW and FSK.
     The beacon will be monitored by government facilities in
Fairbanks, Alaska; Seattle, Washington; State College,
Pennsylvania; and San Diego, California. The project's sponsor is
the Naval Security Group Command in Washington, D.C.
     A government spokesman said the project is "purely
scientific."  The purpose of the project is described as to
provide a "rigorous verification" of field strength models done
by HF propagation prediction programs like IONCAP which are used,
for example, to generate the predictions published each month in
QST.
     Reception reports are encouraged and will be acknowledged
with a colorful QSL card. Send them to Bob Rose, K6GKU, Code 54,
NRaD Division, NCCOSC, 271 Catalina Blvd., San Diego CA 92152; or
to Dr. Gus Lott, KR4K, Code GX, COMNAVSECGRU, 3801 Nebraska Ave
NW, Washington DC 20393.
     Another beacon, from Rarotonga in the South Cook Islands, is
scheduled to go on the air in the fall, on low VHF frequencies as
well as the three NAF frequencies.

AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE JOINT RESOLUTION UPDATE

     As of June 14 eight U.S. senators and 37 representatives had
become co-sponsors of the Amateur Radio Joint Resolution (S.J.
Resolution 90 and H.J. Resolution 199); they are:

[Senate]

Charles S. Robb (D-VA, Sponsor)
Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) *
Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ) *
Larry Pressler (R-SD) *
Richard C. Shelby (D-AL) *
Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI)
William V. Roth (R-DE)
James M. Jeffords (R-VT)

[House of Representatives]

Mike Kreidler (D-WA, Sponsor)
Jim Cooper (D-TN) *
Craig Thomas (R-WY) *
John Murtha (D-PA) *
Norman Mineta (D-CA) *
Peter D-eutsch (D-FL) *
D-ouglas (Pete) Peterson (D-FL) *
Jerry Costello (D-IL) *
John LaFalce (D-NY) *
James Barcia (D-MI) *
Martin Frost (D-TX) *
John D-oolittle (R-CA) *
Ronald Coleman (D-TX) *
Lane Evans (D-IL) *
Elton Gallegly (R-CA) *
Paul Gillmor (R-OH)
Michael Bilirakis (R-FL)
J. D-ennis Hastert (R-IL)
Bill Hefner (D-NC)
D-on Edwards (D-CA)
Charles Wilson (D-TX)
Bart Gordon (D-TN)
George Hochbrueckner (D-NY)
Jim Leach (R-IA)
Nancy Johnson (R-CT)
Eni F.H. Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa)
Richard Lehman (D-CA)
Frank McCloskey (D-IN)
Leslie Byrne ( D-VA)
Lewis Payne (D-VA)
Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)
James H. Quillen (R-TN)
Michael McNulty (D-NY)
Jolene Unsoeld (D-WA)
Arthur Ravenel (R-SC)
Jim Ramstad (R-MN)
Toby Roth (R-WI)

* Original co-sponsor

     If your elected representatives are not on this list, please
write to them about this important resolution. For details see
July *QST*, pages 73 and 74.

BRIEFS

     * Steven Rich, WA1DFL, died in early March in Revere, Mass.
He was 46 years old and had suffered from a long-term,
debilitating illness that finally claimed his life. Amateurs
attending ARRL New England Division Conventions over the years
often saw Rich there, in a sort of mobile hospital bed.
     On March 18 an editorial in the Lynn, Mass. *Daily Evening
Item* had this to say about WA1DFL:
     "Following a police-escorted funeral procession that weaved
past Rich's office at Revere High, the specially-modified house
he'd just built on McClure Street, and many of the businesses and
public buildings that because of him the disabled can now access,
the only child of Abraham and Hannah Rich was laid to rest in
Tifereth Israel of Revere Cemetery....
     "Rich turned down an office at City Hall in order to be near
Revere's youth so they'd learn early we're not all cut from the
same cloth....
     "Seeing his name on the side of a building would be
redundant in that so much of Rich is already built into each
structure.
     "No, this time Revere really needs to outdo itself. Steven
J. Rich has earned nothing less. And for Heaven's sake, the
Pearly Gates had better be handicapped accessible."

     * Clarification: In Letter No. 9 we reported that Bill
Moore, KF5DL, was the only person to die in tornadoes that struck
Tulsa, Oklahoma April 24. He was the only *Tulsa resident* to die
in the storm; several highway commuters from other areas died on
a nearby interstate highway.

     * This year U.S. Telecommunications Training Institute at
ARRL Headquarters was held in May. Five telecommunications
officials participated in the usual USTTI Amateur Radio
Administration course, conducted by International Amateur Radio
Union President Richard Baldwin, W1RU; IARU Secretary Larry
Price, W4RA; and members of the HQ staff.
     Attending this year were Trevor Alphanso Atkinson, Office of
Disaster Preparedness, Jamaica; Simon Bugaba, Telecommunications
Engineer (Planning), Uganda; Ms.Seblewongel Ketema Irgete,
Technician, Somalia; Chi Leong Hoi, Engineer, Macao; and Andrew
Rouel Herbert Ogoo, Radio Officer, Gambia.

     * Dwayne Eskridge, W6LKE, died April 30, 1993 in Walnut
Creek, California. Eskridge, an FBI agent, was on duty in
Honolulu on December 7, 1941, and was one of the first radio
operators to transmit word of the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor. A story about him appeared in *QST* for December, 1991.
Eskridge, an ARRL Life Member, was 73, and leaves his wife,
Virginia Eskridge.

     * It's hard to imagine a DXer who does not have a few choice
QSLs courtesy of long-time manager Arden Hopple, W3DJZ. Hopple
died May 22 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He was 80 years old. His
obituary in the Harrisburg *Patriot News* noted that he "was an
amateur radio operator and held No. 1 status for number of
countries contacted."

     * James O. Weldon, AA5ST, died April 19, 1993, in
Williamsburg, Va. He was 88 years old. Weldon, who lived in
Dallas, founded Continental Electronics Corp. there. The company,
according to a Dallas newspaper account, built transmitters for
the Voice of America network as well as communications equipment
for broadcast facilities worldwide.
     According to current Continental president Robert McDonald,
Weldon's high-power RF designs led directly to the first "super
stations," including XERA in Villa Acuma,
Mexico, which ran a half-million watts in 1938.
      According to an acquaintance, Weldon passed his 20 wpm code
test to upgrade to Amateur Extra Class at the age of 86.

     * In a mail vote the ARRL Board of Directors has changed
Bylaw 16 of the Articles of Association to read:
     "Recognizing the importance of liaison between the
Corporation and other IARU member Societies, the President is
authorized to invite the president of another IARU member
Society, or his designated representative, to attend and
participate in meetings of the Board, without the right to vote
thereat."
     This change took effect June 7, 1993, and permits President
Wilson to invite the president of the Radio Amateurs of Canada to
represent the RAC at the upcoming ARRL board meeting in July.

     * With the dissolution of the Canadian Radio Relay League in
May, the ARRL once again is responsible for fulfilling ARRL
Canadian memberships. Thus, the 3,186 CRRL members who were
receiving *QST Canada* have been added back to the ARRL
membership rolls as "foreign" associate members.

     * ARRL membership figures are nearing their all-time high,
which was 168,961 at the end of 1978. *Full* memberships are
already at an all-time high.

     * The new French ARSENE Amateur Radio satellite became
available for Mode S use on June 1. The 16-kHz uplink passband is
centered at 435.100 MHz, with a corresponding downlink passband
centered at 2446.540 MHz. Authorized modes include SSB and CW.
     The investigation continues concerning the failure of the
satellite's 2-meter packet downlink.

     * Dean Straw, N6BV, has joined the HQ staff as Senior
Assistant Technical Editor. He will be responsible for the *ARRL
Antenna Book* and other antenna-related publications. Dean's
experience is in the maritime electronics industry. He holds a BS
in engineering and applied science from Yale University. He lives
in Windham, New Hampshire.

     * Peter Kirby, general manager of the Radio Society of Great
Britain, visited ARRL Headquarters in early June, along with his
assistant Justine Hodges. They discussed marketing and related
issues with League managers.

     * The FCC will begin accepting applications from Amateur
Radio organizations to be club and military recreation station
call sign administrators on July 26, 1993 (see FCC Order 93-249,
*The ARRL Letter*, May 25). The ARRL Board of Directors will
consider the matter at their meeting in July.
     The League already has written to the FCC to express its
desire to be a call sign administrator.

     Jack Titterington, W1EOF became the oldest graduate of the
University of Rhode Island in February, when he received his
bachelor's degree at age 80. The achievement earned him feature
stories in three local newspapers and a special commemorative
award from Rhode Island Lt. Gov. Robert Weygand, about whom
Titterington says "I've known him since he was born."
     W1EOF's primary interest over his 61-year Amateur Radio
career has been traffic handling, nearly all on CW, resulting in
making the ARRL's Brass Pounder's League 54 (monthly) times, 43
in a row! He also has been a Section Traffic Manager and was RI
Section Manager from 1977 to 1981.
        Titterington began college in 1986 after his wife died.
"I tried economics and am firmly convinced that no one in that
field knows exactly what is going on," he says. "I finally
settled on psychology. My last course was Shakespeare and was
very exciting."
     During his college career Jack Titterington suffered a
ruptured gall bladder, double pneumonia, and, finally, lymphatic
cancer that physicians called "hopeless." The cancer cost him a
year out of school, after which he finished the requirements for
a degree.
     Jack also is a volunteer examiner for both the ARRL and W5YI
VECs and has worked with the HandiHam System.
     Of all the certificates a 61-year amateur career can
produce, W1EOF is proudest of his ARRL A1 Operator award. "You
cannot seek it but have to wait for it to come to you," Jack
Titterington says, "and to some of us it never does come!"

*eof