QRZ! Ham Radio 4/QRZ Ham Radio Callsign Database - Volume 4.iso/files/arrl/hiram/ltr12n12.txt

Text File | 1994-11-27 | 24KB | 455 lines

The ARRL Letter
Vol. 12, No. 12
June 28, 1993

League backs plan for 219-220 MHz

Says additional spectrum "urgently needed"

     The ARRL on June 15 filed comments supporting a Federal
Communications Commission proposal to allocate 219-220 MHz to the
Amateur Service on a secondary basis, nationwide, with just minor
exceptions.
     In April the FCC proposed the allocation for amateur
auxiliary station (point-to-point) packet backbone networks and
other amateur point-to-point fixed communications (in ET Docket
93-40).
     "The proposed allocation would alleviate," the FCC said at
the time, "frequency congestion that amateurs are experiencing in
certain areas of the country in the 222-225 MHz band and would
facilitate establishment of regional and nationwide backbone
networks for amateur packet communications."
     The ARRL called the proposed allocation "urgently needed by
the Amateur Radio Service," saying it would "be a great relief
from difficult circumstances for the Amateur Service."
     The League said that amateurs' loss in August 1991 of 220-
222 MHz had caused "significant difficulty" for displaced
operations, including fixed links, repeaters, and weak-signal
experimenters.
     The League pointed out that while efforts are now underway
to accommodate weak-signal operations (by way of a 150-kHz
subband at 222 MHz, proposed in FCC PR Docket 92-289), those
efforts are hampered by other users already in that range.
     "Reaccommodation of fixed auxiliary links, and the
development of relatively wideband, high speed data links between
cities for emergency and public service data message handling,
has been difficult or impossible under the circumstances in
metropolitan areas of the country," the League said.
     The FCC proposes to limit interference potential to shared
or adjacent services by limiting data rate to 56 kilobauds. "This
is unnecessary and undesirable," the League said, suggesting that
it would prohibit amateur stations using the international
standard rate of 64 kilobauds, for example, "which may be a
desirable next step in the evolution of high speed packet radio."
     Rather, the League said the appropriate way to limit
interference is by specifying bandwidth, by setting it at a
maximum of 100 kHz, which would provide a natural cap on
signaling speed (around 87 kilobauds).
     The FCC's proposal also asked whether amateur operations in
the 219-220 MHz range should be limited to "data emissions," a
term which the League said is
unnecessarily restrictive. The League suggested that digital
communications which otherwise comply with the technical rules
applicable to amateur operation in the band, including digital
voice, should be permitted (but that analog voice links should
*not*).
     Amateur use of 219-220 MHz could depend on avoiding
interference to two services. The first, to television broadcast
channels 11 and 13, and to the newly created Interactive Video
and Data Service (IVDS, which is allocated 218-219 MHz on a
primary basis) would, the League said, "require the amateur
station to be responsible for matters over which ... it has no
control, to wit: interference resulting from design deficiencies
in television or IVDS receivers."
     The League said that amateurs' responsibility in this area
should be limited to that already covered in existing FCC rules
regarding spectral purity.
     The other interference consideration for a shared allocation
for amateurs concerns the maritime mobile service for Automated
Maritime Telecommunications Systems (AMTS), which now occupies
the 216-218 and 219-220 MHz bands on a primary basis (and to a
lesser extent by other services that occupy frequencies between
216 and 220 MHz on a secondary basis).
     In 1991 the ARRL and Waterway Communication Systems
(Watercom, an AMTS service) had suggested mandatory coordination
of amateur operations, but the FCC said such an arrangement would
not be permissible under the Communications Act.
     Since then, the League has held detailed consultations with
Watercom and is confident as a result that amateur point-to-point
operations can be "engineered in" the 219-220 band without
harmful interference to AMTS operations.
     "Specific interference mitigation techniques have been
identified and will be addressed cooperatively," the League said.
     Since the FCC's proposal presumes that radio amateurs know
of the locations of AMTS stations in order to comply with
notification requirements, the League offered to serve as a
conduit when such notifications are required.
     The League also said that its talks with Watercom indicated
that AMTS licensees might be more comfortable with a notification
zone of 400 miles, rather than 50 miles as proposed by the FCC.
     Since the League plans to maintain a national database which
will be shared when necessary with AMTS licensees, the League
said that such an expanded notification zone "should not
constitute much of a burden to amateur licensees, and the League
would not object to such a requirement, if it is deemed necessary
by the Commission."
     Finally, the League said that it hoped that experience in
the new 219-220 band, should it be allocated to amateurs, might
lead to the consideration of additional frequency sharing by
amateurs in the remainder of the 216-
220 MHz range in certain geographic areas. This, the League said,
would depend on the development of IVDS and other advanced
television systems.
     The Reply Comment deadline for this proposal is July 15,
1993.
     More information on the FCC proposal appears in *QST* for
May 1993, p 86.

Relief sought from municipal scanner laws

     The ARRL has asked the FCC's Private Radio Bureau (PRB) for
help in relief from "scanner laws" which continue to plague
Amateur Radio operators.
     The League in a recent letter told the PRB that it continues
to address "serious legal problems of its members" resulting from
municipal scanner ordinances, i.e., county and city ordinances
which prohibit the possession and/or use within the jurisdiction
of the municipality of radio receivers capable of reception of
police or other public safety radio services.
     The League said that because Amateur Radio transceivers are
routinely capable of such reception as an incident of their
design, amateurs are the unintended victims of these ordinances.
Police often stop radio amateurs and cite them, or seize their
equipment, based on these ordinances.
     In February 1991 the FCC issued a Notice of Inquiry on the
subject, based on a League request for a declaratory ruling filed
in November 1989. Since then, all 50 state "scanner laws" have
been modified to either exempt licensed amateurs or at least to
prohibit not the *possession* of the device in a motor vehicle or
otherwise, but rather to prohibit the *use* of them in the
commission of a crime.
     So while the state statutes ae no longer a problem, the
League said, the ordinances are, both because they are often
unknown to the travelling public and because they seek to punish
perfectly innocent acts by FCC-licensed amateurs.
     "Use of Amateur Radio in public service or emergency
comunications should not subject the licensee to violation of
criminal or quasi-criminal ordinances and penalties, but that is
what is occurring," the League said, citing examples in Chicago
and elsewhere.
     The League said that some municipal ordinances require
payment of a fee to own and use a mobile Amateur Radio
transceiver. "This is, in the opinion of the League, an unlawful
exercise of the police power jurisdiction of the municipalities,
as it constitutes a licensing function reserved with respect to
Amateur Radio operation to the Federal Communications
Commission," the League told the Private Radio Bureeu.
     "The Commission has specifically held," the League said,
that municipalities cannot prohibit Amateur Radio operation in
their jurisdictions, but rather must make reasonable
accommodation for such operation. These ordinances fly directly
in the face of express Commission
policy, just as if the municipality had prohibited Amateur Radio
operation entirely, or prohibited antennas entirely."

CLINTON GETS A MESSAGE FROM SHUTTLE AMATEURS

     President Clinton heard a boost for Amateur Radio on June 22
thanks to Space Shuttle pilot Brian Duffy, N5WQW.
     As the shuttle was signing off after an Amateur Radio
contact with two California schools, the President was linked,
through regular NASA communications channels, for a live
conversation. In the course of the conversation Clinton said:
     "I understand that later in the mission Janice and Brian are
going to be talking with school children around the world. And
you may know that my daughter is a big fan of the space
program.... I want to just tell you how much I appreciate the
fact that you're making an international education project out of
this mission. That's very important to me."
     N5WQW replied "Mr. President, we find that using Amateur
Radio is an excellent way of communicating with children all
around the world, and we're also able to excite them by using
space and science. And letting them see space and science in
action, we're able to excite them and hope they'll study harder."
     Clinton: "You have no idea -- you may be on this mission
creating thousands of scientists for the future just by the power
of your example and by this direct communication. I think
sometimes we underestimate the impact that human contact in an
enormously impressive setting like this can have on children all
across the world -- not only those with whom you'll talk, but
millions of others who will just see it and know that it
happened."
     The next day the U.S. House of Representatives by a one-vote
margin approved continued funding for a new U.S. space station.

VOLUNTEER EXAM COORDINATORS HEAR LATEST FROM COMMISSION

     The National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators
met June 17 and 18, 1993, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. VECs met
on the first day and were joined by Federal Communications
Commission representatives on the second. Representing the ARRL
were ARRL/VEC Manager Bart Jahnke, KB9NM, and Atlantic Division
Director Hugh Turnbull, W3ABC.
     Here are highlights of topics discussed and actions taken by
the VECs:
     * The Conference voted to recommend that all VECs use the
questions, answers and "distractors" as released by the VEC
Question Pool Committee. Some VEs use a true/false system for
answering, which the Conference wants to eliminate.
     * The conference voted unanimously to ask the FCC to follow
up on *every* Physician's Certification (for Morse
Code exemption) by sending their standard letter of inquiry to
each certifying physician, to confirm that the physician
understands the process and is aware of the available
accommodations offered by volunteer examiners.
     * In the matter of multiple-choice Morse code exams, the
Conference voted to recommend that each VEC/VE use the following
standards:
     10 questions, four or more answer choices, with 7 correct
out of 10 to pass. The Conference also voted not to permit
true/false or transcription tests (where the applicant fills in
ten holes in the message and no questions are asked).
     * The Conference voted to direct the QPC to develop any
proposed new question formulas (Section 97.503 c. of the FCC
Rules) and to seek the necessary rules revisions (or deletions)
on behalf of the Conference.
     * The Conference voted to request that each VEC include the
applicant's signature on the Certificate of Successful Completion
of Examination, for identification purposes.
     Later, John Johnston, Chief of the FCC's Personal Radio
Branch Special Services Division, reviewed the Foreign Visitor
Amateur Licensing proposal (PR 92-167), which still awaits action
by the FCC Commissioners.
     FCC staff discussed enforcement and volunteer examiner
accountability, including the number of examiners now required at
a test session and their responsibilities.
     The FCC staff pointed out that they issue some 125,000
amateur call signs a year, including new licenses, upgrades,
renewals and changes, and discussed the current proposal for the
issuance of club and military recreation station call signs by
recognized amateur organizations. They also noted the status of
proposals seeking special call signs for individuals.
     The FCC staff reiterated its firm stance on when instructors
also may be volunteer examiners (and when they may not), and
discussed the ARRL VEC's waiving of exam fees for Elements 1A (5
wpm CW) and 2 (Novice theory).
     Several of the FCC's data processing specialists attended,
to discuss the Commission's future computer upgrades and
electronic automation with VECs. They estimate that with the new
system paper applications could take just seven to 10 days for
processing (rather than six weeks or more), electronic disk files
three or four; and electronic applications via an FCC BBS might
take as little as one or two days.
     Present at the annual meeting were the following VECs: ARRL,
W5YI, Central Alabama, Western Carolina ARS, Great Lakes,
Sunnyvale (CA), Greater Los Angeles ARG, Laurel ARC (MD),
Mountain (WV), Golden Empire ARS (CA), and San Diego.

ARRL SCHOLARSHIP WINNER PLANS TO STUDY AT MIT

     An 18-year-old Amateur Extra Class licensee headed for the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the top ARRL Foundation
scholarship winner for 1993. Phillip Rowe, KA3TOK, of Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania, has been awarded the $5,000 ARRL Scholarship
Honoring Barry Goldwater by the Foundation Committee.
     Phillip graduated first in a class of 315 this month from
Central Dauphin High School, where he was editor-in-chief of the
school paper, *The Rampage*, and a member of the wrestling team.
He's also a member of the Civil Air Patrol.
     Phillip, who advanced from Novice to Extra beginning in
1988, says Amateur Radio inspired his interest in science "from
the beginning." He'd like to "build or design my own rig."
     KA3TOK was accepted by MIT in December. He plans to major in
electrical engineering.

     Here is the complete list of ARRL Foundation Scholarship
recipients for the 1993 academic year:
     Phillip J. Rowe, KA3TOK -- The ARRL Scholarship
Honoring Barry Goldwater, $5000.
     Grant P. Kesselring, N0ICI -- The Paul & Helen
Grauer Scholarship, $1000.
     Ravi Hariprasad, AA2CR -- The Perry F. Hadlock
Memorial Scholarship, $1000.
     Melissa L. Benish, N3FAC -- The You've Got A Friend
In Pennsylvania Scholarship, $1000.
     Brian J. Kuebert, N4UEZ -- The L. Phil and Alice J.
Wicker Scholarship, $1000.
     Peter C. Laing, N7TXI -- The Charles N. Fisher
Memorial Scholarship, $1000.
     Craig E. Flavin, AA0FF -- K2TEO Martin J. Green, Sr.
Memorial Scholarship, $1000.
     Vern J. Wirka, WB0GQM; and Steven D. Kraft,
KE9RW -- General Fund Scholarships, $1000.

     The New England FEMARA Scholarships ($600 each):
     John C. Evanson, WJ1U; Scott H. Ledder, KA1RLT;
David B. Perrin, Jr., KC1TS; Michael T. Decerbo, N1FYO; and
Cristofor M. Cataudella, N1FWC.
     Elizabeth A. Skolaut, KA0YSP -- The PHD Scholarship,
$500.
     Michael B. Madden, N9OHW -- The Edmond A. Metzger
Scholarship, $500.
     Matthew J. Minney, N8PGI -- The Edward D. Jaikins
Memorial Scholarship, $500.
     Michael D. Ambrose, KC1UK -- The Dr. James L. Lawson
Memorial Scholarship, $500.
     Martin L. Kollman, Jr., N0RQP -- The Irving W. Cook,
WA0CGS Scholarship, $500.
     Mansel P. Bell, KB5HVV -- The Mississippi
Scholarship, $500.

     To apply for 1994 scholarships, write to: The ARRL
Foundation, Inc., 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111.

Deadline for applications and transcripts is February 15, 1994.

VICE DIRECTOR APPOINTED IN ARRL MIDWEST DIVISION

     Larry Staples, W0AIB, of Shawnee Mission, Kansas, has been
appointed to serve as vice director of the ARRL Midwest Division
until January 1, 1994. W0AIB fills the vacancy created when Bill
McGrannahan, K0ORB, became director of the division upon the
resignation and subsequent death of Paul Grauer, W0FIR.
     Staples, 62, operates a sales and marketing consultancy to
the cooling tower and water treatment industries, L. S. Staples
Company Inc. He has served on the ARRL Emergency Communications
and Public Service Advisory committees.

AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE JOINT RESOLUTION UPDATE

     Four more U.S. representatives have joined as co-sponsors of
the Amateur Radio Joint Resolution (S.J. Resolution 90 and H.J.
Resolution 199); they are: Patsy Mink (D-HI); Jim Slattery (D-
KS); Thomas Ewing (R-IL); and Mike Kopetski (D-OR).
     Eight senators and 41 representatives are now co-sponsors.

BRIEFS

     * A bill has been introduced in the New Jersey legislature
to add the words "Amateur Radio" to ham call sign license plates
in the state and, for the first time, to make call sign tags
available to amateurs with leased vehicles, according to ARRL
Northern New Jersey Section Manager Rich Moseson, NW2L.
Currently, amateurs requesting call sign tags must be the
registered owners of their vehicles.
     The proposed law also would permit any amateur whose call
sign consists of fewer than seven characters (in other words, all
amateurs) to be issued a second set of call sign tags with a "-2"
for additional vehicles.
     The bill, A-2582, was introduced on May 17 by Assembly
Speaker Garabed "Chuck" Haytaian and Deputy Speaker Nicholas
Felice, W2YMG. Felice was one of the sponsors of last year's
successful effort to rewrite the New Jersey "scanner law."

     * Dr. Alson E. Braley, W0GET, died may 28. Braley, 87, of
Coralville, Iowa, founded the Eye Bank Network, a nationwide
association of Amateur Radio operators who help direct available
donor eyes to physicians who need them. Braley, an opthamalogist
on the staff of the University of Iowa, performed the first
corneal eye transplant in Iowa in 1951.

     * The FCC's 58th annual report, for Fiscal Year 1992, is now
available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington
D.C. 20402. The price is $3.75, stock number 004-000-00494-9.

     * The first of a series of New Section Manager Motivation
and Training Workshops will be held August 7 and 8 in Denver.
Planning to attend are new section managers Randy Wendel, N0FKU
(MN); Robert Adler, NZ2T (NTX); Warren Morton, WS7W (WY);
Clifford Hauser, KD6XH (AR); and Harry Hodges, WA6YOO (SDGO).
     The workshop will be hosted by Rocky Mountain Division
Director Marshall Quiat, AG0X, and Colorado Section Manager Tim
Armagost, WB0TUB.
     The day-and-a-half course is geared to *new* SMs, and will
cover topics such as the SM's job description, administration of
ARRL programs, management theory, ARRL organizational structure,
and Headquarters support services.

     * The FCC's Personal Radio Branch has congratulated the
League for helping maintain the integrity of the volunteer
examiner program.
     "I'd like to congratulate the ARRL/VEC," a letter on June 1
from the PRB said, "for catching 'irregularities' in code testing
at several recent sessions in California. When you invalidated
those sessions, you nipped a problem in the bud. It saved
ARRL/VEC and the Commission from having to spend a lot of time
and money dealing with it after possibly unqualified persons
became licensed.
     "Although it's unpleasant (the letter said) to convey such
bad news to VEs and examinees, it's sometimes -- fortunately
infrequently -- necessary for the good of amateur radio. The
volunteer testing system is a great success. Weeding out the
occasional bad apple validates and supports the hard work of the
many dedicated VEs who participate in testing -- as well as the
hams who passed their tests and are now making the contributions
to society for which amateur radio is so justly renowned.
     "Keep up the good work!"

     * Radio Free Europe is set to terminate most of its foreign
language transmissions, according to *The New York Times*.
Broadcasts from Munich to Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and
Slovakia, and to the three Baltic states will be halted. RFE will
continue broadcasts in Bulgarian and Romanian. Also, some Voice
of America broadcasts to the successor states of the former
Soviet Union are slated to stop. About 600 employees each of RFE
and the VOA will be affected, the *Times* reported.

     * The founder of Yaesu has died. Sako Hasegawa, JA1MP, died
June 12 in Tokyo. He was 64 years old.
     Hasegawa had been involved in the introduction of SSB to
Japanese amateurs in the 1950s. In the 1960s he was a driving
force in opening up other new modes, particularly radioteletype.

     * The FCC has fined a Florida woman for unlicensed operation
on 2 meters. Margaret G. Taylor of Vero Beach received a Notice
of Apparent Liability for $2,000 for allegedly operating on
145.53 MHz on February 8, 1993.
     In another action, the FCC has fined Rodney S. Sedeno,
NH6UC, a Technician Class amateur, $2,000 for unlicensed
operation on 27.085 MHz, on May 12, 1993. Two others also were
fined $2,000 for "Out-of-band" CB operation.

     * The World Organization of the Scout Movement has announced
that this year's Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) will be held 16-17
October (0000-2359Z). Members of the World Association of Girl
Guides and Girl Scouts have been invited to participate as well.
More information will appear in an upcoming *QST*.

     * According to KD2BD, operation by Russian cosmonauts aboard
the MIR space station has shifted to 145.850. Caution is advised
since this frequency is within several OSCAR satellite uplink and
downlink passbands.
     G3RWL reports that tape recordings made aboard MIR of
Amateur Radio contacts with ground stations have been replayed
over Radio Moscow.

Phillip Rowe, KA3TOK

Yugoslav operators lauded

This photo by Dragan Filipovic of amateur operators in Belgrade,
Yugoslavia, was sent by The Associated Press to its members in
February. "Despite the war," the AP caption said, "ham radio
operators are still in touch with one another and maintain a
vital network for all of former Yugoslavia."
     And a nice plug for Amateur Radio appears in the June issue
of *Reader's Digest*. An article entitled "Sarajevo's Voice of
Freedom" describes how the daily newspaper *Oslobodenje*
("liberation" in Serbo-Croatian) continues to publish "right on
the front lines."
     The article says that every night news editor Zlatko
Dizdarevic, 45, types up stories from the Western radio
broadcasts he monitors, while reporters send their articles to
the paper from the field by fax or a messenger.
     To gauge reaction, the paper's editors fax queries to their
foreign correspondents, who send their answers to colleagues in
Zagreb, Croatia, "who in turn relay the information by ham radio
to Sarajevo.
     "There is a radio room here," *Reader's Digest* says, "and
other ... ones in Serb-occupied territory, only steps from the
prison camps, the massacres and 'ethnic cleansing.'
     "'These ham operators are taking big risks,' says
Dizdarevic. 'If they're ever found out....'"

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