QRZ! Ham Radio 4/QRZ Ham Radio Callsign Database - Volume 4.iso/files/arrl/hiram/ltr13n4.txt

Text File | 1994-11-27 | 18KB | 354 lines

The ARRL Letter
Vol. 13, No. 4
February 24, 1994

Others back League's opposition to 'instant operating' proposal

     The ARRL has told the FCC that virtually every individual
and group who commented on a Commission proposal for instant
operating privileges for new amateurs agreed that the idea is a
bad one, and urged that the proposal be abandoned.
     In reply comments to the FCC on its proposal, in PR Docket
93-267, the ARRL said that "almost without exception," those who
had commented -- 77 of them -- agreed with the League that the
idea should be shelved in favor of electronic filing of license
applications with the FCC.
     The ARRL said that the mechanisms for such electronic filing
of Form 610s "cannot be more than a few months away at worst."

Plan would invite abuse

     The League said that the FCC plan would invite abuse
because, among other reasons, "The Commission itself suffers an
inability to stem the tide of unlicensed operators in any radio
service, because of limited enforcement resources."
     The Commission was "inviting abuse" by proposing that
unlicensed persons choose a call sign and go on the air without
an FCC-issued license, suggesting that anyone wanting to use
amateur frequencies could, under the FCC proposal, simply concoct
a call sign without ever taking an examination or submitting a
Form 610 to the FCC.
     The ARRL said that two groups the FCC used as examples of
temporary operating authority -- the Marine Radio Service and the
Private Land Mobile Radio Service -- each "suffers a severe
problem with unlicensed, not to mention undisciplined,
operation."
     In response to a counterproposal by the W5YI-VEC, that the
FCC's plan be modified to avoid abuse by having volunteer
examiners assign temporary call signs from blocks allocated to
them by the FCC (instead of a more random assignment scheme
proposed by the FCC), the League said this would be an unbearable
burden and responsibility on the VEs.
     The League said that, at any rate, the Communications Act
gives no basis for the FCC to delegate its authority to assign
call signs, including determining a licensee's basic
qualifications, which VEs would have no way of doing.

Would not reduce inquiries

     The ARRL, in its reply comments, observed that although one
rationale for the Commission's proposal was that it would reduce
telephone calls to the FCC from people awaiting their first
license, on the contrary, the proposal would probably result in
more calls -- from amateurs inquiring about the legitimacy of
temporary call signs they heard on the amateur bands.
     The League once again asked that the proceeding be
terminated in favor of electronic filing as soon as that is
feasible, saying it stands by its position that operating
authority must stem directly from the FCC, and that it would be a
serious mistake to allow this federal status to be diluted in the
interest of some short-term expedient.

Government study eyes 2300-MHz band in response to mandate from
Congress

     A preliminary plan from the National Telecommunications and
Information Administration (NTIA) for reallocating government
frequencies to nongovernment uses does not go far enough in
responding to the will of Congress in protecting the needs of
amateurs, the ARRL says.
     Specifically affected would be the 2300 to 2450 MHz band.
The preliminary plan would transfer some of that band to new
nongovernment uses, which would not necessarily result in the
loss of frequencies for amateurs, but amateur sharing could be
more difficult than it now is with government users.
     NTIA proposes to leave 2400 to 2402 MHz and 2417 to 2450 MHz
as now allocated, in part to permit continued amateur and,
especially, amateur satellite operation. 2390 to 2400 MHz and
2402 to 2417 MHz would be made available for new nongovernment
services as early as August 1994, and 2300 to 2310 MHz would be
made available later, under the NTIA plan.

ARRL commented early

     In 1990 the ARRL commented to the NTIA when a study of
domestic telecommunications infrastructure was begun.
     The NTIA's lofty objectives were to:
     * Examine the significance of telecommunications as an
element of infrastructure;
     * Consider the technological and marketplace trends that
determine the characteristics and capabilities of
telecommunication in the US and elsewhere;
     * Evaluate the ways in which telecommunication services and
capabilities affect both the international competitiveness of US
business and the quality of life of US citizens;
     * Assess the role of regulatory and other government
policies in promoting the development of an infrastructure that
meets present and future national needs.
     The League responded, saying that Amateur Radio's role of
education and public service depended on it not being taken for
granted in its modest spectrum needs. The League cited Amateur
Radio's benefits, including providing a pool of trained
communicators, its educational opportunities, its record of
public service, and its traditional ability to foster
international good will.
     More than two years later, in late 1992, the NTIA issued a
notice of inquiry asking spectrum users what their future needs
would be. The League responded with a list, including "continued
or upgraded access to 2300 MHz for both terrestrial and satellite
uses."
     The League said that recent advances in techniques, such as
packet radio and other digital modes, as well as an explosion in
the number of licensed amateurs, was causing more and more of
them to move up in frequency.
     ARRL's Technical Relations Manager, Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, says
the 2300-MHz issue is important "because it's spectrum.
     "Amateurs have always tended to move up in frequency,"
Rinaldo said. "The 2-meter band filled up, now 222 MHz is filling
up, and so on. Other services tend to drift up as well."

Range 'vital to amateurs

     Rinaldo says that while amateurs currently cannot
demonstrate great usage of the 2300-MHz range, neither can other
services.
     "But this range is vital to amateurs," Rinaldo says,
"because of its short-range propagation characteristics, which
are essential to networking and which will be needed for very
high speed digital links as they become available to amateurs."
     The NTIA's plan is how it proposes to implement a
reallocation of spectrum from government to nongovernment use, as
mandated by Congress last year.
     A public comment period on the plan runs until May 1994.

MISSISSIPPI HAMS RESPOND TO FEBRUARY ICE STORM

     The massive ice storm that hit much of the US on February 10
and 11 was especially damaging in Mississippi, and was the worst
there in more than 40 years, according to Hank Downey, K5QNE.
     Downey, writing in The Magnolia Report, says that the
state's Amateur Radio efforts were led by Jim Porter, W5HTV,
Director of Communications for the Mississippi Emergency
Management Agency, and Larry Clark, WB5AKR, MEMA's statewide
liaison with Amateur Radio. The two "directed traffic," sending
amateurs to areas of greatest need.
     Several amateurs were able to set up from mobile and
portable, emergency-powered sites and to activate the Magnolia
Net, the Mississippi Section phone net. Included among them was
net Al Sudduth, WA5TPM, who operated mobile after his home
antennas came down in the ice.
     The Jackson ARC activated W5PFC, their permanent station at
the State Headquarters of the American Red Cross in the
capital city, to coordinate communication with ARC offices around
the state, Downey said.
     (More about this emergency appears in The Magnolia Report,
Jackson, Mississippi, of which Hank Downey is editor.

AMSAT MARKS 25TH ANNIVERSARY

     Congratulations to the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
(AMSAT), which celebrates its 25th anniversary on March 3.
     In early January 1969 a small group of interested amateurs
began meeting in the Washington, DC area, with the idea of
forming an East Coast group to carry on the objectives of Project
OSCAR (Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio).
     They decided to form a nonprofit corporation to disassociate
the group's activities from any of the companies with whom the
members were employed, which included IBM, the Applied Physics
Lab of The Johns Hopkins University, and the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA).
     Nearly two dozen interested amateurs attended the first
general organizational meeting, held on February 6, 1969.
     Just one month later, on March 3, 1969, AMSAT was
incorporated in the District of Columbia. The first public
announcements appeared in April QST and in Autocall, a
Washington, D.C.-area clubs publication.
     Among AMSAT's founders (and members of the first board of
directors) were George Jacobs, W3ASK; Perry Klein, K3JTE (now
W3PK); Jan King, K8VTR (now W3GEY); and Bill Tynan, W3KMV (now
W3XO).
     Today, AMSAT supports both amateur satellites and the SAREX
(Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment) program.

AMATEUR RADIO AUDIO SERVICE MARKS 1ST YEAR

     "This Week in Amateur Radio," an Amateur Radio audio
bulletin service, celebrates its first anniversary on March 5.
     The show, offering news stories of interest to amateurs,
lasts 60 to 90 minutes. It is carried on the Omega Radio Network
on Saturdays, at 7:30 PM EST.
     The program also is available on satellite Galaxy III,
transponder 17 (9H), 5.8 MHz wideband audio (4.040 GHz).
     Weekly program summaries are circulated on amateur packet
bulletin boards, FidoNet, GEnie, USenet, and the Internet. The
program is produced by Stephan Anderman, WA3RKB, and George
Bowen, N2LQS.
     For more information, contact Anderman at PO Box 8592,
Albany NY  12208, or via amateur packet at WA2UMX.#ENY.NY.USA.NA.

CALIFORNIA AMATEUR HELPS IN ARREST OF TWO SUSPECTS

     Amateur Radio made headlines in Acton, California, last
month, when 36-year-old Chris Killian, N7IOV, helped in the
capture of two robbers. According to the Antalope Valley News of
Lancaster, California, Killian was approached by an armed robber
in a McDonald's restaurant, inquiring about Killian's hand-held.
     When the man and an accomplice left the eatery, Killian, who
the paper said is a "reserve deputy," followed him and relayed
their route to another amateur, who contacted sheriff's deputies.
The two suspects were picked up that night and charged with the
hold-up.
     Killian told the News that he ordinarily doesn't carry a
radio with him in his car but that he'd been using the hand-held
the previous weekend to "test repeater stations." (Thanks W6DDB,
WA7FCG).

SECTION MANAGER ELECTION RESULTS

     Ballots were counted February 22 in Section Manager
elections for the North Carolina and Pacific sections. Here are
the results:

North Carolina:
     Eugene Ribas Jr N4UMI, 179
     Carl Smith, N4AA, 675
     Reed Whitten, AB4W, 726
Whitten was declared elected.

Pacific:
     Chester Koga, NH6YW, 113
     Bob Schneider, AH6J, 141
Schneider was declared elected.

     Six other sections were not contested and the following
were declared elected: Eastern New York, Paul Vydareny,
WB2VUK; Eastern Pennsylvania, Robert Stanhope, KB3YS;
Louisiana, Lionel Oubre, K5DPG; San Diego, Patrick Bunsold,
WA6MHZ; South Dakota, Roland Cory, W0YMB; Virginia, Edward
Dingler, N4KSO.
     Terms of office for all the above begin April 1, 1994.

BRIEFS

     * If you have photos and/or stories about amateurs in action
following the Los Angeles earthquake, please send them to Rick
Palm, K1CE, at HQ.
     * For the second month in a row, mailing of QST was delayed
by the Winter of '94. This time it was ice in Kentucky, rendering
R. R. Donnelley and Sons printing facility in Glasgow without
electricity for two days, delaying March QST. The February issue
was held up in Kentucky by snows that closed many major highways.
     * A call for papers has been issued for the sixth
Proceedings of the ARRL National Educational Workshop, with a
deadline of April 29, 1994. The workshop will be held June 10 at
the ARRL National Convention in Arlington, Texas. For an author's
guide, contact Tracy Bedlack, N1QDO, at the ARRL Educational
Activities Department at HQ.
     * Nominations are solicited for the 3rd Annual Philip J.
McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award for volunteer public
relations efforts on behalf of Amateur Radio. Nominees must be
full ARRL members in good standing and not be an officer,
Director, Vice Director, or paid ARRL staff member.
     Nominations are due by May 31, 1994, and must be made on
official nominating forms, which are available from ARRL HQ.
     * As of February 24, the FCC had not granted an ARRL request
for an extension of the comment deadline in PR Docket 93-305, the
Commission proposal to 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 said this was not enough time for either
individual amateurs or the League to respond to the complex and
important proposal.

10 years ago in The ARRL Letter

     The League filed a pair of petitions for enhanced 160-meter
privileges. The first sought the elimination of power
restrictions on 1900 to 2000 kHz, in light of the cessation of
LORAN operations there, which had been the reason for the
restrictions. The second petition asked for amateurs to be
allowed F1 (RTTY) operation over the entire 1800 to 2000 kHz
range.
     An entrepreneur at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show
was displaying a low-power TV transmitter that operated at 2.3
GHz -- an amateur band. The TV's advertising literature touted it
as a low power, "Part 15" device. The FCC had the company under
investigation.
     The International Telecommunication Union sent its members a
notice from the US Department of State, saying that the US was
willing to enter into a temporary third-party agreement with any
ITU member planning to participate in the 1984 summer Olympic
Games in Los Angeles.
     The FCC said there were 411,626 individual amateur radio
operators at the end of 1983.
     Initial recipients of the new (as of 1983) ARRL VHF-UHF
Century Club award said they would like to have numbered
certificates, and the League agreed, sending all of them a new,
numbered award.
     And the W1AW repeater benefited from the donation of a
controller, from Advanced Computer Controls (WA6AXX), and a Hi
Pro Mk I RF deck, courtesy of K3GQC of Maggiore Electronic
Laboratory.

Profile: Dakota Division Vice Director Hans Brakob, K0HB

     K0 H ans B rakob is another ham who probably won't change
his call sign if the FCC's proposed "vanity" program goes into
effect. Like many others, he upgraded to Extra Class in 1968
before the Extra Class band segments went into effect, and he
picked his call sign when that briefly became possible in 1976.
     Hans and his wife, Colleen (N0PGL), live in Plymouth,
Minnesota. Hans is a senior engineer for ADC Telecommunications
in Minneapolis after a 21-year Navy career -- he retired as a
Master Chief Radioman specializing in satellite communications
and fleet network planning.
     Hans grew up on a farm near Twin Valley, Minnesota.
     "The nearest commercial electricity was two miles away.
Power for both the farm and home came from a Windcharger
[basicaly, a windmill-powered generator] and banks of 6-volt lead
acid storage batteries," Hans remembers.
     Hans says he's still intrigued by the mystery of radio, his
first taste being from a Zenith tabletop SW receiver with 17
tubes.
     Hans is an active operator, likes contests, and has five
DXCCs from various locations. He's 53 and has been a ham since
1965. Other interests include woodworking (in the winter) and
fishing (in the summer).

A visit to Cuba

     ARRL Oklahoma Section Manager Joe Lynch, N6CL, right,
presents Arne Coro, CO2KK, with a QST author's certificate for
his article, "The First VHF Contest from Cuba," that appeared in
December 1993 QST. Lynch made the presentation February 10 in
Havana.
     During Lynch's visit, the Cuban Amateur Radio community
invited American amateurs to participate in a joint operation
with Cuban amateurs in the 1994 ARRL June VHF QSO Party. Lynch
was invited to lead the group.
     Officials of the Federacion Radioaficionados de Cuba (FRC)
said they also have taken under consideration a proposal from an
American group for a joint operation from Cuba on the HF bands in
1995.
     Lynch, in Cuba for a week as a member of a Methodist Church
work team, extended greetings from ARRL officials, and presented
FRC President Ing. Pedro Rodriguez, CO2RP, with a certificate of
participation for the June 1993 ARRL VHF QSO Party.
     Lynch's informal meetings with FRC officials were publicized
on radio, television, and in the print media.
     Joe Lynch is VHF editor of CQ magazine and also is editor of
the QCWA Journal.

*eof