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Date: Sun, 9 Jan 94 20:08:16 PST From: Info-Hams Mailing List and Newsgroup <info-hams@ucsd.edu> Errors-To: Info-Hams-Errors@UCSD.Edu Reply-To: Info-Hams@UCSD.Edu Precedence: Bulk Subject: Info-Hams Digest V94 #18 To: Info-Hams Info-Hams Digest Sun, 9 Jan 94 Volume 94 : Issue 18 Today's Topics: ANS-008 BULLETINS Display Phone for Packet Morse Code Phonecalls from 20,000 feet?!... RAMSEY KITS NOT TOO G Repeater database? (2 msgs) RFD: sci.geo.satnav Superpressure balloon info? Vanity Callsign Notice of Propsed Rulemaking (PR93-305) Send Replies or notes for publication to: <Info-Hams@UCSD.Edu> Send subscription requests to: <Info-Hams-REQUEST@UCSD.Edu> Problems you can't solve otherwise to brian@ucsd.edu. Archives of past issues of the Info-Hams Digest are available (by FTP only) from UCSD.Edu in directory "mailarchives/info-hams". We trust that readers are intelligent enough to realize that all text herein consists of personal comments and does not represent the official policies or positions of any party. Your mileage may vary. So there. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 10 Jan 94 00:21:44 GMT From: news-mail-gateway@ucsd.edu Subject: ANS-008 BULLETINS To: info-hams@ucsd.edu SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-008.01 PoSAT-1 BBS TO OPEN HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 008.01 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD JANUARY 8, 1993 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-008.01 PoSAT-1 Opens For Radio Amateur Use As many of you may already know, PoSAT-1 was built at University of Surrey and is owned by a Portuguese Industrial Consortium. It carries a commer- cial and an Amateur Radio payload. The Amateur Service hasn't yet started operation because of some doubts about the use of PoSAT-1 were brought up because of the the possiblity of misuse of the Amateur Radio spectrum. AMSAT-PO (the Portuguese AMSAT "branch") and others were very worried about this situation, and after a few setbacks and many meetings, a protocol was finally established between the PoSAT Industrial Consortium and AMSAT-PO on 6-DEC-93. The main concern of AMSAT-PO was always to protect the Amateur bands and the Amateur code and practice. Jose Carlos (CT1ERC) has provided the main points of that agreement which are as follows: * RAM memory allocated to the Amateur store-and-forward BBS: at least 6 MB out of a total of 16 MB; * The operating schedule (between the commercial and Amateur service) will be valid for two years and may be re-negotiated every two years; * The Amateur ground stations are allowed to download all the files related to the technical and scientific experiments onboard, but by imposition of the Consortium, the IMAGES TAKEN BY THE ONBOARD CCD CAMERAS WILL NOT BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE!!! In a meeting held recently between AMSAT-PO officials and the PoSAT Consortium the schedule approved is as follows: EVERY minute PoSAT will be 5 seconds in the commercial frequencies and the remaining 55 seconds in the amateur frequencies. The Consortium feels that they need at lest 5 seconds to download the images. The telemetry will be downloaded in the amateur frequencies as well. This schedule will be valid starting on 07-JAN-94. Since the amateurs aren't allowed to download the image files from the onboard cameras, there are the two experiments that will, however, be quite interesting. The are the following: 1) The onboard GPS receiver: if everything goes as expected, the days of difficult tracking are over. Just wait the AOS and the satellite will tell you were it is and where to point your antennas, if you know your QTH position. 2) The possibility of operation at 38.4 Kbps provided through the DSP system, which is will allow the amateurs to develope the necessary RF and digital techniques to go beyond 9600 baud. Imagine receiving about 100 Kbytes file in just 5 seconds! PoSAT-1 will benefit mostly the amateurs that have 9600 baud operational capability and since there are only two of 9600 baud capable stations at the present time in Portugal operating regularly using these birds, your suggestions and comments would be most appreciated and might help AMSAT-PO in their contacts and negotiations with the PoSAT Consortium through AMSAT-PO. The following are the PoSAT-1 radio amateur frequencies: PoSat-1 Transponder Frequencies UPLINK 145.975 MHz 145.925 MHz (Secondary) DONWLINK 435.075 MHz 435.050 MHz (Secondary) BBSCALL: posat-11 posat-12 [The AMSAT News Service (ANS) would like to thank Jose Carlos (CT1ERC) for this bulletin item. CT1ERC can receive your inquiries and comments on the BBS of KO-23 or at his INTERNET mailbox address of: J_CARDOSO%utad.pt@ nunes.uminho.pt] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-008.02 MIR GETS A NEW CREW HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 008.02 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD JANUARY 8, 1993 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-008.02 New Cosmonauts To Begin Stay on MIR Today, 08-JAN-94, a Soyuz TM-18 spacecraft was launched from Baikonur at 10:08 UTC with three cosmonauts aboard. The new cosmonauts are Victor Afanassiev (U9MIR), Yuri Usachov (R3MIR), and Valery Poliakov (U3MIR). The TM-18 spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the MIR space station on 10-JAN-94. The cosmonauts that are currently aboard MIR,Vassili Tsybliev and Alexander Serebrov (R0MIR), will return to earth on 14-JAN-94. What is interesting to note about U3MIR is that he will attempt to break Musa Manarov record for remaining in space. U3MIR is a medical doctor and will remain aboard MIR until April '95. The new MIR QSL Manager is Serge Samburov (RV3DR). He has held that position since January '93. To receive a QSL confirming your MIR contact, send your QSL cards to his postal address of: P.O.BOX 73, Kaliningrad-10 City, Moscow Area, 141070, RUSSIA. Also, you can send your inquiries to the following packet radio address: RV3DR#R#MIR or RV3DR@RK3KP.#MSK.RUS.EU. [The AMSAT News Service (ANS) would like to thank RV3DR and LW2DTZ for this for the information which went into this bulletin item.] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-008.03 STS-60 SAREX MISSION INFO HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 008.03 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD JANUARY 8, 1993 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-008.03 Next SAREX Mission: STS-60 The STS-60 flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery represents the next Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) mission. STS-60 is currently scheduled for launch on February 3, 1994 at 12:10 UTC. The primary payloads on-board STS-60 are the Wake Shield Facility and the second flight of the Spacehab, a pressurized module installed in the forward section of the Orbiter. The Spacehab science objectives are primarily micro-gravity oriented with emphasis on materials and life science. The flight of STS-60 represents an historic first---the first joint U.S.-Russian Space Shuttle flight. This will be the first of several joint missions planned in preparation for the development of the international Space Station. Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, U5MIR, was chosen to be the first Russian to fly on the U.S. Space Shuttle. During the 8 day flight, Cosmonaut Krikalev will support the science operations on the Space Shuttle as Mission Specialist 4. The SAREX operations on this flight include voice and packet. Preliminary discussions between the astronauts and the SAREX working group indicate that the Shuttle crew will be extremely busy with the numerous payloads on this flight. This information is being provided so the amateur community is aware that voice operations might be rare on this flight. Packet radio operations are expected when the crew is not engaged in voice operations. Please remember that this is a preflight prediction. The astronauts and the SAREX working group cannot guarantee this prediction. The following information sheet gives more details on SAREX operations for STS-60. STS-60 Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) Information Sheet Mission:STS-60 Space Shuttle Discovery Wake Shield Facility & Spacehab-2 Mission Launch: February 3, 1994, 12:10 UTC Orbit: 57 degree inclination Mission Length:8 days (Nominal) Amateur Radio Operators: Charlie Bolden (License Pending), Ron Sega (License Pending), Sergei Krikalev, U5MIR Modes:FM Voice Prime callsign: To be provided once Commander Bolden's callsign is known Packet Radio: Callsign W5RRR-1 Frequencies: All operations in split mode. Do not transmit on the downlink frequency. Voice Freqs: Downlink: 145.55 MHz (Worldwide) Uplinks: 144.91, 144.93, 144.95, 144.97, 144.99 MHz (Except Europe) 144.70, 144.75, 144.80 MHz (Europe only) Note: The crew will not favor any specific uplink frequency, so your ability to work the crew will be the "luck of the draw." Packet Freqs: Downlink: 145.55 MHz Uplink: 144.49 MHz Info: Goddard Amateur Radio Club, WA3NAN, Greenbelt Maryland, SAREX Bulletins and Shuttle Retransmissions 3860 KHz, 7185 KHz, 14,295 KHz, 21,395 KHz, 28,650 KHz and 147.45 MHz (FM) Johnson Space Center ARC, W5RRR, Houston, Texas SAREX Bulletins 7225 KHz, 14,280 KHz, 21,395 KHz, 28,650 KHz, (SSB) and 146.64 MHz (FM) ARRL Amateur Radio Station, W1AW, Newington, CT SAREX News Bulletins: 3990, 7290, 14,290, 18,160, 21,390, and 28,590 KHz and 147.555 MHz (FM) Also, bulletins available on internet, via AMSAT ANS, Compuserve, and your local PBSS. School Group Participation: 5 school groups will participate in SAREX with pre-scheduled direct and telebridge contacts. These include 4 in the U.S., and one in Russia. Prelaunch Keplerian Elements: The following Keplerian Elements are provided by Gil Carman (WA5NOM) at the Johnson Space Center ARC: Satellite: STS-58 Catalog number: 00058 Epoch time: 94024.67747791 = (24-JAN-94 16:15:34.09 UTC) Element set: 005 Inclination: 39.0114 deg RA of node: 124.6663 deg Space Shuttle Flight STS-58 Eccentricity: .0007676 Prelaunch Element set JSC-005 Arg of perigee: 272.4217 deg Launch: 24-JAN-94 14:53 UTC Mean anomaly: 87.5676 deg Mean motion: 15.96123499 rev/day Gil Carman, WA5NOM Decay rate: 1.19475e-03 rev/day*2 NASA Johnson Space Center Epoch rev: 2 Checksum: 329 [The AMSAT News Service (ANS) would like to thank Frank Bauer (KA3HDO) for this bulletin item.] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-008.04 AO-13 TRANSPONDER SCHEDULES HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 008.04 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD JANUARY 8, 1993 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-008.04 G3RUH Provides AO-13 "Provisional" Transponder Operating Schedules For '94 The AO-13 Ground Command Station of G3RUH has provided the "best guess" transponder schedules for the first half of '94. Please take the following schedules and paste them in a prominent place in your station. AO-13 Provisional Mode Schedules 1994 ------------------------------------- L QST *** AO-13 TRANSPONDER SCHEDULE *** 1994 Jan 31-Apr 04 Mode-B : MA 0 to MA 90 | Mode-BS : MA 90 to MA 120 | Mode-S : MA 120 to MA 145 |<- S transponder; B trsp. is OFF Mode-S : MA 145 to MA 150 |<- S beacon only Mode-BS : MA 150 to MA 180 | Blon/Blat 180/0 Mode-B : MA 180 to MA 256 | Omnis : MA 230 to MA 30 | Move to attitude 240/0, Apr 04 L QST *** AO-13 TRANSPONDER SCHEDULE *** 1994 Apr 04-Jul 11 Mode-B : MA 0 to MA 160 | OFF Mode-B : MA 160 to MA 220 | Mode-S : MA 220 to MA 230 |<- S transponder; B trsp. is OFF Mode-BS : MA 230 to MA 250 | Blon/Blat 240/0 Mode-B : MA 250 to MA 256 | Omnis : MA 250 to MA 160 | Move to attitude 180/0, Jul 11 G3RUH also has provided a table to indicate what the Bahn longititude and latitude for AO-13 will be in the upcoming year. Again, this information should be considered as the "best guess" and placed in a prominent place in your ham shack. AO-13 Provisional Attitude Schedule 1994-5 ========================================== Date [Mon] Blon Blat SA to SA Weeks Notes ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1994 Jan 31 180 0 -36 35 9 1994 Apr 04 240 0 -2 29 14 1994 Jul 11 180 0 36 -33 9 1994 Sep 12 230 0 0 -26 14 < Up to 132 minute eclipses 1994 Dec 19 180 0 -34 33 9 MA 96-107 Oct 22 - Nov 07 1995 Feb 20 230 0 12 21 14 1995 May 29 180 0 30 -31 8 1995 Jul 24 230 0 -10 -22 15 < Up to 132 minute eclipses 1995 Nov 06 180 0 -30 34 8 MA 96-103 Sep 05 - Sep 21 1996 Jan 01 230 0 9 -- -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: SA stands for "Sun Angle" Unfortunately, because AO-13's perigee height has decreased from 1500 KM to 420 KM, G3RUH is unsure about whether AO-13 will still be in orbit by the end of '95 and into early '96. But if AO-13 has not re-entered into the earth's atmosphere, the above Bahn longitiude and latitude values will be the planned values. [The AMSAT News Service (ANS) would like to thank G3RUH for this bulletin item. G3RUH can be reached at G3RUH @GB7DDX.#22.GBR.EU] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-008.05 WEEKLY OSCAR STATUS REPORTS HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 008.05 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD JANUARY 8, 1993 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-008.05 Weekly OSCAR Status Reports: 08-JAN-94 AO-13: Current Transponder Operating Schedule: L QST *** AO-13 TRANSPONDER SCHEDULE *** 1993 Dec 27-Jan 31 Mode-B : MA 0 to MA 180 | OFF Mode-B : MA 180 to MA 220 | Mode-S : MA 220 to MA 230 |<- S transponder; B trsp. is OFF Mode-BS : MA 230 to MA 250 | Blon/Blat 240/-5 Mode-B : MA 250 to MA 256 | OFF Omnis : MA 250 to MA 150 | Move to attitude 180/0, 31-Jan-94 Poor Sun angle and battery testing need maximum OFF time. [G3RUH/DB2OS/VK5AGR] FO-20: The following is the current FO-20 operating schedule: From January '94 thru February '94, the analog mode and the digital mode will be on alternately for a week at a time. ANALOG MODE: 12-JAN-94 7:30 -TO- 19-JAN-94 7:50 UTC 26-JAN-94 8:20 -TO- 02-FEB-94 6:50 UTC 09-FEB-94 7:15 -TO- 16-FEB-94 7:40 UTC DIGITAL MODE: Unless otherwise noted above. [JJ1WTK] AO-16: Operating normally. [WH6I] LO-19: Operating normally. [WH6I] KO-23: Up and running. Busy as usual. [WH6I] The AMSAT NEWS Service (ANS) is looking for volunteers to contribute weekly OSCAR status reports. If you have a favorite OSCAR which you work on a regular basis and would like to contribute to this bulletin, please send your observations to WD0HHU at his CompuServe address of 70524,2272, on INTERNET at wd0hhu@amsat.org, or to his local packet BBS in the Denver, CO area, WD0HHU @ W0LJF.#NECO.CO.USA.NOAM. Also, if you find that the current set of orbital elements are not generating the correct AOS/LOS times at your QTH, PLEASE INCLUDE THAT INFORMATION AS WELL. The information you provide will be of value to all OSCAR enthusiasts. /EX ------------------------------ Date: 10 Jan 94 03:04:32 GMT From: news-mail-gateway@ucsd.edu Subject: Display Phone for Packet To: info-hams@ucsd.edu I recently got a Northern Telcon "Display Phone" that I am trying to hook up to a PK-88. The phone is basically a smart phone with a dumb terminal attached, there real cute and have a small footprint. Now for the problem: the terminal does not recognize that it is attached to an RS232 device. It seems to want to detect the device and switch itself. I can access a screen that tells me the serial port is off line, but it does not allow a manual toggle like other set up features do. Northern-Telcon referred me to a tech who did not even understand that the serial port is hardware, not software, he did say he could change cards if there blown. :-) I have the appropriate signals on pins 1-8 and 20, and the PK-88 works just fine with my HP-95LX as the terminal, but I would really like to get the display phone on line. Any one out there have any ideas, or know someone at Northern Telcon who could help? Thanks and 73. Bill _____________________________________________________________________ Wm. A. Kirsanoff Internet: WAKIRSAN@ananov.remnet.ab.com Rockwell International Ham: KD6MCI (714) 762-2872 Alternate Internet: william_a._kirsanoff@ccmail.anatcp.rockwell.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- Who are you? * I am number 2. * Who is number 1? * You are number 6. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: 10 Jan 1994 03:27:17 GMT From: library.ucla.edu!agate!bohm.eecs.berkeley.edu!peter@network.ucsd.edu Subject: Morse Code To: info-hams@ucsd.edu Sorry for the dumb question...but does anyone have a copy of Morse code in ASCII they could e-mail me or tell me how to ftp or finger so I can learn it? Thanks MUCHO. -- Bill Peter |peter@langmuir.eecs.berkeley.edu Dept. of Nuclear Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, ISRAEL ------------------------------ Date: 10 Jan 1994 02:40:10 GMT From: library.ucla.edu!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!howland.reston.ans.net!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!news.cs.columbia.edu!mix-cs!popovich@network.ucsd.edu Subject: Phonecalls from 20,000 feet?!... To: info-hams@ucsd.edu > Use the phone in the plane. It is not only against most airline rules to > use your own radio equipment on a commercial aircraft, it is unsafe. > > There is no safe method for you to insure that your equipment is not > interfering with the aircraft's communication and navigation equipment. > > That's why, essentially, it is not allowed. This is probably all the response that's necessary, however, it is just barely possible that the original inquirer may be a pilot, or somebody else who's planning to fly up there in a small private plane, rather than on an airliner. These generally don't have Airfones, although the use of cellular phones from one is still illegal because they activate too many different cells on the ground. In this case, it's the pilot's decision as to what radios may be used in flight, and it might be possible for the original inquirer to check for RFI himself, or to ask the pilot about doing so. If no RFI is observed (and you're DAMN sure there isn't any, because it's your skin on the line), or if the calls are made while flying VFR by pilotage, where no other radios may be needed at the time, then the question becomes reasonable. Not every flight needs radio navigation, or even radio communication. I don't know what such a person would do, unless they knew about a particular station in the area that they were flying over that had a phone patch available, and had arranged to use it. Does anybody have any ideas for this unlikely case? -Steve ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 09 Jan 94 11:32:24 From: netcomsv!netcomsv!lavc!steven.rosenberg@decwrl.dec.com Subject: RAMSEY KITS NOT TOO G To: info-hams@ucsd.edu rohvm1.mah48d@rohmhaas.com (John E. Taylor III) writes: > I built one of the Ramsey 40-m QRP transmitters--really simple, about half > a dozen components. When it didn't work, I figured I'd done something > wrong, and would trouble-shoot it when I got the chance. Haven't yet > gotten the chance, but it sounds like the problem may not have been me. > This discussion thread may provide me incentive to see just what was wrong > (oscillator works, but not the final), but also to homebrew rather than > buying another Ramsey kit. YES! That's a better idea. Get one of Doug de Maw's QRP books and start collecting the parts. I didn't mention in my previous post about my non-working Ramsay 40m receiver that I had previously built three projects from the QRP notebook (1st edition) and they all worked great -- not to mention provided a ton of satisfaction. The projects were, the Poor Man's QRP transmitter for 40m, the QRP antenna tuner and the 12v, 1 amp power supply -- All working GREAT, with great design and really cool surplus enclosures that I built myself. The transmitter is housed in a Planters peanut can -- what better for a peanut whistle? The power supply sits in the gutted housing of a dead auto battery charger -- with the labels changed to protect the ignorant, of course! steven.rosenberg@support.com KC6FYL ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Jan 1994 20:21:15 +0000 From: usc!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!uknet!demon!g8sjp.demon.co.uk!ip@network.ucsd.edu Subject: Repeater database? To: info-hams@ucsd.edu In article <758152694snx@llondel.demon.co.uk> dave@llondel.demon.co.uk writes: >There have been several cases of remote-site amateur gear being >stolen/vandalised in the UK. The first recorded case was the West London >repeater some time ago, which vanished without trace until (several years >later) they drained the water tower on which the repeater had been sited.... >it was inside. A few packet nodes have been vandalised in the last year or >so, and the Guildford voice repeater was stolen last month. > Dave, I'd be interested in knowing which repreater this actually refers to, since the West London repeaters have always been sited on a hospital! Maybe the folklore is a bit disturbed. 'WL WAS stolen, and was, in fact, dug up in some Berkshire (?) woodland several years afterwards. -- ------------------------------------------------------------- Iain Philipps - InterNet StormTrooper Telephone: +44 494 432144 EMail: ip@g8sjp.demon.co.uk On VHF: G8SJP On HF: G0RDI On Contests: G(W)0RDI/P [JO01KJ and IO82JJ] On Vacation: C30DLA At Work: N2TLY ------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: 9 Jan 1994 16:08:10 -0800 From: nntp.crl.com!crl.crl.com!not-for-mail@decwrl.dec.com Subject: Repeater database? To: info-hams@ucsd.edu Well I find myself sympathetic to both sides, so here is my $0.02, though this is getting off the subject of the database per se. 1) If repeater owners don't reveal link frequencies, then they must be prepared to suffer occasional interference. About the best a good ham *can* do is listen for a while (on an frequency they might want to use simplex), and having heard little, try it out, and see who (or if one) complains. 2) If repeater owners do reveal link frequencies, then they will probably suffer from deliberate interference from the *bad* hams, so take your pick. 3) I agree with Bob W. that location of a repeater is secondary to coverage information. Describing coverage succinctly is often a difficult thing to do. This is especially true in areas like N. CA. where you have a lot of mixed valley and mountain terrain. Some repeaters I know have very oddly shaped coverage patterns. Location, even accurate location, is therefore of limited help in determining coverage in many locations. 4) Any amount of information in a query-able database is better than nothing. -- matthew rapaport Philosopher/Programmer at large KD6KVH CIS: 70271,255 Internet: mjr@crl.com ------------------------------ Date: 9 Jan 1994 22:49:58 -0500 From: bounce-back@uunet.uu.net Subject: RFD: sci.geo.satnav To: info-hams@ucsd.edu REQUEST FOR DISCUSSION: SCI.GEO.SATNAV Title: SCI.GEO.SATNAV This will be an unmoderated newsgroup. SCI.GEO.SATNAV was chosen because the focus of this group is on navigation. The SCI.SPACE hierarchy deals with various aspects of space exploration and use, but this newsgroup deals mostly with terrestrial applications. The fact that the space segment is in space is almost incidental to the focus of the newsgroup. Charter: SCI.GEO.SATNAV will allow a centralized location for discussion of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). The charter specifically includes the US Global Positioning System (GPS) and Russian GLONASS, but is also open to discussion of other existing and future satellite positioning systems. Some topics that fall under this newsgroup charter are: * Technical aspects of GNSS operation. * User experiences in the use of GNSS. * Information regarding GNSS products. * Discussion of GNSS policy (such as GPS selective availability). * Extensions to basic GNSS technology, such as differential GPS and pseudolites. * Navigational uses of satellite systems whose primary purpose is not navigation, such as a communication satellite net. (IRIDIUM, etc.) Examples of topics that would not fall under the group charter are: * Other satellite systems such as communications and intelligence gathering, except for navigational uses of such systems. * Discussion of space policy in general. * Discussion of areas that may use GNSS, such as surveying, sailing, or aeronautics, except as they directly relate to use of GNSS. GPS, in particular, has turned out to be a technology with a great deal of synergism with many fields. GPS is used, not only for military positioning which was the original purpose, but in applications as diverse as entomology and film making. A major intent of this newsgroup is to share the uses to which GNSS technology is being put, thus inspiring even more innovative uses. While part of the SCI.GEO hierarchy, this newsgroup does not exclude non-terrestrial uses of satellite navigation. For example, use of GPS to determine space vehicle position is within the charter. This group is also intended to function as a resource for newcomers, who can post their questions and receive help from others who have passed that way before. Rationale: There is no single newsgroup where information on GPS and other satellite navigation systems can be found. Questions are often posted in newsgroups such as sci.electronics, rec.aviation, and sci.aeronautics. To address this lack, the mailing list RGPS DigestS was started about a year ago, and now has over 400 subscribers. Recently we attempted to convert GPS Digest from a moderated weekly newsletter to an unmoderated reflector. Submissions, which had been running at 2-3 per week, immediately picked up to 15 the first day. Our resources were overloaded, and the Digest is back to the original format. Many readers indicated the real-time response was helpful and suggested the formation of a newsgroup. The RFD and CFV will be posted to the GPS Digest mailing list as well as Usenet newsgroups. Only those readers with access to Usenet should cast votes (for or against) formation of the newsgroup. -- Andy Arkusinski arkusinski_andy@si.com Ken Jongsma jongsma_ken@si.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 7 Jan 1994 19:25:21 GMT From: sdd.hp.com!hpscit.sc.hp.com!hplextra!hpfcso!hplvec!tcline@network.ucsd.edu Subject: Superpressure balloon info? To: info-hams@ucsd.edu > In rec.radio.amateur.misc, norton@joker.optics.rochester.edu (Scott Norton) writes: > > Does anyone have any info on the superpressure balloon that was launched > from Utah? There was a post about it a week ago and it was to have been > launched today. > > Thanx! > PS. Could someone e-mail me info as well as posting it? > > Scott Norton > norton@joker.optics.rochester.edu > N2WQU I am a member of the Edge of Space Sciences balloon group in Denver, CO. Bill Brown WB8ELK and the payload was in Denver on Tuesday, Jan-4-94. He said the launch was scheduled for 8:00 am MST on Thursday, Jan-6-84 (delayed from the 10:00 am MST on Jan-5-94 mentioned in the article). Today is Friday. I haven't heard any more. I would not be surprised if the launch has been delayed again due to equipment or weather. 73 ---- Ted Cline, N0RQV Home: 3202 Spruce Drive ted_cline@hpisla.lvld.hp.com Fort Collins, CO 80526-1044 Day: (303) 679-2352 (303) 493-1136 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Jan 1994 19:02:54 GMT From: usc!howland.reston.ans.net!darwin.sura.net!perot.mtsu.edu!raider!theporch!jackatak!root@network.ucsd.edu Subject: Vanity Callsign Notice of Propsed Rulemaking (PR93-305) To: info-hams@ucsd.edu gdm@eieio.ualr.edu (G. Douglas Mauldin) writes: [.... much other "stuff" deleted...] > and my trying to get, say, K5EE, the shortest (in CW) > callsign in the United States. Pardon the flame-thrower.... but seems to me, Doug, EXTRA class callsign and all that, that you ought to know ur cw well enuf to know "N" is shorter than "K", and so is "A"... so AE5E and NE5E and N5EE are *ALL* shorter than K5EE or the other permutations... and we thought Extra Class was a safe haven from all that... ;^) Jack, W4PPT/Mobile (75M SSB 2-letter WAS #1657 -- all from the mobile! ;^) +--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--+ | Jack GF Hill |Voice: (615) 459-2636 - Ham Call: W4PPT | | P. O. Box 1685 |Modem: (615) 377-5980 - Bicycling and SCUBA Diving | | Brentwood, TN 37024|Fax: (615) 459-0038 - Life Member - ARRL | | root@jackatak.raider.net - "Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose" | +--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--+ ------------------------------ End of Info-Hams Digest V94 #18 ******************************