QRZ! Ham Radio 5/QRZ Ham Radio Callsign Database - Volume 5.iso/files/arrl/hiram/ltr13n10.txt

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The ARRL Letter
Vol. 13, No. 10
May 26, 1994

League urges action on call sign selection

     The ARRL has filed reply comments in the FCC's proposal
to institute a "vanity" call sign program (in PR Docket 93-
305). The League said that the vast majority of the 109
comments filed on the proposal favored it, in general, with
the major concerns being how to fairly administer it.
     There were fewer than five comments opposing the proposal
and, while they made what the League called "thoughtful and
important points," they did not seem to represent more than
a small minority opinion.
     One commenter was concerned about the cost of the
program to taxpayers, the reissuing of call signs of
deceased amateurs, and the diluting of the practice of
issuing call signs more or less chronologically, which thus
makes a person's call sign an indication of how long she or
he has been licensed.
     The ARRL in its reply comments said that the issue of
cost already had been settled, in that amateurs themselves
would pay for the privilege of selecting a call sign.
     Regarding Silent Key call signs, the League said that
by giving family members and clubs the first opportunity to
apply for such call signs, "well known and respected"
amateurs' call signs could be preserved.
     Finally, the League said that a program allowing
amateurs to select a call sign would enhance the
fraternalism of the service and promote a sense of
accomplishment (regardless of how long a person had been
licensed).
     One of the commenters on the proposal was Frederick O.
Maia, W5YI, who proposed that the Commission establish a
"Vanity Call Sign Administration" program in the private
sector. Maia suggested that administrators could be
appointed by the Commission and permitted to charge a fee
for preparing an application for a special call sign.
     The ARRL said that, while nothing prevents
entrepreneurs from providing such a service, including
the useful one of making available the latest database of
available call signs to applicants, the FCC has no
authorization from Congress to "accept the voluntary
services of private sector entities in the administration of
[such a] program."
     The League said that Maia's proposal was flawed in that
it suggests that the average radio amateur is incapable of
filling out the paperwork necessary to apply for a vanity
call sign. The League told the FCC that radio amateurs are
fully capable of correctly completing Commission forms and
submitting them with payment.
     The League said that if there were to be a "flood of
calls" to the FCC's Gettysburg facility, from amateurs
asking questions about the program, then that would be an
indication of problems with the instructions or the
application form, or both.
     "Maia's proposal is cumbersome," the League said,
"bureaucratic, and adds not a whit of value to the entire
application procedure from the point of view of the
applicant."
     The League urged the Commission to proceed with a
Report and Order on the "vanity" call sign proposal,
incorporating the minor modifications suggested in the
earlier ARRL comments.

Ideas sought for Novice Roundup

     A call has gone out for suggestions for a possible
revamping of the ARRL Novice Roundup. The ARRL Contest
Advisory Committee welcomes comments on how this event,
which has fallen on hard times in recent years, can be
resuscitated.
     CAC Chairman Mark Beckwith, WA6OTU, observes that the
goals of the new contest aren't changed, ie, to introduce
newcomers to on-the-air competition and to see if the
"contest bug" bites, and to improving operating skills.
     The event should include no-code Technicians in some
way, too, and there's the rub, since they have no privileges
below 30 MHz, and Novices have very limited spectrum above
30 MHz.
     "I am a proponent," Beckwith says, "of two different
types of events run at the same time, one for Novices and
one for code-free Techs, with separate entries and separate
reports in the same issue of QST. I guess an enterprising
"Tech-plus" could go out and win both categories if he were
really sharp."
     The CAC is collecting comments on the Internet contest
reflector; and you can submit written input to the committee
via ARRL HQ.

Broad agenda for ARRL volunteer committee

     The ARRL Volunteer Resources Committee met in St.
Louis, Missouri, on April 23, 1994. The committee:
     * Recommended to modify the Amateur Auxiliary logo to
include the League diamond.
     * Reviewed the status of the Field Organization
Volunteer of the Year Award.
     * Declined a proposal from REACT International to
conclude a memorandum of understanding between them and the
ARRL.
     * Supported cooperation between adjacent ARRL Sections
as the best means of incorporating a "jump team" concept
into the existing ARES framework.
     * Reviewed a staff report on a memorandum of
understanding with the National Disaster Medical System
(NDMS) and decided to take no action until more ARRL Field
Organization NDMS-related activity is evident.
     * Reviewed a staff report on the League's participation in
the National Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster
(NVOAD) and recommended that membership be extended for a
year while monitoring the activities of NVOAD more closely.
     * In response to Minute 41 of the 1994 January board
meeting, the committee reviewed a staff report and
recommendations regarding the feasibility of a system of
technical awards and development of a set of criteria. A
draft has been sent to the Future Systems Committee and Long Range
Planning Committee for review and approval.
     * Approved a new policy to accept electronic filing of
Field Organization appointments with the Field Services
Department. FSD now can accept new appointments in any form,
an aid to Section Managers.
     * Agreed to possibly pursue the idea of "Amateur Radio Good
Samaritan Laws" at the state level, beginning with input
from General Counsel Chris Imlay, N3AKD, subject to review
by the full ARRL Board of Directors.
     * Agreed that the responsibility for ensuring that
affiliated clubs do not abuse the 51% ARRL membership rule lies
with the appropriate ARRL Director, during the application
process.
     * Reviewed a report on volunteer examiner availability
in Alaska and expressed its feeling that the situation is
being satisfactorily managed.
     * Discussed the possibility of allowing ARRL volunteer
examiners to review exam results with failed applicants.
     * Asked for language to be added to convention rules
regarding the changing of dates for ARRL-sanctioned
conventions and hamfests.
     * Discussed the cost of travel for ARRL officials in
the Pacific and Virgin Islands Sections.

Students lunch with ham-astronaut N5RAX

By Joe Lynch, N6CL ARRL Oklahoma Section Manager

     Among the several school students who were able to
communicate with the astronauts the Shuttle Endeavor during
the recent STS-59 SAREX mission were ones from the Anthony
Elementary School in the small town of Anthony, Kansas
(population 2500).
     On Sunday, April 10, Gary Gerber, KB0HH, the school's
principal, assembled a group of students, their parents, and
nearly 200 townspeople, for the students' eight minute
opportunity to ask Astronaut Linda Godwin, N5RAX, questions
about what it was like to be in space.
     Sixteen of the students were able to make contact with
Linda. While students communicating with astronauts in space
by Amateur Radio has become somewhat routine, what followed
this contact was a bit extraordinary.
     As the ARRL Section Manager for Oklahoma, I was on the
mailing list for the West Gulf Division convention
announcement. When it reached me, I noticed that Astronaut
Linda Godwin was to be the special guest of the convention.
     I called Gary Gerber to ask if it were possible to
transport the school children to the convention, which was
to be held in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He replied that it probably
would be, subject to the school board's approval, which was
subsequently easily obtained.
     I then called Vince Moore, N5RFW, chairman of the Green
Country Hamfest, the sponsoring committee of the convention,
and asked if he could arrange a special meeting for the
children with Linda. He replied that not only could he
arrange a meeting, he probably could make it a lunch
meeting, and he found Ollie's Restaurant, ideally suited to
school children.
     After the three-hour drive from Anthony, the children
arrived around 11 AM. Having a bit of time before lunch, the
children's first stop was the flea market. Because for some
of them, it was their first trip away from Anthony, the flea
market was the biggest shopping spree they had ever
been on.
     Following lunch, not having the time constraints of
shuttle communication, the students were able to freely ask
questions of Linda, and ask they did. Questions such as "Did
you feel closer to God in space?" and "Why did you you
become an astronaut?" were graciously answered by Linda.
     Then the children got Linda to autograph everything
from napkins to their special T-shirts.
     Following lunch it was back to the convention center
for everyone and back to the shopping spree in the flea
market for the children. Among the items purchased were a
pair of CB hand-helds that two of the students used to
communicate with each other between cars on the trip home.
While none of the students are yet hams, it is entirely
possible that at least these two have been bitten by the
bug.
     I feel that I have been a "lucky link" in the chain of
events in this adventure. I found out about Gary's school
being involved with the SAREX mission when I saw Jerome
Doerrier, K5IS, at the Mooreland, Oklahoma, Hamfest that
Sunday afternoon in April. When I enquired about his wife,
Bobette, N5UDJ, he replied that she and two of her students
from the elementary school in Perryton, Texas, were in
Anthony awaiting the contact with Linda.
     It was only by happenstance that I found out about the
common link (Linda Godwin) of the two events. Because of
that I was able to put key people in touch with each other
and they made things happen.
     Seeing the faces of the children as they interacted
with Linda will remain one of the most vivid memories of
my tenure as an ARRL Section Manager, indeed, of my career as
a ham!

FCC ACTS ON THREE AMATEUR RADIO PETITIONS

     The FCC has denied two petitions for reconsideration
that sought a broader definition of permissible
communications by amateurs, as well as one seeking changes
in the amateur service rules to reduce the number of license
classes.
     The first two petitions, by David Popkin, W2CC, and
Rolland D. Cummings, WA0EDA, sought expansion of FCC rules
changes that went into effect in September 1993, in PR
Docket 92-136. Those new rules, the result of an ARRL
proposal, give amateurs greater flexibility in providing
noncommercial communications for public events and permit
paid teachers to use Amateur Radio in their classrooms.
     The new rules also allow personal communications such
as making appointments and "ordering pizza."
     The two petitions sought permission for amateurs to
retransmit certain US government broadcasts, such as time
signals. Popkin's petition also sought a wording change to
the new rules, from "classroom instruction" to
"instructional activity."
     The FCC said that the ideas expressed in the petitions
already had been aired and considered during the public
comment period for PR Docket 92-136.
     And on May 13 the FCC denied a petition from the Cass
County (Indiana) Amateur Radio Club (CCARC) that would have eliminated
the Advanced and Extra Class amateur licenses.
     The FCC said that the key contention of the CCARC
petition was that "the majority of amateur operators are
dissatisfied with the current operator license class
structure.
     "The CCARC states," the FCC said, "that most other
countries already have a three class license structure."
     The CCARC petition proposed to combine the present General,
Advanced, and Extra Class operators with Technicians who
have passed a 5 wpm Morse code exam, granting them all full
privileges.
     "We believe," the FCC said, "however, that the views
previously expressed by members of the amateur service
community through thousands of comments in numerous rule
making proceedings continue to be valid.
     "Hence," the FCC said, "in our view, the amateur
community, by and large, is satisfied with the current
structure, the fundamental purpose of which is the
encouragement and improvement of the amateur service in the
United States through rules that provide for advancing
skills in the the communication and technical phases of the
art."

BRIEFS

     * Anne Rinaldo died May 17 in Virginia. The wife of
ARRL Technical Relations Manager Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, she was
injured in a fall on May 1 and never fully regained
consciousness.
     A memorial service was held on May 20 in Bryn Athyn,
Pennsylvania.

     * In our story in the last issue about New Hampshire
House Bill 1380, exempting Amateur Radio towers and antennas
from real estate property taxes, we neglected to report that
Tom Kirby, W1EJ, a member of the New Hampshire House of
Representatives, was a co-sponsor of the bill, along with
Ralph Rosen, W1HSB.

     * The ARRL Outgoing QSL Service reminds DXers that the
fee for users is two dollars per pound or portion of a
pound. The fee is one dollar for ten or fewer cards. This
must be paid in currency or check (no stamps, no IRCs).
     And help your incoming bureau, too, by sending only 5 X
7.5 inch or 6 X 9 inch envelopes, with plenty of stamps.

     * It's once again ARRL election time. July QST will
carry the announcement, with ARRL Directors and Vice
Directors up for election in the following ARRL divisions:
Central, Hudson, New England, Northwestern, Roanoke, Rocky
Mountain, Southwestern, and West Gulf.

     * Publishing the E-mail address for The ARRL Letter --
<[e-mail]> -- has generated some activity from club
editors. Great! The text of The ARRL Letter can be
downloaded from the ARRL HQ landline BBS (Hiram), in
slightly expurgated form (without the photo captions).
Hiram's number is 203-666-0578.
     When you have news that might be of interest around the
country, be sure to get it to us right away, too. Thanks!
     We are getting new computers here (your editor spent
several nonproductive days last week learning new software
and tricks) and most of us will go to PC school for a day
next month.
     And speaking of Hiram, his human overseer is Jay Mabey,
NU0X, who has been promoted to Senior Assistant Manager in
the Field Services Department (and will be the next victim
of our QST "Behind the Diamond" pillory).

     * John DeVoldere, ON4UN, visited HQ earlier this month,
with Roger Vermet, ON6WU. John is the author of Low Band
DXing, just out in a very revised second edition. John spent
much of his time here staring at antenna modeling programs
on the computer screen of Senior Assistant Technical Editor
Dean Straw, N6BV.

     * And HQ staffers Mark Wilson, AA2Z, and Zack Lau,
KH6CP, attended the West Coast VHF Conference in Cerritos,
California. Zack competed in the preamp measuring activity.

     * Members of the ARRL Board of Directors met in
Savannah, Georgia, on May 6 and 7, to begin developing a
strategic plan to guide the ARRL in preparing for the
opportunities and challenges of the 21st century. The ARRL
Long Range Planning Committee had recommended that because
of the importance of strategic planning, the effort should
be initiated separate from the regular business of a Board
meeting. The process that was begun in Savannah will be
continued, with the objective of completing a draft plan by
the end of 1994.

     * Attention 75-meter DXers: as of May 20, 1994, Japan
has a new subband, from 3747 to 3754 kHz, in addition to the
two existing bands at 3500 to 3575 kHz and 3791 to 3805 kHz.

     * Stu Meyer, W2GHK, died May 21, 1994, at his home in
Vienna, Virginia. He was 76 years old and and a Charter
Life Member of the ARRL.
     According to information provided by Joe Lynch, N6CL,
editor of the Quarter Century Wireless Association's  QCWA Journal,
Meyer was past president of that organization and was
president of the Radio Club of America. He was a former
chief engineer for the Hammarlund Corp, later its president,
and also had been employed by the E. F. Johnson Co.
     Meyer was well known to DXers as a driving force behind
Hammarlund's "DXpedition of the Month" operations in the
1950s and 1960s.
     He leaves his wife, Lottie, and two daughters. Memorial
contributions may be made to the Radio Club of America or to
the QCWA.

     * Another recent death was that of Joseph M. Mergen,
N9GID, of Mishawaka, Indiana. Mergen, 77, was the retired
president of Piper Aircraft Corp. According to newspaper
reports, he held 18 patents, including several for propeller
design for World War II aircraft and for gas turbine
helicopter engines. Among his survivors are his wife,
Margaret Mergen, KE9MU.

     * Jim Stafford, W4QO, an ARRL registered instructor and
speaker at Educational Activities Department workshops,
has been named winner of the 1994 Advanced Electronics
Applications Amateur Ambassador Award.

     * The FCC has canceled a fine of $2,000 against a
Florida woman for unlicensed operation on 2 meters. The May
1993 Notice of Apparent Liability was against Margaret G.
Taylor of Windermere, Florida, for operation on 145.53 MHz.
     The FCC database now lists a Margaret G. Taylor in
Windermere as a Technician class licensee, KE4IMC, effective
December 21, 1993.
     Taylor, 47, appealed the fine, saying she should have
received a warning and that she was unable to pay a fine
because of her age and financial condition, the FCC said.
The FCC canceled the fine on these grounds and because
Taylor had no previous FCC violations.

     * The 1994 AMSAT-NA Annual Meeting and Space Symposium
will be held October 7 to 9, in Orlando, Florida. AMSAT
seeks papers for the symposium and can provide authors with
help in editing and graphics, if needed. Papers are welcome
even if the author is unable to attend the symposium.
     Topics for all amateur satellite disciplines are
sought, including introductory tutorials, satellite
operations, Phase IIID design and development, and new
applications and techniques.
     Sign up now and request an author's kit, then compose a
short abstract by July 1. Final drafts are requested on or
about August 26. Direct inquiries to:
     Steve Park, WB9OEP, 12122 99th Av North, Seminole, FL
34642. Tel [phone]; Internet: [e-mail]-
ESYST.COM

     * The ARRL/VEC had 174 exam sessions registered for
ARRL's Spring National Exam Day on May 14, 1994. A half-
dozen or so were coordinated under other VECs, with the
remainder being ARRL/VEC.
     The 10th anniversary of the ARRL/VEC is coming up this
summer; July QST will feature a remembrance of the genesis
of the Volunteer Examiner System by the League's first VEC
manager, Curt Holsopple, K9CH.

     * FCC Chairman Reed Hundt has once again expressed his
support for a self-funded commission, according to
Broadcasting and Cable magazine. Hundt told a press briefing
that user fees would have to increase by as much as $70
million for the commission to pay its way, the magazine
said. (Amateurs are presently exempted from user fees.)

     * SAREX shuttle flight STS-65 is scheduled for lift-off
July 8, 1994, for a 14-day mission on Columbia. Crew members
include Mission Specialist Donald A. Thomas, KC5FVF, and
Robert D. Cabana, who may have an amateur license in time
for the mission.
     The SAREX configuration is "C," (KC5FVF on FM and
W5RRR-1 on packet). Send reports and QSLs to ARRL EAD, STS-
65 QSL. The Lake County Amateur Radio Club in Munster,
Indiana, has volunteered to manage the cards for this
mission.
     Participating schools for STS-65 are located in Hawaii,
California, Arizona, Louisiana, Texas, South Carolina,
Georgia, Florida, Germany, and Japan.
     For further information contact ARRL EAD.

     * The FCC has upheld an action against Joseph Sawchuck
IV, W3OLN, to cancel his commercial license and fine him
$5000. Sawchuck had served as sole radio operator aboard the
vessel Patriot; FCC regulations require two radio officers
on board  unless the radio officer has received a six month
service endorsement to his First-Class Radiotelegraph
Operator's Certificate. Sawchuck did not have such an
endorsement. He argued that the fine was too high in light
of the FCC's downward adjustment criteria.
     The FCC denied the appeal. Sawchuck, 76, is an Advanced
class licensee in Pompano Beach, Florida.

     * An Amateur Radio film has been named a finalist in a
professional film competition.
     "Ham Radio Horizons," a video introduction to Amateur
Radio by CQ Productions, is a finalist in the Association
for Visual Communicators' 1994 CINDY awards competition. The
49-minute program also was a finalist in the New York
Festival video competition earlier this year.
     The Association of Visual Communicators is a non profit
professional association formed in 1957.
     This is the 35th annual CINDY competition, which honors
outstanding productions in all fields of nontheatrical
video programming, including radio, television, cable and
non-broadcast categories. "Ham Radio Horizons" is a finalist
in the non-broadcast "public service and information"
category, according to CQ.
     "Ham Radio Horizons" was written, produced and directed
by Rich Moseson, NW2L, who is executive producer of the CQ
Video Library and ARRL Northern New Jersey Section Manager.

     * You worked the DXpedition, now read the book (that is,
buy the book). 3Y0PI Peter I team member Bob Schmieder,
KK6EK, has written a fascinating, 227-page book about this
historic operation, with enough charts and graphs to keep
you busy for hours, if not days. Lots of photos, too. All
profits from the sale of the book go directly to help pay
off the debt still remaining from the February 1994
expedition.
     The paperbound book costs $20 (plus $2 shipping in the
US, $15 elsewhere), from Robert Schmieder, 4295 Walnut Blvd,
Walnut Creek CA 94596.

10 years ago in The ARRL Letter

     Oscar 11 revives after 10 weeks of silence. The amateur
satellite, the second built in Surrey, England, with help
from Radio Amateur Satellite Corp (AMSAT) volunteers from
around the world, had been dead since its launch March 1,
1984. Hams at the Stanford Research Institute in California
and at the SRI listening post in Greenland heard faint
signals from the satellite, enabling Surrey to send commands
to Oscar 11 on May 14.
     General class licensee Randy L. Ballinger, WB6MMJ, has
his station license revoked and his operator license
suspended for a year for jamming on 2 meters. Participants
in a net there had complained of interference on and off for
two years and the FCC's Long Beach, California, field office
tracked down Ballinger as the source. Ballinger complained
that it was he who was being jammed. Ballinger today is
licensed as N6MNU.
     The ARRL and AMSAT formally propose that astronaut Tony
England, W0ORE, be permitted Amateur Radio operation from a
space shuttle flight scheduled for March 1985, with a goal
of "involving as many amateurs as possible," and to include
contacts with school club stations. England would follow in
the footsteps of the first amateur in space, Owen Garriott,
W5LFL. (Last month Tony England participated in a forum on
the 10th anniversary of Amateur Radio in space at the Dayton
HamVention.)
     Rod Newkirk, W9BRD, editor of QST's "How's DX?" column
is inducted into the CQ magazine DX Hall of Fame; the FCC
appoints another volunteer examiner coordinator: the Boeing
Employees Amateur Radio Society of Seattle; the League asks
the FCC for a waiver to allow W1AW station operators to use
the station for two-way contacts when not sending bulletins
or code practice; and the 1984 Olympic Torch Relay begins,
including a visit to ARRL HQ by several hams in the Olympic
Torch Relay Caravan.

*eof