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Text File | 1995-02-25 | 18KB | 328 lines

The ARRL Letter
Vol. 14, No. 3
February 13, 1995

League president hospitalized
     ARRL President George S. Wilson, W4OYI, suffered a stroke
on February 11 while in Washington, DC, on League business. At
presstime, his condition was still being evaluated. His family is
with him.

Amateurs get 2400-MHz primary slots
     The FCC has reallocated 50 MHz of spectrum, including 2390
to 2400 and 2402 to 2417 MHz, from government use. The Commission
made these segments available for unlicensed, low-power devices,
including wireless local area networks. At the same time, the FCC
elevated Amateur Radio's status in those segments from secondary
to primary. This means that amateurs will not have to protect any
other user of those bands, and amateur stations are entitled to
protection against interference.
     The Commission made available (in ET Docket 94-32) 2390 to
2400 MHz for use by unlicensed Personal Communications Services
(PCS), and provided for continued use of 2402 to 2417 MHz by
traditional unlicensed "Part 15" electronic devices.
     The unlicensed PCS devices, which include wireless
networking and data transfer devices, will be governed by the same
rules that apply to PCS devices operating in the 1910 to 1920 MHz
band.
     The FCC said it believes these allocations will provide
for the continued development and implementation of a new
generation of advanced communication devices and services,
including a new "on ramp" to the information superhighway.
     The remainder of the 50 MHz of allocated spectrum is at
4660 to 4685 MHz, to fixed and mobile services, an allocation not
directly affecting amateurs.
     Many and varied groups bid for 2390 to 2400 MHz, and a few
sought allocations at 2402 to 2417 MHz. Only two services, In-
Flight Phone and Apple Computer, tried to demonstrate that their
proposed services (at 2390 to 2400 MHz) would be compatible with
amateur use of the same segment. Apple proposed a wireless LAN-
type service, which they called "data-PCS," an
unlicensed form of PCS regulated under Part 15. It is a low
power, wide bandwidth digital device authorization.
     The ARRL said that amateurs could coexist with data-PCS,
if amateurs were elevated to primary in the entire 2390 to 2400
MHz segment, and as well from 2402 to 2417 MHz, and if we didn't
have to protect data-PCS against interference.
     The Commission agreed to this plan, and thus amateurs have
been given a primary allocation at 2390 to 2400 and 2402 to 2417
MHz. Unlicensed data-PCS is allowed in there also, under Part 15.
This is an amendment of the domestic table of allocations only.
The international table for Region 2 has not been changed, and
amateurs remain secondary internationally.
     In its voluminous proposal last year, the FCC went to
great length to cite the strenuous arguments by the ARRL against
the FCC's original proposal, that would have allocated 2390 to
2400, 2402 to 2417 (both shared by amateurs), and 4660 to 4685
MHz, to the Fixed and Mobile Services. The FCC was required by the
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 to adopt rules for such
reallocations by February 10, 1995.
     The FCC said that it believed several suggestions for use
of the 2390 to 2400 MHz band were already adequately accommodated
in other bands, and that parties supporting alternative proposals
"should address the compatibility of the proposed service with the
Amateur and other services."
     "The fight to protect amateur access to this band was
noteworthy on several counts," said Steve Mansfield, N1MZA, ARRL's
manager of legislative & public affairs. "First, it demonstrated
the League's ability to mount a fairly complex advocacy effort
that began with our getting language inserted in the Omnibus
Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993. That victory provided the
groundwork for our subsequent efforts.
     "In addition, the letters and public comments of ham
groups from around the country made it clear to both the NTIA and
the FCC that amateurs have a stake in the allocation process and
are able to mount a strong defense of their interests. The
League's work with government engineers, spectrum managers, and
others, showed that we were able to draw on the positive
relationships we've built over the years with the NTIA and the FCC
to find mutually satisfactory solutions," Mansfield said.
     "And, finally, the fact that powerful commercial interests
like In-Flight Phone and Apple Computer both recognized Amateur
Radio and supported it speaks well for our ability to negotiate
from a position of strength in spectrum matters."
     In both the text of the NPRM and in footnotes, the FCC
acknowledged arguments from the Amateur Radio community, including
the requirement of the Reconciliation Act to avoid excessive
disruption of the amateur service and to determine the extent to
which, in general, commercial users could share the frequency with
Amateur Radio licensees.
     "We...solicit information," the FCC said,  "on the degree
of disruption to the Amateur service that would result if all or
part of this spectrum was removed from the amateur service."
     The FCC noted the League's argument that were amateurs to
lose the spectrum in question, along with 2300 to 2310 MHz, which
was also threatened, the remaining 35 MHz would be insufficient
for amateur satellite operations, would prevent full-duplex point-
to-point operations in the 13-cm band, would eliminate weak signal
operations carried out in that band, and would crowd Amateur
Service operations in the 13-cm band into the least desirable
spectrum near the center of the ISM band at 2450 MHz.
     The FCC also noted comments about the difficulty of
sharing between commercial licensees and the Amateur Radio
Service, and that "the Commission has used the continued
availability to Amateurs of the 13 cm band to justify reallocating
Amateur spectrum in lower bands to commercial services [ie, 220 to
222 MHz] and that it would therefore be unjust for the Commission
to now allocate this spectrum for commercial uses."
New service to use 902-MHz band
     The FCC has adopted rules for the future licensing and
continued development of a number of services, including Amateur
Radio, in the 902 to 928 MHz band (FCC report and order in PR
Docket 93-61). The new rules set standards for what had previously
been called automatic vehicle monitoring systems but which the
Commission now refers to as the Location and Monitoring Service
(LMS).
     Amateurs will continue to have access to 902 to 928 MHz,
on a secondary basis, to the new LMS systems; to industrial,
scientific, and medical (ISM) systems; and to government users.
Unlicensed low power "Part 15" users are on a secondary basis to
all the above, including amateurs.
     The FCC said it would adopt a plan to afford both amateurs
and Part 15 users "a greater degree of protection to their
operations" (from interference from other services).  It also said
it would clarify what constitutes harmful interference to LMS
licensees by Part 15 devices and by amateurs.  "Operational
restrictions should be imposed to maintain the coexistence of the
many varied users of the band," the Commission said.
     The FCC also said it would use a "negative definition" to
clearly establish the parameters under which amateurs and Part 15
users may operate without risk of being considered sources of
interference to services with a higher allocation status.
     In a petition in January 1994 the ARRL requested primary
allocations for amateurs from 902 to 904 and from 912 to 918 MHz,
with certain geographic limitations. The FCC accepted this
petition as comments in its AVM proceeding but denied it, saying
that insufficient "quantitative support" for the petition had been
shown.  More information was in March 1994 QST, page 94.
     The ARRL petition also said that in the decade since the
902 to 928 MHz band was made available to amateurs in most of the
US in 1985, its use has grown, particularly for weak-signal work
and television; the two primary segments sought by the League
would be aimed at those users. The League argued that the proposal
to expand AVM systems in the band were a departure from the US
position at the 1979 World Administrative Radio Conference, at
which amateur access to the band was first addressed, and that the
FCC had considered the availability of 902 to 928 MHz to amateurs
in its decision to take 220 to 222 MHz away from them.

TEXAS GROUP'S BALLOON WORKS TO PERFECTION
     On the second try on February 4, 1995, the North Texas
Balloon Project, sponsored by the Lockheed Radio Club in Fort
Worth, launched its sixth high-altitude balloon experiment
carrying Amateur Radio, said Doug Howard, KG5OA.
     The first attempt was foiled by the balloon tie-off,
leading to the launch of a weather balloon with no payload
attached. The group then successfully lofted its spare balloon.
All equipment performed flawlessly throughout the mission, Howard
said.
     The package reached 93,000 feet, about 4,000 feet higher
than expected at launch time.
     "The crossband [144 to 445 MHz] repeater was as popular as
ever," Howard said, "and sounded like a typical pass of an Oscar
satellite over the US. Folks worked through the repeater from
Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas. The telemetry was
copied from the same states and I continue to receive disks and
printouts full of flight data.
     "The ATV video was nothing short of spectacular," Howard
said. "The highlight of the video downlink was the bursting of the
balloon, as we had the camera pointed up to catch the
extraordinary event. The skin of the balloon seemed to
disintegrate into millions of little pieces and fly away from the
center of the balloon as though it were a fireworks display."
     During this misson, the NTBP gained the active support of
another local radio club, the Rockwell ARC, Howard said, thanking
them for their contribution to the project. "We look forward to
working with the Rockwell ARC on future NTBP missions."
Former FCC Chief Bill Grenfell, W4GF, Dies
     William S. Grenfell, W4GF, a former chief of the FCC's
Amateur Branch and former chief of the Amateur Service Section,
died January 27, 1995, in Vienna, Virginia.  He was 82 years old.
     Grenfell worked for the FCC from 1940 until retiring in
1971, except for several years in the US Navy during World War II.
After graduating from Oregon State College with a BS degree in
electrical engineering in 1935, he worked for the State of Oregon
until joining the FCC's Seattle office as an assistant monitoring
officer in the FCC Radio Intelligence Division in 1940.
     Following the war, Grenfell returned to the FCC as a radio
engineer.  In 1952 he became chief of the Amateur Branch and
Amateur Service Section; from 1962 until 1966 he was chief of the
FCC Rules and Standards Branch of the Amateur and Citizens
Division; and he was chief of the Rules and Legal Branch of the
Amateur and Citizens Division from 1966 until retiring in 1971.
     A 1971 FCC news release announcing Bill Grenfell's
retirement called him "a practicing (amateur) operator for almost
41 years" (he was first licensed in high school) and cited his
contesting achievements.  After retiring he wrote columns for the
Washington, DC-area Amateur Radio publication Auto-Call and also
for WorldRadio.
     W4GF's memberships and awards are nearly too numerous to
list.  He was an ARRL life member, a Quarter Century Wireless
Association life member, a fellow of the Radio Club of America,
and a member and former president of the Potomac Valley Radio
Club.  He was a licensed pilot and regularly flew his plane to the
Dayton HamVention.
     Bill Grenfell died after an illness of several years.  His
wife, Bernece, died earlier, and he leaves no close survivors.

150 HAMS SUPPORT TOWER AT TOWN HEARING IN NY
     On January 25, 1995, more than 150 amateurs turned out in
support of an amateur's right to a tower.
     The town of Hempstead, New York, on Long Island, heard the
case for Mark Nadel, NK2T, who has been in a long battle to keep
his 55-foot tower.  Nadel said the hearing, which lasted about two
hours, saw one neighbor oppose his tower, because of claimed radio
frequency interference, and a "very complete and convincing"
presentation by Nadel's lawyer, Peter Mineo.
     Also speaking on Nadel's behalf were Norman Wesler, K2YEW;
Dick Knadle, K2RIW; Howard Liebman, W2QUV; and Frank Fallon, N2FF,
members of a support group called the Radio Amateurs Defense and
Information Organization (RADIO).
     In December, Ralph Haller, then chief of the Federal
Communications Commission's Private Radio Bureau, told the town of
Hempstead in a letter that it was wrong in trying to restrict an
antenna installation on the basis of electromagnetic interference
because there is "no reasonable connection" between the two, and
that, in any event, the FCC has exclusive jurisdiction over
interference matters.
     The Hempstead zoning board is expected to make a decision
within 30 days, Nadel said.
     More information was in December 1994 QST, page 88, and
January 1995 QST, page 89.

FCC ORDERS A HEARING IN LICENSE RENEWAL
     The FCC on January 18, 1995, designated for a hearing the
application for renewal of an Amateur Extra Class operator's
license and station license.
     Herbert L. Schoenbohm, KV4FZ, of Kingshill, US Virgin
Islands, has applied for renewal of his operator and station
licensees.  The FCC designated a hearing, saying that "it appears
that Mr. Schoenbohm lacks the requisite qualifications for a
renewal" of his licenses.
     Schoenbohm has requested a hearing, and it is scheduled
for June 13, 1995, in Washington, DC, before Administrative Law
Judge Edward Luton. A prehearing conference was ordered for March
30, 1995.
     In 1992 Schoenbohm was convicted in US District Court of
the fraudulent use of a counterfeit long-distance telephone access
device, and was sentenced to a (suspended) two-month prison term,
as well as placed on two years' probation.
     The FCC said that Schoenbohm's conviction "is relevant to
evaluating the likelihood that he will comply with the
Commission's Rules as a licensee in the amateur service."
     The FCC said issues to be addressed at a hearing would be
Schoenbohm's qualification to renew his amateur licenses and
whether such renewal "would serve the public interest, convenience
and necessity."
     The burden of proof  "shall be upon (Schoenbohm) as to all
issues," the FCC said.

AMATEURS' HELP SOUGHT FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS
     Amateur Radio will play an important role in the 1995
Special Olympics World Games this summer and amateurs around the
world are asked to help.
     The World Games, to be held June 28 to July 9 in New
Haven, Connecticut, are expected to draw more than 10,000 athletes
and their delegations from 140 countries, in addition to 45,000
volunteers, and perhaps hundreds of thousands of spectators and
many celebrities.
     Brian Battles, WS1O, Amateur Radio Liaison for the event,
said ''This is likely to be one of the largest public service
communication support opportunities most US amateurs will ever
see.''
     Battles said amateurs will help by operating a special-
event
station, W1SO (for Special Olympics), originating free radiogram
greeting traffic on behalf of Special Athletes and spectators, and
in other areas as needed.
     All amateurs in Connecticut and nearby are invited to
assist, and hams outside Connecticut are asked to be prepared to
relay and deliver National Traffic System radiograms, and to make
contacts with W1SO.
     For more information, send mail to Brian Battles, in care
of ARRL HQ, via packet to WS1OW1EDH.CT.USA.NOAM, or via e-mail to
bbattlesarrl.org.

BRIEFS
     * The Foundation for Amateur Radio will administer 56
scholarships for the 1995-96 academic year, to assist licensed
amateurs who are students.  The awards, from $500 to $2000, are
available to full-time college students, including those who have
been accepted for 1995.
     FAR, composed of more than 75 Washington, DC, area Amateur
Radio clubs, fully funds five scholarships with the income from
grants and its annual hamfest in Gaithersburg, Maryland.  The
remaining 51 scholarships are administered by the foundation
without cost to the various donors.
     For more information or application forms, contact FAR
Scholarships, 6903 Rhode Island Ave, College Park, MD 20740,
before April 30.
     * The 1988 Radio Society of Great Britain President, Sir
Richard Davies, G2XM, died last weekend. He was President during
the Society's 75th Anniversary year and was active on the air
until recently.
     * Harry A. Turner, W9YZE, died December 21, 1994, in
Alton, Illinois.  He was 88 years old.
     While in the service in 1942, OM Turner was clocked at 35
wpm using a hand telegraph key, said William J. Garrett, KB8NTE,
of the Morst Telegraph Club, a record still standing and recorded
in the current Guinness Book of Records.
     According to a 73 Magazine article in 1976, Turner in 1964
applied to the Signal Corps for certification of his code speed
record, which had been witnessed by General Ben Lear, and got it.
Turner said he handled code under "business" conditions and
learned to concentrate accordingly.
     Among Turner's survivors are his wife, Edith.
     * The ARRL DX Advisory Committee (DXAC) has voted, 8-to-7,
to reject a petition to add Pratas Island to the DXCC Countries
List based on Point 2(a), separation by water.  Pratas Island is
off the coast of China.
     Some of those voting against cited concerns over the
possibility of intervening rocks. Others cited what they perceived
as disputed ownership of the island.


*EOF