Software Vault: The Diamond Collection/The Diamond Collection (Software Vault)(Digital Impact).ISO/cdr16/news0218.zip/NEWS0218.TXT

Text File | 1995-02-25 | 21KB | 427 lines

SB NEWSLIN @ ALLBBS $NLIN.914
Amateur Radio Newsline #914 18 Feb 1995

Amateur Radio Newsline is produced as an audio service by Newsline, a
service of the Westlink Radio Netowrk.  The transcribed version is produced
by Dale Cary, WD0AKO from materials provided by Newsline. and is jointly
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and Dale Cary.

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NEWSLINE RADIO - CBBS EDITION #914 - POSTED 02/18/95

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   The following is late news about Amateur Radio for Radio
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Some of the hams of NEWSLINE RADIO...

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 and many others in the United States and around the globe!!!

(****************************************************************

[914]

                   The following is a QST

   The ARRL's president is taken seriously ill.  George Wilson
 W4OYI is felled by a stroke while on ham radio business in
 Washington, DC.  The latest word on his condition on an expanded
 Newsline report number 914 coming your way right now!

(*****
                 ARRL PRESIDENT HOSPITALIZED

   A ham who is considered a friend to all of amateur radio is
 fighting to recover from a sudden and very serious illness.
 ARRL President George S. Wilson, W4OYI, is reported in guarded
 condition following a stroke he suffered the evening of
 February 11th.
   George Wilson and several other high ranking league officials
 were winding up a series of meetings in Washington, DC.  George
 was returning to his hotel when he took ill.  Paramedics were
 called.  They transported the ARRL President to a local hospital
 where his condition was quickly diagnosed.
   About twenty four hours later, after he had been stabilized,
 President Wilson was moved to a facility in Virginia that
 specializes in treating this kind of disorder.  There, a surgical
 procedure was performed to relieve the pressure on the brain.
   As we go to air, W4OYI is reported to be resting comfortably
 in the Intensive Care Unit.  He is sedated, and for the moment,
 only close relatives permitted to visit.
   By way of background, George Wilson has been a very different
 kind of ARRL leader.  Anyone who has ever had the opportunity to
 meet him knows that W4OYI is friendly and approachable individual
 reminiscent of the ARRL presidency of the late Victor C. Clark,
 W4KFC.
   When he took office George Wilson made it clear that he would
 do all he could to preserve our ham bands and make them more
 pleasant to operate.  He has been at the forefront of efforts in
 both areas.  The results can be seen in several stories you are
 about to hear in this weeks newscast.  These include the details
 on the new vanity call sign program and a major victory in
 retaining the 902 to 928 MHz band.
   More important, to his friends here at Newsline and his friends
 around the world, George Wilson W4OYI is a very special person
 who has dedicated himself to the human side of ham radio.  We ask
 that you join with us in praying for his full, speedy and complete
 recovery.
   Get well wishes should be sent via ARRL headquarters or to
 W4OYI at his callbook address.  We will have an update on
 President Wilson's condition next week.

(*****
                 VANITY CALL SIGN ORDER RELEASED

   The FCC has released its Report and Order in PR Docket 93-305,
 amending its rules to provide for a vanity call sign program.  As
 previously reported, to accommodate requests for specific, vanity
 call signs, the Commission will use a series of four starting
 gates.  The Commission will announce the opening of each gate by a
 Public Notice.  The first gate will open as soon as the new
 application form, FCC Form 610-V, is available and the
 Commission's licensing facility is prepared to begin processing
 the applications.
   Applicants will then be permitted to request call signs
 reflecting their own or other call sign regions.  Except for a
 close relative applying for a deceased licensee's call sign, or a
 club station trustee applying with the written consent of a close
 relative of a deceased licensee, a vacated call sign will not be
 assignable for a two-year waiting period.
   For clubs, persons not already holding a club station license,
 as trustee, must first apply for and receive a valid Amateur
 license before filing an application for a vanity call sign.
   The FCC has also set aside the one-by-one call sign block until
 the matter of assignment of these calls could be addressed in a
 separate proceeding.  The ARRL has requested the assignment of
 one-by-one call signs to special event stations of national
 significance.
   The new rules are effective March 24.  FCC will begin accepting
 applications for new club and military recreation station licenses
 on that date.  Applications will go to the Commission's
 contractor, Mellon Bank, which will accept them in Pittsburgh,
 Pennsylvania.  They will be processed in the order they are
 received.   A $70 fee will have to be paid when requesting a new
 or renewed vanity call sign.

(*****
                     CHANGES TO 902 MHz BAND

   Amateurs and unlicensed Part 15 users will continue to have
 access to 902 to 928 MHz.  This, on a secondary basis to the new
 Location and Monitoring Service as well as industrial, scientific,
 and medical systems; and to government users.
   The FCC has adopted the new rules for the future licensing and
 continued development of a number of services, including Amateur
 Radio in the 902 MHz band.  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.
   As a result of the change, Part 15 users are now on a secondary
 basis to all other services including amateurs.  The FCC says that
 it will now adopt a plan to afford both amateurs and Part 15 users
 a greater degree of protection from interference from other
 services.  It will also clarify what constitutes harmful
 interference to LMS licensees by Part 15 devices.  Look for
 operational restrictions to be imposed to maintain the coexistence
 of the many varied users of the band.

(*****
                         NJ ANTENNA WIN

   The perseverance of a Winslow, New Jersey ham with a little
 help from the American Radio Relay League has paid off in an
 apparent victory for Paul Kaplan, N2FOB.  Kaplan says that the
 township would let him put up a television tower but not one for
 ham radio.  That a local ordinance not only forbids ham radio and
 CB towers in residential areas, but even forces radio users to
 keep towers outside residential areas at least fifteen hundred
 feet away.  Kaplan considered that to be discriminatory and lodged
 a legal challenge.  This lead to a hearing where a judge realized
 the impossibility of the situation.

  "The judge on his own calculated that 1500 feet would be a 162
 acres.  So I would have to buy a piece of property and install the
 tower in the center of 162 acres of land to be in compliance with
 this ordinance.  And the judge basically found that to be
 unreasonable."  Paul Kaplan, N2FOB.

   Based on the fact that the town was willing to approve TV
 towers but refuses hams and CB'ers their antennas and support
 structures, the judge threw out the ordinance.  He did say that
 the town does have the right to reasonably control several
 aspects of am ham radio or CB tower, but PRB 1 denies them an
 outright ban.
   As we go to air, Kaplan is still waiting for the townships
 zoning board to react to the judges decision.  A hearing is
 schedule for about a month from now.  The town has the option of
 filing an appeal, but it's more likely that Kaplan will soon be
 able to use his TV tower for ham radio.  Kaplan says he is so
 happy that he is flying a flag!

   "A lot of the help came from the American Radio Relay League.
 It was really fantastic.  The League on three separate occasions,
 almost overnight, sent me documentation regarding PRB 1, 200 or so
 newspaper articles on how hams help through out the community and
 Internationally.  The League was just fantastic.  In fact the
 lawyer, one lawyer said to another lawyer, if the amateurs had a
 union, it would be the American Radio Relay League.  I think that
 is a complement to the League and in fact right now I have the
 League Flag, the ARRL Banner is flying from my tower as just a
 sign of victory."  Kaplan.

   Kaplan says that the ARRL flag won't come down until the
 antenna goes up.

(*****
               CORDLESS PHONES NOW ECPA PROTECTED

   WA2RCB reports via packet that Public Law #103-114 has amended
 the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 to cover all
 cordless telephone frequencies.  This was part of the recently
 passed Wiretap Act.  As such, it is now just as illegal to monitor
 cordless telephones frequencies on your scanner, as it is to
 monitor 800 Mhz Cellular Phones.
   No word yet from the manufacturers if they will delete coverage
 of these frequencies from their current production on the assembly
 line or future models.

(*****
                  Special Olympics World Games

   The 1995 Special Olympics World Games will be held in New
 Haven, CT from July 1st through the 9th.  Approximately 7,500
 athletes and 500,000 spectators are expected.
   As part of the festivities, a special event station with the
 call sign W1SO will be operating from the venue of the Games.
 Current plans call for several HF and VHF positions.  A special
 commemorative QSL card or certificate will be available.  For more
 information, contact Neil Salowitz, WA1CBW via America Online or
 at his callbook address.

(*****
                          ARRL NUMBERS

   The ARRL reports that its membership rose about one percent in
 1994, new members more than making up for the inevitable attrition
 of deaths and drop-outs.  Declining sunspots left DXCC activity
 flat for the year, contest entries the same, while QSLs forwarded
 by the ARRL Outgoing QSL Service dropped off by 18%.

(*****
                        FAR SCHOLARSHIPS

   The Washington, DC based Foundation for Amateur Radio is once
 again coordinating the distribution of fifty-six scholarships for
 the 1995 to 1996 academic year.  Licensed radio amateurs may
 compete for these awards if they plan to pursue a full time course
 of studies beyond high school.  Applicants must be accepted for
 enrollment in an accredited college, university or technical
 school.  The scholarships range in value from $500 to $2000 each.
 For more information please write to the Foundation For Amateur
 Radio, 6903 Rhode Island Avenue, College Park, Maryland 20740.

(*****
                      YHOTY CUTOFF EXTENDED

   The cutoff date for filing for the 1995 Newsline Young Ham of
 the Year Award has been extended to June 30th.  The original date
 was April 30th, but has been moved two months later as a result of
 the recent agreement with the Huntsville Hamfest.  It is hoped
 that the extra two months will permit additional nominations.
 Again, the new cutoff date for Young Ham of the Year nominations
 is June 30th, 1995.

(*****
                        HOUSTON AMSAT NET

   The Houston AMSAT Net is now on Telstar 302, Transponder 21,
 5.8 Mhz Audio Subcarrier.  KK5DO reports that the net came to the
 bird on February 7th.

(*****
                         NOAA J LAUNCHED

   The NOAA J data satellite was successfully launched on Friday
 December 30 at 02:02 PST from Vandenberg AFB atop an Atlas-E
 booster.  The burn was nominal for a 870 km near polar orbit
 inclined 98 degrees.

(*****
                               DX

   In DX news, word that K8VIR, will be traveling to several
 different Pacific locations over the next six months.  Activity
 will begin from New Caledonia but no starting day or call sign
 have been announced.  The only other information reported is that
 he will be active from Western Samoa, Tonga and maybe a few
 surprise locations.
   Also, W1BIH is active from Curacao until mid April as PJ9JT.
 John has been heard on 3.506 MHz starting around 01:30 UTC and
 on 40 meter CW between 01:00 and 02:00 UTC.  QSL via W1AX.
   And the long awaited 3D2R Rotuma operation has been
 cancelled by 7L2RPY.  Tetu says that bad weather between Fiji
 and Rotuma makes transit impossible, but the expedition will be
 operational from Fiji.

(*****
                         ALABAMA SKYWARN

   And finally, a history-making event for amateur radio has
 taken place in Alabama.  On February 11th, hams from across the
 state met and pledged to work together on one of the most
 ambitious communications projects ever in Alabama.  What ham radio
 operators plan to do is expected to help save countless lives.
   This is the first time a meeting like this has ever taken place
 in Alabama.  Amateur radio operators from across the state, all
 active in providing Skywarn storm spotter communications, say it's
 time to work together.  In the past, the groups operated on their
 own, relaying information to their local National Weather Service
 office.  But the Weather Service plans to consolidate its
 operations by closing two offices in Alabama.  Hams over a large
 part of the state will exchange reports with a single office
 instead.  That means the various Skywarn groups will depend on
 each other to relay vital information over longer distances.   Tom
 Moore, KL7Q, is the ARRL's Section Manager for Alabama.  He calls
 the meeting unprecedented.

   "It doesn't have any name on it that is unique to a local area
 such as an ARES Group or RACES Group, you can't infringe on my
 area or my responsibilities or anything.  This is a Skywarn thing.
 You don't have to be ARRL, you don't have to be anything.  You
 just have to be Amateur Radio.  I think that right there is one of
 the keys in allowing everybody to feel like they can participate."
 Tom Moore, KL7Q.

   The Skywarn groups plan to link repeaters between cities and
 they want to expand packet radio capability.  Section Emergency
 Coordinator Rick Kimbrell, KC4RNF, calls the meeting very
 productive.

   "I was extremely proud to see all the folks.  The volunteering
 of the people for the committees to work on linking up repeater
 systems, for the digital committees as well as getting involved in
 their areas in northern Alabama, southeastern Alabama, Columbus,
 GA area.  It was extremely encouraging.  We didn't have a lot of
 folks just sitting to see what was happening.  They became
 involved once they found out all the details.  It is starting to
 come together as a state more.  What ever boundaries were
 separating us in the past, whatever differences that we had in
 other areas of the state seem to be evaporating.  We are coming
 together as amateurs in Alabama."  Rick Kimbrell, KC4RNF.

   Skywarn group leaders realize there's no shortage of work and
 potential obstacles in building an effective network.  But they
 say amateur radio in Alabama has begun a new era, one of
 cooperation, because lives may depend on it.
   Don't be surprised if similar efforts take place in many other
 parts of the U.S. as well.  That's because the National Weather
 Service plans to consolidate operations all across the nation.

(*****
                        HEADLINE REVIEW

   Again repeating this weeks top story.  ARRL President George
 Wilson, W4OYI, is hospitalized in Washington, DC after suffering a
 stroke while in the nations capitol in league business.  An update
 on his condition next week.

(*****
   And for this week, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline.
 You can write to us at Post Office Box 660937 in Arcadia, CA
 91066.

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