Monster Media 1994 #1/monster.zip/monster/HAM/ARRL.ZIP/ARRL0324.TXT

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The ARRL Letter Vol. 13, No. 6 March 24, 1994
FCC surveys telephone interference, says manufacturers could do better
     The FCC has released the results of a telephone interference survey
and concluded that since some telephones are "bulletproof," all of them
could be.
     Thirty-five FCC field offices each picked three random cases of
telephone interference on record and then visited the scene. The
transmitting stations included 47 citizens band, 27 amateur, 23 AM
broadcast, 10 FM broadcast, and one international broadcast station (none
were specifically identified).
     At the location experiencing interference, the FCC's Field
Operations Bureau personnel first tested the telephones on site, then
tested their own "bulletproof" telephones, as well as several
commercially available filters. Altogether, 241 different telephones were
tested.
     Among the FCC's conclusions was that transmitter power did not seem
to be a significant factor; they said that 10 watts or less caused
telephone interference in one-third of the cases.
     The FCC also said that filters worked only one-third of the time.
"Manufacturers can design telephones to be interference free," the
Commission said, citing its bulletproof telephones, which were immune
from interference "virtually all of the time."
     The FCC said that it hopes the survey will encourage affected
parties "to productively address and resolve this problem."
     The FCC said it receives 25,000 complaints per year from people who
are "unable to use their telephones" because nearby radio stations
interfere with them. "Whenever the radio stations are on the air, the
telephones pick up their transmissions, which then override any ongoing
telephone conversation," the FCC said.
The survey's goals
     The survey's goals were to pinpoint the following:
     * What telephones are affected,
     * What type transmitting stations are involved (including power levels),
     * Whether commonly available filters are effective in eliminating
interference,
     * Whether specially designed telephones are effective in eliminating
interference.
     The report emphasized that because the survey was based on what the
FCC called a random sample, "it cannot be claimed that identical results
would be derived under scientific surveying and testing, nor should the
results be construed as FCC endorsement or criticism of any particular
manufacturer's product."
     At the transmitting station, FOB staff logged the type of station
(ie, amateur, citizens band, broadcast, etc.), measured its power, and
got information on antenna height, antenna gain, and distance from the
complainant.
     At the complainant's location, the FOB disconnected all telephones,
then plugged them, one at a time, into a single jack, while the station
was transmitting.
     Also tested were the effectiveness of several commercially available
telephone filters.
     Finally, the FOB connected "bulletproof" telephones to the telephone
jacks and listened for interference.
     The power levels of the transmitting stations varied from 2 watts to
half a million watts, one-third of them running less than 10 watts.
     Of the 241 telephones tested, 68% received interference. The rest
did not.
     In tests of the AT&T Z100B1 filter on 138 telephones receiving
interference, 62% of the telephones continued to receive interference. A
number of other filters were tested, on 82 telephones receiving
interference. As a group, these filters eliminated interference on 29% of
the telephones, the FCC said.
     The FCC tested its "bulletproof" telephones at 52 locations and
found them 96% effective.
Conclusions
     The FCC said the transmitting stations most likely to cause
telephone interference are citizens band, amateur, and broadcast
stations. Citizens band stations accounted for half the telephone
interference cases, while amateur and broadcast stations caused the other
half.
     The power levels used by the transmitting stations did not appear to
be a significant factor in causing telephone interference, the FCC
concluded, based on power levels of 10 watts or less causing a third of
the interference.
     "Although some telephones did not receive interference, the limited
nature of [this survey] would not support the conclusion that [those
particular models] would always reject interference," the FCC said.
     On the other hand, models that were observed to be susceptible to
interference by the FCC can be presumed to be susceptible in other
installations.
     The FCC said that telephone interference filters "cannot be relied
upon to eliminate telephone interference," since, in two out of three
cases in this survey, they didn't work.
     "Manufacturers can design telephones to be interference free," the
FCC said. "'Bulletproof' telephones were immune from interference
virtually all of the time.
     "Notwithstanding the 25,000 reports of telephone interference the
FCC has received to date," the FCC said, "it is FOB's experience that, as
large as this number is, it probably represents only a fraction of the
actual instances in which this interference occurs.
     "Given the enormous numbers of instances in which this type of
interference is experienced by consumers, it is our hope that this
survey, notwithstanding its informality, will serve as a catalyst for
affected parties to productively address and resolve this problem. As
always, FOB remains ready to assist in that effort."
          If you would like a copy of the survey, which includes a list
of telephone models checked, send an SASE with two units of first class
postage to the Technical Information Service at ARRL HQ.
HamVention names award winners
     For the fourth time in the past five years, an ARRL dignitary has
been named the Dayton HamVention Amateur of the Year.
     Chosen this year was Perry Williams, W1UED, who retires at the end
of April as ARRL Washington Area Coordinator, after 40 years of League
service.
     Perry joined the Headquarters staff in 1954, and in 1975 took the
reins of a new department, Membership Services. In 1980 he became
Washington Area Coordinator.
     Perry is featured in a story about the League's Washington office in
April QST.
     Receiving the Technical Achievement Award is Dick Newell, AK1A, of
Bolton, Massachusetts, the inventor of PacketCluster. Newell, 43, began
experimenting with what he called a "packet conference board system" in
1986, and sold his first PacketCluster software in 1988.
     Today, more than 600 PacketClusters are operating, in 34 countries.
Version 6 is in the works for a planned introduction at the HamVention.
In December 1990 Newell left his job to devote full time to
PacketCluster, for 18 months working on the Amateur Radio version. Today,
he is a part of Harvard Radio, and a commercial version, called
PacketCluster Systems, is being marketed to public safety agencies.
     "In the beginning," Newell said, "I thought if I could sell five
PacketClusters, I could buy that Alpha amplifier I'd always wanted. Now
it's estimated that 40,000 to 45,000 amateurs regularly use a PacketCluster.
     "This has certainly kept me off the streets the past eight years,"
Newell said.
     A QST story about Dick Newell appeared in August 1990 QST, page 54.
     The DARA Special Achievement Award goes to Russ Kroeker, N7HGE, of
Kent, Washington, whom the DARA credits with "conceiving, planning,
implementing, and operating" the Evergreen Intertie, a system of
interlinked repeaters stretching from Oregon to British Columbia and east
over the Rocky Mountains.
     Kroeker, 53, has been with the Boeing Co. for 20 years and currently
is a manager for electronic product development. He was first licensed in
1986, when the Evergreen Intertie was born. "It was the brainchild of
Richard Fryer, VE7OG," Kroeker says, "beginning with a single link
between two repeater systems across the border."
     Kroeker at the time was chairman of the repeater committee of the
Boeing Employees Amateur Radio Society (BEARS), and became involved in
designing a link controller to expand and improve the system. "Boeing has
supported the project over the years," Kroeker said.
     Before joining Boeing, Kroeker worked in Malawi (then called
Nyasaland), designing VHF links between broadcast stations and building
radio studios. He was first there while a student at Rutgers University,
in 1962, as part of Operation Crossroads Africa.
     Kroeker's current involvement in the mature Evergreen Intertie is as
a consultant, "helping out when there are political or technical problems
such as siting of repeaters."
     A description of the Evergreen Intertie was in June 1991 QST, page 83.
     Previous Dayton Hams of the Year include former ARRL President Harry
Dannals, W2HD (1993); International Amateur Radio Union President and
former ARRL General Manager Dick Baldwin, W1RU (1992); and ARRL Hudson
Division Director Steve Mendelsohn, WA2DHF (1990).
     The awards will be presented at the Dayton HamVention, April 29 to
May 1, 1994.
FCC's PRIVATE RADIO CHIEF NAMED TO PCS TASK FORCE
     FCC Private Radio Bureau Chief Ralph Haller has been named to head a
Commission task force on personal communication services (PCS).
     The Commission said that the task force would provide "a focal point
for all of the PCS issues currently before" it.  The task force would
work with all of the FCC's bureaus and offices that are involved in PCS
issues, and would be responsible "for assuring consistency between
policies and rules for narrow-band and wide-band PCS."
     FCC Chairman Reed Hundt said that "I am confident that under the
leadership of Ralph Haller, the PCS task force will lead the Commission
in the timely development of a comprehensive regulatory framework for PCS."
     Other members of the task force include Tom Stanley, Chief Engineer;
Robert Pepper, Chief, Office of Plans and Policy; Donald Gips, Deputy
Chief, Office of Plans and Policy; and Michael Katz, Chief Economist.
ARRL VOLUNTEERS HELP HEAD OFF NY PLATE FEES
     New York state amateurs will soon be able to obtain distinctive call
sign plates, according to ARRL Public Information Coordinator Stephan
Anderman, WA3RKB. The original bill in the New York State Assembly was
flawed, in that it would have included a $15 annual surcharge. When ARRL
Government Liaison Phil Bradway, KB2HQ, learned of the problem with the
bill, he contacted the Tryon Amateur Radio Club, of Gloversville, who had
been behind the design of the new plates.
     The NY Department of Motor Vehicles was alerted to the problem and
the bill was withdrawn, removing the threat of increased cost to
amateurs. The new plates will carry the same $5 annual surcharge as the
old; an initial fee of $18.00 will pay for the plate, Anderman said.
BRIEFS
     * The ARRL has begun mailing FCC amateur license expiration notices
to its members. The notices, including an envelope addressed to the FCC's
processing facility in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, are sent 90 days before
the license expiration date and are generated from the FCC database.
Addresses are cross-checked with the ARRL membership database and the QST
mailing address is used if it is different from the address in the FCC
database.
     * Closing date for nominations for the Westlink Report Young Ham of
the Year award is April 30, 1994. Amateurs aged 18 or younger are
eligible, with emphasis on those with unusual qualifications such as
participation in emergency communication operations, assisting with
licensing classes, and so on, according to Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF.
     The award is underwritten by Yaesu USA. The winner will be notified
in early May and will receive a trip to the Sea Pac convention in
Seaside, Oregon, on June 4 and 5, to receive the award. Official
applications for nomination are available from Westlink, 28197 Robin
Avenue, Saugus, California 91350.
     * Here are the FCC's amateur licensing figures as of the end of 1993:
     Extra         65,277
     Advanced     112,637
     General      126,898
     Technician   227,681
     Novice        99,105
     Total        631,598
     The ranks of Extras grew by 6.5% during the year, Advanced by 2.5%,
General by 1.4%, Technician by 18.5%, and Novice licensees were
essentially unchanged.
     * Congratulations to ARRL HQ administrative assistant Lisa DeLude
(and husband Peter) on the birth of their first child, Nicole Emily, who
arrived March 11.
     * Amateur Radio bulletin services will be the topic of a gathering
at this year's Dayton HamVention. The session, called "Ham news and ham
views from around the world," is scheduled to include Bill Pasternak,
WA6ITF, of Newsline; Hap Holly, KC9RP, of the Radio Amateur Information
Network (RAIN); former Radio Society of Great Britain president Peter
Chadwick, G3RZP; radio host Len Winkler, KB7LPW; George Bowen, N2LQS, of
the satellite-delivered show "This Week in Amateur Radio," and others.
     The forum will run from 2:45 PM to 5 PM on Saturday, April 30, in
HamVention Meeting Room 2. For more information, contact Pasternak at
708-635-6351 or RAIN at 805-296-7180.
     * "Shortwave listening is the ultimate form of QRP," the saying
goes. ARRL Assistant Technical Editor Jim Kearman, KR1S, attended the
Seventh Annual SWL Winterfest near Philadelphia on March 11 and 12 and
found a number of licensed amateurs among the 200 or so listeners there.
Those speaking at forums included Shel Dunham, W4OEL; Skip Arey, WB2GHA;
Joe Buch, N2JB; Etgon Byington, N2KXT; Harold Hausenfluck, WB4JSP; and
Alan Johnson, N4LUS.
     Information on next year's Winterfest is available from Kris Field,
705 Gregory Drive, Horsham PA
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