Monster Media 1994 #1/monster.zip/monster/HAM/NEWSLINE.ZIP/NEWS1225.TXT

Text File | 1994-01-16 | 18KB | 349 lines

The electronic publication of the Amateur Radio Newsline is distributed
with the permission of Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, President and Editor of
Newsline.  The text is transcribed from the audio service by Dale Cary and
is first published on Genie.

Editorial comment or news items should be E-mailed to [e-mail]
or [e-mail]. Voice or FAX to [phone].

All other information and disclaimers are in the text header below.

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 NEWSLINE RADIO - CBBS EDITION #104 - POSTED 12/25/93

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    The following is late news about Amateur Radio for Radio
 Amateurs as prepared from NEWSLINE RADIO scripts by the staff of
 the AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE, INC. -- formerly the WESTLINK RADIO
 NETWORK.  The electronic version of newsline is posted on this
 CBBS twice monthly.  For current information updates, please call

      Los Angeles............................ [phone]
      Los Angeles (Instant Update Line)...... [phone]
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      Louisville............................. [phone]
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      Chicago................................ [phone]
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    For the latest breaking info call the Instant Update Line listed
 above.  To provide information please call [phone].  This
 line answers automatically and will accept up to 30 minutes of
 material.

    Check with your local amateur radio club to see if NEWSLINE
 can be heard weekly on the air in your area.

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 credit is given to AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE as being the source.

    For further information about the AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE,
 please write to us with an SASE at P.O. Box 463, Pasadena, CA
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                                              Thank You
                                              NEWSLINE

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 Some of the hams of NEWSLINE RADIO...

 WA6ITF WB6MQV WB6FDF K6DUE W6RCL N6AHU N6AWE N6TCQ K6PGX N6PNY
 KU8R N8DTN W9JUV KC9RP K9XI KB5KCH KC5UD KC0HF G8AUU WD0AKO DJ0QN
 and many others in the United States and around the globe!!!

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 [854]

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 *                                                               *
 *                     The following is a QST                    *
 *                                                               *
 *     Ham radio may not be growing as fast as many of us think  *
 *  and a thirteen year old ham from Massachusetts is still      *
 *  missing as we go to air on this Christmas Eve 1993 edition   *
 *  of Newsline coming your way.                                 *
 *                                                               *
 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

       GROWTH IN HAM RADIO MAY NOT BE AS GREAT AS EXPECTED

    Growth in Amateur Radio may not be anywhere near as great as
 the numbers currently show.  This is because there have been few
 names purged from the FCC's database in over a decade, and there
 is really no way right now to know the total number of hams who
 are alive and taking an active part in the hobby.
    But come January of 1994 some real idea of just how many hams
 there are will begin to show up.  This, as the first of the ten
 year ham licenses begin to expire and we see just how many hams
 renew.
    By way of background, all licenses issued or renewed during
 the period of January 1984 to December 1988 were ten year term
 tickets.  As a result there were relatively few renewals filed
 from January 1989 to the end of this year.  There were also no
 renewals made to existing five year licenses after 1989.  All
 licenses issued from January 1984 to December of 1988 were simply
 given a bonus of a five year extension.  So, the big question for
 1994 is what is the real number of living, licensed and active
 hams.
    Some insight may come from figures compiled by Fred Maia of
 the W5YI VEC.  Fred figures that at least 4,400 renewal
 applications should arrive at the FCC's Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
 post box in January.  Most trend watchers expect the number to be
 around half of that and believe that a downward trend will
 continue as the inactive and deceased hams are weeded out of the
 FCC database.
    The Commission says that it is planning to introduce a new and
 simple mail-back renewal card.  In fact the commission had
 planned to introduce the card in January, but it now does not
 look it will be available until later in the year.  The theory is
 that anyone who does not renew using such an easy system is
 either no longer among the living or has decided to drop out of
 ham radio, permanently.
    Sometime in March the numbers for January and February should
 be announced.  As soon as they are, we will bring them to you so
 that we can all know whether the trend is up or down.

 *****
               PIRATE RADIO COURT BATTLE AGAINST FCC

    A pair of self proclaimed low-power pirate broadcasters are
 challenging Federal Communications Commission rules that prevent
 them from using the airwaves.  This, by arguing in court that
 their rights and those of their audience are being oppressed.
    The two would be micro-broadcasters are William Dougan of
 Phoenix, Arizona and Tom Reveille who is the former operator of
 "Radio Free Venice" in Los Angeles.  Both are challenging the FCC
 rules that deny licenses to radio stations of less than 100
 watts.  They argue that the rule is unnecessary, violates freedom
 of expression, and allows only the wealthy to use the airwaves.
    Dougan's attorney is William Piatt. He told the panel of
 judges in the 9th Circuit Court that there is no evidence his
 client interfered with anyone by broadcasting over a half-watt
 transmitter to the 600 residents of his mobile home park.
    But David Silberman, a lawyer for the FCC, countered that
 micro-broadcasters have the potential to interfere with police
 radio, aviation frequencies and national defense broadcasts.  He
 said that to keep the airwaves orderly, Congress gave the FCC
 the authority to be a radio traffic cop.  That it is the FCC's
 job to administer the limited number of frequencies available so
 as to best serve all the public.
    Dougan's station transmitted for about a month in early 1992
 before the FCC fined him $17,500.  Reveille operated for seven
 months, eventually expanding to 20 watts and reaching about two
 square miles of Venice and Santa Monica, before federal agents
 raided his home and seized his equipment in November 1991.
    The case is the latest in a running battle between the FCC and
 small-scale unlicensed broadcasters, many of whom describe
 themselves as an underground movement challenging media
 conformity and government authority. Although the commission has
 won all cases against commercial pirate"stations, these are the
 first involving non-commercial community broadcasters to reach a
 federal appellate court.
    The panel of Judges heard about an hour of arguments in the
 two cases.  They say that they will issue a ruling at a later
 date.

*****
                     VE INVESTIGATION UPDATE

    Still with regulatory issues, we have an update on the ongoing
 government probe of several Volunteer Examiners in the Los
 Angeles area.  Word is that some of the VE's under investigation
 may still be giving ham radio tests even though they have been
 suspended by both the ARRL and W5YI VEC's.  This is because the
 FCC apparently never bothered to inform the nations other VEC's
 of the names and call signs of the suspect examiners.  The word
 on the street is that some of the suspended examiners are simply
 sliding over into another of their many accreditation and are
 continuing to administer examinations to prospective newcomers
 and upgrades.
    But this may soon change with word that the Westlink Report
 ham radio newsletter is calling on the FCC to make public the
 names of those hams it suspects to be in violation of the Part 97
 rules regarding the administration of amateur radio examinations.
 The newsletter also indicates that if the Commission fails to
 take such a step voluntarily, that it may find a way to publish
 the information.  This, as it's of letting the ham radio
 community know who the suspected bad VE's really are.  Stay
 tuned.

 *****
               EMISSION LEVEL STANDARDS IN PART 15

    Manufacturers of digital devices operating below 1000 MHz
 applying to the FCC for equipment authorization now have two
 options, They can show compliance with either the current Part 15
 emission standards or they can choose to adopt the newer
 International RF emission standards that have been developed by
 the International Special Committee on Radio Interference. Since
 there are no international emission standards yet established for
 frequencies above 1000 MHz, the current Part 15 rules will
 continue to apply.

 *****
            NATHAN TAYLOR, WZ1W (MISSING CHILD) UPDATE

    Even though two federal agencies are now involved in the hunt,
 there are still no leads to the whereabouts of Nathan Taylor,
 WZ1W.  Nathan is the thirteen year old ham from Gardner
 Massachusetts who ran away from home last August 27th.  According
 to the Gardner police, Nathan let on his own, but did so
 apparently under the influence of people that he had met on a
 computer bulletin board network.  His mother says that the person
 who allegedly fostered her son's disappearance is a convicted
 felon with a criminal record.
    Both the Taylor family and the Gardner police have asked hams
 from Tennessee to Texas to be on the look-out for Nathan. While
 he holds an Extra class amateur license, his most recent interest
 is in computers and computer bulletin boards.  If you run into
 Nathan, you are urged to immediately call City of Gardner Police
 Detective Bill Grasmuck at area code [phone].  Even the
 tiniest thread of information would be welcome by the family, so
 if you have any information of even a suspicion as to where
 Nathan Taylor WZ1W might be hiding out, please help to bring him
 back to his parents this Christmas by calling the Gardner Police
 at area code [phone] and asking for Detective Bill
 Grasmuck.

 *****
             FCC COMMISSIONER CHOSEN AS NEW PBS CHIEF

    Some names making news this week include outgoing FCC
 Commissioner Ervin Duggan.  The Public Broadcasting Service has
 chosen Duggan as its new president to succeed Bruce Christensen,
 who stepped down last summer to become a dean at Brigham Young
 University.
    Although Duggan says he has no specific blueprint for the
 changes he expected to come at PBS, he said that he is amenable
 to joint ventures that could include cable television and
 computer services.
    PBS is a private, nonprofit corporation that distributes
 programming and educational services that it buys from producers.
 It gets its funds through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
 and private grants.  Duggan will assume his new duties as PBS
 chief on February 1, 1994.  By federal law his annual salary may
 not exceed $148,400.

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    HAM RADIO HORIZONS NAMED AS FINALIST IN VIDEO COMPETITION

    Emmy winning TV Producer Rich Moseson, NW2L, may be on his
 way to another major award.  This, with word that his video
 titled "Ham Radio Horizons" produced for CQ Communications Inc,
 has been named as a finalist in the New Fork Festivals
 International Non Broadcast Media Competition for 1993.
 Moseson's "Ham Radio Horizons" is designed to bring the world of
 ham radio to life for hams and non hams alike.  It was chosen
 form a field of almost fourteen hundred entries in the
 competitions non-broadcast categories.  Winners of the festival's
 Gold, Silver and Bronze medals will be announced in January 1994.
 If "Ham Radio Horizons" takes the gold, it will be the second
 time that a video presentation dealing with Amateur Radio will
 have attained this honor.  In 1987 the ARRL produced "The New
 World of Amateur Radio" received this highly coveted award.  The
 Gold Medal is been on display at ARRL Headquarters in Newington
 Connecticut.  Ironically, Moseson served as one of the Field
 Producers on "The New World of Amateur Radio."

*****
        JOE LYNCH, N6CL NAMED AS QCWA MAGAZINE EDITOR

    Joe Lynch, N6CL has been named as the new editor of the
 Quarter Century Wireless Association's news magazine.  Joe's
 tenure as editor of the QCWA Journal begins in January.  He will
 also be continuing on as CQ Magazine's VHF editor and as the
 ARRL's Oklahoma Section Manager as well.

 *****
    TERRY ESTES, WB4ASZ QUITS SOUTHEASTERN REPEATER ASSOCIATION

    Terry Estes, WB4ASZ, has tendered his resignation as the
 Kentucky District Director of the SouthEastern Repeater
 Association, Inc.  Estes assumed the directors seat of the old
 CVRA, SERA East Kentucky District back in 1985.  This, after many
 months of organizational work on his part to get repeater owners
 in the area to accept association with the region-wide umbrella
 coordinating group.  WB4ASZ says that a combination of increased
 family and employment responsibilities is the reason for his
 decision to step aside.  Jeffery Martin, N5KOL, has been named
 as Estes replacement effective January 1, 1994.

 *****
                 SAREX TO FLY AGAIN IN JANUARY '94

    The first SAREX flight of 1994 is currently slated for liftoff
 on January 27th.  Several members of the six man crew are
 currently studying to take their license examinations.  One of
 those scheduled to fly is Mission Specialist Sergi Kirkalev.
 Kirkalev is a veteran of the Russian Mir space station who has
 swapped his U5MIR call sign for a more traditional call of
 UZ3AK.  Four schools in the United States and one in Russia have
 scheduled contacts with the ham radio crew that will be flying
 STS-60.

 *****
      BOSNIA-HERSZEGOVINA ADDED TO THIRD-PARTY TRAFFIC LIST

    The FCC has added Bosnia-Herszegovina to its list of counties
 with which the United States now has a third-party traffic
 agreement.  This means that United States radio amateurs are now
 free to handle messages to and from that war ravaged nation.

 *****
                RTTY DXCC HONOR ROLL TO BE CREATED

    In DX, word that the ARRL Awards Committee has voted to
 accept a DX Advisory Committee recommendation aimed at creating
 an Honor Roll for RTTY DXCC.  Qualification for this new Honor
 Roll is the same as for mixed mode operation.  That being the 318
 current countries.  On January 1, 1994 Eritrea will be added to
 the DXCC Countries List, and the level will rise to 319.
 Contacts made using Baudot, ASCII, Amtor, and other non-CW
 digital protocols all count for this award.  Hams that qualify
 for the new RTTY Honor Roll will be recognized based on their
 RTTY DXCC records.  No other action is required.

 *****
                 NEW YORK CITY MARATHON WRAP-UP

    Belated but deserved congratulations to ARRL Hudson Division
 Director Steve Mendelsohn WA2DHF.  Once again, Steve successfully
 assembled a massive communications network that was the backbone
 of the recent New York City Marathon.  Hams were involved in
 just about every stage of the race's planning and they provided
 both logistical and emergency communications during the event.
    Each year there are several out-of-town hams who come to the
 Big Apple to be a part of the marathon communications effort and
 this year was no exception.  The ARRL Letter reports that one of
 the out-of-towners who showed up as a volunteer was none other
 than FCC Private Radio Bureau Chief Ralph Haller, N4RH.

 *****

    For this week, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline.
 You can write to us at Post Office Box 463 in Pasadena,
 California  91102.

 * * * Newsline Copyright 1993 all rights are reserved. * * *