Monster Media 1996 #15/Monster Media Number 15 (Monster Media)(July 1996).ISO/ham/arrl.zip/ARRL0322.TXT

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The ARRL Letter
Electronic Update
March 22, 1996
__________________________________

IN THIS UPDATE:

* League suggests short-term suspensions for violators
* ARRL responds to spread spectrum petition comments
* Arrest made in murder of ham couple
* Hams help after Alabama tornado
* 1996 Hamvention awards announced
* DXpedition scores to count in club competition
* 10-GHz competition expanded
* Sunspots remain practically nil
* Leo S. Stafford, W0BLR, SK
* In Brief: KF2PJ is new ENY SM; Clarification of
   FD dates; AWA on the Web; N6TX to be
   Hamvention banquet speaker; another ham astronaut
__________________________________

ARRL TO FCC:  SHORT-TERM SUSPENSIONS AN ANSWER

The League thinks the FCC should have statutory authority to suspend ham
licenses for up to six months, once the Commission has good reason to
believe an operator has grossly violated the rules. In comments filed in
response to an FCC Notice of Inquiry seeking ways to streamline the
Commission's administrative activities, the ARRL said short-term suspensions
would be one way for the FCC to address malicious interference and other
serious rule violations "without delay and expense." The League maintained
the suspensions would be a viable deterrent.

Under the League's scenario, the FCC also would be able to immediately
modify an Amateur Radio license to preclude operation on certain frequency
bands or at certain times of day, also for up to six months.

In its filing, the League said that most of the 650,000 hams in the country
behave themselves on the air and obey the regulations, and the Amateur
Service "requires little enforcement effort." The ARRL pointed to the
volunteer examination program as a model of self-regulation. However, the
League said that in recent years, the FCC--and especially its Compliance and
Information Bureau--has been "completely ineffective" in providing a
meaningful enforcement presence for the few who flout the law, and this has
led to an increase in instances of malicious interference. "Since 1983,
there have been virtually no enforcement actions taken by FCC in the Amateur
Service," the League's filing states. In recent years, the League said, hams
have viewed the FCC as a "paper tiger" that fails to act "in even the most
egregious" cases.

"There is no substitute for Commission action in certain types of compliance
cases," the ARRL said in urging the FCC seek authority for the reforms.

In other matters, the League criticized the FCC for continuing to "focus on
the symptom rather than the cause" of home-electronic equipment
interference, even though it has authority to do so. The League urged the
FCC to require manufacturers to put notices on products indicating they are
subject to harmful interference, and to provide interference-resolution
information and contact representatives for RFI resolution. The ARRL said it
was not optimistic that the pilot privatized interference resolution program
would work, since it puts the burden of resolving the interference problem
on the consumer, not the manufacturer.

The League also recommended establishing a cadre of volunteers who would use
their skills to resolve interference problems involving other radio
services, provided volunteers could be guaranteed some protection from
lawsuits.

The League further suggested the FCC reduce its administrative burden by
adopting the ARRL's Petition for Rule Making, RM-8677, which asks the FCC to
implement the Inter-American Convention on an International Amateur Radio
Permit (IARP). This could eliminate the burden of processing reciprocal
license applications of hams visiting from elsewhere in the hemisphere. The
ARRL also suggested that the US take advantage of the European Conference of
Postal and Telecommunications Administrations' (CEPT) Recommendation T/R
61-01 arrangements and issue a CEPT license that would be recognized by
other participating administrations and valid for visits.

The League's comments conclude by observing that the Commission's NOI
"signals to the League an intention to reduce the Commission's functions to
the role of auditor and mediator, rather than regulator," and calling this
"a positive trend for the Amateur Service."

LEAGUE RESPONDS TO COMMENTS IN SPREAD SPECTRUM PETITION

The ARRL says its petition to relax spread spectrum rules seeks to address a
lack of SS experimentation by hams, not too much spread spectrum. Responding
to comments filed in response to its December rule making petition, RM-8737,
the League emphasized that Amateur Radio--as an experimental
service--requires flexible rules and "some trust of the licensees carrying
out experiments."

Noting that some commenters called for tighter rules on SS, the League
sought to dispel fears that relaxing the rules on spread spectrum would lead
to an increase in the noise floor in bands used by narrowband modes. The
League said most opposing commenters "ignore the fact that some amateur
bands already are occupied by Part 15 spread spectrum devices," many near
ham stations. Additional constraints would hinder hams from keeping up with
spread spectrum developments and prevent maximizing spectrum efficiency, the
League's filing asserted. The ARRL said its petition "suggests only a modest
deregulatory effort."

The League's Petition for Rule Making seeks relaxed restrictions on
spreading sequences and greater flexibility in spreading modulation. The
spread spectrum technique, which distributes information among several
synchronized frequencies within a band at the transmitter and reassembles
the information at the receiver, was first approved for Amateur Radio in
1985 for bands above 225 MHz, and there has been some experimental amateur
operation since then.

The petition proposes that the FCC permit brief spread-spectrum test
transmissions and allow international spread-spectrum communication between
amateurs in the US and those in countries that permit hams to use
spread-spectrum techniques. The current rules allow only domestic
communication. The petition also asks for automatic power-control provisions
to insure use of minimum necessary power to conduct spread-spectrum
communication and limit the potential for interference to narrowband modes.
The petition does not ask for any changes in frequency restrictions on SS
emissions, the 100-W power limit or logging and identification requirements.
The League calls the proposals "the minimum necessary changes in order to
foster SS experimentation in the Amateur Service."

Those filing comments supportive of spread spectrum included the Tucson
Amateur Packet Radio Corporation (TAPR); Robert A. Buaas, K6KGS, and John
Mock, KD6PAG. Commenting in opposition were the Indiana Repeater Council;
Henry B. Ruh, KB9FO; the Wisconsin Association of Repeaters; the Mid-America
Coordination Council Inc; the Southern California Repeater and Remote Base
Association; the San Bernardino Microwave Society and the Southeastern
Repeater Association Inc.

ARREST MADE IN MURDER OF HAM COUPLE

Authorities in Louisiana have arrested an 18-year-old man in the brutal
slayings of former ARRL Delta Director Floyd Teetson, W5MUG, and his wife
Winnie, WN5YTR. Webster Parish (Louisiana) Sheriff's Department Investigator
Gary Valentine said Kevin Coleman of Heflin, Louisiana, who used to do yard
work for the couple, was arrested March 18 and charged with two counts of
homicide. "He's made a confession, and we have recovered some of the
property that was taken," Valentine said. "He had been a suspect since the
night the bodies were found." Coleman already was behind bars at the Webster
Jail in Minden when he was arrested. He was serving a sentence on an
unrelated traffic charge, a deputy said.

According to Valentine, robbery was the apparent motive in the killings.
Authorities recovered jewelry and valuables that had been taken from the
Teetsons' home. They also recovered a knife and a length of pipe believed
used in the killings. Valentine said Coleman struck while the couple was at
home, apparently hoping the Teetsons would tell him where they kept other
valuables and money.

Coleman is being held without bond. The case is to be presented to a Webster
Parish grand jury, which will decide whether to indict.

The couple's family had offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to
the arrest and successful prosecution of the couple's killer. The Teetsons'
bodies were found outside their home near Heflin, Louisiana, February 23.
Authorities believe the couple died two days earlier.

Valentine said the Teetsons' fellow ham radio operators helped authorities
by offering what they knew about the Teetsons' activities. He said Coleman's
arrest was a relief for both the community and authorities. The Teetsons'
friend, Ernie Brown, W5FYZ, offered similar sentiments: "We are all relieved
that this crime has been solved. Perhaps the community can begin to get back
to 'normal,' even though it will never be the same without Floyd and
Winfred," he said. People in the Teetsons' neighborhood "feel like a great
weight has been lifted from their shoulders."

Floyd served as ARRL Delta Division director in 1962 and '63. Prior to that,
he was the SCM of Mississippi (1960-61). He was an Honor Roll DXer and
active contester and had been a member of several multi-op contest teams
operating from various Caribbean DX sites. The Teetsons were active ARRL
members.

Valentine said he did not know the Teetsons, but in the wake of the grueling
investigation that led to Coleman's arrest, he said he felt "like I'm a
member of the family." Valentine called the crime a tragedy all around,
"even for this young man and his family."

HAMS HELP AFTER ALABAMA TORNADO

Ham radio was there when a bad storm hit Selma, Alabama, March 3. One person
was killed and about 45 people were hurt by the storm, which spawned
tornadoes, high winds and heavy rains. Violent winds ripped down trees and
utility poles, peeled pieces off roofs and twisted an 800-foot broadcast
tower into crumpled metal. The coordinator of emergency services for Dallas
County, Alabama, told the media that ham radio operators assisted by
reporting on damage to dwellings, including reports of mobile homes that
exploded, overturned or were blown into nearby trees. Hams also reported 10
other mobile homes destroyed at a 50-home park north of Selma.--Amateur
Radio Newsline

DAYTON HAMVENTION ANNOUNCES 1996 AWARD WINNERS

William A. (Bill) Tynan, W3XO, has been named Hamvention 1996 Amateur of the
Year by the Dayton Amateur Radio Association. Tynan, who now serves as
president of AMSAT-NA, long has championed the cause of VHF/UHF enthusiasts
worldwide. For 18 years, he was editor of QST's "The World above 50 MHz"
column, where he helped nurture new communication techniques, encourage DX
performance and improve contesting rules on the VHF/UHF bands. He also
pioneered the establishment of the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
(AMSAT). From the launch of OSCAR-6 to the present, Tynan has sacrificed
much of his personal time, talent and resources to the promotion and
development of the amateur satellite program. His vision continues with the
advent of the Phase 3-D project, set for launch in December.

John Kraus, W8JK, is this year's Hamvention Special Achievement award
winner. Kraus' contributions to advancements in antenna design continue to
be enjoyed today by many Amateur Radio operators. Over the years, Kraus
invented several antennas, but he's perhaps best known for the W8JK beam.
Other Kraus designs include the helical antenna and his most-recognizable
"Big Ear" antenna. In fact, with the building of the "Big Ear" antenna came
the "Wow" signal, an apparently extraterrestrial signal that remains to be
explained. During his tenure as a professor at Ohio State University, Kraus
also authored many articles and textbooks.

William (Bill) I. Orr, W6SAI, has been named the Hamvention s Technical
Excellence award winner. Orr has inspired new and veteran amateurs alike
with his consistent encouragement and technical expertise. Among his
publications that have become ham-shack standards are The Radio Handbook,
The Beam Antenna Handbook, The Quad Antenna Handbook, and The UHF-VHF
Manual. An EIMAC engineer, Orr has gone beyond the call of duty by
personally answering technical questions and supplying schematics to curious
Amateur Radio builders. Orr writes the "Radio Fundamentals" in CQ magazine.
After he announced his retirement last year, hundreds of letters prompted
him to reconsider.--DARA

DXPEDITION SCORES TO COUNT IN CLUB COMPETITION

The ARRL Contest Advisory Committee and the ARRL Awards Committee have voted
in favor of adding DXpedition scores to the club aggregate competition
totals for active affiliated clubs in the ARRL International DX Contest,
starting with the 1997 event. The current rule requiring that single guest
operators and the station licensee be members of the same club, has been
waived for DXpeditions only. The requirement that at least 66% of the
operators in a multi-operator entry be members of the same club for the
club's score to count, remains in effect, as do all other club-competition
rules.

10-GHZ CUMULATIVE CONTEST EXPANDED

The ARRL Awards Committee has voted unanimously to accept a Contest Advisory
Committee recommendation to add the bands above 10 GHz to the ARRL 10-GHz
Cumulative Contest, to encourage use of the upper microwave bands.

This year, the 10-GHz cumulatives run August 17-18 and September 21-22. In
the past, entries have not been divided into categories. Effective this
year, however, there will be two entry categories, 10 GHz only and 10 GHz
and above.

Scoring is based on distance points and QSO points. Distance points are
earned at the rate of 1 point for each km between stations for each
successfully completed QSO. Count 100 QSO points for each different (unique)
call sign worked per band.  (Portable indicators added to a call sign do not
make the call sign unique.) Your total score is the sum of distance points
and QSO points. There are no multipliers.

Details will be announced in June 1996 QST.

OL' SOL DEPRESSED, DISTURBED

Solar observer Tad Cook, KT7H, reports solar flux and sunspot numbers have
held fairly steady during early March. March 11 was quite disturbed, with
the K index as high as 6 and an A index of 28 for the day. Conditions are
expected to become unsettled again on March 22-23 and April 6-7.

Expect solar flux values to continue to drift between 70 and 75 while we're
at the bottom of the sunspot cycle. The latest projection from the NOAA
Space Environment Service Center shows the sunspot number bottoming out
between April and June of this year, and the solar flux reaching minimum
between December, 1996, and February, 1997. For the solar flux, this is a
bit sooner than any previously forecast. Two years out look for average flux
values about 20 points higher than they are now, perhaps in the mid to high
nineties.

Sunspot numbers for March 7-13 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 18, 27 and 24, with a mean
of 9.9. The 10.7-cm solar flux was 67.8, 69.8, 67.5, 69.1, 71.8, 73.2 and
71.3, with a mean of 70.1.

LEO S. STAFFORD, W0BLR, SK

Leo Stafford, W0BLR, of Pittsburg, Kansas, a VHF pioneer, ham radio veteran
and broadcasting professional died February 18, 1996. He was 88. Stafford
worked at KWTO and KGBX in Springfield, Missouri, and later at KOAM in
Pittsburg, Kansas. He also supervised the construction of KOAM-TV (Channel
7) in Pittsburg, and spent 35 years as KOAM-TV supervisor, before retiring
in 1973. First licensed in the 1930s, he was a pioneer in VHF FM in Kansas.
Stafford was a charter member of the Pittsburg Repeater Organization.-- H.
Carrol King, W0WRQ

__________________________________

IN BRIEF:

* Robert G. "Rob" Leiden, KF2PJ, of Glenville, New York, has been appointed
section manager of Eastern New York to complete the unexpired term of Paul
Vydareny, WB2VUK. In January, Vydareny was elevated to Hudson Division
Director when Steve Mendelsohn, WA2DHF, was elected ARRL First Vice
President. Leiden is employed by Lockheed-Martin and holds a degree in
physics from Union College and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
He's a member of the Schenectady Amateur Radio Association Board of Director
and a former Chairman of the Schenectady Museum Amateur Radio Association.
Leiden will retain the existing section staff. He's also appointed Elmer
Sharp, WA2YSM, of Poughkeepsie, as Technical Coordinator for ENY. Sharp can
be reached at 914-471-0946 or at 24 Walnut Hill Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603.

* Just so there's no confusion over the dates for ARRL Field Day this year:
the competition is always the fourth full weekend in June, which means it's
June 22-23 this time around, and thus will not conflict with Father's Day,
which is Sunday, June 16.

* The Antique Wireless Association is now on the Internet. Point your
browser to http://www.ggw.org/freenet/a/awa/. The AWA home page features a
picture of the building housing both the Antique Wireless Association's,
Radio Communication Museum and the Bloomfield, New York, Historical Society.
Bruce Kelley, W2ICE, is the AWA museum's curator. The museum is devoted to
research, preservation and documentation of the history of wireless
communication. A wide range of historical communication equipment is on
display, much of it still in working order.--James R. Frederick, K2GBR

* SETI League Executive Director H. Paul Shuch, N6TX, will be the banquet
speaker at the Dayton Hamvention May 17-19 at the Hara Arena and Exhibition
Center, Dayton, Ohio. The banquet is Saturday, May 18, at the Convention
Center in downtown Dayton. Shuch, a professor of electronics at the
Pennsylvania College of Technology, has turned his microwave expertise
toward the search for intelligent life in space. A poet, songwriter and
guitarist, Shuch can be expected to surprise his Hamvention banquet audience
with a few new songs. The SETI League is a non-profit group set up to
support the search for extraterrestrial intelligence without government
funds.--The SETI League Inc

* Astronaut Carl Walz (Lt Col USAF), KC5TIE, an EVA specialist on Atlantis
shuttle flight STS-79 set for launch in August, passed his Technician test
in March. He and astronaut Jay Apt, N5QWL, will operate SAREX during the
mission to ferry scientific equipment to the Russian Mir orbital complex.
Carl, who studied for Elements 2 and 3A while on an airliner returning from
training in Russia, said he found it much easier to grasp than the
Russian-language training the crew has been taking for the past year. Jay
studied for his VE certification on the same flight and participated in
Carl's ARRL VEC test session along with Jim Heil, KB5AWM, and Ken Wood,
KS5R. As Carl was leaving the test session, his comment, "Now we're
talking," was well-received by the VE crew. More than 40 astronauts have
become Amateur Radio operators.--Jim Heil, KB5AWM

===========================================================

The ARRL Letter is published by the American Radio Relay League, 225 Main
St, Newington, CT 06111; tel [phone]; fax [phone]. Rodney J.
Stafford, KB6ZV, President; David Sumner, K1ZZ, Executive Vice President.

Electronic edition circulation, Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO, e-mail
[e-mail].
Editorial, Rick Lindquist, KX4V, e-mail [e-mail].

The purpose of The ARRL Letter is to provide the essential news of interest
to active, organizationally minded radio amateurs faster than it can be
disseminated by our official journal, QST. We strive to be fast, accurate
and readable in our reporting.

Material from The ARRL Letter may be reproduced in whole or in part, in any
form, including photoreproduction and electronic databanks, provided that
credit is given to The ARRL Letter and The American Radio Relay League.