Monster Media 1996 #15/Monster Media Number 15 (Monster Media)(July 1996).ISO/ham/arrl.zip/ARRL0419.TXT

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The ARRL Letter
Electronic Update
April 19, 1996
__________________________________
IN THIS UPDATE . . ..

* W3A is a musical hit
* League pitches in for Phase 3-D
* ARRL says new rules unneeded in PR rule making
* First Colvin Award grant
* World-class foxhunt
* In Brief:  No sunspots; special 9K5 prefix;
   Amateur Radio Week
__________________________________

ARRL ANTES UP FOR PHASE 3-D

The ARRL has sent a check for $126,129 to AMSAT-NA, thereby fulfilling the
League's financial commitment to the Phase 3-D satellite project. In all,
the ARRL has contributed $523,703 to the project. This includes $363,022
raised from members during two fund drives and $161,681 from the ARRL itself
to match individual contributions received during 1995.

"While the Phase 3-D project could not exist without funding, the real
heroes are the AMSAT volunteers in a number of countries who are donating
their time and talents to the satellite's construction," said ARRL Executive
Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ. "If it were not for their dedication,
Phase 3-D would still be a dream."

As it now stands, Phase 3-D is anywhere from 8 to 12 months away. The
satellite is being assembled and tested in Orlando, Florida. (See "Phase 3-D
Update," QST, Apr 1996, p 93).

The League is among the Phase 3-D project's six major financial
contributors. The others are the Deutscher Amateur Radio Club, the German
Ministry of Science and Technology, AMSAT-DL, AMSAT-NA and AMSAT-UK. The six
organizations comprise the Phase 3-D Program Council, the steering group for
the project. Once the satellite is in operation, the Program Council will
determine the operating policy. Sumner attended the February 27 meeting of
the Program Council in Marburg, Germany, at which the League was voted into
membership. ARRL President Rod Stafford has designated Vice President Joel
Harrison, WB5IGF, as the League's representative at future meetings.

In all, 14 countries are participating in Phase 3-D. The L-band antenna
reflectors, produced in France, arrived at the Phase 3-D Integration
Laboratory site in Orlando, Florida, last month. Also arriving recently were
the completed flight-ready solar panels from Germany, one of the X-band
horns from Finland and the two specific bearing structures from Utah. The
flight main battery and the X-band power amplifier are in Germany awaiting
shipment.

Individual contributions to the Phase 3-D effort are encouraged and welcome.
Call AMSAT-NA, 301-589-6062.

W3A AUGMENTS "RADIO MUSIC" PERFORMANCE

More than 1500 stations in the US and abroad got into the logbook of special
event station W3A the weekend of April 13-14. Activated by members of the
Potomac Valley Radio Club, W3A operated from the National Academy of
Sciences in Washington, DC, as part of  a combination musical and historical
event commemorating the 95th anniversary of Marconi's first transatlantic
transmission and the 75th anniversary of NBC.

W3A had two HF positions plus VHF and UHF packet set up in the academy's
Great Hall. Antennas included a tribander and inverted Vs for HF. W3A was
the first 1-by-1 call sign authorized by the FCC in many years. Robert
Teitel, W3IDT, a George Washington University professor from Chevy Chase,
Maryland, organized the special event station; Michael Cizek, KO7V, of
Severn, Maryland, recruited most of the operators. Guest operators included
Joseph Taylor Jr, K1JT, of Princeton, New Jersey, who won the Nobel prize
for physics in 1993, Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, and
Valery "Larry" Agabekov, UA6HZ/WJ1R, of Vernon, Connecticut. Agabekov is
past president of the Union of Radio Amateurs of Russia. Teitel reports the
Special Temporary Authority from the FCC to use W3A arrived just five days
before the event.

In addition to Taylor and Teitel, composer Peter Schickele (otherwise known
as P.D.Q. Bach); FCC Chairman Reed Hundt; and NAS Vice President Jack
Halpern, a former ham, were among those participating as performers in a
special musical piece entitled "Radio Music." The work employed eight
vintage radios as "musical instruments" Leonard Schachter, N3RPQ, and the
ARRL furnished the radios used in the performance.

ARRL Media Relations Assistant Jennifer Hagy, N1TDY, also was on hand to
talk with concert-goers about Amateur Radio.

ARRL SAYS NEW RULES UNNEEDED IN PUERTO RICO RULE MAKING

An FCC proposal to require applicants for new or modified ham radio
repeaters or beacons within 10 miles of Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory to
provide the observatory with technical parameters before operating has drawn
fire from the ARRL. Responding to the FCC notice, the ARRL said a
cooperative atmosphere already exists between the Arecibo
Observatory--operated by Cornell University--and the Puerto Rico Amateur
Radio League. Creating additional regulations "drives a completely
unnecessary wedge in the middle of a perfectly good working relationship
without the slightest technical justification," the League said.

The ARRL's filing said the FCC proposes more narrow restrictions on hams in
Puerto Rico than the observatory originally requested. Cornell had asked
that the Observatory be permitted to determine within 20 days of
notification of a new Amateur Radio repeater or beacon whether or not to
oppose the plans based on interference potential. The League expressed
concern about the response of the observatory to the notifications and
questioned the standards the observatory would use to evaluate a proposed
repeater or beacon. The ARRL said a valuable emergency communication system
in a hurricane-susceptible area should not be restricted "on the strength of
no more than an inchoate, unquantified fear of possible future interference
[to the Observatory]." The ARRL noted that the FCC does not propose to
regulate Civil Air Patrol repeaters, even though "they are indistinguishable
from amateur repeaters in many cases." The FCC's notice also fails to
mention the Military Affiliate Radio System. The proposed regulations would
exempt frequencies above 15 GHz.

The League asserted that since there is no evidence of interference and,
because all parties involved can coordinate new or modified facilities
informally, no new regulations are needed. The PRARL and the observatory
already have tentatively agreed to cooperate in notifying the observatory
about new Amateur Radio facilities. "Amateur Radio should have no regulatory
restrictions, other than those already contained in the amateur rules, to
protect the observatory from spurious emissions outside the amateur bands,"
the League said.

FIRST COLVIN AWARD GRANT TO WRTC

The first ARRL Colvin Award grant has been made to the World Radiosport Team
Championship 96 Inc. The $5000 award will help support the WRTC event to be
held in the San Francisco area July 13-14. The event, featuring HF
competition among 52 two-member teams, is being held in conjunction with the
IARU HF World Championship Contest. ARRL Executive Vice President Dave
Sumner, K1ZZ, plans to deliver the grant to the WRTC-96 officers and
directors at Visalia, California, this weekend.

The Colvin Award was established in 1994 with the proceeds of a life
insurance policy purchased by Lloyd Colvin, W6KG, that named the ARRL as
beneficiary. The award is conferred in the form of grants in support of
Amateur Radio projects that promote international goodwill in the field of
DX.

The first WRTC competition, with 22 competing teams, was held in Seattle,
Washington, in 1990. Eleven competitors from the 1990 event--including
defending champions K1AR and K1DG--are returning for this year's event.

WORLD-CLASS FOXHUNT COMING TO CALIFORNIA

An international-style foxhunt on May 5, 1996, will be part of the 1996 West
Coast VHF/UHF Conference in La Mirada, California. ARRL Lab Supervisor Ed
Hare, KA1CV, is among those scheduled to speak at the conference. He'll
discuss TVI and the Amateur Radio operator.

"Foxhunting" or "foxtailing" for hidden radio transmitters is a very popular
radio sport around the world, but it's done differently from the typical US
hidden-transmitter or "T-hunts," which often are conducted from vehicles,
with perhaps a short on-foot search (called a "sniff") at the end.
International-style foxhunts are done on foot in big wooded parks. Five or
more "foxes" transmit in sequence for a minute each. The first hunter to
locate all foxes wins. Youngsters in many European and Asian countries do
foxtailing as part of their physical education programs in school. A world
foxhunting championship takes place in Europe or Asia every three years.

For the California event, all transmitters will be on 2-meter FM. There will
be separate divisions for various age groups, with prizes for individual
winners in each division.  There also will be team prizes. All entrants must
compete independently, and each entrant must bring his or her own RDF
equipment. For more information and ideas, check out the VHF/UHF Conference
Web site at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/kc6yhm, provided by
Mike Cramer, KC6YHM.

The foxtailing contest offers cash prizes and trophies to winners. The event
is open to anyone who has registered at the conference. It's being organized
by the Southern California Six Meter Club. For more information, contact Joe
Moell, K0OV, at HomingIn@ aol.com or at [e-mail].

________________________________

IN BRIEF:

* Tad Cook, KT7H, reports no visible sunspots for April 5-10. He predicts
this is the start of the sunspot minimum and that solar flux should bottom
out later this year, instead of in early 1997 as previously estimated. The
new cycle is projected to peak in April 2000 with an average solar flux of
192. Flux numbers, which have dipped below 70 in recent days, should rise
above 70 for April 18-24, but drop below 70 after May 3.

* A special 9K5 prefix will be in use for Kuwaiti amateurs until May 7,
1996. The number 5 in the prefix is to call attention to the fact that POWs
from Kuwait have been held in Iraq for more than five years.--Hamad
Al-Nusif, 9K2HN

* June 16-23 is Amateur Radio Week! This annual event is an excellent
opportunity to create public awareness, generate media interest and of
course, publicize the culminating event: Field Day! Setting up
demonstrations, giving talks, or having your town mayor or state governor
proclaim the week are just some of the activities hams typically do leading
up to Field Day. Letting people know what the hobby is all about and the
valuable service hams provide in times of disaster is the name of the game,
and it's not too late to get started. To get your Amateur Radio Week/Field
Day publicity kit, call ARRL's Public Relations department at 860-594-0328
or send e-mail to [e-mail].

===========================================================
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.