Monster Media 1993 #2/Image.iso/ham/news0629.zip/NEWS0629.TXT

Text File | 1993-07-08 | 14KB | 286 lines

 NEWSLINE RADIO - CBBS EDITION #78 - POSTED 06/29/93

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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
 [phone], [phone], [phone], [phone],
 [phone], [phone], [phone] or [phone].
*To provide stories and information please call [phone].   *
*This line answers automatically and will accept up to 30 minutes *
*of material.                                                     *

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 can be heard weekly on the air in your area.

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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 DJ0QN and
 many others in the United States and around the globe!!!

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 [828]
                       ERITERA DXPEDITION

    A very special kind of Norwegian sponsored DXpedition to
 Asmara, Eritrea has had a major impact on that country and on all
 of Amateur Radio.  The operation ran from May 31st to June 9th
 was a success in more ways than just the number of contacts that
 were made.
    According to Erling Wiig, LA6VM the operation began several
 days before the first QSO was made with the group sponsoring ham
 radio introductory seminars at the Telecom Authority of Eritrea
 and at Asmara Technical School.  LA6VM says that the three day
 seminar held at the Telecom office had about fifteen
 participants.  This was followed by the four day seminar that was
 held at the Technical School with about thirty-five attendees.
 DXpedition party members also assisted the school in re-starting
 its radio club, began code training, gave out free books and
 training materials and installed a new ham station at the
 educational facility.  The Icom built equipment replaces a five-
 decade old non-working station.  Wiig notes that it is already
 being used in lectures to give hands-on demonstrations of
 electronics and communication theory.
    Operationally, the DXpedition went on the air at 18:30 UTC on
 June 1st.  The last contact was made on June 9th at 06:20 UTC.
 It used the call E35X and made about 20,000 QSOs with 125
 countries.  The operation took place mainly on 10, 15 and 20
 meter SSB and CW with some contacts on 40, 80, and 160 meters and
 on RTTY.
    The Erithera DXpedition was far more than a way to make a lot
 of quick contacts.  Thanks to the careful planning by its
 organizers, this operation was an international gesture of good
 will.  This in turn also made it a major political coup for all
 of Amateur Radio.

 *****
                          VEC MEETING

    The annual conference of the nation's VEC's was held June
 17th and 18th at the FCC's license processing facility in
 Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  Several important topics discussed.
 Items brought to the table this year included instant callsigns.

    Jim Georgias W9JUG, is administrator manager of the Great
 Lakes Amateur Radio Club VEC.

    "The FCC has proposed that a temporary callsign be issued to
 new applicants.  This temporary callsign would be issued at the
 test session when the applicant has passed the required elements.
 The FCC stated that it would generate a proposal for rulemaking
 on this subject."

    The FCC also clarified the term conflict of interest as
 defined in part 97.515 relating to volunteer examiners.

    Jim Georgias stated "Any person who owns a significant
 interest in or is an employee of any company or other entity that
 is engaged the manufacture or distribution of equipment used in
 connection with amateur radio transmissions or in the preparation
 or distribution of any publication used in preparation for
 obtaining an amateur radio licenses is ineligible to be an
 administering VE.  That's the VE that gives the test.  As result
 of this interpretation by the FCC a VE that is an instructor may
 not function as an administering VE for his class or any body
 else."
    Also at this years conference the FCC announced the release of
 a new 610 form designed to curb abuse in the morse code element
 credit program for the severely disabled.
    A program reviewing this national VEC conference will be
 available until July 2nd via the RAIN Dial-up at (708) 299-INFO.
    More on the future of the VEC testing program in future
 Newsline reports.

 *****
                              SAREX

    Another SAREX equipped space shuttle is in orbit.
 Hundreds of students and thousands of packet operators are
 enjoying the flight of Endeavour.
    STS-57...the flight of Endeavour...is the tenth flight of a
 Space Shuttle carrying amateur radio...and it's the third mission
 of five scheduled in 1993.  Licensed operators on board are the
 pilot, Brian Duffy, N5WQC, and Mission Specialist Janice Voss.
 This is a voice and packet flight, with emphasis on the latter
 due to a very restrictive hamming timetable as the astronauts
 recover a four and a half ton satellite called Eureca.  They also
 have nearly 100 experiments to conduct in a brand new commercial
 space laboratory, Spacehab, in the shuttle's cargo bay.  NASA has
 leased all but one of the 43 lockers onboard at a cost to
 customers of nearly a million dollars a locker.  SAREX is allowed
 to ride free because of the public service it does.
    On this mission, Duffy and Voss plan 8 contacts with
 schools...five in the United States, one each in South Africa,
 Mexico and Australia.
    A footnote...to date, for missions STS-35 through STS-55, the
 flights before this one...students have participated in scheduled
 contacts at 124 schools, 5 museums, two space camp groups and one
 science center.  It's estimated that 15,740 students have either
 talked or listened to the conversations with the astronauts...and
 that does not include hundreds of schools who have had listen
 only facilities or have listened to WA3NAN at the Goddard Space
 Center as it repeated the contacts on 20 and 40 meters.

 *****
                   CLINTON TO BUILD SPACE STATION

    President Clinton has decided to proceed with a slimmed-down
 space station project.  The New York Times reported on June 17th
 that the president had signed off on a plan to spend about $10.5
 billion over 5 years for the space platform.  The Times said
 Clinton has chosen a combination of two alternatives that are
 based largely on the original design of space station Freedom.
    A House panel earlier this year approved spending $15.16
 billion on the projects through the rest of the decade.  But the
 president put the project on hold and asked for NASA to offer him
 a less expensive version.
    NASA Engineers recently provided President Clinton with three
 design options for a smaller, less costly version of the space
 station.  Two of the options were based on the designs of the
 original Space Station Freedom.  A third design, known as Option
 C, is cylindrical in shape and is the least expensive.
    Ham radio has been a part of manned space operations for well
 over a decade.  Its known that leaders in the amateur community
 are already at work at getting a permanent Amateur Radio station
 included in the space station design.

 *****
                             SPECTRUM

    Spectrum is a new international communications and technology
 radio program.  The show airs Sundays at 03:35 UTC over WWCR
 radio on 7.435 Mhz.  It can also be heard by satellite over the
 Let's Talk Radio Network on GTE Spacenet 3, Transponder 21, on
 the 5.8 Mhz Audio Subcarrier.
    Spectrum is hosted by Dave Marthouse, N2AAM a long time radio
 enthusiast and professional broadcaster.  His co-host is Mark
 Emanuele a professional communications consultant.  The program
 is underwritten by Overleaf International.  Overleaf is a New
 Jersey based Data Processing and Telecommunications Consulting
 Firm.

 *****
                    HAM SHOWS ANNOUNCES SCHEDULE

    If you happen to live near one of five key cities and enjoy a
 good ham radio convention, then 1994 will be an exciting year for
 you.  That's because Mike Forsyth's company Ham Shows has
 announced the dates and venues for next year's mega events.
    January 8th and 9th will see Ham Show's kick-off the
 convention season at the Town And County Hotel in San Diego,
 California.  Two weeks later, January 29th and 30th Ham Shows
 will be in Northern California at the Santa Clara Convention
 Center just south of San Francisco.  July 30th and 31st will see
 a mid-west Ham Show at the Pheasant Run Resort and Convention
 Center near Chicago, Illinois, followed on August 6th and 7th
 with an event at the Eastern States Exposition Center in
 Springfield, Mass.  Forsythe will round out 1994 with a Ham Show
 on August 27th an 28th 1994 at the same location that the 1993
 Ham Show is taking place That's the Valley Forge Convention
 Center in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
    Forsyth says that each Ham Show is designed to attract up to
 fifty-thousand attendees from an area of two hundred miles
 surrounding a given convention site.  Already, every major
 manufacturer has signed on to exhibit at the first Ham Show
 slated later this summer for the weekend of August 21st and 22nd
 at the Valley Forge location.  Many seem to believe that
 mega-events like Ham Shows is what the future of ham radio
 conventions is all about.

 *****
                          CQ HALL OF FAME

    CQ Magazine has inducted six new members into it's CQ Contest
 Hall of Fame.  The six are Fred Laun K3ZO, Frank Anzalone W1WY,
 Jim Lawson W2PV, Ed Bissell W3AU, Rush Drake W7RM and former ARRL
 President Victor C. Clark, W4KFC.

 *****
                         GHANA ON THE AIR

    In DX, word that Ghanna is back on the air.  The nation
 actually came back to the world of Amateur Radio back on March
 the 28th.  To mark the occasion, Kofi Jackson 9G1AJ, the
 director of the Ghana Frequency Registration and Control Board
 held the first QSO with PA0LOU.  He is the chairman of IARU
 region 1.  Later 9G1AA was operated by members of the Dutch Da
 Goe' Foundation and made the first open QSO's after 7 years of
 non-activity.

 *****
                      NARA NON PROFIT STATUS

    The National Amateur Radio Association says it has a better
 idea.  An idea for radio clubs wanting the advantages that come
 with holding non profit status.
    As you already know, NARA is a nationwide non-profit 501c3
 educational group founded by Don Stoner W6TNS.  Its primary
 objective is to represent the political needs of Novice and
 Technician class license holders.  NARA has now found a way that
 almost every radio club in the nation can qualify for non-profit
 status as well.
    Stoner says that his organization has been successful in
 obtaining a group exemption letter from the Internal Revenue
 Service.  He explains that this is a provision in the Tax Code
 that will permit NARA to grant non-profit status to certain kinds
 of NARA affiliated groups.  Stoner calls it the NARA Group
 Affiliation Program, and whether or not your group qualifies can
 be easily determined by getting a copy of IRS publication number
 557.  The information needed can be found in chapter 1 on page 5.
    The only catch is that a group wanting this status must
 affiliate itself with the National Amateur Radio Association, but
 Stoner notes there are a number of advantages to doing this.  He
 believes that one of the most important is that non-profit status
 provides an entree to the United States Post Office to obtain
 non-profit mailing privileges.  Organizations approved as
 non-profit mailers by the post office can receive significant
 reductions in their mailing expenses.  Few radio clubs can afford
 to overlook this aspect of the offer.
    Stoner believes that most radio clubs, VEC's, VE's and
 similar organizations can become part of NARA's group affiliation
 program.  Don says that he has prepared a pamphlet that explains
 every aspect of the program.  To get a copy simply send a request
 for publication GAP001 from the National Amateur Radio
 Association, Post Office Box 201407, Arlington, Texas 76006.

 *****

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

--
       Allan Courtney KD4DBN         Internet: [e-mail]
       Lexington, Kentucky           AMPRNet:  44.106.2.120