HAM Toolkit/HAM Toolkit.iso/text/arrl/letter21.0

Text File | 1994-02-28 | 20KB | 323 lines

Organization: American Radio Relay League

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Subject: ARRL Letter Feb 10 1994
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The ARRL Letter Vol. 13, No. 3 February 10, 1994
US, Russia give shuttle last-minute lift, agree to reciprocal, 3rd party
privileges
     Russian and American amateurs aboard last week's space shuttle were
able to carry out some of their operating plans only thanks to a
last-minute pact between their two countries, who finalized temporary
third party and reciprocal operating agreements just after the shuttle
lifted off.
     On February 3 the US Department of State and the Russian Ministry of
Post and Telecommunications each approved the temporary arrangements,
which allowed cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, U5MIR, to contact, on February
6, the House of Science and Technology for Youth, in Moscow.
     The contact was retransmitted in Russia on HF and VHF, according to
the ARRL SAREX Working Group.
     After the two countries approved the arrangements, it still was
necessary to obtain a Special Temporary Authorization from the FCC (since
operating from the shuttle is viewed the same as operating from US soil).
The ARRL contacted the FCC's Personal Radio Branch, and the STA was
granted on February 4.
     Permanent reciprocal operating and third party agreements between
the US and Russia have been in negotiations for several years.
  Krikalev's school contact was the first by a cosmonaut from a US space
shuttle. Russian coordinators for the event were Leo Labutin, UA3CR, and
Valery Agabekov, UA6HZ. During the contact, Aleksandr Kaleri, U8MIR,
spoke to Krikalev from the school, and several other cosmonauts were on hand.
     Six Russian students were able to ask questions of the shuttle
astronauts.
     In addition to schools contacted, the shuttle's robot packet station
had logged nearly 2000 contacts as of February 7.
     The Associated Press reported this story on Friday evening, February
4, noting that failure to obtain the agreements could have rendered
illegal not only Krikalev's contact with the Moscow school but also an
amateur-band contact between him and the Russian Mir space station.
     The US continues to pursue permanent reciprocal operating and third
party agreements with Russia and hopes to conclude them with a signing
ceremony later this month in Washington, the State Department said in
announcing the temporary shuttle agreements.
     US astronauts aboard the shuttle are Charles Bolden, KE4IQB, and
Ronald Sega, KC5ETH.
RF exposure plan wrong-headed, League says
     The ARRL has told the FCC that a proposal to adopt new standards for
exposure to radio frequency radiation should be terminated.
     The League said that the proposal, which would change the
Commission's guidelines to match those adopted by the American National
Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE) in 1992, was premature, and more properly should have
been introduced as an FCC notice of inquiry.
     The ARRL said that the ANSI-IEEE standards were not properly
delineated and not a proper basis for evaluating communications
facilities. Under the proposal, the new standards would replace less
stringent standards adopted in 1982.
     "The Commission's handling of this proceeding," the League said, "is
not conducive to a fair determination of which RF exposure standard, if
any, should replace the 1982 ANSI standard, on which most of the current
communications systems in operation in the United States are based."
     The League said that an FCC report and order in 1987 that concluded
that amateur stations should be exempted from such RF exposure
guidelines, because amateur stations operate only intermittently, and at
low power levels, still applies. Only rarely, the League said, would
amateur stations exceed even the proposed, more stringent 1992 ANSI-IEEE
standard.
     According to the ARRL, the FCC's notice of proposed rule making has
five main shortcomings:
     * It doesn't actually propose rule changes, or suggest anything on
which to base substantive comments;
     * It asks for comments not on the 1992 RF exposure guidelines
themselves but rather on how to implement them;
     * It suggests that the Commission has not decided to adopt the 1992
ANSI standard, yet offers no other standard as an alternative;
     * It discusses a standard -- the 1992 ANSI-IEEE standard -- that is
not readily available to the public for review;
     * It addresses a subject that is, according to the Commission
itself, beyond the Commission's expertise to deal with.
     The League said that the FCC's proceeding should be terminated in
favor of more study, by a more appropriate government agency, such as the
Environmental Protection Agency, or else by an FCC notice of inquiry. The
Commission's NPRM is, the League said, actually "in the nature of" a
notice of inquiry.
     Based on the 1978 National Environmental Policy Act, which granted
exclusions to some "routine" environmental processing, the Commission in
1987 said the following:
     "Regarding amateur radio facilities, no specific evidence has been
submitted that these facilities present a significant risk to the public
that would warrant routine environmental evaluation. While
hypothetically, RF radiation limits could be exceeded in a few instances,
such situations apparently seldom occur in actual operation.
     "Furthermore, because amateur stations are not individually licensed
by frequency, modulation, power output, or location, it would not be
administratively feasible to evaluate amateur applications for this
environmental factor.
     "Consequently, we find that amateur radio operators, at the time of
licensing, should not be required to routinely submit environmental
information concerning exposure to RF radiation. Nevertheless, as an
added precaution, we agree with [the League] that operator education
would help to assure compliance with ANSI guidelines. In that connection,
RF radiation safety questions are being incorporated into amateur
examination study guides."
     The League said that even before that exemption was granted, it had
taken an aggressive approach toward education of amateurs about RF exposure.
     Finally, the League said that if the FCC does decide to adopt a
standard to replace the 1982 standard, it should not be the 1992
ANSI-IEEE standard, because it is "arbitrary on its face," and that some
of the 1992 standards would be practically impossible to assess for
either commercial or amateur facilities.
     The League said that most amateur installations use antennas from 40
to 100 feet above ground, producing, according to the Commission's own
measurements, minimal energy at ground level.
     The possible exceptions, the League said, are where amateurs are
forced to use indoor antennas because of restrictive land-use covenants
that prevent outdoor antennas.
     Many of the League's arguments to the FCC proposal paralleled those
made last month at a hearing in New Jersey concerning a proposal to
register and tax RF sources. In both instances, the League said that the
infinite variety of amateur installations, and their ability to change
configuration with something as simple as rotating a directional antenna,
made "routine environmental processing" of amateurs nonsensical.
     This FCC proposal, in ET Docket 93-62, was made in the spring of
1993, and its comment deadline has been extended several times, most
recently to January 25, 1994, based on a request by CBS Inc.  The reply
comment deadline is February 24, 1994.
Ga. bill would outlaw restrictive covenants
     A bill introduced in the Georgia legislature that would eliminate
the effect of restrictive property covenants on amateurs is believed to
be the first of its kind, according to ARRL Georgia Section Manager Jim
Altman, N4UCK.
     The bill, H.B. 1134, would prevent all new and renewed covenants
from regulating, controlling, or restricting antennas owned and operated
by licensed amateurs in the state.
     Altman said that, in Georgia, all restrictive covenants have a life
of 20 years, but can be renewed. This law, in banning new and renewed
covenants, would leave existing covenants in place until their natural
expiration, and prevent new ones. Over the next 20 years, all  existing
covenants would disappear.
     The bill was initially referred to the State Bar committee on real
property law, which gave the measure a "do pass" recommendation.
     The bill mentions that Amateur Radio is federally created and
protected, in part to provide emergency communication; that local zoning
laws are partially preempted by an FCC declaration; that local zoning
authorities do have the power to ensure the safety and "appropriateness"
of antenna installations: and that restrictive covenants on antennas are
a "serious frustration" of amateurs' role in emergency communication.
     The new bill would add the following subsection to Georgia law on
covenants:
     No covenant shall control, regulate, or restrict the installation of
antennas within the subdivision by federally licensed amateur radio
operators.
     Amateurs in Georgia are urged to contact their state legislators and
ask for their support of H.B. 1134.  For more information, contact Altman
or the Regulatory Information Branch at ARRL Headquarters.
VANITY CALL SIGN EXTENSION SOUGHT
     The ARRL has requested an extension of the comment deadline on an
FCC proposal to establish a "vanity" call sign system.
     The FCC's Notice of Proposed Rule Making, in PR Docket 93-305, was
released December 29, 1993, with a comment deadline of March 7, 1994.
     The League immediately published the NPRM, in its entirety, in
February 1994 QST, asking members to make their views on the matter known
to their directors.
     In its request for an extension of time for comments, until April
21, 1994, the ARRL said that enabling amateurs to choose a call sign was
a great opportunity and a "difficult administrative process for the
Commission.
     "The allocation of a scarce resource, such as preferred call signs,
raises distinct issues of fairness," the League said.
     "Of particular concern is the establishment of a system of
priorities for applicants for special call signs," the League said.
     The League also said that the March 7 comment deadline simply did
not allow enough time for ARRL members to express their views on the
proposal and for the ARRL board to then formulate a position, and that
legislation pending in the Congress could affect the way by which the FCC
could charge fees for call sign requests.
BRIEFS
     * Beginning March 1 the FCC will accept only the new version of its
Form 610, as explained in February and March QST "Exam Info."
     The current ARRL-VEC newsletter, VE Express, includes a full-size
version of the new Form 610, and the ARRL-VEC has sent bulk quantities of
the new form to all of its 650-plus "field stocked" VE teams,
recommending that they begin using the new form on February 12, to allow
sufficient turnaround time.
     Copies of the new 610 form are available for an SASE from ARRL
Headquarters.
     * Contest operators once again will have the chance to swap lies
about their QSO rates at the 2nd Annual Dayton Contest Dinner. It's the
Saturday evening of the HamVention, April 30, 1994, at 6:30 PM at the
Stouffer Center Plaza Hotel. Cost is $25 per person and reservation
deadline is April 10, 1994. Send check and SASE to North Coast Contesters
Dayton Dinner, PO Box 59, New Bedford PA 16140.
     * On January 15 Ian Suart, GM4AUP, was installed as the 60th
president of the Radio Society of Great Britain, succeeding Peter
Chadwick, G3RZP. The new RSGB executive vice president is Clive Trotman,
GW4YKL. The RSGB said that "although the EVP frequently becomes president
for the following year, this is not decided until the autumn."
     * On January 26 the FCC granted the ARRL-VEC an extension of time to
provide financial information concerning reimbursement arrangements for
volunteer examiners. Last fall the FCC asked all VECs to provide such
information for 1993, with a deadline of the end of January.
     The ARRL said that its auditing firm will not complete its work on
the League's 1993 finances until sometime in March, and the ARRL wished
to wait until the audit is complete.
     The League said it assumed that the other VECs would be given the
same accommodation.
     The FCC extended the deadline to March 31, 1994.
     * Russia has reserved new call sign blocks as follows: R1MVA-R1MVZ
for Malyj Vysotskij Island; R1FJA-R1FJZ for Franz Josef Land; and
R1ANA-R1ANZ for Antarctica. These replace the 4J/4K call signs previously
used, which are no longer available to Russia. The new call signs may not
immediately be put into use.
     * Here's a list of countries who joined the International
Telecommunication Union in 1993: Czech Republic; Georgia; Slovakia;
Kazakhstan; Micronesia; The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia;
Turkmenistan; Eritrea; Andorra. The ITU now has 182 members.
     * The average cost of a hard cover technological book is now $48.83,
according to Publisher's Weekly. The cost of the ARRL Handbook? -- $25.
The Handbook has sold more than six million copies since Ed Handy, W1BDI,
wrote the first one in 1926.
     * The commander for space shuttle and SAREX flight STS67 in early
1995 will be Steve Oswald, KB5TSR. He will join SAREX veteran Payload
Specialist Ron Parise, WA4SIR.
     * The FCC has tallied some numbers on the Volunteer Examiner system
since its 1984 debut, through late 1993: number of VE sessions, 56,485;
number of people attending: 640,453; number of examination elements
administered: 1,052,269.
     * In the days following the January 17 earthquake near Los Angeles,
amateurs were active in support of public service agencies and the Red
Cross through both the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) and
the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), according to ARRL Los Angeles
Section Manager Phineas J. Icenbice Jr, W6BF. If you have photos and/or
stories about amateurs in action following the quake, please send them to
Rick Palm, K1CE, at HQ.
     * A call for papers has been issued for the 13th ARRL Digital
Communications Conference, with a deadline of June 20, 1994. The
conference will be held August 19 to 21 in Bloomington, Minnesota, and
its theme is "Digital Communications -- Amateur Radio of Today╔ and the
Future." Submit papers to Maty Weinberg at ARRL HQ.
     * Broadcast professionals are invited to visit the ARRL Amateur
Radio booth at the annual convention of the National Association of
Broadcasters, March 21 to 24 in Las Vegas. The League will be in Booth 2703.
     * New amateur satellite Korean Oscar 25 (KO-25) became available for
use on February 1. The satellite, launched last fall and originally
designated KITSAT-B, has been under test since then. "We hope you enjoy
our new star in space," said Hyungshin Kim, a staff member of the
satellite's sponsor, the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and
Technology. More information on KO-25 was in October 1993 QST, page 98.
     * Tom Hogerty, KC1J, has been named Special Projects Manager at ARRL
Headquarters. Building on his success in the clearance of the DXCC
backlog last year during his tenure as DXCC manager, Tom's first project
will be to investigate how services to members are rendered and how they
can be improved..
     The new DXCC Manager is Bill Kennamer, K5FUV, who joined the staff
in June 1992. Bill also conducts the QST "How's DX?" column.
10 years ago in The ARRL Letter
     The FCC clarified new rules under which Novice examinations were
given regarding who was eligible to administer those exams. The FCC
opened 144.5 to 145.5 MHz to RACES operations during declared
emergencies, a move favored by the League because it would allow ARES
operators to participate in RACES communications with their existing
2meter equipment. Two years after their debut, cordless telephones were
assigned 10 duplex channels at 46 and 49 MHz while the FCC sought "a
permanent home for these devices." Early cordless phones operated near
160 meters, causing headaches for their users and Top Band operators alike.
2 meters a life saver
     Amateur Radio may have saved a life when Diana Carlson, KC1SP, used
a local repeater to report an apparent suicide attempt to police.
     Carlson, of Hudson, New Hampshire, was on her way to work at GenRad
in Concord, Massachusetts, the morning of January 10, when she and
another motorist observed a man climbing the railing of the Merrimack
Bridge, which leads into the city.  The man's auto was parked directly in
front of Carlson.
     While the other motorist talked to the man, Carlson first tried a
call on 146.52, which she knew was sometimes monitored by the Westford,
Massachusetts, police, then switched to the 147.120 repeater in
Billerica. Larry Garneau, N1QEZ, who was mobile, responded and passed the
message to his wife, Virginia Garneau, N1QFA, who telephoned police.
     An officer of the Tyngsboro Police arrived in time to pull the
27-year-old man from the railing of the bridge.
     "The policeman jumped out and hurriedly ran to the man, grabbed his
arm and pulled him back onto the bridge," Carlson said. "My heart is in
my throat╔ and then it's over. All of this, from first call to the
rescue, took less than five minutes."
     Carlson's husband David is N1JYX, her son is KA1VWX, and her
daughter is KA1VUA.
Shipping Shipping
     The ARRL shipping department has moved to a new, offsite leased
warehouse. The League's list of titles, including books and supplies such
as maps and logbooks, has grown to more than 150 since the Headquarters
building was expanded in 1978, and the weight finally became more than
the present building could accommodate. "The Handbook alone weighs more
than five pounds," Circulation Manager Debra Jahnke said, "and we store
and ultimately ship more than 20,000 of them a year."
     The new warehouse, about half a mile from HQ, has 9800 square feet,
compared to 6200 formerly devoted to shipping and storage at HQ (and the
new warehouse is on the first floor of its building!). "We expect much
more efficient inventory control," Jahnke said. "We used to have to store
books at not only a rented off-site facility in Connecticut but also at
an R. R. Donnelley warehouse in Indiana."
     The ARRL shipping department moves out more than 500,000 pounds of
publications a year.

--
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    Marc B. Grant     Voice Mail: 214-246-1150
  [e-mail]      Amateur Radio N5MEI
   [e-mail]
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