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This report is brought to you courtesy of Scott, W3VS, Roy, AA4RE, HAMNET (a feature of COMPUSERV) and the Garlic Valley Packet Society, Gilroy, California. ---------------------------------------------------------------- The ARRL Letter, Volume 7, No. 1, January 15, 1988 Published by: The American Radio Relay League, Inc. 225 Main St. Newington, CT 06111 Editor: Jay Mabey, NU0X 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 to the American Radio Relay League, Inc. CONCERN RAISED ABOUT RF ENERGY AND CANCER An alleged link between Amateur Radio operators and certain forms of cancer has once again found its way into the press. A similar incident occurred in 1985. Reportedly, in an article in the American Journal of Epidemiology, Dr. Samuel Milham has again related a possible link between hams' exposure to RF energy and incidences of several kinds of cancer. A similar article by Dr. Milham appeared in the Lancet, the British Journal of Medicine, (April 6, 1985), where he studied the deaths of 1691 Silent Keys from Washington state and California. He claimed he found a greater number of deaths among the Silent Keys from certain kinds of leukemias than were reported in the general population of white males in a typical year. Concern over this is understandable, but before you pull the plug on that ham rig there are a few things to consider. This study also showed that radio amateurs had fewer deaths than the general population from certain other kinds of leukemia, and in the earlier article there were, in the opinion of competent professionals, serious flaws in Dr. Milham's methodology. For example, QST Silent Key lists include only about one-third of deceased radio amateurs (not all are reported to us) and those who are reported are not representative of the population as a whole. The bottom line is that even the experts have disagreed as to the significance of the study, and it certainly did not establish a casual link between Amateur Radio operation and certain cancer incidences. The ARRL position on the original study was summed up in October 1985 QST, where an editorial was presented covering the study, as well as other pertinent data and findings. HQ has not yet seen the current study, so there is no way to know if the flaws in methodology seen in the original study have been corrected. When the article is received by the ARRL it will be reviewed carefully by the ARRL Committee on Biological Effects of RF Energy. If you would like to read the October 1985 QST editorial, and don't have a copy, we can provide you with one for an SASE. Send inquiries to: Regulatory Information Branch ARRL HQ 225 Main St. Newington, CT 06111 TRICARICO LEAVES COMMISSION William J. Tricarico, Secretary of the FCC, will be leaving to become the Executive Assistant to the Secretary of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Tricarico has been FCC Secretary for the past 10 years. Petitions for rulemaking and comments should now be addressed to R. Walker Feaster, Acting Secretary. Feaster has been with the Commission for 14 years in the Office of the Managing Director. SW BELL TO CHARGE REPEATERS RESIDENTIAL RATES Gene Demuth, W5FJD, of Fredricksburg, Texas recently obtained a favorable ruling from the Texas Public Utilities Commission (PUC) requiring GTE and Southwestern Bell to downgrade the telephone service charges for ham phone patch lines from commercial to residential rates. Since the ruling, amateur repeater associations have been requesting rate changes from their telephone companies. Big Spring Amateur Radio Club of Snyder, Texas and Caprock Repeater Club of Lubbock, Texas, were also granted a residential rate and received over $1000 in refunds for past overcharges. The rulings mentioned apply only to Texas, but watch for updates as other amateur repeater groups approach their local phone companies with the SW Bell precedent. If your repeater Association is paying commercial rates for your repeater patch lines, you may wish to contact your local telephone company and request residential rates. EXTRA CLASS QUESTION POOL COMPLETE The preliminary draft of the Extra Class question pool has been completed by the Question Pool Committee (QPC). Fifty questions were deleted from FCC PR-1035D, thirty-eight new questions have been written, and many have been reworded. Reply comments on the new Element 4(B) Extra Class question pool are due by February 1, 1988. On March 1, 1988, the new question pool will be officially released, but will not be used for examinations until November 1, 1988. The new question pool will not be revised again for three years except to correct typographical errors and provide FCC rule updates. 8TH AREA QSL BUREAU MOVED Leo Fry, K8PYD, manager of the 8th area QSL Bureau, advises all served by the bureau that effective immediately the new address is: 8th area QSL Bureau, PO Box 182165, Columbus, OH 43218-2165. NEW EME RECORD ESTABLISHED On January 5, 1988, a new record was established for EME contacts on 6-meters. Ray Rector, WA4NJP in Georgia, and Mike Staal, K6MYC/KH6 in Hawaii, established the new distance record at 0940 UTC on January 5, 1988. This was the first transoceanic 6-meter EME contact, and the ninth 6-meter EME contact to be made to date. CHINESE BROADCASTING ON 7 MHZ QRT JARL President Shozo Hara, JA1AN, reports that all Chinese broadcasting within the 7-MHz amateur band has ceased. This objective was the result of a 17-year campaign by JARL and the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of Japan. FAR SCHOLARSHIPS ANNOUNCED The Foundation For Amateur Radio Inc., (FAR), has announced that it plans to award 27 scholarships for the academic year 1988-89. The scholarships are awarded to licensed radio amateurs who intend to pursue a post-secondary education, and are enrolled, or have been accepted for enrollment, at an accredited university, college, or technical school. Some scholarships require at least a General class FCC license, and in some cases preference is given to residents of certain geographical areas or studies within certain programs. Scholarship awards range from $500 to $2000. The Foundation is composed of fifty local area Amateur Radio clubs in the greater Washington DC and Baltimore areas. It fully funds four of the scholarships with income realized from grants and local hamfests. The remaining 23 scholarships are administered by the Foundation without charge to the donors in the interest of promoting the interests of Amateur Radio and those scientific, literary, and educational pursuits that advance the Amateur Radio Service. Further information and an application form can be requested by letter, postmarked prior to May 31, 1988, from: F A R Scholarships 6903 Rhode Island Av. College Park, MD 20740 HIRAM PERCY MAXIM AWARD NOMINEES SOUGHT Do you know of a young amateur operator that is setting a good example of public service, education, and goodwill through Amateur Radio? The Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award is presented annually to a deserving licensed Amateur Radio operator under the age of 21 whose accomplishments are the most exemplary within the framework of Amateur Radio activities. The categories include, but are not limited to: participation or leadership in organizations at the local or national level, technical achievement, operating, recruitment, and training of new amateurs, and public relations activities. First established in 1936, the award is traditionally made through the respective ARRL Section Manager providing nominations received from the membership. An award panel will review the nominations, and select the winner. The winning young amateur will receive a cash award of $1000, an engraved plaque, and travel expenses to attend the ARRL convention at which formal presentation will be made. Nominations should document the Amateur Radio achievements and contributions of the nominee throughout the preceding calendar year, and be as through as possible. The Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award is intended to provide a tangible reward to those deserving young amateurs who contribute their time, skills, and energy daily through commitment to Amateur Radio. Forward your nomination, or those of your club to your ARRL Section Manager prior to June 1, 1988, and all nominations relayed by SMs must be at HQ Monday, June 15, 1988 for consideration. There is no limit to the number of nominations that may be submitted by each Section Manager. FCC ASKED TO CONTINUE PACKET MESSAGE FORWARDING A request has been submitted to new FCC Private Radio Bureau Chief Ralph Haller, N4RH, to allow a one-year extension of the present Special Temporary Authority (STA) for HF Automatic Packet Operation. This extension would allow the continued operation of packet-radio automatic message-forwarding throughout the balance of 1988, pending drafting and consideration of revised rules. The request was authorized by the ARRL Executive Committee. KOWALSKI UPDATE To fill in the details of what was reported just at press time in ARRL Letter 26, after 19 years of service with the FCC, Raymond Kowalski has joined the Washington law firm of Blooston and Mordkofsky. Kowalski began his career at the FCC as a broadcast analyst in 1968. He graduated from George Washington School of Law in 1973, and served in the Hearing Division of the Broadcast Bureau. In 1977 Kowalski moved to the Private Radio Bureau, and there has held positions as Chief, Hearing Branch; Chief, Compliance Division; and Chief, Special Services Division. As Chief of the Special Services Division, Kowalski directly oversaw the Amateur Radio Service. 17-METER AMATEUR BAND NOT OPEN The 17-Meter amateur band (18.068-18.168 MHz) is not yet open to US amateurs. Rumors were flying very fast that the FCC had opened the 17- meter band, and ARRL HQ was deluged with phone calls requesting information. The ARRL is doing everything possible to get early access to the band, which, while available to amateurs in many countries on a not-to-interfere basis, will not become a worldwide exclusive amateur allocation until July, 1989. The ARRL has studied the current list of assignments, both international and domestic, and is attempting to identify segments that might be made available for amateur operation sooner than 1989. However the 17-meter band is not available at the present time. DAYTON AMATEUR RADIO ASSOCIATION SCHOLARSHIP The Dayton Amateur Radio Association is accepting applications for its 1988 scholarship program. The program is open to any licensed amateur graduating from high school in 1988. Awards will be based on a combination of financial need and academic achievements with consideration given for service to Amateur Radio and community involvement. There are no restrictions on courses of study, and there is no requirement to be applying for a four-year degree; those planning on an Associate degree, or attending an accredited trade school will also be considered. The award is $1000 toward tuition at the school of the winner's choice. All entries must be postmarked no later than May 15, 1988, and award winners will be announced around June 1, 1988. For information and application forms, contact: Scholarship Committee 317 Ernst Ave. Dayton, OH 45405 WINTER SPECIAL OLYMPICS TO BE HELD The fourth International Winter Special Olympics will be held in Reno/Lake Tahoe on April 1-8, 1989. Expected are 1400 athletes from all 50 states and over 30 countries around the world. Communications for the event are being organized by members of the Truckee Meadows Amateur Radio Association, with Timothy R. Melarkey, WA7MOF, directing the operation, assisted by Michael J. Butler, WA7RPS. Together they are developing a communications plan to link Reno, Squaw Valley, and Royal Gorge, the main competition sites for the Special Olympics. Operators from Nevada, and California radio clubs will be participating in the event, and most modes of Amateur Radio communications will be used. If you will be in the Reno area during February of 1988, or April of 1989 and wish to participate in, or assist with communications, contact Tim, WA7MOF, at: PO Box 20528 Reno, NV 89515 This spectacular event is shaping up to be one of the largest amateur athletic events in the Reno, Nevada and Lake Tahoe, California areas, and the dedication and communications skills shown by the participating Amateur Radio operators will confirm to the world the many benefits of ham radio. FCC AMATEUR AUXILIARY VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT The Amateur Auxiliary to the FCC's Field Operations Bureau - - a much-enhanced version of the former Official Observer program -- is still looking for a few good men and women to assist in the following areas: Fostering a wider knowledge of and better compliance with the rules and regulations governing the Amateur Radio Service. Extending the concepts of self-regulation and self- administration of the Service. Enhancing the opportunity for individual amateurs to contribute to the public welfare as outlined in the basis and purpose (Part 97.1) for the Amateur Radio Service Enabling the Field Operations Bureau of the FCC to efficiently and effectively utilize its manpower and resources. For further information on becoming a member of the Amateur Auxiliary, contact Luck Hurder, KY1T at ARRL HQ. "INTRUDER" CASES REPORTED TO FCC A number of interference cases were reported to the FCC Treaty Branch during the month of December. ARRL Interference Reporting System (AIRS) members sent these reports of non- amateur-to amateur interference to ARRL HQ for filing with the FCC. Included in these reports were the following: Frequency (kHz) Emission Remarks 1805-1925 Beacon fishing beacon 1830 A3E Radio Reloj (Cuba) 3535 A3E Radio Fujian (China) 7008.5 A3E SW broadcast 7035-7047 F1B Digital keying 7065 A3E Radio Tirana (Albania) 21032 A1A/ USSR maritime F1B 28650 A3E Radio Havana (Cuba) KA1OTG, NEW ASSISTANT MANAGER, DXCC AT HQ Glen E. Norton, KA1OTG is the new Assistant Manager in the DXCC Branch at HQ. Glen is from New Britain Connecticut, was first licensed in 1986, and now holds a General class license. Glen is currently attending Central Connecticut State University, part time, majoring in Computer Science. Glen is interested in DX, enjoys CW and 20-meter phone.