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Internet Message Format | 1993-11-21 | 47KB

From: ikluft@uts.amdahl.com (Ian Kluft) Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc,rec.radio.info,rec.answers,news.answers Subject: rec.radio.amateur.misc Frequently Asked Questions (Part 2 of 3) Keywords: FAQ RADIO HAM Date: 7 Oct 93 09:43:07 GMT Followup-To: rec.radio.amateur.misc Organization: Amdahl Corporation, UTS Systems Software, Santa Clara, CA Lines: 824 Posted-By: auto-faq 2.4 Archive-name: radio/ham-radio/faq/part2 Revision: 3.15 09/05/93 05:14:16 Rec.radio.amateur.misc Frequently Asked Questions Part 2 - Amateur Radio Organizations, Services, and Information Sources ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Questions discussed in Part 2: (dates indicate last modification) ** Where can I find Ham Radio information with a computer? (11/92) * The rec.radio.* newsgroups (6/93) * The ARRL e-mail server (1/93) * The KA6ETB e-mail "HAM-server" (new 9/93) * The Internet File Transfer Protocol (FTP) (9/93) * Access to FTP archives via electronic mail (1/93) * The Ham-Radio mail list: rec.radio.amateur.misc by mail (9/93) * Telephone BBS's with Ham-related information (9/93) * Callsign servers and geographical name servers (11/92) * FTP access to FCC Part 97 and FCC Amateur Radio question pools (9/93) * Lists of radio modifications and extensions (11/92) ** Can I send ARRL or W5YI electronic mail? (11/92) ** "Why doesn't the ARRL do...?" (11/92) ** What magazines are available for Ham Radio? (pre-4/92) ** How do I use the incoming and outgoing QSL bureau? (11/92) ** Are there any news groups for CAP? (11/92) ** What's the name of the QRP club that issues QRP numbers? (9/93) ** How do I become a 10-10 member? (9/93) ** How do I join MARS? (9/93) ** How do I join RACES? (pre-4/92) ** What organizations are available to help handicapped hams? (pre-4/92) ** I am looking for a specific ham, can anyone help me find him? (6/93) ** Can I post my neat new ham related program on rec.radio.amateur.misc? (pre-4/92) ** Where can I get ham radio software for my computer? (9/93) ** Are there Dialup News services or BBSs for Amateur Radio? (4/92) ** Where can I find VE sessions in my local area? (9/93) ** Why isn't XXX available electronically? (4/92) --Rec.radio.amateur.misc Frequently-asked Questions------------------Part 2-- ** Where can I find Ham Radio information with a computer? This question has many answers spanning several electronic media including UseNet, electronic mail, the Internet, dialup bulletin board systems (BBS) and others. Various electronic information sources are summarized under the subheadings that follow. All electronic mail addresses listed are in Internet format. If your site is not connected to the Internet and does not support Internet- style mail addresses, you will need to contact either your system administrators or a local "guru" to find out how or if you can send mail to the sites listed. Ask them, "how can I get mail to the Internet?" and show them the address you're interested in. * The rec.radio.* newsgroups The primary distribution mechanism for this FAQ is UseNet. There are several newsgroups dealing with Amateur Radio and other aspects of radio. The full list is as follows: rec.radio.amateur.misc (*) Ham Radio - misc/general topics rec.radio.amateur.antenna Ham Radio - antenna construction/theory rec.radio.amateur.equipment Ham Radio - manufactured equipment/mods rec.radio.amateur.digital.misc Ham Radio - digital radio modes: packet/ AMTOR/RTTY/etc (formerly r.r.a.packet) rec.radio.amateur.homebrew Ham Radio - radio experimentation, kits rec.radio.amateur.policy Ham Radio - policy & regulation rec.radio.amateur.space Ham Radio - satellites, EME, shuttle/MIR rec.radio.broadcasting public broadcast radio rec.radio.cb Citizens' Band Radio rec.radio.info (*) periodic info from all rec.radio groups rec.radio.noncomm misc non-commercial radio topics rec.radio.shortwave Shortwave Radio rec.radio.swap radio equipment wanted and for sale Country- or region-specific newsgroups include the following: aus.radio Australia (misc radio topics) aus.radio.amsat Australia (amateur satellites) aus.radio.packet Australia (packet radio) de.comm.ham Deutschland/Germany fj.comm.ham Japan uk.radio.amateur United Kingdom in.ham-radio USA, Indiana sbay.hams USA, CA, South Bay Area/Silicon Valley triangle.radio USA, NC, Research Triangle area This FAQ is cross-posted to the newsgroups marked with asterisks (*). It is also cross-posted to rec.answers (the archive for FAQs in the rec.* newsgroups) and to news.answers (UseNet's general repository for FAQs.) These should be the first places to look for new current copies of the FAQ. Most of the rec.radio newsgroups have their own FAQs as well. * The ARRL e-mail server ARRL is the American Radio Relay League, representing and promoting Amateur Radio in the USA. They have established an automated file server which responds to information requests via electronic mail. To use the server, send mail to info@arrl.org with any number of one-line commands in your message. Valid commands are as follows: help sends more detailed instructions about the e-mail server index sends a list of the files currently available send file sends a file (replace "file" with the file's name) several files are referenced by name in parts of this FAQ quit ends command processing - use it if a signature will be appended to your message The server program will respond to the commands, each in a separate message. Among many other informative files, a current copy of the FAQ (updated monthly) can be obtained from the ARRL e-mail server. Other parts of this FAQ refer to specific files on the ARRL server. * The KA6ETB e-mail "HAM-server" Steve Harding KA6ETB has an e-mail server on his 386 PC at home with over 40 megabytes of Ham Radio-related files (at the time of this writing.) You can request any of those files with an e-mail message to the HAM-server at ham-server@grafex.cupertino.ca.us. This site has a mostly-different selection of files than the ARRL, though some overlap is unavoidable. The HAM-server seems to have more emphasis on MS-DOS programs and binary files though there are many plain-text articles as well. Use these commands to send requests to the KA6ETB HAM-server. HELP instructions and info about the HAM-server INDEX list of files available from the system GET <file> send a file (see the HELP notes for more info on getting binary files in uuencode or xxencode format) NEWFILES <date> list of new files since the given date PING used for testing your path to the HAM-server, it just sends a simple reply so you can look at the path data QUIT makes the HAM-server stop reading the message (so it won't try to read your .signature) * The Internet File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Sites connected to the Internet can access large amounts of data almost anywhere in the world, often at high speeds. One common way to transfer the data you want is FTP. Some sites offer a service called "anonymous FTP" which allows remote users to access a set of public files without requiring a password. Tom Czarnik coordinates a fairly definitive list of anonymous FTP sites, their IP numbers, time zones, general contents, and access policies which he posts to the comp.misc, comp.sources.wanted, alt.sources.wanted, and news.answers newsgroups. It is itself available via anonymous FTP (how about that?? :-) from (among other places) rtfm.mit.edu under directory /pub/usenet/news.answers/ftp-list. For specific information about exact locations of files by name, the Archie database server may be of help. First check if anyone has installed the "archie" program on your machine and use it. Archie may also be accessed by telnetting to one of the following sites (use the one closest to you): Finland/Europe: archie.funet.fi Canada: archie.mcgill.ca Australia/New Zealand: archie.au Israel: cs.huji.ac.il UK/Ireland: raquel.doc.ic.ac.uk USA (Maryland): archie.sura.net USA (Nebraska): archie.unl.edu USA (New York): archie.ans.net USA (New Jersey): archie.rutgers.edu Login is archie. Type "help" at the prompt for a description of all server commands. For those without telnet capability, the database may be accessed non- interactively via mail server. Send E-mail with the word "help" to archie@host where host is one of the Archie sites above. The above two resources (the FTP list and the Archie server) are extremely powerful tools for finding out "what's out there" at various FTP sites around the world. *PLEASE* exhaust their capabilities before posting requests to the net. The following is a brief summary of major ham-related FTP sites and places where you can obtain a current copy of this FAQ: ftp.cs.buffalo.edu (submissions to this ftp site should be made to bowen@cs.buffalo.edu) - contains many ham radio files, including the FAQs, Elmer list, SWL and scanner info, Packet FAQ, examination opportunities, information on various regulations, information on commercial radios (i.e. GE or Motorola), SSTV (slow-scan TV), HTs (handheld transceivers) and the KA2UGQ worldwide BBS list. See ~pub/ham-radio. This FAQ is updated monthly here. grivel.une.edu.au This site contains a mirror of ftp.cs.buffalo.edu's Ham Radio archives. It provides a shorter distance if you're in Australia or if Australia is a shorter net.path for you than New York. nic.funet.fi This is one of the largest FTP sites in Europe and maybe the most popular. There are many directories of Ham-related files in /pub/ham. /pub/ham/info contains a mirror of Buffalo. Other topics available here include amiga, antenna, HF, packet, satellite, scanners, program sources, VHF and others. ftp.uu.net A large FTP site in the USA - UUNET contains sources and binaries for many different types of computers. wsmr-simtel20.army.mil Keith Peterson, W8SDZ, has apparently returned as the maintainer of this huge repository of ham-radio (software and modifications), MS-DOS, and CP/M files. To find out how to submit files to this archive, please read his informational posts to the comp.binaries.ibm.pc.archives newsgroup. If you cannot directly FTP from wsmr-simtel20, there is a mail server that can help. Send mail with the text "help" to listserv@vm.ecs.rpi.edu. wuarchive.wustl.edu A "mirror" of the files available on Simtel20, plus a *LOT* more. A more user-friendly Unix environment (plus a faster net connection) makes this site preferred over Simtel20. If you are on a Unix box locally, see if your system administrator will "NFS-mount" these files for faster/easier access. ucsd.edu The "home" site (with the most recent versions for the largest number of different computer platforms) of the KA9Q TCP/IP Network Operating System (NOS), other ham-related software, and the archives for the Info-Hams, Packet-Radio, Ham-Policy, Radio-Info and TCP-Group digests. uxc.cso.uiuc.edu cd pub/ham-radio - This site contains the HyperCard Hamstacks written by Diana Carlson as well as ASCII readable ham radio question pools. ftp.apple.com cd pub/ham-radio - Ham software and information, especially Macintosh software wolfen.cc.uow.edu.au athene.uni-paderborn.de ham radio files and software for the Amiga computer system rtfm.mit.edu cd pub/usenet/news.answers - all participating FAQs and periodic informational postings are archived here, including those from the rec.radio.* newsgroups which can be found in pub/usenet/news.answers/radio. Participating FAQs are automatically archived here when they are posted on UseNet. ftp.amdahl.com cd pub/radio/amateur - the most up-to-date copy of the FAQ (updated nightly when changes are made) See also the file FTP-INFO on the ARRL e-mail server. If you experience difficulty connecting to the above FTP sites, some troubleshooting hints are shown below. The unfortunate situation here is that Netnews is far more prevalent than direct Internet hookups, accurate name servers, smart mailers and routers, and of course, telnet and FTP client services. What this means is that your trouble may be caused by MANY factors. Here's some hints to check what's wrong: * It may very well be that your newsfeed and email are via dialup line and UUCP (Unix-to-Unix copy) in the wee hours of the morning. If this is the case, then you have no direct connection to the Internet and thus cannot use real-time interactive services like FTP and telnet. * If you are at a college or university, your host (ie, the computer you are logged onto) may be on the Bitnet network, which has an email gateway to the Internet, but no direct connect capability. * If you do have a direct connection to the Internet, does your host have telnet and/or FTP client programs? (ie, if you type "ftp" or "telnet" at your command prompt, do you get anything?) Many hosts, particularly IBM mainframes not running Unix, do not support these services! * Can you telnet to other hosts and get a login prompt? It may very well be that some hosts are "not recognized" due to misconfigured connections and inaccurate host tables/name servers (*.mil computers are *NOTORIOUS* for this!) * If you get "host not in host table" or "host unknown" or similar error, try telnetting via the IP number, a set of four 1-3-digit numbers separated by periods (eg, 198.137.220.1). The exact IP number for the site can be obtained via the nslookup utility, if your computer supports it. (The FAQ does not print IP addresses any more because they change so often.) Your system may not recognize the "fully-qualified domain name" (like callsign.cs.buffalo.edu), but it should ALWAYS recognize an IP number if their network is reachable from yours. * If you get "network unreachable" check with some more knowledgeable users if your site is actually connected to the Internet. If it is, a link in the network may be temporarily disconnected for maintenance (or by accident.) * In the case of telnetting to a non-default port (as in the case with the callbook servers), if telnet <host> <port#> doesn't work, but you can telnet to the default login port (ie, no qualifiers), then the manner at which the port qualifier is entered may be system dependent. * Syntax for telnetting from different operating systems differ. Some common command syntaxes are: (angle brackets are for readability, do not type these in literally) Berkeley Unix or VMS with Wollongong TCP/IP uses syntax: telnet <host> <socket#> Other possibilities to try: telnet console <host> (for 2000 port) telnet <CR> open <host>:<port#> telnet <host>/<port#> telnet <host>/port=<port#> (for Multinet on VMS) * Compression techniques are different for different operating systems. However, these hints should help: foo.sit needs Macintosh UnStuffit to unstuff foo.hqx needs Macintosh BinHex to uncompress foo.tar needs Unix or GNU tar utility to extract archived files foo.Z needs Unix 'uncompress' to uncompress or VMS compress_vms.exe (on gatekeeper.dec.com) will work too. foo.z needs the GNU gzip utility (from prep.ai.mit.edu) to uncompress it. gzip will also uncompress *.Z files. If more than one method was used, like for foo.hqx.Z, start at the outside and work in (so uncompress on Unix with 'uncompress' first, transfer to MacIntosh, then uncompress with BinHex to get uncompressed file). * There is an excellent introduction to FTP and archiving software regularly posted to comp.binaries.ibm.pc and news.answers. * If all else fails, ASK your system administrator or check system documentation. * Access to FTP archives via electronic mail ANY BITNET, EARN, or NorthNET site can access the Princeton mail server. It will be most efficient if you know the complete path and filename for anything you wish to transfer, but you can use 'cd' and 'ls -l' commands to move about and browse the remote site's directories. The Archie database server may also be useful to search for files and their directory locations on FTP sites around the world (see below). Please be patient when using non-interactive mail servers such as BITFTP as each request may take several hours (or longer) to be fulfilled. For access to the FTP server, send email to bitftp@pucc.bitnet (for BITNET, EARN and NorthNET users ONLY!). Subject doesn't matter. The text of the email is the FTP commands one after another. For example, suppose you wanted to access the FTP site lcs.mit.edu: FTP lcs.mit.edu USER anonymous PASS yourname@yoursite (not required) ASCII CD telecom-archives GET filenames BYE A help file is available giving detailed instructions by putting the single word HELP into the text of the email. For nonBITNET users, there is also a FTPMAIL server at ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com. Commands include: REPLY <mailaddr>, CONNECT [HOST [user [pass]]], ASCII, BINARY, COMPRESS, COMPACT, UUENCODE, BTOA, LS <directory>, DIR <directory>, GET <file>, QUIT, HELP. Get the help file for more information by sending mail with the single line "help". The ftpmail site may complain if you try try to get more than 1 file per email request. Here is an example of a request: reply your_name@your_site connect uxc.cso.uiuc.edu binary uuencode get pub/ham-radio/Tech.v3.3.sit.hqx.Z quit A note on the use of FTP mailservers: If you want to use FTP mailservers, like FTPMAIL, please be considerate of any systems that your mail must pass through. The quickest way to find yourself cut off from the world is to make the admins of sites that pass your mail pass 60Mb of X11 graphics system source. If you need large amounts of information from a mailserver, contact your admin for help -- it may already be available, or he may know a better way to get it. * The UCSD Ham-Radio mail list: rec.radio.amateur.misc by mail You can use rec.radio.amateur.misc even if your site has no NetNews feed. To subscribe to rec.radio.amateur.misc, send email to: Ham-Radio-Request@ucsd.edu In the body of the message, write: subscribe Ham-Radio If your local e-mail software does not provide a valid return address (i.e. Bitnet, many Milnet sites, and many non-Unix e-mail packages) you can provide your return address between the "subscribe" and the name of the mailing list (i.e. "subscribe myname@here.org Ham-Radio".) Similarly, to subscribe to some other rec.radio.* newsgroups, use the following directions: (all addresses here are @ucsd.edu) Request address List address Newsgroup Ham-Radio-Request Ham-Radio rec.radio.amateur.misc Ham-Digital-Request Ham-Digital rec.radio.amateur.digital.misc Ham-Policy-Request Ham-Policy rec.radio.amateur.policy Ham-Equip-Request Ham-Equip rec.radio.amateur.equipment Ham-Ant-Request Ham-Ant rec.radio.amateur.antenna Ham-Homebrew-Policy Ham-Homebrew rec.radio.amateur.homebrew Ham-Space-Request Ham-Space rec.radio.amateur.space Radio-Info-Request Radio-Info rec.radio.info IMPORTANT NETIQUETTE NOTE: never ever send a request to subscribe or unsubscribe from *any* mail list to the list itself. Always use the REQUEST address. Otherwise you'll end up broadcasting your request to everyone on the list and getting lots of people angry at you. (Seriously - this is a completely avoidable mistake and it does irritate a lot of people.) TO UNSUBSCRIBE, follow directions above, changing the command word "subscribe" to "unsubscribe" DON'T POST TO THE NEWSGROUP ITSELF! USE THE REQUEST ADDRESS! Help is available by using the command word "help". Note that command words MUST be the first word on each line of the message. You can post to rec.radio.amateur.* by sending your posting email to the mail list addresses at ucsd.edu. Since rec.radio.info is a moderated newsgroup, requests to post to it may be sent to Radio-Info but they will be mailed to the moderator, rec-radio-info@ve6mgs.ampr.ab.ca, for posting. All of the Amateur radio newsgroups are archived for FTP on ucsd.edu under subdirectory mailarchives/{mail-list-name}. However, Radio-Info is not archived at UCSD because almost everything is either on one of the other lists or in the news.answers archives at rtfm.mit.edu. To subscribe to rec.radio.shortwave, send email to listserv@cuvma.columbia.edu, message is "subscribe swl-l (your name)" * Telephone BBS's with Ham-related information Among many, a large one is WB3FFV. Use 8/N/1. The phone numbers are (410)-661-2475 1200-38400/MNP5/V32bis/V42bis (410)-661-2598 1200-38400/MNP5/V32bis/V42bis/PEP (410)-661-2648 1200-19200/MNP5/V42bis/PEP Login is bbs, no password. This BBS is also available via UUCP, login is uucpanon, no password. For a list of available files, try: uucp wb3ffv!~/FILES /usr/spool/uucppublic Another one is N8EMR at phone 614-895-2553, login hbbs. Data settings are 8 bits, NO parity, 1 stop bit. N8EMR has a comprehensive list of other ham-related BBS's on-line. ARRL has a BBS called "HIRAM", named after the League's founder. The number is 203-666-0578. More information can be obtained from the file ARRL-BBS on the ARRL e-mail server. For a more complete list of Ham Radio BBS's, see the file BBS on the ARRL server. See also the file BBS_LIST.TXT on the KA6ETB HAM-server. Also see many of the FTP sites listed earlier in this section. There is now way to keep a list like this anywhere near up-to-date so giving you a lot of sources is the next-best thing! * Callsign servers and geographical name servers If you are at an Internet site you can connect using telnet to one of the two primary servers: callsign.cs.buffalo.edu ham.njit.edu There is also a general geographical name server at: martini.eecs.umich.edu The callbook servers sit on port number 2000 and the geographical name server sits on port 3000. These are different port numbers than what telnet usually defaults to. So if you just telnet to these machines, you will get a login prompt instead of the server. How you tell your telnet program to connect to port 2000 or 3000 instead of the default port is operating system dependent but it is usually done with a line like telnet callsign.cs.Buffalo.EDU 2000 If this doesn't work, check the telnet/FTP troubleshooting hints above or consult your local systems guru for the proper command string. The interactive servers are designed to be somewhat self-explanatory and they support fairly detailed help facilities. The first command you should execute when connecting to one of these servers is "info". This will list general info about that server and how to use it. You should then type "help" to list the various commands available. Typing "help" followed by a command name will give you a little more detail about that command. Servers allow searches by call, last name, zip code or city and also provide regular expression filters to trim your searches so you get a reasonable amount of output. Both these servers are built from a database distributed by Rusty Carruth, N7IKQ. This database currently contains US and Canadian callsigns and it does not contain club calls. A new version of the database is sent around approximately once a year. There is also an email callsign server at callbook@sat.datapoint.com (The UUCP address is ...!uunet!dptspd!callbook). In the body of the text, say "lookup" followed by callsigns you want to look up. If your mailer appends signature files, you should put a line "quit" at the end of your request (before the signature file). If you want help, put the word "help" on a line by itself. Here is what a request might look like: help lookup kc1sp wn4bbj lookup n0fzd quit There is another email callsign server at callbook@n8emr.cmhnet.org. The subject line is the list of callsigns to lookup. All other lines are ignored. This same callsign server can be accessed with packet radio via cbook@n8jyv.#cmh.oh.usa.na. The body of the message should include "REPLY n8jyv!HOME_BBS!CALL" (where HOME_BBS is YOUR home BBS, and CALL is YOUR callsign), carriage return, "CALL call1 call2 ..." (where call1 call2 .... is space separated list of callsigns you want to lookup). If you are a packet radio station, callserver data is available from REQQTH@WA4ONG.VA.USA.NA, subject line should be up to 5 US callsigns, separated by spaces. For Canadian calls, use the callserver at REQQTH@VE3JF.ON.CAN. Body of message is ignored. The server is an OS interface to the MBL packet BBS using the Buckmaster CD-ROM callsign database. The REQQTH address is for the AX.25 radio-linked amateur packet network, *NOT* the Internet. If you attempt to send Internet mail to this address, and use the old .NA suffix instead of the new .NOAM suffix, it will get routed to Nimibia (Internet suffix .na) which is currently paying a lot of money for misdirected ham mail. Help maintain a positive example for amateur radio and please do not attempt this! The FCC "call sign hotline" at 717-337-1212 is available for those who wish to listen to the call signs allocated in each group for each district. This requires only a touch-tone telephone to use. * FTP access to FCC Part 97 and FCC Amateur Radio question pools Part 97 is part of the FCC regulations and only applies to the USA. Since the latest changes to it, there are no known FTP sites with a current copy. An ASCII copy of the question pools are available by ftp from the ARRL e-mail server. * Lists of radio modifications and extensions [see also rec.radio.amateur.equipment] Some mods can be found on wsmr-simtel20.army.mil or the Simtel20 mirror directories on wuarchive.wustl.edu. There is a new server at pcserver@novell.business.uwo.ca. Some examples of main body email requests are as follows: HELP SENDME RADIO MODS SENDME TH215 MODS SENDME ALLBAND MODS There is a packet radio Mods Server. To get the directories, send a packet as follows: SP REQFIL@N2IMC.NJ.USA.NA Subject: MODS\Dir.1 /EX To get the mod, send to same place, with Subject MODS\Filename.ext. REMEMBER that any modification is likely to void your warranty and that these mods are NOT guaranteed to work. This list is supplied here because it is sometimes a frequent question on the newsgroup. ** Can I send ARRL or W5YI electronic mail? Several ARRL HQ staffers can be contacted via the net. Their e-mail addresses are available from the ARRL e-mail file server in the file called "EMAIL". ARRL requests that you include your postal address (the slow kind) in case they need to send you nonelectronic material in answer to your request. W5YI, a large VEC, can be reached at the following address: Fred Maia, W5YI 3511297@mcimail.com ** "Why doesn't the ARRL do...?" If you want the ARRL to do something, tell them! Direct input from a concerned member (or, actually, any concerned Ham) carries a lot more weight than hearsay from any source. Their e-mail addresses are available from the ARRL e-mail file server (see above). They want direct input - that's why those addresses are available. ** What magazines are available for Ham Radio? Your local ham store may have some, but here's some popular ones (this is NOT a complete list!): QST, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111 - basic projects and contesting CQ The Radio Amateur's Journal, 76 North Broadway, Hicksville, NY 11801 - beginner ham radio articles 73 Amateur Radio Today, WGE Center, Forect Rd, Hancock, NH 03449, FAX (603) 525-4423, email: COMPUSERVE 70310,775 or Internet 70310.775@compuserve.com - more technical ham radio articles QEX, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111 - more technical projects WorldRadio, 2120 28th St, Sacramento, CA 95818, (916) 457-3655. Subscriptions to 201 Lathrop Way, Ste D, Sacramento, CA 95815, (800) 365-SUBS - lots of special interest columns, like QRP, ATV, YL, etc. W5YI Report, PO Box 565101, Dallas, TX 75356, 1-800-669-9594 - up-to-date information on Amateur Radio happenings, including VE information and statistics ** How do I use the incoming and outgoing QSL bureau? To use the outgoing QSL bureau, you must be a member of ARRL. In general, you send a bundle of foreign (not States!) QSL cards to the outgoing bureau in Newington, Connecticut, along with a label off of your QST magazine (which shows ARRL membership), along with $2 per pound of cards (approximately 150 cards) or $1 for 10 cards or less. To use the incoming QSL bureau, you do NOT have to be a member of ARRL. Send one or more Self-Addressed Stamped Envelopes (size 5x7 or 6x9, NO BIGGER, NO SMALLER) with one ounce of postage attached and with your callsign in 3/4" letters in top left hand corner where the return address label would go. If you expect a large quantity of foreign QSL cards, attach extra money or postage with a paper clip; do NOT affix extra postage to envelope. Send the envelopes to the QSL bureau for your callsign area. If your callsign is xx3xxx/5, you would send it to the 3rd call area, NOT the 5th call area. Addresses for QSL bureaus are listed in QST and on the ARRL e-mail server (see below); if you don't have access to a QST magazine, ask another ham. IMPORTANT: BE PATIENT! Turnaround time for a US QSL bureau, not considering foreign QSL bureaus, is about 3 months. Foreign QSL bureaus and hams can be as fast as 2 months or as slow as TEN YEARS, while average is about 6-12 months. Addresses for the US incoming and outgoing QSL Bureaus are available from the ARRL e-mail server in the files called "QSL-IN" and "QSL-OUT". See the question above ** Are there any news groups for CAP? There is no news group just for Civil Air Patrol discussions. However, rec.aviation.misc is appropriate for CAP aviation discussions and for CAP radio information, these rec.radio.amateur.* groups are available. CAP-related files are also stored on the FTP site sunburn.cps.udayton.edu in pub/capital. ** What's the name of the QRP club that issues QRP numbers? QRP Amateur Radio Club International, c/o Bill Harding K4AHK, 10923 Carters Oak Way, Burke, VA 22015. See also the file QRP-ADDRESSES on the ARRL e-mail server. ** How do I become a 10-10 member? 10-10 is simply an organization to sponsor the use of the 10 meter band. It was first conceived when propagation was poor on 10 meters, as a method to get more hams to use 10 meters. The past few years have been great for 10 meters worldwide. However, "the bands are closing down" again, and 10 meters will once again be limited more for local communications, except for sporadic band openings, until the next sunspot cycle. To join 10-10, work ten 10-10 members and LOG each 10-10 number, call sign, operator's name and location. Send the list to your numeric call sign or DX area manager (as shown below), with $5.00 U.S. new membership registration fee ($6.00 for foreign addresses). 10-10 International Area Managers: USA 1 - Al Kaiser N1API, 194 Glen Hills Rd, Meriden, CT 06450 USA 2 - Larry Berger WA2SUH, 9 Nancy Blvd, Merrick, NY 11566 USA 3 - Chester Gardner N3GZE, 9028 Overhill Dr, Ellicott Cty,MD 21042 USA 4 - KY, TN, FL, VA, NC, SC only Rick Roberts N4KCC, 7106 Ridgestone Dr,Ooltewah, TN 37363 USA 4 - GA, AL, Puerto Rico only Jim Beswick W4YHF, 112 Owl Town Farm, Ellijay, GA 30540 USA 5 - Grace Dunlap K5MRU,* Box 445, LaFeria, TX 78559 *summer addr Jun-Oct Box 13, Rand, CO 80473 USA 6 - Dick Rauschler W6ANK, 4371 Cambria St, Fremont, CA 94538 USA 7 - Willie Madison WB7VZI, 10512 W Butler Dr, Peoria, AZ 85345 USA 8 - John Hugentober N3FU, 4441 Andreas Ave, Cincinatti, OH 45211 USA 9 - Jim Williams N9HHU, 240 Park Rd, Creve Coeur, IL 61611 USA 0 - Debbie Peterson KF0NV, RR 1 Box 35, Duncombe, IA 50532 All DX- Carol Hugentober K8DHK,4441 Andreas Ave, Cincinatti, OH 45211 For more info, see the file 10-10-INFO on the ARRL e-mail server. ** How do I join MARS? To join MARS, you have to be 14 years or older (parental consent required under age 17), be a US citizen or resident alien, possess a valid Amateur Radio license, possess a station capable of operating on MARS HF frequencies, and be able to operate the minimum amount of time for each quarter (12 hours for Army and Air Force; 18 hours for Navy-Marines). Novices must upgrade to Technician within 6 months, else be dropped from MARS. No-Code Techs can apply, provided they have transmit and receive HF capability for MARS frequencies (they don't need transmit capability for Amateur HF frequencies). For application forms contact: Chief, Air Force MARS HQ AFC4A/SYXR 203 W. Losey St. Room 1020 Scott AFB, IL 62225-5219 (618)256-5552 Fax: (618) 256-5126 Chief, US Army MARS HQ USA Information Systems Command ATTN: ASOP-HF Ft. Huachuca, AZ 85613-5000 800-633-1128 Chief, Navy-Marine Corps MARS Naval Communication Unit Washington, DC 20397-5161 ** How do I join RACES? Contact your nearest Civil Defense or Emergency Management Agency. The Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service is a part of a municipal, county, or state government. This does not mean, however, that every such government has a RACES program. If your government does not have a RACES, ask them to refer you to the nearest jurisdiction that does have a RACES program. ** What organizations are available to help handicapped hams? Courage Center Handihams 2915 Golden Valley Rd Golden Valley, MN 55422 (612) 520-0515 ARRL has a Handihams information package (get it by requesting it thru 2155052@mcimail.com) and a book called "The ARRL Plan for the Disabled", available at no charge from the ARRL Regulatory Information Branch. ** I am looking for a specific ham, can anyone help me find him? Rather than sending out a message on Usenet, you might first try the "Radio Amateurs on Usenet" listings, maintained and posted by Mark Salyzyn VE6MGS. The articles can be found monthly on rec.radio.info and rec.radio.amateur.misc. If the copy in your news spool has expired for some reason, you can look up an entry in the list by sending an e-mail to reqnet@ve6mgs.ampr.ab.ca with either of the following commands in the body of the message: lookup keyword keyword keyword ... return user@machine.subdomain.domain (Fill in the proper info for the search keyword or e-mail address.) An automated server program will reply to your message. If you have his/her callsign or name, you should also try one of the on-line callservers shown above. This works in most cases. (!!!) Also try directory assistance from the phone company or the locator service provided by the Salvation Army. A Salvation Army post in your local area may be able to help you. Also, the Quarter-Century Wireless Assn maintains a collection of callbooks going back to "the beginning of time". Their address is: 1409 Cooper Drive, Irving, TX 75061. Also, the Callbook has a dial-in line for accessing new ham callsigns. Try (1-708-234-8011) at 2400 baud. ** Can I post my neat new ham related program on rec.radio.amateur.misc? This is really not a good idea, since many of the readers receive these newsgroups as mail digests. Posting is also a one-shot thing. If you post and someone missed it, it is gone. A better way would be to announce the existence of your program here, along with information on how to obtain a copy of your program. You can also submit it to one of the FTP archive sites, which will allow the world to access it without you having to mail it to each requestor. If you just GOTTA post it somewhere, post it to more appropriate groups, like comp.sources.unix or alt.sources or comp.binaries.ibm.pc. ** Where can I get ham radio software for my computer? See the information about Anonymous FTP, e-mail servers, and ham-related telephone BBS's above. For PC-clones, see the KA6ETB HAM-server. For Macintosh computers, see the file SOFTWARE-MAC on the ARRL e-mail server for locations to look. ** Are there Dialup News services or BBSs for Amateur Radio? There are two major news services for ham radio. Both are run by volunteer hams and provide bulletins of specific interest to amateurs, hence they are perfectly legal to rebroadcast on ham bands according to FCC Regulation 97.111B(6). To lessen the load on the dialup lines, consider getting your local repeater operator to rebroadcast it, or tape record it to play at your favorite HF net. RAIN (Radio Amateur Information Network) is produced by Hap Holly, KC9RP, located in Illinois. The news is typically updated 8am CST Fridays. Phone numbers are 1-708-299-INFO (299-4636) and 1-708-827-RAIN (827-7246). NEWSLINE is another, produced by Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF. Donations for NEWSLINE are accepted at Newsline Support Fund, c/o Dr. Norm Chalfin K6PGX, Pasadena, CA 91102. Phone numbers are: Chicago 1-708-289-0423 N.Florida 1-407-259-4479 West Palm Beach 1-407-965-1234 Los Angeles 1-805-296-2407 (Instant Update Line) Los Angeles 1-213-462-0008 NYC 1-718-353-2801 Ohio 1-513-275-9991 Seattle 1-206-368-3969 ** Where can I find VE sessions in my local area? VE sessions are often announced in the local newspapers, but more often, they are announced by local radio bulletin boards. The local packet BBS will most likely have a monthly updated schedule for VE sessions. ARRL or W5YI can generally be called and asked for local VE sessions as well. Don't forget that you will need the following when you go in for an upgrade: a copy of your current Amateur license; your original Amateur license; any CSCEs (duplicate not required), if applicable and less than a year old; a picture ID, preferably a driver's license, passport or visa; and the VE test fee (approximately $5 right now). Bart Jahnke, KB9NM, the ARRL VEC Manager (bjahnke@arrl.org) posts a listing of VE exams indexed by state (and some overseas sites, usually at embassies and military bases) to the net every 6 weeks or so. The same list can be obtained from the ARRL e-mail server under the file EXAM-SCHEDULE. Another file of interest is EXAM-INFO. The ARRL list is the definitive list for ARRL VEC sessions. There are other smaller VECs around the USA. ARRL includes their schedules when the info is available. The other VECs phone numbers are listed with the ARRL info so you may wish to give them a call to check their schedule if they didn't provide it to ARRL. ** Why isn't XXX available electronically? This is a theme for a lot of common questions. For the "XXX" above, substitute any of the following: Callbooks DX QSL Lists Radio station lists various publications and more... Except for the Callbook (via callsign servers), these are not available because of any of several reasons. Either there are copyright restric- tions, royalty fees, or the source just may not have done the work. Also, not everyone that has information has reliable UseNet access. In one example of someone's effort to bridge the information gap, there is a new repeater-mapping project which can automatically accept entries via e-mail. If you can get enough details about a repeater for a complete listing, you may want to help by submitting an entry. For more information, use the following e-mail addresses: repeaters@wattres.sj.ca.us Just send a message with only the word "help" in the message body. The project's software will reply with instructions. steve@wattres.sj.ca.us For other questions (Steve Watt KD6GGD) As soon as the list is big enough to be useful, the project will make it available electronically. That will mean one less "why isn't it available electronically" question for the net.