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Text File | 1994-06-29 | 19KB | 382 lines

The electronic publication of the Amateur Radio Newsline is distributed
with the permission of Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, President and Editor of
Newsline.  The text version is edited from the original scripts and
transcribed from the audio reports by Dale Cary, WD0AKO, and is first
published in The Radio & Electronics Round Table on the Genie Online
System.

If you have any comment, suggestion, or news item you would like to submit,
send them via E-Mail to [e-mail] or [e-mail].
You can contact Newsline at [phone].  It is a combination answering
and FAX machine, if you have a FAX to send, wait for the voice prompt and
press your fax-send button.

All other information and disclaimers are in the text header below.

 - - - - -

NEWSLINE RADIO - CBBS EDITION #130 - POSTED 06/16/94

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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.  For current information updates, please call

                    Audio Version of Newsline
                    =========================
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             Electronic Hardcopy Version of Newsline
             =======================================
      GEnie (RTC Bulletin Board)............. m345;1
      GEnie (File Library)................... m345;3
      Dallas Remote Imaging BBS (DRIG)....... [phone]
        In bulletin number 36
      The Midwest Connection BBS............. [phone]
        In bulletin number 6 of the ham radio conference
      Delphi.................................
        In the ham radio conference
      Internet...............................
        In the rec.radio.info, rec.radio.amateur.misc and sbay.hams
        newsgroups.
        FTP: oak.oakland.edu, archive: pub/hamradio/docs/newsline
      Fidonet, RIME, Intellec, I-Link........
        In the Ham Radio conferences on those networks

   For the latest breaking info call the Instant Update Line listed
 above.  To provide information please call [phone].  This
 line answers automatically and will accept up to 30 minutes of
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   Check with your local amateur radio club to see if NEWSLINE
 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 WD0AKO DJ0QN
 and many others in the United States and around the globe!!!

(****************************************************************

[880]

   Newsline report number 880 for release on Friday, June 24 1994
 to follow.

                    The following is a QST

   Postal authorities could be called to investigate the alleged
 California ham radio testing scam.  Accusations are surfacing
 that some hams may have bought their licenses by mail!  This story
 and more on Newsline report number 880 coming your way right now!

(*****
             FRAUD SUSPECTED IN CAL VE TESTING SCAM

   Charges of mail fraud could be levied against one or more of
 the Volunteer Examiners and several license applicants currently
 under government scrutiny in the ongoing California ham radio
 testing fraud probe.  Newsline has learned that the FCC has
 interviewed a number of individuals in other parts of the country
 whose examination paperwork seems to indicate that they came to
 California to be tested by several of the suspect VE teams.
 According to usually reliable sources, at least one applicant
 clams to have driven over 2000 miles round trip in one weekend,
 just to be tested in Los Angeles.  Another was found to be a
 resident of a South Eastern state.
   Word is that the FCC does not believe that the examination
 sessions in question ever took place.  That they were created on
 paper and are therefore fraudulent.  And under the vigilant eye of
 Personal Radio Branch Chief John B. Johnston, W3BE, the commission
 is hard at work building evidence to make the charges stick.
   The June 19th edition of the Westlink Report ham radio
 newsletter contains what it claims are quotes from the letters
 sent by Johnston to those suspected of complicity.  It alleges
 that numerous testing sessions the VE's claimed to have sponsored
 never actually took place.  That in some sessions that were held
 the applicants had access to the answer key for the test being
 given to them and most important.  Most important, the FCC says
 that it had its own investigator listening in on the telephone
 when an informant cut a deal with one of the suspect Volunteer
 Examiners.  A cash deal to purchase a ham license without the
 informant having to take a test.
   If Johnston can prove that people purchased government licenses
 without having attended a test session, and if the United States
 Postal Service was used to convey payment, then the Postal
 Inspector can be brought into the case.  Under his purview,
 charges of mail fraud can be brought against those who sold the
 bogus licenses and those who bought them.
   The bottom line is that mail fraud is a criminal offense that
 carries heavy fines and mandatory jail time.  The governments hard
 nosed approach to dealing with those it suspects of wrong doing in
 the California VE investigation seems to indicate that the
 government is prepared to take these cases all the way.

(*****
                ARRL REPLIES TO VANITY CALL SIGN PLAN

   The ARRL has filed reply comments in the FCC's proposal to
 institute a vanity call sign program as outlined in PR Docket
 93-305.  The League says that the vast majority of the 109
 comments filed on the proposal favored it, with the major concerns
 being how to fairly administer it.
   In its reply comments the league said that the issue of cost
 already had been settled, in that amateurs themselves would pay
 for the privilege of selecting a call sign.  Regarding Silent Key
 call signs, the League said that by giving family members and
 clubs the first opportunity to apply for such call signs, well
 known and respected amateurs' call signs could be preserved.

(*****
                          ARRL TO W5YI: NO

   The League says that a proposal by newsletter publisher and
 national VEC Fred Maia, W5YI of Dallas Texas to establish a
 "Vanity Call Sign Administration" program in the private sector,
 was not only not permitted within FCC's mandate from Congress, but
 would be cumbersome and bureaucratic, while adding no value for
 the applicant.  Instead, the League urged the Commission to
 proceed with a Report and Order on the "vanity" call sign
 proposal, incorporating the minor modifications suggested in the
 earlier ARRL comments.

(*****
                       POWER REQUEST DENIED

   The FCC has affirmed the Chief, Private Radio Bureau's denial
 of a request by Dale Gagnon, KW1I for a waiver of the Commission's
 rules governing transmitter power standards in the Amateur
 Service.  Gagnon requested permission for his amateur station to
 transmit at power levels greater than the 1,500 watts authorized
 by the Commission's rules.
   Gagnon requested the need for higher power in order to engage
 in long-distance communications.  Gagnon also sought to avoid the
 cost of bringing his vintage transmitters into compliance.
   Affirming the Bureau's decision, the Commission said that
 Gagnon had not submitted any compelling arguments why his station
 should be given preferential treatment over other amateur stations
 operated by licensees of the same license class.  The Commission
 said also that there is no basis for permitting Gagnon's station
 to use greater power than other amateur stations, and to do
 otherwise, would be unfair to other amateur station licensees who
 must comply with the power requirement.

(*****
                       THE LONG WAIT RETURNS

   The Amateur license application backlog is on the rise again
 at the FCC.  The latest figures released are based on numbers that
 are three months old but do show a definite trend. As of Feb 1 st,
 there were applications 8543 were pending while on Feb 28 there
 were 12,868 awaiting action.  This information is according to
 ARRL VEC Manager Bart Jahnke, KB9NM, who also says turnaround time
 in Gettysburg is hovering around the FCC's self imposed maximum of
 90 days.

(*****
                             NEWSLINE

    Heres a quick update on the financial crunch facing Newsline.
 Dr. Norm Chalfin, K6PGX, who administers the Newsline Support
 Fund reports that he has received enough in the way of sponsorship
 so that Newsline can continue at least through the end of August,
 but after that the service will once again be in crisis mode.
 That is, looking for enough money to avoid having its telephones
 and electronic mail services turned off.  But the good news is
 that Newsline will not have to go bi-weekly over the summer since
 enough support has come in to see the service through though the
 next sixty days.
   For information on how to help keep Newsline on the air, please
 talk off the air to the person running this bulletin on your
 repeater or net.  Or you can write with a self addressed stamped
 envelope to Newsline in care of Dr. Norm Chalfin, K6PGX, Post
 Office Box 463, Pasadena, California 91102.

(*****
                           SERA TO MEET

   A new ham television bandplan for the south eastern region of
 the United States could be on its way.  This, with word in the
 Repeater Journal that the SouthEastern Repeater Association Board
 of Directors will hold their annual Summer Board meeting July
 23-24 in Knoxville, Tennessee.
   Directors and Vice Directors from each of the eight member
 SERA states will take up a number of band planning questions
 including addressing the bandplan for ATV operations in the
 region.  Hams active and knowledgeable in the ham television mode
 have been invited to attend and participate in establishing a
 viable bandplan for the mode.  Another item on the agenda will be
 the possible expansion of the SERA 440 MHz bandplan.
   The SouthEastern Repeater Association is the nations second
 largest "regional umbrella" coordination body overseeing Amateur
 Radio relay communications bandplanning through member affiliates
 in Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina,
 Virginia, Tennessee, West Virginia and Georgia.

(*****
                      ATLANTIC DIVISION AWARDS

   The ARRL Atlantic Division "Amateur of the Year" for 1994 is
 Bob Bennett, W3WCQ, of Towson, Maryland.  Among his many
 contributions to Amateur Radio, Bennett, 58, co-anchors the
 "Answer Man Net" on the Baltimore Amateur TV Society repeater.
   After serving for nearly 10 years as the Atlantic Division
 representative to the ARRL UHF/VHF Advisory Committee, in 1993
 Bennett was named chairman of the new ARRL Spectrum Committee.
   The Division's Technical Achievement award was won jointly by
 Bill Ferguson, WA3BXW, of Bristol, Pennsylvania, and Charles
 "Jim" Smith, K3ATI, of Newportville, Pennsylvania.
   And the "Grand Ole Ham" is 94-year-old Dean Wallace, K2ANM, of
 Herkimer, New York. Dean was first licensed in 1919, as 8AAF.
   The awards were announced at the ARRL Atlantic Division
 Convention, held in conjunction with the Rochester (New York)
 Hamfest, on May 21, 1994.

(*****
                          HOLLY TO SPEAK

   Rain Dial-Up producer Hap Holly, KC9RP, will make a rare
 personal appearance on July 7th at the American Council of the
 Blind convention in Chicago.  Holly's talk is titled "The
 Evolution of Amateur Radio Information services" and will be
 presented to the ACB's amateur radio gathering.  Haps talk will
 run about 30 minutes, so if you plan to be in the Chicago area or
 are attending the week-long convention, then stop by and take a
 listen to what KC9RP has to say.  And oh yes.  The admission to
 Hap's talk is free.

(*****
                          FRENCH ISLANDS

   On the international scene the rumor mills says the French
 government is going to be doing a lot of electronic updating on
 the French islands located in the Indian Ocean this summer. As a
 result, it is thought that there may be a lot of amateur radio
 activity because of the French amateurs involved in this
 upgrading.

(*****
                          AUSTRIAN CALLS

   The Austrian Communications Authority has opened a block of
 special call signs for special operations there.  The 26 available
 calls are OE-A to OE-Zed, with the number assigned depending on
 the station's geographic location.  14 calls will be reserved for
 club stations of the Austrian national association, OVSV, with the
 remaining 12 available for others.

(*****
                           DX - 4U1ITU

   KB2R, will be active from 4U1ITU in Geneva, Switzerland
 during the IARU HF Championship Contest on July 9 and 10 and two
 days before.  This will be a single operator effort and the 4U1ITU
 station counts as a HQ multiplier for the contest.  Activity will
 be on 80-10 meters and possibly 160 meters.  The two days before
 the contest, Len will be active as time permits on 80-10 meters
 CW/SSB and on the WARC bands if antennas are available.  QSL the
 entire operation via WA2CJT, the bureau or direct.

(*****
                         DX -  MICRONESIA

   The DX NewsLetter reports that V63PA will stay on the island of
 Micronesia longer than expected.  He prefers 14.150 MHz around
 21:00 UTC during the weekend.  QSL via G6MDM.

(*****
                           CLOCK ON HOLD

   Great Britain's National Physical Laboratory has issued a
 notice that the 60KHz frequency and time reference transmitter at
 Rugby, will be closed down for essential maintenance between 12:00
 GMT on 4th July 1994 and 12:00 GMT 18th July 1994.  G1UXP who
 provided this information believes that the transmitter will be
 operational during the night hours in this period, but it will be
 off-air during the hours between 08:00 GMT and 16:00 GMT daily.

(*****
                        STU MEYER W2GHK, SK

   Some sad news to report.  Word that Stu Meyer, W2GHK, the
 former Chief Engineer and President of Hammerlund Radio
 Corporation became a silent key on Saturday evening, May 21st, of
 a heart attack.  Among his many accomplishments was his being the
 driving force behind Hammarlund's "DXpedition of the Month"
 campaign during the 1950's and 1960's.  He was a long-time member
 of the National Capitol DX Association, past president of NCDXA,
 and very active in NCDXA's DX operations of past years.  W2GHK was
 also very active in many areas of ham radio, sponsoring one of the
 CQWW trophies. He will be missed by many of us in ham radio.  In
 lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in his name can be made to
 the Radio Club of America or the QCWA.

(*****
                           BROTHER STAIR

   For you hams who are also shortwave listeners, this from the
 shortwave BBS on GEnie.  A report that Brother Stair of the
 Overcomer Ministry has stated that he had been offered an
 opportunity for a 24 hour a day shortwave broadcast facility from
 -- and we quote -- "...from another part of the country." -- end
 quote.  This on his program aired on shortwave station WRNO on
 7355 Mhz.
   Brother Stair said he would not give the details after what
 happened with his radio ship the MV Fury.  Listeners of Brother
 Stair will remember the boarding of the radio ship by the FCC and
 the confiscation of its transmitting equipment.  This ended
 Brother Stair's planned broadcasting project off the coast of
 Belize.
   Dollars to donuts the FCC already knows more about Brother
 Stair's new broadcasting venture than he or the agency is letting
 on.  Its a good bet that the regulatory agency will be watching
 this one real close.

(*****
   And for this week, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline.
 You can write to us at:
                          NEWSLINE
                          Post Office Box 463
                          Pasadena, California
                          91102

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