May 3, 1996

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IN THIS UPDATE . . ..

VANITY CALL SIGN FILING GATE 1 OPENS MAY 31!

The vanity call sign program is almost here! The FCC has announced that Gate 1 of the vanity call sign program opens May 31, and eligible hams may file applications on or after that date.

Under Gate 1, you can file for a previously held individual or club call sign or for a call sign formerly held by a deceased close relative. Specific eligibility criteria are below. To request a vanity call sign for your primary station, you must already hold an unexpired amateur operator/primary station license. To obtain the former call sign of a deceased close relative, your license also must be of the proper operator class. To request a formerly held club station call sign, you must also hold an unexpired club station license listing you as the trustee. Vanity call sign applicants must use FCC Form 610-V to file.

Applicants should refer to the licensee data base to make sure the call sign they are requesting is not already assigned. A call sign is normally assignable two years following license expiration, surrender, revocation, set aside, cancellation, void ab initio, or death of the grantee. FCC Fact Sheet PR5000 Number 206-V, Amateur Station Vanity Call Sign System, has details. For explanations of Groups A, B, C and D and the geographic Regions, see Fact Sheet PR-5000 #206, Amateur Station Sequential Call Sign System.

Legibility is critical! If your application is not legible, you could experience a delay in processing, lose the opportunity to obtain a requested call sign or even obtain a call sign different from what you want.

Gate 1 Eligibility Criteria

Request by Former Holder (Primary Station): For your primary station, you may request a call sign that was previously assigned to your primary, secondary, repeater, auxiliary link, control, or space station. You may request your former call sign even though it has been unassigned for less than two years. The two-year requirement does not apply to an otherwise eligible primary station if the call sign was previously assigned to a station of the requester. You do not have to hold a class of operator license required for the Group (A, B, C, or D) for the call sign requested. A call sign request by a former holder may be from any group in the sequential system. Your mailing address does not have to be in the region designated in the sequential system for the call sign requested. A call sign requested by a former holder may be in any region.

Request by Close Relative of Former Holder Now Deceased (Primary Station): For your primary station, you may request a call sign that was previously assigned to the primary, secondary, repeater, auxiliary link, control, or space station of your now-deceased spouse, child, grandchild, stepchild, parent, grandparent, stepparent, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, or in-law. You may request the former call sign of a close relative now deceased even though it has been unassigned for less than two years. Upon the death of the holder, a call sign is assignable immediately to an otherwise eligible primary station of a close relative. You must be an Amateur Extra class operator to request a Group A call sign. You must be at least an Advanced class operator to request a Group B call sign. You must be at least a Technician class operator to request a Group C call sign. You must be at least a Novice class operator to request a Group D call sign. Your mailing address does not have to be in the region designated in the sequential system for the call sign requested. A call sign requested by a close relative of former holder now deceased may be in any region.

Request by Former Holder (Club Station): For the club station for which you are the license trustee, you may request a call sign that was previously assigned to that station. You may request your club station's former call sign even though it has been unassigned for less than two years. The two-year requirement does not apply to an otherwise eligible club station if the call sign was previously assigned to the club station for which the requester is the license trustee. You do not have to hold a class of operator license required for the Group (A, B, C, or D) for the call sign requested. A call sign request by a former holder may be from any group in the sequential system. Your mailing address does not have to be in the region designated in the sequential system for the call sign requested. A call sign requested by a former holder may be in any region.

A $30.00 fee is required with your FCC Form 610-V application. Payment of fees may be by check (payable to "FCC"), bank draft, money order or credit card. If paying by credit card, you must also complete and submit FCC Form 159 with your FCC Form 610-V. Do not send cash!

Send your application package to: Federal Communications Commission, Amateur Vanity Call Sign Request, PO Box 358924, Pittsburgh, PA 15251-5924. If you do not qualify under the above eligibility standards, your application will be dismissed.

The FCC says it will announce Gate 1A in a future notice. Under Gate 1A, club station trustees may file for the former primary station call sign of a person now deceased, provided the club held a club station license on March 24, 1995.

For more information about the vanity call sign program, call the FCC Consumer Assistance Branch, 800-322-1117.--FCC

MIXED SIGNALS IN ATLANTA

Ham gear is not welcome inside Olympic game venues in Atlanta this summer, says Michael Smalls, co-chairman of the Olympics Broadcast and Frequency Coordination Committee, which--he says--has the final say on the matter. Smalls said May 2 that an official statement to that effect would be forthcoming and that security personnel will be requested to keep out all transmitters and scanners not already coordinated and approved through his office. Smalls said the ban does not affect cellular telephones.

Conflicting information about whether ham gear would be permitted past the gate apparently resulted from an ironic failure to communicate within the Olympics organization. Jim Altman, N4UCK, who's helping to coordinate ham radio volunteers for the games, reported last week that ham radio equipment was not on the list of prohibited items and would be allowed inside venues. Smalls said equipment used by ham radio volunteers providing communication support for security personnel will be coordinated and approved. But, Smalls and Broadcast and Frequency Coordination Committee member Andy Funk, KB7UV--who first reported the ban several weeks ago--indicated their committee had not yet formally requested that security personnel impose the ban on other transmitters.

Altman says he's not sure the controversy is over, especially since the request to those in charge of security has not yet been made. "Who knows how it's going to be handled?" he said.

Smalls said his primary goal is to protect the radio and television feeds from the games. His office has coordinated upward of 15,000 transmitters at Olympic venues, mostly wireless microphones and TV cameras and two-way radios. The ban on transmitters and scanning receivers is simply an effort to head off potential problems in an environment already saturated with RF, he explained. "I'm not saying hams will be the culprit" if an interference problem arises, he said. Smalls said meeting the needs of broadcasters from abroad has even led to the coordination of some nonstandard frequencies that required Special Temporary Authorization from the FCC.

Ham equipment may be used outside of Olympic venues, Smalls said, but he was not encouraging it. He said H-Ts and scanners would be allowed outside of game venues in Olympic Centennial Park and Coca-Cola Park next door, as well as in Olympic Village.

QUESTION POOL COMMITTEE AGAIN FUNCTIONAL

A seven-month-old problem that had threatened to disrupt the Amateur Radio volunteer examiner program has been resolved.

In September 1995, a newly formed corporation called NCVEC Inc, attempted to exert control over the Question Pool Committee (QPC) that had been formed some years earlier by the organizations that have entered into agreements with the FCC to serve as Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (VECs). By unilateral action of the new corporation and contrary to the FCC rules that require all VECs to cooperate in the maintenance of question pools, ARRL Volunteer Examiner Department Manager Bart Jahnke, KB9NM, was dismissed from the committee. Efforts by the ARRL and the FCC to gain his reinstatement were not successful until early April.

Ever since the reinstatement, QPC members have been working in good faith to resolve issues concerning decisions taken by the QPC in the seven-month period during which it was operating contrary to the rules. Those issues have now been resolved to the satisfaction of all participants. Some revisions to the previously released syllabi for written examination elements 2 and 3A, for the Novice and Technician licenses, will be announced shortly.

"We are pleased to have this matter resolved," said ARRL Executive Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ. "The other members of the QPC appear to understand that the committee is not a creature of NCVEC Inc, and that no VEC can be excluded from committee participation. It still is not clear that NCVEC Inc, acknowledges these facts. However, that is no longer a matter of concern, because the FCC has affirmed that it has no relationship with NCVEC Inc, but only with the individual VECs."

Amateur Radio volunteers have been administering and coordinating FCC examinations for more than 12 years. The ARRL/VEC coordinates approximately two-thirds of the examinations.

WISCONSIN PRB-1 BILL TO SEE ACTION

A bill in the Wisconsin legislature that goes further than PRB-1 in limiting local control over amateur antennas comes before that state's Assembly early this month. Senate Bill 544 already has been approved by the Senate on a voice vote. Assembly Majority Leader Scott R. Jensen--who calls himself "a strong sponsor"--said he looks forward to scheduling the legislation during the first two weeks of May.

Gary Schwartz, K9GS, of Mukwonago has been tracking the proposed legislation. "It specifically says that towers may not be restricted on the basis of height or aesthetics, unless there is a specific health or safety concern," he said. The bill also says political subdivisions may not enact laws affecting placement, screening or height of Amateur Radio antennas "if the ordinance or resolution is based solely on aesthetic considerations."

As Schwartz sees it, if the bill passes, "no longer can [Wisconsin] amateurs be told that even though their tower installation meets all the manufacturer's specs and is safely installed per industry guidelines, that a 40-meter Yagi can only be up 30 feet." In addition, he said, amateurs living in rural areas with lots of land could not be restricted to a 30-foot tower that must be screened from view.

Rep. Ben Brancel and Sen. Richard Grobschmidt are the bill's sponsors. In a letter to other members of the Wisconsin legislature, they said the bill was modeled after existing provisions of Wisconsin law that restrict localities from regulating certain satellite TV antennas.

ROCKET LAUNCH ATV GETS FCC APPROVAL

The FCC has approved a request for Special Temporary Authority to operate an ATV transmitter as part of the payload of a rocket scheduled to be launched over Lake Michigan tomorrow (Saturday, May 4) from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The launch is part of the Wisconsin Rockets for Schools project. The short-duration rocket will carry an ATV transmitter on 434.0 MHz and a camera to transmit black-and-white pictures to the ground. FCC approval was necessary since the rocket is expected to reach a maximum altitude of more than 50 km, which puts it in the space category. However, 434 MHz is allocated only for use below that elevation. The project already has all the necessary NASA and FAA approvals.

Bryan Suits, WB8WKN, a physics professor who lives in Houghton, Michigan, is coordinating the payload, which will also contain radiotelemetry equipment to transmit battery voltage, internal and external temperatures and altitude. (Suits had hoped to have an atmospheric ozone sensor on board, but that didn't work out.) A Super Loki rocket will send the payload aloft. Suits says the payload itself weighs about 14 oz, while the rocket casing adds another 16 lb or so. Telemetry and a CW identifier will be carried on the audio subcarrier. A floatation device is to deploy to keep the payload afloat for recovery. Launch time is set for sometime between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. CDT. The flight is expected to last approximately 30 minutes, including the descent on a Mylar parachute-type device. The Rockets for Schools program emphasizes meteorological and environmental monitoring.

WK6R NAMED HUDSON DIVISION VICE DIRECTOR

ARRL President Rod Stafford, KB6ZV, has appointed Richard A. Sandell, WK6R, of Scarsdale, New York, to be the new vice director in the Hudson Division. He fills the seat left vacant when Stephen Mendelsohn, WA2DHF, was elected first vice president and Paul Vydareny, WB2VUK, succeeded him as division director earlier this year. Richard will serve through the end of the current term, January 1, 1997.

WK6R was first licensed in 1956 as LU4NMC in Argentina and moved to the United States in 1961. He obtained his first US ham license in 1976. After moving to New York, he became newsletter editor and vice president of the Latin American Radio Amateurs Club of New York City, as well as President of the Hispanic American Radio Experimenters Club (CHARE) of the Tri-State area. He had served as Hudson Division Assistant Director since 1987 and as an Eastern New York Assistant Section Manager since 1990. Richard has authored many publications ranging from philosophical studies to textbooks and is fluent in five languages. His wife, Phyllis, is KD2OG. The couple's three daughters, Alyssa, Karyn and Sylvie, also hold ham tickets.

An ARRL life member, Richard, 58, is president and CEO of Aura Technology Corporation, and works as international trade economist. You can write him at PO Box 1367, Scarsdale, NY 10583-9367.

THE "REAL CODE" PREVAILS AT MORSE EVENT

Locust Grove, the historic home of Samuel F.B. Morse on the Hudson River at Poughkeepsie, New York, formally opens for the season this weekend, May 4 and 5, with an American Morse Code event. Operators from the Morse Telegraph Club chapters in several surrounding states will use American Morse via wired dial-up circuits (call 914-485-7122), while members of the Poughkeepsie Amateur Radio Club will use more modern gear--and International Morse code--on the air, with the call sign K2GBH. The American Morse enthusiasts chat over conventional dial-up telephone lines using a 300-baud modem and a Morse box that translates the Morse into marks and spaces that the telephone company's equipment can understand and send back to the sounder on the other end. Wes Burnham is the wire chief.

The occasion also commemorates the 205th anniversary of Morse's birth. Locust Grove will be open 10 AM until 5 PM this weekend. The estate is at 370 South Road (Route 9), Poughkeepsie, NY; tel 914-454-4500.

PUPILS PLAN MOCK SHUTTLE MISSION

To help generate awareness of their scheduled SAREX contact during the STS-78 shuttle flight in June, pupils at Heritage Middle School in Colleyville, Texas, will launch a shuttle mission of their own this month, complete with SAREX. Seven pupils in a sixth-grade math class will serve as astronauts during the day-long mock-up next week. In all, more than 200 students will participate on different teams, such as technical support, media, mission control, and even marketing (selling shuttle tiles and buttons). One of the student astronauts, Vivian Wang, KC5NAU, will operate "onboard" equipment for 2-meter FM, 70-centimeter amateur television and packet. Other radios will be in "mission control" and in other classrooms. The youngsters will do experiments and space activities and they'll even have to deal with a few "problems" during the mission.

STS-78 is set to launch June 20 at 1449 UTC. STS-78 will carry space shuttle Columbia into orbit for a 16-day microgravity mission. SAREX communications will include FM voice and packet radio (SAREX configuration "C").--Rosalie White, WA1STO

SOLAR CYCLE BOTTOMING OUT

Solar observer Tad Cook, KT7H, reports we are at or near the solar activity minimum. Solar activity was up a little last week, but geomagnetic activity also remained high. The average Boulder A index was 15.9, the previous week was 15.4, and it was 5.7 the week before that. The A index is a daily indication of geomagnetic field stability, and values below 10 generally mean that the field is stable and absorption is low. Average sunspot numbers were up by over 12 points this week.

The best daytime band for long distance communication probably is 30 meters, with 20 meters a fair bet when solar flux rises slightly. Solar flux is expected to remain at or below 70 until after the first week of May. It should peak around the mid-70s around May 11, and then fall below 70 again after May 18. The geomagnetic field should stay stable until May 8, and then expected disturbances center around May 11, 14 and 15.

Sunspot numbers for April 18 through 24 were 29, 26, 28, 18, 15, 12 and 11, respectively, with a mean of 19.9. The 10.7-cm solar flux was 70.1, 70.5, 71.5, 74, 72.4, 71.1 and 68.6, respectively, with a mean of 71.2.

JOEL E. BACHNER, W2HPB, SK

Joel Bachner, W2HPB, of West Lawn, Pennsylvania, died April 3. He was 78. An active member in the Telephone Pioneers of America, Joel also was a past president of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association and addressed a large audience in the Punch Bowl in Hawaii on the 35th anniversary of the attack. He was a radioman aboard the battleship USS California when it was torpedoed December 7, 1941.--Paul Hertzberg, K2DUX

In Brief:

The ARRL Letter is published by the American Radio Relay League, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259. Rodney J. Stafford, KB6ZV, President; David Sumner, K1ZZ, Executive Vice President.

Electronic edition circulation, Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO, e-mail kcapodicasa@arrl.org.

Editorial, Rick Lindquist, KX4V, e-mail rlindquist@arrl.org.

The purpose of The ARRL Letter is to provide the essential news of interest to active, organizationally minded radio amateurs faster than it can be disseminated by our official journal, QST. We strive to be fast, accurate and readable in our reporting.

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 The American Radio Relay League.