June 21, 1996

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IN THIS UPDATE . . ..

FCC OPENS VANITY CALL SIGN GATE 1A JULY 22!

The FCC has announced it will open vanity call sign program Gate 1A on July 22, 1996. Under this gate, applicants can request an in memoriam call sign for a club station to honor a deceased former member. You may request the call sign even though it has been less than two years following death of the club member. Upon the death of the holder, the call sign is assignable immediately to an otherwise eligible club station. (However, the license grant first must be deleted from the FCC database; see below.)

If you are the license trustee for your club station, you may request in memoriam for your club station the call sign previously shown on the primary, secondary, repeater, auxiliary link, control, or space station license of a deceased person who was a member of the club. Here are the specific guidelines to request a call sign in memoriam for your club station under Gate 1A:

  • The club must have held a club station license grant on March 25, 1995.

  • You must have in your station records a written statement from a spouse, child, grandchild, stepchild, parent, grandparent, stepparent, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, or in-law of the deceased confirming the deceased person's association with the club and showing consent of the relative to your request. Do not send this statement to the FCC unless you are requested to do so.

  • You must be an Amateur Extra Class operator to request a Group A call sign, at least an Advanced Class operator to request a Group B call sign and at least a Technician Class operator to request a Group C or 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 in memoriam may be in any region.

  • You must enter the relationship to the deceased of the person giving consent exactly as listed in the instructions, ie, child, niece or in-law.

  • The license grant of the former holder now deceased must have been deleted from the licensee database. To do this, a relative of the deceased should submit a signed request to have the license grant canceled. This request should include copy of an obituary or the death certificate. Submit requests for cancellation to the FCC, 1270 Fairfield Road, Gettysburg, PA 17325-7245 prior to filing the application for a vanity call sign.

A $30 fee is required with your FCC Form 610-V application. Payment of fees may be made by check (payable to "FCC"), bank draft, money order or credit card. Do not send cash. If paying by credit card, also complete and submit FCC Form 159 with your FCC Form 610-V. Send your application package to: Federal Communications Commission, Amateur Vanity Call Sign Request, PO Box 358924, Pittsburgh, PA 15251-5924.

The FCC has not announced when it plans to open the additional vanity call sign gates. Gate 1 opened May 31 for applicants seeking former personal or club station call signs and call signs once held by deceased close relatives. Gate 1 will remain open indefinitely. A reminder: The FCC will return any Gate 1A applications it receives before July 22, 1996 for timely resubmittal. Applications that do not qualify under Gate 1 or Gate 1A eligibility standards, will be dismissed. A future public notice will announce Gate 2, which will have expanded eligibility standards affecting Amateur Extra class licensees.

Meanwhile, the flurry of vanity call sign application activity under Gate 1 seems to be tapering off. The FCC reports 269 applications for the period of June 11-17, 1996. Between May 31 and June 10, the Commission got nearly 1700 applications. The FCC's Gettysburg office also got a flood of another sort during the week of June 16 when heavy rains shut down the town and reportedly flooded the basement of the FCC's building (among others).

For more information, call the FCC's Consumer Assistance Branch at 800-322-1117.--FCC

WAIVER REQUEST FILED FOR 1.296-GHz MEDICAL DEVICE

The ARRL is reviewing a request to the FCC for a waiver of FCC limits on radiation from a medical device designed to operate at 1.296 GHz. ARRL Executive Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ, said the League will "file appropriate comments to protect amateur interests" in the wake of the request from EDAP Technomed Inc (EDAP). Amateur Radio has a secondary allocation on the 1.26 to 1.30-GHz band. The Federal government has the primary allocation, for radiolocation, and uses the band mostly for high-power radar systems.

The medical device at issue, a Prostatron, uses transurethral microwave thermotherapy to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (an abnormal increase in the number of organ cells). EDAP has told the Commission that the Prostatron operates at 1.296 GHz because the wavelength is uniquely suited to the treatment process; however, it radiates energy 67 dB above the limit set by Section 18.305(b) of the FCC rules.

The Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) is reviewing the request to determine if a waiver should be granted. OET seeks comments from interested parties not later than July 19, 1996. Reply comments are due by August 5, 1995. The full text of the filing may be purchased from the Commission's duplication contractor, International Transcription Service, 202-857-3800.--FCC

FCC TO REQUIRE REGISTRATION NUMBERS FOR TALL ANTENNA STRUCTURES

The FCC streamlines its antenna structure clearance process starting July 1 by implementing new antenna and tower registration procedures. The Wireless Telecommunications Bureau has released a Fact Sheet to explain the registration program. Most antenna structures that are higher than 60.96 meters (200 feet) above ground level or that may interfere with the flight path of a nearby airport must be cleared by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and registered with the FCC.

The Fact Sheet contains guidelines on applicability, registration requirements, electronic filing, and painting and lighting specifications. It's available on the World Wide Web at http://www.fcc.gov/wtb/antstruc.html.

After registering an antenna structure with the FCC, the owner will receive a registration (FCC Form 854R) containing a unique seven-digit registration number that identifies the structure. The owner must provide each tenant licensee and permittee a copy of the registration. Licensees and permittees must reference the registration number on all subsequent filings with the Commission. For more information, call the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau's Consumer Assistance Branch in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, at 800-322-1117 or 717-338-2500.

YAESU TO SPONSOR TWO TEAMS AT WRTC 96

Yaesu Musen and Yaesu USA will directly sponsor Team Finland and Team PRC--the exhibition team from the People's Republic of China--in the World Radiosport Team Championship set for July 13-14 in the San Francisco, California, area. WRTC 96 will feature competition among some of the world's top contesters on 52 teams and two exhibition teams. Each team will have two operators. WRTC-96 is being billed as a "sub-event" of the IARU HF World Championship contest the same weekend.

Yaesu said the job of picking two teams to sponsor "was a difficult one, and was based on the particularly unique attributes of the Finnish and Chinese teams." Yaesu said the selection of Team Finland (OH2IW and OH1JT) "recognized Finland's outstanding per-capita contribution to the improvement of DXing and contest competition over many years."

Yaesu said support of the Chinese exhibition team (BA1OK and BA4RC, plus their coach and observer, BA1FB) "is an extension of Yaesu's long-standing support of Amateur Radio in China" since the rebirth of ham radio there in the early 1980s. Team PRC will operate WRTC using the call sign AH3D. A second exhibition team, from Latvia (YL2KL and YL3CW) will sign AH3C in the competition. The other 52 teams will use special 1×1 call signs to be drawn randomly a few hours before the event begins.

Yaesu will supply FT-1000MP transceivers to both Team Finland and Team PRC for use during the competition.

WRTC SOCIAL EVENTS PLANNED

Several social events have been announced for visitors during the week of WRTC 96 in the San Francisco, California, area. Tickets are first come, first served. Events are open to all, subject to capacity constraints. WRTC organizers say the events will give both out-of-area visitors and Bay-area amateurs a chance to meet the 104 competitors and 21 judges who are coming together this July for the second World Radiosport Team Championship. Here's a quick rundown:

  • ICOM Picnic at Coyote Point Park, July 10, 3-9 PM.
  • ARRL/TGV/Nokia Tour of Silicon Valley, July 11, 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM.
  • CQ/Cushcraft Tour of San Francisco, July 11, 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM.
  • Shell Oil Dinner, July 11, buses depart at 6 PM for the Shell Oil Corporation Clubhouse in Martinez, California.
  • US Tower/Tied House Poolside Beer Bust, July 14, noon-3 PM.
  • HRO Awards Banquet (the high point of the week's festivities), July 14, 6-10 PM, Stanford University Faculty Club.
  • Yaesu Napa Valley wine tour, July 15, buses leave at 8:45 AM and return at 4:30 PM.

Tickets are available for individual events. WRTC 96 offers a package deal for all events for $125. Competitors, judges and others associated with WRTC-96 may qualify for free admission. Mention any WRTC-96 association when ordering tickets. Request reservations by sending mail to AA6KX@worldnet.att.net.

KENWOOD DEFENDS DISTRIBUTION PLANS

Kenwood Communications Corp says its recently announced plans to make its products available in more retail outlets will help to rejuvenate ham radio. Citing concerns about the future of Amateur Radio and a changing business climate, Kenwood announced it was taking "some bold steps" to revamp its wholesale distribution scheme. The company has appointed three new companies (as yet unnamed) to wholesale Kenwood Amateur Radio products to "CB radio stores, truck stops, 2-way radio stores, and electronic re-sellers."

Kenwood said its new distribution strategy will benefit the hobby by increasing the visibility of its Amateur Radio line through small dealers to help attract newcomers. In a June 10 open letter to the Amateur Radio community, Kenwood's Amateur Radio Products Group National Sales Manager Paul Middleton, KD6NUH, painted a dismal picture. "When we looked at where Amateur Radio is today, and where it is going to be in ten years at the present rate of decline, the future looks bleak," he wrote, citing competition from unlicensed communications modes.

The company also says it plans to offer a new, free pamphlet or "primer" about Amateur Radio to introduce people to the hobby. Kenwood also will sell Amateur Radio study guides and is urging its authorized dealer network to help distribute the new materials. "It is also obvious that the rate of no-code licensees is slowing down with fewer and fewer people upgrading," Middleton wrote. "Amateur Radio dealers should be more interested in attracting new people to our hobby. Every current amateur operator who wants this hobby to continue should be promoting ham radio to non-hams."

Middleton said Kenwood intends to "work hard to expand the hobby" to insure its survival and to expose more people to ham radio in more locations. "We think more people would become responsible operators if they are directly exposed to Amateur Radio," he wrote.

WAYNE GREEN INC PUBLISHING FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY

Wayne Green Inc (WGI) of Peterborough, New Hampshire--operated by colorful 73 Amateur Radio Today magazine founder Wayne Green II, W2NSD--voluntarily filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy on June 6, according to the Federal Bankruptcy Court for the New Hampshire District in Manchester, New Hampshire. The court said Green filed "as a business." A chapter 7 filing means the affected enterprises are out of business. The action apparently does not affect 73. A report in the June 20, 1996, edition of The Monadnock Ledger said that Green’s wife, Sherry Smyth-Green bought 73 two years ago. The ham magazine remains in business with "a considerably downsized staff" of about a dozen, according to the Ledger report, which quoted Smyth-Green. The bankruptcy notice reportedly lists several of Green subsidiaries, including Almost Free CDs, Uncle Wayne’s Books, Creative Music, N.H. Language Systems and Green With Envy. Wayne Green--who happens to be 73 years old--is a frequent hamfest speaker and well-known for his lengthy "Never Say Die!" commentaries, once edited CQ magazine. He’s also the founder and former publisher of BYTE, among the first computer magazines.

ARRL ATLANTIC DIVISION AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Atlantic Division Director Kay Craigie, WT3P, reports that three Atlantic Division hams were honored at the recent Atlantic Division Convention in Rochester, New York. Our congratulations to these outstanding Amateur Radio operators:

  • Gene Pressler, W3ZXV, Maple Glen, Pennsylvania, is the 1996 Atlantic Division Amateur of the Year. Among his many contributions to Amateur Radio, Gene was the first president of the Amateur Radio News Service. He serves as an assistant director in the Atlantic Division and was formerly ARRL's public information coordinator for Eastern Pennsylvania. He is the author of the ARRL's Public Information Officer's Handbook. He has been president of the Delmont Radio Club and the Telford Area Repeater Association. Most recently, Gene took a leading role in the effort to reform FM repeater frequency coordination in the Eastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey sections and is one of the founders of the new ARCC-TPARC coordination group.

  • Dwight Hill, K2KWK, Rochester, New York, is this year's Grand Ole Ham. This lifetime service award recognizes Dwight's contributions to the community through public service communications for sailboat races on Lake Ontario and to ham radio through his twice-weekly bulletin transmissions. His Hill Top Bulletin service--on the air for 20 years--is a familiar feature on area FM repeaters. Dwight's careful research and clear delivery have made his bulletins both enjoyed and respected. He is the ARRL bulletin manager for the Western New York Section.

  • Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, Glen Burnie, Maryland, receives the Technical Achievement Award. In recent years, few technical innovations have received more widespread notice than Bob's Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS). Even before he wrote the APRS software, Bob was recognized as a packet radio pioneer and innovator. For example, he set up the first HF/VHF packet gateway, wrote the first shareware packet BBS program for the C-64 computer, and helped get packet added to SAREX. He has also experimented in the field of amateur TV, including applications of that mode to public service communication. Bob serves as ARRL's technical coordinator for the Maryland-DC Section. He will conduct forums on packet radio and on APRS at the 1996 ARRL National Convention in Peoria, Illinois, in September.
"BLAZE" MAY EMBLAZON GEORGIA QSLS

Hams in Georgia--who have been unsuccessful in getting permission to use the Olympics logo on QSL cards--have the okay to use the "Blaze" logo from the Paralympics, the games held right after the Olympics for elite athletes with disabilities. "Blaze" represents the mythological Phoenix rising from the ashes, with an Olympic flame shooting from one upturned wing. Hams within Georgia may use the "Blaze" characterization and the slogan "Triumph of the human spirit" on QSL cards that bear special call signs commemorating the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta (ie, NK400U or K96BAI).

QSL cards using the logo and/or slogan must not contain any commercial advertisements or locations, may not use the words Olympics or Paralympic "or any derivation thereof" and shall not substantially deviate from the design approved by the American Paralympic Organizing Committee.

Copies of the approved QSL card layout and artwork are available from Nancy Draheim, NK4U, 4133 Lynette Ct, Kennesaw, GA 30144; tel 770-516-4413. Copies also have been forwarded to Wayne Carroll, QSLs by W4MPY.

SOLAR REPORT: CLEAN AS A WHISTLE

Solar prognosticator Tad Cook, KT7H, in Seattle, Washington, reports that May had several periods of spotless days, where no sunspots were visible. Late April and early May had 10 days with no spots, save for one day with a sunspot number of 13. Following this was a four-day period of no spots, then an eight-day period after a two-day respite. Now, he says, we may be headed into another spotless period:

As we reach the bottom of this solar cycle it is interesting to look at the rise in the number of spotless days per month. An early period of no spots was April 1995, which had over 10 spotless days. After that, the number of spotless days per month declined, but then has had a fairly steady rise since last August.

Since January of this year, every month has had more than 10 spotless days, and May had over 15. There is a good chance that it could be mostly spotless through June 25, since the predicted solar flux is headed toward the mid-60s and is not expected to rise above 70 until month's end. During this period of inactivity, the geomagnetic field is quiet, meaning that there is less absorption over high-latitude paths.

During May, some new sunspots appeared which seem to be part of the new solar cycle. Region 7963 appeared in the north on May 10. A couple of unnumbered regions in the south followed on May 17 and 19. Region 7965 showed up on May 22, and 7967 on May 31.

Sunspot numbers for June 6 through 13 were 32, 38, 29, 34, 17, 11 and 11, respectively, with a mean of 24.6. The 10.7-cm flux was 72, 73, 70, 70, 69, 68 and 67.4, respectively, with a mean of 69.9.

WILLIAM M. "DUCKY" DUCKWITZ, W8CJT, SK

William M. "Ducky" Duckwitz, W8CJT, of Traverse City, Michigan, died May 1, 1996. He was 87. A life member of the ARRL (and a member since the 1920s), he took part in one of the earliest mobile ground-to-air communications in September 1934. W8CJT ran a 5-meter rig from a Model A Ford while Auguste Piccard piloted a balloon overhead. The rig used during that QSO is displayed at the Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Duckwitz was an electrical engineer with Ford and Chrysler and a test driver for the Hudson Motor Car Company. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel during World War II.

COR POSCH, PA3DYW, SK; DIES IN FALL AT ANTENNA SITE

Cor Posch, PA3DYW, of Monnickendam, The Netherlands, died May 5, 1996, after falling from a platform while adjusting a UHF parabolic reflector in preparation for a contest. He was 43. According to a story in a Dutch newspaper, it's not known what caused Posch to fall backwards from a height of approximately 15 feet. He struck his head when he landed at the club contest site and was rushed by helicopter to Amsterdam Medical Center--where he had worked as a computer programmer. He died several hours later.

Posch's friend Richard Musicer, N6CR, said the accident serves as a grim reminder to other hams. "This accident, made even more sad because it occurred while enjoying our hobby, needs to be brought to the attention of the ham community as a poignant reminder that safety first is more than just a slogan."

Posch's wife Annamarie and two daughters survive.

In Brief . . .

  • Microsoft Network (MSN) has dropped its Amateur Radio Forum, reports the unofficial forum manager Rick McMillion, WB7UGZ. He said MSN gave him the word recently in a terse e-mail message. McMillion says he had no warning that MSN was going to dump the forum. He told MSN in a reply message that in light of a growing ham population and the challenges facing the Amateur service, MSN's action "couldn't have come at a worse time." McMillion said he hopes that when MSN moves to the Internet, it will offer some sort of Amateur Radio information exchange.

  • Attention hams in the Jackson, Michigan, area: The correct date and location of the Jackson, Michigan, hamfest and computer show sponsored by the Cascades Amateur Radio Society is August 11 at the Jackson Community College field house and parking lot. For more information, call Terry Osborn, KD8B, 508 Dalton Rd, Jackson, MI 49201; tel 517-784-2398.

  • Through July 9, the City of Sonoma, California, celebrates the 150th anniversary of the raising of the Bear Flag (now the state flag) on June 14, 1846, in the town's historic plaza. The Valley of the Moon Amateur Radio Club marks the occasion with a special event station, N6S. Operations will be on most modes. HF frequencies and modes are: RTTY: 3625, 7082, 10132, 14082 and 21082 kHz; SSB: 3830, 3930, 7245, 14270, 18138, and 21370 kHz; CW: 3530, 7030, 10110, 14030, 18078 and 21030 kHz; QRP: 3560, 7040, 14060 and 21060 kHz. QSL via N6KM with an SASE. For more information, contact Ken McTaggart, N6KM, tel 707-938-2626; fax 707-996-8550; e-mail 76137.2406@compuserve.com or 334.2743@mcimail.com.
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.