• League asks for time extension to revise exams
• FCC issues revised call sign table
• Local control over RFI sought
• First DATV QSO!
• Solar activity down, flux above average
• The W8VM Transoceanic DX Challenge
• New QRP book now available

• In Brief: JAS-2 launch; Vanity stats; W3IWI honored; Pranghofer recovery fund; launch delayed

The ARRL has asked the FCC to extend the time for ARRL/VEC and other volunteer examiner coordinators to add questions about RF safety to Amateur Radio exams for Elements 2, 3(A) and 3(B). The request--filed August 12, 1996, in the form of an emergency motion--asks the Commission to put off the deadline to add the new exam questions to July 1, 1997 for Element 2 and 3(A) examinations and to July 1, 1998, for Element 3(B) examinations. Those dates coincide with the already-planned implementation dates for new examinations based on revised question pools. Work to revise the question pools for Elements 2 and 3(A) has been under way for more than a year; work on the Element 3(B) question pool will not begin until December.

The FCC Report and Order 96-326, issued August 1, requires that VECs add five questions to each of the three affected examination elements. New Element 2 examinations will have 35 questions instead of the current 30 questions, while Element 3(A) and 3(B) tests each will have 30 questions. The provisions of the Report and Order became effective when they were published in the Federal Register on August 7, 1996.

The ARRL/VEC, which administers approximately 60% of all ham radio examinations, pointed out that while current ham radio question pools already contain the required number of questions on RF safety, examinations now in circulation do not include the five additional required questions. And, because question pools must contain ten times the number of questions for a given examination element, the new rules mean the existing question pools for Elements 3(A) and 3(B) must be expanded. Only the question pool for Element 2 now meets the requirement.

"Adding five questions to each examination requires significant time, effort and logistics to do the job right," the League said in its pleading. "Rushing to create new examination questions is unquestionably a disservice to future amateur licensees."

In its motion, the League also notes that immediate implementation would require notifying its approximately 24,000 volunteer examiners; replacing tens of thousands of dollars worth of testing materials and supplies; and modifying and distributing new examination-generating software. The ARRL also said requiring the changes immediately would not be fair to the volunteers involved in exam preparation and administration. "They are not paid, nor motivated, to make changes in the examinations and question pools without any preparation time at all," the League said.

The ARRL said it was making an emergency motion because August 7, 1996, already has passed and many examinations will be administered over the next few weeks in violation of the new rules. Because current ham radio exams already contain RF safety questions, the ARRL said no harm will be done if the implementation deadline is extended.

In the past year, the ARRL/VEC has administered more than 91,000 examination elements to 54,409 people at 6409 exam sites.

Working up that list of favorite call signs as you await the opening of vanity Gates 2, 3 or 4? Well, you should know that certain combinations of letters are not assignable. According to the most recent information from the FCC, these include: KA2AA-KA9ZZ, KC4AAA-KC4AAF, KC4USA-KC4USZ, KG4AA-KG4ZZ, KC6AA-KC6ZZ, KL9KAA-KL9KHZ, KX6AA-KX6ZZ; any call sign having the letters SOS or QRA-QUZ as the suffix. In addition, don't ask for any call sign having the letters AM-AZ as the prefix; any 23 format call sign having the letter X as the first letter of the suffix; any 23 format call sign having the letters AF, KF, NF or WF as the prefix and the letters EMA as the suffix; any 23 format call sign having the letters NA-NZ as the prefix; any 23 format call sign having the letters KP, NP or WP as the prefix and the numeral 0 , 6, 7, 8 or 9; any 22 format call sign having the letters KP, NP or WP as the prefix and the numeral 0 , 6, 7, 8 or 9; or any 21 format call sign having the letters KP, NP or WP as the prefix and the numeral 0 , 6, 7, 8 or 9.

The FCC will not assign any letter combinations that prior recipients have found offensive. Also remember that 21 call signs having the single letter prefix (K, N or W), a single digit numeral (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9) and a single-letter suffix are reserved for the special-event call sign system.

FCC Form PR-5000 #206V, Amateur Station Vanity Call Sign System, outlines all the procedures for the vanity call sign system. For more information, call the FCC Consumer Assistance Branch, 800-322-1117 or 717-338-2500, or write 1270 Fairfield Rd, Gettysburg, PA 17325-7245. ARRLWeb's vanity call sign page links a variety of vanity-callsign resources as well.

Acting in response to what he says are nearly 45,000 complaints to the FCC every year, first-term Sen Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin) as introduced S 2025, which would give state, county and local governments the ability to regulate interference from CB radios "when that interference results from a violation of FCC rules." Saying his bill "simply allows common sense to prevail," Feingold reasons his measure would give states and localities the ability to investigate and enforce Federal law, "thereby protecting the rights of their residents." The bill would only affect unauthorized CB transmitters or amplifiers. Municipalities could prohibit use of the equipment and levy fines or other monetary sanctions.

Recently, the City Council of Beloit, Wisconsin--reacting to complaints from local residents of interference to home electronic equipment--passed an ordinance that would give that city the power to enforce FCC regulations on CB interference. While the bill is an explicit reversal of the total Federal preemption over telecommunications matters granted by the Communications Act of 1934, it contains a provision reaffirming the continued Federal preemption in handling other types of RFI.

Feingold said he's tried to enlist FCC help in investigating constituents' RFI complaints without success. He said he was told the FCC no longer investigates RFI complaints and offers "only a packet of self-help information for the consumer to limit the interference on their own."

It's all a question of fairness, Feingold says: "It is not fair that municipalities and their residents should be hamstrung by an outdated Federal preemption of laws the Federal government no longer has the resources to enforce." The bill has been referred to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

Anyone who experimented with a tin-can telephone as a youngster will especially appreciate how tin-can technology has expanded, this time as part of what could be an Amateur Radio "first." As a creative challenge (sparked by a recent QST editorial), Mike McCombs, KM4YW and Ned Mountain, WC4X, recently employed a couple of coffee cans in UHF service to accomplish an MPEG-2 digital TV QSO on 1290 MHz! The August 1 QSO was over a 3-mile obstructed path running 32 mW into antennas made out of--you guessed it--coffee cans. An L-band line amplifier was mounted to the coffee can. "Signals were perfect, both directions," said WC4X. Coffee cans aside, Mountain reports the pair "used very new and very expensive hardware." Both McCombs and Mountain live in Georgia and work for Wegener Communications, which makes digital video transmission systems for the broadcast industry. Even so, Mountain says, the feat is "indicative of where we can go, and as costs come down, what is possible using digital television in the ham bands."

The pair used a Wegener DVT2000 MPEG 2 SCPC encoder/modulator, a Wegener DVR2000 MPEG 2 IRD, and coffee can antennas designed by KM4YW.--Mike McCombs, KM4YW/Ned Mountain, WC4X

Solar seer Tad Cook, KT7H, reports that solar activity declined the during the first week of August as compared with the previous week, but solar flux was above the average for the previous 90 days for the thirteenth day in a row. The current 90-day average has risen from 70 to 71. Solar flux was expected to go below 70 until August 22, and then peak around the mid-70s again on August 28. The geomagnetic field is expected to stay stable over the month. Forty meters remains the best worldwide band at night, while 20 meters is most reliable during daylight hours.

Sunspot numbers for August 1 through August 7 were 32, 34, 30, 29, 20, 13 and 26 respectively, with a mean of 26.3. The 10.7-cm flux was 80.4, 79.6, 79.3, 77.6, 74.1, 73, and 71.6 respectively, with a mean of 76.5.

The West Park Radiops of Bay Village, Ohio, has announced the W8VM Transoceanic DX Challenge. The idea is to become the first Amateur Radio DXpedition team to establish a two-way QSO over the longest ocean path, which the group estimates at up to 22,000 miles. The end points of the path must be on continents or peninsulas that are part of DXCC countries. The trick is that a line between the two points may not cross land, including large islands or peninsulas.

Entry forms and complete rules are available for an SASE from the W8VM crew. Write West Park Radiops Inc, 513 Kenilworth Rd, Bay Village, OH 44140.--Glenn Williams, AF8C

The League is offering a new book covering QRP projects, construction practices and components. Compiled by Joel Kleinman, N1BKE, and Zack Lau, KH6CP/1, QRP Power brings together the best recent QRP projects from QST, QEX and The ARRL Handbook for your reading and building enjoyment. It also includes a new article on the new 40-40 transceiver by Dave Benson, NN1G. Authors Mitchell Lee, KB6FPW, and Dennis Monticelli, AE6C, have experimented with a wide range of enhancements to the original design. An in-depth summary of their work--along with NN1G's original QST article--are among the book's highlights.

In chapter 1, Rich Arland, K7YHA, introduces the art of low-power operating. Bruce Hale, KB1MW/7, and Zack Lau, KH6CP, cover design and construction practices in chapter 2. Among the many useful projects in chapter 3, Transceivers/Transmitters, are "Build a One-Watt Transmitter in a Kodak Film Box," by Rob Capon, WA3ULH, and "A Small High Performance CW Transceiver," by Rick Campbell, KK7B. The Receivers chapter includes the work of Dave Newkirk, W9VES (ex-WJ1Z), Roger Hayward, KA7EXM, and Rick Campbell, KK7B. Chapter 5, Accessories and Components, includes "Build the Camper's Portable Hamshack," by Bill Jones, KD7S, and "Refinements in Crystal Ladder Filter Design," by Wes Hayward, W7ZOI. Other articles discuss mods to the popular Heath HW-9, how to measure and compensate for oscillator drift and a design for a 6-meter transverter. The Resources chapter includes a list of publications that will interest all QRPers.

QRP Power is available at many Amateur Radio dealers or directly from ARRL for $12 (plus $4 shipping and handling) from ARRL Publication Sales, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111-1494, tel 860-594-0255; fax 860-594-0303.

• JAS-2 launch: FUJI-OSCAR satellite JAS-2 is set to launch Saturday, August 17, from Japan. The satellite will carry both linear (analog) and digital (packet radio) transponders. Its frequency plan is similar to that of FO-20. (See The ARRL Letter, Vol 15, No 12, for details.)

• Vanity call sign stats: As of August 6, the FCC's Larry Weikert reports 3545 applications have been filed with Gettysburg to take advantage of the program, which began May 31. Still no word on when Gate 2 will open. Vanity applicants should take note that the FCC has set aside some vanity grants from individuals that it subsequently determined were not eligible for the call signs they had requested. To avoid problems, make sure you're eligible under the current gate(s) before you apply.

• Tom Clark Honored: AMSAT-NA Director and President Emeritus Tom Clark, W3IWI, received the prestigious John Chambers Memorial Award at the 30th annual Central States VHF Society meeting July 26 and 27. Clark was honored for his many continuing contributions to VHF/UHF/Microwave technology and to the Amateur Radio satellite program. The annual award is named for John Chambers, W6NLZ, who made the first transpacific VHF contacts. The Central States VHF Society also presented AMSAT-NA President Bill Tynan, W3XO, with a check for $500 as its annual contribution to the Phase 3D Project.--AMSAT News Service

• Recovery fund: A fund has been set up to help Paul and Maureen Pranghofer, who were injured in an automobile accident in June. Maureen, KF0I, had been working for the Courage Handi-Ham program, filling in for Sister Alverna O'Laughlin, WAØSGJ, who was herself injured in an automobile accident earlier this year. Donations will help the Pranghofers to get a wheelchair-accessible van and also to make modifications to their home. Contributions go to Paul and Maureen Pranghofer Recover Fund, care of TCS Bank, 3330 W 66th St, Edina, MN 55435.--Kitty Hevener, WB8TDA

• Launch delayed: The launch of Mexico's UNAMSAT-B satellite has been delayed from late August until early September. The launch will still take place in Plesetsk, Russia. The launch team was expected to be in Mexico this past week, performing the vibration and thermocycle tests. Team members will then travel to Russia to integrate the satellite to the Cosmos rocket, which has a successful track record of nearly 600 launches. (See The ARRL Letter, Vol 15, No 7, for uplink/downlink details.)--AMSAT News Service

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.

Visit the ARRL Web page at http://www.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.

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