• FCC slogs through vanity applications
• OSCAR 13 could re-enter today
• Third-party Mir QSOs with KC5TZQ approved
• Phase 3D passes power-on tests
• Solar roller coaster
• FCC call sign update
• SETI League and AMSAT join forces
• In Brief: W1AW schedule change reminder; DC section in 10-meter contest; Christmas call sign; New ATV altitude record set; ScoutRadio has moved; RAC move completed

As FCC personnel in Gettysburg work their way through the vanity applications that arrived after the September 23 opening day for Gate 2, a few more new call signs have begun to show up on the airwaves. As of this week, vanity applications received through October 15 had been processed and another 1200 or so new call signs issued. The FCC is still working through several hundred applications set aside in the WIPS ("works in process") stack for special handling, although Gettysburg reports WIPS have been processed for applications received up through September 27. WIPS includes applications containing inconsistencies as well as those for which the FCC was unable to issue any of the applicants' choices. An FCC spokesman in Gettysburg said he didn't know how long it would take to process the current WIPS stack.

The FCC received another 955 vanity applications between November 8 and November 25. It appears that more vanity applicants now file electronically than on paper.

Club station trustees who recently received a new call sign might have noticed that FCC records for their club stations are not automatically updated to reflect the change in the trustee's call sign. This will not happen until the club files a form 610 for change of address or renewal (within 90 days of club license expiration). The FCC does not intend to replace club station license documents that show a non-current trustee call sign.

It's very likely that OSCAR 13 has already burned up in the Earth's atmosphere, but James Miller, G3RUH, reports he has not received confirmation to that effect from NORAD or other sources. On Tuesday, NORAD placed AO-13 on its "re-entry imminent, track closely" list. But Miller said today that his projections indicated the satellite, which stopped functioning about a week ago, should have re-entered the atmosphere over the US on Thursday, December 5, at approximately 0858 UTC. Stay tuned!

The FCC has honored the ARRL's request to permit third-party communication with John Blaha, KC5TZQ, aboard the Russian Mir space station. Until recently, only US-licensed Amateur Radio operators could talk to Blaha via ham radio. The FCC ruling now extends that privilege to students as well as Blaha's family and friends. With this approval in place, the SAREX Working Group and MIREX (the group that has scheduled Mir school QSOs for the past few years) will begin plans to schedule school QSOs with Blaha--an effort that will gain in significance as the shuttle program transitions to the International Space Station, and as ham radio is manifested on fewer US shuttle missions. The FCC permits a US-licensed control operator (who must be present during the QSO) to allow unlicensed students or friends to talk to Blaha. The grant does not include conversations with other Mir crew members, where standard third-party traffic rules apply.

Schools wishing to get an application for QSOs with ham/astronauts aboard Mir should send an SASE to the Educational Activities Department, ARRL, 225 Main, Newington CT 06111.

Mir crews make random voice QSOs during their off-hours. Anyone contacting the Mir crew should refrain from asking to schedule QSOs, however, as they do not have a long-term calendar. Incidentally, the 2-meter Mir FM frequencies have changed from 145.55 MHz simplex, to a combination of 145.800 MHz simplex packet and 145.200 MHz downlink/145.800 MHz uplink for FM voice. The change was due to a recommendation from IARU Region 1 (Europe), and was not the crew's idea. The frequency change has caused some problems in Region 2 (North America, where the recommendation would not apply anyway) and resulted in some interference between those attempting to contact Mir and repeater and APRS users on that part of the band.

As this report was filed, it was reported that the Mir ham radio antenna was damaged during the recent space walk, putting the ham station off the air. The antenna system is expected to be repaired this weekend. --Rosalie White, WA1STO

Phase 3D passed its first power-on testing in mid-November. The prototype integrated housekeeping unit (IHU) was installed in the spaceframe and attached to the wiring harness and powered by two bench supplies. The team used a series of tests to check out the G3RUH modem and the ground test umbilical cable, which connects the spacecraft to the control computer. The test simulated the data path that ground stations will use to communicate with Phase 3D when it is in orbit.

Phase 3D integration manager Lou McFadin, W5DID, called the tests "an extremely important milestone in the Phase 3D integration process." McFadin said that all of the flight electronic modules will be hooked up to the spacecraft's wiring harness over the next couple of months. Next on the testing roster are the battery charge regulators--the first European-made modules to be "brought to life." The P3D spacecraft has three BCRs, as compared to one in phase 3C (OSCAR-13).

QST will publish a multi-part series on Phase 3D starting with an article in the January issue. --AMSAT News Service

Sun watcher Tad Cook, KT7H, in Seattle, Washington, reports: Solar activity surely declined this week compared to last. The past couple of days have had a sunspot number of zero, the average sunspot number declined over 38 points, and the average solar flux dropped over 11 points when compared to the previous week, when solar activity took an unexpected leap to levels not observed in more than two years. We have not seen solar flux at 100 since September 3, 1994, and when it reached 104.4 on November 25, the solar flux had not been that high since February 24, 1994. As solar region 7999 crosses over the Sun's west limb, solar flux is declining to the values of a few weeks ago, and is expected to remain around 70 or lower until after the middle of the month. Unless something new materializes and creeps around the Sun's east limb to surprise us, after December 16 the flux should rise to a high around 94 and then drop back below 90 around December 29.

Geomagnetic activity is projected to stay fairly quiet, with some moderately unstable conditions projected around December 17, with an A index around 12. The Boulder A index is currently very low at 1, and the K index--as this is written--is 0. The A index is expected to bump around between 8 and 10 for most of the period from December 8 to 24.

KL1V of Valdez, Alaska, wrote to say that on November 23 from 1926 to 2109 UTC and again on the November 25 from 1954 to 2321 UTC 15 meters was open to the Pacific, South American and the southern US--unlike any conditions he had experienced since about two years ago. Signals were booming in on 15 meters at well over S9. He hopes that it is a sign of good things to come. I hope so too, but, in fact, the recent surprising activity was probably a last blast from the previous solar cycle, since it came from low latitudes, which don't usually show much activity until later in a new cycle.

Sunspot numbers for November 21 through 27 were 26, 27, 73, 54, 89, 85 and 63, respectively, with a mean of 59.6. The 10.7-cm flux was 74.4, 82.6, 91, 99.8, 104.4, 103.6 and 102.7, respectively, with a mean of 94.1. The planetary A indices for the same period were 5, 3, 3, 8, 4, 4 and 8, respectively, with a mean of 5.

Sunspot numbers for November 28 through December 4 were 37, 34, 33, 34, 11, 0 and 0, respectively, with a mean of 21.3. The 10.7 cm flux was 98.1, 91, 87.5, 83.1, 78, 72.8 and 70.7, respectively, with a mean of 83. The Planetary A indices for the same period were 5, 4, 2, 2, 8, 5 and 7, respectively, with a mean of 4.7.

Readers who wish to contact the author of this bulletin can reach him via e-mail at tad@ssc.com.

The following is a list of the FCC's most recently issued call signs as of December 2, 1996.

Notes:

# New prefixes are available for this block, but none have been issued.

++ All call signs in this group have been issued in this area.

The SETI League Inc reports that AMSAT has approved its request for the two organizations to affiliate. Each of the nonprofit educational and scientific organizations will become a member of the other, according to a plan endorsed by the SETI League board. The SETI League is involved in coordinating a privately funded search for extraterrestrial intelligence. "The benefit will initially be mostly ours," conceded SETI League Executive Director H. Paul Schuch, N6TX, in making the announcement. AMSAT has some 7000 members compared to the SETI League's 400. Schuch expressed hopes that his organization can make technical contributions in the area of microwave communication, to further AMSAT's mission.

AMSAT Executive Vice President Keith Baker, KB1SF, said AMSAT and the SETI League "have a common purpose involving the world's radio amateurs in exploration, research and development." --The SETI League

• W1AW schedule change reminder: Effective January 1, 1997, W1AW will discontinue its Tuesday and Wednesday morning code practice and bulletin schedules. Beginning January 1, 1997, the Tuesday and Wednesday schedule will begin at 2100 UTC. This change affects the Tuesday and Wednesday morning schedules only and is being initiated as part of a reallocation of resources for routine station maintenance. (The W1AW schedule will appear in January 1997 QST on page 104.)

• DC Section in 10-meter contest: Thanks to the hospitality of the Voice of America Amateur Radio Club, K3IXD, KD4QVT, N3NT, W3GHR and WB3ECU will activate K3VOA for the rare DC section multiplier in the ARRL 10-meter contest the weekend of December 14 and 15. Activity will be on both CW and SSB. QSL to K3IXD, 14020 Celbridge Ct, Glenwood, MD 21738, and include an SASE. --Ed Steeble, K3IXD

• Christmas call sign: WX3MAS will be active as a special event station December 14 and 15 from the Bethlehem-Nazareth, Pennsylvania, area. The call sign, obtained during the vanity program by the Delaware-Lehigh Amateur Radio Club (under the name of the Christmas City Amateur Radio Club), first was used as a special event call (under an STA) during the 1969 Christmas season (see QST, May 1970). "With the two towns of Bethlehem and Nazareth close to us and both in our area, we have operated a special event station for at least 30 years now," reports DLARC member Clarence Snyder, W3PYF. Operation will be on SSB in the General-class portions of 75, 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters. Details are in December QST, page 94. --Clarence Snyder, W3PYF

• New ATV altitude record set: Tom O'Hara, W6ORG, reports: It looks like Mike Henkowski, KC6CCC, owns the ATV altitude record after a rocket launch Saturday, November 23, at Black Rock, Nevada. His 2417-MHz ATV signal gave a view of the Earth all the way up to 53 miles--almost 280,000 feet--before dropping back to hit the dry lake bed floor. The video package survived the impact and helped him home in on the signal as the package lay at the crash site, seven miles from the launch site. The transmitter consisted of a FM ATV exciter--originally designed by Mike at his company, Microtek, for Part 15 license-free use--driving a homebrew 1-W amplifier.

• ScoutRadio has moved: The ScoutRadio Web site has moved to http://www.ocbsa.org/units/pacifica/troop319/ham.htm and has been completely redesigned. For more information, contact Mel Goldberg, KO6TF, e-mail scoutradio@scout.net.

• RAC move completed: Radio Amateurs of/du Canada has completed its relocation to new administrative offices in Ottawa, and its new address and phone numbers are effective immediately. Radio Amateurs of/du Canada Administrative Office, 720 Belfast Rd, Suite 217, Ottawa, ON K1G 0Z5, tel 613-244-4367; fax 613-244-4369; e-mail rachq@rac.ca.

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, N1RL, e-mail elindquist@arrl.org.

Visit the ARRLWeb 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.

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.