Volume 16, Number 9 (February 28, 1997)

Address Changes: Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO, e-mail kcapodicasa@arrl.org

Editorial: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, e-mail elindquist@arrl.org

IN THIS EDITION

AMSAT SCRAMBLING TO CLOSE FUNDING GAP, COMPLETE WORK

The AMSAT-NA Phase 3D fund-raising campaign is at minus $150,000 and counting--and that's assuming the launch goes off on schedule this summer. At the end of 1996, AMSAT-NA figured it needed another $200,000 to finish the project. The latest AMSAT-NA fund campaign has, so far, netted an additional $50,000, according to AMSAT-NA Executive Vice President Keith Baker, KB1SF. "Barring unforeseen problems from now until launch, and assuming the early July launch date holds, that puts us still short of funds by about $150,000," Baker said this week. "We're still not out of the woods yet, but we're getting close." But the AMSAT-NA shortfall is only part of the total Phase 3D funding picture. Baker also says that AMSAT-DL (Germany)--which, so far, has invested nearly $2 million in Phase 3D compared to nearly $1.4 million for AMSAT-NA--reports it still needs in the vicinity of $100,000 to complete its share of the Phase 3D effort.

Baker said AMSAT is on target to meet the July 8 or July 9 schedule, which is still the official European Space Agency launch date for the Ariane 502 rocket.

Baker said work on the satellite is moving along swiftly, and most of the remaining electronic modules, antennas and other pieces of the satellite are now at the Phase 3D Integration Lab in Orlando, Florida. "This week, a number of our Japanese and European builders will also be in Orlando, along with several of their American counterparts, to begin the 'final-final' installation and test of antennas as well as integration into the satellite and testing of RF and the remaining equipment modules," he said. "They'll roll up their shirtsleeves to get the work done." That phase of the job will continue through March. Environmental testing of the satellite is slated to begin in mid-April.

The schedule is a tight one, right up until launch time. AMSAT anticipates the satellite will be shipped to Kourou, French Guyana, sometime in early May for final checkout, followed by integration with the Ariane 5 rocket in mid to late June.

"Needless to say, it is a very busy (and exciting) time for all of us!" Baker said.

A series of pictures of Phase 3D work in progress is available via the AMSAT-NA Web site at http://www.amsat.org. Depending on its workload, the integration team hopes to be able to update these photos as work progresses.

SCHOOL CONTACTS ARE A "GO" IN THE WAKE OF MIR FIRE

A ham radio contact between ham-Astronaut Jerry Linenger, KC5HBR, aboard the Russian Mir space station, and pupils at an elementary school in Michigan went off on schedule February 27, unaffected by a fire aboard Mir a few days earlier. Linenger, a physician, reported no injuries and all crew members in good health following the incident on February 24. A problem with an oxygen-generating device on Mir set that off fire alarms and caused minor damage to some Mir hardware. The damage resulted from excessive heat rather than from open flame. The fire was in the Kvant 1 module.

The Mir fire was a popular topic as pupils at Charlevoix Elementary School in Michigan spoke with Linenger Thursday morning. A crowd of 320, including reporters from four television stations and three newspapers, was on hand as 15 Charlevoix pupils spent ten minutes talking with Mir. The operator was Craig Stewart, KB8KPV. Regarding onboard emergencies, Linenger told the pupils that there is a crew return vehicle on each end of Mir, if something goes wrong, and he assured the youngsters that everything is fine now. He also mentioned that he misses pretzels and now eats about 50% Russian and 50% American food. "The students were all very excited and really enjoyed their contact," said Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, AMSAT vice president for manned space flight. Three schools in Texas hope to have a chance to talk with Linenger over the next few weeks.

The fire last Monday burned for about 90 seconds. The crew was exposed to heavy smoke for five to seven minutes and donned masks in response. Medical personnel directed the crew to wear goggles and masks until an analysis of the Mir atmosphere could be completed.

Lithium perchlorate candles are burned to generate supplemental oxygen when more than three people are on board the space station. The oxygen-generating candles usually burn for up to 20 minutes. Russian officials believe the problem began when a crack in the oxygen generator's shell allowed the contents of the cartridge to leak into the hardware in which it was located. Crew members extinguished the fire with foam from three fire extinguishers.

The heat destroyed the hardware in which the candle was burning, as well as the panel covering the device. The crew also reported that the outer insulation layers on various cables were melted by the heat. Russian flight controllers say that all Mir systems continue to operate normally, however.

"It is unfortunate that this incident occurred, but we are thankful that there were no injuries," said Frank Culbertson, director of the Phase One Shuttle-Mir program. "Russian management and operations specialists have been very informative as to what happened, and we are working closely with them on evaluating the health of the crew and how best to respond to the damage," he added. "The crew did a great job handling the fire, and the ground support has been excellent on both sides."

Other schools hoping to speak with Linenger via ham radio include Perryton High School, Perryton, Texas, on March 4; United South High School, Laredo, Texas, on March 11; Booker T. Washington High School, Houston, Texas, on March 17. For a look at the Mir "ham shack," check out http://shuttle.nasa.gov/sts-81/images/Postflight/lores/81343014.JPG. (Can you find the ham rig in this picture?--Ed).

In addition to Linenger, the Mir crew members include Mir 22 cosmonauts Valery Korzun and Alexander Kaleri, Mir 23 cosmonauts Vasily Tsibliev and Alexander Lazutkin, and German researcher Reinhold Ewald, DL2MIR, representing the German space agency, DARA. Korzun, Kaleri and Ewald are scheduled to return to Earth on Sunday, March 2, wrapping up a six-month mission for Korzun and Kaleri and three weeks of scientific experiments for Ewald. Linenger will remain aboard Mir with Tsibliev and Lazutkin until mid-May.

Officials are evaluating possible impacts of the fire to the mission and its science activities, as technical experts at the Russian Mission Control Center investigate the incident. The burned panel and other materials may be returned to Earth with Korzun, Kaleri and Ewald on Sunday for further analysis.--NASA; Rosalie White, WA1STO; Frank Bauer, KA3EDO

AUCTION OF MARCONI MEMORABILIA CALLED OFF

The controversial Marconi auction is off! Under pressure from Marconi family members and others interested in preserving the Marconi heritage, GEC-Marconi has put on hold an auction of rare memorabilia from the collection of Guglielmo Marconi, the man usually credited with the invention of practical wireless. The items were scheduled to go on the auction block at Christie's South Kensington auction house in London during a two-day sale, April 24 and 25, 1997, but GEC-Marconi spokesman Alan Tull said this week that it's now "very unlikely" that will happen and that the company was negotiating to withdraw the collection from public sale altogether.

"It's quite a complex process," said Tull, who's GEC-Marconi's director of public relations. Tull said the current talks involve a third-party benefactor who has come forward with "a viable, businesslike proposal" to ensure long-term safekeeping of the collection. Tull said the "vast majority" of the collection consists of ephemera--mostly documents--and maintaining it involves "very big money" that GEC-Marconi was apparently unwilling to spend.

"We're a defense company, we're not in the museum business," he said.

The items scheduled to be sold have been in the GEC-Marconi Museum in Chelmsford, England. Tull said the current negotiations, which also involve the Science Museum of London and "certain interested parties," are going well. "We're working towards some kind of a solution so that we can retain the collection intact and in the UK," he said. GEC-Marconi wants "to do the right thing" to ensure public access as well as long-term safekeeping of the collection, he said. The collection's final location is still up in the air.

The sale was expected to bring in £1 million (approximately $1.6 million), which GEC-Marconi said was to help fund an endowment that would be used to train budding electronics teachers. GEC-Marconi was holding the sale as part of its Marconi centenary celebration.

Ray Minichiello, W1BC--the founding chairman of the Guglielmo Marconi Foundation USA Inc in Bedford, New Hampshire, was overjoyed about the turn of events. "This is good news, really!" he said. Minichiello's father was a friend of Marconi's, and Minichiello himself had met the famous inventor. Marconi died of a heart attack in 1937 at age 63.

British press reports show that Marconi's daughter, the Princess Elettra Marconi-Giovanelli (with support from her son and Marconi namesake, Guglielmo Giovanelli-Marconi) exerted her influence to get GEC-Marconi Chairman Geoffrey Pattie--a Member of Parliament--to rethink the sale. In a letter published February 10 in The London Times, Elettra Marconi said she was "appalled" to learn of the pending sale. "At all costs, these archives should remain in the UK and preferably in the town of Chelmsford, where the work of my father began," she wrote. A news report in the same edition by Science Editor Nigel Hawkes outlined the effort to keep the collection intact and in England. Earlier in February, the Princess also had faxed Pattie directly on the matter, expressing hope that GEC-Marconi's board would reconsider its plans. "These items are part of English heritage," she said, adding that it "would be shameful for these items to be sold overseas." Elettra Marconi called it "most hurtful" that one of the planned sale dates, April 25, coincided with the anniversary of Marconi's birth. Minichiello said Elettra Marconi even "took to the airwaves" of the BBC to make her case.

According to Christie's auction brochure, the collection "comprises an important cross section of early equipment and experiments" as well as "important technical, business and personal papers." Among the individual items is Marconi's 1896 first patent for "Improvements in Wireless Telegraphy" (estimated to be worth $1600 to $2400). The collection also includes some of the earliest recorded wireless messages, including the first use of wireless to report on a sporting event--the Kingstown Regatta in Dublin, Ireland, in 1898 (estimated value, $4700 to $7900).

A number of early tubes ("valves") developed by John Ambrose Fleming also are in the collection, as is Fleming's November 1904 letter to Marconi in which he reports the invention of the "valve" for the first time, and declares, "I have not mentioned this to anyone as it may become very useful." Christie's estimated one such "valve" to be worth up to $13,000.

Other items include a circa-1900 Marconi coherer receiver (valued at between $23,600 and $31,500) and an early microphone featuring a mouthpiece fashioned from a cigar box, worth up to $12,600.

The Guglielmo Marconi Foundation USA Inc plans to open the US National Marconi Museum in Bedford, New Hampshire, this summer. Minichiello said the museum "hopes to borrow" some of the Marconi memorabilia, although he said he did not anticipate having the chance to display any of "the most priceless items" from the collection.

CANADIAN FLAP ERUPTS OVER LITTLE LEO INVITATION

Radio Amateurs of Canada is warning hams north of the border not to be taken in by what it believes might be a "divide and conquer strategy" by the Little LEO industry. On February 22, RAC issued an advisory to all clubs stating that "representatives of large telecom corporations" were approaching Amateur Radio clubs to explain how it would be feasible for the Little LEO and hams to share spectrum in the 146, 220 and 440 MHz bands. The low-earth-orbiting (LEO) satellites would provide data services.

But the Canadian ham club that's at the focus of the flap says RAC has it all wrong. The Kitchener-Waterloo (Ontario) Amateur Radio Club (KWARC) said it extended the invitation to a representative of ORBCOMM Canada to speak at its April 7 meeting on how its current LEO satellites already share public safety and commercial frequencies. Via its Web page (http://www.kwarc.on.ca/), the club defended its invitation to ORBCOMM Canada as an open-minded effort to get all the facts. "I am one of the strongest supporters of the RAC, however at this moment in time I am very disappointed at this latest misguided attack on KWARC," said Paul Cassel, VE3SY, in an editor's note. "I continue to oppose any sharing of our 2 meter or 70 cm spectrum. However, I do support an open dialogue be undertaken by the LEO Industry and the Amateur community to discuss joint experimental sharing at 220 MHz. I feel this band best suits the interests of the Amateur Community to experiment with spread spectrum sharing and should meet the needs of the LEO applicants."

In its advisory--signed by RAC President Farrell Hopwood, VE7RD--RAC suggests that a club's "hospitality and broadminded reception" of industry speakers could be turned against hams. RAC says that after briefing clubs like KWARC, the Little LEO industry could approach government claiming it consulted with hams across the country who "greeted them warmly and did not disagree with their ideas."

Citing mutual interference and the future erosion of ham radio's presence in the face of commercial encroachment, RAC said it is "absolutely opposed" to any loss of spectrum and to sharing with the Little LEO satellites. "The eventual loss of our VHF and UHF bands would seriously jeopardize the future of Amateur Radio," RAC declared.

RAC said it would do everything it can to "dissuade government and industry from forcing us to share our bands for what we believe is an ill-conceived program, fraught with problems for amateurs and the public." RAC has posted its position on its Web page at http://www.rac.ca.

CANADIAN EFFORT TO DELEGATE HAM RADIO ADMINISTRATION STALLS

An effort to delegate the administration of the Amateur Radio service in Canada to a nongovernmental service company has stalled at the eleventh hour. The arm's-length organization affiliated with Radio Amateurs of Canada and known in English and French as Amateur Radio Administrative Services/Services Administratifs Radio Amateurs (ARAS-SARA) has been incorporated as a not-for-profit company under Canadian law and has financial help from Industry Canada, that country's FCC. Its stated purpose is "to provide spectrum management administrative services to all individuals who wish to operate an Amateur Radio Station in Canada." The project calls for ARAS-SARA to assume some ham radio administrative responsibilities for that country's 47,000 radio amateurs--going beyond what the highly successful volunteer examination program does with ham radio examinations here in the US. One of the reasons behind RAC's recent move to Ottawa, ARAS-SARA was considered to have been on the verge of approval and was expected to be implemented on a limited basis later this year.

"February 18th was truly Black Tuesday," said an RAC bulletin reporting that senior Industry Canada officials "abruptly shelved the program for the delegation of the administration of the Amateur Radio Service on the eve of final approval of the project." The major stumbling block seems to have been the lack of a decision on money. Industry Canada's Jan Skora--director general of the Radiocommunications and Broadcasting Regulatory Branch--advised RAC President Farrell Hopwood,VE7RD, that his department had decided not to commit to long-term funding of ARAS-SARA at present, because it was too risky.

As RAC interprets the issue, lacking approval of a mechanism permitting the ARAS-SARA to keep a portion of the license fees it would collect, Industry Canada was skittish about going forward with the program. A decision on that issue is expected later this year. The approval would be needed so ARAS-SARA eventually could be completely self-supporting

"Contrary to its previous position, Industry Canada apparently has decided that until it has that decision, it is now unwilling to provide support in next fiscal year for the first phase of the project, which is the startup and test of the new service concept," the RAC lamented.

RAC says it plans to pull back financially from the project but will continue to monitor the situation. "The ball was clearly in Industry Canada's court to finalize the funding and secure Government approval," said RAC Vice President, Government Affairs and working group cochairman Jim Dean, VE3IQ. "This eleventh hour decision very significantly jeopardizes the project."

A full report will be included in an upcoming issue of The Canadian Amateur.

SOLAR SAME OL' SAME OL'

Solar seer Tad Cook, KT7H, Seattle, Washington, reports: This was one more uneventful week, still at the bottom of the solar cycle. February 21 and 26 had some geomagnetic activity, but otherwise all was quiet. On most days, the sunspot number was 0, and on every day the solar flux was less than the average for the previous 90 days.

For the ARRL International DX SSB Contest this weekend, don't expect any big change. Solar flux should continue in the low 70s, and we should not see any unsettled or stormy geomagnetic conditions until March 7-10 and again around March 16. Based on the previous solar rotation, the solar flux could go to the high 70s toward the middle of March. Twenty meters should remain the best band for worldwide propagation during daylight, followed by 40 meters after dark.

Sunspot numbers for February 20 through 26 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 11, 12 and 0, respectively, with a mean of 3.3. The 10.7-cm flux was 72.6, 73.2, 73.5, 74.6, 74.6, 74.1 and 74, respectively, with a mean of 73.8. Estimated planetary A indices for the same period were 4, 10, 6, 9, 8, 5, and 13, respectively, with a mean of 7.9.

In Brief:

  • This weekend on the radio: ARRL International DX Contest, SSB (see Dec QST, p 104).

  • FCC makes call signs available again: The FCC is making available six amateur station call signs to vanity applicants who file applications on or after March 27, 1997. The call signs are W0AW, W3RO, W4CC, W4ART, W7MT and K7JW. These call signs will be available because they were surrendered by or taken back from licensees who were not eligible to hold them. For more information, call the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau's Consumer Assistance Branch, 800-322-1117.--FCC

  • Astronaut makes terrestrial DXpedition: Ham-astronaut Chuck Brady, N4BQW, will be on the air from Midway Island (KH4) and from Kure Island (KH7) 40 miles away, February 27 until March 6. He's on the Pacific island for the closing of the Naval Station there. While in the Pacific, Brady hopes to operate HF (including some RTTY) and 2-meter FM. Look for him on or around 14.195 MHz SSB.--Matt Bordelon, KC5BTL

  • New Mir ham radio Web site: To provide information on SAFEX, the Space Amateur Funk EXperiment aboard the Russian space station Mir, the DLR Amateur Radio Group DF0VR at Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, has installed a new Web site at http://www.op.dlr.de/~df0vr/home.htm.--Rudolf Appel, AMSAT-DL

  • New Premier marketing director: Ken Collier, KO6UX, is the new marketing director for Premier Communications, which distributes ADI products. Collier has written for QST, most recently "Highway to Help" in the FM column.

  • SC Section Web site: A new Web site for the ARRL South Carolina Section is now operational, thanks to Dave Crockett, WB4DFW, who's Clemson University's webmaster. It's at http://wb4dfw.clemson.edu/public/qst.html. The page contains information on nets, operating aids, links to several sites, and a listserver. Steve Szymanski, KQ4OU, the section bulletin manager, will distribute W1AW bulletins and The ARRL Letter via the listserver. Subscribe by sending e-mail to listserver@pubaff.clemson.edu. No subject is necessary. On the first line of text type: subscribe arrl-sc {first name} {last name} {call sign--optional}. Subscribers should receive an acknowledgment by return e-mail in about five minutes.--Dave Berry, KE4W, SC SM

  • WAAS Award: The Worked All Analog Satellites Award is available to those who have worked through particular analog spacecraft between January 1 and July 1, 1997. Submit all claims by December, 30, 1997. The application fee is $3. QSL cards are necessary for proof. There are two classes. The Class II award is for contacts through AO-10, AO-27, RS-10, RS-15, FO-20, FO-29, and Mir (presumably SAFEX). The Class I award adds RS-12, for a total of eight satellites. For more information, contact award manager Josef Maier, OE3JIS, Box 116, A-1172, Vienna, Austria.--AMSAT News Service

  • Northern California Emergency Response Institute: The Northern California Emergency Response Institute will be held May 17-18, 1997, at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District's Energy and Technology Center in Sacramento, California. Classes will include a debriefing on the recent Northern California flooding, a discussion on the many uses of technology in Emergency Services operations, using the Internet in Disaster Operations, Training the Trainer, working more efficiently with governmental agencies, and more. To register: Visit the ERI '97 Home Page at http://www.garlic.com/oes/eri/eri97.htm; send e-mail to larton@garlic.com to request a registration information packet; or write ERI '97, Box 301, Fair Oaks, CA 95628. The fee is $20, payable to ERI '97. Questions? Contact Institute Director Dave Larton, N6JQJ, tel 408-778-7265; fax 408-778-3101; e-mail larton@garlic.com.

The ARRL Letter

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.

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.

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