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

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

• KB5UAC set for spacewalk
• Mir ham operations shift to 70 cm
• Phase 3D work continues
• FCC levies fines
• Beach ball bunny
• USAF marks 50 years with on-air events
• FCC sequential call sign update
• Solar update
• John R. Shirley, ZL2AM, SK
• Joseph D. "Don" Moulton, W2QUF, SK
• In Brief: This weekend on the radio; Gate 3 grants soon; Welcome aboard! Videos sought for ARRL library; Amateur Extra class certificate discontinued; Microwave Update '97; W1AW to be on the air from Hamcon '97; CIA on the air; AM from Gaithersburg; CCA QSO Party marks Collins birthday; AMSAT-NA Annual Meeting, Symposium set; DXCC processing status; Interior Alaska Hamfest

Following a practice session indoors earlier this week aboard the Mir space station, US astronaut Michael Foale, KB5UAC, and his Russian cosmonaut crewmate, Anatoly Solovyov, are set to do the real thing--a nearly six-hour spacewalk--early Saturday Moscow time. NASA approval for Foale's participation in the spacewalk came yesterday at the eleventh hour. Foale and Solovyov will spend several hours outside Mir looking for holes in the Spektr module, damaged June 25 by a collision with an unmanned supply rocket. The two first will assemble handrails on the Spektr module that will provide a handhold during the spacewalk. They'll also install a back-up carbon dioxide removal system.

Despite his busy schedule and the onboard power limitations, Foale has remained active on Amateur Radio, primarily using 145.985 MHz simplex while the spacecraft is over North America. An experiment begins Saturday, September 6, to move both voice and packet operations to 70 cm for three weeks (see related story, Mir Ham Operations QSY to 70 cm, below). Foale recently told MIREX's Miles Mann, WF1F, that due to his heavy workload, he may not be able to reply to everyone's packet mail but will do his best. Mann reports that Foale told him this week he did not expect to have time to be on the air again until Sunday.

Over the past few weeks, the crew has taken small but significant steps to improve conditions aboard Mir, and especially to restore power to the space station. The crew already has reconnected most of the solar panels attached to the damaged Spektr module, upping the station to an approximately 70% power level. But the crew has been unable to determine why the motors that aim the Spektr's solar panels are not working. Foale and Solovyov will position the panels manually during their spacewalk, if the crew is unable to get the motors working before then.

Repair work to the station has been estimated at $2.5 million.

Starting on or about Saturday, September 6, and continuing no later than September 29, ham radio voice and packet operations aboard the Russian Mir spacecraft will shift from 2 meters to 70 cm. An "experimental" worldwide FM simplex frequency of 437.650 MHz will temporarily replace the current 2-meter operating frequencies. Operations will return to 2 meters after the experiment ends. In the meantime, the shift could make it a bit more difficult to work Mir. For starters, power requirements will be higher than on 2 meters -- 25 W ERP or greater -- although contacts using an H-T are not out of the question. Also, some transceivers do not cover the satellite subband (435 to 438 MHz).

The Mir International Amateur Radio EXperiment (MIREX) is conducting the 70 cm test based on suggestions from several Amateur Radio satellite groups who are interested in the feasibility of operating Mir and the International Space Station on 70 cm. MIREX hopes the experiment will determine whether the 70-cm frequency receives interference from the existing commercial VHF equipment on Mir and whether 70-cm operation will interfere with onboard equipment.

More important for simple ground stations, however, is whether they'll be able to compensate for 70-cm Doppler shift on voice or packet. MIREX President Dave Larsen, N6CO, concedes that Doppler will be the biggest challenge for earthbound hams trying to work Mir on 70 cm. The Doppler on 70 cm is plus or minus 10 kHz. Most radios include 5-kHz tuning steps, and to work Mir on voice you will need to get within 3 kHz of the Mir receiver frequency. To work Mir on packet, the frequency error must be less than 2 kHz.

Miles Mann, WF1F, of MIREX reports he talked to Mike Foale, KB5UAC, aboard Mir on 70 cm on Thursday, September 4. Mann was mobile at the time, running 35 W. He reports very good signal quality during the 10-minute pass, which was at close to 60 degrees. Mann said he compensated for Doppler by programming odd-split channels in advance. He reminds users that both the transmit and receive frequencies must change, if you program channels in advance.

Larsen said this week that if the experiment does not work out, "it will be cut short." He said he hopes a filter that could be sent to Mir as early as October will minimize desensing of the 2-meter transceiver by Mir's commercial equipment on 143 MHz.

The Mir Personal Message System (PMS) currently consists of a Paccom Handi packet terminal node controller (TNC) connected to a Kenwood TM-733 2m/70cm transceiver. The antenna is an externally-mounted dual-band antenna, similar to a mobile antenna.

To comment on the experiment or for more information, contact Dave Larsen, N6CO, doc@volcano.net or Miles Mann, WF1F, Miles_Mann@Pictel.com.

Despite scheduling setbacks, an international team of Phase 3D project workers continues final mechanical and electronic integration efforts on the satellite. Teams from Germany, Belgium, Slovenia, Hungary, Japan and the Czech Republic joined their American counterparts August 18 at the Phase 3D Integration Laboratory in Orlando, Florida in an all-out marathon to prepare the satellite as quickly as possible for a safe and successful launch.

"We are happy to join our American partners in this effort," said AMSAT-DL (Germany) Vice President Werner Haas, DJ5KQ. "The cooperation has, once again been excellent between our two groups."

Even before the arrival of the European contingent, workers at the Integration Lab were racing to make needed structural modifications to the satellite. The modifications became a requirement once it became known that Phase 3D would, during its planned Ariane 502 launch, most likely would encounter greater-than-anticipated environmental loads.

AMSAT-NA Executive Vice President Keith Baker, KB1SF, reports from Orlando that these significant mechanical upgrade efforts are proceeding. "The folks here at the Lab have been burning the midnight oil over the past several weeks to make these structural changes on a work schedule where 16 to 18 hour work days have been the norm, rather than the exception", Keith said. He went on the note that, "These people have done an absolutely superb job under some extremely difficult circumstances. We all owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude for their outstanding work."

Over the past week, these round-the-clock efforts continued with the combined team's current activities installing and checking out a significant number of the remaining electronic and mechanical pieces into the satellite. The effort included installation and checkout of the spacecraft's momentum wheels, the RUDAK digital experiment, the 2.4 GHz and 24 GHz transmitters as well as a number of other transmitters, receivers and other equipment. In some cases, the team needed to reinstall equipment that had to be removed to accommodate the structural modifications. --AMSAT News Service

The FCC has fined Robert J. Powers, KB7TQA, of Puyallup, Washington, $1600 for operating on an unlicensed frequency. The action by the Compliance and Information Bureau was adopted by the Commission August 19. The fine stemmed from a violation that occurred a few months before Powers got his Technician ticket in April of 1993.

According to the FCC order, FCC agents from the Seattle Field Office discovered Powers on January 26, 1993, operating a radio station on 27.455 MHz "without authorization from the Commission." He was cited for violating Section 301 of the Communications Act. Agents used direction-finding equipment to trace the signal to Powers residence, and the FCC reports that Powers admitted to operating on the unlicensed frequency. Powers initially was fined $2000. The FCC subsequently reduced the forfeiture to $1600. Powers was ordered to pay the fine by September 22, 1997.

The FCC also cited Victor Pessaro of Melbourne, Florida, for CB radio service violations that occurred in early 1994. Following up on interference complaints, FCC agents tracked down Pessaro as he was operating on frequencies other than those authorized by FCC rules. In addition, Pessaro refused the FCC agents request to inspect his station. Consequently, the Vero Beach Field Office issued a Notice of Apparent Liability to Pessaro for $5750 for operating over the regulated power limits in the CB radio service and for failing to allow an inspection. The forfeiture was later reduced to $750, and the FCC upheld the fine in an order released August 22. Pessaro has until September 22, 1997, to pay his fine. --FCC

In a strange twist on deliberate QRM, an Indiana ham radio fox hunter last month discovered a transmitter hidden inside a beach ball floating in the Elkhart River. The transmitter was on the frequency of a local repeater. Hours before making the find on August 11, Pete Ostapchuk, N9SFX, of Osceola, Indiana, had won first prize in a fox hunting contest involving fellow hams, according to a report August 12 in The Elkhart Truth newspaper.

The paper said local authorities were investigating the incident, the latest in a string of occurrences where devices were deployed to jam ham radio frequencies in the area. Another beach ball containing a transmitter had been found earlier in the same week. Four disruptive transmitters were found during February and March.

Ostapchuk heads the interference committee of the Elkhart County Radio Association. He told the paper that he'd found several of the devices himself using DF equipment. --thanks to Dan Caesar, K9EUV

The United States Air Force, formed by the National Security Act of 1947, celebrates its 50th anniversary on September 17, 1997. A QSO party in honor of the occasion is set for September 20-21. This event will be managed by the Razorback Radio Club of Honolulu, Hawaii. For details, see September QST, page 105, ARRLWeb's September Contest Calendar or contact Bernie Skoch, K5XS, e-mail 75376.12@compuserve.com.

The Peninsula Amateur Radio Club (PARC) will operate special event station W4MT from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia on September 6, from 1300 to 2100 UTC, in honor of the USAF's 50th anniversary. PARC will operate SSB and CW on portions of 10 meters (28000 to 28600 kHz), 15 meters (21050 to 21149; 21300 to 21400 kHz) and 20 meters (14115 to 14150 kHz; 14235 to 14340). W4MT also will operate 2 meters on 144.630 MHz. QSL to Rene B. Valladares, KE4WMG, 178 Goodwin Neck Rd, Yorktown, VA 23692.

The following is a list of FCC sequentially assigned call signs issued as of September 4, 1997.

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

Solar oracle Tad Cook, K7VVV, reports from Seattle, Washington: Solar activity continues another week of good conditions with heightened sunspot numbers and solar flux. There are a number of good indicators, and one is that the average solar flux for the previous 90 days rose two points this week to 75, while the solar flux on every day this week was high above this average.

Solar flux above the moving average indicates a positive trend, and this has been the case for a month now. The last day that the solar flux was below the 90-day average was back on August 4, so this is a good indication that cycle 23 may finally be under way.

Along with the increased solar activity came geomagnetic instability caused by coronal mass ejections. The planetary A index has been 19 for the past two days, and was also in the teens at the end of August. Look for possible instability again around September 24 and 25.

Based on the previous solar rotation, solar flux may dip below 80 after September 10, then above 80 ten days later, and above 90 after September 25. Over Friday, Saturday and Sunday this week it is expected to be around 93, 90 and then 85.

An August 28 Reuters wire service report detailed some findings from the Michelson Doppler Imager, which is aboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, watching the Sun from almost one million miles from Earth. The article mentioned complex patterns of currents below the Sun's surface that produce sunspots when they contact plasma. These streams can rub against each other, and the opposing forces shoot out material in the form of solar flares.

In other news, NASA launched the new Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) solar observatory, which is on a five-year mission to study solar flares and provide earlier warning of solar storms. It will monitor particles streaming from the Sun, and scientists hope to be able to predict geomagnetic storms an hour earlier than at present.

Sunspot numbers for August 14 through 20 were 49, 60, 33, 23, 11, 11 and 11 with a mean of 28.3. The 10.7-cm flux was 79.5, 77.7, 77.9, 75.6, 75.8, 74.4 and 74.6, with a mean of 76.5, and estimated planetary A indices were 17, 8, 9, 9, 6, 5, and 5, with a mean of 8.4.

Sunspot numbers for August 21 through 27 were 11, 11, 11, 0, 32, 30 and 33 with a mean of 18.3. The 10.7-cm flux was 74.6, 75.5, 76.5, 77.7, 82, 83.8 and 81.9, with a mean of 78.9, and estimated planetary A indices were 9, 7, 4, 6, 4, 3, and 5, with a mean of 5.4.

Sunspot numbers for August 28 through September 3 were 61, 67, 69, 80, 90, 67 and 55 with a mean of 69.9. The 10.7-cm flux was 90.5, 91.5, 92, 96.4, 93.4, 91.7 and 93.1, with a mean of 92.7, and estimated planetary A indices were 16, 15, 11, 4, 4, 5, and 19, with a mean of 10.6.

Veteran ham and well-known military researcher and advisor John Shirley, ZL2AM, died July 20, 1997. He was in his early 80s. Shirley was awarded the Order of the British Empire in the 1950s for his success with tactical communications in Malaya. After retiring from the British Army as a Lt Colonel, he joined a US management consultant firm (Booz Allen) and was appointed to US Air Technical Intelligence at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Later, he was moved to an operations research group working on Polaris submarine communications and received a letter of commendation from President Kennedy for this work. He also advised the military during the Vietnam War, prior to retiring in 1970. Shirley had been a ham since 1931 and once worked as a shipboard wireless operator. --Irv Klepper, W3HGD

Veteran amateur Don Moulton, W2QUF, of Denville, New Jersey, died September 1, 1997. He was 97. According to Glen Johnson, WB2MPK, Don went to work for Thomas Edison in 1922 and continued working for the Edison company until 1955. He had been a ham for most of his life and remained active on the air until his death. --Glen Johnson, WB2MPK

• This weekend on the radio: The All-Asian DX Phone, LZ DX and Radio Club Panama 26th Anniversary Contests, the North American CW Sprint, and the 10th Annual Straight Key Week should keep you busy.

• Gate 3 grants soon: As more than a thousand vanity call sign applicants wait anxiously, the FCC in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, continues doing some housekeeping in preparation for processing Gate 3 August 6 vanity receipts. An FCC spokesperson says personnel are very carefully matching up fees paid with applications filed to ensure that any call sign request that can be granted, will be granted. In particular, the FCC wants to be sure that no fees for electronic filers go astray. The fee-handling procedure initiated with Gate 3 is a change from how fees were handled under earlier vanity gates.

• Welcome aboard! Joe Bottiglieri, AA1GW, is the League's new Technical Information Service (TIS) Coordinator. He takes over that position from Mike Tracy, KC1SX, who's now the ARRL Lab Test Engineer. If you call HQ for an answer to a technical or equipment problem, Joe's your main man. He comes to HQ from the ham radio retail business (he worked for several years at Lentini Communications in Newington). A retread ham, Joe previously was licensed years ago as WN1RHJ and WA1ZXE. He's been back on the air since 1991 (first as N1NUV) and now holds an Extra class ticket. Joe enjoys HF and satellite operating, as well as 2-meter FM.

• Videos sought for ARRL library: ARRL Educational Activities Department is looking for videos produced by clubs and individuals for programs to include in our audio-visual library. We'll consider any ham radio subject. Examples could be technical talks on such topics as tower or grounding safety, fun club activities such as a left foot CW sending contest, or interesting educational talks such as how to become a Skywarn watcher. The ARRL video library makes programs available to clubs and individuals at nominal cost to cover program expenses. Please submit tapes with your name, call sign, address and daytime phone to Dan Miller, K3UFG, ARRL EAD, 225 Main St, Newington CT 06111; e-mail dmiller@arrl.org. For more information on our video Library, see http://www.arrl.org/ead/videos.html#tapes. --Dan Miller, K3UFG

• Amateur Extra class certificate discontinued: The Amateur Extra class certificate that has been available through the ARRL Awards Branch has been discontinued. However, some stock remains, and applications will be accepted while blank certificates last. Send a copy of your Amateur Extra license and a check for $5 to ARRL Awards, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. --Chuck Hutchinson, K8CH

• Microwave Update '97: Microwave Update 1997 will be held October 23-26, 1997, at the Holiday Inn Conference Center, Sandusky, Ohio, on the shore of Lake Erie. The conference is hosted by Tom Whitted, WA8WZG. Thursday events include a tour of A.R.E. Surplus, Fair Radio, and CTR Surplus. Conference topics will be presented Friday and Saturday. Presenters include Al Ward, WB5LUA; Rus Healy, NJ2L, and Paul Shuch, N6TX. A barbecue dinner is set for Saturday evening. The conference fee is $40 is received by October 2, 1997 ($45 thereafter). The barbecue dinner is $18 a person. For additional registration and accommodations information, see http://www.wa8wzg.com/update97; e-mail wa8wzg@wa8wzg.com, or write Tom Whitted, 4641 Port Clinton East Rd, Port Clinton, OH 43452. Make checks payable to Tom Whitted Update 97.

• W1AW to be on the air from Hamcon '97: Hamcon '97, the 1997 ARRL Southwestern Division Convention, is set for September 12-14, 1997, in Riverside, California, and W1AW will be on the air (as W1AW/6) from the 12th floor of the Holiday Inn convention center. W1AW/6 will operate SSB and CW with three transmitters during the entire convention. SSB frequencies include 3875, 7250, 14250, 21350 and 28450 kHz; CW frequencies include 3530, 7030, 14030, 21030, and 28030 kHz. Two-meter operation will be on 146.55 MHz simplex. All contacts will be confirmed with a special QSL card. Special event coordinator is Fred Roberts, W6TKV, 5464 Peacock Ln, Riverside, CA 92515. The usual W1AW code practice and bulletin services will continue from ARRL HQ during the W1AW/6 operating period.

• CIA on the air: To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the US Central Intelligence Agency, special event station NN50CIA will be active through September from CIA premises in Northern Virginia. Suggested frequencies are 3550, 7050, 14050, and 21050 kHz on CW; and 3850, 7250, 14250 and 21350 kHz on SSB. QSL via KB4EFP, and include an SASE.

• AM from Gaithersburg: An AM special event station is set to be on the air from the 40th annual Gaithersburg, Maryland, Hamfest, sponsored by the Foundation for Amateur Radio. Hamfest proceeds help fund the Foundation's annual scholarship program. The vintage radio gang plans to have an AM station, W3PRL, on the air starting Saturday, September 6 (one day ahead of the Sunday hamfest). Plans call for using a modified T-368 military transmitter and an R-390A receiver manufactured by Stewart-Warner. Frequencies include 1885, 3885 and 7290 kHz, plus 14286 on Sunday only. For directions, station details, and more information, visit http://www.thebizlink.com/am.

• CCA QSO Party marks Collins birthday: The Collins Collectors Association will sponsor a QSO party starting 0400 UTC September 9 and concluding 24 hours later. CCA members will exchange membership numbers. Phone contacts are one point, CW or digital contacts are two points (double point credit for contacts with W0CXX). September 9 marks the 88th anniversary of Art Collins' birth. Logs go to Floyd Soo, W8RO, 8232 Woodview Dr, Clarkston, MI 48348-4058; e-mail hires@rust.net.

• AMSAT-NA Annual Meeting, Symposium set: The AMSAT-NA Annual Meeting and Space Symposium will be held October 17-19, 1997, at the Delta Hotel, 801 Dixon Rd, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The IARU Annual Meeting will be held Sunday, October 19, in conjunction with the AMSAT event. Registration (including proceedings) is $25 until September 15 ($30 thereafter or $42 Canadian at the door). The Saturday banquet is $30 per person (all funds US unless otherwise specified). Make checks payable to AMSAT. For registration and accommodations information, contact AMSAT, 850 Sligo Ave No 600, Silver Spring, MD 20910; tel 301-589-6062; fax 301-608-3410.

• DXCC processing status: The DXCC Desk has announced that the number of unprocessed applications at the end of August 1997 was 245 (33,621 QSLs). The desk received 233 applications (15,244 QSLs) for endorsements and new awards during August. This compares with 285 applications (27,725 QSLs) for July and 352 applications (26,602 QSLs) for June. Applications being sent out at the end of August were received about three weeks earlier. A few applications received prior to that time were in the process of being audited, and so had not yet been completed.

• Interior Alaska Hamfest: The Interior Alaska Hamfest, sponsored by the Arctic Amateur Radio Club, will be held September 27, 1997, at the former Liquidation Sales site, 530 Old Steese Hwy, Fairbanks, Alaska. Seller setup, 7:30-9 AM; doors open at 9 AM. The AARC annual meeting and election of directors and officers will be held at 1:30 PM. Talk in is on 146.88 (-600 kHz; 103.5 Hz CTCSS). Tables are $10. Admission is $2. The banquet will be held at Castle Restaurant, 4510 Airport Way, Fairbanks, starting with a social at 6:30 PM. For more information, contact Fred Brown, KL7CUS, 907-452-3452; e-mail fbrown@mosquitonet.com; http://fytqm.uafadm.alaska.edu/aarc/AARC.html.

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.

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.

The ARRL Letter is distributed directly from ARRL HQ only to elected League officials and certain ARRL appointees and to paid subscribers of the now-defunct hard-copy edition of The ARRL Letter . For members and nonmembers alike, The ARRL Letter is available free of charge from these sources:

• The ARRLWeb page (http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/). This version of The ARRL Letter includes any photographs.

• The HIRAM BBS: 860-594-0306.

• The ARRL Technical Information Server (Info Server): Send an e-mail message to info@arrl.org. The subject line should be blank. In the message body, type send ltrmmdd.txt, where mm represents two digits for the month and dd represents two digits for the day (The ARRL Letter is published every Friday). For example, to request The ARRL Letter file for Friday, January 3, 1997, you'd type send ltr0103.txt. Then, on a separate line, type quit.

• CompuServe and America Online subscribers, as a downloadable text file in the services' ham radio libraries

• The Netcom server, run by the Boston Amateur Radio Club and Mike Ardai, N1IST: Send e-mail to listserv@netcom.com (no subject needed). The body of the message should say subscribe letter-list.