IN THIS EDITION:

• +ARRL asks FCC to deny LMCC petition
• +More LMCC developments
• +Hams weather storms
• +Andy Thomas to depart Mir
• +FCC aims to tighten scanner rules
• FCC nixes EDAP Technomed waiver request
• VHF looking up
• Solar report
• Michael Karp, N2FM, SK
• CIE founder, broadcast engineer Carl E. Smith
• In Brief: This weekend on the radio; ICOM Funmobile visits HQ; Vanity update; Outgoing SM honored; QST Cover Plaque Award; Amateur Radio proclamations; Updating Callbook listings via e-mail; GB50MKI special event

+ Available on ARRL Audio News

ARRL ASKS FCC TO DENY LMCC 70 CM GRAB

The ARRL has asked the FCC to immediately dismiss efforts by the Land Mobile Communications Council to gain primary access to 420 to 430 MHz and 440 to 450 MHz as well as other UHF allocations. The LMCC recently petitioned the FCC to reallocate the two 70-cm segments from the federal government to the Private Mobile Radio Service. Amateur Radio enjoys the use of 420 to 450 MHz on a secondary basis. In comments filed on RM-9267, the League said the LMCC proposed the switch "without establishing technical compatibility between PMRS operation and incumbent radio services in any of the bands sought."

The League said that existing federal government use of the spectrum precludes PMRS operation at 420 to 450 MHz. According to the ARRL, the petition fails to demonstrate any basis to withdraw the two band segments from federal use, nor any compatibility between PMRS operation and either federal government or amateur use. In addition, the League said, the petition fails to justify displacing established amateur operations. The League pointed out that the amateur community uses the band for public service and public safety functions and that hams have "substantial personal investment" in equipment that's in regular use there. The ARRL urged the Commission to throw out this portion of the LMCC petition "without further consideration."

The League backed up its arguments by citing documents from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which manages federal spectrum. "NTIA has made it quite clear that there is no possibility of additional sharing of the 420-450 MHz band, and the unique relationship between Federal radiolocation uses and the Amateur Service cannot be duplicated by PMRS users," the ARRL said.

The ARRL said that the LMCC petition was premature because it did not take adequate account of the benefits of spectrum refarming already initiated. The League suggested that PMRS users adopt available spectrum-efficient technologies to maximize their use of existing allocations before seeking additional spectrum at the expense of other users. The League also said that PMRS users should look into using the Commercial Mobile Radio Service (CMRS).

A copy of the League's comments is available at http://www.arrl.org/news/bandthreat/RM-9267/arrl-cmt.html.

MORE LMCC DEVELOPMENTS: SUPPORT FROM APCO; AAA ADMONISHED

The Association of Public Safety Communications Officials-International (APCO)--an LMCC member--has come down on the side of Amateur Radio to oppose reallocating 420 to 430 and 440 to 450 MHz from the federal government to the Private Mobile Radio Service (PMRS). APCO said it otherwise supports the rest of the LMCC petition, which sought additional spectrum elsewhere.

In comments filed with the FCC June 1, APCO cited "a long history of cooperation between public safety agencies and the amateur radio community, especially in coordinating disaster relief and other emergency efforts." APCO said ham radio "often provides the most effective and reliable on-scene and wide-area communications" after an emergency or disaster. Adding users to the spectrum would make it less useful for Amateur Radio, APCO said.

Meanwhile, in a letter to another LMCC member, the American Automobile Association (AAA), ARRL Executive Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ, took Triple-A to task for misinforming its membership on the issue. Sumner said letters from AAA to ARRL members who wrote about the LMCC petition mischaracterized the role of the Spectrum Planning and Policy Advisory Committee (SPAC), of which Sumner is a member, and the positions of the SPAC and NTIA. The AAA's letters to members said that SPAC, cooperating with NTIA, worked up a plan that included changes to government spectrum that is shared by amateurs. Not so, Sumner told the AAA's Gary Ruark. "I can tell you that at no time during my service on the committee has SPAC made recommendations or developed a plan such as you describe," he wrote. "Neither has the NTIA endorsed a reallocation of frequencies in the 420-450 MHz range" as the AAA had said. The Secretary of Commerce appointed Sumner to SPAC in 1994.

Sumner insisted that the AAA "correct the impression that your letter has left on those to whom it has been sent." An AAA member since 1974, Sumner said he joins those who have asked the AAA to disassociate itself from the portion of the LMCC petition affecting 420 to 450 MHz.

HAMS WEATHER STORMS

Hams activated weather-spotter nets and provided emergency communication as several parts of the US found themselves the target of violent weather in recent days. On May 30, a tornado wiped out the town of Spencer, South Dakota, killing six people. South Dakota SEC Jerry Gathright, WN0Y, reports one of those who died was the wife of Spencer's only ham, The Rev Ward Satterlee Sr, W0MON. Press reports say Gloria Satterlee, 70, died when the couple's house collapsed as they were headed for shelter in the basement. The tornado also demolished the Rev Satterlee's church, where his wife had played the organ and piano. Gathright says South Dakota has an active SKYWARN system using linked 2-meter repeaters.

Tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, hail, flooding, and power outages also hit several areas of the Eastern US. Five people died May 30 and June 1 when deadly storms swept through Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont and Massachusetts.

On June 2, tornadoes struck in Pennsylvania and Maryland. The Pennsylvania twister killed two people and injured several others. At one point, a funnel cloud passed within view of Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium as baseball fans waited for the game between the Pirates and the Mets to resume following a rain delay.

In New York on May 30, golf ball-sized hail pelted Saratoga, but Mechanicville and Stillwater in Saratoga County--just north of the capital of Albany--were the most severely damaged. An F3 twister, with winds estimated in excess of 200 MPH, cut a swath up to a half-mile wide, damaging or destroying more than 75 homes and businesses. As bad weather approached, the Troy Amateur Radio Association conducted SKYWARN nets on 2 meters and 70 cm, before the repeaters were knocked out by power failures. Another 2-meter repeater served as a backup. In the storm's wake, emergency nets continued the day after the storm, and hams staffed Red Cross shelters and assisted with damage assessment. The twister that hit Mechanicville was one of 14 reported by the National Weather Service in Albany.

SKYWARN nets took to the air in New England as well. Some funnel clouds, hail and wind damage were reported in Massachusetts. Two men died when a tree fell onto the vehicle they were in. --thanks to Rob Leiden, KR2L; The Hudson Loop; April Stack, K2ZCZ

LAST US ASTRONAUT ON MIR DEPARTS

US astronaut Andy Thomas, KD5CHF--the last US astronaut scheduled to serve aboard the Russian Mir space station--is departing Mir after a four-month tour. Thomas will return to Earth aboard the shuttle Discovery, which docked with Mir June 4. The Discovery's commander for this mission is Charles Precourt, KC5YSQ. Also aboard is Mission Specialist Wendy Lawrence, KC5KII. News reports say that Thomas had his bags packed and was so eager to get back to Earth after four months away that he had already moved aboard the shuttle. Discovery returns to Earth June 12.

American astronauts have spent nearly 1000 days in space over the past three years as part of the shuttle-Mir program. Thomas' departure comes as the Mir experienced renewed problems with balky computers the week of May 31. Those problems were resolved in time for the Discovery launch to remain on schedule. More recent difficulties with a Ku-band antenna on the shuttle blacked out NASA's TV coverage of the shuttle's ninth and last shuttle-Mir docking. The only video available came from cameras aboard Mir.

Thomas took time to chat via ham radio with Australian countryman Tony Hutchison, VK5ZAI. Thomas, 46, also holds the special call sign VK5MIR. He described the docking as "a magnificent sight" and "a perfect docking." Said Hutchison, "Andy had real excitement in his voice and even uttered a few words in Russian." Hutchison says he has handled phone patches between Thomas and his family in Australia during his Mir stay.

The shuttle and Mir are scheduled to be linked for four days. No additional ham radio activity by Thomas is planned, although it's expected that the R0MIR packet system and the SAFEX repeater system will continue to operate after his departure. During his 130-day tour on the Russian space station, Thomas managed to complete 16 Mir-school contacts, more than during all of 1997 when Mir suffered a fire, a collision with a supply rocket, and several technical failures.

Plans continue on a delayed schedule to begin assembly of the International Space Station, which will be equipped with Amateur Radio. A recent meeting of the 16 countries involved in the ISS okayed an assembly schedule that begins in November--one year behind the original construction schedule as a result of Russia's money woes. Some news reports indicate that Russia could decide to de-orbit Mir as early as this fall in an effort to save money.

FCC TO TIGHTEN SCANNER RULES

The FCC plans to further tighten its rules on scanning receivers to prevent reception on cellular telephone frequencies. In a rulemaking notice released June 3, ET Docket 98-76, the FCC proposed to require receiver filtering adequate to prevent cell phone reception even when the receiver is tuned to frequencies outside the cellular telephone bands, such as an image frequency. To prevent modification of legal receivers to receive cellular frequencies, the FCC wants scanning receivers designed so that the tuning and control circuitry is "completely inaccessible," and that attempts to modify the receiver "will likely render the equipment inoperable." The proposed rules also would prohibit scanner kits.

The FCC said the proposals were in response to a petition (RM-9022) from Uniden American Corporation, which manufactures both cellular telephones and scanners.

The proposed rules would affect Amateur Radio equipment that includes scanning capability, as defined in the FCC rules. The FCC has invited comments on whether it should modify its definition of a scanning receiver to include units that can be manually tuned or which automatically switch among fewer than four frequencies.

The FCC wants to require that scanners provide at least 38 dB of rejection for cell band signals at any frequency the receiver can tune. The FCC also proposes that scanners be unable to receive a signal level of 5 mV/meter or less in the cell band at any tunable frequency.

The FCC suggested covering control and tuning circuits with epoxy or some other substance, or encasing them in a non-removable metal compartment, to make them impossible to access and modify. The Commission also plans to ban the import or manufacture of scanning receiver and converter kits capable of receiving cellular frequencies. Test equipment would be exempted from the definition of a scanning receiver, however.

The FCC also proposed modifying the rules to make it clear that modification of scanning receivers on a substantial scale to receive cellular frequencies would be the same as manufacturing, which already is illegal. The FCC took the opportunity to point out that it's still illegal to modify receivers imported or manufactured prior to the effective date of the current scanning receiver rules. Those rules became effective April 26, 1994.

The FCC has opened a 30-day comment window. The complete petition is available at the FCC Web site at http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/Notices/1998/. You can view a .txt version or download a WordPerfect version of this docket.

FCC NIXES EDAP TECHNOMED WAIVER REQUEST

The FCC has turned down a waiver request from EDAP Technomed Inc to operate its Prostatron medical device at 1.296 GHz at emission levels that exceed Part 18 of the Commission's rules. The Prostatron is used to treat benign hyperplasia of the prostate.

The FCC said that while it's "sensitive to the need to facilitate the availability of medical equipment and reduce costs," it decided to turn down the waiver "because of the threat of interference to aviation and Amateur Radio services." The 1.24 to 1.3 GHz band is allocated to the federal radiolocation service on a primary basis and is used for air traffic control radars. Ham radio is a secondary user.

EDAP got the NTIA (which administers federal spectrum) to agree to the waiver approach, if EDAP coordinated each installation with the FAA and got the agency's approval. But the FAA now seems to have squelched that approach. It submitted comments to the FCC last month opposing the waiver.

In a May 22 letter to EDAP, the FCC's Richard M. Smith called EDAP's arguments "unpersuasive" that there would be little risk of interference to hams. Smith, who's chief of the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology, said EDAP had only addressed moonbounce communication and had not responded to concerns about interference to amateur propagation beacons and calling frequencies.

The FCC said the Prostatron can comply with the FCC's rules "when installed with proper shielding." Smith's letter advised that no rules waiver is necessary to install and operate the device in a shielded environment. But, Smith emphasized, "EDAP is responsible for ensuring that the equipment it markets and installs complies with the existing rules."

NEW RECORDS AND CLOSE ONES: VHF LOOKING UP!

Reports of long openings on 6 and 2 meters continue to show up on the reflectors and at ARRL Headquarters, suggesting that conditions on these two popular VHF bands are looking better all the time.

On May 29, John Moore, W4UE, in Florida (EM90) reported "a very good contact" on 2 meters with KF7UV in Nevada (DM08). "He peaked 20 over S9 and rapidly disappeared within two minutes," Moore said. He calculated the distance at 2270 miles or 3652 km "which is 157 miles longer than the previous record," he said. At the same time, he was hearing stations in Texas and Oklahoma.

He reports that 6 meters also was open. Others also have reported good openings on the Magic Band in recent weeks.

Jon Jones, N0JK, reported a couple of near-record-breaking contacts between US stations and Oscar, CO2OJ on 2 meters. On May 14, CO2OJ (EL83) worked N0JK and W0EKZ (EM17), both in Kansas, a distance of 2120 km. The next day, CO2OJ worked W1LP (FN41) in Massachusetts, a distance of 2350 km. Citing the Claimed North American DX Records compiled by Al Ward, W5LUA, Jones says the 2-meter tropo (A) record (tropo across the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico) is 2365, set by W1JSM and VP5D in 1988.

Also on May 14, Jones says, N0KQY in Leoti, Kansas (DM98) near the Colorado border, heard CO2OJ work K5CM in Oklahoma, then fade out. "This is almost 2400 km," he said.

According to Tad Cook, K7VVV, N7DB in Oregon reports good 6 meter openings recently, with regular contacts between the Pacific Northwest and the rest of the US and propagation across the continent nearly every day. Cook also heard reports of 6 meter contacts between Europe and the Caribbean!

Dave Finley, N1IRZ, in New Mexico (DM54), reports that 6 meters has been "fantastic" the past couple of weeks. "Last Thursday (May 28), I was hearing both coasts, some of them working each other on double-hop!"

SOLAR REPORT

Sun watcher Tad Cook, K7VVV, Seattle, Washington, reports: Solar activity was up over the past week. Sunspot numbers averaged 16 points higher than the previous week and solar flux was up by almost nine points. The average solar flux for May was 106.7, which followed 108.3 for April, 109.2 for March, 93.3 for February and 93.4 for January. Average flux values jumped from February to March, and have remained at about the same level since then. The outlook for June calls for an average solar flux possibly 10 points higher than May.

For June 5 through June 7, the predicted solar flux is 113, 114 and 112, with Planetary A index around 14, 12 and 10. Solar flux is predicted to rise above 115 around June 11, and peak around 120 from June 16-19. It may fall to 110 by June 27, and unsettled geomagnetic conditions may return around June 8, 17, and 19-21.

With a rising solar flux and longer days, look for improved 15 meter conditions during daylight hours.

NASA reported this week that two comets were observed plunging into the sun, followed by a mass ejection of solar gas. The solar event was thought not to be related to the comets passing into the sun.

Check http://umbra.nascom.nasa.gov/comets/SOHO_sungrazers.html for pictures.

Sunspot numbers for May 28 through June 3 were 47, 44, 62, 62, 59, 71, and 65, with a mean of 58.6. The 10.7 cm flux was 98.4, 95, 96.1, 94.2, 100.1, 104.7, and 113.1, with a mean of 100.2. The estimated planetary A indices were 7, 19, 25, 7, 6, 7, and 12, with a mean of 11.9.

MICHAEL KARP, N2FM, SK

Michael J. Karp, N2FM (ex-AF2L), of Old Bridge, New Jersey, died May 24. He was 59. Karp was a co-recipient of the 1995 Philip J. McGan Silver Antenna Award (with Joe Phillips, K8QOE). Karp, an ARRL Public Information Officer, was cited for his success in promoting coverage of nontraditional Amateur Radio stories, including young hams, MARS, and digital and packet techniques. He also contributed to QST as well as to The Hudson Loop, the Hudson Division newsletter. Loop Publisher Richard Sandell, WK6R, said he was "deeply saddened" to learn of Karp's passing. "Ham radio has lost a most valuable human being and today we are all a lot poorer for it. His wit, his sense of right and wrong, his dynamic personality were the hallmark of a giant," Sandell said. Karp was a member of the ARRL and a member and major contributor to the Central Jersey Radio Association (formerly Old Bridge Radio Association) for almost 20 years. Services were May 26.--thanks to The Hudson Loop and Art Chapman, KC2CA

CIE FOUNDER, BROADCAST ENGINEER CARL E. SMITH

The founder of Cleveland Institute of Electronics, Carl E. Smith of Brecksville, Ohio, died May 2. He was 91. Smith founded his correspondence school with 16 students in his home in 1934. It later became CIE and eventually enrolled more than 150,000 students in the US and overseas. The school once was a regular QST advertiser. A graduate of Iowa State University and Ohio State University, Smith enjoyed a long and wide-ranging engineering career. He engineered the US Navy's high-power, very-low-frequency transmitting facility, NAA, at Cutler, Maine, used to communicate with submerged submarines. He also designed antenna systems for the Voice of America and developed the first commercial FM station in Cleveland. He was the engineer for WHK for more than 20 years. He also worked on military operational research, worked as a consultant, and held many patents, including ones for the spiral slot antenna and the three-slot cylindrical antenna. He was inducted into the Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1992 and into the National Religious Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1994. An interesting sidelight: Smith's father bought the house depicted in Grant Wood's famous painting, "American Gothic." Smith restored and maintained the house, which he gave to the state of Iowa in honor of the 100th anniversary of Wood's birth in 1991. Six children and a sister are among his survivors.--thanks to Ron Mayer, W8KYD, and The Cleveland Plain Dealer

In Brief:

• This weekend on the radio: The QRP TACtical Contest is June 6. Just ahead: The ARRL June VHF QSO Party and the TOEC WW Grid Contest are June 13-15.

• ICOM Funmobile visits HQ: The ICOM Funmobile, a 30-foot motor home packed with working ICOM amateur, marine, SWL, and family radio service gear, visited Newington, Connecticut, on June 3. The equipment complement features a working Amateur Radio Station with an IC-775DSP, an IC-746 and an IC-756. The Funmobile spent some time at ARRL HQ, parked next to W1AW, and HQ staff members got a chance to check out what's inside and to marvel at the rooftop antenna farm. It's designed to rise up or lie flat at the push of a button. Retired ICOM America Amateur Division Manager Chuck Northcutt, W7SRZ, has been behind the wheel of the Funmobile for the past 10 weeks now and plans to take a break. He'll turn driving duties over to another ICOM staffer. Including a stop at the Dayton Hamvention, the Funmobile has visited nearly half the states and a couple of Canadian provinces. Following its visit to HQ, the unit rolled across town for a stop at Lentini Communications, an Amateur Radio retailer. Photos of the Funmobile's HQ visit are at http://www.icomamerica.com/ontheroad/photos/arrl.html. That rotary spark gap transmitter is really Hiram Percy Maxim's "Old Betsy," now on display at W1AW.

• Vanity update: The FCC in Gettysburg reports it has processed vanity call sign applications received through May 14. On June 2, the FCC issued 57 new call signs. Another 46 applications ended up in the work in process (WIPs) stack and await processing.

  ARRL President Rod Stafford, W6ROD, left, shakes hands with outgoing Oregon SM Randy Stimson, KZ7T, who received a Meritorious Service Award. Photo by Kyle Pugh, KA7CSP.

• Outgoing SM honored: At the recent SeaPac Convention in Seaside, Oregon, ARRL President Rodney Stafford, W6ROD, presented a Meritorious Service Award to outgoing Oregon Section Manager Randy Stimson, KZ7T, of Portland, Oregon. Stimson, 66, steps down as Oregon's SM on July 1 after more than 10 years of volunteer service. --thanks to EWA SM Kyle Pugh, KA7CSP

• QST Cover Plaque Award: John Hansen, W2FS, won the May QST Cover Plaque Award for his article, "An Inexpensive Remote-Base Station Controller Using the Basic Stamp," on page 33. Congratulations, John!

• Amateur Radio proclamations: The week of June 21-28, culminating in Field Day, is Amateur Radio Week. Alabama, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Texas are among the states that have issued official proclamations honoring the hobby. Former ham and New York Gov George Pataki, ex-K2ZCZ, New Jersey Gov Christine Todd Whitman, and North Carolina Gov James B. Hunt Jr went the extra mile to proclaimed the entire month of June as Amateur Radio Month. Efforts are under way to get Pataki and Whitman to participate in a variety of presentation ceremonies and Field Day activities. Alabama Gov Fob James Jr proclaimed June 22-29 as Amateur Radio Week. Lawrence Thompson, KE4RPX, says last year, Gov James also supported the Alabama QSO Party by personally signing the contest certificates. A similar proclamation was issued by Mayor Emory Folmar in Montgomery, Alabama. In Texas, Gov George W. Bush proclaimed June 6, as Amateur Radio Day, coinciding with the start of the West Gulf Division Convention in Arlington, Texas. Most of the proclamations cite Amateur Radio's contributions during emergencies and specifically mention Field Day, June 27-28.

• Updating Callbook listings via e-mail: The Radio Amateur Callbook now lets you update or correct your listing in the CD-ROM by e-mail. Station licensees may send changes to 103424.2142@compuserve.com or ral@injersey.com. The Callbook CD-ROM appears in May and November. The Callbook stopped publishing its hard-copy editions last year. The Callbook CD-ROM is available from ARRL. It's item 6591 and costs $49.95. See the ARRLWeb, http://www.arrl.org/catalog/index.html, for ordering information.

• GB50MKI special event: Special event station GB50MKI will be active from June 7 until June 30 to help celebrate 50 years of computing. June of 1948 saw the birth of the first stored-program electronic digital computer at the University of Manchester in England. The machine was known as the Manchester Mark 1. GB50MKI will transmit on all bands using SSB, CW and FM, and data modes. Satellite operation is planned. A commemorative QSL will be issued. For details, see http://www.gb50mki.org/.