Volume 17, Number 25 (June 19, 1998)

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ARRL Audio News

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IN THIS EDITION:

+ Available on ARRL Audio News

PHASE 3D WON'T FLY THIS YEAR

All dressed up and no place to go. The Phase 3D satellite as it appeared a few months ago during final integration and testing at the Phase 3D Integration Lab in Orlando, Florida. Photo by Steve Ford, WB8IMY.

Phase 3D will not fly this year. AMSAT says the Phase 3D Amateur Radio satellite will not be aboard when the Ariane 503 launch vehicle goes into space this October. In addition to the Atmospheric Reentry Demonstrator, the European Space Agency will launch a dummy Eutelsat payload instead of Phase 3D, according to a joint ESA/CNES/Arianespace news release. Arianespace is a commercial company that markets Ariane launches.

"Essentially we were bought out by strategic and commercial interests," said a glum AMSAT-NA Executive Vice President Keith Baker, KB1SF.

AMSAT-DL President Karl Meinzer, DJ4ZC, says it's clear to him that Arianespace wants to retain the option of swapping a real Eutelsat payload for the dummy right before launch. "We simply could not compete with this by our offer of $1 million and some moral justification of not flying ballast," he said. "So we wept some, and, that done, let us now look forward."

In January, ESA agreed to carry Phase 3D as a backup on Ariane 503, if it could not find a paying customer, or to use its "best efforts" to get Phase 3D on another flight if a paying customer came along. As it turned out, however, Arianespace agreed--in a surprise move--to cover $40 million in Ariane 5 development funds resulting from the failure of the Ariane 501 test launch. In return, Arianespace asked to be allowed to pick the secondary payload for Ariane 503, the last in a series of qualification flights.

"This is obviously very disappointing news," said AMSAT-NA President Bill Tynan, W3XO. "We must, however, persevere and continue our present course to get the satellite tested and ready for a launch. And we pledge to do so."

Baker said AMSAT is continuing to look for a suitable launch opportunity and now is looking at "other agencies" instead of limiting itself to ESA's Ariane program. "We're standby passengers," he said. Baker said he's often asked why the space shuttle couldn't launch Phase 3D. He says that's because the shuttle can't put the satellite into the proper orbit.

Meinzer said he thinks the chances "are not bad" that Phase 3D will get aboard an Ariane 5 flight next year. "But also in parallel we should and will pursue other launch options," he advised the Phase 3D team. "Although in the short term we have a problem, in the medium term I am reasonably optimistic. So keep your fingers crossed."

Meinzer said Arianespace put a $10 million price tag on a launch, a figure he called "clearly out of reach." But he also held out the hope that ESA would negotiate further and that the German government might be willing to help with funding.

For the immediate future, Baker said, AMSAT plans now to continue preparations to make Phase 3D flight ready. The satellite is undergoing final construction and testing at the Phase 3D Integration Lab in Orlando, Florida. "Obviously, we will have to evaluate our options on how best to place the satellite in temporary storage," he said.

The Ariane 503 announcement is the latest setback for Phase 3D. AMSAT has been trying to find a ride for Phase 3D for the past couple of years and, until now, had pinned its hopes on the Ariane program. AMSAT-NA was forced to restart its Phase 3D fundraising effort late last year after determining that it still needed at least another $270,000 to meet its share of the Phase 3D costs. More recently, AMSAT-NA has been offering hams--for a $25 minimum donation--the opportunity to fly their QSL cards into space aboard Phase 3D. Participants' QSL cards will be scanned and put on a CD-ROM aboard the satellite.

Baker says it's too soon to tell how the latest turn of events will affect fundraising.

Phase 3D came closest to a launch aboard Ariane 502 last year but was bumped after it could not complete necessary structural modifications in time to meet the launch schedule. The changes became necessary at the eleventh hour after ESA imposed more stringent vibration and stress standards on Ariane 5 payloads.

NEW VANITY FEE SET

The vanity call sign application fee will drop to $13 effective September 14, 1998. That's the word from the FCC's Terry Johnson in the Office of Managing Director. The new fee will be for the ten-year term, payable at the time of application for a new, renewed, or reinstated license. The current vanity call sign application fee is $50. Earlier this year, the FCC had proposed dropping the fee to $12.90. The actual fee was "rounded up," Johnson said.

The FCC says it has no plans to refund the difference between the current fee and the new fee for applicants who submit applications before the new fee schedule goes into effect in September.

The FCC released its revised schedule of regulatory fees for all services for fiscal year 1998 this week, and it's soon expected to be available on the FCC's Web site. The Commission is required to collect almost $163 million during FY 1998.

The FCC calculated the new fee based on an expected 10,000 applicants during FY 1998.

HAMS EAT SMOKE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA

Norm Lauterette, WA4HYJ, keeps an eye on a new flareup in the Lake Geneva, Florida, fire the weekend of June 6-7.

Airborne water drops cut off this fire just in time to save a home. Photos by Carla Sikorsky, KF4FRE.

Florida ARES and RACES teams--usually prepared to focus on the annual hurricane season that began June 1--have found themselves dealing instead with tornadoes, floods, sink holes, drought, and, most recently, devastating wild fires in several parts of the Sunshine State.

On June 6, several wildfires spawned by a 100-day drought broke out almost simultaneously in Florida's Flagler, Seminole, Brevard, and Lake counties. The Flagler fire consumed nearly 1700 acres, destroyed 19 homes, and damaged others. As a result, part of I-95 was shut down and the Red Cross set up a shelter with Amateur Radio Support. The Lake and Brevard fire consumed a large area but only minimal damage to homes.

Seminole County Emergency Management declared a state of emergency the evening of June 6. Seminole County EC Dick Fess, K4FUY, activated an ARES-RACES net, and the Red Cross opened a shelter close to the fire zone. Bob Wendoth, KS4CI, and Seminole County ARRL PIO Norm Lauterette, WA4HYJ, set up at the shelter in contact with the county EOC. "Our ARES/RACES direct communication link to the EOC was very valuable," Lauterette said.

Nearly 300 residents were evacuated from the 1800-acre Geneva fire zone, and nearly 60 took refuge in the shelter. "Shifting winds caused the tree-top-high fire to leapfrog in several directions, forcing residents to flee with just the clothes on their backs," said Lauterette. "Families were split up, some missing, others known to have stayed behind."

In addition to tracking the flames, ham radio operators helped to check up on the whereabouts of individuals, handle medical needs, and report the condition of homes, pets and property. Rescue dog handler Allen Wilson, WB7BCI, also stood by at the shelter with his partner, Duke, if needed. All told, 17 hams volunteered their services in Seminole County. Most evacuees were allowed to return to their homes later the next day. In all, Lauterette and Mike Welch, KF4HFC, report, 54 homes and structures were destroyed in the four Central Florida fires.

Ironically, South Florida conducted its Simulated Emergency Test (SET) the same weekend. Lauterette says the fire duty provided solid exercise for the other emergencies that he's sure lie ahead.

Ten days later, on June 16, Alachua County ARES/RACES responded to a call for communication assistance from the county's emergency management office after brush fires broke out in an approximately 16-square mile area. As of week's end, the fires burned more than 11 square miles and ultimately forced evacuation of the entire town of Waldo, some 1100 people in all. Hams assisted at shelters, in the EOC, and on the scene. At one point, Red Cross had to move a shelter and hams helped coordinate supplies and count heads. In all, at least a dozen hams have participated in the fire emergency.

Jeff Capehart, KE4NIV, an ARES and SKYWARN member as well as a volunteer firefighter, said severe thunderstorms passed through the area in the midst of the fire and evacuation. "Two severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for Alachua County," he said. "Since hams were already at the EOC, a SKYWARN net was activated on top of the ARES net." Capehart says the rain brought some relief and helped to control the fires. --thanks to Norm Lauterette, WA4HYJ; Mike Welch, KF4HFC; Carla Sikorsky, KF4FRE; and Jeff Capehart, KE4NIV

FCC PROPOSES 5.9 GHZ ALLOCATION

The FCC has proposed allocating 5.850 to 5.925 GHz for use by intelligent transportation systems (ITS). The Amateur Service has a secondary allocation at 5.650 to 5.925 GHz with government radar systems and nongovernment fixed satellite service uplinks. Under the proposal, dedicated short range communications (DSRC) highway safety systems would share the band as coprimary users.

The FCC seeks comments on the need for nationwide operational standards and channelization and on the potential for DSRC operations to share with other services.

The June 11 NPRM was in response to a rulemaking petition from the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) requesting the allocation on a coprimary basis. Proponents said the band is optimal for DSRC on the basis of propagation, consistency with international allocations, and compatibility with existing users.

ITS America, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting ITS, has worked with the ARRL and others to develop a sharing plan. The League has said it is prepared to work with ITS entities to resolve spectrum sharing issues.

In its comments, the ARRL questioned whether the 5.9 GHz band was appropriate for DSRC and urged the FCC to look into frequencies above 40 GHz, where DSRC systems could avoid interference from other users. The League said the ITS proposal and the FCC decision to deploy unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) devices in the band could render 175 MHz of spectrum in the 5.8 GHz range significantly less useful to hams.

3M, a DSRC proponent, argued that hams could be displaced from the band because they already have plenty of spectrum between 50 MHz and 50 GHz and make only light use of 5.9 GHz. 3M suggested a powerful amateur station could "swamp out" DSRC services.

The FCC said interference problems that might crop up could be resolved by changing the frequency of the amateur operation, by power reduction, or by using directional antennas.

Possible ITS applications include what's known as automated roadside safety inspection. This would permit transmission of vehicle safety and other data between roadside inspection stations and commercial trucks moving at highway speeds, the FCC said. Another potential application, incident management operations, would use roadway sensors and DSRC-equipped vehicles to more quickly detect traffic congestion and dispatch any emergency personnel or take other action. Other emerging DSRC applications include traffic control and en-route driver information systems.

ITS DSRC transmissions would be "narrowly focused and rapidly dissipating signals," according to ITS America. The FCC proposes a maximum of 30 W EIRP for DSRC systems.

Comments on ET Docket 98-95 are due 75 days after publication in the Federal Register. The complete NPRM is available on the FCC Web site at http://www.fcc.gov.

FCC ASKS GERMANY TO SILENCE BROADCASTER ON 3945 KHZ

Sometimes it helps to complain. The FCC's High Frequency Direction Finding Group has asked German authorities for their help in eliminating a broadcast station in Germany that's operating on 3945 kHz. Members of the ARRL Monitoring System (MONSYS) and other US hams had complained to the FCC and to the ARRL about the station's presence. Those complaints were forwarded to the FCC. The frequency is not allocated for broadcasting in Europe, which is in ITU Region 1. In Region 1, the 3900 to 3950 kHz band is authorized for aeronautical mobile operation. In the US, in Region 2, the band is allocated to amateur, fixed and mobile.

"Since this station is a source of daily harmful interference to the Amateur Service, we would appreciate any assistance you could provide in eliminating the interference," said Chief Watch Officer/HFDF Group David Larrabee, K1BZ, in a fax June 11 to the Bundesamt fuer Post und Telekommunikation (BAPT), Germany's equivalent of our FCC.

The station on 3945 kHz, identified as The Overcomer Ministry, has been monitored at several East Coast locations as well as by the FCC in Columbia, Maryland. It broadcasts on AM from Juelich, Germany.

K1TWF APPOINTED NEW ENGLAND VICE DIRECTOR

ARRL President Rod Stafford, W6ROD, has appointed Michael N. Raisbeck, K1TWF, of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, as New England Division Vice Director. The appointment is effective immediately. Raisbeck will complete the term of former Vice Director Don Haney, W9WW (ex-KA1T), who resigned when he moved out of the division earlier this year. The term expires January 1, 1999.

Raisbeck is vice president of Ready-to-Run Software Inc, with duties in corporate management and as general counsel. His wife, Susan, is WN1V. Raisbeck graduated from Northeastern University in 1976 with a bachelors degree in electrical engineering, from Suffolk University Law School in 1981 with a JD (cum laude), and from the University of Massachusetts in 1989 with a masters in engineering management.

Raisbeck is fluent in Italian and has a working knowledge of Spanish. He'll attend his first ARRL Board meeting in July.

Members may contact Raisbeck at 85 High St, Chelmsford, MA 01824; e-mail k1twf@arrl.org.

TIMEWAVE FILES CHAPTER 11 BANKRUPTCY

Amateur Radio equipement manufacturer Timewave Technology (http://www.timewave.com) of St Paul, Minnesota, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Timewave President Randy Gawtry, K0CBH, says Timewave plans to continue normal operations while it prepares to file a reorganization and debt payment plan with the federal bankruptcy court. "The process now is in the early stages," he said. The move comes a little more than a year after Timewave acquired rights to the AEA digital product line after AEA ran into financial trouble. Timewave is best known for its DSP filter accessories, such as the DSP-599zx.

"We're still operating and we're still doing repairs and upgrades for our DSP products," Gawtry said. "Nobody should panic."

Gawtry said the company still expects to have its new DSP-2232zx multimode TNC on the market later this year. But he conceded that under Chapter 11 bankruptcy, "any number of things can happen." The company has 60 days to file its reorganization plan, which must be approved by the court and by the company's creditors.

CHANGES AT CUSHCRAFT

Antenna maker Cushcraft has announced that Ed Hammond, WN1I, will be the company's new Amateur Marketing and Sales Manager. Hammond, who has worked at Cushcraft previously, replaces Amateur Radio Product Manager Art Hambleton, K1ART, who resigned. Cushcraft President Steven Best says Hambleton left Cushcraft "to pursue another career opportunity elsewhere and was not asked to leave the company."

Best said that Hambleton's job had become more sales and customer support-oriented, while Hambleton was more comfortable "in the product development end of the business." Hammond's job, he said, will involve sales and support but not product development.

Earlier this year, Cushcraft hired Adam Alevy, N1FXT, as its engineering vice president. Also now on board are engineering technicians Danny Horvat, T93M, and Pete Jovanovic, T94OF, from Bosnia, and Paul Randazzo, NW1U, as its amateur customer support rep. Amateur and commercial marketing and sales have been combined into a single department, Best said.

Best also took the opportunity to reiterate that Cushcraft does not plan to abandon the amateur market. "We are and will remain fully supportive and committed to the amateur marketplace," Best said, pointing to the company's recent presence at the Dayton Hamvention where Cushcraft introduced its new X7 and X9 beams and the R6000 vertical. The company also has improved the trap design of the R7000 and will debut a new line of HF monobanders.

Best also said Cushcraft will unveil a new Web page within the next few weeks, and that he "definitely" plans to get his ham ticket.

SATELLITE LAUNCH WINDOWS SET

The tentative launch date for the TechSat-1B Amateur Radio satellite has been set for June 23-24. That announcement from Assi Friedman, 4X1KX/KK7KX, of Arizona State University. The Russian Space Agency is providing the ride into space.

TechSat-1B is a digital store-and-forward satellite using 9600-baud frequency-shift keying (FSK), much like UO-22, KO-23 or KO-25. TechSat-1B will feature uplinks on 145 MHz and 1.2 GHz and downlinks in the 70-cm band. Friedman says that a telemetry decoding program for the satellite soon will be available.

Elsewhere, the TMSAT microsatellite is set for a June 23 launch from Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It will be placed into a 821-km sun-synchronous orbit. An overview of the TMSAT commissioning plan is available at http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/EE/CSER/UOSAT/ amateur/tmsat/tmsat_commissioning_plan.html. Further information and updates are to be posted to UO-22. Uplink frequencies will be 145.925 and 145.975 MHz; downlinks will be at 436.925, 436.900, 436.950, and 436.975 MHz.

Meanwhile, word from Alabama is that the SEDSAT-1 Amateur Radio satellite now is scheduled for launch on a Delta II space vehicle sometime in October. The exact launch date has not been confirmed. SEDSAT will fly as a secondary passenger along with the JPL Deep Space One mission.

SEDSAT-1, under construction at the University of Alabama's Huntsville campus under the direction of Dennis Wingo, KD4ETA, now is complete and is in the final stages of testing. It was to have been launched in July, but problems with the primary payload delayed the launch until this fall. SEDSAT-1 will carry a Mode-L digital transponder as well as a Mode A analog transponder.--AMSAT News Service; HaGAL International

SOLAR UPDATE

Solar scribe Tad Cook, K7VVV, Seattle, Washington, reports: Solar activity over the past week was about the same or slightly lower than the week previous. Average sunspot numbers were about the same and average solar flux was down about eight points. Geomagnetic activity was stable, except for June 14 when the planetary K index briefly rose to 5. Planetary A index for the day was 15. Average solar flux for the previous 90 days actually went down one point to 109, and solar flux over the past week was below this value on four out of seven days, indicating a flat trend.

Solar flux is predicted to be about 100 June 19-21, and the Planetary A index is forecast to be 12, 15 and 8. Flux values are expected to drop below 100 after June 21, hit a minimum of 90 on June 26 and 27, and rise above 100 again after July 2 peaking around 106 on July 5 and 6. Unsettled geomagnetic conditions may return around July 1-4 and July 7.

Overall conditions for the next few weeks are predicted to be flat, with no increase in solar activity. This is based on recurring conditions observed as the sun goes through a 27.5 day rotation. Viewing recent solar images on the Web shows few sunspots, and, of the few visible, they seem to be concentrated outside of the central area that would most affect the earth.

Sunspot numbers for June 11 through June 17 were 95, 122, 148, 104, 79, 71, and 94, with a mean of 101.9. The 10.7-cm flux was 112.4, 112.2, 110.5, 101.9, 100.4, 104, and 100.6, with a mean of 106. The estimated planetary A indices were 8, 8, 6, 15, 8, 8, and 5, with a mean of 8.3.

In Brief:

  • This weekend on the radio: The Kid's Day Operating Event, the All-Asia DX Contest (CW), the SMIRK (6-meter) QSO Party, and the West Virginia QSO Party all are on tap this weekend. Just ahead: Field Day. (Remember, some rules have changed this year!)

  • Correction: ARRL Vice President for International Affairs Larry Price, W4RA, spotted our gaffe in The ARRL Letter, Vol 17, No 24. He writes: "I am amused that David Sumner made the AAA correct their letter in which they called the ARRL the Amateur Radio Relay League, and you call the AAA the Automobile Club of America." Of course, the AAA is the American Automobile Association, more often called "Triple A." (No, it wasn't a matter of turnabout being fair play, and we regret the error--Ed).

  • Correction/Amplification: Fred Lehmann, WA0PBL, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, reports that two hams lived in Spencer, South Dakota, which was devastated by a tornado in late May (see "Hams Weather Storms," The ARRL Letter, Vol 17, No 23). As we reported, the Rev Ward Satterlee, W0MON, lost both his wife and his home. Lehmann reports that the other ham, Leslie Zeller, N3SMR, also lost his home, and Zeller's son--the only one at home when the tornado struck--was injured. Ironically, Lehmann says, Zeller and his family moved to Spencer about a year ago after they lost their home to flooding in Pennsylvania.

  • Job opening at HQ: There's a job opening at ARRL Headquarters in Newington, Connecticut, for an Assistant Contest Manager to work with the Contest Manager in administering the ARRL Contest Program. Job-related qualifications include knowledge about, and interest in, the League's varied contest program. The candidate should be familiar with the ARRL DXCC List, ARRL sections and divisions, and current contesting issues. An Amateur Radio license, writing skills, PC familiarity, including DOS, Windows, e-mail, and database management skills are required. Accuracy is a must. Some travel and ability to speak in forums required. Beginning salary, $18,000 to 20,000, depending upon qualifications. Send resumes to Bill Kennamer, K5FUV, Membership Services, ARRL, 225 Main St. Newington CT 06111. No telephone calls, please. The ARRL is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

  • ARRL launches RADIOS On-Line: The League has inaugurated a new on-line classified advertising system, RADIOS On-Line, available through the ARRLWeb page. This system will complement, not replace, the current Ham Ads in QST. Billing can be handled on line via credit card, or users can request to be billed. Items for sale classified system is going up this week. The system lets you place ads, search ads for particular items, view all ads, and check out the current QST Ham Ads. The rate is 50 cents per word for 30 days, $2.50 minimum, 100 words maximum. Advertising must pertain to products and services relating to Amateur Radio. All RADIOS On-Line ads submitted are reviewed by ARRL staff. Ads will appear on-line within 24 hours or by the next business day if submitted on a weekend or holiday. You don't need to be an ARRL member to use this service. Details are on the Web. Check it out at http://www.arrl.org/ads/RadiosOnline/. Contact Robin Micket, N1WAL, at rmicket@arrl.org for further information.

  • Court upholds FCC against Free Radio Berkeley: The US District Court for the Northern District of California has issued a permanent injunction against unlicensed broadcaster Stephen Dunifer, operator of Free Radio Berkeley. The 18-page decision reaffirms the FCC's authority to require broadcasters to have a license. The court enjoined Dunifer and "all persons in active concert or participation with him" from broadcasting without a license or causing or enabling unlicensed radio transmissions to occur. Dunifer had claimed the FCC's regulations were unconstitutional. FCC Chairman William Kennard applauded the decision. "The permanent injunction in the Dunifer case, and the FCC's success in the last two years in shutting down over 200 pirate stations, should send a message to all pirate broadcasters: obey the law--and join the FCC in our efforts to expand the legal uses of the public airwaves."--FCC news releases

  • $1000 essay contest: Edupage and Educom Review are sponsoring a student contest for previously unpublished essays discussing any educational, organizational, social, or cultural aspect of present or future technology. The best essay wins $1000. Deadline to submit is July 31, 1998. Entries are limited to 1500 words or less and must be sent as an e-mail message in ASCII text and in English to editor@educom.edu. Entries will be evaluated for originality, insight, and clarity of presentation. Decisions will be made by John Gehl and Suzanne Douglas, the editors of Edupage and Educom Review. All decisions will be final. Entrants must be enrolled as fulltime or part-time graduate or undergraduate students in any discipline at an institution of post-secondary education, anywhere in the world. Edupage can be found at http://www.educom.edu/ in the publications section.--thanks to Tom Frenaye, K1KI

  • RF safety seminar: ARRL Lab Supervisor Ed Hare, W1RFI, will conduct an RF exposure workshop at the ARRL Southwestern Division Convention, August 14, 1-6 PM. The session defines the new FCC RFX rules, clarifies what is required of ham operators, and even explains the theory behind the requirements. Want to know what RF does in the near field of an antenna, or how to use software to evaluate RF safety in your own station? Sign up for this five-hour seminar and find out. Space is limited. To register, contact Dan Miller, K3UFG, at ARRL HQ, 225 Main St, Newington CT 06111; tel 860-594-0340, before Aug 4. The fee is $20 for ARRL members and $25 for nonmembers. You'll receive a course workbook, the ARRL RF safety information package, plus five hours of practical information. Participants also might wish to purchase the ARRL's new book, RF Exposure and You. It's item 6621, and it's $15 (plus $4 UPS shipping/handling), available via the ARRLWeb site, http://www.arrl.org, or by calling, toll-free, 888-277-5289. This workshop is sponsored by the ARRL Educational Activities Department. Those who attend the entire session earn 0.5 Continuing Education Units.

  • Rockoon II launch set: A group of amateur space enthusiasts plans to launch the first amateur rocket into space June 20. The Huntsville Alabama L5 Society (HAL5) will launch the "rockoon" from a high-altitude balloon as part of its Project High Altitude Lift-Off (HALO). The balloon will be launched from the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana. HAL5 made amateur rocketry history in May of last year when it successfully performed the first amateur rockoon mission from a high altitude, and made professional rocketry history by launching the first hybrid rocket from a high altitude (see QST, Aug 1997, page 73). The rockoon will carry amateur television (ATV) cameras transmitting on 434.00 MHz (cable ready TV channel 59) and 1255 MHz. The rocket also will transmit telemetry via APRS packet radio on 441.050 MHz. For more information, see http://advicom.net/~hal5/HALO/.

  • Alternative power special event: Special event station NW9D will be on the air June 19-21, from the site of the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair at the Portage County Fairgrounds, Amherst, Wisconsin. Operation will be on all HF bands (as propagation allows) on SSB and data modes. Power for station equipment will be supplied by storage batteries, solar panels, and the wind/solar plant that will power the entire fair. Operating hours are expected to be from approximately 9 AM until 4 PM CDT, with some evening hours possible. Home Power magazine will offer a certificate. QSL to Home Power, Box 520, Ashland, OR 97520.--thanks to Richard Perez, N7BCR, and Bill Davidson, KA9SWW

  • Exam-a-thon set for FD weekend: The Crystal Radio Club of Rockland County, New York, W2DMC, will host its third annual Exam-a-thon on Field Day weekend, June 27 and 28. The Exam-a-thon is an around-the-clock license exam session at the club's Field Day site. The club's VE team will administer exams from 8 AM Saturday through 12 noon Sunday, no appointment is necessary. Over the past two years, the Crystal Radio Club has tested more than 30 applicants during its Field Day Exam-a-thon. One person was even tested at midnight in the back of an ambulance!--The Hudson Loop