IN THIS EDITION:

• +Sputnik 99 to launch in April
• +NASA provides ARISS space qualification funds
• +HAARP amateur tests yield early success
• +Vanity application fee to rise slightly
• +FCC investigating Texas amateur
• Shortwave can provide window to Balkans
• Solar update
• In Brief: This weekend on the radio; New section managers; New astro-ham; Vanity update; HQ staff changes; ARRL Technical Awards deadline looms; Mir PMS operating again; Texas PRB-1 bill gets Senate sponsor; Marconi Club station in maritime special event

+Available on ARRL Audio News

SPUTNIK 99 TO LAUNCH IN APRIL

Sputnik 40 Years--the same folks who brought you the Sputnik 40 and Sputnik 41 mini-Sputnik satellites--will launch a third mini-satellite in April. Sputnik 40 Years spokesman Guy Pignolet says the third flight model now is aboard a Progress rocket in Baikonur, Russia, awaiting transport to the Russian Mir space station April 2.

Sputnik 99, which likely also will be known as RS-19 and possibly as Sputnik 42, will be launched by hand from Mir sometime in April during a space walk by ESA astronaut Jean-Pierre Haignere, FX0STB, of France. The newest "baby Sputnik" was a cooperative effort of Gerard Auvray, F6FAO, of AMSAT-France; Viktor Kourilov, of the Astronautical Federation of Russia; and Sergei Sambourov, RV3DR, of Energia and AMSAT-Russia. Technical details of the latest Sputnik are not yet available.

Haignere is aboard Mir for a six-month tour of duty and will return to Earth in August. He has occasionally been on the air from the R0MIR setup aboard Mir (145.985 MHz). The Air Force General is also president of the Aero-Club de France's astronautics commission.

The last mini-Sputnik, Sputnik 41, was a joint project of Aéro-Club de France, the Russian Aeronautical Federation and AMSAT-France. Powered by nonrechargeable batteries, it stopped transmitting on 2 meters December 11 after approximately a month. It transmitted a set of pre-recorded voice greetings in three languages as well as a beacon. The first mini-Sputnik was launched in November 1997 from Mir to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the launching of the original Sputnik satellite. It transmitted only a beacon for approximately six weeks.

Sputnik 40 Years is a collaboration among high school students from College Jules Reydellet in St Denis on Reunion Island and students at the Center for Polytechnic Education in Naltchik, Russia.

NASA PROVIDES SPACE QUALIFICATION FUNDING TO SAREX/ARISS

NASA has given a $90,000 boost to the cause of giving Amateur Radio a permanent place in space. The money, recently transferred to the US-based Space Amateur Radio EXperiment (SAREX) team from NASA's Education Office will support the space qualification of Amateur Radio hardware bound for the International Space Station as part of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program.

AMSAT-NA's Vice President for Human Spaceflight Programs and ARISS Administrative Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, says ARISS was "ecstatic" to learn of the subsidy for this crucial facet of the ARISS hardware development. "While this may sound like a great deal of funding to the Amateur Radio community, it represents approximately one-seventh of what we expect will be required to fully develop all three phases of the ARISS hardware system," he said.

The ARISS initial station hardware--basically dualband H-Ts--is currently being prepared for launch this October on STS-101. More sophisticated transportable ham gear will be delivered in late 2000 or early 2001. The rack-mounted permanent station is expected to be launched in 2003 or 2004. Qualification testing--sometimes called "shake-and-bake testing"--is required of all equipment bound for the ISS or used in manned spaceflight. The detailed, rigorous testing sequences are aimed at ensuring crew safety and minimizing equipment failure.

The bulk of the $90,000 will go to support space qualification of the ARISS initial station hardware and some early aspects of the transportable station. Space qualification of the initial station has proven to be a bit of a challenge, in part because of the international nature of the equipment contributions. The US and German-developed radio hardware will be installed inside the pressurized Russian service module, while Italian, Russian, and US-developed antenna systems will be installed on the outside. Mounting the antenna system hardware and the coaxial feedlines will require a space walk, or EVA. "Ensuring the ARISS hardware can pass the EVA safety tests is our most challenging task," Bauer said.

The ARISS team has been working at Goddard Space Flight Center with a NASA contractor team from Orbital Sciences Corporation to deliver the ARISS Safety Data Package and ensure the ARISS hardware is flight-qualified.

HAARP AMATEUR TESTS YIELD EARLY SUCCESS

An Amateur Radio experiment conducted earlier this month by the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) facility in Gakona, Alaska, and amateurs in Alaska and Canada, has yielded some encouraging results.

During the experiment March 20, 2200-2400 UTC, HAARP attempted to generate what are called "field-aligned irregularities" in the F-region over the HAARP facility. Participants, under the direction of principal investigator Ed Cole, AL7EB, attempted to establish communication by scattering VHF signals off the FAI.

The other participating stations are VY1RM, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory; VE6JW, Namao, Alberta; KL7X, AL7OB, and WL7U, Anchorage, Alaska; KL7FZ, Wasilla, Alaska; KL7NO, Fairbanks, Alaska; and KL7FB, Palmer, Alaska.

The test was conducted at 144.1 MHz. "Using KL7X as the source, two stations, WL7BQM and AL7EB were able to detect the scattered signal off of the field aligned irregularities generated in the F-layer over HAARP," said HAARP's Ed Kennedy, K3NS. Kennedy said KL7X ran 1 kW into a 28 dBi EME antenna. "Measurement of these signals was possible for about an hour." Receiving stations used AF9Y FFTDSP software.

"The scattered signals had an interesting Doppler characteristic and were on the order of 20-30 dB above the detectable threshold for the equipment used by the receiving stations," Kennedy said. "For comparison, I don't think they were nearly as strong as the signals that scatter off of the naturally occurring aurora."

Kennedy said that Cole has a complete record of the test and is busy working on analyzing the results with help from WL7BQM and with software developer AF9Y.

Each of the HAARP transmitters can produce 10 kW of RF output between 2.8 and 10 MHz. During the Amateur Radio test on March 20, HAARP cranked up its transmitters to full power--960 kW--"in order to produce the best possible conditions for creating the scatter structures in the F-region over the facility," Kennedy explained.

A HAARP listening test was held March 26 and 27. Signals were audible in the Eastern US March 26 on both the 6.99 and 3.34 MHz frequencies.

VANITY CALL SIGN APPLICATION FEE TO RISE SLIGHTLY

The cost of applying for an amateur vanity call sign is expected to rise slightly this fall. In a just-released Notice of Proposed Rulemaking involving assessment and collection of regulatory fees for Fiscal Year 1999 (MD Docket 98-200), the FCC has proposed increasing the vanity fee to $1.42 per year or $14.20 for the 10-year term.

The current vanity fee is $13. That figure, originally proposed at $1.29 per year (or $12.90 for the 10-year term) was "rounded up" to $1.30 per year by the FCC when it was implemented last fall, so it's possible the FCC might adjust the final number up or down to an even dollar figure this time as well.

The FCC projects 6800 vanity applications in FY 1999 for a total revenue figure of more than $96,000.

The vanity call sign business has continued to be brisk over the past year and picked up slightly after the vanity call sign fee dropped from its high of $50 to $13 last September. The FCC reports it received a total of 12,152 vanity applications during 1998--slightly more than 1000 a month; however, not all applications have resulted in call sign grants. That trend continued in January and February. The FCC got more than 1400 applications in each of those two months.

The vast majority of applications last year were filed electronically. The FCC reports that fewer than 20% of last year's applications arrived on paper. The Commission's Gettysburg office currently takes approximately three weeks to process a vanity call sign application.

Comments are due on the FCC's FY 1999 fee proposals by April 19. Reply comments are due April 29. A full copy of the FCC NPRM is available on the FCC Web site.

FCC INVESTIGATING TEXAS AMATEUR

The FCC is investigating information indicating that Technician licensee Leonard Martin, KC5WHN, of Houston, Texas, operated outside of the amateur bands without a proper license. Field Office personnel in Houston reportedly monitored Martin and located him using direction-finding equipment on two occasions. On February 27, he was said to be operating on 27.535 MHz and 545 MHz. On March 15, he was said to be operating on 27.370 MHz, a frequency between CB channels.

FCC personnel, accompanied by local police, visited Martin on March 15, but he allegedly refused a request to inspect his station. The FCC's Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, says he has spoken with Martin, and the case is under review. "This subjects him to a large fine for unlicensed operation and refusal to allow an inspection, plus loss of his license," Hollingsworth said.

The FCC warned Martin in writing last November 3 about operation on frequencies other than those authorized under his Amateur Radio license. "While these warning letters are a courtesy, we don't forget who we sent them to and it is a serious mistake not to take them to heart," Hollingsworth commented.

In other actions, the FCC sent Warning Notices to an Illinois ham alleging broadcasting and on-air harassment as well as transmission of profane and indecent language. The FCC also warned a Texas ham about causing deliberate interference on 40 meters, an Illinois ham who holds a Technician ticket about operating on 20 and 40 meters, and a North Carolina Novice who's allegedly showed up on 2 meters.

SHORTWAVE CAN PROVIDE WINDOW TO YUGOSLAV ACTION

You don't have to tune very far from the amateur HF bands to find different perspectives of the current crisis in Kosovo. NATO air strikes against Yugoslav targets resumed March 26, and many overseas correspondents have been expelled from Yugoslavia by the Milosevic regime.

Larry Magne, editor-in-chief of International Broadcasting Services Ltd which publishes Passport to World Band Radio, says Voice of Russia World Service, Radio Tirana, Radio Yugoslavia, and the BBC World Service offer a variety of points of view on the current happenings in the Balkans. International Broadcasting Services keeps an ear on world shortwave broadcasts from its primary monitoring site in Paraguay.

"Voice of Russia is interesting because they've sort of taken up the Serb cause," Magne explained. "In a way, their reaction is more important because they have some clout." Radio Tirana, from the Albanian capital, supports the other side of the conflict in which ethnic Albanians in Yugoslavia seek some degree of independence, while Radio Yugoslavia will offer the perspective of the Milosevic regime. Magne said it's hard to beat the BBC World Service for a more neutral position.

Magne said he considered it a bit odd that Radio Yugoslavia, with powerful transmitters installed under the Tito regime, still was on the air as of March 25, but IBS monitoring indicated the station was active on 7115 kHz 0100-0130 UTC. The shortwave station is "typically, the first thing they go after" when bombing, he said.

Voice of Russia and Radio Tirana both can be found evenings within the amateur 40-meter band (the 41-meter international broadcasting allocation). IBS monitored Radio Tirana on 7160 kHz between 0245 and 0400 UTC. Russia is available on 7125, 7180, and 7250, as well as other frequencies. IBS has monitored Voice of Russia on 12,000, 12,020, 12,040, and 15,595 kHz during the last 24 hours. Magne said the economic crisis in Russia has made that country's international broadcasting schedule a bit more unpredictable than in the days when it was known as Radio Moscow.

Magne says 5975 kHz is the best spot for the BBC World Service. Croatian Radio also has been heard evenings on 9925 kHz.

"Radio France Internationale, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and others are adding transmissions to the Balkans, so it is not inconceivable that some of the international broadcasters with access to large transmitting facilities may add frequencies because of the Balkan situation," Magne said.

Radio B92 (92.5 MHz) in Belgrade has been shut down by the Yugoslav government but has attempted to continued to broadcast via the Internet to avoid possible censorship. IBS says it has an unconfirmed report that the independent Radio B92 will be rebroadcast on shortwave to Yugoslavia and much of Europe. "The shortwave broadcast supposedly will operate this weekend from 0700 UTC (Saturday March 27) on 11415 USB," Magne said. "This reported transmission would appear to be via the facilities of an existing Western European hobby pirate station, probably using a modified ham rig and thus at very low power."

B92's Web site, http://www.b92.net/, does not mention a shortwave broadcast. The site offers English-language broadcasts, but these generally have been unavailable since the bombing began. The Web site suggests listeners try the Real Broadcast Network if they experience problems. Magne confirmed that Radio B92 Web service has been intermittent but said the station was managing to get through using telephone lines to feed its audio. The Web site also provides news in English and Serbian.

B92 also has been distributing audio files of its news bulletins in Serbian at http://www.webactive.com/webactive/events/b92/b92live.ram or http://www.xs4all.nl/~opennet/audio/live_feed.ram. These have been intermittently available the past week, but service is spotty and disconnects frequent.

Passport to World Band Radio and Passport to Web Radio are available from the ARRL. Passport to World Band Radio is $20 (order item 7202); Passport to Web Radio is $19.95 (order item 7059). Visit the ARRLWeb catalog for more information.

SOLAR UPDATE

Solar activity dropped again last week, with average solar flux off over 21 points and average sunspot numbers down by more than 19 points. There was some saving grace for HF operators though. One was the relatively low geomagnetic activity, with A indices in the single digits only, and the other was the arrival of the vernal equinox, when daylight is equal in the southern and northern hemispheres.

Note that the highest solar flux for the current cycle on February 14, when the noon reading was 204.6 and the afternoon reading was actually slightly higher at 208.2. Yet the noon reading on March 24 was 100 points lower, and the morning reading was 106.8.

Don't expect a big jump in solar activity for the CQ Worldwide WPX Phone Contest this weekend. Predicted solar flux for March 26-28 is 105, 105 and 110, and the planetary A index is somewhat unsettled at 12 for all three days.

Beyond the weekend expect the solar flux to rise to 130 by the end of the month, then go to 135 around April 5 and 140 two days later. It is expected to reach 150 around April 10-14. Look for recurring coronal holes to bring back unsettled to active conditions around March 28 through April 4, and possibly another week beyond that. There is also a possibility of increased solar flare activity over the same period until April 3.

Sunspot numbers for March 18 through 24 were 127, 157, 119, 97, 101, 33, and 52, with a mean of 98. The 10.7-cm flux was 148.1, 139.3, 132.7, 124, 115.9, 112.9, and 108.2, with a mean of 125.9. The estimated planetary A indices were 7, 6, 6, 6, 3, 5, and 4, with a mean of 5.3.

In Brief:

• This weekend on the radio: The CQ WW WPX (SSB) Contest is the weekend of March 26-28. Details are in the March QST, page 96. Just ahead: The EA RTTY Contest and the SP DX Contest are the weekend of April 3-4. The Low Power Spring Sprint is April 5. See April QST, page 100, for more information.

• New section managers: Northern New Jersey and Santa Clara Valley have new section managers. In Northern New Jersey SM-elect Jeffrey M. Friedman, K3JF, of Succasunna, assumed the reins in mid-March from SM Roy Edwards, AB2RE, who stepped down early. In Santa Clara Valley, Glenn Thomas, WB6W, of Milpitas, succeeds Geoffrey Ellis, KD6MFM, who resigned.

• New astro-ham: The expedition commander of the first International Space Station crew, US astronaut William G. "Shep" Shepherd, passed his Technician exam March 18. He’s now KD5GSL. "Great! My thanks to all the hams who have helped get this done," was how Shepherd reacted. The move paves the way for him to support future Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) operations. The first ISS crew is scheduled to be launched in January 2000. The crew will travel to the station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Joining Shepherd will be Russian cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev, U5MIR. The first ISS expedition is expected to last approximately five months.--thanks to Frank Bauer, KA3HDO

• Vanity update: The FCC in Gettysburg reports it has processed vanity call sign applications received through February 26. On March 17, the FCC issued 104 grants. Another 125 applications landed in the work-in-process (WIPs) stack.--FCC

• HQ staff changes: Jay Mabey, NU0X, has moved to the position of Assistant Contest Manager in the Membership Services Department. Tom Hogerty, KC1J, of Field & Educational Services, will assume responsibility for the National Frequency Coordinators' Office. Mike Petruccelli has begun his duties as the new comptroller at HQ. A Connecticut native, Petruccelli formerly was divisional financial reporting manager at Unisource.

• ARRL Technical Awards deadline looms: Nominations for ARRL technical awards--the Technical Service, Technical Innovation, and Microwave Development awards--are due at League Headquarters by March 31. Formal nominations may be made by any ARRL member. Supporting information, including the endorsement of ARRL affiliated clubs and elected or appointed League officials, should be submitted along with the nomination document. See November QST, page 50, for details. The Technical Service Award is given annually to the licensed radio amateur whose service to the amateur community and/or society at large is of the most exemplary nature within the framework of Amateur Radio technical activities. The ARRL Technical Innovation Award is granted annually to the licensed radio amateur for technical research, development and application of new ideas and future systems in the context of Amateur Radio activities. The ARRL Microwave Development Award is given for microwave development, ie, research and application of new and refined uses and activity in the amateur microwave bands, along with the bands above 30 GHz.--Rick Palm, K1CE

• Mir PMS operating again: MIREX President Dave Larsen, N6CO, reports that recent problems with the TNC aboard Mir have been repaired with the help of Scott Avery, WA6LIE. Larsen asks Mir packet users to refrain from attempting to access the PMS if it's in use by another ground station and to not digipeat through the TNC when a ground station is connected.--SpaceNews

• Texas PRB-1 bill gets Senate sponsor: The Texas Amateur Radio tower bill has a Senate sponsor, Sen Mike Jackson. Karl Silverman, N0WWK, who's been a prime mover behind the legislation, reports that Jackson not only will sponsor the bill but will attempt to put it on the fast track. Silverman said the bill could turn up in a Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations, chaired by Sen Frank Madla, as early as March 31.--Karl Silverman, N0WWK

• Marconi Club station in maritime special event: The Marconi Radio Club's W1AA will represent former Cape Cod coastal station WCC April 10-11 during the Radio Officers Amateur Radio Society special event commemorating the end of maritime CW operations. Work crews have been at work this month dismantling the former WCC antenna site. Some 90 stations worldwide are expected to take part in the ROARS event. Awards and certificates will be available. Visit the ROARS Web page for more information.--Whitey Doherty, K1VV