IN THIS EDITION:

• +"Buzz saws" abound on HF
• +Mississippi ham awaits court decision in RFI case
• +FCC logs vanity headway
• +West Central Florida SM named
• +CQ VHF merges with CQ
• Solar update
• In Brief; This weekend on the radio; ARRL November Sweepstakes reminder; ULS outage; It's as easy as IOY; Chod Harris, WB2CHO/VP2ML, hospitalized; Initial ARISS equipment flight again delayed; FCC approves test reimbursement fee; Scary Riley? William A. "Bill" Adams, W6BA, SK; Amateur Radio demonstration opportunity; Astronaut Eileen Collins, KD5EDS, honored; DARA accepting scholarship applications

+ Available on ARRL Audio News

"BUZZ SAWS" ABOUND ON HF

One of the HF surface wave radar sites in Newfoundland now being used for defense and nondefense-related research and development. [Defence Research Establishment Ottawa photo]

"The HF buzz saw is dead; long live the HF buzz saw!" That might be the cry from the crowd these days as various buzzing intruders have been showing up with some regularity on HF. Sometimes, though, it's hard to distinguish one intruder from the other on the basis of anecdotal reports from amateurs.

Recent reports of the so-called 125-Hz "buzz saw" intruder on the 80-meter band are a case in point. The intruder--heard primarily in the US northeast--had plagued amateurs as well as an aeronautical weather station just below 80. In the wake of protests from amateurs and coordination between the ARRL and Radio Amateurs of Canada, the transmissions--determined to come from two HF surface wave radar facilities in Newfoundland--moved off the amateur band. The signal has not been heard on 80 meters since early October.

IARU Region 2 Monitoring System Coordinator Martin Potter, VE3OAT, credited ARRL and RAC assistance in getting the HFSWR systems moved off the amateur bands. The HF surface wave radar sites in Newfoundland are a joint project of Canada's Department of National Defence and Canadian industry. Canadian officials see the technology as playing a role in maintaining Canada's territorial sovereignty as well as for search-and-rescue operations and to assist in combating illegal immigration and drug smuggling.

Responding to the initial "buzz saw" reports, amateurs in the US and elsewhere alerted the ARRL Monitoring System to a plethora of signals they claimed were the now-infamous intruder. It's now clear, however, that a similar mystery visitor on 40 meters is not coming from the Newfoundland HFSWR facilities. "Although a number of additional reports of buzz-like interference were received from the western USA and elsewhere, none could be confirmed as due to the same signal," Potter said. The signal has been widely reported in Region 1.

ARRL member Dave Bowker, K1FK, in extreme northern Maine was the first to report--and graph--both the "original" 80-meter buzz saw as well as the more-recent 40-meter signal. "Although it sounds similar, it has three distinctly different characteristics," he said. The signal's sidebands extend 7 kHz either side and "it is a frequency hopper, moving randomly in time and frequency steps."

Steve Yates, AA5TB, in Fort Worth, Texas, also has monitored, graphed and recorded the 40-meter signal, and his observations are consistent with Bowker's. "The transmissions would jump frequencies every few minutes but not at regular intervals," he says. He reports measuring the different transmission center frequencies at about 7020, 7040, 7050, 7070, 7080 and 7090 kHz, and believes the signals came from the same transmitter. Yates has posted information about this and other intruders at http://home.swbell.net/aa5tb/.

The IARU Region 2 Monitoring System now refers to the 40-meter intruder as an "unusual jammer," but concedes, "If the signal is truly a jammer, it is not clear who or what the target is." Potter says the signal is modulated by strong harmonics of 50 Hz and 100 Hz and seems to be associated with a "wobble" or "bubble" jammer on the same frequencies.

Another "buzzer" on 3795 kHz has been reported to the ARRL Monitoring System from hams in various parts of the US including Rich Chatelain, K7ZV, in California, and Bill Avery, K6GNX, in Nevada. Both agree that the signal appears to be coming from somewhere along the Utah-Nevada border. "It transmits for 80 seconds every five minutes. It is approximately 20 kHz wide," Avery said.

Potter says the 3795 kHz signal is worthy of further investigation.

Additional reports and observations are welcome to ARRL Monitoring System Administrator Tom Hogerty, KC1J, thogerty@arrl.org.

MISSISSIPPI HAM AWAITS COURT DECISION IN RFI CASE

A Mississippi ham arrested for interfering with his neighbors' telephones is awaiting a decision on his request to throw out the complaint on the grounds that the state court has no jurisdiction in the matter. ARRL member Bennie Stewart, KJ6TY, of Meridian, was arrested and charged September 10 after a neighbor filed a complaint with the Lauderdale County Justice Court.

Stewart, a ham for 12 years, appeared in court October 26. He says his attorney, Felecia Perkins, filed a request to dismiss the complaint, brought under a Mississippi law that makes it illegal to "intentionally obstruct, injure, break or destroy, or in any manner interrupt any telegraph or telephone line or communication thereon between any two points." Stewart maintains that only the FCC has jurisdiction, and his station is operating properly.

The ARRL has provided legal defense assistance to Stewart's attorney. The case has been continued while the court mulls its decision. If convicted, Stewart faces a fine of up to $500, six months in jail, or both.

"It should have never gotten to this point in the first place," Stewart said, adding that he's tried to work with his neighbors regarding telephone interference ever since the first complaints arose three or four years ago. "I put myself on a schedule," he said, explaining that he operates on 40, 20, and 10 meters only on weekday mornings. He says he never operates on weekends, only runs 100 W, and no longer owns a linear amplifier.

"The problem is not here," he says of his station.

A retired professional photographer, the 60-year-old Stewart is confined to a wheelchair. He described his arrest--which he says took place in front of his three-year-old granddaughter--as "humiliating."

Stewart says he expects the court to rule on the case very soon.

FCC LOGS VANITY HEADWAY

There's additional progress to report on the vanity call sign front. The FCC reported November 5 that it had processed vanity call sign applications received through September 7.

"Slowly but surely," says the ULS Task Force.

It appears from FCC records that 1528 vanity applications were filed between August 16--the first day of Universal Licensing System Amateur Service deployment--and October 29. The FCC granted 524 vanity call signs since it resumed vanity processing in mid-September.

The FCC also says it's eyeing possible improvements to the Universal Licensing System. The ULS Task Force says it agrees that Microsoft Internet Explorer must be fully supported by the ULS, and the system will be modified to support it in early 2000. Right now, the ULS supports only the latest versions of Netscape.

The FCC has given the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau authority to make ULS electronic filing available via the Internet provided "security concerns can be overcome." While no formal determination has been made to go with Internet or Web access instead of a dial-up connection, the WTB reportedly is taking steps to make online filing available and could do so as early as the first quarter of next year.

The ULS Task Force also says it's looking into more beta testing of ULS software prior to public release. --FCC

WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA SECTION MANAGER APPOINTED

Dave Armbrust, AE4MR, of Sarasota, Florida, has been appointed to serve as the first Section Manager for the new West Central Florida Section. In consultation with Southeastern Division Director Frank Butler, W4RH, and the West Central Florida Section Committee, ARRL Field Services Manager Rick Palm, K1CE, named Armbrust to serve a nearly one-year term. He'll assume office when the new section becomes effective January 15, 2000, and his term will run until January 1, 2001.

West Central Florida Section Committee Chairman Paul Toth, K2SEC, was pleased with Armbrust's selection. "I am confident Dave will be an effective Section Manger," he said. "He has my full support!"

For his part, Armbrust, 43, was champing at the bit. "Watch for great things from the West Central Florida Section," he told Palm and Toth this week. "We intend to make it a model section."

Armbrust said the new section, approved by the ARRL Board last month after a lopsided vote by the affected counties earlier this year, already enjoys a strong sense of unity. "We are all looking forward to making this section second to none," he said. The West Central Florida section consists of Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota counties.

Armbrust is available via e-mail at ae4mr@arrl.net or by telephone at 941-923-1688. His address is 1641 Baywinds Ln, Sarasota, FL 34231-3040. The West Central Florida Section Committee's Web site is at http://www.qsl.net/wcfla.

CQ VHF, CQ, MAGAZINES TO MERGE

CQ VHF magazine will end publication at year's end and be merged into an expanded CQ magazine. That announcement came this week from CQ Publisher Richard Ross, K2MGA. The merger takes effect with the January 2000 issue.

CQ says factors in the decision included its own survey results showing that a majority of CQ VHF readers also are active on HF; the inclusion of one or more VHF/UHF bands in many new HF radios; and the forthcoming FCC restructuring decision that is widely expected to make broad HF privileges more easily accessible to current Technician and Tech Plus class hams.

"The line between HF and VHF has been forever blurred, if not erased," said Rich Moseson, W2VU, who edits both magazines. "Clearly, the time for a separate VHF magazine is past."

A reader survey--conducted in the August 1999 issue of CQ VHF and published on page 32 of the November issue--revealed that 62% of CQ VHF readers have at least some HF operating privileges, and that of that group, more than two-thirds--69%--are active on both HF and VHF. In addition, 46% said HF operating is an important part of their overall ham operating,

Starting in January 2000, CQ will be expanded by 32 pages to accommodate increased VHF coverage. Current CQ VHF subscribers will have their subscriptions transferred to CQ, while those who subscribe to both magazines will have their CQ subscriptions extended by the number of remaining issues. Additional details will be published in the December issues of CQ VHF and CQ.

CQ and CQ VHF magazines are published by CQ Communications Inc of Hicksville, New York, which also publishes CQ Contest, Communications Quarterly, Popular Communications and Electronic Servicing & Technology magazines. For more information, contact Rich Moseson, W2VU, or Richard Ross, K2MGA, 516-681-2922.--CQ Publications news release

SOLAR UPDATE

Propagation purveyor Tad Cook, K7VVV, Seattle, Washington, reports: Average solar flux was down, and sunspot numbers were up this past week. This is because solar flux peaked at 197.3 on October 27, and the high sunspot values were on October 26, 28 and 29, when they were 200, 214 and 217. Since the reporting week for this bulletin began on October 28, this made for some funny averages.

At least over the past week geomagnetic disturbances had died down. Planetary K indices over the past few days have often been one or two, and even zero on November 3.

Solar flux should rise over the next few days, with the Friday through Sunday values at 150, 155 and 165. Planetary A indices for those days are predicted to be 7, 7 and 15, and the mid-latitude, or Fredericksburg A indices are predicted to be 5, 10 and 15. So for the ARRL CW Sweepstakes this weekend conditions could start to get a little rough on Sunday. Geomagnetic indices may remain high through the week, and solar flux may peak on the following weekend around 190 or 200. Another peak in solar flux may return around November 23 or 24.

Sunspot numbers for October 28 through November 3 were 196, 214, 217, 194, 178, 124 and 117 with a mean of 177.1. The 10.7-cm flux was 183.9, 179.6, 169.4, 160.4, 150.6, 142.8 and 143.1, with a mean of 161.4. The estimated planetary A indices were 16, 10, 7, 10, 10, 6 and 5, with a mean of 9.1.

IN BRIEF:

• This weekend on the radio: The ARRL November Sweepstakes (CW), the concurrent Sixth Annual North American Collegiate ARC Championship (CW), and the IPA Contest (SSB and CW) are the weekend of November 6-8. See October QST, page 88, for Sweepstakes rules.
  Just ahead: The Fall All-Band VHF Sprint is November 11. The Worked All Europe Contest (RTTY), the Japan International DX Contest (SSB) and the OK/OM DX Contest are the weekend of November 13-14. See November QST, page 93, for details.

• ARRL November Sweepstakes reminder: The ARRL November Sweepstakes now includes three new precedence letters, and the precedence indicates a station's entry category. Under the revised SS exchange, stations will send "Q" for single operator, QRP (5 W PEP output or less); "A" for single operator, low power (less than 150 W PEP); "B" for single operator, high power (more than 150 W PEP); "U" for single operator, unlimited; "M" for multioperator; and "S" for school club. The ARRL Contest Branch has notified the developers of popular computerized logging software to take the changes into account in their programs. All stations using computerized logging now must submit their electronic log file, not just a paper file. In another change, the multioperator category will be allowed unlimited band changes. The 1999 ARRL November Sweepstakes is November 6-8 (CW) and November 20-22 (phone). Complete rules appear in the October QST. Contact ARRL Contest Branch Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, at n1nd@arrl.org or 860-594-0232 for more information.

• ULS outage: The FCC has announced that the Universal Licensing System is scheduled to be down Saturday, November 6, from 7 AM until midnight, EST.--FCC

• It's as easy as IOY: Nominations for the ARRL Instructor of the Year awards are due to section managers by January 31. It's simple to nominate an exceptional ham radio instructor, teacher or recruiter to receive one of the four annual awards! A nomination form is available on the Web or by mail. Each award nomination requires endorsements and testimonials from others. Two of the four annual awards honor instructors. The ARRL Professional Instructor of the Year award recognizes paid instructors, such as those teaching through adult education, while the Herb S. Brier Instructor of the Year Award recognizes an unpaid volunteer instructor. The ARRL Professional Educator of the Year award recognizes a teacher who incorporates ham radio into a school curriculum. The ARRL Excellence in Recruiting award goes to a person who has gone the extra mile to introduce others to Amateur Radio. Award winners receive a handsome plaque and recognition for their time and effort in service to the ham radio community. Runners-up get certificates. To get an Educational Awards Nominating Application, visit http://www.arrl.org/ead/award/application.html or contact Jean Wolfgang, tel 860-594-0200; e-mail jwolfgang@arrl.org.

• Chod Harris, WB2CHO/VP2ML, hospitalized: Former ARRL HQ staffer and well-known DXer and CQ magazine DX columnist Charles J. "Chod" Harris reportedly suffered a massive heart attack and has been hospitalized in Santa Rosa, California. Bob Locher, W9KNI, reported November 4 that Harris, 50, was gaining ground but remained in intensive care. "While Chod is not out of the woods, things are definitely looking better," Locher said. Flowers are not permitted in the intensive care unit, but friends may write Chod Harris, 3201 Franz Valley Rd, Santa Rosa, CA 95404. While he was at ARRL HQ, Harris and ARRL Educational Activities Manager Rosalie White, WA1STO, started the Club and Training Department in the mid-1970s.

• Initial ARISS equipment flight again delayed: The schedule once again has been reset for space shuttle mission STS-101, which will carry the initial Amateur Radio on the International Space Station gear aloft. NASA now says the shuttle Atlantis will launch no earlier than March 16, 2000. The nearly 11-day mission will carry the initial Amateur Radio station equipment to the ISS for deployment aboard the Russian-built service module. Wiring inspections and repairs on the Atlantis orbiter, along with the unplanned replacement of the ammonia boiler, are responsible for the most recent delay. Observers also are keeping an eye on the situation in Kazakhstan, where a Russian Proton rocket recently was lost following launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Processing of the Zvezda ISS service module continues. The Proton launch vehicle is similar to the rocket that will bring Zvezda to orbit. NASA reports that it's too early to determine what, if any, impact the launch failure could have on Zvezda's launch schedule. NASA and Russia had wanted one month's spacing between the launch of the service module and STS-101.--NASA

• FCC approves test reimbursement fee: The FCC has announced that the maximum Amateur Radio examination fee reimbursement that Volunteer Examiners and Volunteer Examiner Coordinators can collect during calendar year 2000 is $6.66. The ARRL/VEC has set its 2000 test fee at $6.65. Per ARRL-VEC policy, there is no examination charge for those taking only Elements 1A or 2. A $6.65 fee will be collected from applicants seeking to upgrade using a physician's certification to waive the Morse code examination. --Bart J. Jahnke, W9JJ

• Scary Riley? The "other" Dave Sumner, KD7DS, points out that someone at the FCC must have had a great sense of humor when they came up with FCC Legal Adviser for Enforcement Riley Hollingsworth's new title under the FCC reorganization. Hollingsworth--who's K4ZDH--will become Special Counsel for Amateur Radio Enforcement--or SCARE if you're into the sorts of acronyms our government seems to love. The FCC's new Enforcement and Consumer Information bureaus become effective November 8, along with Hollingsworth's scary new title. Just back from a visit to a hamfest appearance in St Paul, Minnesota, Hollingsworth reacted to the frightful acronym by declaring: "Wow, I hadn't thought of that!" (Guess it wasn't his idea, then; maybe it was someone's Halloween prank. --Ed.) --thanks to Dave Sumner, KD7DS

• William A. "Bill" Adams, W6BA, SK: The DX and contesting communities are mourning the passing of veteran amateur Bill Adams, W6BA, of Twentynine Palms, California. Adams died October 29. He was 90. An ARRL member for more than 60 years, Adams was first licensed in 1924 as 6ANN. Four years later, he made the first known transcontinental QSO on 10 meters, working 2JN in New Jersey from his Long Beach, California, QTH. In 1947, he became the first president of the Southern California DX Club in 1947. He held DXCC Certificate #120 (1948) and WAZ Certificate #37 (1949). An active DXer, W6BA had hosted many contest operations at his 40-acre retirement estate and antenna farm since 1967. The N6AW team, which usually operates from W6BA, has dedicated its 1999 CQ Worldwide Contest SSB score to the memory of Bill Adams, W6BA. --thanks to Mike Mitchell, W6RW

• Amateur Radio demonstration opportunity: John Santillo, N2HMM, invites satellite-capable hams to participate Monday, November 8, 1300-1700 UTC (8 AM-noon Eastern Time), when he demonstrates Amateur Radio satellite Communications to the fifth and sixth graders at Lounsbury Hollow Middle School in Vernon Township, New Jersey (FN21rf). Santillo plans to operate AO-27 during its 1353 and 1532 UTC passes as well as FO-29 at its 1608 UTC pass (if the satellite is still in Mode JA; 435.865 MHz). He'll also attempt AO-10 between the AO-27 and FO-29 passes.--SpaceNews

• Astronaut Eileen Collins, KD5EDS, honored: NASA astronaut Eileen Collins, KD5EDS, a New York native, has received the Empire State's highest award, the Jackie Robinson Empire State Freedom Medal, for her achievement as the first female space shuttle commander. During the historic STS-93 mission, Collins and her crew deployed the heaviest, largest and most powerful X-ray telescope ever launched into space, the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The Freedom Medal, established in 1997, goes each year to those who best demonstrate the qualities of determination, dignity, fairness and honor exemplified by Jackie Robinson, who broke major league baseball's color barrier.

• DARA accepting scholarship applications: The Dayton Amateur Radio Association is now accepting requests for applications for the DARA Scholarship Awards. DARA has awarded numerous $2000 scholarships to assist young amateurs. Applicants must be graduating high school seniors and hold a Amateur Radio license. All completed applications will be considered. Requests for applications, accompanied by an SASE, go to DARA Scholarships, 45 Cinnamon Ct, Springboro, OH 45066. Completed applications must be postmarked before June 1, 2000.--Stanley R. Kuck, NY8F