N1ICS.net News and views from around the world of Amateur Radio

Amateur Radio operators throughout the United States have reported hearing an intruder signal -- dubbed Firedrake -- on 20 meters.

ARRL Field and Regulatory Correspondent Chuck Skolaut, K0BOG, said he has received reports from Intruder Watch monitors in Texas, Montana, West Virginia, Massachusetts, Colorado, Washington, Nevada and Pennsylvania hearing the jammer on 14.010 and 14.070 MHz. Hams in IARU Region 1 have heard the jammer on 14.000, 14.005, 14.010, 14.030, 14.050, 14.050 and 14.090; Uli Bihlmayer, DJ9KR, Assistant Monitoring Coordinator for Region 1 (IARUMS) <http://www.iarums-r1.org/> said he has had reports of hearing the jammer on three frequencies at the same time. Skolaut said he heard it on 14.070 at 1500 EDT on June 6 from ARRL HQ, but has not confirmed Firedrake on any other frequencies. "We have reported the jammer to the FCC's High Frequency Direction Finding (HFDF) facility in Columbia, Maryland. They have also heard the jammer and have sent a harmful interference report to the Chinese government," Skolaut said.

The FCC has no authority to make intruder stations outside the US stop transmitting on Amateur Radio frequencies; such situations typically are dealt with through diplomatic channels. "All three IARU regions are coordinating efforts to collect observations and forward them to the proper authorities to follow up on this," Skolaut said. "As you probably remember, this jamming occurred almost two years ago <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/08/17/2/> and was primarily heard on 14.260 and 18.160 MHz."

According to Bihlmayer, the jammer (whom Region 1 monitors have dubbed Firedrake) plays oriental-type music (click here to hear what Firedrake sounds like - <http://www.arrl.org/news/files/firedrake.mp3>) and originates from the Chinese government in an attempt to block out the Sound of Hope short wave broadcasts <http://sohnews.com/shortwave-broadcasts/>.

The Sound of Hope refers to itself as "a Chinese language media network providing an alternative to China's state controlled media with news and cultural programming. Radio Free China (RFC) is Sound of Hope's project to reach listeners in Mainland China with programming beyond the control of China's omnipresent blockade of free information." Information on the Intruder Watch program can be found in the June 2007 issue of QST.

The results for the W1AW Frequency Measuring Test (FMT) <http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/fmt/> held on May 21, 2008 are in <http://www.b4h.net/fmt/fmtresults200805.php>. Announced and reported completely online <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2008/04/29/10071/?nc=1>, the spring version of the exercise attracted 81 participants. The object was to measure the frequency of an audio tone, given the frequency of the transmitted signal's carrier. Since digital modes based on frequency-shift keying (FSK) require precise tuning, being able to measure frequency is an important skill.

The actual frequency of the tone was 1240.3 Hz for all of the W1AW transmissions. The majority of the participants reported frequencies within 1-5 Hz of the exact value, a 0.08 to 0.4 percent error. Participants could use a variety of measurement techniques, some of which are described in the November 2004 QST article announcing an FMT with a similar focus <http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/fmt/2004/04fmtsilver.pdf>. The online results include detailed descriptions from many stations of the methods and equipment used to make the measurements.

W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, plans to run additional FMT exercises on a regular basis, so watch the ARRL Web Site <http://www.arrl.org> for future announcements. If possible, a West Coast station will be added to future FMTs, improving signal quality for participating stations in that region, particularly on the lower frequency bands. Automated results collection and reporting will be supported for all future FMT events.

When severe thunderstorms started to threaten the Midwestern United States with tornadoes, hail, severe lightning and rain starting on June 4, state agencies were quick to call on Amateur Radio operators for assistance.

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) activated ARES members to help out with communication efforts, providing radios for those amateurs who offered to help. ARRL Indiana Section Emergency Coordinator Tony Langer, W9AL, said hams were instrumental in many ways , including assisting in Emergency Operations Centers, sand bagging, helping out in shelters and even aiding in rescue efforts.

This storm brought 12 confirmed tornadoes to 11 Indiana counties, with some communities reporting up to 11 inches of water, Langer said; 20 counties were under a State of Emergency. On June 9, President Bush declared 29 counties in central Indiana a major disaster area, opening up the region to receive federal aid and FEMA assistance. Four people perished in the storms.

In a call put out to Amateur Radio operators on June 8, IDHS said, "The flood waters have impacted several counties here in Indiana severely. Ham Radio operators have been operating continuously since activated and are growing weary. Some counties do not have a vast amount of active hams to relieve these tired operators." Specific areas needing amateur assistance were overnight relief operators at the Bartholomew County EOC, as well as the EOC and three shelters in Columbus County.

Marion County (Indiana) Emergency Coordinator Mike Palmer, N9FEB, called on ARES members in his area to help out. "People might think, 'Why not just use telephones or cell phones?' Well, many phones are not working down there at this time. With the high waters, electric transformers are out all over; even those servicing cell towers are out. Even with today's technology, we find ourselves looking at ham radio to assist. If you can spare a few hours or an entire evening, please consider helping."

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels called in the United States Coast Guard to assist in evacuations and rescues. The Coast Guard responded by sending two helicopters to the state along with boats and personnel. The Indiana National Guard was called out to assist in evacuation and direct traffic and enforce road blocks on the many flooded roads.

Torrents of rain also brought flooding to Wisconsin. On June 9, five counties had requested aid from Amateur Radio operators, ranging from backup communications to disaster assessment and flooding communications. One county called on ARES members to provide patrols of the flooded areas overnight on Tuesday and Wednesday.

According to ARRL Wisconsin Section Emergency Coordinator Bill Niemuth, KB9ENO, approximately 90 ARES members responded to the call for assistance. "In Columbia County, ARES members provided dam monitoring communications early in the flooding. These communications gave critical information to public safety officials about two dams that were nearly compromised. Due to falling water levels, this activity has been discontinued, but hams remain on standby due to the threat of additional heavy rain," Niemuth said.

Richland County ARES members remain activated, Niemuth said. "Hams are providing a variety of services, including fielding information calls in the County's Emergency Operations Center and providing specialized communications for disaster assessment by hover craft and airplane. These communications are in addition to providing traditional ham radio communication links between the EOC and evacuation shelters."

On Thursday, June 12, more rains inundated the state and more counties requested aid from area Amateur Radio operators. Niemuth said Winnebago County ARES members are providing damage assessment assistance in the county and in the City of Oshkosh, while hams in Fond du Lac are helping out with shelter communications. ARES teams in Marquette and Outagamie are providing back-up communications and flooding reports to their respective Emergency Operations Centers. -- Information provided by ARRL Indiana Section Emergency Coordinator Tony Langer, W9AL, and ARRL Wisconsin Section Manager Don Michalski, W9IXG

[Reply only to k8je@arrl.org.]

RE: DIVISION CONFERENCING TEST -- REGULATORY WEBINAR

Dear GLD member,

* Response to poll.
* Invitation to try one conferencing method.
* Let me know your view of the method.

Some 450 members responded to my request concerning interest in holding division conferences electronically. The response was about 20-to-1 in favor of giving this a try. Thanks to all for sharing your thinking.

Thanks to a fellow director, we have an opportunity to try out one form of conferencing. The system involved is the Webinar. It involves logging into a special web site (to receive conference video on your computer screen) and calling into a telephone conference (to receive the voice discussions), Admittedly, the telephone call may involve a toll fee unless you have unlimited long distance service through your provider.

Director Bill Edgar of the Atlantic Division is holding a Webinar this Saturday, June 14. The subject is FCC Amateur Radio Regulations. The leader of the discussion is Dan Henderson, ND1Q the ARRL HQ Regulator guru. You will have the opportunity to have your questions answered.  The time of the Webinar is from 11 AM-12 Noon.

Bill has extra space in the Webinar and has invited members of the GLD to participate. Instructions on doing this are provided, below.  Please be aware that there is a limit to the number of people who can be served in a Webinar; therefore, if you are interested in seeing how this works, you should reserve your space by registering as soon as possible. If you participate, please let me know how you feel about us using this form of conferencing to serve our division.

To participate:

Title: Atlantic Division ARRL Regulatory Webinar

Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/295496463

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT

Meet with ARRL's Regulatory Manager, Dan Henderson N1ND, who will present information about the ARRL's regulatory program and what he's been working on.

This webinar/teleconference is for anyone interested in regulatory issues such as ARRL members, clubs members, ARES members, Section Managers, Section Cabinet Staff and everyone else.

This is a free online presentation and teleconference. (The telephone call to the conference center may be a toll call however.)

There will be a question and answer period after the presentation.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows? 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista

Macintosh?-based attendees
Required: Mac OS? X 10.3.9 (Panther?) or newer

Space is limited.

Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director
ARRL Great Lakes Division
5065 Bethany Rd.
Mason, OH 45040
E-mail: k8je@arrl.org; Tel.: 513-459-0142
ARRL - The Reason Amateur Radio Is!
Members - The Reason ARRL Is!

--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Great Lakes Division
Director: James Weaver, K8JE
k8je@arrl.org
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If Jeff Hammer, N9NIC, gets his way, he'll be an awfully busy soldier in the run-up to Father's Day on June 15. Captain Hammer, who represents the Army Military Affiliate Radio System (Army MARS) in Iraq, has appealed to the families of troops deployed overseas to "shower down with Father's Day messages" for their loved ones.

According to Army MARS Public Affairs Director Bill Sexton, AAA9PC/AAR1FP/N1IN, these free messages -- called MARSgrams -- date back to the Korean War when many thousands were delivered. The service continued during the Vietnam conflict and the first Gulf War, but had fallen off with the advent of e-mail and cell phones.

As the military's Middle East operations continue, Sexton said that the responses from that area indicate that the soldiers treasure the printed MARSgrams as mementos of their deployment: "It's not just a greeting. E-mail just isn't the same." MARSgram traffic spurted last Thanksgiving and Christmas, and Captain Hammer reports that he is "100 percent set up" to handle MARSgrams for Father's Day.

A National Guardsman from Indiana, Hammer arrived in Baghdad just this spring after previously serving in Afghanistan. In addition to volunteering for the MARS assignment, he is acting as station custodian for the Baghdad Amateur Radio Society. Hammer shipped in his own low-power ham station and began direct receipt of messages May 25; he has to shoehorn his volunteer Amateur Radio activity into his off-duty
hours.

On Sunday, June 1, five soldiers including Hammer gathered for a meeting of the Baghdad ARS. Besides Hammer, three Amateur Radio operators are part of the group: Warrant Officer 2 Edward Mendez, N3BZA, who also operated the military MARS station ABM4USS in Korea for an Aviation Maintenance Company; Barry Coronado, KC8RTK, a Department of Defense employee, and Wayne Gale, W0GTO, a contractor.

The subject of Sunday's meeting was preparing for the hoped-for Father's Day surge. After a period of instruction on MARS procedure during which the participants wrote their own MARSgrams, Hammer took the members to his personal MARS station to attempt transmission despite difficult propagation conditions.

"We are only running 5 W on a Yaesu 817, but we wanted to give it a try if for no other reason than to see the equipment and demonstrate the procedure," Hammer messaged afterward. "God must have been smiling down on us because after only a few attempts we connected to AEN3QT in Qatar on 40 meters and got all the messages through without any problems."

Family members can easily send free MARSgrams overseas by entering their message on the MARSgram Web site <http://www.mymars.org/>. The Army MARS WinLink system will automatically relay the Iraq-bound messages to Hammer and his helpers; they will produce printouts and envelopes and hand them off to the Military Postal Service for final delivery. A MARSgram travels much faster than ordinary mail and can be delivered wherever American troops serve.

Army MARS is a Department of Defense-sponsored organization of more than 2700 Amateur Radio operators who provide emergency communications backup for government agencies in times of civil calamity; active-duty service personnel are welcome to join. Parallel MARS units serve the Air Force and Navy-Marine Corps, making the three-prong program more than 5000 members strong.

On Saturday, May 31, the space shuttle Discovery launched into the heavens carrying a crew of one Japanese and six American astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS); of the seven crew members, two are Amateur Radio operators. NASA's Greg Chamitoff, KD5PKZ, is the ISS Flight Engineer and Science Officer on Expedition 17 and will spend six months living and working onboard the ISS, returning home on Endeavour (STS-126), currently targeted for November 10. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Akihiko Hoshide, KE5DNI, is a mission specialist.

Chamitoff will replace Garrett Reisman, KE5HAE, who arrived on the ISS in March; Reisman will return to Earth when Discovery leaves the ISS. It is expected that the ISS Crew -- Commander Sergei Volkov, RU3DIS; Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko, RN3DX, and Chamitoff -- will conduct Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contacts while on the ISS.

This mission, STS-124 -- the 123rd space shuttle flight and 26th shuttle flight to the ISS -- docked with the ISS at 2:03 PM (EDT) on Monday, June 2. Discovery carries with it the second component of JAXA's Kibo laboratory, the Japanese Pressurized Module (JPM). The 37 foot, 32,000 pound JPM will be attached to the left side of the Harmony connecting node by shuttle and station crew members during a series of three spacewalks. The JPM will join the first component of Kibo, the Japanese Logistics Module, which was launched on the last shuttle flight, STS-123 on Endeavour, in March.

Kibo (which means hope in Japanese) is so heavy that only its primary set of avionics systems can be launched inside it. The second set was launched in the logistics module delivered on STS-123 so that it will be available, if needed, when Kibo is activated. "Kibo is just a beautiful piece of work," said lead shuttle flight director Matt Abbott. "I know the Japanese space agency had an element installed on STS-123, but this is really their pride and joy. This module is amazing."

"It's going to be a world-class laboratory," said astronaut Mark Kelly, Discovery's commander. "It's its own little spacecraft, in the sense that it has an environmental system, electrical system, its own computer system, its own robotic arm. It's got a lot of capability, and I'm hopeful that over the years that the laboratory produces significant discoveries in the fields of chemistry, physics, material science and life sciences. It certainly has that potential." The Kibo laboratory complex includes two robotic arms that also will be delivered on Discovery. A third and final shuttle mission to complete the complex will launch an exterior platform for the Kibo laboratory complex that will allow experiments to be exposed to space.

On Earth, STS-124 will mark the first time the JAXA flight control team will activate and control a module from Kibo Mission Control in Tsukuba, Japan. JAXA is scheduled to take over final activation of Kibo on the fifth day of STS-124, the day after the module is installed. "That's a big day for Japan," Hoshide said. "We'll be doing vestibule outfitting, which is basically hooking up all the jumper connections between Node 2 and the pressurized module for power signals, data cables, fluid lines, all that stuff. Once that's done we will be activating the main computer in the pressurized module from our laptop computer inside the station - we call that the initial activation. "Then, once the computer's activated, the Mission Control Center in Tsukuba Space Center can start commanding, so we'll hand it over to them. They will start doing the final activation of the module."

In addition to Kelly, Hoshide and Chamitoff, the STS-124 crew consists of Pilot Ken Ham and Mission Specialists Karen Nyberg, Ron Garan and Mike Fossum. Discovery is due back to Earth on Saturday, June 14 at 10:45 AM (EDT) at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. -- Information provided by NASA

On Saturday, May 31, WX4NHC <http://www.wx4nhc.org/>, the Amateur Radio station at the National Hurricane Center (NHC), held their annual Communications Test from 1300-2100 UTC. According to WX4NHC Assistant Coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4R, this annual test has two purposes: To verify that ham radio equipment will not interfere with any equipment at the NHC, and to ensure proper performance of Amateur Radio equipment at the NHC.

During the test, NHC Director Bill Read, KB5FYA, addressed the Amateur Radio community on the VoIP Hurricane Net and on the Hurricane Watch Net <http://www.wx4nhc.org/Bill-Read-QST.mp3>. Read spoke about the importance of Amateur Radio in hurricane-related disasters and thanked Amateur Radio operators for their support in past hurricanes. He encouraged hams to continue to provide that strong support as WX4NHC enters its 28th year of service and the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season begins. Read made several contacts with Amateur Radio operators during
the test.

"We all know how important it is to maintain communications during a hurricane to relay our hurricane warnings to those in the affected area which may have no other means to receive this vital information," Read said. "We are also very appreciative for the surface reports from those in the storm which add to our database and help our forecasters better visualize what is actually happening at the ground level in real time. As our own ham radio station, WX4NHC, celebrates its 28th year of volunteer service at the National Hurricane Center, we extend our thanks to all ham radio operators that continue to support our mission to help save lives."

Ripoll, calling the annual test "very successful," thanked all the amateurs involved and called on them for their support as the hurricane season starts up. During the test Ripoll and his crew also completed antenna work in preparation for the season.

Ripoll said that the WX4NHC Annual Station Test started very early on Saturday with three of the operators replacing the main HF dipole. "The dipole runs from the 100 foot tower to the top of the Hurricane Center Building and was reinstalled with a better orientation so that the main effective lobes run SE and NW," he said. "This will improve reception to the Caribbean, as well as the US Gulf area. It took three hours of bringing the dipole up and down to fine tune the SWR down to 1:1.2, but it was worth the effort. Stations monitoring our antenna tests reported improvements of 3 to 6 dB at their locations. We are very happy with the results of this new antenna installation."

It was good timing for the test as the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season started on the same day, albeit one day earlier than it was scheduled: Tropical Storm Arthur formed from the remnants of Pacific Tropical Storm Alma over Central America. Arthur did weaken, but was responsible for very heavy rains and flooding over portions Guatemala, Honduras, Belize and Mexico. This is the second straight year in which a tropical system formed prior to the start of the Atlantic hurricane season.

WX4NHC made 346 contacts during this event: 291 on HF and 55 on EchoLink/IRLP. They heard from 23 states and US territories, as well as such foreign locales as Bermuda, Curacao, Jamaica, Cuba, Honduras, Estonia and Canada.

"The WX4NHC Coordinators and Operators extend their thanks to all ham radio operators that participated in our Annual Station Test," Ripoll said, "and look forward to your continued support during the hurricane season."

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland has declared June 28 (Saturday Field Day) as "Ohio Amateur Radio Appreciation Day" in the state.

Please go to www.ohioares.org to see the official document. Ohio Section Manager Joe Phillips, K8QOE, wants all Ohio Field Day sites to down load the document and display it proudly during all 24 hours of Field Day - 2 p.m. Saturday, June 28 to 2 p.m. Sunday, June 29. 

The Appreciation Day certificate, already signed by Gov. Strickland, cites the "vital role amateur radio plays in emergencies." The certificate also honors the 28,000 amateur radio operators many of whom donate equipment, time and talent to the safety of the general public in Ohio, local communities and the nation as a whole.

The Appreciation Certification is the work of Ohio State Government Liaison, Nick Pittner, WB8TMF, of West Jefferson. Nick worked for five weeks with state officials to make this "Appreciation Day" a reality.

Remember go to <www.ohioares.org> and download the document for display at Field Day sites. Newsletter editors, please download the document for your publications.

On Tuesday, May 27, ARRL filed electronic comments concerning two matters that the FCC has under consideration. The first set of comments concerns a company that filed a request for a waiver of Part 90 of the FCC rules; ReconRobotics, an electronics manufacturer, wishes to sell, and for its public safety customers to use, a robotic device that operates in the 430-448 MHz band. The primary allocation in that portion of the spectrum is United States government radiolocation (military radars). The Amateur Service has an allocation on a secondary basis. The second matter deals with GE Healthcare and their request for allocation of spectrum (as a secondary user) in the 2300 MHz band; the Amateur Service has a primary allocation in a portion of the requested band.

On January 11, 2008, ReconRobotics filed a request with the FCC for a waiver of Part 90 of the Commission's Rules with respect to the Recon Scout, a remote-controlled, maneuverable surveillance robot designed for use in areas that may be too hazardous for human entry. This device can be thrown, dropped or launched into hazardous areas and can provide an operator located a safe distance away with video and audio, along with infrared, biological, chemical, heat, radiation or other data. According to the FCC, ReconRobotics seeks a waiver to permit equipment authorization of the Recon Scout, and its use by state and local law enforcement and firefighting agencies and by security personnel in critical infrastructure industries.

The FCC said a waiver is required to permit licensing of the Recon Scout because "the device operates in the 430-448 MHz band." ReconRobotics asserts that because the Recon Scout operates with 1 W peak power, it is "unlikely to cause interference to these services."

The ARRL contends that "Because [this device] operates on a channelized basis, each of the three channels being six megahertz wide, the necessary bandwidth of the device is apparently close to 6 MHz. [ReconRobotics] asks that it be granted an unspecified series of permanent waivers to allow the marketing and sale to, and use of this device by law enforcement and fire department personnel for public safety applications. The Amateur Service, which has a heavily occupied, secondary allocation in the 420-450 MHz band...would be potentially substantially impacted by grant of these waivers."

The ARRL's comments also state that ReconRobotics "fails to establish that the 420-450 MHz band is the only viable choice and that no other band would be suitable; an obligation of the Petitioner in order to entitle it to a waiver." In requesting the waiver, ARRL asserts that ReconRobotics only claimed, but did not show, prove or demonstrate, that other bands were not suitable for its purposes. In other cases before the FCC as recent as 2006, the Commission denied such waivers, saying, "We do not believe that the public interest requires grant of a waiver merely to accommodate a manufacturer's choice of a specific frequency when others are available."

The ARRL contends, in its comments, that "nothing in the four corners of [ReconRobotics'] request indicates anything that would verify the actual conclusions offered. The waiver request boils down to 'trust us, we have checked into this.'"

The ARRL points out in its comments that there are differing amateur operations throughout the 420-450 MHz band. One of the channels ReconRobotics is requesting use of -- 442-448 MHz -- is used by amateur repeaters (with band plans varying by locality) and also for Amateur television repeater inputs. "These repeater inputs, both for voice and video, are at high locations where line-of-sight to [ReconRobotics] devices should be expected anywhere in the United States. Repeaters in this band are routinely used for emergency communications via amateur Radio for numerous served agencies including FEMA, and so at times when [ReconRobotic's] device may be expected to be used, the repeaters may be expected to be in operation in the same areas," ARRL comments state.

For this reason as well, the ARRL maintains that interference to [the Recon Scout] device may be expected on a regular basis from Amateur Radio operations: "While it is all well and good for [ReconRobotics], a manufacturer, to suggest that it understands that operation of the device would be subject to interference received from licensed users in the band, such interference is not a comforting thought for licensed radio amateurs who could very easily be perceived to be, or held responsible for the failure or malfunction of these analog devices in a given application and the danger to public safety officers who are
relying on them. It is also too much to expect that a Public Safety licensee will understand that the use of the device is unpredictable because interference to the device is unpredictable. [ReconRobotics] is correct about one thing: Amateur Radio operators take their relationship with First Responders very seriously. Creating fundamental incompatibility between Public Safety communications and Amateur Radio operations serves no one well at all, and for this reason,
[ReconRobotics] should reconfigure its device to operate in a different allocation."

The ARRL urges the FCC to deny the waiver request, "either permanently or even temporarily," and calls on the Commission to require ReconRobotics to "initiate a rulemaking proceeding if it feels that the Part 90 or Part 15 rules governing analog devices are not sufficiently accommodating and should be changed, and could be changed consistent with interference avoidance. Repeatedly granting waivers for analog devices which do not meet the fundamental interference avoidance requirements of the existing rules is bad spectrum management and ill-serves the Amateur Service."

In December 2007, GE Healthcare filed ex parte comments in response to a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) in the pending "MedRadio" proceeding, proposing that the band 2360-2400 MHz be allocated on a secondary basis for "Body Sensor Networks" (BSNs). These systems are apparently to be used for wireless patient monitoring. They are very short-range networks consisting of multiple body-worn sensors and nodes, connected via wireless to nearby hub stations at medical facilities and in homes. The Amateur Radio Service is currently allocated 2390-2400 MHZ on a primary basis.

In its comments, the ARRL states that it does not expect a "significant amount of harmful interference to Amateur operations at 2390-2400 MHz from BSNs." GE Healthcare's proposal, however, makes "erroneous assumptions about Amateur uses in these bands, and the interference potential of the devices to Amateur Radio stations in residential areas is not known."

According to GE Healthcare, they propose an allocation of the entire 2360-2400 MHz band for use of the BSN devices, but the ARRL contends that "in any given area, only 20 MHz of that band would be used. [GE Healthcare's] proposal specifically mentions Amateur Radio and claims that, because the band 2390-2400 MHz is 'designed [sic] for fast scan video, high rate data, packet, control and auxiliary applications' and not weak signal communications, it is well-suited for sharing with the BSN systems."

The ARRL argued that this is a misconception on GE Healthcare's part: "The fact is that there are no limitations on the type of Amateur uses to be made in these bands. The band may in fact be used in some areas for weak signal communications, on a completely unpredictable basis. The uses of this band by radio amateurs, though guided overall by a national band plan, are very much subject to local variation dictated by custom and usage. Weak signal Amateur communications utilize long propagation paths, very low received signal levels, and very high transmitted signal levels. The band is also used for long distance data, voice and television communications using relatively weak received signal levels."

The ARRL, in its comments, said it "is far more concerned" about potential interference to BSNs from licensed Amateur Radio operation in the 2390-2400 MHz band: "The ramifications of radiofrequency interference (RFI) to these systems in terms of danger to medical patients are obvious, and potentially severe." The ARRL contends "that the potential for interference from Amateur Radio operations, which are in this band occasionally itinerant and mobile, but most often fixed in residential areas, to BSNs operated at a patient's residence would be...a problem."

In light of the possibilities of harmful interference, the ARRL requested that the FCC "not proceed with the proposal of GE Healthcare as proposed in the 2390-2400 MHz band."

ZCZC AX05
QST de W1AW
Special Bulletin 5 ARLX005
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT May 29, 2008
To all radio amateurs

SB SPCL ARL ARLX005
ARLX005 National Hurricane Center's WX4NHC Sets On-The-Air Station Test

The annual WX4NHC On-the-Air Station Test from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami takes place Saturday, May 31, from 1300-2100 UTC. "The purpose of this annual Station Test is to test all of our radio equipment, computers and antennas using as many modes and frequencies as possible. This is not a contest or simulated hurricane exercise. New equipment and software will be tested, and some operator training will also be conducted," says WX4NHC Assistant Amateur Radio Volunteer Coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4R. He adds that WX4NHC also will be testing new computers and software as well conducting operator training.

WX4NHC will be on the air on HF, VHF and UHF, plus 2 and 30 meter APRS. Suggested SSB frequencies are 3.950, 7.268, 14.325, 21.325 and 28.525 MHz, +/-QRM; WX4NHC reports that they will mostly be on 14.325 MHz and will make announcements when they change frequencies.

WX4NHC also will be on the VoIP Hurricane Net 1700-1900 UTC (IRLP node 9219/EchoLink WX-TALK Conference) and on South Florida area VHF/UHF repeaters and simplex.

Stations working WX4NHC exchange call sign, signal report, location and name plus a brief weather report, such as "sunny," "rain" or "cloudy." Non-hams may submit their actual weather using the On-Line Hurricane Report Form. QSL to WD4R and include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Do not send cards to the NHC. Due to security measures, no visitors will be allowed at NHC during the test.

NNNN
/EX

SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS006
ARLS006 New Russian Satellite in Orbit

ZCZC AS06
QST de W1AW
Space Bulletin 006 ARLS006
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT May 29, 2008
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS006
ARLS006 New Russian Satellite in Orbit

A Russian rocket launched from Plesetsk on May 23 carried a number of payloads to orbit, including a new Amateur Radio satellite named Yubileiny -- Russian for jubilee -- since christened Radio Sputnik 30 (RS-30).

Operational details are vague at this time. Amateurs throughout the world report receiving signals at 435.315 and 435.215 MHz; some report reception of CW telemetry while others report what appear to be image transmissions from the satellite. RS-30 is orbiting at a maximum altitude of 1500 km, creating a substantial communications footprint below.

The satellite will broadcast audio and video about the history of the Soviet and Russian space programs, as well as signals imitating those broadcast by Sputnik in 1957.

According to the satellite's launch team, "The motive for development of the Yubileiny small spacecraft was the 50th anniversary of the first space satellite. With the help of that satellite, the new space systems and equipment are expected to get flight qualification, and radio-amateurs all over the world will be able to receive information on the history of space development and domestic cosmonautics achievements."

NNNN
/EX

Do you remember the distinctive double-diamond broadcast towers in old radio literature?

Those are examples of the Blaw-Know design. There is one belonging to WLW that stands just off the interstate, near the old VOA installation north of Cinncinnati.

You may have seen it on your way to or from the Hamvention. This informative paper deals with both the mechanical and RF reasons for the unique design and much of it is contributed by broadcast engineers who happen to be hams.

(Thanks, Don N4KC)

Special Counsel in the FCC Spectrum Enforcement Division Riley Hollingsworth sent a Warning Notice to Thomas A. Nichols, WA6BKR, of Fairfield, California -- a General class licensee - reminded Nichols that on February 28, 2008, the FCC notified him once before, "the Enforcement Bureau indicated that in September 2004 and on various dates since October 2007 you operated on frequencies assigned to Extra class licensees but prohibited to General class licensees."

According to the Warning Notice, Nichols replied to Hollingsworth's February letter, conceding "an instance in which you operated in the Extra Class portion of the band and gave numerous reasons and comments on the Morse code exam, Amateur Radio in general, the Extra Class examination and other radio and kit building topics not relevant to your out-of-band operation."

Hollingsworth warned Nichols that "any additional out-of-band operation may lead to revocation of your license or a monetary forfeiture." Nicholls was also warned that his license would not be renewed or upgraded "until such matter is resolved."

Direct all questions concerning the Amateur Radio Service Enforcement Actions Web postings via e-mail only to Riley Hollingsworth <fccham@fcc.gov> in the FCC Spectrum Enforcement Division.

Special Counsel in the FCC Spectrum Enforcement Division Riley Hollingsworth has announced plans to retire from the FCC later this year. "My intention," Hollingsworth told the ARRL, "is to head out in July, assuming the results of the second round of the PAVE PAWS/440 repeater monitoring in California present no complications. It has been a privilege to work with and for the Amateur Radio licensees and the land mobile frequency coordinators. I am extremely fortunate to work for two wonderful groups of people: Those at headquarters in the Enforcement Bureau, and for the Amateur Radio operators." Hollingsworth had planned to retire earlier this year, but changed his mind, saying, "There [were] several issues on the table that I want[ed] to continue to work through with the amateur community."

While his successor has not been named, he was quick to point out that the FCC's Amateur Radio enforcement program will continue.

Hollingsworth said he considered it an honor to have given something back to "the incredible enjoyment and benefits that Amateur Radio has given me since age 13. And to every one of the thousands of you that thanked us for our work, many of whom waited for long periods after a forum or radio meeting just to come up and express appreciation for what the FCC was doing in enforcement, you have no idea how much that was appreciated every single time. It sure wasn't a 9 to 5 job, but it was a gift and a daily joy to work for the best group of people on earth. The only bad day in nearly 10 years was September 21, 2001, when we lost Steve Linn, N4CAK. We still miss him." Linn, deputy chief of the Licensing and Technical Analysis Branch for private wireless within the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, and his wife Lesley were killed in a car accident on their way to the Virginia Beach hamfest.

Hollingsworth told the ARRL he was "so very impressed" with the young people who are involved with Amateur Radio: "To the very young Amateur Radio operators I met at Dayton, who have dreams of being scientists and astronauts and communications engineers, we will be pulling for you; I have a strong feeling we won't be disappointed."

"The Amateur Radio Service is part of the American heritage, and I am going to stay as actively involved in it as I possibly can," Hollingsworth explained. "Thank you all for working tirelessly to provide the only fail safe communications system on Earth and for helping this country keep its lead in science and technology. What an incredible gift it has been to work with you every day, and how fortunate we are to love the magic of radio!"

Just before Hamvention weekend, CQ magazine announced its 2008 Hall of Fame inductees, welcoming 14 new members into the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame, three new members of the CQ DX Hall of Fame and two new members of the CQ Contest Hall of Fame. The CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame honors those individuals, whether licensed hams or not, who have made significant contributions to Amateur Radio; and those amateurs who have made significant contributions either to Amateur Radio, to their professional careers or to some other aspect of life on our planet. The CQ Contest and DX Halls of Fame honor those amateurs who not only excel in personal performance in these major areas of Amateur Radio but who also "give back" to Amateur Radio in outstanding ways.

The 2008 inductees to the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame (listed
alphabetically) are:

Gaston Bertels, ON4WF -- Honorary President, former President and CEO, UBA (Belgian IARU Member-Society); Founder & President, AMSAT Belgium; Chairman, ARISS Europe.

L. B. Cebik, W4RNL (SK) -- Noted antenna authority, prolific author on topics relating to antennas and antenna modeling. One of Cebik's last articles for QST, "A New Spin on the Big Wheel," appeared in the March 2008 issue. The article, co-written with Bob Cerreto, WA1FXT, looked at a three dipole array for 2 meters. This was a follow-up to their article in the January/February issue of QEX that featured omnidirectional horizontally polarized antennas. Cebik authored the "Antenna Options" column for QEX. Cebik, an ARRL Life Member, passed away last month at age 68.

Gordon England, ex-W3AWO -- Deputy Secretary of Defense; former Secretary of the Navy; former defense industry executive.

Admiral Edmund Giambastiani, N4OC -- Retired Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Gerald Griffin, MD, K6MD -- Brigadier General, Medical Corps, US Army (Retired). Led medical brigades and humanitarian missions in various combat zones; delegate to NATO medical advisory committee

Larnelle Harris, WD4LZC -- Multi-award-winning gospel singer/songwriter.

Lenore Jensen, W6NAZ (SK) -- Co-Founder, Young Ladies' Radio League (YLRL). Jensen wrote articles for QST, such as "Ask Not What Amateur Radio Can Do for You" (September 1978) and "California Hams Assist During Mud/Flood Crisis" (June 1980). During the 1930s, she acted in the radio drama Ma Perkins and later starred with McDonald Carey in the Lock Up TV series. Jenson was featured on This Is Your Life for her important contributions during World War II. After Pearl Harbor, she founded radio training courses for the American Women's Voluntary Service (AWVS), specializing in phone patches between servicemen overseas and their families, running more than 50,000 phone patches during the Vietnam War. Jensen's stepdaughter, Cynthia Wall, KA7ITT, wrote several ham radio-related adventure books for young people that were published by the ARRL.

John Kanzius, K3TUP -- Inventor of possible cure for cancer using RF energy; process for possible use of seawater as fuel. Kanzius's work was featured in the February 2008 issue of QST.

Charles (Chip) Margelli, K7JA -- DXer and DXpeditioner; in 2005, successfully represented hams in Morse code vs text-messaging competition on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He has written several articles for QST since 1973, including "Field Day 2003 from Cuba" in the December 2003 issue. In his capacity as Vice President for Amateur Sales and Marketing for Heil Sound, Margelli arranged the donation of equipment to The Laird Campbell Memorial HQ Operators Club station, W1HQ.

Philip S. Rand, W1DBM (SK) -- TVI pioneer; author, Television Interference. Rand was an electronics engineer for the Remington-Rand Corporation in the late 1940s, when Amateur Radio faced a crisis in the form of interference to the early VHF television sets. Rand worked with the ARRL to develop TVI suppression techniques for channels two through six. ARRL's then-Technical Editor George Grammer, W1DF, designed high pass filters for the primitive TV sets, while Rand developed new methods of shielding for amateur transmitters. Rand published articles in QST Magazine spanning 50 years, from "A Shack on Wheels" in 1933 to "The Beeper, An Audible Frequency Readout for The Blind Amateur" in September 1983. Rand served as ARRL New England Division Director in 1955 and 1956.

Vice Admiral Scott Redd (Retired), K0DQ/A92Q -- Former Director, National Counterterrorism Center; Retired Commander, US Fifth Fleet; active contester and DXer.

Tony Tether, PhD, K2TGE -- Director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

Dr Hamadoun I. Toure, HB9EHT -- Secretary-General, International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Dr Toure received his Amateur Radio license in October 2007. An interview with Dr Toure appears in the May 2008 issue of QST.

John Townsend, PhD, W3PRB -- Space program pioneer, aerospace industry executive.

The 2008 inductees to the CQ DX Hall of Fame are:

John Devoldere, ON4UN, who more or less single-handedly popularized DXing on 80 meters. His book, Low Band DXing, the last several editions of which have been published by the ARRL, is considered the "bible" for DXing on these bands, with more than 50,000 copies sold. In 1979, Devoldere was the first ham to earn CQ's 5-Band Worked All Zones (5BWAZ) award; he holds 80 meter DXCC Certificate #1 and currently has 357 countries confirmed on that band.

Nellie Saltiel de Lazard, XE1CI, a pediatrician and DXer/DXpeditioner, has earned just about every major DXing award. She has operated from more than a dozen different countries, including being the first female to operate from Palestine (E4). 

Bob Schenck, N2OO, has made his greatest contribution to DXing behind the scenes as QSL manager for more than 100 DX stations as well as more than 130 DXpeditions. Schenck is founder of the QSL Manager's Society. 

The 2008 inductees to the CQ Contest Hall of Fame are:

Paolo Cortese, I2UIY, has too many Top 10 finishes to list. Off the air, he served for more than a decade as the HF Contest Manager for Associazione Radioamatori Italiani, Italy's national Amateur Radio association and IARU Member-Society. Cortese wrote a book on contesting and has been a member of the CQWW Contest Committee since 1990, co-director of the CQ WW RTTY DX Contest and CQ WPX RTTY Contest since 2005. He has also written articles for QST and NCJ.

Randy Thompson, K5ZD, has multiple wins in the CQ World Wide DX Contest, ARRL Sweepstakes, CQ WPX (CW and SSB), CQ 160 and the IARU HF Championship. His station has also hosted many #1 performances by guest operators. Thompson is three-time editor of the National Contest Journal (NCJ) and co-founder of the eham.net Web site. He has just been named Director of the CQ WPX Contests. Thompson is a member of the Yankee Clipper Contest Club (YCCC).

SB QST @ ARL $ARLB011
ARLB011 New Section Managers to Take Office July 1

ZCZC AG11
QST de W1AW
ARRL Bulletin 11 ARLB011
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT May 22, 2008
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB011
ARLB011 New Section Managers to Take Office July 1

In the only contested Section Manager race this spring, Paul Eakin, KJ4G, was elected as the ARRL Northern Florida Section Manager with 430 votes. Dale Sewell, W4NBF, received 385 votes, and Carl Zelich, AA4MI, received 370 votes. Ballots were counted Tuesday, May 20, 2008, at ARRL Headquarters.

Eakin's two-year term begins on July 1; he will be stepping into the office that has been held by Rudy Hubbard, WA4PUP, since 1990. Hubbard has served nine continuous terms of office. A Life Member of ARRL, Eakin is from the Tallahassee area and he has been a licensed radio amateur since 1969. He has a strong background in Emergency Communications and many years of emergency service experience.

The ARRL Northern New Jersey Section is getting a new Section Manager starting on July 1, as well: Richard Krohn, N2SMV, of Manalapan, will be taking over the reins from Bill Hudzik, W2UDT, who has served as Section Manager since 2001.

The following incumbent ARRL Section Managers did not face opposition and were declared elected for the next two year terms of office beginning July 1: Tom Ciciora, KA9QPN (Illinois); Bill Woodhead, N1KAT (Maine); Bonnie Altus, AB7ZQ (Oregon); Bill Dale, N2RHV (Santa Clara Valley); Paul Gayet, AA1SU (Vermont), and Don Michalski, W9IXG (Wisconsin).

Nominations for the Indiana Section Manager position will be resolicited in July QST for an 18-month term of office beginning in January 2009.

NNNN
/EX

SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS005
ARLS005 New Amateur Radio Satellite Receives OSCAR Designation

ZCZC AS05
QST de W1AW
Space Bulletin 005 ARLS005
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT May 22, 2008
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS005
ARLS005 New Amateur Radio Satellite Receives OSCAR Designation

Earlier this week, Bill Tynan, W3XO, announced that Amateur Radio satellite Delfi C-3 has been issued an OSCAR number: Delfi-C3 OSCAR-64 or Dutch OSCAR-64. The shortened version of either of these two designations is DO-64.

Delfi C-3 was successfully launched April, 28, 2008 from India aboard a Polar launch vehicle and was successfully commissioned, currently transmitting telemetry on the 2 meter amateur band. In addition to its 2 meter downlink, Delfi C-3 has an uplink on the 70 cm band.

This newest amateur satellite was developed by a team of some 60 students and facility members from various polytechnic schools in The Netherlands.

Delfi C-3 carries two experiments: one involving thin film solar cells developed by Dutch Space, and an autonomous wireless Sun sensor from the Dutch Government Research Institute (TNO).

According to Delfi C-3 Project Manager Wolter Jan Ubbels, Delfi C-3 has been duly coordinated through Region 1 IARU representative Graham Shirville, G3VZV, and that the satellite "meets all of the criteria necessary to be issued an OSCAR number."

"AMSAT-NA is pleased to welcome DO-64 into the family of Amateur Radio satellites," Tynan said. "We are hopeful that it will fulfill its intended mission of furthering education and increasing interest in the Amateur Radio space program. We congratulate all of those responsible for designing, building, testing and launching this new Amateur Radio satellite and look forward to its long and productive life."

NNNN
/EX

Former Ohio SM John P. Haungs, W8STX died on May 10 while working in his garden in Springdale (Cincinnati), OH. John was Assistant SM to Ohio SM Joe Phillips, K8QOE as well as Special Assistant to me as the Great Lakes Division Director. John was also a long-time officer of the Greater Cincinnati Amateur Radio Association, a former officer of ARES and a leader in many additional amateur organizations in Ohio.

John's funeral was May 16. Because so many of his friends had firm  commitments at the Hamvention(r) for this date, Ohio SM Joe Phillips, K8QOE, has arranged a special memorial service for Amateur Radio operators on June 17.

The National Weather Service has announced a Web page for hams and others to report outages of the NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards Transmitters (NWR). The Web page <http://www.weather.gov/nwr/outages.html> explains how to report a transmitter that may be off air in a listener's area. -- Joe Lachacz

Dr Ronald A. Parise, PhD, WA4SIR, passed away Friday May 9, 2008 after a very long and courageous battle with cancer. He was 57. Parise flew as a payload specialist on two space shuttle missions: STS-35 on Columbia in December 1990 and STS-67 on the Endeavour in March 1995. These two missions, ASTRO-1 and ASTRO-2, respectively, carried out ultraviolet and x-ray astronomical observations, logging more than 614 hours and 10.6 million miles in space. Parise was one of the first astronomers to operate a telescope from space, making hundreds of observations during the mission. Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Chairman Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO, said Parise's personal contributions to these two missions provided scientists with "an unprecedented view of our universe, expanding our understanding of the birth, life and death of stars and galaxies." Information on ARISS can be found on the ARISS Web site <http://www.rac.ca/ariss/oindex.htm>.

First licensed when he was 11, Parise kept Amateur Radio at the forefront of everything he did, including his operations from space. During his two shuttle flights, he spoke with hundreds of hams on the ground. He was instrumental in guiding the development of a simple ham radio system that could be used in multiple configurations on the space shuttle; as a result, his first flight on Columbia ushered in what Bauer called the "frequent flyer era" of the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) payload <http://www.arrl.org/ARISS/sarex-past.html>. He was the first ham in space to operate packet radio. "His flight pioneered the telebridge ground station concept to enable more schools to talk to shuttle crew members despite time and orbit constraints," Bauer said.
"In his two shuttle flights, he inspired countless students to seek technical careers and he created memories at the schools and communities that will never be forgotten. Ron was also the ultimate ham radio operator -- in space and on the ground."

Bauer said that Parise's love for Amateur Radio and his love of inspiring students continued well beyond his two shuttle flights: "During the formation of the ARISS program, Ron was a tremendous resource to the newly forming international team. I know of many instances where Ron's wisdom and sage advice was instrumental in helping our international team resolve issues when we reached critical technical
or political roadblocks. He was a key volunteer in the development of the ham radio hardware systems that are now on-board ISS. The ARISS team is deeply indebted to WA4SIR for his leadership, technical advice and tremendous vision."

Parise worked hand-in-hand with the students at the US Naval Academy and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on the development of their student satellites. He helped develop Radio Jove, a student educational project to listen to the radio signals emanating from Jupiter <http://radiojove.gsfc.nasa.gov/>. Parise spoke at numerous schools over the years, inspiring students to pursue careers in science, math and
technology.

"Ron Parise was--and continues to be--an inspiration to countless students, ham radio operators, and friends the world over. His accomplishments were many, including space explorer, pioneer, astrophysicist, pilot, ham radio operator, avionics and software expert, inspirational speaker and motivator, student satellite mentor, husband, father and friend. While he certainly did some truly extraordinary things in his lifetime, Ron Parise is best known and cherished for keeping family and friends first, and for this, we will miss him most," Bauer said.

In an effort to continue Parise's work to inspire the next generation, his family has set up a scholarship fund in Parise's honor for students pursuing technical degrees at Youngstown State University, Parise's alma mater. In lieu of flowers, those interested are welcome to send donations to the Dr Ronald A. Parise Scholarship Fund, Youngstown State University, One University Plaza, Youngstown, OH 44555. -- Information provided by Goddard Amateur Radio Club, WA3NAN

The Colorado Council of Amateur Radio Clubs (CCARC) recently teamed up with Ham Radio Outlet (HRO) in Denver to donate a 2 meter, 70 cm and 23 cm D-STAR system stack.

According to ARRL Colorado Section Manager and CCARC Board Member Jeff Ryan, K0RM, the two groups hit upon the idea of issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) to Colorado radio amateurs. "We received three excellent proposals," Ryan said, "and on March 21, CCARC and HRO awarded the D-STAR system to the Colorado D-STAR Association, a consortium of Denver area individuals, clubs and ARES groups."

Ryan explained that the goal of the CCARC, which also serves as Colorado's frequency coordination body, was "to spur the interest and use of digital Amateur Radio technology. This is the first D-STAR system that will go on the air in Colorado. The hope is that it is the first of many such systems, ultimately linking the entire Amateur Radio community throughout Colorado and beyond."

The 3-band D-STAR system, serving the Denver Metro area and the Front Range of Colorado from Ft Collins to Castle Rock and points east, will be installed this summer at a mountaintop site. The system will have a coverage area of more than 5400 square miles, nearly the size of Connecticut. Ryan said that the RFP placed "special emphasis" on the D-STAR systems being available to ARES groups in the served area, "and also requires the host group to link to any other requesting D-STAR system that comes on the air in Colorado."

Last week at the Space Weather Workshop in Boulder, Colorado, NASA released a 4D live model of the Earth's ionosphere
<http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/30apr_4dionosphere.htm?list212589>. Without leaving home, anyone can fly through the layer of ionized gas that encircles Earth at the edge of space itself. All that is required is an Internet connection and a free copy of Google Earth <http://earth.google.com/>. NASA calls the ionosphere the "last wisp of Earth's atmosphere that astronauts leave behind when they enter space. The realm of the ionosphere stretches from 50 to 500 miles above Earth's surface where the atmosphere thins to near-vacuum and exposes itself to the fury of the sun. Solar ultraviolet radiation breaks apart molecules and atoms creating a globe-straddling haze of electrons and ions."

Using a Google Earth interface, users can fly above, around and through these regions getting a true 4D view of the situation. "The fourth dimension is time. This is a real-time system updated every 10 minutes," said W. Kent Tobiska, president of Space Environment Technologies and chief scientist of its Space Weather Division. The proper name of the system is CAPS, short for Communication Alert and Prediction System.
 

Earth-orbiting satellites feed the system up-to-the-minute information on solar activity; the measurements are then converted to electron densities by physics-based computer codes. It is important to note, Tobiska said on the NASA Web site, that CAPS reveals the ionosphere not only as it is now, but also as it is going to be the near future.

According to propagation specialist Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, this model "can provide Amateur Radio operators a broad view of what the ionosphere is doing 'now.' This broad view is due to the fact that the resolutionin the color coding schemes only gives coarse estimates of the six parameters available." Luetzelschwab, former editor of "National Contest Journal" (NCJ) <http://www.arrl.org/ncj/>, writes a propagation column in NCJ and other publications.

"This is an exciting development," said NASA solar physicist Lika Guhathakurta on the NASA Web site. "The ionosphere is important to pilots, ham radio operators, earth scientists and even soldiers. Using this new 4D tool, they can monitor and study the ionosphere as if they're actually inside it." Guhathakurta made his comments on the NASA Web site.

NASA understands that "[h]am radio operators know the ionosphere well. They can communicate over the horizon by bouncing their signals off of the ionosphere -- or communicate not at all when a solar flare blasts the ionosphere with X-rays and triggers a radio blackout." As radio amateurs, we use -- and depend on -- the ionosphere to make contacts.

Tobiska agrees: "For ham radio operators, this is a great application because it enables them to figure out what frequencies that are going to be available for communicating with any part of the world they want to communicate with at that moment in time. So ham radio operators who are in South Carolina want to talk to someone in Europe or Africa, they can know exactly what frequencies to turn to on their dial."

Luetzelschwab said he personally believes that "The importance of this new product is the fact that this is likely the first physical model of the ionosphere available to the widespread Amateur Radio community. This is in contrast to the model in our current propagation predictions -- such as VOACAP, W6ELProp and the like -- that is based on years of measured ionospheric data correlated to a proxy for the true solar ionizing radiation (the proxies being sunspots and 10.7 cm solar flux)."

NASA explained that it appears that this new physical model takes satellite measurements of solar radiation at extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wavelengths (the true ionizing radiation) and inputs this data, along with a geomagnetic field activity index, into a model of the atmosphere to determine electron densities. Luetzelschwab said "Yes, it only offers a broad view now -- but I think it is a sign of things to come."

More information on this tool for radio amateurs can be found on the ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2008/05/06/10081/>.

At their annual awards banquet on April 26 in New York City, the Veteran Wireless Operators Association (VWOA) <http://www.vwoa.org> honored two Amateur Radio operators with two of the association's top awards: Fritz Raab, W1FR, and John "Jack" Curtis, K6KU. Raab gave the keynote address at the banquet. "The dinner speech was a wonderful presentation of the Amateur Radio Experiment domestically and that which is happening internationally. He explored what may happen, if things go well for the museum stations on 500 kHz and for radio amateurs," said VWOA Chairman Francis Cassidy. "Ever since the emergence of the Global Marine Distress and Safety System, professional radio officers have discussed the prior use of 500 kHz. They know the attributes in the oceans of the world where ground wave transmissions on the oceans provided their primary informational experience of these transmissions."

Fritz Raab, W1FR, of Burlington, Vermont, received the VWOA's De Forest Audion Gold Medal, honoring his "technical achievements in 35 years of radio engineering." Raab serves as the experimental project manager for The 500 KC Experimental Group for Amateur Radio <http://www.500kc.com>. The ARRL 500 kHz experimental license, WD2XSH, was issued in September 2006 and has 20 active stations.

"I'm kind of excited to see how we can apply modern technology to a 'classic part' of the radio spectrum," Raab told ARRL in 2006 when the experimental license was issued. He pointed out that 500 kHz -- the traditional maritime emergency frequency -- is roughly geometrically halfway between the 136 kHz experimental band and the 160 meter amateur allocation. "In contrast to 160 meters, 500 kHz is low enough to offer good ground wave propagation," Raab said, "but in contrast to 137 kHz, it is high enough to allow us to engage in real communication with realistic equipment."

Raab said he would eventually like to see at least a secondary 600 meter amateur allocation from 495 to 510 kHz. "Besides the opportunities for experimenting at low frequencies, that frequency is well suited to regional groundwave communication," Raab said. He said he envisions the eventual use of the spectrum to provide Amateur Radio emergency communication via groundwave, without having to deal with the vagaries of the ionosphere or causing interference to any other services.

Additional information on the 500 KC Experimental Group for Amateur Radio can be found at the experiment's Web site and also in the July/August 2007 issue of QEX
<http://www.arrl.org/qex/2007/07/raab.pdf>.

Raab said that it was "a real honor for me to receive an award named after one of the most important inventions in radio, and given by an organization whose members have included a number of the legends in the field. As a newcomer to 500 kHz through our experimental license, it is especially nice to be recognized by a group of people who have actually used 500 kHz for communication."

Raab is chief engineer and owner of Green Mountain Radio Research, a consulting firm that he founded in 1980. He received his BS, MS and PhD in electrical engineering from Iowa State University. Raab is co-author of "Solid State Radio Engineering" and author of more than 100 technical papers; he has been issued 12 patents. Raab's professional activities include RF power amplifiers, radio transmitters and radio-communication/navigation systems. He is a fellow of IEEE and a member of ARRL, Sigma Xi, Association of Old Crows, Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association and the Radio Club of America.

Jack Curtis, K6KU, of Granite Bay, California, received the VWOA's Marconi Memorial Award Plaque "for his lifetime efforts of perfecting electronic circuits to generate Morse code as exemplified by the development of the Curtis Keyers."

In an article Brad Mitchell, N8YG, wrote for the ARRL Web site in 2002 <http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2002/02/042/>, he said, "Modern transceivers incorporate many features that not long ago were considered accessories: CW keyers and SWR meters come to mind. John Curtis, K6KU, created an electronic iambic-keyer circuit and subsequently offered an IC chip to do the job. He revolutionized keying, as we know it."

Mitchell wrote that Curtis, when studying for his Amateur Extra ticket, "decided to get a feel for the requirements of the Extra Class test by undertaking a circuit design project. John built a keyer circuit and learned about digital electronics." This keyer worked so well that Curtis's ham friends told him he should market it. Curtis followed the advice, and in 1969, he placed an ad in "Ham Radio Magazine" announcing the Curtis Electronic Devices EK-38. The -38 and its follow-up, the -39, became so successful that Curtis quit his day job and formed Curtis Electro Devices.

Curtis had established a lot of contacts while working at a semiconductor manufacturing company in the 1960s. These paid off for him when he decided that a keyer circuit could be implemented on a chip. He started with two designs: The 8043 and the 8044. "The 8043 was designed as a completely custom integrated circuit in CMOS," Mitchell wrote. "At the same time, International Microcircuits was looking for a chip in which to test their gate array technology. The first chip down the line was the 8044, produced for Curtis. The 8043 worked first try. It was limited to dit memory, and sold for $7.95 in quantities of 50 or more in 1973. The 8044 also worked right off the bat. It offered dah memory in addition and sold for $24.95 in 1975. The 8044M was introduced in 1980. M stood for meter. A meter could be hooked up to a pin of the 8044M to indicate sending speed."

In 1981 Curtis added mode B keying characteristics to his keyers. Mode B simply added an extra dit or dah when the operator stopped sending, depending on which was sent last. If a dit was sent last, an extra dah would be sent. If a dah were sent last, a dit followed. Curtis added this feature to his 8044B. He introduced several keyers incorporating his new full-featured ICs. The first was the EK430 incorporating the 8043 chip. Curtis also introduced a fully integrated keyboard chip called the 8045. In June 1982, Curtis Electro Devices produced its last keyer, the Lil' Bugger. Offered as the K5 or K5B, it incorporated the 8044 or the 8044B chip, respectively. Both models sold for $39.95 and were quite popular.

In spring of 1986, Curtis introduced the 8044ABM chip. It incorporated selectable A or B modes and the speed meter, becoming an industry standard. In the 1980s, however, microcontrollers were making serious headway and Curtis chips were no longer in demand. MFJ took over part of the line and Curtis Electro Devices ceased operations in April 2000.

The Veteran Wireless Operators Association was founded in 1925 to foster fellowship among wireless operators aboard ship, in the military, and in the shore stations. Through the years, the ranks of the VWOA have included most of the executives and innovators of the broadcasting and communication industry, as well as thousands of radio operators.

Today, in its 83rd year, the VWOA serves as both a link to the history or radio, as well as a bridge to the future. Its members have been, and continue to be, on the front lines of the development of radio and television broadcasting, satellite communications, and the entire digital revolution. Current membership is approximately 300 men and women. Members are concentrated along both US coasts, but members also reside in almost every state as well as Canada and several other countries. For more information on the VWOA, please visit the VWOA Web site <http://www.vwoa.org>.

On May 7, the FCC denied two separate Petitions for Rule Making (PRM) dealing with digital issues.

Mark Miller, N5RFX, of Arlington, Texas, sought to delete the FCC's 2006 addition to how it defines data, amend the rules to prohibit automatically controlled stations from transmitting on frequency segments other than those specified in Section 97.221(b), and replace the symbol rate limits in Section 97.307(f) with bandwidth limitations.

The FCC denied all three parts of Miller's PRM, saying he "did not set forth sufficient reasons for the Commission" to approve his petition and that "should future experience substantiate Miller's concerns, he may file a new, factually supported petition for rulemaking." The complete copy of the FCC's reply to Miller is on the FCC Web site http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-08-1082A1.pdf.

Ken Chafin, W6CPA, of La Crescenta, California, and Leon Brown, KC6JAR, of Los Angeles, California, also filed a PRM concerning additional spectrum for more repeaters, including digital systems, requesting that the FCC "propose to expand the frequencies on which an amateur station operating as a repeater (repeater station) may operate."

Chafin and Brown argued that additional spectrum is needed for repeater stations because some amateur repeater stations have begun using digital communications protocols" and "digital voice operation is incompatible with existing analog operations [because d]igital voice users are unable to determine if the desired frequency is in use by analog users and can inadvertently cause harmful interference to those users." The men pointed out that coordinating groups have been unable to separate analog and digital voice repeater operations to avoid harmful interference because the available repeater spectrum in the 2 meter band is "fully occupied by existing analog users in most metropolitan areas."

The FCC, after considering Chafin and Brown's PRM, concluded that the PRM did not present grounds for the Commission to amend its rules: "Repeater stations are authorized to transmit on any frequency in the 2 meter band except the 144.0-144.5 MHz and 145.5-146.0 MHz frequency segments. These two segments were excluded to minimize the possibility of harmful interference to other amateur service stations and operating activities, including 'weak signal' operations. Allocating an additional three hundred kilohertz of the 2 meter band to repeater operation would not be consistent with that concern. Rather, it would likely result in increased interference to non-repeater stations." The complete copy of the FCC's reply to Chafin and Brown is on the FCC Web site http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-08-1083A1.pdf.

SB QST @ ARL $ARLB009
ARLB009 FCC Looks to Raise Vanity Call Sign Fees

ZCZC AG09
QST de W1AW
ARRL Bulletin 9 ARLB009
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT May 9, 2008
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB009
ARLB009 FCC Looks to Raise Vanity Call Sign Fees

The FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Order (NPRM) on May 8 seeking to raise fees for Amateur Radio vanity call signs. Currently, a vanity call sign costs $11.70 and is good for 10 years; the new fee, if the FCC plan goes through, will go up to $12.30 for 10 years, an increase of $.60.

The FCC is authorized by the Communications Act of 1934 (as amended) to collect vanity call sign fees to recover the costs associated with that program. The vanity call sign regulatory fee is payable not only when applying for a new vanity call sign, but also upon renewing a vanity call sign for a new term. Instructions on how to comment on this NPRM are available on the FCC Web site at, http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/howtocomment.html.

The vanity call sign fee has fluctuated over the 12 years of the current program -- from a low of $12 to a high of $50; the current fee of $11.70 is the lowest the fee has been since the inception of the vanity call sign program. The FCC said it anticipates some
15,000 Amateur Radio vanity call sign "payment units" or applications during the next fiscal year, collecting $184,500 in fees from the program.

The vanity call sign regulatory fee is payable not only when applying for a new vanity call sign, but also upon renewing a vanity call sign for a new term. The first vanity call sign licenses issued under the current Amateur Radio vanity call sign program that
began in 1996 came up for renewal two years ago. Those holding vanity call signs issued prior to 1996 are exempt from having to pay the vanity call sign regulatory fee at renewal, however. That's because Congress did not authorize the FCC to collect regulatory fees until 1993. Such "heritage" vanity call sign holders do not appear as vanity licensees in the FCC.

Amateur Radio licensees may file for renewal only within 90 days of their license expiration date. All radio amateurs must have an FCC Registration Number (FRN) before filing any application with the Commission. Applicants can obtain an FRN by going to the ULS site at, http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls, and clicking on the "New Users Register" link. You must supply your Social Security Number to obtain an FRN.

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