A new California hands-free cellular telephone law goes into effect July 1, 2008. It, like many others around the country, prohibits using mobile telephones while driving, unless a hands-free device is utilized. ARRL has received numerous questions about its application to the use of mobile Amateur Radio stations by licensed amateurs. The law, in relevant part, states as follows:

"23123. (a) A person shall not drive a motor vehicle while using a wireless telephone unless that telephone is specifically designed and configured to allow hands-free listening and talking, and is used in that manner while driving."

ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, advises that "The definition of prohibited behavior in California's recent statute does not include a prohibition of operating a mobile, licensed Amateur Radio station while driving, because Amateur Radio transceivers are not telephones. While ARRL cannot guarantee that this statute will not be interpreted by law enforcement officers or the courts of California more broadly than that, it is our view that a fair reading of the statute excludes mobile operation of Amateur Radio equipment by licensed radio amateurs.

"That said, it is obvious that drivers should pay full time and attention to driving. To the extent that operating their amateur stations while mobile is a distraction to them, they should consider, if possible, pulling over safely to the side of the road and conducting their amateur communications while stationary."

ARRL Regulatory Information Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, adds that while the statute on its face does not apply to Amateur Radio mobile operation, problems could still arise: "Law enforcement officers are not telecommunications experts and may not understand or be concerned about the difference between a cellular telephone and a ham radio. If you do get stopped, be polite and state that you were operating a mobile Amateur Radio transmitter as specifically authorized by the FCC and not a wireless telephone. Don't engage in an argument if the officer issues a citation -- that won't help your cause. If cited, you will need to follow the instructions about contesting the citation in traffic court.

As ARRL General Counsel Imlay notes, the language of the statute does not appear to include amateur mobile operation. Unfortunately, you could have to go through the inconvenience of appearing in court to contest a citation."

ARRL will continue to monitor the application of this statute relative to radio amateurs.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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).

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>.

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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