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11 Jan 97

This is a weekly unofficial bulletin of news and views from ZL amateurs. It does not represent any official viewpoint, and all opinions are those of the contributor.


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RULE





-- from: AR Newsline #1011
    In DX, the Radio Society of Great Britain reports that
GM0MUV, is currently active as VP8CME from Antarctica. This,
as part of Sir Ranulph Fiennes's cross Antarctic solo walk
expedition.
   GM0MUV is Morag Howell. She is the Antarctic base leader
for Fiennes' expedition, which is being done to raise money
for breast cancer research in Great Britain. She has been
reported on 14.270 MHZ looking for European stations on
Wednesdays and Sundays between 16:00 and 18:00 UTC. (Via
RSGB, ARRL)

TS-440 REPAIRS COMPLETED
------------------------- From ZL1AMW
  Further to my item of last week, where I carried out a
repair on my TS-440 transceiver, following a technical
bulletin by Kenwood, unfortunately the set started exhibiting
the same symptoms again during the week, prompting a further
investigation.
  Armed with the understanding found while digging into the
radio last time, I found that when cold, VCO1 was going out
of lock on some frequencies. The oscillator for this VCO is
actually a set of four switched oscillators, and located on
the RF board, not the PLL board where all the other problems
had been located.  Once located, though, the tell-tale signs
of the same brown ``
                   gunk'' that had to be removed from VCO5
were noted.
  It appears that Mr Kenwood made a serious mistake a few
years back by pouring some rubber compound over some of the
components in the TS440 to reduce microphonics, and that the
compound chosen, after a few years of heat, becomes brittle
and conductive!
  I have now carefully picked the stuff away from the VCO1
components, and with a small tweak on the oscillator coils,
all is well.
  The radio spent some time in our deep freezer (that
surprised the wife!) and still started every time on all
bands, so I now pronounce it fixed at cold temperatures.
  If anyone is suffering from the same problems, you may wish
to drop me a note, and I will send details of the work I
carried out.
73 de Alan ZL1AMW



----------------------------- from:  AR Newsline #1011
  The American Radio Relay League says that the Morse code
must stay. A special committee created by the ARRL to study
issues relating to the 1999 World Radiocommunication
Conference has recommended that the ARRL Board of Directors
not support changing the treaty requirement for Morse code
testing to operate below 30 MHZ. The committee submitted its
final report to the leagues Board last week.
    The Committee's findings could wind up playing an
important role in whether the U.S. recommends keeping Morse
code as a requirement for amateur radio license privileges
below 30 MHz. The U.S. will make its recommendation during
the World Radio Conference '99. At the same time, other
countries are already on record as wanting the Morse Code
requirement removed.
   According to surveys conducted by a special ARRL
Committee, U.S. radio amateurs want to keep the code. The
Committee counted responses from about 10,000 League members
answering the survey in QST magazine. A second survey, this
one targeted at about 2,000 amateurs was also conducted.
 Tod Olson, K0TO, is the League's Dakota Division Director
and Survey Committee Chairman: "We compared the results of
the 2 surveys to see how well they matched and this gave us a
fix on what members thought and what amateurs at large
thought." Tod Olson
   Olson says the results of both surveys matched closely.
Among League members, 62% say keep the code, while 30% say
drop it. Olson says the surveys covered hams in all license
classes, including VHF only users. It was that category of
hams, Olson says, that yielded an amazing result:     "I'll
call them the people that entered ham radio via no-code.
Still, more than a tiny amount, approximately half felt that
we should retain the CW qualification exam." Tod Olson
   David Sumner, K1ZZ, is Executive Vice-President of the
ARRL: "The fact that the recommendation is consistent with
members views on the subject shouldn't be a surprise to
anybody." Dave Sumner
   With just three years left in a century filled with
amazing technological advances, Olson says it's clear that
hams still feel strongly about keeping Morse Code, even
though other radio services have abandoned code as a
practical means of communications.
   "There's a feeling that if you're really intense on being
a player in the hobby that going through the test of can you
learn the letters for the code; can you manage to read Morse
at 5 words per minute sort of signifies that you are willing
to sacrifice a lot. That you are willing to put up with a lot
in order to become an amateur and go places from there. There
is less of a clear feeling about how fast you ought to be
able to copy code." Tod Olson
   Some hams want to keep the code to preserve what they see
as the integrity of the amateur radio service. But in the
eyes of CQ Magazine Editor Allan Dorhoffer, K2EEK, that's not
a valid argument: "I got my license in '53 and there's
nothing around today that really resembles what was going on
in 1953. So what do we mean by integrity?" Alan Dorhoffer



Among those amateurs surveyed, Olson says there were only
slight differences in opinions about Morse Code among League
and non-League members. (ARRL release and other sources)

ARRL SUPPORTS PROPOSAL ON RECIPROCAL OPERATING
---------------------------------------------- from:AR
Newsline #1011
    The ARRL also says that its time to make it simpler for
hams to operate worldwide and its asking the FCC to act. In
comments filed in response to a commission proposal to ease
restrictions for visiting foreign hams to operate in the
United States, the ARRL said it "heartily supports" the plan.
   Earlier this year, the FCC proposed amending its rules to
make it easier for hams holding a European Conference of
Postal and Telecommunications Administrations -- or CEPT
radio amateur license -- or an International Amateur Radio
Permit from certain countries in the Americas to operate
during short visits to the U.S. If approved, hams would be
able to operate for short periods in participating countries
without first obtaining another license or permit from the
host country. This arrangement would make it easier for
United States licensed radio amateurs to operate stations
temporarily in several countries in Europe, Central and South
America.
   But the ARRL has also suggested some changes to the FCC
proposal. The principal one recommended involves the length
of time foreign holders would be allowed to operate in the
U.S. The FCC had proposed extending operating authority for
up to 180 days within the preceding five years. The League
says that this limitation unnecessarily restrictive. It
suggests that such reciprocal licenses be valid for use by
the holder for a period up to one year. This, from the date
of arrival in the United States but not beyond the expiration
date of the ham license issued by the visitor's home country.
 (Via ARRL)
- Note that with the New Zealand Licence compliance to CEPT,
this shoudl be good news for ZL Operators wishing to operate
in teh US- de ZL1AMW

That concludes the Data News for this week, this sheet is
prepared at the shack of ZL1AMW from contributions sent by
post, RTTY and packet. Text is also obtained from packet BBS
stations, and the internet.
 This news is transmitted weekly on Sunday mornings at
0930hrs (local) and repeated at 1900hrs. Both transmissions
are on 3545khz. It is first sent in Baudot at 75 baud, then
repeated in AMTOR mode B (FEC), then Pactor FEC 200 baud on
both occasions.
 73 to all from Alan, ZL1AMW, 20 Lorne St., Hamilton.

PACKET BID: NWS9701051 (page 1) to NWS9701053 (page 3)
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