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The VP Report
By Bob, W1RH

We're gearing up for another FARA flea market and we need your help.  See Bev if you're available on the day of the Flea - Sunday, March 25^th.  Our last two flea markets have been very successful for FARA and have provided the funding for a new solid state amplifier, scholarships, and various FARA activities.  Another successful flea market will give us the funds to further enhance the Club and our activities.  In addition to the flea market in the main hall, we will have exams, one or two talks and a Yankee Clip

that the FCC's enforcement program has the support of "99.9%" of the amateur community and that the vast majority of hams follow the rules. But, he said that radio rage in the form of such things as on-air squabbles or frequency fights can degrade the bands just as quickly as outright rule breaking. "The FCC can't do anything about that," he said. "It's up to the amateur community."
Hollingsworth said that while much radio rage technically is not illegal, it reflects poorly on Amateur Radio and can balloon into an enforcement issue. More important, he said, rude or intemperate on-air behavior might provide just the sort of ammunition that an entity seeking additional spectrum will use against Amateur Radio.
Hollingsworth predicted that the departure January 19 of FCC Chairman William Kennard and the changing of the guard the White House the next day will not alter the course of the current amateur enforcement effort. He said he sees nothing but positive changes ahead.
"I'm willing to bet my SX-115 that we won't miss a beat," he said, referring to one of his latest acquisitions of vintage ham gear, "as long as the amateur community lets it be known it still wants enforcement."
Hollingsworth said it was pressure from the ARRL and individual amateurs that prompted the resumption of amateur enforcement in 1998 during Kennard's tenure, "and it's the type of program that needs that continual pressure to keep it going," he added. Overall complaints are down, Hollingsworth said, "but no one can be complacent."

Contest Corner

One of our own, K1HT, took first place in Eastern Mass. in 2000 IARU HF World Championship contest, single operator, mixed mode.

[email protected] to our director of testing Jim W1EQW
[email protected] to our temporary nominating committee this year, etc.
You can also now reach me at [email protected] (along with my new "vanity" e-mail address [email protected]).
We're allowed a few so-called "third-level" domains as well with our new fara.org. This means we can replace the "www" in our URL and point somewhere else. Here are some of our new Web addresses -- remember, DON'T type a www before these:
http://circuit.fara.org takes you to our newsletters online
http://fleamarket.fara.org goes to our flea market flyer (PDF format)
http://info.fara.org displays club information including a list of officers
http://liaw.fara.org goes to License in a Weekend info
http://tables.fara.org sends you to our online flea-market table reservations form
http://list.fara.org redirects you to the archives of our FARA mailing list.

It's possible we will have a few extra free e-mail forwarding accounts remaining after I've finished setting everything up. If you might be interested in having an e-mail address @fara.org, drop me an e-mail. (We can't guarantee that you'll have it forever, though, as use of the fara.org domain could change). You'd need to have an existing e-mail account where it could forward.
Thanks to Dennis KE6DPL who had the foresight to register the fara.org domain before most people were thinking about such things!

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2001 FARA Scholarship Rules

As in previous years the rules are:
1. Must be a member of FARA.
2. Applications must be turned in or post marked by April 15, 2001.
3. Must be a license radio amateur.
4. Preference will be given to graduating high school seniors.
For applications contact Richard Cosma AA1VI 508 877 8241.

"Radio Rage" Hazardous To Ham Radio
ARRL

Entering his third year spearheading the FCC's Amateur Radio enforcement effort, Special Counsel for Amateur Radio Enforcement Riley Hollingsworth says "radio rage" could become a bigger danger to the future of Amateur Radio than rule breaking.
"It's the infighting and arguments and juvenile spats," Hollingsworth said this week. "That's going to come back to haunt us if we don't just grow up. It will do the service in, if the ham community doesn't put a stop to it."
Hollingsworth said that he's encouraged