Volume 18, Number 26 (June 25, 1999)

The ARRL Letter Index

• +Exam question pool changes on hold
• +Phase 3D preparations in high gear
• +Next SAREX mission to test DSP hardware
• +1999 Dayton Hamvention posts attendance increase
• +FCC pegs new vanity fee
• W5LFL: Phase 3D, ARISS will change the face of ham radio
• Spectrum Protection Bill adds cosponsors
• Groups to attempt transatlantic QSO on 2 meters
• MFJ purchases Hy-Gain
• FCC raises conduction limits for RF lighting devices
• More states jump on proclamation bandwagon
• Solar update
• In Brief: This weekend on the radio; 146.52 MHz FM simplex off limits for FD; Vanity update; Oregon antenna bill goes to governor for signature; ARRL W9 Incoming QSL Bureau address change; Special event station W9C; Oscar Morales Tur, CO2OM, SK; New RAC president

+Available on ARRL Audio News

Editor's note: The ARRL Letter and ARRL Audio News go on vacation next week. This edition of the Letter is a bit longer than usual. There will be no editions of The ARRL Letter or ARRL Audio News on Friday, July 2, 1999. We will resume publication/distribution on Friday, July 9. We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Independence Day holiday.--Rick Lindquist, N1RL

The Amateur Radio examination question pools remain in a holding pattern pending an announcement from the FCC on license restructuring. No question pools or questions will change anytime soon for any license class.

Last September, the National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators' Question Pool Committee announced that all question pool updates were being put on hold until after the FCC had acted on Amateur Radio restructuring (officially known as the Part 97 Biennial Review). Until the September NCVEC QPC announcement, the Advanced class question pool had been scheduled to expire at midnight on June 30, 1999.

Current examination questions and study materials remain valid until further notice. The NCVEC recently announced that it was postponing its annual meeting and won't set a new meeting date until the FCC drops the other shoe on Amateur Radio restructuring. NCVEC members were to meet July 9 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The FCC's action is expected to have a substantial impact on the content of amateur examinations.

Preparations to launch the Phase 3D Amateur Radio satellite are moving full steam ahead, even though a definite launch opportunity remains in limbo. "We are pressing forward to be prepared for a launch in October," says AMSAT Phase 3D Laboratory and Integration Manager Lou McFadin, W5DID.

An announcement at the Dayton Hamvention from Phase 3D Project Director Karl Meinzer, DJ4ZC, raised the possibility of a launch as early as October. At this point, McFadin says, no contract has been signed and negotiations continue. AMSAT has declined to name the launch agency or vehicle, and AMSAT-NA officials have cautioned that the October date is very tentative and just the opening of a launch window.

McFadin says it's a busy time at the P3D Integration Laboratory in Orlando, where a team of experts and the builders of the various Phase 3D transponders--including Meinzer--has arrived from Europe to participate in the P3D rollout. The satellite has been transported outside for an "on air" test in full flight configuration, McFadin said. "The spacecraft is protected from the Florida environment by a big sealed tent."

McFadin says that after "an exciting few days of testing," all RF subsystems aboard the spacecraft were declared in good working order. The Phase 3D team also successfully tested thrusters and fuel tanks.

"The next milestones are the spin balance test and vibration test, before the spacecraft will be transported to the launch site," McFadin said. Vibration testing has had to wait until the team got the final static and dynamic load specifications from the launch agency, he said. Vibration testing will mean a return trip to Goddard Space Flight Center in early July.

"Even if we don't get a launch in October we plan to ship to the launch site in August," McFadin said. "P3D may wait for the first launch opportunity on a hot standby basis--all ready to go on a few weeks' notice."

The next Space Amateur Radio EXperiment mission--set to launch in July--will field test a digital signal processing box NASA is looking at to improve the quality of shuttle communications audio.

Word from NASA is that the next SAREX mission has been scheduled to launch on July 20 at 0436 UTC aboard shuttle Columbia mission STS-93. Originally set for last summer, the mission already has been delayed several times.

The STS-93 Mission Commander is Eileen Collins, KD5EDS. This shuttle mission, which will deploy the $1.5 billion Chandra X-ray observatory into orbit, marks the first for a female commander. "It's good to have a challenge like that because it just motivates you and makes you want to work harder," Collins told the Associated Press this week. Other hams on board include Mission Specialists Michel Tognini, KD5EJZ, and Catherine Coleman, KC5ZTH.

Students at five schools--in Texas, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Florida--are on the list to talk to the STS-93 crew via Amateur Radio. And that's where the DSP experiment comes into play. NASA's SAREX Principal Investigator Matt Bordelon, KC5BTL, says the agency's contractors have been exploring ways to make improvements to the aging shuttle fleet. Among the possibilities was improving the intelligibility of shuttle communications audio by using DSP.

But Bordelon says making and testing these kinds of changes on the astronauts' communication system gets expensive and involved, so it was decided to first try out a DSP box by Quintronix on the less-critical SAREX payload aboard STS-93 to see how it performed under actual spaceflight conditions.

"They wanted an easy way to determine if this would clean up the audio," Bordelon explained. The SAREX Amateur Radio gear uses standard interfaces, so it was an easy match from a hardware standpoint. Bordelon says he thinks SAREX will provide a good test of the DSP hardware/software package.

"It's a box with a headset connection on one end and the connectors to the equipment on the other," he explained. "It's got a couple of switches on it, and it's battery-powered," so it doesn't need to take power from the shuttle itself.

Bordelon says the two-channel DSP box tailors both the transmit and receive audio, but it is not adjustable. The only thing the operator can do is turn the box on or off and either enable or disable it.

"For anything in spaceflight, you want to keep it as simple as possible," he said.

The Quintronix DSP box will interface with one of the old reliable Motorola MX-360 H-Ts that NASA has been using for SAREX flights for nearly two decades now--the same type of transceiver that astronaut Owen Garriott, W5LFL, used to make the first Amateur Radio contacts from space in 1983.

NASA has dubbed this particular SAREX hardware configuration as "Configuration CQ." Bordelon explains that SAREX is comprised of several different configurations of hardware, each one designated by a letter of the alphabet. "We typically use Configuration C on most shuttle missions," he said. Add the Quintronix DSP box to the mix, Bordelon says and "you could either say that we merged the two together for a purely coincidental name or, that it embodies the true spirit of Amateur Radio for this mission."

STS-93 will mark the 25th time that the Space Amateur Radio EXperiment has flown. It's also the only SAREX flight scheduled for 1999 and the last one scheduled to take place from the shuttle fleet. Bordelon says future shuttle missions will be "way too busy" to accommodate SAREX. The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station program is working toward establishing a permanent Amateur Radio presence in space aboard the ISS. An interim Amateur Radio station should be operational from the ISS by early next year.

The SAREX program is a cooperative venture of NASA, AMSAT, and the ARRL. For more information on SAREX, contact Jean Wolfgang, WB3IOS, e-mail [email protected].

1999 Hamvention General Chairman Dick Miller, N8CBU

The 1999 Dayton Hamvention General Chairman, Dick Miller, N8CBU, reports that attendance at the world's largest Amateur Radio gathering rose slightly again this year. The official attendance at the event May 14-16 was 28,176, up from 28,120 in 1998.

The 1999 figure marks the second year in a row that attendance at the Hamvention has gone up and continues a trend of growing attendance. Hamvention officials reported that 28,000 attended in 1997.

Most observers felt the crowd this year was particularly upbeat and in a spending mood. "People seemed chipper and genuinely having fun," said Jeff Reinhardt, AA6JR, who represents Alinco. "It was good to see several new products at the show." Reinhardt also says he perceived a greater interest in HF gear than in previous years.

ICOM's Chris Lougee, N7TJM, said this year's Hamvention "had an interesting feel to it." Judging from the dealers he spoke with, Lougee says, sales were generally up over previous years, possibly a result of the added hours and a crowd more evenly divided between indoors and out. "The Dayton Hamvention had some of the best prices on new gear seen in years," he said, adding that this year's gathering was "a great experience."

Hamvention 99 entertainer Joe Walsh, WB6ACU, checks out the vintage Collins KWM-1 transceiver he bought.

"Dayton was great!" enthused Yaesu's Chip Margelli, K7JA. Better weather meant less of a crush inside, Margelli said, echoing Lougee's assessment, and that meant vendors could spend more "quality" time with potential customers. "Sales reflected the improved weather," he said.

Miller, who served as Hamvention general chairman for the past three years instead of the usual two, is stepping down after his extended tour of duty. The 2000 Hamvention General Chairman is Jim Graver, KB8PSO, and the Assistant Chairman is Bill Ervin, KA8WCF. Graver had served as Miller's assistant.

The 2000 Dayton Hamvention also will be the site of the ARRL National Convention. The Hamvention is operated by the Dayton Amateur Radio Association as a separate entity.

For more information about the Dayton Hamvention, visit http://www.hamvention.org/.

The fee to apply for an Amateur Radio vanity call sign will increase from $13 to $14 starting September 10, 1999.

The FCC has released its FY 1999 fee schedule which rounded down the proposed $1.42 per year fee.

The FCC continues to receive in excess of 1000 vanity applications per month. During May, the FCC got 1165 vanity applications, all but 141 of them filed electronically.

Owen Garriott, W5LFL (left), chats with ARRL Educational Services Manager Rosalie White, WA1STO, at the Dayton Hamvention. [Photo by Rick Lindquist, N1RL]

Past astronaut Owen Garriott, W5LFL--the first ham to use Amateur Radio from outer space--predicts that Phase 3D and the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station projects will change the face of ham radio. "Educational value, technical value, it's all there right in front of us," he says of P3D and ARISS.

Garriott believes that Phase 3D--which could launch as early as this fall--can serve as a conduit for US students, with coordination from local amateurs, to hook up with youths in other countries to practice foreign language and for on-air cultural exchange. Garriott also pointed out that Phase 3D's eccentric orbit will make it visible from large portions of Earth for long periods of time. "P3D is going to open up a whole new opportunity that we did not have in low-Earth orbit like the space station or other low-altitude OSCARs," he said.

Garriott also says that astronauts on the ISS could include a brief daily ARISS transmission from the perspective of space aimed at school-agers "to stir up even more interest in our young people" about Amateur Radio. He discussed his ideas during forums at the Dayton Hamvention as well as in an interview with the ARRL.

In 1983, Garriott pioneered the SAREX program by working dozens of earthbound hams on 2 meters using an H-T and an antenna mounted on the inside of the shuttle's window. "It's grown much further than any of us would have forecast back in 1983" when there were two astronaut-hams, Tony England, W0ORE, and himself.

Today, Garriott points out, there are more than 80 astro-hams, and Garriott is looking forward to Amateur Radio's playing a major role aboard the ISS. "The impact on the space program has been substantial," he said. Not only has Amateur Radio in space been good public relations for the hobby, but "it's very good for crew morale," Garriott said. This will be important for ISS crews in particular, since they'll spend longer periods in space.

Licensed for more than 50 years, Garriott says ham radio has been a very strong influence in his life and professional career from the very beginning. He also says he's encouraged by the number of young people joining the hobby, especially since the advent of the Technician license. "People may feel that it's not adequate progress or bemoan the fact that we are not further ahead than we are," he said. "But I think we really need to be quite pleased with how far we've come and the substantial interest we have, and make use of the potential that we have in front of us coming along with Phase 3D and the International Space Station to stir up even more interest in our young people."

There are now 76 cosponsors for The Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act, HR 783. The measure would require the FCC to provide "equivalent replacement spectrum" should the agency reallocate any Amateur Radio or Amateur Satellite service allocations to another service.

"Our regular visits to Congressional offices on Capitol Hill indicate that, while most members of Congress understand and appreciate the benefits of Amateur Radio, some are reluctant to sign onto such a technical piece of legislation without some indication of support from their own constituents," says ARRL Legislative and Public Affairs Manager Steve Mansfield, N1MZA.

HR 783 still must make it out of the House Telecommunications Subcommittee and its parent House Commerce Committee before it goes to the House floor. There's a lot of pending legislation already in the pipeline, however, so that could take some time.

Hams wishing to help the effort to move HR 783 can do so by writing to their member of Congress. Visit ARRLWeb, http://www.arrl.org/govrelations/hr783.html for a sample letter and addresses.--Steve Mansfield, N1MZA

Starting June 26, groups on opposite sides of the Atlantic--one in Newfoundland, the other in Scotland--will attempt to make the first transatlantic QSO on 2 meters. Efforts to confirm a transatlantic contact on 144 MHz--and secure the Irish Radio Transmitters Society's Brendan Trophies--will be made between June 26 and July 4.

The Scottish group, led by Bill Ward, GM0ICF, will operate from Ardnamurchan Lighthouse on Ardnamurchan Point--the most westerly point in the mainland British Isles. The group will use the call sign 2S0ICF/P. Operating from the North American side in St John's, Newfoundland, will be a group led by Paul Piercey VO1HE. The group will use the call sign VO1AA from Cabot Tower--the site where Marconi received the first transatlantic signal in 1901.

The groups will operate on CW at the low end of the band (144.075 MHz, plus or minus interference) at 15-18 WPM.

"We will be breaking it up in quarter-hour segments, where one station will call the other for a 15 minute period then, if no contact is made, the other station will call for 15 minutes," Piercey explained. "All on-air operations will be recorded electronically."

Operating times will be 1200-2000 UTC each day for the entire period, although Piercey said he doesn't expect the efforts to continue for the entire eight hours each day. The groups will check the VHF Net on 14.345 MHz to see if they're being heard. "Everything is set, and we're ready to go," Ward says. "I hope the conditions--and the weather--are kind."

The IRTS's Brendan Trophies will be awarded to the first two stations to make a verified contact across the Atlantic Ocean using 144-146MHz without aid of a manmade reflectors, repeaters or moon bounce.

"Because of this, and the fact that the frequencies are open to all amateurs, we encourage stations on both sides of the Atlantic to join us in this attempt, either to make contact with us or give us propagation reports," Piercey said. Reports go to Piercey at [email protected], and they will be relayed to Ward in Scotland via HF.

For more information on the Brendan Trophies, visit http://www.irts.ie/brendan.htm.--Paul J. Piercey VO1HE

MFJ Enterprises has acquired Hy-Gain, a well-known manufacturer of antennas, towers, and rotators. Hy-Gain was owned by Telex Communications of Lincoln, Nebraska. The deal closed May 10, according to MFJ President Martin Jue, K5FLU, who declined to reveal the purchase price. MFJ planned to move the antenna manufacturing facility to Mississippi and staff it with local employees. Jue said he anticipated production at the new site could begin within a few weeks.

"We bought everything--the whole deal," Jue said. "We're going to have to shift some things around to make room."

As it has done with other enterprises it's acquired, MFJ plans to keep the Hy-Gain name and operate the antenna manufacturer as a separate entity. Hy-Gain products will compete with MFJ's own line of antenna products, but Jue said the short-lived Ameritron antenna line would be discontinued in favor of the Hy-Gain line.

Former Cushcraft Production Manager Art Hambleton, K1ART, joined MFJ Enterprises last fall. Jue said Hambleton will be involved in the new Hy-Gain venture, but he was not sure in what capacity. Hambleton manned the Hy-Gain booth at the Dayton Hamvention last month.

Jue said Hy-Gain would immediately start selling the entire product line through the Amateur Radio dealer network. For the past year, Hy-Gain had sold its products factory-direct. MFJ said it expects there to be a "small transition period" as stock, parts, equipment, and production are moved to Starkville. As part of MFJ, Hy-Gain will continue its current product line and introduce several new ones--including two new verticals announced at Dayton.

Jue said customers can contact Hy-Gain at 800-647-1800; fax 601-323-6511; http://www.mfjenterprises.com/.

The FCC has released a First Report and Order in ET Docket 98-42 in which it raises the conduction limits for consumer equipment RF lighting devices operating in the 2.51-3.0 MHz band from 250 uV to 3,000 uV. At the same time the FCC adopted a requirement that manufacturers must provide an advisory statement with the product that includes wording to the effect: "This product may cause interference to radio equipment and should not be installed near maritime safety communications equipment or other critical navigation or communication equipment operating between 0.45-30 MHz."

"While 3,000 uV sounds like a lot, because it is conducted rather than radiated, tests in the ARRL Lab of the devices revealed that it shouldn't pose a problem for amateurs," says ARRL Executive Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ. "Accordingly, our comments with regard to this part of the proceeding concentrated on urging a labeling requirement."

Another part of the proceeding, on which the FCC has not yet acted, involves devices operating in the 2450 MHz band. These appear to have a greater interference potential.

And the hits just keep on coming! Alabama Gov Don Siegelman has joined the growing throng to declare the week June 21-27 as Amateur Radio Week. In his declaration, Siegelman acknowledged that Alabama's hams "repeatedly demonstrate their immense value to the citizens of this state by providing emergency communications during natural disasters and other non-weather-related calamities." Alabama Section Manager Bill Cleveland, KR4TZ, expressed his appreciation to the Governor and to State Government Liaison Rik Doll, KU4PY, who helped obtain the declaration.

In Oregon, Gov John Kitzhaber has declared June 26-27 as Amateur Radio Awareness Days in recognition of Field Day and Amateur Radio's contribution to communications "during an earthquake, fire, flood or other disaster" as well as during public service events. The Oregon proclamation singles out the "more than 1000 Oregon member of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service" who provided emergency communication to police and fire agencies during winter floods and to the American Red Cross and forest service agencies during summer fires. The Oregon proclamation resulted from the efforts of a coalition ARES chapters and clubs in Salem, Oregon, called Metro-Salem Teams in Amateur Radio Service (M-STARS). The coalition petitioned for the proclamation from Kitzhaber, according to Mac McGowan, N7REO.

In Florida, Gov Jeb Bush has proclaimed June as Amateur Radio Month in recognition of Amateur Radio's contributions to emergency communication needs. The proclamation also cites the contribution of hams who engage in "programs of assistance and rehabilitation of the disabled in the development of radio as a hobby."

In North Carolina, Gov James Hunt Jr has proclaimed June 20-26 as Amateur Radio Week, noting that hams "are on alert for any emergency, local or worldwide, and practice their communication skills during the Field Day exercise of the American Radio Relay League."

In Mississippi, Gov Kirk Fordice has proclaimed the week of June 20-26 as Amateur Radio Week. The proclamation, obtained through the efforts of Tim Billingsley, KD5CKP, of Olive Branch, says that hams have "demonstrated valuable public assistance" and are "alert and prepared for any emergency, local or worldwide." It also cites Field Day as an emergency preparedness exercise.

A similar Amateur Radio Week proclamation was signed recently by Gov Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. The proclamation cites the memorandum of understanding between the New Hampshire Amateur Radio Association and the Office of Emergency Management to provide backup communications during disaster situations.

• This weekend on the radio: Field Day is June 26-27. See May QST, page 95 for the rules. Just ahead: The Canada Day contest is July 1. The IARU HF World Championship is July 10-11 (see April QST, page 104). Also: The CQ WW VHF Contest is July 10-11. See July QST, page 88.

• 146.52 MHz FM simplex off limits for FD: ARRL Contest Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, reminds Field Day participants that ARRL contest rules prohibit the use of the national simplex channel, 146.52 MHz, to solicit or make Field Day contacts. Henderson further points out that the "General Rules for ARRL Contests on Bands above 50 MHz "(which includes Field Day), Rule 1.8 states "Use of the national simplex frequency, 146.52 or immediate adjacent guard frequencies is prohibited." Rule 1.8.2 further states "The intent of this rule is to protect the national simplex frequency from contest monopolization."

• Vanity update: The FCC in Gettysburg reports it has processed vanity call sign applications received through May 28. On June 10, the FCC issued 92 grants. Another 88 applications landed in the work-in-process (WIPs) stack.--FCC
• Oregon antenna bill goes to governor for signature: Oregon’s Amateur Radio antenna legislation dealing with FCC opinion and order PRB-1 has cleared the state legislature and now goes to Gov John Kitzhaber for his signature. Support for the bill--known as Senate Bill 879--was strong. The measure passed the state Senate 26-0 and the House of Representatives on a 53-3 vote. Unlike similar state statutes, the Oregon bill does not specifically reference PRB-1, the limited federal preemption. Instead, the informs state and local planners and government officials that Amateur Radio antennas and/or support structures are essentially outside their oversight if the structure is 70 feet or less. The Valley Radio Club of Eugene/Springfield, Bob Shelby, W7FPY, and several ARRL Northwestern Division and Oregon Section team leaders have been involved in moving the legislation through the legislature.--Marshall Johnson, KK7CW
• ARRL W9 Incoming QSL Bureau address change: Effective immediately, the new address for the W9 Incoming QSL Bureau is: Northern Illinois DX Assn, W9 Incoming QSL Bureau, PO Box 273, Glenview, IL 60025-0237. For more information, contact Bill Russin, N9BR, [email protected].

• Special event station W9C: Special event station W9C will operate July 7-10 from The Great Circus Parade showgrounds, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Expected hours of operation are 1800-0300 UTC, SSB and CW, 40-10 meters (7.040, 7.240, 14.040, 14.240, 21.040, 21.340, 28.040 and 28.140 MHz). Some 75/80-meter operation is possible. A commemorative certificate or card will go to confirmed contacts upon receipt of a QSL card. QSL to the West Allis Radio Amateur Club, PO Box 1072, Milwaukee, WI 53201. W9C will complement the activities of special event station W9R aboard The Great Circus Train (see July QST, p 89).--Les, W9YCV
• Oscar Morales Tur, CO2OM, SK: Well-known Cuban DXer Oscar Morales Tur, CO2OM, died June 16. He was 79. First licensed in 1935, Morales topped the DXCC standings among operators in Cuba with 328 DXCC entities confirmed. He was the founder of the Cuban DX Group and remained its national coordinator. Survivors include his son Oscar Morales Jr, CO2OJ.--Oscar Morales Jr, CO2OJ

• New RAC president: Radio Amateurs of Canada has a new president. He's Kenneth Oelke, VE6AFO, of Alberta. Oelke will serve the balance of the term remaining in the wake of the departure earlier this year of former RAC President Patrick Doherty, VE3PD. Oelke was elected by the RAC Executive. He serves as a volunteer. Oelke served as the Alberta/NWT Regional Director for the past 11 years and was the RAC Field Services Manager for five years. His wife, Linda-Lou, is VE6LGO.--RAC

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