The electronic publication of the Amateur Radio Newsline is distributed with the permission of Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, President and Editor of Newsline. The text version is edited from the original scripts and transcribed from the audio reports by Dale Cary, WD0AKO, and is first published in The Radio & Electronics Round Table on the Genie Online System. If you have any comment, suggestion, or news item you would like to submit, send them via E-Mail to 3241437@mcimail.com or B.PASTERNAK@genie.geis.com. You can contact Newsline at +1 805-296-7180. It is a combination answering and FAX machine, if you have a FAX to send, wait for the voice prompt and press your fax-send button. All other information and disclaimers are in the text header below. - - - - - - NEWSLINE RADIO - CBBS EDITION #885 - POSTED 07/31/94 (***************************************************************) (* *) (* * * ***** * * **** * ***** * * ***** *) (* ** * * * * * * * ** * * *) (* * * * *** * ** * *** * * * * * *** *) (* * ** * * ** * * * * * ** * *) (* * * ***** * * **** ***** ***** * * ***** *) (* *) (* **** * **** ***** *** *) (* * * * * * * * * * *) (* **** ***** * * * * * *) (* * * * * * * * * * *) (* * * * * **** ***** *** *) (* *) (***************************************************************) The following is late news about Amateur Radio for Radio Amateurs as prepared from NEWSLINE RADIO scripts by the staff of the AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE, INC. -- formerly the WESTLINK RADIO NETWORK. For current information updates, please call Audio Version of Newsline ========================= Los Angeles............................ (213) 462-0008 Los Angeles (Instant Update Line)...... (805) 296-2407 Seattle................................ (206) 368-3969 Seattle................................ (206) 281-8455 Tacoma................................. (206) 927-7373 Louisville............................. (502) 894-8559 Dayton................................. (513) 275-9991 Chicago................................ (708) 289-0423 New York City.......................... (718) 353-2801 Melbourne, FL.......................... (407) 259-4479 Electronic Hardcopy Version of Newsline ======================================= GEnie (RTC Bulletin Board)............. m345;1 GEnie (File Library)................... m345;3 Dallas Remote Imaging BBS (DRIG)....... (214) 492-7573 In bulletin number 36 The Midwest Connection BBS............. (701) 239-2440 In bulletin number 6 of the ham radio conference Delphi................................. In the ham radio conference Internet............................... In the rec.radio.info newsgroup FTP: oak.oakland.edu, archive: pub/hamradio/docs/newsline Fidonet, RIME, Intellec, I-Link........ In the Ham Radio conferences on those networks For the latest breaking info call the Instant Update Line listed above. To provide information please call (805) 296-7180. This line answers automatically and will accept up to 30 minutes of material. Check with your local amateur radio club to see if NEWSLINE can be heard weekly on the air in your area. Articles may be reproduced if printed in their entirety and credit is given to AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE as being the source. For further information about the AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE, please write to us with an SASE at P.O. Box 463, Pasadena, CA 91102. Thank You NEWSLINE (**************************************************************** Some of the hams of NEWSLINE RADIO... WA6ITF WB6MQV WB6FDF K6DUE W6RCL N6AHU N6AWE N6TCQ K6PGX N6PNY KU8R N8DTN W9JUV KC9RP K9XI KB5KCH KC5UD KC0HF G8AUU WD0AKO DJ0QN and many others in the United States and around the globe!!! (**************************************************************** [885] (* * * * C L O S E D C I R C U I T A D V I S O R Y * * * * (* * (* The following advisory is not for broadcast over amateur * (* radio. This is just a reminder that the address for the * (* Newsline Support Fund is Newsline, in care of Dr. Norm * (* Chalfin, K6PGX, Post Office Box 463, Pasadena, California * (* 91102. Again, and as always, we thank you. That ends the * (* closed circuit with Newsline report number 855 for release * (* on Friday, July 29, 1994 to follow. * (* * (* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The following is a QST A Washington, DC appeals court throws out the FCC's new schedule of assessing fines, a major player in the All-Volunteer testing system decides to cut back and a report on the summer ARRL board meeting. These stories and more on Newsline report number 885 coming your way right now! (***** COURT NIXES NEW FCC FINE PLAN A federal court has rejected the FCC's revised method of assessing fines against broadcast, cable and telephone company licensees who violate commission rules. This legal finding could also impact the agency's ability to enforce the Part 97 Amateur Service Regulations. By way of background, in 1991, the FCC abandoned its long- standing case-by-case approach to assessing fines against licensees who violate the Communications Act. In its place, the agency agreed to set "Base Forfeiture Amounts" of fines for offenses in most of the services that it oversees including those encompassing personal communications activities. A telecommunications trade organization known as the United States Telephone Association challenged the fine schedule on grounds that the FCC adopted the new rules without notice and without allowing interested parties to comment. The U.S.T.A. claimed the rule was unfair because the fines were higher than those assessed against broadcasters and cablers. For example, the revised fine schedule called for broadcasters and cable operators who make untruthful claims to the FCC to be fined $20,000, while telephone companies would face a fine of $80,000. Some "Base Forfeitures" in the Amateur Radio Service were set at $8000. According to news reports, on July 14, the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in a 3-0 decision turned down the new FCC rules. In fact, the court went so far as to say that the agency knowingly failed to give all interested parties the opportunity to comment on the policy change before it was adopted. The court's rejection of the fine schedule could even jeopardize the governments new schedule of punitive forfeitures against broadcasters who violate equal employment opportunity rules. This is because the FCC adopted new E.E.O. fines without first allowing interested parties to comment on the regulations. Already, the National Association of Broadcasters has already sent a letter to the FCC asking that the E.E.O. fine schedule be scrapped and all outstanding assessments be canceled. Several hams who are currently the target of FCC fines based on the portion of the new Base Forfeiture Schedule are already saying that they too will demand the actions against them be canceled as well. And this gives the FCC has only three possible options. It can appeal the Circuit Court findings to the United States Supreme Court seeking a reversal of the lower court decision. It can revert to its pre-1991 monetary forfeiture schedule and issue a Notice of Proposed Rule Making on a new schedule of fines. Or it can abandon all regulatory enforcement of the rules it creates and place the burden for disciplining communications regulatory violators on a government agency with investigatory and prosecutorial power such as the Department of Justice. The bottom line appears to be this. The FCC may now be reluctant to assess fines for any but the most egregious regulatory violations. This is because court decisions in matters of communications made on constitutional ground are normally considered relevant and enforceable in all commission governed services including Personal Communications. (***** MAJOR MILESTONE FOR HAM RADIO LEGISLATION The ARRL's House of Representatives Joint Resolution 199 passed a major hurdle when key provisions were included in H.R. 4522, the FCC Authorization Act of 1994. This, during markup by the Telecommunications Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on July 14. Sponsored by Rep. Mike Kreidler House Joint Resolution 199 earlier gained 245 other Congressional co-sponsors as a result of hard work by the Amateur community. The next step is action by the full Energy Commerce Committee, and then consideration on the floor of the House. Companion legislation awaits action by the Senate Commerce Committee. If the Senate bill differs from the House bill, an additional conference committee decision might be necessary before floor action. The bill urges the FCC to continue and enhance the development of amateur radio as a public benefit by adopting rules and regulations encouraging the use of new technologies. It also urges the Commission to make reasonable accommodations for the effective operation of amateur radio from residences, private vehicles and public areas, and spurs all levels of government to facilitate Amateur Radio as a public benefit. The legislation also provides for a one time vanity call sign fee of 150 dollars. The previous annual fee provision was deleted in favor of a one time application charge, staving off the threat of an annual fee for all amateurs. In addition, ARRL lobbied to ensure that the fees go to FCC rather than the general fund of the United States Treasury. (***** GREAT LAKES V.E.C. CUTS BACK One of the nations most respected VEC's is severely curtailing its operation. "The Great Lakes V.E.C. is not dead and gone as some have rumored. But is simply downsizing." That according to Great Lakes V.E.C. Administrator, Jim Geogias, W9JUG. "I've been in this testing area since 1985. And we were to third V.E.C. assigned under contract by the F.C.C. I decided to spend a little bit more time with my family. And my job is very very time consuming. Just guide my life a little differently." Jim Geogias, W9JUG. This doesn't mean however that the Great Lakes V.E.C. is dropping all national testing. "We have a couple tests coordinated in August. In Los Angeles, we have several in the Chicagoland area. For August, not on a regular every month basis." The bottom line for Jim Geogias, W9JUG, however is the fraudulent use of the handicap provision found on form 610's. "This handicapped provision was put in place for the severely handicapped. It says severally handicapped. I have this friend who has C.P. and can't write. And really has difficulty with the morse code. This is what this was designed for. This wasn't designed for a person who has a little bit of trouble copying, mastering morse code. We all have. I spent years trying to get twenty words a minute. It is really unfair. I really think it is a rip-off for all the ham operators who spent all those nights studying morse code. And here these guys can convince their doctor or what ever and get this certification. They get twenty words a minute certification extra class examination without knowledge of morse code." Jim Geogias, W9JUG. Geogias decision to cut back on the operations of the Great Lakes VEC leaves the W5YI and ARRL as the major players in the all-volunteer testing system. (***** ARRL BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEET The ARRL Spectrum Committee has been asked to study the bands between 420 MHz and 300 GHz to enable a better understanding of present and future activities in this region of the spectrum, giving priority to those bands subject to spectrum reallocations by the government. This was just one of many important actions affecting all radio amateurs by the ARRL Board of Directors meeting on July 15 in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. In another important action, the Board commissioned a new RF Safety Committee to advise the Board and staff on safe operating practices for the development of policy and educational methods and materials. Members will be personally selected by ARRL President George Wilson, W4OYI. The ARRL staff was commended for developing and implementing strategies for responding to the 13-cm band challenges posed by the government reallocation plans. The Directors also noted the selection of ARRL Technical Relations Manager Paul Rinaldo, W4RI as a member of the United States delegation to International Telecommunications Union's Plenipotentiary Conference. The board also congratulated Paul for his excellent service as an international representative of Amateur Radio. The Contest Advisory Committee has been told to study the possibility of expanding the scope of the 10 GHz contest to include all bands above 10 GHz, and report back to the Board at its 1995 Annual Meeting. The committee will also study the possibility of adding a club competition to all VHF/UHF contests and sprints. The committee will also consider establishing a Summer Sprint series. The Board selected Peoria, Illinois, as the site of the 1996 National Convention. The convention will be held September 13-15 under the sponsorship of the Peoria Area Amateur Radio Club. And Dallas Texas was selected at the site of the 14th annual ARRL Digital Conference to be co-sponsored by the Tucson Amateur Packet Radio Corporation and the Texas Packet Radio Society in September 1995. The full story of the Board meeting will appear in the September issue of the ARRL's "QST Magazine." (***** A WRAP-UP ON SAREX STS-65 STS-65 set a new record by staying in orbit for nearly 15 days. It also recorded the 14th successful mission for SAREX, the Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment. Mission Commander Bob Cabana, KC5HBV, and Mission Specialist Don Thomas, KC5FVF, racked up contacts with hundreds of students in 14 schools located all over the world. When they were not talking to kids, the packet mode of their 2 meter radio was used to make several thousand confirmed contacts. They did all this while flying for the most part in a "gravity gradient" attitude ... tail of the space ship pointed toward earth. Since the antenna is in a cabin window up front, this meant operating under a handicap but somehow the signals came through loud and clear at critical moments. Cabana handled most of the school contacts. He told students, many of whom want to be astronauts or engineers in the space program, to "Study hard, especially in Math and Science" and not to give up no matter how hard the studies. Among the schools were The Sacred Heart Academy, in Honolulu, the Fronhofer Realschule, in Inglestadt, Germany, and the Tatebayashi Children's Science Exploratorium in Gunma, Japan, where Japanese Payload Specialist, Dr Chiaki Mukai, was obviously thrilled as she spoke in Japanese ... and when one of the students asked about food, she proudly mentioned that she had made a Japanese dinner for the crew of the spacecraft Columbia the night before. All major Japanese Television and many radio stations covered that contact. Stateside contacts were equally successful. For example, at the West Oak High School, in Westminster, South Carolina, a local radio station carried the session live and an estimated 10 thousand people tuned in. Most of the school groups were contacted using AMSAT's telebridge system. An international network of amateur ground stations relayed through a phone bridge donated by Darome Telecommunications in Chicago, constituting one of the most effective demonstrations of ham radio traffic handling ever assembled. Next up? STS-64 is scheduled for launch on the 8th of September. The Commander, Dick Richards, KB5SIW, also flew on STS-50. Blaine Hammond, KC5HBS, and Jerry Linenger, KC5HBR, will round out the crew of licensed amateurs aboard the shuttle Discovery. Many say that SAREX operations like this are the very best! (***** BARRY GOLDWATER SAYS Amateur Radio's elder statesman, United States Senator Barry Goldwater, K7UGA, appeared on the talk show Ham Radio & More on June 26, and was sensational as usual. This, according to the show's producer, Len Winkler, KB7LPW. Senator Goldwater answered callers' questions ranging from MARS to SDI military hardware. Much praise was given to Senator Goldwater for his time given to the country, Winkler said. Some quotes of interest included his support of the no-code license, and he said that since code is outdated and not now widely used in the military today, he believes the time has come to do away with the code requirements, even though he thoroughly enjoys code and can be found on CW many times each week. He also believes that "our" ability to handle national emergencies is justification in itself for our existence, and he is very opposed to charging for amateur licenses, Winkler said. "Ham Radio & More" can be heard Sundays at 6 PM Eastern Time on the Talk America Network in 23 cities and via satellite on Spacenet 3, transponder 9, 6.8 Mhz audio. (***** DUKE CITY HAMFEST On the convention scene, word that the 1994 Duke City Hamfest takes place at the Albuquerque National Guard Armory in 600 N. Wyoming Boulevard in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Saturday August 20th. The event will feature technical sessions on a variety of topics, VEC administered ham radio exams, an ARRL Forum, prizes and the hospitality of New Mexico that is quickly making this once tiny show into one that dealers and smaller manufacturers are traveling great distances to be a part of. Look for talk-in on the 147.10 & 147.15 MHz repeaters. This is one of the friendliest ham radio events held in the mountain states. (***** VHF CONFERENCE Also, the 20th annual Eastern VHF/UHF Society Conference will be held August 26 to 28 at the Quality Inn and Conference Center in Vernon, Connecticut. A hospitality room opens at 4 PM Friday the 26th; registration and formal talks and demonstrations take place on Saturday, followed by door prize drawings, pre-amp noise figure measuring, and an evening banquet. Sunday events include a swap meet and antenna measuring, beginning at 8 AM. Proceedings of the conference will be published jointly by the society and the ARRL. Anyone wishing to contribute a paper to the conference should contact Ron Klimas, WZ1V, 458 Allentown Road, Bristol Connecticut 06010. (***** .52 BEACON Speaking about VHF matters, W1NZ reports by packet that he has a half watt modulated cw beacon on 146.52 in Onyx, California. Orrin says that it can barely be heard 30 km from its site but tropo might make it occasionally audible elsewhere in the United States. If you hear it, please send your QSN reports by packet to W1NZ at WA6YBN or U.S. mail to P.O. Box 99, Onyx, CA 93255. Be sure to include the text what you copy plus how often the beacon is going off, This, as a check that really are copying it. Orrin will QSL reports that he receives. (***** DX In DX, word that J5UAI is now 8P9HB and on the air from Barbados. He is said to operate CW, SSB and RTTY. You can QSL via NW8F. Also listen for DK7PE on the air as TN0CW from the Congo. He has been worked from New England on 1.827 MHz at 02:10, 03:45 and 05:00 UTC. Also on 3.505 MHz at 02:30 and 03:30 UTC. Finally, FT5XJ, operates RTTY from Kerguelen Island around 14.085 MHz between 12:15 and 12:45 UTC. QSL this operation via F5NLL or F1NLL in the callbook. (***** ARRL ADOPTS MODIFIED ROVER RULES The ARRL Awards Committee voted unanimously to accept a recommendation to modify rover category rules for the January VHF Sweepstakes, June VHF QSO Party and September VHF QSO Party. The new rules are far to complex to present here, but will be published in an upcoming issue of QST Magazine. They can also be download from the ARRL's Field Services bulletin board or from the ham radio newsgroups on the Internet. (***** NEW JOB FOR K3ZJ A word of congratulations to a longtime friend of Newsline. To Dave Siddall, K3ZJ who has been named Legal Advisor to newly sworn in FCC Commissioner Susan Ness. Dave started with the FCC's Common Carrier Bureau in 1985 following a highly successful career with the Library of Congress. From 1988 to 1991 Dave served with the FCC's Mass Media Bureau before being named as Chief of the Frequency Allocation Branch in 1991. An active DXer, Dave and his family live in Great Falls, Virginia. (***** CINDY FOR HRH A word of congratulations to video producer Rich Moseson, NW2L on the selection of his video "Ham Radio Horizons" as the bronze medal winner in the Association for Visual Communicators' 1994 Cindy awards competition. The video was produced by Rich for CQ Communications. It won in the "public service and information" category. How to it feel to know that you are the recipient of such an honor? "It's always nice to be recognized by your piers for doing something very well. It was particularly gratifying in this case because Ham Radio Horizons is intended for the general public. Not just for hams. So, the fact that it was understood and appreciated by people who, many of whom are potential hams, I think speaks very well of the program and the fact that we are doing what we set out to do with it." Rich Moseson, NW2L. The Cindy awards honor outstanding productions in all fields of non theatrical programming. Ham Radio Horizons was written, produced, and directed by Rich. NW2L also the ARRL Northern New Jersey Section Manager, is a member of the league's volunteer Public Relations Committee and a regular contributor to Newsline. Now that he has won such a prestigious honor, we asked Rich what he plans to do next: "Well of course, I'm going to Dayton!" Moseson, NW2L. Well, you didn't expect him to say he was going to an amusement park, did you? Back to being serious for a moment, we should add that the 1994 Cindy awards were presented at the recent Infocom trade show in Los Angeles. (***** And an that happy note, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. You can write to us at: AMATEUR RADIO NEWLINE Post Office Box 463 Pasadena, California 91102 (* * * Newsline Copyright 1994 all rights are reserved. * * *