The ARRL Letter Vol. 12, No. 18 September 27, 1993 FCC lauds amateurs for interference resolution; L.A. office finds drop in TVI/RFI complaints Interference complaints are down significantly in Southern California, according to the FCC's Los Angeles office of the Field Operations Bureau, and amateur volunteers are cited as the prevailing reason for the decline. The FCC said that it has "noted a significant decrease in the number of complaints involving amateur radio operators causing interference to consumer electronic equipment." A July survey of interference case data conducted by the Commission's Los Angeles office showed a 42% decrease in amateur-TVI/phone interference complaints, the FCC said. The survey compared complaints from January 1989 to June 1993. "This significant decrease," the FCC said, "is primarily due to the exemplary work of the local volunteer amateur auxiliaries (of the ARRL, see Editor's note) which intervene when TVI or telephone interference occurs. The auxiliary members volunteer their time and expertise to inspect amateur radio installations and offer technical advice as well as helping troubleshoot the problem with method(s) of shielding, filtering, grounding, etc. "The effort of the auxiliary is significant," the FCC said, "because of the recent change in FCC policy where field offices no longer routinely investigate individual TVI or telephone interference complaints on a one-to-one basis. The auxiliary is commended for continuing to work on these complaints even though the FCC no longer requires them to work on these interference cases." The Commission, reacting to budget constraints, now provides self-help information for individuals to use in resolving interference, and works with consumer groups in solving problems on a larger scale. "The Commission is redirecting its resources to attack interference problems at their roots. The continuing work of the auxiliary has resulted in fewer complaints reported to the FCC. "This voluntary work of the auxiliary," the FCC said, "should be applauded by amateur operators everywhere. They continue to make the Amateur Radio Service more self- sufficient and promote goodwill between amateurs and all parties involved. "It should also be noted," the FCC said, "that the auxiliary continues to accept complaints of amateur-to- amateur interference cases. The Los Angeles FCC Field Office is fortunate to have some of the finest auxiliary volunteers in their area and amateur operators are encouraged to take advantage of their expertise," the FCC said. (Editor's note: The FCC in this case has used the term "amateur auxiliary" in a somewhat generic form. The ARRL Amateur Auxiliary exists primarily to assist the FCC in enforcement actions. But FCC Field Offices are often most familiar with local ARRL Amateur Auxiliary members and call on them for assistance in resolving interference cases; Amateur Auxiliary members are, according to ARRL Field Services Manager Rick Palm, K1CE, generally ready and willing to assist in such matters even though they do not fall directly within their responsibilities. Other ARRL volunteers who often assist in interference resolution include Technical Advisors and TVI/RFI committees of ARRL-affiliated clubs. A detailed description of the ARRL Amateur Auxiliary is in *QST* for December, 1992, page 55). Town honors Headquarters on A.R. Awareness Day ARRL Heaquarters is well known in the town of Newington, the office building having been a prominent fixture at 225 Main Street since 1965; the 120-ft tower erected in the spring of 1978 doesn't hurt, either! This year in conjunction with Amateur Radio Awareness Day on Sept. 18 the town recognized Amateur Radio with the following proclamation: "WHEREAS the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the backbone of Amateur Radio in the United States, has declared September 18, 1993 as "Amateur Radio Awareness Day"; and "WHEREAS, the Town of Newington is the national headquarters location of said ARRL; and "WHEREAS, 'ham radio operators' are often the first to get word out of an area hit by a hurricane, earthquake, or other major disaster; and "WHEREAS, amateur radio organizations, in cooperation with those in public service, also provide much needed communications and assistance for local events such as Newington's Memorial Day Parade and provide additional 'eyes and ears' for the Newington Police Department on Halloween Eve, as well as conduct free classes by volunteer instructors to teach the public how to become a licensed amateur operator; and "WHEREAS, there exists in Newington a local club entitled 'Newington Amateur Radio League (NARL)' which provides the above and other services; and "WHEREAS, amateur radio operators licensed by the Federal Communications Commission are forbidden by federal law to charge for services, and organizations that require their services may call on them for assistance within the limits of NARL's available man and woman power; "Now, Therefore, I, Rodney B. Mortensen, Mayor of the Town of Newington, do hereby proclaim Saturday, September 18, 1993, as AMATEUR RADIO AWARENESS DAY in the Town of Newington." FCC FINES RETAILER FOR OFFERING MODIFICATION The FCC has ordered Amateur Radio Supply of Seattle to pay a fine of $5,600 for selling an Amateur Radio transceiver and offering to modify it to be able to transmit and receive in the Private Land Mobile and Marine Radio Services. According to the FCC, the sale took place in December, 1991, and in July of 1992 the Commission's Seattle office issued a Notice of Apparent Liability, followed by a response from Amateur Radio Supply. The FCC said it reviewed the response and then issued a Notice of Forfeiture for $5,600. The Commission said that reasons given for the store's actions -- training of a new salesperson and many years in the business of serving the Amateur Radio community -- were not persuasive, although the FCC considered the store's "clean record" in mitigating the amount of the fine. PROPOSED TOWER STIRS CONCERN IN ARIZONA TOWN A commercial FM station in Arizona is trying to get around strict "beautification" rules by proposing to disguise a new transmitting tower as a saguaro cactus. KXLL told officials of Paradise Valley, a bedroom community north of Phoenix that does not allow commercial operations of any kind (not even a gasoline station) that it would like to build the tower at the crest of Mummy Mountain, in the center of the town; the ersatz saguaro (which is the symbol of Arizona) would house both the tower and transmitting antenna itself. Because the transmitter site has no real saguaros nearby, KXLL co-owner Katherine S. Klein told the Tempe-Mesa *News Tribune*, "the station would place up to three real cactuses around their artificial cousin. "You wouldn't be able to tell them apart," Klein told the newspaper. According to Harry Hyder, W7IV, of nearby Tempe, Paradise Valley's most distinguished citizen is former U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater, K7UGA, who has a tall "Christmas tree" of Yagi antennas. "Perhaps he was 'grandfathered,'" Hyder said. AEA NAMES CALIF. WOMAN 1993 AMBASSADOR WINNER Advanced Electronics Applications has named Catherine Gunderson, N6OOS, its 1993 Amateur Ambassador Award winner. Gunderson, 41, of Santa Cruz, California, is director of the Redwood Youth Foundation, a non-profit youth education program. In September 1992 Gunderson organized a contact with shuttle astronaut Jay Apt, N5QWL, during a SAREX flight. Students at Del Mar Middle School managed a six-minute contact with the crew. According to AEA, the feat was accomplished with "only a small radio and a home-made antenna they adjusted every 20 seconds." Gunderson's name will be engraved on the Amateur Ambassador Award trophy which permanently resides at ARRL Headquarters. {photo requested but not here yet}. POLICE FEAR FOUL PLAY IN YOUNG HAM'S DISAPPEARANCE A 13-year-old Gardner, Massachusetts amateur has been missing since August 27 and police suspect foul play. Nathan A. Taylor, WZ1W, is believed to have traveled to the Houston area, possibly with an adult, according to Gardner police. He was described by his parents as very bright but hyperactive and moody. Although an Extra Class ham, his most recent interest has been in computers. Both the Houston Police Department and the FBI have become involved in the case, which is being treated as more serious than just a "runaway," according to Gardner police. Nathan Taylor is 5 ft, 5 in tall and weighs about 105 pounds, with blue eyes, light brown/blonde hair, and wears eyeglasses. Anyone with information on Nathan is asked to call Detective Bill Grasmuck of the City of Gardner (Mass.) Police Department, at 508-632-5600. Nathan was still missing as of September 23, 1993. CANDADIANS CALLED TO ARMS OVER PROPOSED NEW LAWS The Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) has issued an "urgent notice" for its members to react to a proposed government rules change that could adversely affect amateurs. In a September 13, 1993, news bulletin from RAC headquarters in Kingston, Ontario, Canadian amateurs were told that "Industry, Science and Technology Canada, the government department replacing Communications Canada," RAC said, "has just released TRC-86, a draft document entitled 'Criteria for Resolution of Immunity Complaints Involving Fundamental Emissions of Radiocommunications Transmitters.' "This document suggests and proposes," RAC said, "to make ministerial determinations, as provided by law in the Radio Communications Act, by a measurement of the following values of field strength, quote 'measured in accordance with accepted engineering practice, at the site of the equipment being affected by harmful interference: "'a) for broadcast receivers and associated equipment .... 1.83 volts per meter, equivalent to a 125 dB above a microvolt per meter; "'b) for all radio sensitive equipment .... 3.16 volts per meter, equivalent to 130 dB above one microvolt per meter.' "Radio amateurs should not accept this one-sided technical solution," RAC told its members, "which further obligates the transmitter owner and inequitably places no mandatory requirement whatsoever on the manufacturers of such radio equipment.... "There is further ambiguity in the definitions of the two classes of equipment mentioned above, that VCRs and compact disc accessories may qualify to be deemed broadcast receivers if they are attached to equipment capable of receiving broadcast signals. "Over 80% of these cases involving Amateur use of the spectrum 1.8 to 30 MHz have been resolved by reducing the conducted interference on any cable entering the affected equipment. External shielding is not remedial nor necessary in these circumstances. A radiated measurement does not account for random localized re-radiation, household wiring resonance effects or place any obligation on the manufacturers of the devices to meet any requirement for radiosensitivity. "The EMC Committee of RAC will respond to the proposals of this document .... this is an URGENT MATTER as the paper will be published in the Canada Gazette in early 1994 and can become law." *220 MHz band in jeopardy* In other news from Canada, according to the RAC, Industry and Science Canada (formerly the Department of Communications) has invited public discussion on a newly released paper on spectrum allocation and use in the range 30-960 MHz. The amateur primary allocation at 220-222 MHz (which U.S. amateurs already have lost to commercial interests) is under review. "Canada's amateurs must get behind RAD in an all out effort to retain this important VHF segment," RAC said, citing growth in amateur licensees of more than 55 per cent, to 40,000, since 1990. BRIEFS * The launch of SAREX flight STS-58 has been pushed back again, to October 14 at 1453 UTC for a 13 day mission. On board are William S. McArthur Jr., KC5ACR, and Martin J. Fettman, KC5AXA. Flight information updates will be available on W1AW as the launch date nears. SAREX flight STS-60 is tentatively scheduled for November 10, 1993, but likely will be delayed into 1994. * The Columbia Institute for Tele-Information will hold its Second Annual Training Workshop for Telecommunications Regulators November 15-19, 1993, in New York City. Among events scheduled is a welcoming overview as well as the closing address by Eli Noam, KE2PN, a Columbia professor of telecommunications. More information is available from the Institute at 212-854-4222 (fax 212-932- 7816). * Amateur licensing processing times at the FCC's Gettysburg, Pennsylvania facility have been running at near their desired maximum of 90 days; both a continued large amount of applications and inadequate staffing are cited. Recent examinees can expect to wait 12-14 weeks for their license to arrive from the FCC. * Peter Chadwick, G3RZP, president of the Radio Society of Great Britain, represented the Society in July at a garden party at Buckingham Palace. HRH Prince Phillip is a Patron of the RSGB. And the RSGB recently reported that their new Direct Debit Payment Service, allowing members to spread their annual dues payment over several months, has "proved to be extremely popular with existing members ... and has attracted many new members following the advertising campaign: 'It's Never Been Easier to Join.'" * The newest DXCC country may be Eritrea, which has been recommended by the ARRL DX Advisory Advisory Committee but still faces approval by the League's Awards Committee. Eritrea was a DXCC countty after World War 2; it was conquered by British Forces in 1941, became federated with Ethiopia in 1952, and was made a province of Ethiopia in 1962. At that time it was deleted from the DXCC list. The DXAC was convinced that Eritrea now has emerged as an independent country but was split on a recommended effective date for valid contacts with the new country. *DO NOT* send QSL cards to the DXCC Desk until the announcement that Eritrea has officially been added to the DXCC list and a date for acceptance of cards has been set. * As of September 13, 82 members of the U.S. House of Representatives had become co-sponsors of The Amateur Radio Service Joint Resolution (H.J. Res. 199); 12 senators were co-sponsors of the Senate version, S.J. 90. A full list of co-sponsors of the resolutions is scheduled for November *QST*. * The newest call sign among the Headquarters staff is N1QDO, sported by Educational Correspondent Tracy Bedlack, a veteran of the Educational Activities Department. * The Montserrat Amateur Radio Society will operate station VP2M from its new clubhouse November 14, commemorating both the 15th anniversary of the Society and the 500th anniversary of the naming of the Island by Christopher Columbus during his second voyage to the West Indies in 1493. A story about Montserrat by Stu Stevens, K8SJ, appears in October *QST*. * The 1993 Boy Scouts of America Jamboree-on-the-Air will be held October 16 and 17, the 36th running of this event. W1AW will carry more information as the date nears. Contact the ARRL Educational Activities Department of see September *QST*, page 45, for information on how you can get involved.