ARRL-VEC staffer Wayne Irwin, W1KI, handles a telephone inquiry between application processing. In the background ARRL-VEC temporary employee Jane Foy keys in application data for transmittal to the FCC. [Rick Lindquist, N1RL]
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ARRL-VEC staffer Wayne Irwin, W1KI, handles a telephone inquiry between application processing. In the background ARRL-VEC temporary employee Jane Foy keys in application data for transmittal to the FCC. [Rick Lindquist, N1RL] |
The ARRL-VEC reports further substantial progress in clearing the logjam of applications resulting from Amateur Radio license restructuring. Most new and upgrade candidates now are waiting four weeks between test session and license grant. The wait could be longer or shorter in some cases, however, depending upon when the VE team's test session paperwork arrived at ARRL-VEC.
As of June 15, the ARRL-VEC was processing applications received May 24. ARRL-VEC Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, reports that paperwork for another 300 test sessions--with 2350 applications--remains in the queue. He says that represents a potential 500 Tech licenses, 1200 General licenses and 650 Extra licenses.
Once applications are received by the FCC, they generally are processed overnight. Jahnke said the ARRL-VEC expects to cut its backlog to two weeks or less within a week. Last week he reported that the initial surge of applications already had been processed, and fewer applications remained in the pipeline.
ARRL-VEC staff members and volunteers have been working nights and weekends to clear the influx of applications. Seven VEC staff members, two temporary employees, and a half-dozen or more HQ staff volunteers from other departments have been whittling down the stacks.
Jahnke reminded applicants that the best license grant information is available from the FCC's Universal Licensing System web site (click on "License Search"). He noted that typical Web call sign servers are at least 24 hours behind the FCC in updating license data.
Test session processing status continues to be available on the ARRL-VEC Web site.
More than 60 Colorado hams have been on volunteer duty since June 12 as two wildfires burned out of control this week. ARRL Colorado Section Emergency Coordinator Mike Morgan, N5LPZ, reports Amateur Radio Emergency Service, Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service, and Red Cross Communicator teams are involved in the response.
Two wildfires are raging in the Colorado mountains. The Hi Meadows fire, 35 miles southwest of Denver, has burned more than 6500 acres and some three dozen homes. In Larimer County, more than 400 firefighters are battling the Bobcat Gulch fire, now more than 5000 acres in size. Both fires are less than ten percent contained.
More than 800 people are said to have been evacuated so far. Gov Bill Owens has declared a state of emergency for Jefferson, Park, and Larimer counties.
In the Hi Meadows Fire, Morgan says, more than 50 ARES, RACES, and Red Cross Communicator team members have been on duty all week providing the main line of communication since the fire began. He said about 10 members of Jefferson County ARES/RACES are working on the fire lines, relaying status reports and requests for equipment. Others are staffing Incident Command and various operations posts as well as fire resource and staging areas.
"Most of the ARES members have received wildfire and Incident Command System training," Morgan said. Staffing assistance is coming from neighboring Douglas/Elbert, Park, Teller, and Boulder County ARES/RACES groups. The Forest Service has brought in its own VHF system, Morgan says, but ARES/RACES members are expected to remain on duty through the week for added support.
Morgan said the Mile High Chapter of the American Red Cross has activated its Red Cross Communicator group with assistance from Arapahoe County ARES. The team is staffing Red Cross shelters to help handle requests for personnel, food and other supplies.
In the Bobcat Gulch fire response, four Larimer/Weld County ARES members have been activated to support the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. Local emergency response officials have contacted ARES leadership, and ARES members are currently on standby.
Morgan reports both fires continue to grow, and efforts to contain them are being hampered by 50 MPH winds, high temperatures and low humidity. "ARES/RACES members have represented the hobby very well, providing critical communication services since day one," he said. "Although containment could be days down the road, hams are in it for the long haul!"
An artist's rendering of the Phase 3D spacecraft, now tentatively set to launch in September or October. |
AMSAT now says the next-generation Phase 3D Amateur Radio satellite will launch in September at the earliest. Under the latest tentative Arianespace launch schedule, P3D could go up on the Ariane Flight 507 as early as mid-September, but the launch could be as late as the end of October.
Flight 507 had been on the schedule to go into space in July. Arianespace recently announced a resumption of Ariane flights from the European Spaceport. A three-month flight hiatus resulted when several prime Arianespace passengers put their launch preparations on hold until concerns over possible onboard thruster problems could be resolved.
AMSAT-NA President Keith Baker, KB1SF, called the Arianespace announcement "very good news" for the Phase 3D program. On the Ariane 507 launch manifest with P3D is the PAS-1R satellite and two STRV microsatellites.
The Phase 3D satellite safely arrived at the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, last January and has been awaiting the start of its launch campaign.
Arianespace representatives--including the mission director--met recently with Phase 3D representatives at AMSAT-DL headquarters in Marburg, Germany, to discuss preparations for the P3D launch campaign, which could take up to a couple of months to complete.
The next Ariane 5 launch is targeted for July 25, with the Astra 2B and GE-7 satellites aboard. The exact date of the Phase 3D mission's launch depends on how that launch goes and on the availability of the other satellites that will fly with P3D.
A launch contract accepting Phase 3D as a payload for the first suitable Ariane 5 launch vehicle was signed last October.--AMSAT-DL and Peter Guelzow, DB2OS, via AMSAT News Service; SpaceNews
Meeting June 8 in conjunction with HAM-COM in Dallas, representatives of the Amateur Radio industry focused much of their discussions on ideas to attract younger licensees. Some of the conversation also centered on ways to boost the number of amateurs.
Gordon West, WB6NOA, addresses the industry group meeting. The ARRL's Rosalie White, K1STO, and President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, are seated to his left. [Jennifer Hagy, N1TDY] |
HAM-COM hosted the meeting and provided dinner. Moderating the session were Gordon West, WB6NOA, and Evelyn Garrison, WS7A.
Those on hand included contingents from the ARRL and from major Amateur Radio manufacturers, suppliers, other publishers and instructors. Representing the League were President Jim Haynie, W5JBP; Field and Educational Services Manager Rosalie White, K1STO; Media Relations Manager Jennifer Hagy, N1TDY; and Advertising Manager John Bee, N1GNV.
Bee, who also attended a similar industry gathering earlier this year in Wisconsin, said he thought the Dallas meeting was, in general, positive. "The industry recognizes that it needs to take an active approach and to undertake, or at least fund, new approaches to increase participation," he said.
During the session, President Haynie spoke on the need for an intensified youth-recruitment campaign--now dubbed "The Big Project." He reiterated his intentions to raise $1 million in corporate and foundation donations for the project this year.
White reviewed recent Amateur Radio upgrade statistics and discussed various efforts under way in her department that focus on young people and schools.
Hagy outlined the League's extensive public relations efforts, including those associated with the April release of the Amateur Radio-related movie Frequency and the Willem van Tuijl story earlier this year. The concept to award amateur equipment as prizes to clubs that developed the most creative Amateur Radio promotions associated with Frequency had been a product of the Wisconsin industry gathering.
Top prize is an ICOM IC-746 HF/VHF transceiver. Activity descriptions must be submitted no later than 5 PM Eastern Time on June 30, 2000, to Marjorie Bourgoin, KB1DCO, Field and Educational Services, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111.
In an effort to promote greater activity by school clubs, Rick Ruhl, N4GDO, of Creative Services Software offered to donate a copy of LogWindows to any school club that wants it.
Those represented at the Dallas industry gathering included: ADI/Pryme/Premier; Alinco; Alpha Power; Aluma Towers; Amateur Radio Trader; Am-Com; ARRL; Austin Amateur Radio; C.G.A. Enterprises; CQ Publications; Creative Services Software; Gordon West; Houston Amateur Radio Supply; ICOM; M2 Antennas; MAHA; Master Publishing; NCG Companies; Radio City; 73 magazine; W5YI Group; and Yaesu.
Another industry meeting is set to take place at the Huntsville Hamfest in August.
Mir Cosmonauts Sergei Zalyotin, right, and Alexander Kaleri, left, in an SSTV photo received earlier this spring by Murray Peterson, VK2KGM. |
As it prepared to mothball the aging Russian space station--possibly for good--and head home, the crew of Mir spoke via ham radio with youngsters at a school in Pennsylvania on June 12. Handling the earthbound end of the contact was Tom Daniels, N3CXT. Sergej Samburov, RV3DR, of Energia was on-line to assist with translating.
Using the R0MIR call sign, cosmonauts Sergei Zalyotin and Alexander Kaleri held a 10-minute conversation with youngsters at the Schnecksville School. At one point, the cosmonauts were asked if they liked it better in space or home on Earth. "When I live at home, I would like to be in space, but now I would like to be home," one of the two space travelers responded.
The cosmonauts arrived safely back on Earth June 16 after a 10 week mission that was financed in part by foreign investors. The cosmonauts' school contact attracted the attention of MSNBC, which carried the story with video on their web site.
The cosmonauts reportedly prepared to abandon Mir, although Russian space officials still have not ruled out yet another mission if the money can be found.--Farrell Winder, W8ZCF; press reports
California's attempt to incorporate PRB-1 language into state law--Senate Bill 1714--will be heard by the California Assembly's Local Government Committee later this month. The bill passed the California Senate 39-0 on May 30. At this point, the measure has no sponsor in the Assembly.
The Local Government Committee is scheduled to consider the bill Wednesday, June 28. ARRL Pacific Division Director Jim Maxwell, W6CF, reports in the Pacific Division Update newsletter that preparations are under way for an amateur contingent to appear before the Committee to support the bill.
As submitted earlier this year, the California bill contained minimum height restrictions, since stripped from the bill, that would have precluded regulation for antenna heights less than 200 feet or less than 75 feet, depending on the community's population density.
Currently, the legislation would provide that any ordinance that regulates Amateur Radio antenna structures adopted by any city or county "shall not preclude Amateur Radio Service communications but shall reasonably accommodate Amateur Radio Service communications." The bill also would require state planners to prepare a model ordinance on local regulation of amateur antennas. Maxwell said efforts continue to try to get some wording changed.
"We continue to face opposition to any meaningful bill from the California League of Cities and other lobbying organizations concerned with land use and real estate," Maxwell said. He encouraged California hams to express their opinions to their individual assembly members as well as to members of the Local Government Committee and/or committee staff. For more information, contact Volunteer Counsel Harry Styron, K6HS, k6hs@arrl.net.
Elsewhere on the PRB-1 front, Hank Grilk, WA2CCN, reports Rhode Island's PRB-1 bill is stuck in the Senate Corporation Committee and passage this session is doubtful. Midwest Division Vice Director Bruce Frahm, K0BJ, reports the Kansas PRB-1 bill died in committee when the legislature there adjourned for the year. Ten states currently have incorporated the essence of PRB-1 into their statutes.
Solar seer Tad Cook, K7VVV, Seattle, Washington, reports: Solar and geomagnetic activity rose this week. Average sunspot number was up nearly 84 points, and solar flux was up by more than 13 points compared with last week. The average planetary A index nearly doubled. Solar flux probably peaked at 1700 UTC on June 14 at 205.5. The official solar flux for that day was taken at 2000 UTC and was 200.6.
Solar flux for the near term is expected to fall, with the values for Friday through Tuesday at 200, 195, 190, 185 and 180. Flux values should bottom out around 150 from June 27 through 29, and then peak again around July 12.
Sunspot numbers for June 8 through 14 were 203, 183, 165, 224, 236, 243 and 278 with a mean of 218.9. The 10.7-cm flux was 174.6, 168.9, 179.6, 186.8, 192.7, 199.2 and 200.6, with a mean of 186.1., and estimated planetary A indices were 53, 8, 25, 32, 15, 16 and 23, with a mean of 24.6.
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West Central Florida Section Manager Dave Armbrust, AE4MR, demonstrates SSTV to representatives from the Manatee County Red Cross Chapter and Manatee County Florida Emergency Management. Left to right: Armbrust, Steve Simpson, KF4MBN, Bea Pearsall, KA9QJS, Charles Roberts, Malone Groover and Danny Coangelo. [Paul Toth, NA4AR] |
Two such technologies prominently displayed were a live WinAPRS station and SSTV. The SSTV demonstration for local Emergency Managers, Red Cross Disaster Coordinators and others included the transmission of images to and from WX4TBW, the Amateur Radio station at the National Weather Service office in Ruskin. "Our goal this week was to demonstrate the flexibility and depth Amateur Radio can provide our many served agencies," Armbrust said. The annual conference also gave the amateurs a chance to exchange ideas with Florida's state and county emergency managers. Other presenters included former ARRL HQ staffer Rick Palm, K1CE, now an Assistant Section Manager in Northern Florida. Palm discussed ARRL Headquarters disaster operations functions and presented the Northern Florida ARES organization and plan on behalf of Section Manager Rudy Hubbard, WA4PUP. Speaking at a Low Cost Communications Forum on Friday, John Fleming, WD4FFX, of the Florida Division of Emergency Management thanked amateurs for their dedication to emergency communications. He said ham radio will continue to play an important role in the state's emergency communications plan because ham satellite technology is improving, and ham radio proved itself during Y2K exercises.--Paul Toth, NA4AR; Rick Palm, K1CE
[John Kanode, N4MM] |
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