In Brief

Jul 25 2002

(In alphabetical order: ) ARRL 2001 Annual Report copies being mailed; · Dream is alive at W1AW; · FCC requires radar detectors to comply with emission limits; · Florida Contest Group greets the top dawg; · IARU HF World Championship logs must be sent to ARRL; · Laurel VEC boasts second young YL success; · Minnesota teenage ham wins IEEE Presidents' Scholarship; · Nevada club completes group Extra upgrade; New Michigan Section Manager appointed; · Pop star Lance Bass of 'N Sync gets set for space; · Review under way of unlicensed 2.4 GHz systems; · SATERN volunteer honored for WTC, Flight 587 assistance; · Special event set from hospital ship; · Special events set from New Jersey lighthouses; · Spectrum Policy Task Force announces public workshops

ARRL 2001 Annual Report copies being mailed: Demand has been brisk for copies of the ARRL 2001 Annual Report, and requests now are being honored. While ARRL invites requests via e-mail, these will not be routinely acknowledged. Requests should include your full name, call sign and mailing address. Copies will be sent as soon as possible. ARRL members can obtain a free copy of the ARRL 2001 Annual Report with a request to Media Relations Manager Jennifer Hagy, N1TDY, jhagy@arrl.org; 860-594-0328. The Annual Report also is available for viewing via the ARRL Web site.

Dream is alive at W1AW: Even as technological advances and newer modes of communicating with the ham community are developed, ARRL's Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station W1AW lives in the hearts and minds of hams nationwide. Completed and dedicated in 1938 and bearing the call sign of the League's co-founder and first president, W1AW embodies the history and traditions so important to amateurs. To ensure its future, the ARRL has established a permanent W1AW Endowment Fund. Even now, the transmitters installed in 1989 that carry on the bulletin and code practice service are showing their age after more than 20,000 hours of operation, and the antennas are feeling the effects of a dozen New England winters. "Keeping W1AW in top condition is a growing challenge," says W1AW trustee and ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ. Every year, along with other growing financial demands including frequency defense, antenna challenges, member services and support for volunteer and educational programs, the ongoing cost of operating W1AW becomes a greater concern. Those within the Amateur Radio community who are willing to keep the dream alive and fund a permanent endowment for W1AW now are being invited to contribute. "If we can raise $150,000 this year, it will send a strong message that you care about the future of W1AW," Sumner said. "When you stop in to tour W1AW and to operate, you'll see your generosity at work. And every time you hear 'Whiskey One Alpha Whiskey' on the air, you'll know you've been a part of history." Voluntary contributions to ARRL are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. To contribute, visit the ARRL Web site secure W1AW contribution page For more information, contact ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, mhobart@arrl.org.

FCC requires radar detectors to comply with emission limits: The FCC has imposed new emission limit and certification requirements for radar detectors to protect satellite operations from interference. The Commission has modified Part 15 of its rules to require radar detectors to meet emission limits in the 11.7-12.2 GHz band and to require that radar detectors obtain certification under the FCC's equipment authorization procedures. The FCC says its actions "will prevent interference to very small aperture satellite terminals (VSATs), which operate with downlink frequencies in the 11.7-12.2 GHz band." The FCC said that there have been a number of cases of harmful interference to VSATs attributed to radar detectors, and that FCC lab tests have shown that some radar detectors emit radio signals in the VSAT downlink band far in excess of the limits that apply to other unintentional radiators. All radar detectors marketed within the US must comply with the new rules within 60 days after the rules are published in the Federal Register. All radar detectors imported into and manufactured for sale within the US must comply with the new rules within 30 days of Federal Register publication. Receivers that tune only above 960 MHz have been exempt from complying with the limits because they have generally not been a source of interference to authorized radio services. Part 15 rules require operators of an unintentional radiator to cease operations if it causes harmful interference. The FCC said that, because radar detectors are mobile, it is impractical to resolve interference problems on a case-by-case basis, so it's now requiring all radar detectors to comply with general emission limits to prevent interference to VSATs.--FCC

The Florida Contest Group greeting committee.

Florida Contest Group greets the top dawg: About a dozen enthusiastic members and friends of the Florida Contest Group were on hand to greet their president Dan Street, K1TO, as he returned in triumph as one half of the top team at the recent World Radiosport Team Championship in Finland.

Jim White, K4OJ (left), greets a startled Dan Street, K1TO. [Dave Armbrust, AE4MR, Photo]

Accompanying Street as he arrived in Tampa July 20 was Jeff Bolda, WC4E, a referee at WRTC 2002. Once again, Street and Jeff Steinman, N5TJ, finished first out of the 52 teams taking part in the international competition July 13-14. Street and Steinman also had taken home the gold at WRTC 96 in the San Francisco Bay area and at WRTC 2000 in Slovenia. The bleary eyed travelers, who had been flying for 21 hours, were greeted by posters, balloons and official hoopla at the Tampa International Airport.--Dave Armbrust, AE4MR

IARU HF World Championship logs must be sent to ARRL: ARRL Contest Branch Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, reminds contesters that the administration of the IARU HF World Championship is completely separate from that of World Radiosport Team Championship 2002. While many operators sent their IARU HF logs to the WRTC 2002 committee to assist in the adjudication of their event, these submittals should not be construed as entries for the IARU event and will not be forwarded to ARRL, which administers the contest for the IARU. "You must send in your IARU HF World Championship to either iaruhf@arrl.org or iaruhf@iaru.org in order for your results to be included in the official contest results," Henderson emphasized. The ARRL Contest Branch will not receive any logs from WRTC 2002. Entries are due by August 13. Henderson also explained that the "ARRL-SECTION" field is required in a Cabrillo log header for this event to determine award recipients. W/VE stations should provide the appropriate ARRL or RAC section. Non-W/VE stations must enter "DX" in that field. Complete IARU HF World Championship rules are on the ARRL Web site.

Dennis Linnell, W1MIT, and his 10-year-old daughter Mary, KG4UIP. [John Creel, WB3GXW, Photo]

Laurel VEC boasts second young YL success: For the second month in a row, the Laurel Amateur Radio Club Volunteer Examiner Coordinator in Maryland has hosted a successful--and very young--female amateur license examination candidate. On July 20, 10-year-old Mary Linnell of McLean, Virginia, passed her Technician test, missing only one of the 35 questions to grab the second highest score of the 20 examinees on hand. "She was a real show stopper," said Laurel VEC Team Leader John Creel, WB3GXW. Mary was issued KG4UIP by the FCC on July 22. Very proud papa Dennis Linnell, W1MIT, wrote Creel later to thank the Laurel VE team. "I really appreciate your kind efforts in making the exam a special day for Mary," Dennis Linnell said. "Your exemplary attitude will help us succeed in getting more kids interested in Amateur Radio. Bravo!" On Kid's Day, June 15, nine-year-old Yesol Oh of Gaithersburg, Maryland, passed her Technician class exam "with flying colors" at a LARC-VEC session. Yesol was granted KB3IFX.

James J. Jefferson, KB0THN (right) accepts the $10,000 IEEE Presidents' Scholarship from IEEE Foundation President Emerson W. Pugh. [IEEE Photo]

Minnesota teenage ham wins IEEE Presidents' Scholarship: Eighteen-year-old James J. Jefferson, KB0THN, of Winona, Minnesota, has won the $10,000 IEEE Presidents' Scholarship. The award was presented in May at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Louisville, Kentucky, by IEEE Foundation President Emerson W. Pugh, who called Jefferson "a fine young man with a truly innovative project" and a great future. For his winning project, "Automatic packet reporting system (APRS): Building a large-scale geospatial database," Jefferson collected and cataloged the entire APRS Internet stream into a relational database. A ham since 1995 and an ARRL member, Jefferson said it struck him that "something useful could come from all this data, if it could be collected and analyzed." For the purposes of the project, he concentrated on the Los Angeles freeway system. The data are reported in a variety of ways, so Jefferson had to write a program to translate the data into a common format. He also developed software to analyze the position data and wrote another program to search digital maps for the distance to the nearest road, in order to offer options to people stuck in traffic. The project involved writing some 10,000 lines of code, and Jefferson worked completely on his own. His software collects more than 600,000 data points a day. A friend helped him locate space for a series of computers he linked together called a Beowulf cluster to work the data. The rest of the work he does in his basement. Jefferson (who prefers to use his middle name instead of his legal surname, Jarvis) plans to continue with his project, investigating the use of neural networks to detect road anomalies such as traffic jams. For relaxation Jefferson tends a weather station he built with a friend near his home and enjoys hiking and biking. He plans to attend Iowa State University in the fall and major in computer sciences. Jefferson also received prizes from IEEE Computer Society, Intel Foundation and the Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

Attendees at the recent--and successful--CVRC Extra upgrade class. [Dick Flanagan W6OLD, Photo]

Nevada club completes group Extra upgrade: The Carson Valley Radio Club (CVARC) just completed what may be the first Amateur Extra upgrade class ever held in the State of Nevada. Twelve weeks ago, 15 General and Advanced class licensees began attending a weekly class to prepare them to pass the Element 4 Amateur Extra written examination. Even with three students making a 100-mile commute, attendance was almost perfect over the three-month period. Instructors were Dale Anderson, KV7S; Dick Flanagan, W6OLD; Bob Grissom, KI7GN; and Harry Hampton, N7MBO. When the class was over, 13 new Amateur Extra operators joined the amateur community. Some even received perfect scores on the test. Successful graduates were: Roger Arthur, KD7MKR; David Berkley, W6NMJ; Nick Craveling, KB7AAQ; Dick Creley, KJ7UK; Bob Evans, N6YMA; Jim Finnell, W6DEU; Roger Grable, N7IXL; Dave Law, N7TNX; James Ralston, K0YOU; Jack Riggsbee, K7AJR; Judi Robins, KD7GZR; Konnie Susich, KD7COG; and Ken Walton, K7KFW. The CVRC is an ARRL-affiliated special service club serving the Carson Valley area of Western Nevada. CVRC sponsors two free Amateur Radio classes each year--an entry-level Technician class and an upgrade class alternating between General and Amateur Extra. For more information, visit the CVRC Web site or contact Dick Flanagan, W6OLD, w6old@arrl.net.

New Michigan Section Manager appointed: ARRL Field and Educational Services Manager Rosalie White, K1STO, has approved the appointment of Debbie Kirkbride, KA8YKK, of Bay City to replace Dick Mondro, W8FQT, as Michigan SM. Mondro resigned this week to accept an appointment as Great Lakes Division Vice Director, replacing Gary Johnston, KI4LA, who acceded to the Director's position after George Race, WB8BGY, stepped down. An Extra class licensee, Kirkbride served as an Assistant SM under Mondro and was Section Emergency Coordinator from 1997 until 2001. She previously served for about a year as a District Emergency Coordinator.

Pop star Lance Bass of 'N Sync gets set for space: According to media accounts, a deal has been struck with Russian space officials to put 'N Sync pop singing star Lance Bass aboard the International Space Station this fall. MSNBC reports that the 23-year-old singer now is in training at Russia's Star City cosmonaut facility near Moscow. Russian space agency officials reportedly are seeking formal approval from the ISS partners. One topic still at issue is whether there's enough time for Bass to undergo the requisite training--typically at least six months. At best, Bass will get somewhat more than three months to wrap up his training regimen. Reuters quoted Igor Marinin of the journal Novosti Kosmonavtiki as saying that three months was more than sufficient time to teach Bass everything he needs to know. "All he needs to know is how to put on his suit and what not to touch," Reuters quoted Marinin as saying. "We could even train a monkey to do this in less time than that." The arrangement, which followed months of negotiations, would mark the third visit by a paying guest to the ISS. Millionaire businessman Dennis Tito, KG6FZX, and South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth each paid some $20 million for the privilege of spending about 10 days in space in 2001 and 2002, respectively. A similar price tag is being suggested for the Bass journey. While in space, Tito and Shuttleworth made use of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station's NA1SS to communicate with family and friends and with schools on Earth. If all goes as planned, Bass would travel to the ISS aboard a Soyuz vehicle in October. He would become the youngest person ever to travel into space--and the first entertainer. Media deals--including a TV series covering Bass' space adventure--already are in the works. MSNBC says a formal announcement is pending.

Review under way of unlicensed 2.4 GHz systems: The AMSAT-NA Board of Directors is reviewing the large number of unlicensed systems active in the 2.4-GHz band. These systems are being used for high-speed digital communications. Although these systems are not licensed, they are permitted to operate under FCC Part 15 rules with low power (100 mW or 1 W spread spectrum). AMSAT-NA and ARRL plan to develop a joint strategy regarding S band, as both organizations anticipate that interference may become a problem area as similar Part 15 unlicensed equipment proliferates. Two amateur satellites, UO-11 and AO-40, now operate transmitters in the 2.4-GHz band, and both OSCAR-Echo and OSCAR-Eagle--two AMSAT-NA satellite projects now under development--will have S-band transmitters. In addition, various ATV systems and other amateur communication systems operate in the vicinity of 2.4 GHz. The FCC has proposed making amateurs primary at 2400 to 2402 MHz. AMSAT-NA seeks reports from amateurs who have experienced interference with 2.4-GHz reception of AO-40 from a Part 15 device. Send details to ve3frh@amsat.org.--AMSAT News Service

At the podium, Norma Gindes, co-chair, Task Force on Awards and Recognition. (L-R) Patricia Harris, deputy mayor for administration; Harriette Heller, executive director, Mayor's Voluntary Action Center; Jeff Schneller, N2HPO; and Jerry Aiello, co-chair, Task Force on Awards and Recognition.

SATERN volunteer honored for WTC, Flight 587 assistance: Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) volunteer Jeff Schneller, N2HPO, was among the 17 recipients of the Mayor's Volunteer Service Award, presented June 26. The award was presented by the office of New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in recognition of his outstanding volunteer service to the City. Schneller was honored for his efforts as part of SATERN following the World Trade Center attack in New York City and during the rescue and recovery operation a few weeks later that followed the crash of Flight 587 in Belle Harbor, New York. The SATERN liaison for the Greater New York City area, Schneller coordinates, supervises, schedules and trains individual Amateur Radio operators for SATERN membership. Schneller was cited for his outstanding leadership skills, excellent judgment and expertise in emergency communications.

Special event set from hospital ship: An unusual special event station will be on the air in August from a former hospital ship. A group of operators from the Association of Radio Amateurs of Alto Minho (Associação de Radioamadores do Alto Minho) of Portugal will be active August 17-19 as CS0GIL or CQ0GIL from the hospital ship Gil Eannes. All operation will be on HF using SSB, CW and SSTV, and more than one station will be on the air. The special event is made possible with the support of Gil Eannes foundation. Operators will provide QSL routes. The Gil Eannes was built in the Viana do Castelo naval shipyards. While it was active, it supported the Portuguese cod fishing fleet. The Gil Eannes Foundation has acquired the vessel for a museum. For more information, visit the Navio Gil Eannes Web site (in Portuguese).

Barnegat lighthouse in New Jersey.

Special events set from New Jersey lighthouses: The Old Barney Amateur Radio Club will operate special event station W2T during the National Lighthouse Activity Weekend August 3-4 from Tucker's Island Lighthouse (USA-911) in Tuckerton, New Jersey. The structure is a full-scale replica of the original Tucker's Island Lighthouse, which succumbed to the Atlantic in 1927, and is the focal point of the Tuckerton Seaport project. It opened in May 2000. Operation will be from 1300 UTC August 3 to 2100 UTC August 4 on or around 7180, 14,280, 18,140 and 21,280 kHz. Some CW operation is possible. The club celebrates International Lighthouse Day Weekend by operating N2OB from "Old Barney," Barnegat lighthouse (USA-039), on Long Beach Island (NA-111) August 17 from 1300 UTC to 2200 UTC. Frequencies to watch include 7180, 14,280 and 21,280 kHz. (Rain date is August 18.) Visitors are welcome. QSL to PO Box 345, Tuckerton, NJ 08087. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope and an IRC for a photo QSL. For more information, visit the Old Barney Amateur Radio Club Lighthouse Activities for 2002 Web page.--The Daily DX

Spectrum Policy Task Force announces public workshops: The FCC's Spectrum Policy Task Force will hold four public workshops to address issues related to the Commission's spectrum policies. The workshop topics and corresponding dates are: Experimental Licenses and Unlicensed Spectrum, August 1; Interference Protection, August 2; Spectrum Efficiency, August 5; and Spectrum Rights and Responsibilities, August 9. All workshops will take place from 9 AM until 3 PM in the Commission Meeting Room, 445 12th Street SW, Washington, DC. Panelists are currently being invited. Additional information will be provided in a subsequent FCC Public Notice. Audio/video coverage of the workshops will be broadcast live over the Internet from the FCC Web site. For further information, contact Lauren Van Wazer, 202-418-0030; lvanwaze@fcc.gov.

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