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]](K1TO.jpg) 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]](NV-Extras-1.jpg) 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.
Page last modified: 12:55 PM, 26 Jul 2002 ET
Page author: awextra@arrl.org
Copyright © 2002, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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![Attendees at the
recent--and successful--CVRC Extra upgrade class. [Dick Flanagan W6OLD, Photo]](NV-Extras-1-lrg.jpg)
