The ARRL Letter
Vol. 13, No. 20

October 26, 1994

Faster licensing: FCC sets date for electronic filing

     On October 24 the FCC released a 7-page Order amending its amateur 
rules, effective December 20, 1994, to reflect what the Commission calls 
"nonsubstantive procedural changes":
     *  To permit electronically filed data from VECs (paper applications 
also will still be accepted);
     *  To authorize operation as soon as the new license data appears in 
the amateur service licensee data base, rather than (as now) when the 
license document has been delivered (details of how the new licensee can 
determine his call sign will be announced later);
     * To add a new rules section, "Examinee Conduct," to emphasize that an 
examinee must comply with the instructions given by the administering VEs;
     * To treat "Technician Plus" as a license class;
     * And to provide for a "renewal short form," which the FCC says will be 
mailed to licensees in advance of their expiration date beginning sometime 
in 1995.  The FCC added that renewal applications would be accepted no more 
than 90 days before the expiration date.
     Because of the nature of these rule amendments, there is no notice or 
comment period required by federal law.  Again, these changes do not take 
effect until December 20, 1994.
FCC seeks changes in two UHF bands
     The FCC on October 20 adopted a Notice of Proposed Rule Making to 
convert a block of spectrum from federal government to commercial use, 
including two UHF bands shared by Amateur Radio on a secondary basis with 
the government.
     The proposal, in ET Docket 94-32, would allocate 2390 to 2400, 2402 to 
2417 (both shared by amateurs), and 4660 to 4685 MHz to the Fixed and Mobile 
Services. The FCC is required by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 
1993 to adopt rules for such a reallocation by February 10, 1995.
     The proposal calls for licensing to be accomplished through competitive 
bidding. In a news release, the Commission said it is requesting comment on 
alternative approaches, including "continued use of some of this spectrum by 
the amateur community."
     The FCC said it received a number of responses to its Notice of Inquiry 
on the proposed reallocations, including formal comments from "the amateur 
community" (primarily the ARRL). More information was in October QST, p 83.
     In another proceeding, ET Docket 94-124, the FCC is proposing to open a 
number of bands above 40 GHz to commercial use. The only one that 
potentially affects amateurs is 76.0 to 77.0 GHz, which is adjacent to our 
primary allocation at 75.5 to 76.0 GHz and is part of the 76.0 to 81.0 GHz 
band that amateurs share on a secondary basis.


FLOODS BRING OUT TEXAS VOLUNTEERS

     The FCC on October 19 declared a "Voluntary Communications Emergency" 
as Texas amateurs provided service during flooding in the southeastern 
portion of the state and particularly in the Houston area. That morning, 
North Texas Section Emergency Coordinator Joe Brown, K5UPN, reported that 
several statewide and emergency nets were in around-the-clock operation. 
Some of these nets, like the Texas RACES Net and the Central Gulf Coast 
Hurricane Net, were handling emergency and priority traffic only. The other 
nets were handling information requests and health and welfare traffic.
     As a result of the net activity, the FCC's Houston office issued a 
statement saying "All Amateurs are requested to cooperate by recognizing the 
existence of a voluntary communications emergency and therefore 
relinquishing the use of frequencies between 3967 and 3973 and between 3972 
and 3978 kHz and between 7245 and 7251 kHz for the handling of emergency 
traffic."
     On Thursday, October 20, ARRL South Texas Section Manager Alan Cross, 
WA5UZB, reported by telephone that ARES teams were heavily involved in 
emergency communications.  At the time, he didn't notice any ARES personnel 
shortages.  Radio amateurs were active at Houston-area Red Cross shelters, 
assisting fire departments and sheriff departments, according to  plans 
already in place.  Many radio amateurs were also staffing emergency 
operation centers.
     Cross also mentioned the burning gas pipelines at the San Jacinto 
River. He was concerned that in due time, the ARES operators would need 
reinforcements.  The North Texas Section had already contributed ARES 
personnel to help.
     By late Thursday, emergency nets were back to their normal operating 
schedules. Joe, K5UPN, reported a large number of health and welfare 
messages and related traffic being handled.  On Friday, Brown reported the 
same kind of activity on the local and section nets. -- Steve Ewald, WV1X.


NEWSMAN BILL LEONARD, W2SKE, IS DEAD AT AGE 78

     Bill Leonard, W2SKE, a former president of CBS News, died October 23 in 
Laurel, Maryland. He was 78.
     Leonard, an avid DXer and contest operator in the 1960s and 1970s, was 
an advocate for Amateur Radio, writing, for example, an article for Sports 
Illustrated in 1958 entitled "The Battle of the Hams."  It described the 
"sport of DXing" and Leonard's role in it from the contest super station of 
Buzz Reeves, K2GL, in New Jersey.
     Leonard said in 1981 that he was interested in radio as a child in the 
1920s, and received his first amateur license, W1JHV, while a student at 
Dartmouth College in 1934.
     After graduating in 1937, Leonard went to work as a reporter for the 
Bridgeport, Connecticut, Post-Telegram.  After serving in the US Navy from 
1941 to 1945, where he was involved with electronic countermeasures against 
German radio-controlled bombs, he joined CBS News in 1945.
     As CBS president, Leonard was credited with the selection of Dan Rather 
as CBS Evening News anchor, as a member of the team that developed the "60 
Minutes" newsmagazine, and of helping develop techniques to predict election 
outcomes.
     Asked in 1981 about the future of Amateur Radio, W2SKE said "I have a 
hunch that Amateur Radio is going to get more and more tangled up with 
amateur computer technology."  He also said "My bet is that ham radio, in 
one form or another, will be around 100 years from now."
     A profile of W2SKE appeared in March, 1981, QST.  Bill Leonard leaves 
his wife, the former Norma Kaphan Wallace, and six sons.


FCC ESTABLISHES NEW INTERNATIONAL BUREAU

     The FCC has created an International Bureau to handle international 
telecommunication and satellite programs and policies and to represent the 
Commission at international conferences and negotiations. The bureau will 
have three divisions: Telecommunications; Satellite and Radiocommunication; 
and Planning and Negotiations.
     This new bureau is a major part of the FCC's overall reorganization 
announced last summer.


COMICS FUNDING SOUGHT

     All kids like comics. Every year ARRL HQ provides some 50,000 copies of 
an Archie ham radio comic to amateurs, who then give them to interested 
youngsters as part of the League's effort to tell them about Amateur Radio. 
Print runs of 100,000 (the minimum) cost about $19,000. The comics come with 
a reply card for more information and a list of companies and clubs that 
have contributed to the comics program.
     So please help, by asking your club to consider giving $50, $100, $250 
or what your members can afford -- or ask your club newsletter editor to run 
this article in the next issue. Contact the ARRL Educational Activities 
Department for details. And thanks.


BRIEFS

     * W1AW has reoriented its beams for 10, 15, and 20 meters to provide 
better coverage of the southeastern states. The 120-foot tower now has upper 
antennas on those bands pointed west and lower beams, fed in phase, pointed 
south. The work was done by
station manager WA1MBK and operator WB9RRU.
     * Last summer, London's Science Museum announced that its Amateur Radio 
exhibit station, GB2SM, would be closed down because its time had passed. 
The Radio Society of Great Britain went to work, and now says that the 
museum has agreed to discuss "providing an innovative, state-of-the-art, 
hands-on exhibit to replace the existing station." In the interim (GB2SM 
will close November 7) the RSGB hopes to find a way to at least keep the 
famous call sign on the air.
     * The latest HQ staff member to get an amateur ticket is Media 
Relations Assistant Jennifer Hagy, sporting N1TDY.
     And November QST's "Behind the Diamond" victim Bill Moore, NC1L, has 
been promoted to DXCC supervisor.
     Speaking of November QST, did it seem fat to you? At 272 pages it was a 
record!
     * German Astronaut Ulf Merbold, DP3MIR, has been active from the 
Russian space station Mir, but a power supply problem prevents him from 
using his digital voice memory and  reduces his activity to only a few 
passes a day over Europe. DF5DP, the Deutscher ARC Coordinator of Satellites 
and Space Projects, said they do not have details about the problem because 
 questions and answers about DP3MIR are relayed via the Moscow control 
center, a process that "turned out to be very complicated."
     DP3MIR will stay aboard Mir until about November 3.
     * The United Kingdom has lowered the minimum age for its full amateur 
license. Previously 14, the age has been lowered to 10 years, provided that 
the applicant has held a Novice license Class A or B for a full year and 
then passes the exam for either a full Class A or Class B ticket.
     * The Dayton Amateur Radio Association is once again accepting 
applications for its scholarship program, open to all FCC-licensed amateurs 
who will graduate high school in 1995. The DARA offers eight scholarships of 
$2000 each. For more information and application forms write to DARA 
Scholarship Committee, 45 Cinnamon Court, Springboro OH 45066.
     * As noted last issue, the "Big Dish" Earth-Moon-Earth operation from 
VE3ONT on the first weekend of the ARRL EME Contest October 29 and  30 was 
canceled. Now, however, in addition to likely having the dish available for 
the second weekend of the Test, November 26 and 27, the operators may be 
able to use it on November 24 and 25 as well. If so, they plan to operate on 
50, 432, and 1296 MHz on those days (and on 144 MHz during the contest). All 
this was still tentative as we went to press.


10 years ago in The ARRL Letter

     A letter from the FCC's Private Radio Bureau Chief Robert Foosaner 
clarified what was permissible during Amateur Radio support of the New York 
City Marathon. The prohibition against "business communications" became more 
of a concern because the marathon was, in 1984, awarding prize money for the 
first time.    Foosaner said that of the three specific services amateurs 
planned to provide at the event -- a medical network, crowd-control 
logistics, and lead runner position -- only the latter was questionable, 
because news services could use the amateurs' communications to provide them 
with information. Foosaner recommended that lead runner information be 
passed on commercial frequencies.
     The matter of "business communications" continued to be a thorny one 
for amateurs until the summer of 1993, when the FCC acted to ease 
prohibitions on "business communications." The FCC in 1993 also agreed with 
the League that proposals from commercial broadcast interests to allow 
Amateur Radio to be used in dissemination of information was not desirable.
     In 1983 the FCC had changed the way hams' transmitter power was to be 
measured, from dc input to PEP output; AM operators in 1984 began lobbying 
for special consideration, since the change in the rules actually reduced 
the amount of power they were legally allowed to run. The matter was not 
finally settled until the early 1990s.

     
