The ARRL Letter
Vol. 13, No. 18
October 3, 1994

FCC surveys examiner coordinators,League defends "wall of 
separation"

A survey of three major volunteer examiner coordinators by the 
Federal Communications Commission has included a number of 
"recommendations" apparently aimed at shoring up the "wall" 
between organizations involved in both publishing study materials 
and in coordinating VEs (namely, the W5YI-VEC and the ARRL-VEC).
For its survey, the FCC examined data from 34 volunteer examiners, 
in addition to the three largest VECs (ARRL, W5YI, and Central 
Alabama).

The FCC called 1993 the "most productive year yet" for the VEC 
system. The three reporting VECs coordinated more than 9,600 
examination sessions, accounting for almost 88% of the 193,901 
elements taken during 1993. 113,028 people were examined at 10,848 
sessions by these VECs. 

The FCC said it received no complaints about a lack of examination 
opportunities. And "the VECs were outstanding," the Commission 
said, "in reviewing and correcting application forms before they 
were submitted for processing" (the defective rate reaching the 
FCC was 0.2%).

The FCC said that although slightly less than 5% of applications 
are filed with the Commission later than the 20 days allowed, that 
it believes that such delays will be eliminated when the Private 
Radio Bureau begins accepting electronically filed applications 
from VECs.

The FCC said more cheating was uncovered in the VEC system in 1993 
than in any previous year. The Commission had to take corrective 
action after licenses had been issued "in an unprecedented number 
of cases," it said. The FCC cited 24 license grants to persons 
whose test results were certified by an impostor at 16 sessions in 
Texas; all those licenses were rescinded. That VE team leader 
surrendered his licenses. 

	At 25 sessions in California, the FCC said, "many of the 
examinees apparently had prior access to the telegraphy message." 
In this case, 59 people were ordered to retest under a different 
VEC. "Also in California," the FCC's report said, "on two 
occasions, a VE claimed to have administered examinations at two 
different sessions on the same day, traveling as much as 70 miles 
one-way between the sessions." 

	In the first instance, the FCC concluded that only one of 
the two sessions reported for that day actually took place. As to 
the second occasion, one examination session apparently did not 
take place, while the other session did take place but only seven 
people were examined rather than the 22 reported by the VEs, the 
FCC concluded.

	The FCC recommended that "all VECs be very selective when 
accrediting a VE, and refuse to coordinate any session for which 
it has reason to believe that the examination may not be 
administered correctly." Earlier, the Private Radio Bureau had 
recommended that VECs experiencing testing irregularities "should 
consult with the VECs that have been more successful in protecting 
themselves against cheating."

	The Commission audit said the information received from 
the 34 volunteer examiners polled "generally confirms the 
information concerning administration expenses and reimbursement 
provided by the VECs. We recommend that all VEs and VECs strive to 
keep their expenses in preparing, processing, administering, or 
coordinating examination within the amount of the reimbursement 
fee which they are allowed," the Commission said.

	"The VEs' responses indicate that many VEs have organized 
themselves into teams locally and that a team tends to answer to a 
leader. The team leader is often the only VE who is reimbursed and 
maintains records. The responses also indicate that some VEs may 
not fully recognize that they may only recover their out-of-pocket 
costs from the examinees. There may also be some misunderstanding 
of the reimbursement to which they are entitled. 	"In 
particular, it appears that some VEs believe, erroneously, that 
they cannot accept reimbursement for their out-of-pocket 
administration expense if the coordinating VEC forgoes 
reimbursement from the examinee for its coordination expense. We 
recommend that VECs make clear to their accredited VEs that they 
may accept reimbursement for their out-of-pocket costs in 
administering examinations, even though the VEC decides not to 
accept reimbursement."

	The FCC also had some recommendations for VECs that are 
involved in the publication or distribution of exam study 
materials. The FCC said that such organizations, namely the ARRL 
and W5YI VECs, had been accepted as VECs because they agreed to 
"establish an organizational wall between their publishing and 
distributing components and their VEC activities."

	The FCC said it is concerned that, for example, 
"applicants might presume that they would derive special benefits 
from purchasing study materials published and distributed by the 
same organization that would coordinate the examination session 
and that has accredited the VEs who would administer the 
examination."

	The FCC also said it felt that "other publishers and 
distributors of study material might believe that they are at a 
disadvantage in selling materials for use in preparing for amateur 
operator license examinations."

	The FCC recommended "that you consider implementing the 
suggestions described below to help make the organization's VEC 
component more distant from the component that publishes and 
distributes materials used in preparing for amateur operator 
license examinations." The suggestions were:

	1. The VEC should be a distinct legal entity. It should be 
separate from the publishing and distribution of materials used in 
preparing for amateur operator license examinations.
	2. The name of the VEC should not be similar to the name 
of the organizational component that publishes and distributes 
materials used in preparation for examinations for obtaining 
amateur operator licenses.
	3. The VEC should have its own financial account separate 
from any account containing assets derived from publishing and 
distributing materials used in preparing for amateur operator 
license examinations.
	4. The VEC component should be physically separate from 
the organizational component that publishes and distributes 
materials used in preparing for amateur operator license 
examinations.
	5. No person engaged in publishing or distributing 
materials used in preparing for amateur operator license 
examinations and no person who determines the policies of such an 
organizational component should participate in coordinating 
amateur operator license examination sessions or in determining 
the policies of the organizational component that coordinates 
amateur operator license examination sessions.
	6. All funds provided to the VEC by the parent 
organization should be clearly identified as such. The funds 
should not be transferred from an account that includes funds 
received from publishing and distributing materials used in 
preparing for amateur operator license examinations. 
	7. The terms under which such funds are provided to the 
VEC should be clearly set forth in writing. The document should 
show that the funding does not, in any way, carry any obligations 
that would benefit the parent organization in its publishing and 
distributing of materials used in preparing for amateur operator 
license examinations.

	The FCC's latest statistics, for June, 1994, show that the 
two largest VECs, W5YI and ARRL, account for nearly 88% of all 
amateur exams administered: the ARRL-VEC "market share" in June 
was 68.8% (up 10.7% in a year); W5YI-VEC's share in June was 
19.1%. 	
	ARRL-VEC manager Bart Jahnke, KB9NM, said the ARRL-VEC 
increase was due in large part to the more than 170 test sessions 
held on the ARRL Spring National Exam Day on May 14.
	ARRL Executive Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ, said 
that "While we appreciate the spirit in which the Commission's 
suggestions have been offered, the ARRL has been cognizant from 
the very outset of the need to avoid not only a conflict of 
interest, but the appearance of a conflict, between our publishing 
activities and our service as a VEC.
	"To that end, when we submitted our proposal to the FCC to 
serve as a VEC in 1984, we described the steps we would take to 
ensure the degree of isolation sought by the FCC, and that 
proposal was accepted. We have observed both the letter and the 
spirit of the conditions to which we and the FCC agreed in 1984, 
and will continue to do so. 
	"The most important of these is that the question pools, 
including answers and distractors, are in the public domain and 
are equally available to any publisher. As a matter of policy, we 
do not use our status as a VEC in promoting the sale of study 
material," Sumner said.


League participates in Asian conference

	Several ARRL officials attended a meeting of Region 3 of 
the International Amateur Radio Union held in Singapore in early 
September.  This conference was attended by 97 delegates and 
observers from 18 member-societies of Region 3, with three more 
represented by proxy. This was the best turnout ever for a Region 
3 conference, which ARRL Executive Vice President  David Sumner, 
K1ZZ, attributed to Singapore's central location and excellent air 
service to the "Lion City."  (Region 3 comprises essentially Asia 
and the Pacific Rim countries).
	The conference site selected for 1997 (each IARU region 
meets every three years) is Beijing, with Queensland, Australia,
tentatively picked as the year 2000 site.
	Often, the holding of an IARU conference in a country 
enhances the position of  Amateur Radio in that country. "No 
doubt," Sumner said, "that will be the case in Beijing, and it
was certainly the case in Singapore, where the administration's 
regulations are rather more restrictive than we are used to."
	 A special conference Amateur Radio station, S61ARU, was 
available at the hotel for the use of conference delegates, and 
special permission was granted for a 6-meter station for the 
duration of the conference. (Normally 6 meters is not available in 
Singapore because the administration protects a TV station in 
neighboring Malaysia from interference.) 
	In his speech to open the conference, Mr Goh Chee Wee, 
Singapore's Minister of State for Trade & Industry and 
Communications, announced an initiative to attract young people to 
Amateur Radio -- which translates to a lowering of the minimum age 
for an amateur license from 21 to 16, and a lower-than-normal 
license fee for students.
	There are only about 80 radio amateurs in Singapore out of 
a population of approximately 3 million. "The fact that the 
Singapore Amateur Radio Transmitting Society (SARTS) was able to 
host a successful international conference with such a small 
membership is quite a testimony to their hard work," Sumner said. 
	The conference generated some favorable newspaper 
publicity for SARTS, and also marked the first time that the 
Director-General of the Telecommunications Administration of 
Singapore (their equivalent of the FCC) had attended a SARTS event 
(the opening-night reception).
 	Also addressing the opening ceremony was Mr Graham Davey, 
Head of the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, who is 
based in Bangkok. Mr Davey's speech highlighted the awarding of an 
ARRL Life Membership to Dick Kirby, W0LCT,
who is retiring as Director of the ITU Radiocommunications Bureau 
(see p 14, September QST). 
	"I can assure you that all of us in the ITU were both 
proud and grateful to the ARRL for this gesture," Mr Davey said.
	Among a number of actions, the conference endorsed the 
concept of an International Amateur Radio Permit for short-term 
visitors, such as is now being pursued in Region 2; guidelines for 
packet radio operators and packet BBS operators were updated; more 
emphasis on the promotion of Amateur Radio in developing 
countries was approved; the Phase 3D satellite program was 
endorsed, and member-societies were urged to find ways and means 
to collect private and other donations.
	The conference also supported the continuation of the 
existing Morse code requirement for operation below 30 MHz. 
	Following the Region 3 conference, the IARU Administrative 
Council met in Singapore (as reported in our last issue).
	The ARRL is a member of IARU Region 3, representing 
amateurs in Guam, the Northern Marianas, American Samoa, and the 
Republic of Palau.
	The ARRL delegation, headed by First Vice President Rod 
Stafford, KB6ZV, also included Paul Rinaldo, W4RI; Nao Akiyama, 
NX1L; and Sumner. Also attending from the US, on behalf of the 
IARU International Secretariat, were IARU President Richard 
Baldwin, W1RU, and Secretary Larry Price, W4RA.


FCC DENIES MORSE CODE EXEMPTION FOR OVER-65s

	The FCC has denied a petition that proposed exemptions 
from Morse code exams for people age 65 and older.
	Guy A. Matzinger, KB7PNQ, argued in his petition that old 
age results in diminished faculties, and equated those people 65 
and older with the severely disabled in terms of passing a CW 
exam. He proposed the exemption for speeds above 5 wpm.
	The FCC said that similar petitions had been denied in the 
past, because the current Amateur Radio license structure is based 
on "the desires of the amateur service community," gleaned from 
thousands of comments on previous petitions. The Commission also 
noted that its rules already provide for Morse code exemptions for 
certain recognized disabilities.
	Matzinger introduced the results of a survey he conducted 
that said 63% of those he surveyed supported such an exemption. 
The survey, the FCC said, provided an age profile of those 
surveyed but did not say how many people were surveyed.
	Although the petition got the usual public notice, the FCC 
said it received no comments on it.
	Matzinger is a 67-year-old Technician class licensee who 
lives in Cheney, Washington.


TECH LICENSE RENEWALS MAY SHOW WRONG CLASS

	If you hold a Technician class license issued before March 
16, 1991, then you automatically are a Technician licensee with HF 
privileges (a "Tech Plus"). 
	In some recent instances the FCC has processed the renewal 
or modification of such a Tech Plus license but has mistakenly 
issued a "Technician" (no-code) license.  (Since June 8, 1994, new 
and renewed Tech Plus licenses have been clearly labeled as such).
	If this has happened to you, do the following: 
	Write to the FCC, explaining the situation, including your 
current license status, with effective date. Include copies of 
both your "before" and "after" licenses.
	If you no longer have either a copy or the original of 
your previous license, say so in your letter.
	Send this to FCC, 1270 Fairfield Road, Gettysburg, PA 
17325-7245 (or fax 717-337-1541).  Keep copies of all your 
correspondence with the FCC.
	Expect the matter to take four to six weeks to be 
resolved.  In the meantime, you may continue to exercise "Tech 
Plus" privileges. 


ARRL WORKSHOPS CONTINUE TO LURE CONVENTION-GOERS

	ARRL Laboratory Supervisor Ed Hare, KA1CV, taught
the latest in a series of ARRL-sponsored continuing education 
workshops, this one on electromagnetic interference, to 38 
students at the ARRL Southwestern Division Convention in San Diego 
on August 27.
	The workshops are organized by the ARRL Educational 
Activities Department and are taught by ARRL staff or other 
experts. Hare was scheduled to teach the next EMI workshop at the 
New England Division Convention on September 30. ARRL Senior 
Assistant Technical Editor Dean Straw, N6BV, will conduct a 
workshop on the computer-aided design of antennas at the ARRL 
Pacific Division Convention, on October 21, in Concord, 
California.


FCC OPENS TOLL-FREE PHONE TO FIELD LICENSE QUESTIONS

	The FCC has instituted a toll-free phone line at its 
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania licensing division for customer service 
inquiries. Amateurs may call 800-322-1117 weekdays between 8 AM 
and 4:30 PM Eastern Time for direct assistance; at other times 
callers will be connected to an automated information system with 
recorded messages on interference complaints, form requests, 
records, and Amateur Radio call sign assignments.
Other messages regard fee information and processing times. A 
TouchTone telephone is required for the automated system.
 The FCC said the new service was part of its response to a 
presidential order that the federal government be "customer 
driven." The FCC said it used a series of focus groups to identify 
the desire for an 800 number at its licensing division. 
"Within the next 18 months," the FCC said, "customer service 
standards will be developed for other areas of Commission 
operations to ensure that FCC customers receive the highest 
quality of service possible. As these new standards become 
available, the FCC will inform its customers."


HAMS, STAR-GAZERS FIND HOBBIES A "FITTING MIX"

	We've always said contests are good for Amateur Radio. 
During the ARRL September VHF QSO Party in early September Steve 
Bible, N7HPR, along with friends Greg Pool, WH6DT, and Ian Bible, 
KE4EAC, found a new twist to this.
	The three journeyed to Fremont Peak State Park, in 
California, and after making 75 QSOs, they packed it in for a 
visit to the nearby Fremont Peak Observatory Association, for the 
grand opening of a new 30-inch telescope. Luckily, the sky was 
clear and the moon was on its way down.
	Meanwhile, Ian got an idea. He tuned his handheld 
transceiver to the Amateur Radio DOVE satellite's downlink 
frequency of 145.825 and, sure enough, DOVE passed overhead around 
10 PM with a burst of packet telemetry; then the digitalker said 
"This is DOVE in space."  
	"Everybody huddled around him to hear, as all who were 
present were astonished that there were 'amateur' satellites in 
space," Steve Bible said.  
	One spectator exclaimed, "But aren't all satellites big 
and huge?" and "Who put it up in space?"  N7HPR explained to him 
that DOVE was only nine inches square and that amateurs piggy-
backed their satellites, to the nonham's amazement.
	"We learned about the stars and they learned about radio,"  
Bible, 35, said. "A  fitting mix for 'amateurs' in astronomy and 
radio." (Thanks N7HPR, via Internet.)


BRIEFS
	* Many Canadian amateurs continue to receive QST as ARRL 
associate members following the independence of the Radio Amateurs 
of Canada (RAC) from the ARRL several years ago; the RAC offers a 
special rate that saves money over Canadians sending funds 
directly to Newington. But RAC reports that as of October 1 it 
will raise rates due to the sagging Canadian dollar. RAC says it 
has been losing money on these transactions for several months.
	* Both the ARRL-VEC and W5YI-VEC are testing electronic 
filing software from the FCC. Once any bugs are worked out the FCC 
expects to provide the final version of the software to all 18 
VECs, the next step in the Commission's computerization of 
licensing.
	* The 1994 AMSAT-NA Annual Meeting will be held October 7 
to 9 in Orlando, Florida. Registration can be made by phone or in 
writing to AMSAT, PO Box 27, Washington DC 20044; telephone (301) 
589-6062, fax (301) 608-3410.
	* Awards Manager Eileen Sapko says that as of three weeks 
after the Hiram Percy Maxim 125th Birthday celebration, some 3,000 
applications for certificates have arrived. She already is sending 
out the first of them. "Quite a few" entries have been received 
via the Headquarters Hiram bulletin board which, incidentally, now 
has 900 files and 2500 registered users. Entry deadline for HPM 
certificates is October 31.
	New on Hiram is the latest version of the FCC's Part 97 
Rules. You can try the BBS by calling 203-666-0578, with your 
modem set for speeds up to 14.4 kBd, N 8 1.
	* The 1994 Microwave Update Conference held in Estes Park, 
Colorado on September 22 to 24 set a new record of 100 attendees, 
despite "rather poor" local attendance, according to ARRL Lab 
Engineer Zack Lau, KH6CP. "The weather was excellent, though there 
were still traces of melting snow in Denver," Zack said. "The 
organizers took a gamble that the road to Estes Park would be 
driveable and not under a foot of snow."
	According to Zack, the greatest interest seemed to be in 
the 10-Ghz band, with some on 5760 MHz as well, with many people 
saying they intend to get on those bands. The bidding on a 20-watt 
5760 solid state amp was "quite heated," and the amp went for 
$250, probably a record price on the amateur market, according to 
Zack. The auction to help the conference raised over $600.
	* Nominations are sought for the 1994 International 
Humanitarian Award, honoring amateurs who, through Amateur Radio, 
promote the welfare of mankind by assisting people in need 
throughout the world. Groups or individuals are eligible, based on 
extraordinary service during a crisis or disaster. Send 
nominations by December 31 to Field Services Manager Rick Palm, 
K1CE, at ARRL HQ.
	* The deadline for applications from teams for the 1995 
World Radiosport Team Championship has been extended to February 
28, 1995 (see October QST Happenings). The Washington, DC, 
organizers continue to weigh suggestions and iron out details of 
the event.
	* Special event station 8N3ITU is operating from the 
International Telecommunication Union 14th Plenipotentiary 
Conference.  The station is set up at the International Congress 
Center in Kyoto, Japan, site of the conference.
	ITU officials attending the conference who are licensed 
amateurs are allowed to operate the station.  Japanese amateurs 
watch over the station and assist visiting amateurs.  The 
station's sponsor, the Japan Amateur Radio League, asks operators 
to avoid "piling up" on 8N3ITU. The operators also hope to have a 
station on amateur satellites, possibly AO-13.
	The conference is scheduled to run until October 14.


10 years ago in The ARRL Letter

	Five years after the 1979 World Administrative Radio 
Conference, the League found itself again working to defend the 
40-meter amateur band. An FCC proposal would have permitted the 
Commission to license shortwave broadcast stations in the band 
segment 7100 to 7300, if their transmitters were located on US 
territory outside ITU Region 2.  Region 2, the Americas, enjoyed 
exclusive amateur status in this 200-kHz segment, thanks to 
efforts of the US delegation at WARC 79. 
	The League argued that the US is "first and foremost" a 
Region 2 country that had enjoyed the support of other countries 
in Region 2 at the WARC and, therefore, what the FCC proposed 
would probably be regarded by those other countries as a "breach 
of faith."
	A California amateur, following the revocation of his 
station and operator licenses by the FCC, then asked the 
Commission if it was all right for him to participate in "third-
party" communication from the station of another amateur. The FCC 
said no, telling Calvin Plageman, who had been WD6DSV, that the 
third-party rules were intended to allow amateurs to expose others 
to Amateur Radio, and that in the Commission's view Plageman did 
not fit that category.
	Two bills in Congress proposed to amend the Communications 
Act; one dealing with willful or malicious interference to radio 
communication, the other adding equipment seizure guidelines to 
interference cases.
	A segment of the 13-cm band was assigned to the Aviation 
Services for flight test telemetry; the League expressed concern 
over this, calling it one of a string of procedural assaults on 
the band.
	The League announced plans to increase its participation 
in the US Technical Telecommunications Institute, a government and 
industry program to train communication people from developing 
countries. A League-sponsored course called "Amateur Radio 
Administration" was scheduled for 1985 (and continues today).
	And ARRL and NASA were working with the Johnson Space 
Center for permission for Astronaut Tony England, W0ORE, to be the 
second ham-in-space aboard the shuttle.

*eof

