The ARRL Letter 
Vol. 13, No. 9 
May 10, 1994

Telephone interference survey examined; ARRL Lab offers solutions 
to problems

     In early March the Federal Communications Commission's Field 
Operations Bureau released statistics from a survey of 105 random 
cases of telephone interference, saying that since some 
telephones are "bulletproof," all of them could be. 
     The results of the study were obtained by the ARRL and 
reported in May QST.
     The FCC concluded that transmitter power did not seem to be 
a significant factor, and found that filters worked only one-
third of the time. 
     The FCC said that its own bulletproof telephones were free 
of interference "virtually all of the time."
     The FCC did say that, since its survey was done at random, 
the results should not "be construed as FCC endorsement or 
criticism of any particular manufacturer's product."
     The FCC said that telephone interference filters "cannot be 
relied upon to eliminate telephone interference" (emphasis 
added), since, in two out of three cases in this survey, they 
didn't work.      
     ARRL Laboratory Supervisor Ed Hare, KA1CV, spoke to the FCC 
about their survey, and was told it was preliminary and not meant 
to be conclusive. On May 4 the FCC issued a news release about 
the survey, summarizing its findings.
     The FCC's "bullet-proof" telephones were all modified, non-
electronic type, Hare said, and it is much more difficult 
(although not impossible) to make modern electronic telephones, 
full of active devices, so absolutely immune.
     The bullet-proof telephones also lack the bells and whistles 
popular with consumers.
     There are many reasons why telephone filters may work only 
"one-third of the time." RF filters are designed to be optimum 
over a specific frequency range -- an HF filter installed to 
correct an interference problem caused by a VHF station may not 
be effective, Hare said.
   Separate filters are often required for telephone lines and 
handsets; a handset cord can pick up an RF signal from an HF or 
VHF station and some telephones may as a result require the use 
of a handset filter.
    Hare emphasized that telephone interference can be cured. 
Often, a combination of immune telephones, multiple filters and 
troubleshooting techniques is required for a complete solution. 
     On the other hand, as the FCC said in its report on the 
survey, "...manufacturers can design interference-free 
telephones."

FCC seeks comments on UHF reallocations

     The FCC has issued a Notice of Inquiry on reallocation of 
spectrum from federal government use (in ET Docket 94-32). 50 MHz 
of spectrum would be transferred to private sector use, possibly 
as early as this summer. The comment deadline is June 15, 1994.
     The reallocation is called for under the Omnibus 
Reconciliation Act of 1993, which requires the Department of 
Commerce to identify 200 MHz of spectrum below 5 GHz to be 
reallocated within the next 15 years.
     The spectrum identified for immediate reallocation is at 
2390 to 2400 MHz, 2402 to 2417 MHz, and 4660 to 4685 MHz. 
Amateurs share the first two ranges. The Commission said that 
"there are a number of factors associated with existing 
allocations of the bands that will affect their potential for 
private sector use."
     In response to ARRL initiatives, the NOI said:
     "The 2390-2400 MHz and 2402-2417 MHz bands are in the 2300-
2450 MHz range referred to as the 13 cm band by the amateur 
service community. Within this range, the amateur service is 
currently allocated a total of 70 MHz on a secondary basis. The 
Department of Commerce has identified 35 MHz of this spectrum for 
reallocation (25 MHz available immediately).
     "The Department of Commerce expects that the amateur service 
community can satisfy the majority of its spectrum requirements 
in the remaining 35 MHz. It also believes that current use of the 
13 cm band by amateur stations is light compared to use of bands 
lower in the spectrum, but notes that use may increase for 
amateur-satellite, high-speed computer data links, amateur TV, 
and other wide-band applications. The Department of Commerce 
states that it excluded the 2400-2402 MHz band from consideration 
for reallocation in order to protect existing amateur satellite 
operations."
     The FCC requested comment on two specific areas of concern 
to amateurs:
     * "Will the recommended reallocation avoid excessive 
disruption of existing use of Federal Government frequencies by 
amateur service licensees? Is the 2 megahertz segment at 2400-
2402 MHz that the Department of Commerce excluded from 
consideration for reallocation sufficient to avoid disrupting 
existing amateur-satellite operations?"
     * Will new non-Federal services in these bands be able to 
share the spectrum with existing services, especially with 
amateur operations in the 2390-2400 MHz and 2402-2417 MHz bands, 
and with the fixed-satellite service in the 4660-4685 MHz band? 
If yes, what are appropriate technical sharing criteria? What 
should be the relative status of users? What effect will existing 
users have on competition and on access to new services?"

NEW MOBILE TOOLS FOR FCC INCLUDE 10 COMPUTER CARS

     The Federal Communications Commission is showing off a new 
vehicle for investigative work, equipped with two computers, a 
color monitor, a mobile phone, and a satellite receiver. The FCC 
told the Associated Press it expected to have 10 such cars in 
service in metropolitan areas this month, with the goal of 
eventually having two such cars for each of the Commission's 35 
field offices. The FCC said that businesses and boat operators 
are the most likely to operate unlicensed transmitters.
     Meanwhile, in Gettysburg, at the end of April the FCC's 
amateur license processing backlog was 10 to 12 weeks. The 
Commission has not yet switched to its new computer system, which 
will be required for processing the new-style, simplified Form 
610, which has been mandatory since March 1. 
     And according to Broadcasting and Cable magazine, FCC 
Chairman Reed Hundt is asking the Office of Management and Budget 
for more money for fiscal 1995, in order to hire more Commission 
workers. Hundt said the FCC is running at a "personnel deficit" 
of about 500, compared with 1980.

FCC TURNS DOWN PETITIONS FOR CHANGING AMATEUR RULES

     In late April the FCC denied three petitions from amateurs 
to change the licensing structure. One petitioner would have 
lowered Morse code requirements and two others would have 
eliminated the 5 wpm CW examination for the Novice license. The 
FCC said that the current amateur license requirements were the 
result of Commission proceedings that produced thousands of 
comments. "The amateur community indicated on each occasion that 
it strongly desires to preserve communications by telegraphy," 
the FCC said.

NEW JERSEY HAM PAYS FINE FOR QRM TO REPEATER

     A New Jersey amateur has paid a fine for interfering with a 
New York City repeater. John Lickun, N2MVZ, of Little Falls, New 
Jersey, admitted causing malicious interference to repeater 
W2SNM, operated by the Manhattan Avenue of the Americas Radio 
Club. In July 1993 the FCC's New York Field Office monitored 
transmissions determined to be coming from a coffee vending 
street stand, and from Lickun. The FCC issued a Notice of 
Apparent Liability for $1,000; Lickun apologized for his actions 
and paid a reduced fine of $250.

ILLINOIS LEGISLATURE PONDERS A.R. BILLS

     Three bills related to Amateur Radio are currently before 
the Illinois legislature, but insiders say only one has much 
chance of becoming law this session.
     HB 4180 would ban scanner radios as well as many amateur 
rigs from vehicles, and was the brainchild of a local police 
force. Legislators are aware of the implications for licensed 
amateurs and a future bill would exempt them from any such ban. 
But HB 4180 is dead for this session at any rate, sources said.
     HB 3730 cites PRB-1 and would exempt amateurs from most 
overly restrictive local covenants on towers and antennas. The 
bill's sponsor is a Republican from the northwest Chicago 
suburbs. The bill -- as do most current Republican-bills in 
Illinois -- languishes.
     One bill that probably will pass is SB 1159, which would 
permit Amateur Radio call sign vehicle marker plates on 
corporate-registered autos (instead of only those registered to 
licensed amateurs). 

QST TO MAKE JULY DEBUT ON NATION'S NEWSSTANDS

     Beginning in July, QST will be available at selected 
"newsstands" around the US, on an experimental basis. These 
newsstand copies will be identical to member copies, except that 
their front covers will have a slightly different look, including 
"teasers" for stories inside. QST will still be available at 
Amateur Radio retail stores. 
     NH law exempts antennas from taxes; inspired by $9,000 
assessment on ham

     New Hampshire House Bill 1380, recently signed into law by 
Governor Steve Merrill, exempts from real estate property taxes 
"radio towers, antennas, and related or supporting structures 
used exclusively in the operation of an Amateur communications 
station under Federal Communications Commission Amateur Radio 
Service rules and regulations."
     ARRL Counsel Chris Imlay, N3AKD, called the bill "an 
important precedent," saying that it may have far-reaching 
effects throughout the US as amateurs continue to seek relief 
from local and state regulation.
     ARRL New Hampshire Section Manager Al Shuman, N1FIK, who 
played a key role in the passage of the bill, largely credits 
ARRL New Hampshire State Government Liaison (and representative 
in the state legislature) Ralph Rosen, W1HSB, and a team of ARRL 
Field Organization volunteers, who testified numerous times 
before both House and Senate committees.
     The matter came to a head when a New Hampshire amateur was 
assessed $9000 for his towers and antennas. While he appealed the 
assessment in court, Rosen and others initiated the legislation.

Washington Coordinator W1UED bows at Dayton; speaks to 
HamVention, accepts its top award

     Perry Williams, W1UED, retired last week as ARRL Washington 
Area Coordinator, after 40 years of working at HQ. At the Dayton 
HamVention on April 30, Williams accepted the HamVention's 1994 
"Amateur of the Year" award. He was nominated by former US 
Senator Barry Goldwater, K7UGA, and ARRL Southwestern Division 
Director Fried Heyn, WA6WZO.
     Here are excerpts from Williams's speech to the banquet:

     "This assembly tonight is composed of radio amateurs, would-
be radio amateurs  -- and people who have been dragged here by 
radio amateurs! We share a fascinating avocation. Never, before 
the advent of ham radio -- in all human history -- has the 
ordinary person had the opportunity and the means to exchange 
views with others in every corner of the world -- and without 
paying a tariff to a third party!      And this unique thing, 
this Amateur Radio, is worth protecting against all forces. It 
must be preserved.
     "I'm a most fortunate man. From time to time in the past 
forty years, circumstance has placed me where I could make a 
modest contribution to that goal of preservation, and 
occasionally of enhancement, of the hobby as well. You, who have 
been members of the American Radio Relay League during this span, 
deserve credit for preservation of Amateur Radio by providing 
this particular circumstance. Individuals alone, even a group of 
customers of a book and magazine publisher, couldn't have done 
the job.  
     "It took interested, active people, people willing to serve 
as volunteers in a cause --  in my case, the ARRL -- through 
which ham radio has grown and prospered.  Particularly, it took 
that special breed of people willing to give up large chunks of 
personal time to run for and serve as [ARRL] Officers, Directors, 
Vice Directors and Section Managers, as club officers, Emergency 
Coordinators, Public Information Officers, Technical Advisors, 
Volunteer Counsels -- people who will argue out what policies 
will best preserve and enhance, and then do the work necessary.  
     "You see, there are some tasks an individual can't handle 
alone. The first of our forebears to stand upright and use 
language discovered that several hunters working together were 
far more successful than the sum of them working alone. With some 
hunters waiting in a box canyon and others driving the game into 
its walls, the living standard of the group took a giant step 
upward -- meat on the table!   
     "The principle remains true today. Even with modern 
technology, some tasks overwhelm the individual but seem easy 
when everyone works together. With assets derived from relatively 
small contributions of 170,000 persons, a host of services are 
provided to all of Amateur Radio by the American Radio Relay 
League. Some of the services, to be sure, are personal, even 
inward-looking. But most are not.       Take the Amateur Radio 
Emergency Service, for instance. Organizing, training, recruiting 
and interconnecting these volunteers is a group effort, 
efficiently done by the League. In turn, America and the world 
can count on hams to be there whenever an act of God or misstep 
of mankind overloads or interrupts the public communications 
systems.  This is a major reason the world has tolerated and even 
encouraged us. Emergency service is a cornerstone for the 
preservation of Amateur Radio.
     "Amateur contributions to technology, too, are by no means 
inconsequential. Stuck below 200 meters with what was considered 
flea power at the time, amateurs opened up those short waves, 
discovering DX with small tube-type transmitters, and gave this 
technology to the world. 
     "Some folks here tonight may remember Fred Schnell's Navy 
cruise in 1925 which proved the utility of short wave to the US 
Navy. More will remember Generals Curtis LeMay and Butch 
Griswold, in the fifties, installing a Collins amateur sideband 
rig on an Air Force plane, and flying it around the globe, all 
the time staying in touch with Omaha on voice. Those two hams 
solved the Air Force's dilemma: how to stay in touch with an 
armada of jet bombers dispersed over the Earth yet too cramped to 
carry a radio operator for Morse.  
     "The beat goes on: Volunteers in Technical Assistance (Vita) 
and the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) together have 
earned a Pioneer's Preference from the FCC for applying Amateur 
Radio technology to the little LEO [low Earth orbit] branch of 
the emerging Information Highway.
     "The Bible points out that one doesn't light a candle and 
place it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand. If the work 
which hams do is kept secret, then no one will appreciate their 
usefulness. If the hams are not seen as making a contribution, 
their frequency allocations will be fair game for conversion to 
another purpose. The light of Amateur Radio must shine brightly, 
particularly in Washington. League members have sent me there to 
do that for the past 14 years.  
     "Initially, I was detailed to both the executive and 
legislative branches of the government. Each workload got heavy 
enough two years ago to require another hand, so my colleague 
Paul Rinaldo is now covering the executive side, and my beat 
until yesterday was solely the Congress.
     "Now Congress takes a lot of lumps from people, some of them 
well-earned, as when personal peccadilloes get in the way of 
statesmanship. But throughout history, the rulers of the people 
have always had their bad sides, even David the King, 
Constantine, and many rulers with "Saint" in front of their name 
or "the Great" after it. Congresspeople collectively, freely 
chosen by the people as their leaders, are probably better 
behaved than the hereditary rulers, taken as a whole.  
     "And you know, senators and representatives do listen to 
their constituents! We've had a number of bills to follow in the 
past several years -- some we've originated, some imposed on us. 
These bills have dealt with spectrum issues, with license and 
administrative fees, with call signs of choice. Always, the 
messages from home have turned the tide.
     "Congress listens. Beyond that, the course for all of us to 
follow is: participate, participate, participate.  Keep ham radio 
strong and useful through your membership and activity in the 
QCWA, the ARRL, your radio clubs and club councils, your nets and 
the groups specializing in your favorite activity or mode. Keep 
Congress and the FCC informed of your needs, your desires, and 
your activities. 
     "Write letters, send faxes, make phone calls. They can't 
operate in a vacuum; they need to know what's out there. What's 
in the balance is no less than the survival of our thing, Amateur 
Radio."

BRIEFS

     * Job opening at HQ: Regulatory Information Branch 
Supervisor in the Field Services Department. Needed, a bachelor's 
degree, supervisory experience, strong writing and speaking 
skills, and strong customer service orientation. Amateur Radio 
license required. Salary range, $24,024 to $33,541. Contact FSD 
Manager Rick Palm, K1CE.

     * Youngest DXCC? Nine-year-old Casey Haley, AB5RG, received 
his certificate in April. Casey, an Extra Class licensee, lives 
in South Houston, Texas.

     * No reply from Russia to your QSL? A Moscow newspaper in 
April reported the arrest of several mail thieves at the Moscow 
Central Post Office. Postal workers were searching bags of mail 
for valuables (e.g., currency and International Reply Coupons), 
then throwing the mail away.

     * Dr Karl William Edmark, a Seattle heart surgeon who 
invented the portable defibrilator, died in April. Although not a 
licensed amateur at the time of his death, he held W7IGJ for many 
years and said he built the first prototype of his life-saving 
device on a card table in his bedroom, in 1954.

     * HQ news: We're about halfway finished hooking up to a new 
local area network that will not only better connect HQ employees 
but will give them better and faster access into and out of the 
building, to the Internet and other needed services. You can send 
electronic mail to The ARRL Letter at the following address: 
jcain@arrl.org

     * A highlight of the 1994 Dayton HamVention was the ARRL 
Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) forum, commemorating 10 
years of Amateur Radio from the Space Shuttle. Some 500 attended, 
to hear space tales from astronauts Tony England, W0ORE, and 
Steve Nagel, N5RAW. Astronaut Ken Cameron, KB5AWP, participated 
by telephone from Russia's Star City, where he is on assignment 
from NASA.

     * The Houston Amateur Radio Club has disbanded; the club 
became ARRL-affiliated in 1919. The club's directors have given 
the remains of its accounts to the ARRL Legal Research and 
Resource Fund ($11,283), and to the ARRL Foundation to support 
scholarships for amateurs in the ARRL West Gulf Division ($3759).

     * The FCC has once again denied a request by Dale Gagnon, 
KW1I, for a waiver of transmitter power limits. A year ago the 
Commission denied a similar request from Gagnon for higher-power 
AM operation.
     The FCC also recently denied a petition for reconsideration 
from David Ingram of Mableton, Georgia, who was fined $2500 for 
violating citizens band rules, and fined K40 Electronics, Ltd., 
of Warren, Michigan $20,000 for selling non-type accepted CB 
equipment, including power amplifiers.

     * The 1994 Microwave Update Conference is scheduled for 
September 22 to 24 in Estes Park, Colorado. A lineup of speakers 
is already forming, under the direction of Al Ward, WB5LUA, and 
Jim Davey, WA8NLC. As usual, the ARRL will publish the 
proceedings of the conference.
     More information and a registration form are available from 
Bill McCaa, K0RZ, PO Box 3214, Boulder CO 80307, tel (days) 303-
441-3069.

10 years ago in The ARRL Letter

     The FCC suspended the license of a New York Technician class 
amateur for allegedly cheating on his General class CW exam 
before an FCC examiner. [The man had passed the same test a month 
later. He is licensed today, as an Advanced class.]
     Canada's Department of Commerce floated the notion of 
removing all HF subband restrictions for amateurs there, in part 
in response to "imminent US phone band expansion" on 10, 15, and 
20 meters. 
     Republican Sen Barry Goldwater, K7UGA, introduced into the 
Congressional Record a commendation to the Dayton (Ohio) Amateur 
Radio Association for administering the first "large scale" batch 
of volunteer examinations. Goldwater also complimented other 
volunteer examiner coordinators who were gearing up to begin 
exams, saying "The radio amateurs of this nation are once again 
demonstrating their dedication and abilities. The taxpayers 
benefit by not picking up the tab for amateur examinations, and 
the amateurs benefit by having examinations more readily 
available and a more direct role in the amateur service."
     The ARRL was still delaying its application to be a VEC 
until the matter of reimbursement of expenses for volunteer 
examiners was resolved.
     ARRL's Task force on Federal Preemption continued visiting 
officials in Washington but most of them "gave little hope of 
relief in the near future." (PRB-1 became law in 1985).
     Dayton HamVention attendance was estimated at 21,000 and 
"was marked by good weather." 

FCC ISSUED CALL SIGN UPDATE

The following is a list of the FCC's most recently issued call signs 
as of April 1.

District       Group A        Group B        Group C        Group D
               Extra          Advanced       Tech/Gen       Novice

0              AA0QT          KG0ML           ++            KB0MIQ 
1              AA1JB          KD1UG          N1RPQ          KB1BHC 
2              AA2RR          KF2UQ          N2YKM          KB2QXV 
3              AA3HM          KE3MQ          N3RUC          KB3BBG 
4              AD4RD          KR4QD           ++            KE4KXC 
5              AB5TP          KJ5WI           ++            KC5GCF 
6              AC6BN          KO6AI           ++            KE6GNH 
7              AB7BV          KI7XI           ++            KC7BTH 
8              AA8ON          KG8HY           ++            KB8SBS 
9              AA9KM          KF9UW          N9WPG          KB9IXQ 
Hawaii           ++           AH6NF          WH6TE          WH6CRE 
Alaska           ++           AL7PP          WL7RN          WL7CHN 
Virgin Is.     WP2J           KP2CC          NP2HH          WP2AHU 
Puerto Rico      ++           KP4WO           ++            WP4MOC

++All call signs in this group have been issued in this area.

*eof
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