The ARRL Letter Online January 17, 1997 (Volume 16, Number 3) Page author: elindquist@arrl.org Page last revised 12:03 PM ET 1/20/97 IN THIS EDITION: Little LEOs narrow focus on 2 meters VK0IR takes to the air Another vanity delay? Ham-astronauts swap spots on Mir FCC establishes 5.7-GHz U-NII service Contest rules changes, corrections Hams respond in plane crash Solar summary Ken Cornell, W2IMB, SK Carl Heinen, W0MCN, SK In Brief: This weekend on the radio; License-renewal reminders; Hams have inauguration role; N3JT leaves FCC staff; Nonagenarian Novice; DXCC processing status; Challenger special event LITTLE LEOs NARROW 2-METER FOCUS TO 146-148 MHZ In their effort to secure spectrum space that includes the 2-meter and 70-cm ham bands, the Little LEOs have narrowed their focus on 2 meters to the 146 to 148-MHz segment. The industry also appears to be attempting to reposition itself as a potential emergency communication adjunct to ham radio. The little LEOs will use low-Earth-orbiting satellites to provide position-location and two-way data-messaging services to potential customers around the world. Customers would use small, inexpensive transceivers to communicate with satellites. According to the FCC, potential uses of this service include emergency location in remote areas, environmental data collection, vehicle tracking, and time- sensitive business and personal data communication. For Region 1, a draft little LEO frequency allocation table has proposed adding a primary mobile-satellite allocation of 146 to 148 MHz to the existing allocations for fixed and mobile (except aeronautical mobile [R] services). The table was contained in a working paper--Document IWG-2A/86 Rev. 3, entitled "New Allocations for the Mobile-Satellite Services Operating Below 1 GHz"--submitted by representatives of the Little LEOs industry to Informal Working Group-2A (IWG-2A) January 7. The 146 to 148-MHz segment is not a ham band in Region 1, but in Regions 2 and 3, a footnote would be added to state: "Additional allocation: the bands 146-148 and 430-440 MHz are also allocated to the mobile-satellite service, limited to non-geostationary satellite systems, for use only during emergency communication situations as a complement to the amateur service in accordance with Resolution No. 640." The little LEO proposal also calls for a new primary allocation for the mobile-satellite (space-to-Earth) service for 430-440 MHz in Regions 2 and 3 (ham radio is primary in Region 1), and offers this rationale. "The allocation for the mobile-satellite service within the bands allocated to the amateur service is intended to be a complement to that latter service in situations involving emergency communications as provided for the [sic] Resolution No. 640." As currently drawn, Resolution 640 covers only the 144 to 146-MHz segment of 2 meters and does not apply at all to 70 cm. In the 440 to 450-MHz band, where the Amateur Service is not listed in the international table of frequency allocations except by footnote (ham radio is secondary in Australia, the US, Jamaica, the Philippines, and Canada), the little LEOs proposed a new worldwide primary mobile- satellite (space-to-Earth) allocation. Calling their service "inherently global" the little LEO group said the industry needs "frequency allocations that can be used anywhere in the world," for nongeostationary, nonvoice mobile satellite service through the year 2002. "ITU-R studies indicate sharing is possible," the industry said. "If the demand for Little LEO spectrum cannot be satisfied by allocations that could be used on a worldwide basis, one solution is to assign different frequencies for use in the various regions of the world from within the allocations to the mobile satellite service," the working paper's preamble said. Little LEO firms CTA, E-Sat, Final Analysis, GE Starsys, and LEO One submitted the third revision of the lengthy paper--which drew criticism from the ARRL as well as from military and land-mobile interests and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration--at the January 7 session. The ARRL continued its objection to the inclusion of amateur bands and to the misapplication of Resolution 640. For now, Document IWG-2A/86 Rev. 3 is tabled, but it's expected to come up again at future meetings. IWG-2A meets on January 21 and February 4. Overall, the little LEOs proposed the following bands for additional allocation to nongeostationary data-only mobile satellite service systems: 138-144, 146-148, 149.9-150.05, 150.05-156.7625, 380-387, 387- 390, 390-399.9, 399.9-400.05, 400.15-401, 430-440, 440-450, 470-608 and 614-806 MHz. The paper notes there are proposals concerning 401-406 and 450-470 MHz and for feeder links at 1390-1400 and 1427-1432 MHz in other papers, and that "additional allocation proposals are under construction for the 174-230 MHz band." For additional information on the little LEOs situation, read the editorial "It Seems to Us . . ." in by ARRL Executive Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ, in February 1997 QST. HEARD ISLAND IS ON THE AIR! "Go and get them, fellas!" With those words of encouragement (if any were needed) via the Internet, John Devoldere, ON4UN, sicced the madding crowd on VK0IR on Heard Island. At 0645 UTC on January 14, VK0IR hit the bands (four of them at first) running. The long-anticipated start of HF operations followed the team's on-schedule landing on the island late Saturday, January 11. In just about two days of operating, the VK0IR team managed to work 12,000 stations -- most of them in Japan, Europe and the Eastern US. Operators will give priority to openings into the Western US. Two high-power operating positions apiece are set up in two radio tents. A storage tent will house a fifth high-power station that will be used mostly on the low bands. As of January 15, four stations were on the air. VK0IR also was operating via Oscar 10. The team was not on 80 meters the first night (January 14-15), because of interference from the 40-meter station. VK0IR was on 80 meters for its second day of operation, but high winds have prevented installing a vertical antenna for use on 75- meter SSB, so there's been no operation there. Here is the general announced schedule of bands, modes and operating frequencies (subject to change as conditions dictate) for VK0IR. VK0IR operators will work split, but at some point later in the DXpedition, they may invite calls on their own frequency. Twenty meters is expected to be the "bread-and-butter" band for VK0IR. More operating details and frequencies for subbands (Novice, VHF, etc.) and specialized modes are available on the Heard Island home page, http://www.ccnet.com/~cordell/HI/. Given the short duration of the DXpedition and the intense pressure to work VK0IR from around the world, the team is asking stations to follow its guidelines for working Heard Island. Operators typically will announce the split (eg, "QSX 5" or "up 5") and have been sending QRZ or TU as an invitation for stations to call. Stations should refrain from tail-ending and from calling while VK0IR is working another station. VK0IR typically will listen up 5 kHz from its transmitting frequency, but reports from stations working the team suggest that splits might be wider than that on some bands and modes. A serious problem with the PACSAT setup on Heard has meant that VK0IR logs cannot be forwarded via that route. ON4UN reports that team members are trying to come up with a way of sending the logs via commercial satellite and e-mail, but as of January 17, this was not operational. Provided it can get in touch with the team. Radio Austria International will attempt to interview the Heard Island team via satellite telephone. The interview is scheduled to be broadcast this weekend. RAI broadcasts to North America at 0000-0300 UTC on 7.325 MHz; 1100-1400 UTC on 13.730 MHz and 0500-0700 UTC on 6.015 MHz (via a Radio Canada International relay in New Brunswick, Canada). Check the RAI home page at http://www.ping.at/rai/. The VK0IR team expects to leave Heard Island at month's end. On the return sail, the team will stop at Kerguelen Island "for about one day," according to John Devoldere, ON4UN. He said the chances of any Kerguelen operation are "minimal." --digested from the Heard Island reflector ANOTHER VANITY DELAY? Callers to the FCC's Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, office are being told that it might be early March before the FCC resumes processing vanity call sign applications--including all of those received at Gettysburg since the end of November. An FCC spokeswoman this week cited unspecified "computer-related" problems for the potential delay, and said the FCC would release additional details probably next week. "We've been getting a lot of calls," she said. No vanity applications have been processed since December 19, 1996. While working to resolve the latest problems, Gettysburg personnel will continue to whittle down the stack of some 600 vanity applications that required special handling from the December 19 vanity call sign run. The FCC spokeswoman said that most of the applications in that "work in process" or WIPS stack involve situations where the FCC was unable to grant any of the applicant's call sign requests. However, additional call sign grants have trickled out of Gettysburg as the WIPS applications have been dealt with. The FCC also is in the midst of processing several hundred refunds for earlier unsuccessful vanity filers. The FCC has not yet announced a date for the opening of Gate 3. HAM-ASTRONAUTS SWAP SPOTS ABOARD MIR Ham-Astronaut Jerry Linenger, KC5HBR, has become the fourth American to occupy a position on the Russian Space Station Mir, following the docking of Atlantis to the Russian space station late Tuesday. Linenger officially traded places with fellow ham-Astronaut John Blaha, KC5TZQ, when their form-fitted Soyuz seat liners were swapped in the small spacecraft that is used for return to Earth. "We're truly in the space station business," said Blaha, who completed 118 days as a Mir crew member. Linenger will stay aboard Mir until May. Linenger also spent his 42nd birthday (January 16) aboard Mir. "I could not think of a nicer place to have my birthday," Linenger told Dave Larsen, N6CO, during a packet QSO Thursday. Over the past few days, Blaha has been helping to familiarize Linenger with his new home. During his stay aboard Mir, permission was obtained from the FCC to permit Blaha to engage in third-party communication with unlicensed individuals on Earth. This led to a series of MIREX contacts with several schools. The last contact, on Saturday, January 11, was with pupils at Emerson Elementary School in Snohomish, Washington. The school's technical curriculum specialist Gary Evans e-mailed an enthusiastic note of gratitude to AMSAT's Vice President for Manned Space Programs Frank Bauer, KA3HDO. "It was tremendous! I wish you could have seen for yourself the faces of both the students and their parents as our contact with Mir evolved." Evans described "an overwhelming sense of being part of a terrific, once-in-a-lifetime experience." "Most of the parents grew up with the space program, and here it was, right there in the room with us! It was an overwhelming experience. I was not prepared at all for the emotion which this contact caused in my room Saturday morning," Evans said. It's not known how active on ham radio Linenger expects to be during his stay aboard Mir. Blaha recently sent a thank-you e-mail note to the SAREX Working Group (SWG) for its work in arranging school QSOs for him while he was aboard Mir. The Naval Oceanographic Office, which assisted the MIREX QSO between Blaha and the Harper McCaughn Elementary School in Diamondhead, Mississippi, is now interested in doing a program similar to SAREX. The Navy wants to use Amateur Radio to allow students to talk to Naval Oceanographic Office employees who are out on exciting expeditions. -- NASA/SAREX Working Group FCC ESTABLISHES 5.7-GHZ U-NII SERVICE The FCC has amended Part 15 of its rules to make available 300 MHz of spectrum in the 5-GHz range--including part of secondary Amateur Radio allocations in that region--for use by Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) devices (formerly referred to as NII/SUPERNet devices). The FCC made available 5.15 to 5.35 GHz and 5.725 to 5.825 GHz. Part 15 requires that unlicensed operations not interfere with other services. The U-NII devices will provide short-range, high-speed wireless digital communications on an unlicensed basis. The 5.650 to 5.925-GHz band is allocated on a secondary basis to the amateur service; additionally, the 5.65 to 5.67-GHz and 5.83 to 5.85-GHz subbands are allocated to the amateur-satellite service on a secondary basis. The original FCC U-NII proposal included 5.725 to 5.875 GHz, but the plan adopted this month excludes 50 MHz of this, including the Amateur Radio-satellite downlink at 5.83 to 5.85 GHz. The FCC said it anticipates that U-NII devices will support the creation of new wireless local area networks (LANs) and provide wireless access to the National Information Infrastructure (NII). That's the name the FCC has given the "group of networks, including the public switched telecommunications network, radio and television networks, private communications networks, and other networks not yet built" to serve US communication needs. The FCC said it was "adopting the minimum technical rules necessary to prevent interference to other services and to ensure that the spectrum is used efficiently" in order to permit "significant flexibility in the design and operation of these devices." Significantly, the FCC abandoned its original proposal that would have presumed that U-NII devices were not causing harmful interference--even if interference was, in fact, caused--as long as the devices were operated within the technical parameters of the new regulations. Although it initially proposed a listen-before-talk protocol, the FCC deleted this requirement in its final Report and Order, concluding that requiring such "spectrum etiquette" could delay deployment of U-NII devices and hinder innovation. Instead, the Commission concluded that simple technical rules "should be sufficient to ensure spectrum sharing between incumbent operations and new U-NII devices." The Commission also declined to adopt a channelization plan or a minimum modulation efficiency requirement. Incumbent users of the 5.725 to 5.825-GHz band either opposed allowing U- NII operation because of interference concerns or urged that sharing studies be completed before that band was made available to U-NII devices. In its comments on the plan, the ARRL argued against setting up an unlicensed service. The League asserted that longer-range community networks are not consistent with the typical low-power operations authorized by Part 15. The ARRL said that that the Communications Act requires that such higher-powered systems with a significant interference potential be operated on a licensed basis, and that the FCC was unlikely to enforce the requirement that unlicensed-device users cease operation if they cause harmful interference to allocated services. The League argued that permitting the power of U-NII operations to exceed 100 mW EIRP or permitting the use of high-gain antennas by non-spread- spectrum U-NII devices would represent a significant departure from the underlying precepts of Part 15. Although the ARRL opposed the operation of U-NII devices in the 5.725 to 5.825-GHz band, it stated that if a 100- mW EIRP limit and a power spectral density (PSD) limitation of 0.03 mW in any 3-kHz bandwidth were adopted, then U-NII devices should be able to share this band with incumbent operations. The FCC concluded that an increase in the power limits proposed in its rulemaking notice was supported by "new material in the record in this proceeding" but said that unrestricted antenna gain should not be permitted because of interference concerns. The Commission decided to increase the maximum peak power limit to 50 mW peak transmitter output power with up to 6 dBi antenna gain (which equates to 200 mW EIRP) in the 5.15 to 5.25-GHz band; 250 mW peak transmitter output power with up to 6 dBi antenna gain (which equates to 1 W EIRP) in the 5.25 to 5.35-GHz band; and 1 W peak transmitter output power with up to 6 dBi antenna gain (which equates to 4 W EIRP) permitted in the 5.725 to 5.825-GHz band. Further, the FCC adopted a PSD requirement for U-NII devices that would require that the maximum power be spread across a bandwidth of at least 20 MHz. The FCC said it believes that the new rules "will foster the development of a broad range of new devices and service offerings that will stimulate economic development and the growth of new industries." --FCC MORE ARRL CONTEST RULES CHANGES, CORRECTIONS The ARRL Contest Advisory Committee and the ARRL Awards Committee have clarified the rules on using repeaters to make contacts for ARRL VHF and UHF contests. Prior rules have prohibited the use of "repeaters or repeater frequencies on 2 meters for the purpose of soliciting contacts." The change removes the words "on 2 meters" from the rules, thus prohibiting the use of all repeaters and repeater frequencies regardless of band. The ARRL Contest Branch has clarified a rule change announced recently that will affect the ARRL International DX Contest starting in 1998. The change eliminates the 10-minute rule for multioperator single transmitter entries only, not the two-transmitter category as announced earlier. The current rules require a station to remain on a band for at least 10 minutes once operation has begun on that band. The new rule--which will not take effect until the 1998 contest-- instead allows for six band changes per hour, which lets a station quit an unproductive band after a single contact. Additionally, the allowed six band changes are for a clock hour, and not just an arbitrary 60-minute period. In other changes: Club winner certificates for the five ARRL contests that include club competition will now be administered by the participating clubs. This leaves the clubs free to choose their own "most valuable players." In the past, the certificates issued from ARRL HQ went only to top- finishing (unassisted-multiband) single operators for each club. The ARRL Contest Advisory Committee and the ARRL Awards Committee have voted down a proposal to add a power level to the exchange in the ARRL 160-Meter Contest. HAMS RESPOND TO COMMUTER PLANE CRASH IN MICHIGAN Members of the Monroe County (Michigan) ARES were activated late on the afternoon of January 9 in response to the crash of a Comair commuter aircraft near Ida, Michigan. The flight (Flight 3272) was en route to Detroit from Cincinnati, Ohio, and carried 26 passengers and a crew of three. All aboard lost their lives. A communication center was activated at the Monroe County Chapter of the American Red Cross, and Amateur Radio units were initially dispatched to the crash scene and the field command post at the Raisinville Township Hall. Communication was provided to the Red Cross, which assisted Emergency Management and Human Services Personnel. In all, 26 amateurs were involved with the emergency operation as local officials and National Transportation Safety Board conducted their investigation. Blowing snow and 30-degrees-below-zero wind chills hampered efforts at the crash scene, which occurred on farmland about 150 yards from the town hall. The Monroe County EC is Mike Karmol, N8KUF. --Dale Williams, WA8EFK SOLAR SUMMARY: GEOMAGNETIC EVENT AFFECTS K INDEX Solar Seer Tad Cook, KT7H, in Seattle, Washington reports: Average solar flux and sunspot numbers for the past week were almost unchanged from the week previous, but there was some noticeable geomagnetic activity. A coronal mass ejection from the Sun on January 6 caused a disturbance four to five days later when a magnetic plasma cloud caused a severe storm at high latitudes. The planetary K index rose as high as 6 on January 10 at 0600 and 0900 UTC. The planetary A index for the day was 31. Over the next few weeks the solar flux should stay around the low to mid- 70s, probably 72 to 74 most of the time. Some slightly unsettled conditions may appear around January 26, and again from February 3 to February 8, with some possibly unstable conditions on February 6 and 7. Expect 160 and 80 meters to yield some good conditions, with solar flux low and the nights long. A wire service story this week said that scientists from NASA and the astronomy department at Yale University presented findings at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Toronto which predicted a decrease in overall solar activity for the next solar cycle. They admitted that their forecast was at odds with many other predictions, and that solar activity is highly unpredictable. But the scientists said that if their prediction is correct, it will reverse what they claim is an overall 400-year trend toward greater solar activity. Sunspot numbers for January 9 through 15 were 12, 13, 12, 0, 0, 0 and 14, respectively, with a mean of 7.3. The 10.7-cm flux was 73.7, 75.4, 74, 74.5, 74.6, 74.9 and 75.8, respectively, with a mean of 74.7. The estimated planetary A indices for the same period were 6, 31, 13, 10, 5, 4, and 4, respectively, with a mean of 10.4. "LOWFER" AUTHOR, EXPERIMENTER KEN CORNELL, W2IMB, SK Low-frequency author and experimenter Ken Cornell, W2IMB, of Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, died early this month. He was 79. Cornell was, perhaps, best known for The Low and Medium Frequency Radio Scrap Book series (the 10th edition was published recently). He also authored many articles over the years and was a frequent contributor to Lowdown, the newsletter of the Longwave Club of America. QST AUTHOR CARL HEINEN, W0MCN, SK Carl Heinen, W0MCN, of Roseville, Minnesota, died in September 8, 1996. He was 76. A well-known experimenter, Heinen authored several articles for QST, including "Watts from The Wind" in the July 1977 issue, which also featured a picture of Heinen and his wind-powered generator on the cover. Heinen also wrote "An Experimental All-Transistor Communications Receiver" (QST, Nov 56) and "A QRP Transmitter for 40 and 80 Meters" (QST, Apr 73). Heinen was retired from Honeywell. His wife, Ruth, and two children survive. In Brief: This weekend on the radio: North American QSO Party, phone, 1800 UTC, January 18 to 0600 UTC, January 19; ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes, 1900 UTC January 18 to 0400 UTC, January 20. See January QST, page 107 for details. Licenses-renewal reminders: The ARRL has begun mailing license- renewal notices to members whose ham tickets are about to expire. The renewal package will include an FCC Form 610 and an FCC addressed envelope. Nearly 3100 notices were set to be mailed this past week to hams whose licenses will expire between February 17 and May 30, 1997. The last renewal notices sent by the FCC covered licenses expiring on February 16, 1997. Now that FCC has stopped sending renewal notices, the ARRL decided to resume this popular member service. Hams have Inauguration role: The Maryland Apple Dumpling Amateur Radio Society (MADRAS) is providing volunteers to help before and during the Presidential Inauguration activities Monday, January 20. W3USS at the US Senate Office Building will be on the air. Hams in the club will also assist in various public service activities during the inaugural ceremony and parade. --Joel Harding, KE3YK N3JT leaves FCC staff: Attorney Jim Talens, N3JT, retired from the FCC staff on January 3, 1997, after almost 22 years at the agency. Most recently, Talens was involved in the matter of the little LEOs and the 2- meter band, as he explains "serving as mediator behind-the-scenes to explain the hams' position in a rather heated atmosphere." Previously, he was involved in satellite work, cellular radio and telephone regulation. Talens, 50, plans to go into private law practice focusing on communication law. Nonagenarian Novice: Derward Day, KC8FPJ, of Northville, Michigan, recently obtained his Novice ticket at the age of 91, demonstrating it's never too late to take up a new hobby. DXCC processing status: The ARRL DXCC Desk reports the number of unprocessed applications at the end of December 1996 was 463 (39,893 QSLs). The desk received 386 applications (29,401 QSLs) for endorsements and new awards during the month. Applications being sent out at the end of December were received less than a month earlier. A few applications received prior to that time were still in the process of being audited. - -Bill Kennamer, K5FUV Challenger special event: On Tuesday, January 28, 1997, Challenger Middle School Amateur Radio Club in San Diego, California, will operate special event station KI6YG to commemorate the 11th anniversary of the Challenger space shuttle tragedy. Operating hours will be from 1600 UTC on January 28 to 0100 UTC on January 29, on or about 14.250, 21.350, and 28.350 MHz. A special commemorative QSL will be available. Send QSL and SASE to Challenger Middle School, Attn: Frank Forrester, 10810 Parkdale Ave, San Diego, CA 92126. The ARRL Letter The ARRL Letter is published by the American Radio Relay League, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259. Rodney J. Stafford, KB6ZV, President; David Sumner, K1ZZ, Executive Vice President. Circulation, Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO, e-mail kcapodicasa@arrl.org. Editorial, Rick Lindquist, N1RL, e-mail elindquist@arrl.org. Visit the ARRLWeb page at http://www.arrl.org. The purpose of The ARRL Letter is to provide the essential news of interest to active, organizationally minded radio amateurs faster than it can be disseminated by our official journal, QST. We strive to be fast, accurate and readable in our reporting. Material from The ARRL Letter may be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form, including photoreproduction and electronic databanks, provided that credit is given to The ARRL Letter and The American Radio Relay League. ARRLWeb's home page ARRLWeb search Begin or renew your membership online Email ARRL HQ Email ARRLWebmaster ARRL news bulletins