
The electronic publication of the Amateur Radio Newsline is distributed
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Newsline.  The text version is edited from the original scripts and
transcribed from the audio reports by Dale Cary, WD0AKO, and is first
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 - - - - -
 
NEWSLINE RADIO - CBBS EDITION #884 - POSTED 07/22/94
 
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   The following is late news about Amateur Radio for Radio
 Amateurs as prepared from NEWSLINE RADIO scripts by the staff of
 the AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE, INC. -- formerly the WESTLINK RADIO
 NETWORK.  For current information updates, please call
 
                    Audio Version of Newsline
                    =========================
     Los Angeles............................ (213) 462-0008
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             Electronic Hardcopy Version of Newsline
             =======================================
      GEnie (RTC Bulletin Board)............. m345;1
      GEnie (File Library)................... m345;3
      Dallas Remote Imaging BBS (DRIG)....... (214) 492-7573
        In bulletin number 36
      The Midwest Connection BBS............. (701) 239-2440
        In bulletin number 6 of the ham radio conference
      Delphi.................................
        In the ham radio conference
      Internet...............................
        In the rec.radio.info newsgroup
        FTP: oak.oakland.edu, archive: pub/hamradio/docs/newsline
      Fidonet, RIME, Intellec, I-Link........
        In the Ham Radio conferences on those networks
 
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Some of the hams of NEWSLINE RADIO...
 
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[884]
 
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[Publishers Note]
   Hello fellow Newsline readers.  When I took over the hardcopy
 publishing of Newsline from Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, I continued
 the number from where he left off, which was #24 as I recall.
   Starting with this issue we are realigning the numbering scheme
 on the Hardcopy version of Newsline to that of the Audio version.
 That being #884 for this week of July 22nd.  This should help to
 eliminate the confusion that has happened from time to time.
   Thanks for your patience.  If I can be of any assistance you
 can contact me at:
 
<****************************************************************>
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 <   Dale Cary - WD0AKO          Phone (218) 236-6324             >
 <   3012 18th St. S.                                             >
 <   Moorhead, MN       Internet E-mail: D.CARY@GENIE.GEIS.COM    >
 <   56560-5204                                                   >
 <                                                                >
 <****************************************************************>
 
 
                     The following is a QST
 
   The FCC orders more retests as its probe of possible fraud in
 the All Volunteer ham radio testing program continues.  President
 Bill Clinton's motorcade is jammed in Naples, Italy and SAREX
 STS-65 is on orbit and on the air.  These stories and more on
 Newsline report number 884 coming your way right now!
 
(*****
                MORE RETESTS IN CAL VE FRAUD CASE
 
   Some fifty nine people previously tested by a group of suspect
 volunteer examiners have been ordered to be retested or face
 administrative sanctions.  This is the latest word coming from the
 FCC in the wake of its ongoing probe into alleged fraud and
 corruption in ham radio testing in California.
   Word of the retests was announced by FCC Personal Radio Branch
 Chief John B. Johnston, W3BE.  Speaking at the annual meeting
 with the nations Volunteer Examination Coordinators on June 24th,
 Johnston said that twenty examines have had their examination
 credits totally invalidated in addition to the fifty nine ordered
 to retest.  W3BE told the VEC's that there was definite evidence
 that at twenty five California test session the commission knows
 about so far, applicants were given answers to the Morse Code test
 message prior to testing.  As a result the retesting was ordered.
 As we go to air only three people who have been re-examined have
 received passing grades.
   Johnston has also made public a few other pieces of evidence
 collected in the probe.  According to John, one Volunteer Examiner
 allegedly administered examinations at two different locations on
 the same day, and traveling as much as seventy miles one-way
 between test sessions.  W3BE says that the FCC has determined
 beyond any doubt that one of the sessions never actually took
 place.  Even more incriminating, the FCC appears to have solid
 evidence that only seven people were actually examined at the
 second session even though the VE's proctoring the test claimed
 the number tested on site was twenty-two.  This lends a lot of
 credibility to our report two weeks ago that much of the alleged
 fraud was accomplished by manipulating the paperwork going to the
 various VEC's.
   About the only thing not yet made public are the names and
 call signs of the suspect VE's, but this too may soon change.  At
 least one major ham radio publication is known to have a copy of
 the list of VE's that are under government scrutiny.  We hear
 that entire list plus the names of some suspect applicants may be
 appearing in print worldwide within the next few weeks.
 
(*****
                  MORE TESTING FRAUD ANNOUNCED
 
   California is not the only place where ham radio testing fraud
 is taking place.  In a related matter, Johnston also told the VEC
 Conference that government investigators have cracked two other
 licensing cheating cases.  In a Texas incident a non ham actually
 assumed the identity of a deceased radio amateur to certify test
 results for applicants who never even attended a test session.  In
 that case the Contact VE -- that's the person who sets up test
 sessions in a given region -- the Contact VE has already
 surrendered his license to the FCC.  Twenty four applicants at
 the test session have had their fraudulently obtained licenses
 canceled as well.
   Also, an Technician Class ham in Kansas has had his license
 suspended for a year.  This, after the FCC found that he had
 tried to bribe a Volunteer Examination Coordinator in order to
 obtain an upgrade.  At airtime, the FCC has not yet released this
 hams call sign or name.
 
(*****
               PRESIDENT CLINTON JAMMED IN ITALY
 
   Radio communications for a Naples Italy motorcade for President
 Bill Clinton have been maliciously jammed.  According to news
 reports, the incident occurred when President Clinton arrived for
 the Group of Seven summit in the port city of Naples on Thursday
 night July 7th.
   The Italian news agency ANSA quoted police sources as saying
 that while Clinton's motorcade was traveling from the airport to
 his waterfront hotel, an unknown voice repeatedly broke into
 police radio communications with what it authorities called
 "vulgar expressions."
   The sources said the jammer interrupted communications between
 Italian and U.S. security agents to express his views on the
 Americans and the police.  No details of the insults was given but
 the news agency noted that Clinton did not hear them.  Naples
 authorities also admit that they have little or no hope of finding
 out who the foul mouthed jammer is.
 
(*****
                     CHECK YOUR LICENSE DATE
 
   The American Radio Relay League advises that amateurs receiving
 new or modified FCC licenses dated June 8th or later should
 carefully note their expiration date.  This is because only new,
 first licenses or specific renewals now carry a full 10-year term.
   With new computer software recently installed, the FCC is now
 processing amateur permits to conform with to the way in which it
 processes all other Private Radio Service licenses.  As a result,
 Amateur license upgrades, changes of address, call sign, or name
 changes are processed with the original expiration date intact.
 That is, they are not automatically extended for another 10 years
 as has been the case in years past.
   The FCC currently recommends that amateurs submit license
 renewal applications 60 to 90 days before their expiration date.
 The Commission says that it intends eventually to mail license
 expiration notices to amateurs but that program is not yet in
 place.  In the meantime, the ARRL is sending license expiration
 notices to its members, along with an FCC Form 610 and a return
 envelope to the FCC's licensing division in Gettysburg,
 Pennsylvania.  The W5YI VEC is doing the same for the general ham
 public but does charge a nominal fee for filing paperwork back to
 the FCC.
 
(*****
             INTERFERENCE FROM CORPS OF ENGINEERS
 
   The FCC reports that its San Francisco Office recently
 received a call from the Veteran's Administration Hospital in
 nearby Martinez complaining of interference to hospital security
 communications.  At the same time, they received a complaint that
 a similar pulse noise was interrupting communications at the U.S.
 Customs Service Office on Mt. Taltamalpais, CA.  So FCC engineers
 using their mobile direction finding equipment went out and
 tracked the source of interference.  And guess what they found.
 The culprit was a geographic positioning transmitter used by the
 Corps of Engineers in a dredging operation that no government
 authorization to operate.  It was ordered to cease its operation
 immediately.  It did.  Case closed.
 
(*****
                    US-RUSSIA SHUTTLE PACT
 
   Word that Russian and American amateurs who flew aboard the
 space shuttle Discovery on last winters STS-60 mission benefited
 from temporary third party and reciprocal operating agreements
 finalized just before lift-off.
   On February 3 the US Department of State and the Russian
 Ministry of Post and Telecommunications each approved the
 temporary arrangements, which allowed cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev,
 U5MIR, to contact, on February 6, the House of Science and
 Technology for Youth, in Moscow.
   The contact was retransmitted in Russia on HF and VHF,
 according to the ARRL SAREX Working Group.
   After the Russian Ministry of Post and Telecommunications and
 the US State Department approved the arrangements, it still was
 necessary to obtain a Special Temporary Authorization from the
 FCC.  The ARRL contacted the FCC's Personal Radio Branch, and the
 STA was granted on February 4th.
   Permanent reciprocal operating and third party agreements
 between the US and Russia have been in negotiations for several
 years.
 
(*****
                            HAITI
 
   As reported in many D-X newsletters, two hams were recently in
 Haiti on assignment for various news agencies.  One of them was
 Alan Kaul, W6RCL of NBC Network News.  This is the same W6RCL who
 for many years anchored Newsline.  Alan operated with an Icom high
 frequency transceiver, antenna tuner and all-band long wire
 antenna.  The other ham in Haiti was Bill Howard, N4MU of CNN,
 who was also running 100 watts on SSB.
 
(*****
                   UK HAMS SAY NO TO NO CODE
 
   British Amateurs are opposed to a code-free amateur license
 with High Frequency operating privileges.  This according to a
 recent informal survey of United Kingdom hams.
   By way of background, the current UK Class B license, with
 privileges only on 50 MHz and above, is code-free while the Class
 A license requires a 12 wpm Morse Code exam.  In 1992 the British
 Radiocommunications Agency asked the Radio Society of Great
 Britain to conduct a "consultation exercise," a survey.  Through
 articles in its journal, Radio Communications, and other British
 Amateur Radio publications, readers were asked to express their
 opinion on the subject.
   Out of 60,000 U.K. licensed amateurs, 1,413 responded,
 including 86 from "overseas".  By a 2 to 1 margin the respondents
 opposed a code-free HF license.  The RSGB said that with the
 world-wide amateur community expanding at some 7 percent per year,
 some method is needed to restrict access to the HF bands, which
 they say are already are very crowded and unlikely to expand.
   British hams also say if the current method of restriction, the
 Morse Code, is eliminated for High Frequency operation then some
 other "filter" to limit numbers of operators should be found.
 
(*****
                    AMSAT CALLS FOR PAPERS
 
   The 1994 AMSAT-NA Annual Meeting and Space Symposium will be
 held October 7 to 9, in Orlando, Florida.  AMSAT is seeking papers
 for the symposium and can provide authors with help in editing and
 graphics if needed.  Papers are welcome even if the author is
 unable to attend the symposium.
   Topics for all amateur satellite disciplines are sought,
 including introductory tutorials, satellite operations, Phase IIID
 design and development, and new applications and techniques.
 Final drafts are requested on or about August 26.
   Direct inquiries to Steve Park, WB9OEP, 12122  99th Ave
 North, Seminole, Florida 34642.
 
(*****
                         SW CONVENTION
 
   On the convention scene, word that the 1994 ARRL Southwestern
 Division Convention will be held in San Diego, California on
 August 26th to the 28th at Town & Country Convention Center.  For
 a registration form, please send a self addressed stamped envelope
 to Bob Boehme, W6RHV, Registration Chairman, 10340 Everell Place,
 Santee, California 92071.  The event is sponsored by SANDARC,
 INC. in association with the San Diego County Amateur Radio
 Council.
 
(*****
                      DX-SCARBOROUGH REEF
 
   In DX, after being delayed a day due to bad weather, the
 Scarborough Reef BS7H DXpedition hit the air waves on June 25th.
 Several sources in Japan say the DXpedition was only active from
 09:00 to 23:00 UTC and then went QRT.  They made around 2000 QSO's
 in which none of the contacts were made on CW because they did not
 bring a keyer.
   In a related matter, New England Division DXAC Representative
 Bill Shipp, KC1AG, reports that DK9KX has withdrawn his petition
 for new country status for Scarborough Reef.  No reason was given.
 
(*****
                         PETER I VIDEO
 
   Also, another new ham radio video on DXing has been announced.
 "Journey to Peter I Island: Close to the Edge" is a 30 minute
 documentary on this dangerous and exciting DXpedition through the
 Falkland Islands, the Drake Passage and onto Peter I Island.  The
 video shows enormous icebergs, animal and marine life, massive
 Antarctic storms and how the DXpedition team was able to make
 almost 60,000 QSOs.  The documentary was produced professionally
 from 12 hours of videotape shot by Terry Dubson, W6MHB.  A
 donation to obtain the show is required.  Those that are
 interested in this documentary can contact Jerry Branson, AA6BB,
 93787 Dorsey Lane, Junction City, Oregon, 97448.
 
(*****
           NEW FCC COMMISSIONER SEES LITTLE BUT C-SPAN
 
   The new FCC commissioner Susan Ness has described herself as a
 "C-SPAN junkie" who does not regularly watch commercial TV.  Ness,
 speaking to reporters at an informal briefing in her office, said
 there is "nothing that I watch specifically every week" on
 commercial TV.  Nevertheless, she said the Federal Communications
 Commission needs to insist that broadcasters "strive for better
 programming" so long as the First Amendment rights of station
 owners are protected.
   Ness' disinterest in commercial TV fare stands in stark
 contrast to Rachel Chong, the other new FCC member who is a
 confessed "Star Trek" addict.
 
(*****
 
   And for this week, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline.
 You can write to us at Post Office Box 463, Pasadena, California
 91102.
 
(* * * Newsline Copyright 1994 all rights are reserved. * * *
