January 26, 1996

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IN THIS UPDATE . . ..

AT DEADLINE . . .

  • This Week in Amateur Radio returns to satellite air this Saturday, January 27, at 8 PM EST. The weekly on-air bulletin service will be carried by the Tech Talk Network on Telesat Canada Anik E2 commercial communications satellite on transponder 18, (9B vertical), at 5.8 MHz wideband analog audio (4.06 GHz). Anik E2 is at 107.3 W in equatorial geosynchronous orbit. The service carries ARRL and RAC bulletins, contest and convention information, propagation forecast summaries, the Radio Amateur Information Network, the Amateur Radio Newsline, and other features in audio newsmagazine format on over 100 nets and repeaters throughout North America. It had been off of satellite air since Thanksgiving weekend.--Stephan Anderman, WA3RKB
  • The FCC has changed the date of its en banc hearing on spectrum policy and management to March 5, 1996, and the ARRL hopes to participate. The original hearing date of January 31 had to be rescheduled because of the Federal furloughs triggered by the congressional budget deadlock and heavy snow in early January which extended the shutdown. The FCC will hear oral presentations and "allow a direct exchange of viewpoints" among individuals and representatives of affected industries. The commission selected panelists from among those who submitted letters of interest by January 26, 1996. The hearing is aimed at addressing future spectrum demand and user needs, trends in technology, and approaches to spectrum allocation and assignment, including licensing and uses.--FCC
  • Ulster County (New York) RACES was activated January 24 to assist the National Guard in the Delaware County, New York, flood disaster area to provide equipment and personnel necessary to establish communication between the flood area and the National Guard headquarters in Kingston, New York. Don Koeppen, N2WCY, reports RACES will remain on the scene around the clock as long as the emergency exists.
  • AMSAT-OSCAR 10's orientation is such that its solar panels are not getting enough illumination to keep a charge on its batteries. As a result, the downlink recently experienced frequency instability and has now gone silent. Hams should not use AO-10 until the sun angles improve so the spacecraft's batteries can again charge.--SpaceNews

NEW VICE PRESIDENTS MEAN NEW DIVISION DIRECTORS

When the ARRL Board of Directors elected three division directors as new vice presidents at its January 19-20 meeting in Savannah, Georgia, three vice directors moved up the leadership ladder. With the elevation of Hudson Division Director Steve Mendelsohn, WA2DHF; Delta Division Director Joel Harrison, WB5IGF and Atlantic Division Director Hugh Turnbull, W3ABC (see The ARRL Letter Update, January 22, 1996), vice directors automatically assumed the directorships of those divisions at the meeting's conclusion. Moving to the top division posts were Paul Vydareny, WB2VUK, in the Hudson Division; Rick Roderick, K5UR, in the Delta Division and Kay Craigie, WT3P, in the Atlantic Division. Western Pennsylvania Section Manager Bernie Fuller, N3EFN, has been appointed to complete Kay Craigie's term as vice director.

Also at the Savannah meeting, Northwestern Division Director Mary Lou Brown, NM7N, Roanoke Division Director John Kanode, N4MM, Southeastern Division Director Frank Butler, W4RH and Southwestern Division Director Fried Heyn, WA6WZO, were voted in as members of the Executive Committee.

Gene Hastings, W1VRK, Rocky Mountain Division Director Marshall Quiat, AG0X, and Roanoke Division Director John Kanode, N4MM, all were re-elected to three-year terms as members of the ARRL Foundation Board of Directors.

NNY or WNY? MEMBERS OF THREE COUNTIES TO BE ASKED

The approximately 100 ARRL members in three counties in the new ARRL Northern New York section soon will express their preference for remaining in the new NNY section or for returning to their former Western New York section. Ballots will go out in mid-February.

Last fall, the League's executive committee approved a request from League members primarily in the Plattsburgh, New York, vicinity to create the new section, comprised of 12 upstate counties. Creation of NNY brings the total number of sections to 70.

ARRL Executive Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ, says the League received "formal expressions of unhappiness" about the change from League members in Herkimer, Otsego and Schoharie counties. Results of the poll are to be reported on a county-by-county basis to the Executive Committee by March 15, 1996, so the issue can be resolved before the next section manager elections in the affected sections. The ARRL Board of Directors instructed Sumner to conduct the poll during its recent meeting in Savannah, Georgia.

DXCC PROGRAM TO BE REVIEWED

A committee will be assigned to review the DXCC program and make recommendations to encourage broader participation, make the program more equitable, create more easily understood criteria for DXCC "countries," improve the process of reviewing requests for additions and deletions to the ARRL DXCC list and increase efficiency in the DXCC program's administration. The ARRL Board of Directors initiated the review at its recent meeting in Savannah, Georgia, where the board approved Scarborough Reef as a DXCC Country (see ARRL DX Bulletin 5).

ARRL BOARD BESTOWS HONORS

The ARRL Board of Directors, meeting recently in Savannah, Georgia, elected retiring First Vice President Jay A. Holladay, W6EJJ, an Honorary Vice President. Holladay retired from the board after 21 years of distinguished service in numerous leadership roles. He received a standing ovation after the unanimous board vote.

David Mann, VP2EHF, and Dorothea Mann, VP2EE, won the International Humanitarian Award for 1995 for their hurricane relief efforts over the past five years, culminating in storms last fall that injured them and partly destroyed their Anguilla QTH. During hurricanes Luis and Marilyn in 1995, the Manns handled thousands of NTS messages on behalf of their government, residents of Anguilla and neighboring Caribbean islands. They also provided food, shelter, medicines and other necessities to people who needed help in the wake of the storms, despite their own injuries. A formal presentation is set for the ARRL National Convention in Peoria, Illinois. Both David and Dorothea plan to be on hand for the ceremony, unless Dorothea--a US Army Reserve officer--is called up for military duty in Bosnia.

The board also awarded the ARRL National Certificate of Merit to Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, for his outstanding volunteer service as a member of the SAREX Working Group, and Certificates of Merit to ARES members in Oklahoma, for their courageous efforts in providing critical emergency communication services to agencies responding in the wake of the bombing at the Oklahoma City Federal Building.

FCC-ISSUED CALL SIGN UPDATE

Here's a list of the FCC's most recently issued call signs as of January 1. 

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


   0       AB0AF     KI0AB      ++      KB0UTH
   1       AA1PC     KE1DS     N1WJF    KB1BVV
   2       AA2ZR     KG2FF      ++      KB2WPX
   3       AA3NB     KE3VP     N3WOS    KB3BMG
   4       AE4OS     KT4HY      ++      KF4FPQ
   5       AC5GA     KK5VS      ++      KC5SCZ
   6       AC6RK     KQ6CS      ++      KF6ALC
   7       AB7OA     KJ7TD      ++      KC7OIX
   8       AA8VK     KG8UQ      ++      KC8BUT
   9       AA9QV     KG9FA      ++      KB9MGY
 Hawaii     ++       AH6OJ      ++      WH6CZE
 Alaska     ++       AL7QH      ++      WL7CRH
Virgin Is  WP2U      KP2CJ     NP2IS    WP2AIA
Puerto Rico ++        ++        ++      WP4NHG

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

VE9IW RE-ELECTED RAC MARITIMES-NEWFOUNDLAND SM

John Avery, VE9IW, was recently re-elected Radio Amateurs of Canada Maritimes-Newfoundland section manager. He will begin a new two-year term April 1, 1996. He ran unopposed --RAC Monthly News Bulletin

JOHN N. DYER, W1BJD, SK

John N. Dyer, W1BJD, formerly of Center Sandwich, New Hampshire and Oyster Bay, New York, died January 5 in Shelburne, Vermont, after a long illness. He was 85. Dyer was chief radio engineer on Admiral Richard Byrd's Second Expedition to Antarctica. He also led a radar development group at Harvard University during World War II. He was a founder and former president of Airborne Instruments Laboratory (now AIL Systems) in Garden City, New York. Three daughters survive.

ANDREW L. FREEMAN SR., W0GFE, SK

Andrew L. Freeman Sr., W0GFE, of Grand Forks, North Dakota, died there January 17. He was 86. In 1947, Freeman invented and patented the Freeman Headbolt Heater, said to be the first successful electric engine block heater used to help vehicles start more easily in cold weather. Freeman was Manager of Minnkota Power Cooperative from 1940 until he retired in 1983, and was named the electric power industry's Man of the Year in 1981. A son, Andrew L. Freeman Jr, WA0AAD, a daughter-in-law and two grandchildren survive.

The ARRL Letter is published by the American Radio Relay League, 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111, tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259. Rodney J. Stafford, KB6ZV, President; David Sumner, K1ZZ, Executive Vice President.

Editorial, Rick Lindquist, KX4V, Assistant Technical Editor, rlindquist@arrl.org.

Electronic edition circulation, Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO, kcapodicasa@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.

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