• New ham satellite to be Fuji OSCAR 29
• Current FCC Form 610 is still good
• Ham astronauts to train for Mir missions
• New ARRL Scout Handbook available
• New Friends encourages ham radio for hearing impaired youth
• ARRL/TAPR confab is September 20-22
• In Brief: Avoiding vanity confusion; SAREX flight set; are they hams?; QSL the QSLs; media play; vanity tally

JARL plans to ask that its new JAS-2 satellite be designated as Fuji OSCAR 29, or FO-29 for short. This is in line with previous Japanese amateur satellites FO-12, launched in 1986, and FO-20, launched in 1990 and still operating. AMSAT-NA President Bill Tynan, W3XO, says that, in the light of this information, it is appropriate to refer to the new amateur satellite as Fuji OSCAR 29, or simply as FO-29.

Meanwhile, operation of the new Amateur Radio satellite appears to be normal. It will be a couple of weeks until for the JD transponder is ready for use, however. The CW telemetry beacon is being heard at many locations. The mail box is now experimentally open for public use. Send any downloaded telemetry frames to jamsat-bb@iijnet.or.jp. Jerry Smyth, N8ULU, reports the satellite has been operational on mode JA and that he worked several stations. He reported good signals with typical LEO fades from time to time.--AMSAT News Service

Unlike the expiration dates on perishable food items in the grocery store, the expiration dates on the FCC Form 610 can be safely ignored. A lot of hams have asked about them, however, because an "expiration date" of August 31, 1996, appears in the upper righthand corner of current FCC Forms 610 that were issued in November 1993 and in March 1995 (as shown in the lower righthand corner).

ARRL/VEC Manager Bart Jahnke, KB9NM, says the August 31, 1996, expiration date is an internal FCC reference date only, and it is not a date to instruct the public when to stop using the form.

The FCC says the November 1993 and March 1995-issued FCC Forms 610 are okay to use and will continue to be acceptable for use until further notice.

Astronauts Wendy B. Lawrence, KC5KII, and David A. Wolf, KC5VPF, have been selected to train for stays aboard Russia's Mir space station. They were scheduled to arrive at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, in mid-August. Lawrence, 37, is a US Navy commander. She'll begin a four-month stay on Mir in September 1997. She will launch aboard Atlantis as part of the STS-86 crew, and become a member of the Mir 24 crew, which will be replaced by the Mir 25 crew during Lawrence's tour on the Mir.

Wolf, 40, will replace Lawrence on Mir, arriving aboard Discovery during the STS-89 mission, currently targeted for early 1998. Wolf, a medical doctor, will be a member of both the Mir 25 and 26 crews during his four-month tour in orbit.

The ARRL Educational Activities Department has published a new booklet, the ARRL Scout Handbook, for use with Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. The book is about Scouting and Amateur Radio and is available free from EAD. Send an 8-1/2x11-inch self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with 78 cents of postage, to ARRL, Educational Activities Department, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111.

The booklet includes information on the Boy Scout Radio merit badge and tells how to become a Boy Scout Radio merit badge counselor. It also has a suggested proposal for a Girl Scouts Amateur Radio Patch. Other sections explain how to get involved with the annual Boy Scouts Jamboree on the Air (JOTA), which will be October 19-20, 1996, as well as general information on ham radio and ideas on how to recruit Scouts to Amateur Radio.

The ARRL Scout Handbook was made possible through contributions from generous hams like yourself through a grant from The ARRL Foundation. Please consider a donation to the ARRL Scout Handbook Fund to make future booklets possible. Every tax-deductible contribution helps, regardless of the amount. Send contributions to The ARRL Scout Handbook Fund, The ARRL Foundation Inc, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. The ARRL Foundation is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by the IRS.--Glenn Swanson, KB1GW

John Rothert, KC4IYO, of Orlando, Florida, reports he's working with a group of deaf students in central Florida called "New Friends," a nonprofit organization for deaf and hearing impaired children. The function of the organization is to provide an atmosphere where deaf children can meet to socialize and share learning experiences.

Amateur Radio offers several modes that are accessible to those with hearing impairments, including RTTY, AMTOR, packet, PACTOR, TV and even CW. Rothert says he's been involved with the Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment (SAREX) program since STS-35, and he hopes to see New Friends get in on the fun. Last year, the group submitted an application to ARRL and the SAREX community to schedule a packet contact during a future mission. NASA is said to be interested in this project, and the group may get its chance on a future mission.

Rothert said some of the group's objectives are to learn about space science, show how computers can help people communicate, learn about the Internet, spark interest in ham radio, and communicate with the space shuttle. During the first official New Friends workshop in late July (sponsored in part by Sprint and the Carl Hill Galloway Chapter of the Telephone Pioneers) some 25 students found out what Amateur Radio is all about. Each student received a packet of information from the ARRL along with an Archie ham radio comic book and a copy of the Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment Bulletin put together by AMSAT and the ARRL. Amateur Radio operators demonstrated voice transmission and packet via ham radio and showed how to track the shuttle and other spacecraft. Participants also had a hands-on opportunity to try packet. A table was set up for students to write letters to the astronauts.

The Lake Monroe Amateur Radio Society has volunteered to give Amateur Radio classes designed for the hearing impaired, and several students have already signed up. Rothert would like to get in touch with deaf and hearing impaired hams. He's also looking for any ideas that may help make Amateur Radio more exciting and inviting for these young people. His address is 14131 Hunter Grove Dr, Orlando, FL 32828--AMSAT News Service

The fifteenth annual ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference is almost here, but there's still time to register. The 1996 event is September 20-22 in Seattle, Washington, just minutes away from the SeaTac (Seattle/Tacoma) Airport.

Participants can expect a conference that's both technically stimulating and a weekend of fun for all who have a more-than-casual interest in any of the ham digital communication modes. The ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference is for all levels of digital operators, and a must to attend for those who want to get active on a national level. But it's not just for digital experts. This year's conference will again provide an entire morning of beginning- and intermediate-level presentations on selected digital communication topics. These include APRS, satellite communication, TCP/IP, digital radio, spread spectrum and others.

In addition to the presentation of papers on Friday and Saturday, three workshops will be held. Keith Sproul, WU2Z, will discuss APRS packet-location software. Dewayne Hendricks, WA8DZP, will conduct a workshop, "How to Utilize Part 15 Wireless Radios for Ham Applications." Another Sunday workshop will focus on "Wireless Networking Using the WA4DSY 56-K RF Modem Technology."

For full information on the conference and accommodations, contact Tucson Amateur Packet Radio, 8987-309 E Tanque Verde Rd No 337, Tucson, AZ 85749-9399, tel 817-383-0000; fax 817-566-2544; e-mail tapr@tapr.org; Web page http://www.tapr.org. Abstracts of all conference papers are now available on the TAPR web page.

The conference hotel is the Quality Inn Seattle Airport, 17101 Pacific Hwy South, Seattle, WA 98188; tel 206-246-7000; fax 206-246-1715. The alternate hotel is the Radisson Hotel Seattle Airport, 17101 Pacific Hwy South, Seattle, WA 98188; tel 206-244-6000; fax 206-246-6835. When making reservations, be sure to indicate you are attending the ARRL and TAPR DCC conference. The hotel provides transportation to and from SeaTac Airport. Contact the hotel to arrange airport transportation.

Conference cohosts are the Puget Sound Amateur Radio TCP/IP Group and Boeing Employees Amateur Radio Society (BEARS).

• Avoiding vanity confusion: Some hams have questioned the application requirements contained in the recent FCC announcement that vanity call sign Gate 2 opens September 23. The confusion arose over the FCC's statement that "each call sign must be one designated for the Region of your mailing address." FCC Fact Sheet PR-5000, Amateur Station Sequential Call Sign System, defines the regions and the types of call signs you may properly select. Briefly, here's how it works: Those living anywhere that the FCC issues ham licenses (all 50 states plus US territories and possessions) may apply for a call sign from any of the 10 call districts (regions 1 to 10). This means a ham in Missouri, for example, could apply for a call sign with a K1 prefix. He or she would not be restricted to a call sign containing a numeral 0. In addition to regions 1 to 10, applicants with mailing addresses in Alaska also may apply for call signs from region 11, while hams in Hawaii also may apply for call signs from region 13 having a numeral 6 or 7 in the call sign. See Fact Sheet PR-5000 for additional information.

• SAREX flight set: The next SAREX flight, STS-79, is set to launch September 12. John Blaha, KC5TZQ, will be delivered to the Mir space complex for a long-duration mission. While on board, he'll share Mir duties with Cosmonaut Aleksandr Kaleri, U8MIR, who first used that call sign in 1992; plus Valerij Korzun who'll use the RØMIR club call sign, and Claudi Andre-Dechays, using F6MIR. Mir astronauts get audio linkups with their families every week and video linkups every two weeks. Family members report that the video doesn't work half the time, and the audio, while acceptable, has bad echoes and isn't as good as ham radio!--Rosalie White, WA1STO

• Are they hams? The title of rock group Pearl Jam's latest album is No Code.

• QSL the QSLs: Hams from all over have showered QSLs upon DeKalb County, Georgia, police officer Dave Harvey, KE4VDP, who was recently shot and wounded while on the job. Harvey's friend and colleague, Jim Sheppard, KT4FD, reports the recovering officer--a Technician licensee for about 18 months--has received more than 150 cards--26 on one day alone--in the wake of a recent report in The ARRL Letter requesting that hams send cards to Harvey to cheer him up. One card even showed up from Pakistan! "He really has enjoyed getting the cards, and it has had a great effect on cheering him up," said Sheppard, who recently put up a 2-meter antenna for Harvey so he could keep in touch with his friends from his house.

• Media play: Past ARRL Professional Teacher of the Year Sheila Perry, NØUOP, of Bloomfield, Missouri, was featured in the August edition of Learning magazine (a journal for teachers). The article highlighted her SAREX work and cited ARRL's Educational Activities Department as the place to get more information.

• Vanity tally: As it prepares to handle the expected deluge of applications when vanity Gate 2 opens September 23, the FCC reports it had received nearly 3800 Gate 1 and Gate 1A vanity call sign applications for processing as of August 20, 1996.

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.

Electronic edition circulation, Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO, e-mail kcapodicasa@arrl.org.

Editorial, Rick Lindquist, KX4V, e-mail rlindquist@arrl.org.

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