***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 26, No. 12
March 23, 2007
***************
IN THIS EDITION:
* +League proposes alternate approach to "regulation by bandwidth"
* +Some Technician licensees remain unclear about new privileges
* +ARRL Education and Technology Program continues to grow
* +Donations urged to help expand ham radio's presence in space
* +500-kHz experiment offers early verification of band's EmComm value
* Solar Update
* IN BRIEF:
This weekend on the radio
ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
+Ham radio volunteers locate missing man
+CubeSat launch scheduled
+FCC fines shop for selling non-certified CBs as ham gear
DXCC Honor Roll listings due!
Visalia programs announced
+Available on ARRL Audio News <
http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/>
===========================================================
==>Delivery problems: First see FAQ
<
http://www.arrl.org/members-only/fa...ivery>, then e-mail
<letter-dlvy@arrl.org>
==>Editorial questions or comments only: Rick Lindquist, N1RL,
<n1rl@arrl.org>
===========================================================
==>ARRL OFFERS ALTERNATE APPROACH TO "REGULATION BY BANDWIDTH"
In the wake of recent changes in the Part 97 Amateur Radio rules, the
ARRL
has revised its ?regulation by bandwidth? proposals to match the new
reality, avoid some unintended consequences and temper some of the
controversy the original petition had aroused. In a November 2005
Petition
for Rule Making (RM-11306
<
http://www.arrl.org/announce/regula...ed.pdf>
)
<
http://www.arrl.org/announce/regula...d.pdf>,
the
League asked the FCC to establish a regulatory regime that would
segment
bands by necessary bandwidths ranging from 200 Hz to 100 kHz rather
than by
emission mode. The ARRL now is urging the FCC to adopt a "subset? of
the
rules
<
http://www.arrl.org/announce/regula...A.html>
<
http://www.arrl.org/announce/regula...A.html>
contained
in its original petition that largely affects only the amateur bands
at 28
MHz and above.
?Because the proposals affecting the bands above 28 MHz had not
aroused much
controversy, they were retained in the shortened list,? ARRL CEO David
Sumner, K1ZZ, explained this week. ?Regulation by bandwidth rather
than by
mode of emission remains controversial below 28 MHz because of its
perceived
potential impact on established operating patterns, so these proposals
were
removed from the list with one narrow exception.?
That exception addresses the fact that current rules impose no
effective
bandwidth limit on HF digital operation. ?Digital emissions using
multiple
carriers, such as OFDM [orthogonal frequency division multiplexing],
can be
designed for any bandwidth while staying within the existing rules,?
Sumner
points out, ?so, the subset of proposed rule changes includes a
bandwidth
limit of 3 kHz on RTTY and data emissions below 28 MHz.?
The proposed 3 kHz RTTY/data bandwidth limit aims to avoid the
possibility
existing under the present rules that a single digital station could
monopolize large MF and HF band segments. In an Erratum this week the
ARRL
also asked the FCC to retain the existing 500 Hz bandwidth limit that
applies to certain automatically controlled RTTY/data stations under
§97.221.
The ARRL proposal would amend the definition of ?bandwidth? in
§97.3(a)(8)
to read: ?For a given class of emission, the width of the frequency
band
which is sufficient to ensure the transmission of information at the
rate
and with the quality required under specified conditions.? The rule
references the definition of ?necessary bandwidth? appearing in Parts
2 and
97 of the FCC rules.
If the FCC adopts the League?s revised proposals, the 10, 6 and 2
meter
amateur bands would be segmented into subbands allowing maximum
emission
bandwidths of 200 Hz, 500 Hz, 3.0 kHz (with an exception for
double-sideband, full-carrier AM phone), 16 kHz or 100 kHz. Above 222
MHz,
the entire emission must be within the allocated Amateur Radio band to
comply with §97.307(d).
Sumner concedes that the subset of proposed rule changes in RM-11306
would
provide less protection to CW, RTTY and other narrowband modes than
the
League?s original proposals afforded, but not less than the existing
rules
provide. ?In fact, protection against interference from wideband
digital
modes would be increased, not decreased, even by adoption of the
subset,? he
contended.
Some confusion arose because of an inadvertent omission in the initial
notice of a meeting on this subject between ARRL officials and FCC
staff.
This week's Erratum addressed that issue.
Additional consternation followed in the wake of a widely circulated,
but
erroneous, comment alleging "the complete absence of CW as a mode in
the
table of HF modes" the ARRL submitted. The ARRL has proposed no change
to
§97.305(a) of the rules, which authorizes CW on all amateur
frequencies
except on 60 meters.
The League has petitioned the FCC to permit CW and other modes on 60
meters,
in addition to the presently permitted upper-sideband SSB.
After studying the topic several years, the ARRL Board of Directors
continues to support the principles of regulation by bandwidth
contained in
the original RM-11306 petition.
?Regulation by bandwidth provides a better regulatory framework, not
only
for the introduction of future digital emissions but for the
protection of
traditional narrowband modes as well,? Sumner asserted this week. He
expressed the hope that the subset of RM-11306 modifications offers an
alternative that ?will make it easier for the FCC to move at least
part of
the way in that direction.?
==>KNOW YOUR PRIVILEGES! MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUND REGARDING TECH HF
PRIVILEGES
Some Technician licensees who gained new privileges February 23 remain
unaware or uninformed as to what they may and may not do on the HF
bands,
says ARRL Regulatory Information Specialist Dan Henderson, N1ND. In
addition
to all Amateur Radio operating privileges above 50 MHz, Technicians
who
never passed a Morse code test now have CW privileges on certain
segments of
80, 40 and 15 meters plus CW, RTTY, data and SSB privileges on certain
segments of 10 meters. And that's it. "Know your privileges
<
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/re...gt;," Henderson
advises all Amateur Radio licensees. He says some Technicians
apparently
believe their new HF phone privileges go far beyond what they really
have.
"Technicians have no phone privileges on any HF band other than 10
meters,
period!" Henderson emphasizes. "That's the bottom line. If you want to
operate phone on the other HF bands, you'll have to upgrade to General
or
Amateur Extra class."
A lot of Technician licensees appear to have done just that, according
to
statistics compiled by Joe Speroni, AH0A
<
http://ah0a.org/FCC/Licenses.html>. So far in March, the number of
General
class licensees is up by more than 2700 over the February figure to
134,173,
after hitting a 5-year low of just under 131,000 in January. The
number of
Technicians dropped by 4655 in the same period to 318,838. Speroni
notes,
however, that his mid-month figures tend to underestimate actual
totals.
Most Technician license holders face a learning curve to take
advantage of
their new CW privileges on HF, but they no longer have to pass a Morse
code
examination. Technicians also may use their new HF privileges without
having
to apply for them first. No other license class automatically acquired
additional privileges February 23. The "omnibus" rule changes
effective last
December 15 did not give Technician licensees without Morse code
credit any
additional privileges either.
Henderson further warns new Techs not to extrapolate additional phone
privileges by misconstruing the FCC Part 97 rules to mean something
they
don't.
"Calls I've been getting lately indicate that some misinformed
individuals
believe Technicians may operate 'digital voice' on 80, 40 and 15,
where they
have only CW privileges," he says. "Not true. Digital voice is really
digitized voice, and it's not permitted in non-phone band segments."
Henderson reiterates that Technicians do not have FM voice privileges
on 10
meters -- or on any other HF band, for that matter.
The HF privileges all Technicians now have are equivalent to those
that
Novice licensees enjoy, Henderson notes. "This also means the 200 W
maximum
power limit still applies, regardless of where you operate in the HF
bands,"
he says. Technicians may operate at up to the legal limit on VHF and
UHF,
however.
On 10 meters, Technician and Novice licensees have CW, RTTY and data
privileges from 28.000 to 28.300 MHz, and CW and SSB privileges from
28.300
to 28.500 MHz. "We're sorry that the sunspots aren't favoring 10
meters at
this point in the sunspot cycle, but they will in a few years,"
Henderson
allowed.
In addition, Technicians and Novices have CW -- and only CW --
privileges on
from 3.525 to 3.600 MHz on 80 meters, from 7.025 to 7.125 MHz on 40
meters
and 21.025 to 21.200 MHz on 15 meters.
Henderson believes at least some of the confusion may have originated
with a
few brand-new or inexperienced Technician licensees who heard that the
FCC
deleted the Morse code requirement to obtain an Amateur Radio license,
but
paid little attention to the fine print.
"And we all know the devil's in the details," Henderson says.
"Remember, the
FCC requires you to know where you may and may not operate and with
what
modes. Stick to the privileges your license allows or risk hearing
from the
FCC."
==>ARRL EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM EXPANDS ITS REACH
The ARRL Education and Technology Program (ETP) continues to expand
and
evolve. Conceived and put into motion in 2000 as "The Big Project" by
then-ARRL President (now President Emeritus) Jim Haynie, W5JBP, the
ETP
exposes youngsters to Amateur Radio and electronics in their schools.
The
program is funded solely through donor dollars. It not only offers a
comprehensive curriculum on wireless technology, it sponsors free
Teachers
Institutes (TIs) <
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/tbp/ti.html> to get
educators
up to speed. Some of the latest schools to come aboard only recently
received their ham radio stations and are putting their programs into
gear.
ETP Coordinator Mark Spencer, WA8SME, says the program now boasts 224
participating schools and colleges, public and private.
"I expect that number to reach above 250 after the May round of
schools and
this summer's TIs," Spencer said. "I am constantly reviewing the
program and
making adjustments in an attempt to make the program more effective."
He
says that's especially true in an era of standardized achievement
tests to
address states' educational accountability requirements.
Spencer says the educational standards he's been studying not only
have
validated what the program has been doing over the past few years, but
have
given him some new vocabulary as well as ways to show educators how
the
program's goals address the standards.
"This has resulted mainly in changes to the TI content," Spencer
explains.
"In future TIs, I will increase emphasis on space and on radio
direction-finding -- fox hunting." While he's abandoned providing
"activity
circuit boards" as kits to Teachers Institute attendees, he will be
adding a
"Soldering 101" module, where educators will build one of the simpler
boards
under his supervision. Teachers attending TIs now will get completed
activity boards instead of kits, plus 3 units of graduate-level credit
through Fresno Pacific University.
By inspiring enthusiasm in participating educators, the TIs have
become one
route for schools to apply for ETP grants. Several lead teachers among
the
recent round of ETP participants were TI attendees. Spencer explains
that
more educators are looking in depth at space-related activities that
can be
used over years of curriculum. "Consequently an increasing number of
ETP
grant requests are related to Earth stations to support space
communication," he noted.
Students at many ETP-grant schools have been motivated to become radio
amateurs, and some ETP programs incorporate licensing classes.
Becoming an
Amateur Radio operator is not a primary program goal, however. Several
teachers also have obtained their Amateur Radio licenses as a result
of
their involvement in the program.
For a school to be considered an ETP participant, it must have
received some
level of support from the program -- such as Teachers Institute
participation, activity board kits or equipment grants. Schools
awarded ETP
grants may choose from a number of Amateur Radio station packages,
each
adjusted to accommodate specific needs -- particularly antenna needs
-- if
possible. Progress grants include curriculum and printed materials
plus
ancillary components and pieces of equipment to enhance existing
programs.
No cash is awarded.
Recent schools' proposals include one to integrate ham radio satellite
activity into the curriculum. A college in Mississippi is hoping to
rebuild
its ham radio program after Hurricane Katrina destroyed its ham
station. A
third school wants to emphasis emergency communication-related
activities as
well as radio direction finding and balloon-borne radio payloads.
Others are
looking to Amateur Radio and a school station to support
extra-curricular
opportunities. Some progress grant recipients plan to implement "Space
in
the Classroom" concepts like the one presented during a Teachers
Institute.
For more information about the ARRL Education and Technology Program,
visit
the ARRL ETP Web site <
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/tbp/> or e-mail Mark
Spencer, WA8SME <mspencer@arrl.org>.
To support the ARRL Education and Technology Program, visit the secure
donor
page
<
https://www.arrl.org/forms/developm....html>.
==>DONATIONS URGENTLY NEEDED TO GET ISS COLUMBUS MODULE AMATEUR
RADIO-READY
More money is needed -- and soon -- to help expand Amateur Radio's
presence
in space. The International Space Station's Columbus module, set to
launch
later this year, will house an additional Amateur Radio station.
Equipment
will include the first digital Amateur Radio TV (DATV) station in
space as
well as a ham radio transponder. But funding to finish and install ham
radio
antennas on the European Space Agency (ESA)-built laboratory module
remains
incomplete. The total project cost is 80,000 Euros (approximately
$106,500).
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Vice Chairman
Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, says a payment of 9000 Euros (approximately
$12,000)
is due this month. ARISS-Europe remains 4000 Euros (approximately
$5330) shy
of that goal, however, and time is short to have it in place.
"The ARISS antennas for Columbus will be finally manufactured in March
and
delivered to Kennedy Space Center for integration into the Columbus
module,"
Bertels said in a recent appeal to International Amateur Radio Union
(IARU)
and AMSAT member-societies and radio amateurs around the globe. "It
would be
a pity to stop the process because of a lack of funding, now that we
are so
close to the goal." Another 9000 Euros will come due in October.
Donations already have come in from the ARRL Foundation, AMSAT-NA and
AMSAT-UK, among other organizations, as well as from many individual
donors.
ARISS Europe contracted with the Institute of Telecommunications and
Acoustics at Poland's Wroclaw University of Technology to fabricate
the L
and S-band antennas with financial support from AMSAT-Belgium and the
Royal
Belgium Amateur Radio Society (UBA), Belgium's IARU member-society.
ARISS International Secretary-Treasurer Rosalie White, K1STO, says
European
hams have devoted several years toward outfitting Columbus for Amateur
Radio. "ESA has supported the project with quite a lot of money and
people-time," she says. Installation of the microwave panel antennas
on
Columbus' meteorite debris panels would take place this May at Kennedy
Space
Center.
The yet-to-be-built Columbus amateur gear will facilitate operation on
new
frequencies that will make it possible for ARISS to establish wideband
and
video operations for the first time and allow continuous transponder
operation. At the ARISS International conference last October in San
Francisco, Graham Shirville, G3VZV, speaking on behalf of
ARISS-Europe,
outlined plans for a mode L/S ham radio transponder as well as a DATV
downlink on S1 band (2.4 GHz).
"So, future ARISS contacts could have pictures as well as sound,"
Shirville
told the delegates. ARISS-Europe is looking at a 10 W transmitter and
a
signal bandwidth of from 4 to 8 MHz. Since the Columbus module will be
some
distance from the other two ARISS stations, parallel operation will be
possible.
Antennas were to have been installed before Columbus came to the US,
but
Shirville told last fall's ARISS gathering that ARISS-Europe had "some
fairly major problems" developing the antennas due to extreme launch
load
requirements.
AMSAT-Belgium has set up a bank account to receive donations toward
equipping the module with the necessary ham radio antennas. Bertels
says
donors within the European Union will not have to pay any additional
banking
costs -- beyond the cost of a national money transfer -- if they use
the
international banking number (IBAN) and mention the international
identification code (BIC). Reference transfers as "Donation Columbus"
to:
AMSAT-Belgium
001-2306592-08
IBAN -- BE63 0012 3065 9208
BIC -- GEBABEBB
PayPal account holders can make a donation
<
http://www.ariss-eu.org/columbus.htm> by clicking on the "Donate"
button in
the left column. Credit card donations for the Columbus project are
also
accepted.
==>ARRL 500 KHZ EXPERIMENT LOGS THOUSANDS OF ACTIVITY HOURS
ARRL 500 kHz Experiment <
http://www.500kc.com> Coordinator Fritz Raab,
W1FR,
reports that a total of 16 participating stations have been active on
the
air since the experiment got under way in late 2006. The FCC Office of
Engineering and Technology granted the WD2XSH experimental license to
the
ARRL last September. Raab says the low-frequency investigation has
demonstrated ground-wave communication at distances of 100 miles in
New
England, in the Gulf Coast states and in Colorado.
"This might not sound very dramatic, but it is very important, as no
current
amateur band has the capability for beyond-line-of-sight communication
that
does not depend upon the whims of the ionosphere," Raab told ARRL
Headquarters. In his second quarterly Project Status Report
<
http://www.500kc.com/#report2>, Raab noted that during the past three
months, WD2XSH participants have racked up another 2250 hours of
operation,
bringing the total to 4629. As of the end of February, the project had
recorded 75 two-way contacts and more than 3100 reception reports via
its
Web site.
Raab says most of the records for QSO and reception distances set in
the
experiment's first three months have not been broken. "The longest
distance
over which a QSO has been maintained is 884 miles -- from New
Hampshire to
Tennessee," he notes. WD4XSH/10 (W4DEX operator) completed a crossband
(500
kHz/137 kHz) QSO with WD2XNS (W1VD operator ) in Connecticut. Stations
have
been using CW or very slow-speed CW (QRSs).
Even daylight contacts have been completed via ground wave. These
include a
127-mile path between Massachusetts and Connecticut and an 87-mile
path
between Mississippi and Louisiana. "The Mississippi-Louisiana link has
proven reliable multiple times at all times of the day or night," he
commented. Daytime ground wave reception also has been reported over
paths
of 25 miles and 150 miles.
"These QSOs and reception reports provide preliminary verification of
the
capability for amateurs to use this band for regional emergency
communication that does not depend upon the ionosphere," Raab said.
SM6BHZ in Sweden has been authorized to operate from 505.0 to 505.2
kHz. Two
German experimental stations that had been operating in the vicinity
of 400
kHz have shifted to 500 kHz too. "We moved our operations up 200 Hz to
create a 'DX Window' for them," Raab said. "The UK is now issuing
special
permits for 501-504 kHz."
Raab says the WD2XSH participants plan to continue their current
operating
pattern through the end of May. "We are trying designated QSO nights
to
increase the number of contacts," he pointed out. "Given successful
completion of the third quarter, we would like to begin use of
PSK/FSK/MSK31. Since these signals fit within the spectrum of the
currently
authorized CW signal, we should be able to use these digital modes by
simply
filing notice under Section 5.77 of the FCC rules."
Because a few of the original WD2XSH stations no longer are able to
participate, Raab says he's looking into adding other stations to the
list
of those authorized to operate under the experimental license. "At
present,
nearly two dozen amateurs have submitted information forms with the
hope of
being added to the license," he notes. Criteria for additional
participants
include expansion of geographic coverage, expansion of ground wave
tests,
narrowband digital-mode capability and an on-going ability to
contribute to
the experiment.
The two-year WD2XSH authorization permits experimentation and research
between 505 and 510 kHz using narrowband modes at power levels of up
to 20 W
effective radiated power (ERP).
Important WD2XSH Frequencies: CW beacons: 505.300-506.300 kHz; QRSs
operation: 505.250-505.255 kHz, and calling frequency: 507.5 kHz (band
center).
==>SOLAR UPDATE
Sunspot seeker Tad "Who Let the Spots Out?" Cook, K7RA, Seattle,
Washington,
reports: For the past 10 days we've observed no sunspots at all!
Periods
like this -- or longer -- are expected at the bottom of the sunspot
cycle.
As mentioned in a recent "Solar Update," the latest projection for
smoothed
sunspot numbers from the NOAA Space Environment Center puts the solar
minimum at February through April 2007, with a smoothed sunspot number
of
11. Another way to look at it is that the minimum is projected between
December 2006 and July 2007, with a smoothed sunspot number of 12 or
lower.
The lower part of the HF spectrum is a good place to operate at the
bottom
of the sunspot cycle. Unlike 10 or 15 meters, 160 and 80 meters won't
be
bothered by a low MUF (Maximum Usable Frequency) -- a consequence of
the
lack of sunspots. With less solar activity comes fewer problems with
geomagnetic disturbances, which can be frequent toward the top of the
cycle.
For the CQ World Wide WPX Contest (SSB) this weekend, there probably
won't
be any sunspots. The higher frequencies won't be fantastic, but
geomagnetic
conditions are expected to be stable and quiet. The US Air Force
predicts
planetary A index for March 23-29 at 5, 5, 10, 15, 20, 10 and 5.
Geophysical
Institute Prague says that March 23 should be quiet to unsettled,
March
24-25 unsettled, March 26-27 unsettled to active, March 28 unsettled,
and
March 29 quiet.
Sunspot numbers for March 15 through 21 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 and 0,
with a
mean of 0. The 10.7 cm flux was 69.2, 68.7, 69.3, 70.5, 70.1, 72.6,
and
72.8, with a mean of 70.5. Estimated planetary A indices were 8, 10,
8, 3,
2, 2 and 2, with a mean of 5. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 5,
11,
8, 1, 1, 1 and 1, with a mean of 4.
For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL
Technical
Information Service Propagation page
<
http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html>.
__________________________________
==>IN BRIEF:
* This weekend on the radio: The CQ World Wide WPX Contest (SSB), and
the
SKCC Weekend Sprint are the weekend of March 24-25. JUST AHEAD: The
QCWA
Spring QSO Party is the weekend of March 31-April 1. The RSGB RoPoCo 1
is
April 1. The RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship (CW) is April 2. The ARS
Spartan Sprint is April 3. The YLRL DX-YL to NA-YL Contest (CW) is
April
3-5. The SARL 80-Meter QSO Party is April 5. See the ARRL Contest
Branch
page <
http://www.arrl.org/contests/> and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar
<
http://www.hornucopia.com/contestca...x.html> for more info.
* ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration:
Registration remains open through Sunday, April 1, for these for these
ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education (CCE) online courses beginning
Friday
April 20: Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 2 (EC-002),
Amateur
Radio Emergency Communications Level 3 (EC-003R2), Antenna Modeling
(EC-004), HF Digital Communications (EC-005), VHF/UHF -- Life Beyond
the
Repeater (EC-008), and Radio Frequency Propagation (EC-011). These
courses
will also open for registration Friday, March 30, for classes
beginning
Friday, May 18. To learn more, visit the CCE Course Listing page
<
http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> or contact the CCE Department
<cce@arrl.org>.
* Ham radio volunteers locate missing man: Amateur Radio Emergency
Service
(ARES) volunteers in Stanislaus County, California, were able to
locate an
82-year-old man suffering from senile dementia who walked away from a
residential care facility March 14. Police in Modesto organized a
search for
the elderly man, and members of the Stanislaus Amateur Radio
Association
(SARA) -- an ARRL Special Service Club -- volunteered to help (the
club
meets at the Modesto Police Department's Northeast Area Substation).
One
volunteer who had helped locate victims of Hurricane Katrina brought
along
her search dog. The searchers found the missing man sitting in the
driver's
seat of a pick-up truck. Modesto police say that while he appeared
disoriented, he was in good spirits and shook hands with the
volunteers who
found him. "We are very thankful for the help our local volunteers
provide
us in times like these," said Modesto Police Lt Gary Watts, who headed
the
search. "They are all very dedicated, and we couldn't do it without
them."
-- Modesto Police Department
* CubeSat launch scheduled: Four CubeSats operating on Amateur Radio
frequencies will be among seven CubeSats set to head into space on a
Dnepr
launcher Tuesday, March 27, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in
Kazakhstan.
CubeSats carrying Amateur Radio payloads are CalPoly's PolySats CP3
and CP4,
which will transmit 1200 bps FM AFSK (AX.25) on 436.845 MHz and
437.325 MHz,
respectively, under an FCC Part 5 experimental license; University of
Louisiana's CAPE-1, which will transmit 9600 bps FM FSK (AX.25) and CW
telemetry during opposite 30-second intervals on 435.245 MHz using the
call
sign K5USL (forward telemetry reports via e-mail
<jd.harrist@gmail.com>),
and the Universidad Sergio Arboleda's Libertad-1, which will transmit
1200
bps FM AFSK (AX.25) on 437.405 MHz. CubeSat separation is scheduled to
occur
March 27 at 0702 UTC with first acquisition of signal over South
Africa at
0708 UTC.
* FCC fines shop for selling non-certified CBs as ham gear: In a
Forfeiture
Order
<
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_publ...A1.pdf>
released March 2, the FCC has affirmed a $7000 fine it levied on Ben
Metzger
of Titusville, Florida, doing business as 1 Stop Communications / 1
Stop CB
Shop, for marketing non-certified Citizens Band transceivers. The
FCC's
Tampa Office issued Metzger a Citation in March 2006 for marketing
certain
Galaxy and Connex transceivers. Metzger has asserted that the units
are
Amateur Radio transceivers, which do not require FCC certification,
not CB
transceivers, which do. The FCC says the units are intended for use on
CB as
well as on amateur frequencies through a simple modification, and it
has
determined that such dual-use transceivers are CB transceivers under
its
rules. Metzger told the Commission last May that he'd removed the
radios
mentioned in the Citation from his store. In June 2006, the FCC
declined to
withdraw the citation on the basis that the transceivers were marketed
as
ham gear. Agents from the Tampa FCC office later revisited the shop
and were
able to buy a Connex CX 3300HP, which they say Metzger modified to
operate
on part of 10 meters as well as on CB and other frequencies (25.615 to
28.305 MHz). Metzger still maintains that the Connex CX 3300HP is a
ham
transceiver and that he did not violate any FCC rules, the FCC said.
* DXCC Honor Roll listings due! The deadline for the next ARRL DXCC
Honor
Roll listing is looming. All submissions must be postmarked by March
31. The
Honor Roll list will appear in August QST. There are 337 current
entities on
the DXCC list, so you must be at 337 for Top of the Honor Roll or
within the
numerical top 10 to qualify for the Honor Roll (minimum of 328
entities;
deleted entities do not count toward Honor Roll). Top of Honor Roll
and
Honor Roll plaques and lapel pins are available to all past and
current
Honor Roll members. Visit the ARRL DXCC Web page for details
<
http://www.arrl.org/awards/dxcc/>.
* Visalia programs announced: The 2007 International DX Convention
program
will include presentations on the KH8SI, VU7RG, XF4DL, YI9MD and ZL8R
DXpeditions. Other programs on the schedule are: "Audio Reinforcement
in
Contesting" by Bob Heil, K9EID, and Chip Margelli, K7JA; "DXing from a
City
Lot," by Dean Straw, N6BV; "Ionospheric Propagation Simplified," by
Dave
Gomberg, NE5EE; "Why Do We DX?" by Bob Locher, W9KNI; and "Working
Your
First 100 Countries," by Rich Moseson, W2VU. The Saturday night
banquet will
feature the 4O3T operation from Montenegro. The Sunday breakfast will
include a presentation on the 5A7A DXpedition to Libya. The 58th
annual
International DX Convention <
http://www.dxconvention.org/> takes place
April
27-29 in Visalia, California.
===========================================================
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<
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