[LeArc] The ARRL Letter Vol. 21, No. 07 February 15, 2002

[Joseph L. Rossmiller]

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 21, No. 07
February 15, 2002
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +ARRL challenges FCC's authority in new RFID proposal
* +Vanity holdup resolution could be near
* +Hams aid Winter Olympics
* +Conference hears of ham radio's benefit to hurricane forecasters
* +ARRL to comment on 5-GHz wireless networking proposal
* +Changes announced in ARRL's Field & Educational Services
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF:
     This weekend on the radio
     Field Day 2002 rules, packets now available
     ARRL Headquarters closed for Presidents' Day holiday
     Amateur Radio Emergency Communications course registration
    +Body of amateur lost in World Trade Center collapse located
    +Wayne C. Williams, K4MOB, SK
    +Many happy returns to W8HKY, age 101!
     New satellites get OSCAR numbers
     New listserver established for Web resource discussions
     QCWA honors K4FW
     Second Winter Olympics special event station on the air

+Available on ARRL Audio News

===========================================================

==>ARRL ASKS FCC TO DROP RFID RULES PROPOSED FOR 425-435 MHz

The ARRL says the FCC "cannot legally proceed with the rules proposed
for
unlicensed RFID tags at 433 MHz," and it's asked the Commission to not
adopt
them. The League filed comments February 12 as part of its continued
opposition to what it called "this ill-conceived proposal" of SAVI
Technology to deploy unlicensed transient RF identification devices
between
425 and 435 MHz at much higher field strengths and duty cycles than Part
15
rules now permit for such devices. The FCC appears inclined to agree
with
SAVI's proposal, but FCC staff members have told the ARRL that it's not
a
"done deal."

"The level of interference from the devices permitted under the proposed

rule is intolerable," the ARRL argued, citing its own interference
study.
The League reiterated its stance that the Communications Act of 1934 "is

devoid of any authority to allow unlicensed devices with substantial
interference potential; such devices must be licensed."

SAVI, the ARRL argues in its comments, "wants to have its cake and eat
it
too" by getting high power levels and lengthy duty cycles operating on a

band heavily used by a licensed radio service that uses sensitive
receivers
"and all of the above on an unlicensed basis." Among other applications,

RFID tags are used to track and inventory parcel shipments and vehicles.

The ARRL said the FCC's inclination to go along with SAVI Technology's
proposal "eviscerates the periodic radiator rules, is vague and
overbroad,"
and would permit digital RFIDs to operate "at unsuitable power levels
and
duty cycles." The result would be unacceptable interference that would
"preclude or repeatedly disrupt amateur operation," the ARRL said.

The ARRL also said that the cost of the tags is a problem for SAVI, and
the
choice of frequency band is related only to the cost of components. The
League said SAVI chose 433.9 MHz as an operating frequency because of
the
availability of relatively cheap components in Europe, where the
433.05-434.79 MHz band is available for industrial, scientific and
medical
uses in at least 10 countries.

The ARRL pointed out that deploying the proposed RFID tags elsewhere
would
make much better sense than 70 cm. "SAVI should seriously consider the
frequencies around 868 or 915 MHz, which apparently stand at least some
reasonable chance of global standardization," the ARRL advised.

The RFID rules proposed in response to SAVI's Petition for Rule Making
last
year "are flawed from their inception and should not be adopted under
any
circumstances," the League concluded. The ARRL has said it will "do
whatever
it takes" to keep the FCC from permitting the RFID tags on 70 cm. That
could
include further direct appeals to FCC staffers, Imlay has said.

The FCC included the Part 15 RFID proposals within a larger proceeding,
ET-01-278, that's aimed primarily at reviewing and updating portions of
its
Part 2, 15 and 18 rules. A copy of the ARRL's comments in the proceeding
is
available on the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/savi/arrl-savicmts-0.html>.
Reply
comments are due by March 12, 2002.

==>DIM LIGHT AT END OF TUNNEL IN VANITY HOLDUP

Despite a rising level of annoyance among those awaiting Amateur Radio
vanity call signs, the FCC remains at a standstill in terms of resolving
the
current stalemate. No vanity call signs have been granted since February
1,
when applications received at the FCC October 22, 23 and 24 were
processed.
The FCC subsequently realized that it needed further information for an
October 23 application, and--at least for now--it has rescinded vanity
grants for October 23 and 24.

Prior to late January, no vanity call signs had been issued since
October
30. The ARRL estimates that some 1800 vanity applications now are in the

FCC's processing pipeline--the majority of them filed electronically.

The current holdup stems from the fact that some mail destined for the
FCC's
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, office last October was diverted to
Washington,
DC, with other FCC mail for anthrax decontamination. That mail, which
included more than 100 vanity applications filed on paper, never got
back to
Gettysburg, where the FCC processes all vanity applications. Since the
FCC's
policy is to give equal priority to electronic and paper vanity
applications, the whole process ground to a halt when the paper
applications
went missing.

Payment receipts were not lost, however, and using that information, FCC

Wireless Telecommunications Bureau personnel in Gettysburg scrambled to
contact known applicants via e-mail or telephone to have them resubmit
copies of their vanity applications. That process was largely
successful.
Right now, it appears that only three vanity applications filed during
the
last couple of weeks of October remain outstanding. The FCC has been
unable
to reach the applicants via e-mail or telephone, however. Wireless
Bureau
staffers also have been dealing with similar issues involving
date-sensitive
applications in other radio services.

The FCC has been considering issuing a formal public notice with a
cutoff
date for outstanding applicants in the Amateur Vanity and in the other
similarly affected FCC services to respond--a process that could take
weeks.
In the meantime, the ARRL has been assisting the FCC in efforts to
contact
the missing applicants, collect the necessary information and get it to
the
Commission as soon as possible. If that effort is successful, the vanity

logjam could begin to break as early as next week.

Once vanity processing resumes, the FCC is not expected to process all
of
the remaining applications in a single batch. It's more likely that the
processing would be spread out over a period of a few days.

Last week, the FCC said it was making arrangements to test for possible
anthrax contamination at the off-site mailroom serving the Gettysburg
office. The Gettysburg testing would be "a further precaution," the FCC
said, and there was no indication that any anthrax was present at
Gettysburg
or that the testing would have any impact on the processing of any
Amateur
Service applications. Since October, the FCC has been urging all
applicants
to file electronically.

==>AMATEUR RADIO VOLUNTEERS SUPPORTING OLYMPICS

Following months of planning and coordination, Amateur Radio is
supporting
the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, which got under way in Salt Lake City,
Utah,
February 8. Ham radio volunteers are assisting with security and remain
available to provide back-up communication.

"The amateurs involved have assisted numerous local and federal agencies
to
develop a unique system that covers the entire Wasatch Front Area,
providing
communications to reach numerous Olympic venues 24 hours a day," said
Utah
ARRL Section Manager Mel Parkes, AC7CP. "Amateur Radio will be there
should
any of the primary frequencies fail or become unavailable."

According to Parkes, Utah Section Emergency Coordinator John
Mabey,W7CWK,
and Brent Thomas, AC7H, from the State of Utah Comprehensive Management
Office began working on this effort over a year ago. A special public
safety
organization--Utah Olympic Public Safety Command (UOPSC)--was created by
the
various local and national public safety organizations that provide the
security necessary for the international event. Mabey, along with Davis
County EC Hall Blankenship, KC7RAF; Kirk Boman, KD0J; Ed Cole, KB7EC;
and
Mike Youngs, KK7VZ, headed up the Amateur Radio effort to provide
emergency
backup communication for the Olympic Security Command.

"UOPSC has now involved more than 200 Amateur Radio volunteers in Utah
to
support this critical security effort," Parkes said. In addition Amateur

Radio volunteers are staffing a number of Olympic Security Command
centers
assisting local and national public safety organizations.

Nevada SEC Paul Cavnar, NN7B, says hams in his state remain on standby
in
case they're needed to help with communications. Cavnar said hams in
Nevada,
Idaho and Northern California also are prepared to assist in the
unlikely
event of a mass evacuation of the Winter Olympics site.

"The hard work and dedication by all these Amateur Radio operators will
certainly contribute to a very successful and safe Winter Olympic
Games,"
Parkes said.

==>CONFERENCE TOLD OF HAM RADIO'S VALUE TO HURRICANE FORECASTERS

Attendees at the seventh annual Amateur Radio Hurricane Conference
earlier
this month in Miami gained some insights into how forecasters make use
of
reports gathered via ham radio to produce hurricane and tropical storm
advisories. National Hurricane Center staffer Stacy Stewart described
how
so-called "ground truth" reports from hams in an affected region can
augment
data gathered via instruments, radar and satellites and permit
forecasters
to generate more accurate models of storms in progress.

Nearly a full house of some 40 attendees turned out for the conference
February 2 at the National Hurricane Center. The annual event was
organized
by volunteers and operators of W4EHW--the Hurricane Center's Amateur
Radio
station, now in its 22nd year. During an Atlantic or Gulf storm,
real-time
weather data from amateurs is funneled to forecasters via the Hurricane
Watch Net <http://www.hwn.org> and W4EHW to benefit forecasters in
tracking
the storm and predicting its likely path.

Stewart told the gathering that, among other things, ground truth
reports
can give forecasters a more meaningful picture of wind velocities at
different elevations. The eyewitness ham radio reports also can help
forecasters to pin down a storm's location and give them a clearer idea
of
what actions the public is taking or might have to take, he said.

In addition to W4EHW operators and team members, those attending
included
representatives of the ARRL, the Hurricane Watch Net, Florida Emergency
Management, and radio amateurs from the US Virgin Islands, Jamaica,
Turks
and Caicos, and Bermuda. Hurricane Center Amateur Radio Coordinator John

McHugh, KU4GY, opened the conference and gave an update on the Caribbean

Amateur Radio Meteorological Emergency Network (CARMEN) project
<http://www.fiu.edu/orgs/w4ehw/>.

Assistant Amateur Radio Coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4JR, recounted the
2001
hurricane season and W4EHW's supporting operations. He presented some of
the
reports and photographs sent in from affected areas, including Belize
during
Hurricane Iris, and Cuba and the Bahamas during Hurricane Michelle.

Assistant Hurricane Watch Net Manager Mike Pilgrim, K5MP, described the
Net's ongoing mission and activities.

ARRL's Steve Ewald, WV1X, discussed the support that the League provides
for
emergency preparedness and training and gave a plug to the popular ARRL
Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course series
<http://www.arrl.org/cce/syllabus.html>. He said the ARECC courses offer
a
standardized approach to emergency communications training. Ewald said
the
ARRL's Field Organization continues to play a vital role in disasters
and
emergencies, and he thanked all participants for "carrying on the
mission of
Amateur Radio public service."

Individuals honored with W4EHW/National Hurricane Center awards of
appreciation in recognition of support rendered during the 2001
hurricane
season were: FCC Special Counsel Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH; Wayne
Wilkinson, KC4CYK/C6A; Mike Matalon, 6Y5MM; Alison Barton, KF6HYJ/mm;
Brian
Hamilton; Alexis Digon, CL4RP; and Lionel Remigio, KC4CLD.

The conference closed with a tour of the operations room at the National

Hurricane Center and W4EHW. "We hope for peace on Earth and a quiet 2002

hurricane season," McHugh said. For more information, visit the W4EHW
Web
site <http://www.fiu.edu/orgs/w4ehw/>.

==>MORE 5-GHZ SPECTRUM SOUGHT FOR WIRELESS NETWORKING DEVICES

The Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance--WECA, an industry
coalition--has petitioned the FCC for additional 5-GHz spectrum to make
more
room for radio local area network (RLAN) systems and other unlicensed
Part
15 devices. The FCC put the WECA petition on public notice in late
January,
not long after it was filed. WECA seeks to extend the available spectrum
to
include 5.470 to 5.725 GHz. The Amateur Service now shares 5.650 to
5.925
GHz on a secondary basis with government and nongovernment radars and
nongovernment fixed satellite uplinks. The ARRL plans to comment on the
WECA
proposal.

"Layering relatively high-power Part 15 users on 5.650-5.725 GHz would
reduce the utility of the amateur allocation," said ARRL Executive Vice
President David Sumner, K1ZZ. He said the amateur 5-GHz allocation
already
has suffered from earlier FCC actions. In 1997, the FCC allocated 5.150
to
5.350 GHz and 5.725 to 5.825 GHz for so-called Unlicensed National
Information Infrastructure (U-NII) wireless local area network devices.
In
1998, the Commission allocated 5.850 to 5.925 GHz for dedicated
short-range
communications (DSRC) systems in the Intelligent Transportation System.

WECA says the additional spectrum and proposed rule changes are needed
to
"accommodate the inevitable explosion of demand for broadband mobile
wireless data systems." In its petition, designated as RM-10371, WECA
asserted that extending the spectrum available for unlicensed Part 15
devices at 5 GHz can be accomplished easily and "without harmful
interference to other primary users." The coalition proposed extending
the
technical rules now in place for U-NII devices at 5.25 to 5.35 GHz to
cover
the new frequencies.

Interested parties may comment on the petition using the FCC's
Electronic
Comment Filing System (ECFS) <http://www.fcc.gov/e-file/ecfs.html>.
Click on
"Search for Filed Comments" and enter "RM-10371" in the "Proceeding"
field.
Comments are due by the end of February.

==>ARRL FIELD & EDUCATIONAL SERVICES ANNOUNCES CHANGES

ARRL Field & Educational Services Manager Rosalie White, K1STO, has
announced the creation of two teams to help streamline the department's
varied support activities. White has named Steve Ewald, WV1X, to lead
the
new Field Organization/Public Service Team, and Mary Lau, N1VH, to lead
the
new Field & Educational Support Team. White said the new teams,
announced
February 8, will permit F&ES staff members with common goals to more
easily
share their expertise, ideas, and resources and better serve League
members.

Ewald's Field Organization/Public Service Team will support the
activities
of field volunteers, who further ARRL objectives at the local and
section
level. Ewald thus becomes the primary contact person at ARRL
Headquarters
for Section Managers. He will continue as the League's expert on
emergency
communications, public service and the field organization. "Public
service
is one of the most important aspects of Amateur Radio and one of the
main
reasons why we enjoy the many frequencies we've been allocated," White
said.
Ewald's team includes Leona Adams and Linda Mullally, KB1HSV.

Lau's Field & Educational Support Team will work with field volunteers
active in the education and recruiting of new hams, as well as provide
support for ARRL-affiliated clubs and ARRL-sanctioned conventions and
hamfests. F&ES also sponsors annual events, such as Jamboree On The Air,

Kid's Day and School Club Roundup, and the ARRL's annual educator and
technical awards. Lau's team includes Jean Wolfgang, WB3IOS, Gail
Iannone,
and Margie Bourgoin, KB1DCO.

White stressed that Amateur Radio education in arenas other than schools

will continue to be a major focus, equal in importance to the support
given
to clubs, hamfests and conventions.

A Tennessee native, Ewald, 42, began his ARRL career in 1982. He
currently
edits the "Section News" and "Public Service" columns in QST, and is a
frequent contributor to various ARRL publications. He was licensed in
1972.

Lau has been at ARRL Headquarters since 1986. She also serves as
secretary
of the ARRL Foundation. She's been a ham since 1985.

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Heliophile Tad Cook, K7VVV, Seattle, Washington, reports: Average daily
solar flux and sunspot numbers both declined over the past week. Solar
flux
reached a low around 192 around February 7 and 8 but jumped to near 217
over
the weekend.

The best current guess is for flux values to remain between 190 and 195
from
now through Tuesday, then peak near 240 or 245 around February 24-28.

On February 14 around 0250 UTC a coronal mass ejection headed toward
Earth,
and this should cause geomagnetic upset around February 16- 17, just in
time
for the ARRL International DX Contest (CW). This isn't good news for
contesters, although it is possible that the effects could be mild. If
not,
then expect greater absorption--especially on the polar paths. There is
also
the possibility of a visible aurora, especially in northern latitudes.

Sunspot numbers for February 7 through 13 were 178, 229, 225, 205, 206,
182
and 158, with a mean of 197.6. The 10.7-cm flux was 191.7, 191.5, 199.4,

216.5, 201.7, 208.3 and 203.5, with a mean of 201.8. Estimated planetary
A
indices were 14, 10, 9, 8, 13, 6 and 10 with a mean of 10.

__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: The ARRL International DX Contest (CW), the

YLISSB QSO Party (CW) and the YL-OM Contest (SSB) are the weekend of
February 16-17. JUST AHEAD: The CQ 160-Meter Contest (SSB), the REF
Contest
(SSB), the UBA DX Contest (CW), the High Speed Club CW Contest, the
North
Carolina QSO Party, and the CQC Winter QSO Party are the weekend of
February
23-24. See the ARRL Contest Branch page, <http://www.arrl.org/contests/>
and
the WA7BNM Contest Calendar,
<http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more info

* Field Day 2002 rules, packets now available: The ARRL Field Day 2002
rules
and packets now are available on the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/forms/> as Adobe PDF files (ASCII files
will
be updated by next week). The ARRL has adopted rule changes affecting
Field
Day, including the addition of a "Get On The Air" (GOTA) station, which
replaces the Novice-Technician station. Field Day 2002 will mark the
first
in which stations throughout the Americas have been invited to
participate.
All International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 countries--North and
South
America--may take part in Field Day, which takes place June 22-23 this
year.
For more information, contact ARRL Contest Branch Manager Dan Henderson,

N1ND, contest@arrl.org.

* ARRL Headquarters closed for Presidents' Day holiday: ARRL
Headquarters
will be closed all day Monday, February 18, for Presidents' Day.
Headquarters will reopen Tuesday, February 19, at 8 AM Eastern Time.

* Amateur Radio Emergency Communications course registration:
Registration
for the Level III Amateur Radio Emergency Communications course (EC-003)

will open Monday, February 18, at 4 PM Eastern Time. Registration for
the
Level II ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications course (EC-002)
will
remain open through this weekend or until all 50 seats are
filled--whichever
happens first. March registration for Level I will open Monday, March 4.

Courses must be completed in order, starting with Level I. Thanks to
tremendous interest in the Antenna Modeling course (EC-004), all
available
seats for the first classes have been filled. More than 100 people
signed up
the first day! As we add mentors to the list for this course, we will be

able to offer more classes in the months ahead. To learn more, visit the

ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/cce> and the C-CE Links found there. For more
information, contact Certification and Continuing Education Coordinator
Dan
Miller, K3UFG, cce@arrl.org.

* Body of amateur lost in World Trade Center collapse located: The body
of
Robert D. "Bob" Cirri Sr, KA2OTD, was among several found February 9 in
the
ruins of the World Trade Center. The remains of Cirri, 39--a Port
Authority
Police Department lieutenant--and five other PAPD members were located
in
what had been the lobby of One World Trade Center--the second tower to
collapse September 11. Nearby, recovery crews also found the body of a
woman
strapped into a rescue chair. An ARRL member, Cirri, of Nutley New
Jersey,
had served as ARES District Emergency Coordinator for Hudson County.
"The
thoughts of the Cirri Memorial Radio Club are with his family," said
club
president Rich Krajewski, WB2CRD. The club, headquartered in Jersey
City,
was renamed last year to honor Cirri's sacrifice. Cirri had helped to
organize the club.

* Wayne C. Williams, K4MOB, SK: Wayne Williams, K4MOB, of Colfax, North
Carolina, died February 12 after an extended illness. He was 65. An ARRL

member, Williams served from 1977 to 2000 as editor of the Southeastern
Repeater Association's SERA Repeater Journal. As the proprietor of
Williams
Radio, Williams was a familiar and welcome presence on the hamfest and
convention circuit in the southeastern US. Current Repeater Journal
Editor
Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, hailed Williams as a "driving force in SERA," the
frequency-coordination body for eight southeastern states. During his
tenure
as editor, Williams transformed the Repeater Journal from a newsletter
to
its current color-cover magazine format. "Wayne touched the lives of
thousands of hams in the Southeast," Pearce said. "We'll miss him."
Williams' survivors include his wife, Gerry, KB4SEL, and two sons,
Chris,
W4CAW, and Wayne Jr (a third son, Gary, died in 2000). The funeral was
February 14.

* Many happy returns to W8HKY, age 101! ARRL member Mike Anuta, W8HKY,
of
Marinette, Wisconsin, remains active on VHF and UHF at the age of 101
and
regularly participates in club nets. Anuta, who's quite possibly the
League's oldest member, celebrated his 101st birthday February 4. The
ARRL
sent special greetings to Anuta when he attained centenarian status in
2001.
He was first licensed as WN8HKY in 1952 during the early days of the
Novice
program. ARRL Wisconsin Section Manager Don Michalski, W9IXG, said he
visited W8HKY at the Marinette-Menominee Amateur Radio Club
<http://www.W8PIF.com> annual charter banquet. "He wanted to pass along
his
gratitude to the club for their efforts in bringing area youngsters into
the
hobby," Michalski said. "He's an inspiration to everyone!"

* New satellites get OSCAR numbers: AMSAT-NA's Bill Tynan, W3XO, has
announced OSCAR designations for two new amateur satellites. PCsat will
be
known as NAV-OSCAR-44 (NO-44). PCsat is a 1200-baud APRS digipeater
designed
for use by amateurs using hand-held transceivers or mobiles. The
spacecraft
known as Sapphire has been designated NAV-OSCAR-45 (NO-45). Sapphire has

1200-baud AX.25 telemetry and a voice replay on 437.1 MHz. PCsat is a
project of the Small Satellite Program within the US Naval Academy's
Department of Aerospace Engineering, and Sapphire is a joint effort
involving the Naval Academy's Small Satellite Program, Stanford
University
and Washington University at St. Louis. Both were launched October 1,
2001,
from Alaska.

* New listserver established for Web resource discussions: ARRL Field
and
Educational Services will offer to a select group of field volunteers a
listserver for discussions about how ARRL's Field Organization can be
better
served by ARRL Web resources. As this is a pilot project to discover
core
Web issues of importance to field volunteers, all ideas are welcome but
may
not necessarily result in creative application or implementation. If you
are
interested in participating, e-mail Mary Lau, N1VH, <mlau@arrl.org> a
short
statement noting any topics that especially interest you and describe
your
Web development experience, if any.

* QCWA honors K4FW: The Quarter Century Wireless Association has honored
Al
Kahn, K4FW, of Cassopolis, Michigan, on his 80th anniversary as an
Amateur
Radio licensee. Kahn, who turns 96 in July, was president of
Electro-Voice
and, after retirement, went on to co-found Ten-Tec. He's also a member
of
the ARRL, the First-Class CW Operators Club and the A-1 Operator Club.
The
Quarter Century Wireless Association was organized to promote friendship
and
cooperation among Amateur Radio operators licensed at least 25 years
ago.
QCWA boasts nearly 200 active chapters and more than 10,000 active
members
from Australia to Zimbabwe.--submitted by Dan Caesar, NI9Y

* Second Winter Olympics special event station on the air: Ray Friess,
WA7ITZ, in Salt Lake City has been operating special event station
WA7ITZ/W19OG to commemorate the 19th Winter Olympic Games. WA7ITZ/W19OG
is
operating on 160 through 10 meters near the lower edge of the General
phone
bands. Some CW operation is possible. QSL to WA7ITZ, 1801 Jennifer Way,
Salt
Lake City, UT 84116. An SASE would be appreciated.

===========================================================
The ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the
American
Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur Radio--225 Main
St,
Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259;
http://www.arrl.org. Jim Haynie, W5JBP, President

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