The WA1VVH beacon on 10368.200 MHz in grid square FN42 is off the air while tower maintenance is going on. When it returns the power output will be approximately 750 milliwatts rather than its previous 100 milliwatts.
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A change has been made to the 20 meter bulletin antennas. W1AW is requesting from amateurs who listen to the 20 meter transmissions send in signal reports. Please note QTH, time of reception, mode, signal strength and quality. Use of the standard RST system is acceptable. Mail your report on a postcard to W1AW, 225 Main Street, Newington, Connecticut, 06111. Email reports may be sent to w1aw@arrl.org. The complete W1AW Operating Schedule appears in July QST, page 83.
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ARLB037/038 Vanity Gate 3
ARRL Bulletin 37&38 July 3, 1997
The long wait is over for Advanced class amateurs. The FCC has just announced that it will open filing Gate 3 of the Vanity Call Sign Program on Wednesday, August 6, 1997. Advanced class hams will be able to apply for a call sign appropriate to their license class on or after that date. Applicants must file either a paper FCC Form 610V or electronically via the FCC’s Web site at http://www.fcc.gov/wtb/amradsrv.html and pay the current 30 dollar fee.
The August 6 deadline squeaks under the implementation of the FCC’s new fiscal year 1997 fee schedule, adopted June 16. Under the FY 97 schedule, which becomes effective September 16, 1997, the vanity application fee will jump to 50 dollars a year. The ARRL had asked the FCC to suspend implementation of the higher FY 1997 fee until after the remaining gates have been opened and applicants had an opportunity to file under the old schedule. The FCC’s response, buried within the Report and Order adopting the higher fees, suggests the FCC could also be planning to open Gate 4 fairly soon. ‘’We expect our remaining vanity call sign ‘gates’ to open before the effective date of our FY 1997 regulatory fee payment requirement,’’ the FCC said in turning down the request for a delay. But, the FCC added that applicants ‘’are expected to pay the fee applicable at the time they file.’’
The bottom line is that hams applying for a vanity call sign on or after September 15 must pay the 50 dollar fee.
Payment of fees may be made by check (payable to FCC), bank draft, money order or credit card. If paying by credit card, you must also complete and submit FCC Form 159 with your FCC Form 610V. Do not send cash. Send your application package to: Federal Communications Commission, Amateur Vanity Call Sign Request, Box 358924, Pittsburgh, PA 15251-5924.
If you file a paper application, remember that legibility is critical. If your application is not able to be deciphered easily by FCC personnel, you could experience a delay in processing, lose the opportunity to obtain a requested call sign or even obtain a call sign different from what you want. Be sure to include your current Amateur Radio call sign on your vanity application.
Under Gate 3, you must hold an unexpired Advanced class operator/primary station license to request a vanity call sign for your primary station. To request a vanity call sign for a club station under Gate 3, you must also hold an unexpired club station license grant listing you as the license trustee. Applicants should refer to the licensee database to verify that a requested call sign is not already assigned. A call sign is normally assignable two years following license expiration, surrender, revocation, set aside, cancellation, void ab initio, or death of the grantee.
Using Form 610V or its on-line electronic equivalent, applicants may request up to 25 call signs in the order of preference. The first assignable call sign on the list will be the one the FCC assigns. Remember: When requesting a call sign under Gate 3 for your primary or club station, the call sign must have been unassigned for at least two years. As an Advanced class operator, you may request a call sign from groups B, C or D.
Any call sign requested must be one
designated for the region of your mailing
address, as follows:
For more information on the vanity call sign program, see Fact Sheet PR5000 Number 206V Amateur Station Vanity Call Sign System. If you file before the opening date or do not qualify under the Gate 3 eligibility standards, your application will be dismissed. General, Technician Plus, Technician, and Novice class operators will become eligible to request vanity call signs under Gate 4. The FCC has not indicated when it plans to open Gate 4.
For further information, contact the Consumer Assistance Branch at 800-322- 1117 or call the FCC’s National Call Center, 888-225-5322 (CALL FCC).
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The ARRL says that it needs your financial help to keep ham radio printed materials at the Scouts Jamboree on the Air.
JOTA, as the event is better known is held each October. Just before last year's Jamboree On the Air the ARRL Educational Activities Department published its first ARRL Scout Handbook about scouting and Amateur Radio.
Last year's publication was made possible by a grant from The ARRL Foundation, but this year your help is needed so that headquarters can reprint this popular booklet in time for JOTA '97. Please consider making a donation to the ARRL Scout Handbook Fund. Send your gift to the:
(Via ARRL)
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