The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) has shut down its Amateur Radio Callsign Lookup Page “for an indeterminate time” and probably for good. An announcement on the page (http://www.ualr.edu/~hamradio/callsign.html) cites the FCC’s new database format and location— necessitated by the switch to the Universal Licensing System—as the main reason for the closure. The UALR site, instituted four years ago, was among the first—if not the first—Web-based call sign servers. Up-to- date FCC amateur licensee and call sign information now is available from the ARRL at http://www.arrl.org/fcc/fcclook.php3.
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A new site devoted to vanity call signs has appeared at http://www.carroll-usa.com/ vanity/. Among other things, the site lets users find out if a call sign already has been submitted to the FCC, lists soon-to-be- available call signs, and includes a list of "creative" call signs.
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Recent news of the now-lost Mars Polar Lander has renewed interest in the Elser- Mathes Cup. Visitors to ARRL HQ may recall having seen the unusual trophy on display. It’s intended to mark the occasion of the first two-way Amateur Radio contact between Earth and Mars. (The actual bowl of the cup is borne by images of beings that only coincidentally resemble the large-eyed hominids of alien abduction lore; that was not the intention, however.)
The story of the Elser-Mathes cup appeared in the November 1969 issue of QST. In his article, “That Planet Mars QSO Cup,” Col Fred Johnson Elser, W6FB, recalled meeting League founder Hiram Percy Maxim, W1AW, in the 1920s. He learned that Maxim had an interest in Mars and even owned a globe of “The Red Planet.” Later, back in The Philippines—in 1928 under US jurisdiction—Elser was inspired by a visit with Philippines SCM Lt Cmdr Stanley Mathes, K1CY, to offer “a unique trophy” for the first two-way communication with Maxim’s “pet planet,” Mars.
The actual trophy selected by Elser and Mathes during a trip to Baguio is an example of Igorot native woodcarving. “The base symbolizes Earth and the seated figures are its inhabitants,” Elser explained in QST. “The bowl is Mars, and the standing men are the amateurs who bridge the gap of space.” The plate fastened to the cup includes space for the names and call signs of those who will one day fulfill the cup’s eventual destiny. (In the meantime, if you’d like to send your name to Mars, visit http://spacekids.hq.nasa.gov/2001/ .)
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The W1 and W2 QSL bureaus no longer accept stamps and/or envelopes. Funds sufficient to cover the mailing of anticipated cards should be sent by check or money order (or cash, at your own risk). Addresses of all ARRL QSL bureaus are at http://www.arrl.org/qsl/qslin.html .
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The nation’s Volunteer Examiner Coordinators, including the ARRL-VEC, now are under the gun to meet the April 15 implementation date of the FCC’s recently announced Amateur restructuring plan.
The FCC’s momentous action on December 30, 1999, reduced the number of license classes to three and established 5 WPM as the sole Morse code examination element. More than half of those responding to an informal poll on the ARRL Web site indicate they plan to upgrade during 2000. Brisk demand for study materials suggests that many amateurs will be hitting the books in the coming weeks.
After April 15, 2000, the FCC will only issue Technician, General, and Amateur Extra class licenses. Novice and Advanced licensees will retain current operating privileges and may renew indefinitely. The FCC’s new licensing scheme simplifies and shortens the upgrade path from the ground floor through Amateur Extra. There are fewer written examinations and total questions. Those wishing HF privileges also would need to pass the 5 WPM code test.
The FCC has left it in the hands of VECs to determine the specific mix and makeup of written examination questions. Current Amateur Radio study materials remain valid at least until the new rules in April.
ARRL-VEC Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, says the NCVEC Question Pool Committee has been meeting by telephone and e-mail to get the updating process under way. Jahnke said the revised question pools will be out ‘’well in advance’’ of April 15.
The ARRL Board of Directors is expected to review the FCC Report and Order and discuss its implications when it meets January 21-22 in Memphis.
Details of the restructuring plan and a list of frequently asked questions are available on the ARRL Web site, http://www.arrl.org.
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The ARRL wants the FCC to declare that its limited federal preemption policy known as PRB-1 applies to amateurs who live in areas governed by deed restrictions, covenants, CC&Rs, or condominium regulations just as it does to hams regulated solely by local zoning laws.
In a Petition for Reconsideration filed in late December, the League formally asked the FCC to rethink its November decision to dismiss a 1996 ARRL Petition for Rule Making. That petition called on the Commission to expand and clarify the limited federal preemption known as PRB-1.
In November, the FCC said PRB-1 excludes restrictive covenants in private contracts as ‘’outside the reach of our limited preemption,’’ although it strongly encouraged associations of homeowners and private contracting parties to ‘’follow the principle of reasonable accommodation’’ with respect to Amateur Radio.
In asking the FCC to rethink its November Order, the League said the FCC’s disclaimer ‘’is no longer a valid premise’’ and no longer accurately reflects FCC jurisdiction over private land use regulations.
Since PRB-1 came out in 1985, the ARRL pointed out, the FCC has made it clear that it has Congressional authority to prohibit restrictive covenants that could keep property owners and even renters from installing antennas to receive TV, satellite and similar signals. The League asserts the same principle applies to Amateur Radio, in which the FCC has said it has a ‘’strong federal interest.’’
The League called on the FCC to clarify that it intends PRB-1 to apply to private land use regulations ‘’to the extent that it has the jurisdiction to do so.’’ Such an approach, the League said, would leave hams free to negotiate reasonable accommodation provisions with local homeowners’ associations just as they do now with governmental land use regulators.
The League also asked the FCC to provide some relief via PRB-1 to protect amateurs from ‘’prohibitive and excessive fees’’ that localities might impose for permits and fees. ‘’Excessive costs associated with burdensome screening requirements are also often imposed by municipalities seeking a mechanism to preclude amateur antennas notwithstanding the PRB-1 policy,’’ the League said.
The ARRL asked the FCC to at least provide a statement that ‘’excessive costs associated with land use approvals fail the ‘reasonable accommodation’ and ‘minimum practicable restriction’ tests of PRB-1.’’
The League urged the FCC to revise and restate is preemption policy and issue a Notice of Proposed Rule Making ‘’without delay’’ to amend Part 97 of the rules or to issue an Order clarifying its PRB-1 preemption policy.
A copy of the ARRL’s Petition for Reconsideration is available on the ARRL Web site, http://www.arrl.org.
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A revised Amateur Radio question pool that reflects the April 15, 2000, restructuring rules could be out by February 1. Chairman Ray Adams, W4CPA, of the National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators’ Question Pool Committee says workable question pools for the new Technician, General and Amateur Extra written exams will be made public by February 1 or ‘’very shortly thereafter.’’
Adams says that a Technician class syllabus already has been drafted and approved. The various QPC members have been keeping in touch by telephone and e-mail since the FCC announced the restructuring rules. Adams says that the QPC plans to further refine and update the newly configured pools in the future, after it has an opportunity to meet and formulate a plan. He said the revised question pools will follow the established format.
After April 15, 2000, the FCC will only issue Technician, General, and Amateur Extra class licenses. Novice and Advanced licensees will retain current operating privileges and may renew indefinitely. Applicants desiring HF privileges will only have to pass a 5 WPM Morse code test. Current Amateur Radio study materials remain valid at least until the new rules become effective in April.
There are four examination elements in the new licensing system. Element 1 is the 5 WPM Morse code test; Element 2 is a 35- question Technician test; Element 3 is a 35- question General test, and Element 4 is a 50- question Amateur Extra test.
Frequently Asked Questions and other info is available on the ARRL Web site.
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Obtaining documentary proof of pre-1987 Technician ticket: The FCC says to send any requests for verification of a pre-March 21, 1987, Technician license in writing to FCC, 1270 Fairfield Rd, ATTN: Amateur Section, Gettysburg, PA 17325. The request must include name, address, telephone number, date of birth, call sign issued at that time, and when the Technician license was granted (if exact date is not known, give the approximate timeframe). The FCC asks those inquiring to include any information that may be helpful in researching these requests, but it does not need to know details of the examination session, such as where the test was administered or who gave it. “These requests must be researched on microfiche, so they will be very time- consuming,” an FCC spokesperson said, adding that no one should expect an overnight response. You also may contact the FCC contractor ITS Inc (visit http://www.itsdocs.com/). For a fee, ITS will research prior FCC licensing records and should be able to provide necessary documentary proof.—FCC
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As the new year gets under way, FCC Special Counsel for Amateur Radio Enforcement Riley Hollingsworth hinted he might have to break bad on hard-core offenders this year. He explained that poor or lax FCC enforcement in the past led him to be more forgiving of rulebreakers during his first full calendar year in the enforcement chair. Now, those who persist in operating outside of the stated basis and purpose of Amateur Radio “are beginning to try our patience,” he said. “I can’t say we’re going to be as compassionate this year.”
Hollingsworth said he expected to continue his focus on incursions into the 10-meter band by unlicensed operators, especially as propagation gets better, and on equipment certification issues. “We’re very concerned about the illegal equipment we see for sale at hamfests,” he explained.
Overall, however, malicious interference remains “the basic problem,” as he put it. “We’re going to use the High-Frequency Direction Finding Center at Laurel [Maryland] more this year” to track down rulebreakers, he said. In addition, Hollingsworth now has enhanced monitoring tools at his Gettysburg office, allowing him access to the HFDF Center’s 14 antenna fields plus VHF-UHF “pods” that can be moved around as necessary. “We have dial-in capabilities to all of our antenna fields and to the pods, so we can cover HF, UHF, and VHF anywhere in the country, right here from the Gettysburg office,” he explained.
“It’s a force multiplier, so to speak,” Hollingsworth said of the new capabilities.
Hollingsworth also says he’s upbeat about the future of ham radio and the FCC’s Amateur Radio restructuring plan announced December 30. “I’m really optimistic about it,” he said this week. “I think that it’s a good idea to simplify things a little bit as far as the number of license classes,” he added, referring to the new three-tiered system.
Hollingsworth said he believes Amateur Radio needs more young blood to keep it going in the future, and he thinks the new licensing system that becomes effective April 15 might help in that regard. He declined, however, to comment further on the specific policies and rules the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau laid down in its Report and Order, saying it would not be appropriate.
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Jim D. Haynie, W5JBP, of Dallas, Texas, will be the next president of the ARRL. The ARRL Board of Directors elected Haynie January 21 shortly after convening in Memphis, Tennessee. Haynie, 56, is currently the ARRL West Gulf Division Director. He will succeed Rod Stafford, W6ROD, becoming the 13th president.
Calling the recently announced FCC restructuring plan “a positive thing,” Haynie said his presidency will focus on the future of Amateur Radio, and he suggested amateurs take the opportunity to regroup. “Now that restructuring is behind us, I think it’s time for all amateurs—League members and nonmembers alike—to pull together to see what we can do to make our hobby a thriving and vibrant hobby.”
The President-elect pledged to work with the Board, his fellow officers, and with all amateurs to bring respect to Amateur Radio and to enhance its stature here and abroad. “I think it’s time the League started changing,” he said. “I think there’s a lot we can do.” While not offering specific programs at this point, Haynie said he favors even greater promotion of Amateur Radio, especially among youth and in schools. He also said he’d like to see programs to rekindle interest and activity among current licensees.
“The best interest for Amateur Radio as a whole is where the League Board of Directors stand, and it’s certainly where I stand,” he said.
A ham for 27 years and an ARRL Board member for 12 years, Haynie says Amateur Radio is his “escape” from the world of industry and commerce. An Advanced class licensee, Haynie has been a manufacturer’s representative in the metals business for 30 years and runs his own firm in Dallas. He also currently chairs the ARRL Board Administration and Finance Committee.
The Board also elected new vice presidents. Vice President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, was elevated to First Vice President. Current Atlantic Division Director Kay Craigie, WT3P, and Roanoke Division Director John Kanode, N4MM, were picked as Vice Presidents. Current Vice President Hugh Turnbull, W3ABC, was elected Honorary Vice President.
ARRL President Rod Stafford, W6ROD, was elected to succeed past ARRL president Larry Price, W4RA, as International Affairs Vice President. Price now serves as president of the International Amateur Radio Union and did not seek re-election.
Haynie said the League Vice Presidents would become “more like a strike team” during his term. “They’re part of the team,” he said.
Reelected as League officers were Treasurer James McCobb, W1LLU; Chief Financial Officer Barry Shelley, N1VXY; and Secretary and Executive Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ.
Haynie’s election means that West Gulf Vice Director Coy Day, N5OK, will succeed Haynie as Director. The changes also mean that Atlantic Division Vice Director Bernie Fuller, N3EFN, and Roanoke Vice Director Dennis Bodson, W4PWF, will become Directors. The vacancies in the Vice Directors’ seats will be filled by appointment.
As do other ARRL officers, the League’s president serves as an unpaid volunteer. All League officers-elect formally will assume their positions when the meeting concludes Jan 22. All terms are for two years.
In other business, the Board plans to discuss the implications of the FCC’s recently announced license restructuring plan that goes into effect April 15, 2000. In a related vein, the Board will hear the second installment of a report from ARRL Executive Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ, on Amateur Radio in the year 2010 and beyond. Sumner’s report will expand on one of the themes of his preliminary report delivered to the Board in July 1999: voluntary certification programs to encourage continuing education and skills development by radio amateurs above and beyond the licensing requirements.
The Board also will hear plans to enhance League presence on the World Wide Web.