WTARS Makes ARRL Newsletter

ARRL Club Newsletter


December 18, 2009
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Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, Editor


IN THIS ISSUE:


+ WTARS Helps a Member Return To Airwaves Dayton

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WTARS Helps a Member Return To Airwaves

By Lee Towater, KF4NZV

E-mail: kf4nzv@arrl.net


The West Tennessee Amateur Radio Society < www.wtars.org > is pleased

to announce the return of Gary King, W4WKZ, to the amateur radio

waves. Gary, who is legally blind, has been off the radio for almost

two years. Gary had been a very active part of the amateur radio

community. He was an active participant in the daily weather

reporting of conditions from his home in Medon, TN to the National

Weather Service in Memphis, TN. He has not been able to make reports

via ham radio due to damage to his antenna system nearly two years

ago.

The story began back in November 2008 when a long time friend, Bob

Alper, W6KT, came to visit Gary. He noticed the damage to Gary's 60

foot tower and antenna array. Gary, not being able to make the

repairs himself, was left with no way to use his ham radio equipment.

Bob quickly got in contact with Philip Julian, KG4NVN, the treasurer

of West Tennessee Amateur Society (WTARS) here in Jackson. Bob and

Philip worked together to make a plan for repairing Gary's tower and

antenna system.

During the summer heat of July 2009, a group of WTARS members

assembled at Gary's home to begin the repair project. The group mixed

and poured more than 880 pounds of concrete, by hand in a 5 gallon

bucket, to make a new base for the existing tower. During the next

four months a new antenna system and other tower installation items

were purchased.

On December 5, 2009, the group reassembled at Gary's home to

complete the repairs. Philip, KG4NVN, contacted local crane owner and

operator Randy Rushing of Rushing's Crane Service. Randy happily

agreed to bring his equipment out for the installation of the new

antennas. All of Randy's expenses were donated to the project which

helped tremendously due to the fact WTARS was operating basically on

a $0 budget for this project. Randy is known throughout the community

for his willingness to serve others during local emergencies and

disasters. Randy is a part of the Baptist Disaster Relief Ministry.

The group installed a Diamond X50 dual band vertical. This antenna

will give Gary the coverage he needs to reach the local repeaters and

ample simplex coverage. They also installed a home brew HF multi-band

wire antenna built by Randy Bennett, W4RFB. The wire antenna was

installed on a pulley system allowing for easy lowering and raising,

eliminating the need to climb the tower, to tune or make adjustments

as needed.

At the end of the day Gary was back on the air. WTARS has given

Gary back the joys he once had in the amateur radio hobby. WTARS

would like to give a special thanks to Philip Julian, KG4NVN, for

taking the lead on this project. Philip spent a countless number of

hours in preparation for this project. We also give a special thanks

to Randy Rushing of Rushing's Crane Service in Jackson, TN for

providing the bucket crane to complete the installation.



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From the Editor: The WTARS example above shows what a dedicated club

can do to assist fellow members and Hams. Even a quick, visual

inspection of an antenna system can save life and property. Maybe

there are hams around your club who could greatly benefit from simple

assistance so that they may fully enjoy all that Ham Radio has to

offer?

The Gary King (W4WKZ) Antenna Project

On December 5th, 2009 members of the West Tennessee Amateur Radio Society completed a community service project to assist a fellow Ham, disabled by blindness, repair his aging tower and replace the damagaed antenna array with new equipment.

Gary King (W4WKZ) has been a long-time Ham Radio operator in the Medon, Tennessee area.  The past few year's storms had severly damaged his antenna array which consisted of double 11 element two-meter beams and a Mosely, Jr. three element beam.  The tower was in poor repair, with the base of the Rohm 25 rusted off at the ground.  As it was, his station was unusable.

The frist step of the project was to secure the base of the tower and guide-wires so the old array could be removed.  You can see from the photo what sad shape is was in. 

To the secure the base of the tower, without having to drop it and start from scratch by digging a new foundation and re-assembling the structure, it was decided to pour a concrete base over the exisitng footing and brace the tower using 2-inch pipe as shown.  Now picture a bunch of middle-aged Hams in the heat of summer (90's +), cardiac prospects all, mixing and pouring a base approx one foot thick in a 6' X 6' x 6' triangle.  By the way, the mixing and pouring (11 bags 80 lb bags of concrete) was done with a 5 gallon bucket, a hoe, and garden hose.  A sight to behold, indeed!

After the base dried and cured, an inspection of the tower was made and it was determined, that although much more stable than before, was still in questionalbe shaple to climb.  Therefore plans were made to secure a bucket truck to remove the old array and install the new antennas. 

Randy Rushing of  Rushing Crane of Jackson, Tennessee and Andy Russell - KJ4CLS, kindly donated the use of a extended boom bucket truck for all the aerial work.  We are very grateful for thier help for we could not have completed this project without them.

In order to reduce the possibility of ever having to go back up that tower, the two-meter beams were replace with a Diamond dual band vertical which will cover the area that Gary would like.  At a heght of about 60 feet, this was accomplised.

The HF tri-element (which was missing an element) was replaced with a multi-band di-pole wire antenna built by Randy Bennett (W4RFB).  This was attached via a pulley system to allow the lowering and raising of the the antenna, without climbing, for repair and tuning.  Gary does not have an antenna tuner.

At the end of the day, all was installed and the W4WKZ station was once again operational and is now providing hours of Ham Radio pleasure to and old Ham who missed the hobby and unable to repair the damage himself.

Thanks to all participants in this project.  This list is long and I am afraid that I would accidently leave someone out.  Nevertheless, I would like to say a special thanks to Phillip Julian - KG4NVN - who conceived, planned, largely funded, and brought this project to fruition, once again confiming the fact that Hams as some of the best people you will ever meet.

WTARS 2010 Vision and Direction

As President-Elect of the West Tennessee Amateur Radio Society, I would like to take this opportunity to communicate to you, the West Tennessee ham radio community, the vision and direction for 2010 of the area’s oldest amateur radio club.

The hobby and craft of amateur radio is very diverse and has a plethora of opportunities to indulge in just about any method of the art of communication. From venerable modes such as Morse Code (CW) to the latest in cutting edge technologies with the fusion of digital computer & internet based modes of operation. From practitioner to theoretician to tinkerer, the hobby can sate the most voracious appetite for enjoyment and pursuit of knowledge.

The 2010 Vision for the West Tennessee Amateur Radio Society is to offer ample opportunities for fun, fellowship, public service and education to the West Tennessee amateur radio community.

To achieve this vision, your officers and appointed chairpersons have outlined a plan of action for the 2010 calendar year. This plan is a ‘work in progress’ and is flexible enough to take advantage of opportunities that may avail themselves. Your input is important and is welcomed. This is YOUR club! However, a starting point is needed and is represented by this plan compiled by your elected club representatives and chairperson appointed by me, your president-elect. I have the greatest confidence in these people to serve WTARS in an exemplary fashion:

2010 Officers for The West Tennessee Amateur Radio Society:


G. Michael Winslow (N4GMW) - President

Chris Wary (KD4MPN) - Vice-President

Tom Goodman (AI4DB) - Secretary

Phillip Julian (KD4NVN) – Treasurer


Appointed Chairpersons:


Chris Wry (KD4NMPN) – Program Chairman – ARES/RACES Liaison (EC)

Tom Goodman (AI4DB) – Contest & Special Event Chairman

Randy Bennett (W4RFB) – Equipment / Repeater Chairman

Greg Flanagan (N4GMF)– Non-Governmental Organization Liaison

Chris Brazzell (KF4WNB) – Governmental Emergency Services Liaison

Jimmy Owen (W4JHO) – Official WTARS Photographer

Marty Amick (KJ4CVU) – Area Amateur Radio Club Liaison


The positions of Public Information Officer and Field Day Chairman are still open. If interested in serving your club in any one of these capacities, please contact Mike Winslow (N4GMW), President (gmwinslo@bellsouth.net).


The planning process is underway for the following events and activities for WTARS for the 2010 calendar year:


1. Special Event Station – Casey Jones Museum – May 1, 2010

2. Field Day 2010 – June 26-27, 2010 – a change of venue is proposed and facilities are reserved. Brown’s United Methodist Church has a very nice pavilion (with electricity) and grounds available for use. The location is on McLeary Road (just off Hwy 412 E) about 6 miles east of Jackson. It is the feeling that this location will foster more public visitation with easier access.

3. Tennessee QSO Party and cookout – October 9, 2010 – The N4GMW Compound.

4. Boy Scout Jamboree On The Air – usually the 2nd weekend in October. Planning in process with West Tennessee Area Council of BSA.

5. Civil War Historical Special Event Station(s) – possibilities include: Parker’s Crossroad Re-enactment event; Britton Lane Re-enactment event; Shiloh National Battlefield Re-enactment event. Date(s) to be announced.

6. Area Ham Club Fox Hunt Competition – area ham clubs will be invited to field a Fox Hunt team to compete with other club teams in a Fox Hunt. A cookout can follow the event to foster closer relations with other ham clubs.

7. A continuing outreach program to other area amateur radio clubs to foster cooperation for the benefit of amateur radio for all. This will involve extending invitations to other clubs to participate in our events and to endeavor to visit their meetings and events.


Vice-President-Elect Chris Wray is working hard to arrange interesting and educational programs for our regular club meetings. Some suggestions include:

1. A PSK- Demo / Practical ‘How To’ to set up a station and get started.

2. An antenna building work session (possibly at my shop) to learn, hands on, how to design, cut and build an HF wire antenna and/or 2 meter j-pole.

Other suggestions are welcomed and needed. Please contact Chris Wray (KD4MPN) on the air or at (kd4mpn@gmail.com).

We look forward to an enjoyable and productive year for the enrichment of West Tennessee ham radio operators and the craft as a whole.


73,

G. Michael Winslow, President-Elect

WTARS

November WTARS Meeting

The monthly meeting of the West Tennessee Amateur Radio society (WTARS), met at 7 pm at Jackson State Community College on Nov 5, 2009.

The attendees enjoyed seeing other Hams at the meeting and were informed by an interesting presentation by John Smith (K9KA) of Lexington, TN on computer defined radios. He discussed the theory behind this technology and demonstrated the interface between a radio he built from a kit and a laptop computer using free software to tune to and receive radio transmissions.

In other business, election of 2010 WTARS officers was done by acclimation of the slate presented by the nominating committee presented at the October meeting as no additional nominees from the floor were presented.

2010 Officers for The West Tennessee Amateur Radio Society:

G. Michael Winslow (N4GMW) - President
Chris Wary (KD4MPN) - Vice-President
Tom Goodman (AI4DB) - Secretary
Phillip Julian (KD4NVN) - Treasurer

The December meeting will be held on December 3, 2009 and is the year-end Eatin' Meetin' and will be held at Cajun Cookers in Three Way.

November 2009 WTARS Meeting

The November meeting for the West Tennessee Amateur Radio Society will be Thursday, Nov. 5th at 7:00 p.m. at Jackson State. The program will be presented by John, K9KA, of Lexington on Software Defined Radio. The club will also be electing officers for the coming year at this meeting.

The slate of officers presented and accepted at the October meeting are as follows:

President- Mike Winslow, N4GMW
Vice-president- Chris Wray, KD4MPN
Secretary- Tom Goodman, AI4DB
Treasurer- Phillip Julian, KG4NVN

Nominations will also be accepted from the floor at the meeting.
The December meeting will, as usual, be an eating meeting. So be thinking of a place in Jackson you would like to eat. There will be a poll coming soon.

Thanks and 73,

David, N4JDN

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Three People Killed While Erecting Antenna

A man, woman and their 15 year old son were killed while trying to erect a 50 foot vertical antenna at the home of the man's mother, Barbara Tenn, KJ4KFF, in Palm Bay, Florida. The deceased were not licensed amateurs.

"It happened in an instant," Palm Bay Fire Marshal Mike Couture said in a statement. "It is an unfortunate set of circumstances that led to the most tragic result."

According to police reports, Melville Braham, 55, Anna Braham, 49, and their 15 year old son Anthony were putting up an antenna -- Tenn's second -- at night when they lost control of the antenna and it crashed into nearby overhead power lines. The impact sent 13,000 volts of electricity through the pole the three were holding. A family friend, a 17 year old boy, was on the roof at the time of the accident. He and the couple's daughter, who was in the house at the time, were not injured.

The mother was pronounced dead at the scene. When paramedics arrived, the father and son were not breathing; rescue crews immediately tried to resuscitate them. They were transported to a hospital where they later died.

Neighbor Jim Vallindingham told television station WFTV that he called 911 when he saw the fire in the back yard and then he ran over: "I had no idea it was electrical until we got over there and saw the three people laying on the ground. So I called 911 a second time to tell them there were casualties. You know, there were people on the ground. So [the 911 operator] told me that's electric, you back away don't touch anything."

Couture said that night was not the best time to be attempting to put up an antenna. "It wasn't the best time, meaning it was night time. Obviously, in darkness, and trying to do something like this and not being keenly aware of where the power line is in the backyard, [was not a good idea]," he said.

Neighbors said that Tenn, an ARRL member, used Amateur Radio to talk with her family in Jamaica. -- ARRL Letter

Jackson Lodge #45 Pancake Breakfast

All-You-Can-Eat

$5 Donation

October 31st, 2009

6:30 am – 9:30 am

Jackson Lodge #45

2911 Hwy 45 By-Pass

Jackson, TN 38308

In support of the

Wounded Warrior Project

Successful Bagels & Bluegrass Event

Thanks to all who participated in the 2009 Bagels & Bluegrass Century Tour event held last Saturday, Oct 3, 2009.

As in the past, WTARS ham radio operators provided communication services along the 100+ mile route covered by bicyclists in the event. Rider's numbers were recorded at each water stop along the way and relayed to the Net Control operator located at Tour HQ at Jackson State Community College.

Tour officials consider our services a valuable part of the annual operations. The efforts and skills of WTARS enables officials to keep track of the progress of the ride in real time and to alert them of any rider that may need assistance.

Once again, WTARS members have displayed and utilized their skills for the good of the hobby and the community.

Bagels & Bluegrass 2009 Event

Just a reminder to everyone that The Bagels-n-Bluegrass Ride is coming up this Saturday October 3^rd beginning at 8:00am.

As discussed at the last ARES/RACES meeting these are the assignments:

COM Trailer-Chris KD4MPN and Lee KF4NZV,

Deep Gap- Frank KJ4ETV,

Pinson Mounds-Mike N4GMW,

Hickory Corner-Randy W4RFB,

Chickasaw- Phillip KG4NVN and Mike N4GMW,

Malesus Park- Tom AI4DB and Greg N4GMF, and at the intersection

Parksburg and Bear Creek Roads -Jimmy W4JHO.

If there is anyone who was not at the last meeting that can help out please contact me at kd4mpn@gmail.com .I would like to get someone else if possible to help Frank at Deep Gap as that is a busy point and any extras can be floaters to relieve any others that might have to leave before the race is over. We will be using the 147.210 repeater primarily and the ARES/RACES simplex 147.42 as a talk around.

For Maps of Routes, go to the following link:

http://www.bagelsandbluegrass.tn.org/map.html

WTARS QSO Events

Members of the West Tennessee Radio Society participated in QSO Events during the past two weeks. Last Sunday, Sept 6th, members of the group met at the N4GMW "Compound" and set up operations in his shop. At least three different transmitters were in operation on multiple bands. Several contacts were made but the event was interrupted for about an hour with a severe thunder-storm and the Skywarn Net was activated from the contest location. Weather information was sent and received and, luckily, no damage or injuries. Good times, good friends and good food.



Saturday, September 12, members of the group met at KF4WNB's radio shack to participate in the ARRL VHF/UFH QSO Party.

Tornado strikes Arkansas town, killing 3

This could have happened here. Check and re-check your 72-hour kits and Jump-Kits. Review and practice your family safety plans. Be prepared!
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MENA, Ark. (AP) — A tornado struck a small Arkansas town Thursday night, killing three people, injuring at least 24 and seriously damaging about 100 homes.

Mena, near the Oklahoma state line, suffered a direct hit that destroyed at least 10 businesses, including city hall and two churches, Polk County emergency coordinator James Reeves said.

"One manufacturing plant is gone," he said. "It took a direct hit. It's no longer there."

The National Weather Service said a woman was injured at Shreveport, La., when a tree fell onto her car during a tornado. Twisters also damaged homes east of Vinita and near Muse in Oklahoma and at Crossett in far southern Arkansas, near the Louisiana line.

At Mena, one of the victims killed in the storm was found in a collapsed house, one in a Masonic lodge, and another was found in her front yard, he said. The identities of the two women and a man have not been released.

The 24 injured people were being treated at Mena Medical Center. The devastated downtown area was being protected by National Guard troops dispatched by Gov. Mike Beebe.

A curfew was in effect as emergency crews dealt with ruptured gas lines, downed power lines, fallen trees and heavily damaged buildings.

Reeves said he had never seen a storm like this hit the tornado-prone region.

"Not in my life time," he said. "The last tornado we had to hit the city of Mena was in November 1993. This time we had significant structures (hit)."

Officials described a chaotic scene Thursday night as the tornado struck, part of a line of severe storms that strafed parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri.

A state trooper in Mena called for assistance after his patrol car got stuck in the storm, pelted with debris and covered with power lines, state police spokesman Bill Sadler said.

"I'm in the middle of a tornado," Sadler said the trooper reported.

The National Weather Service reported that 3-inch diameter hail — forecasters described it as apple-sized — fell south of Mena just before the tornado hit downtown. Tornado damage was also reported at Ink, 5 miles east of Mena.

A twister damaged chicken houses in Howard County and another storm damaged an oil rig in Miller County, near the Louisiana and Texas state lines. At DeQueen, a number of mobile homes were damaged, according to Renee Preslar, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Emergency Management.

Violent thunderstorms moved quickly across southern Missouri, carrying large hail, winds up to 60 and 70 mph and reports of funnel clouds and tornadoes. There were no immediate reports of heavy damage. Scattered power outages were reported in several counties.

As the storms moved east, hail and high winds were reported in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee. Power was out in many parts of the region.

EVE ! - Radio Amateurs bounce a signal off Venus

Radio Amateurs have achieved the very first reception of amateur signals bounced off the planet Venus, over 50 million km away - EVE (Earth-Venus-Earth)

Peter Guelzow DB2OS, President of AMSAT-DL has provided a description of this landmark achievement.

On March 25th, 2009 a team from the German space organisation AMSAT-DL reached another milestone on its way to an own interplanetary probe towards planet Mars.

The ground station at the Bochum observatory transmitted radio signals to Venus. After travelling almost 100 million kilometers and a round trip delay of about 5 minutes, they were clearly received as echoes from the surface of Venus.

Receiving these planetary echoes is a first for Germany and Europe. In addition, this is the farthest distance crossed by radio amateurs, over 100 times further than echoes from the moon (EME reflections).

For receiving the EVE signals, an FFT analysis with an integration time of 5 minutes was used. After integrating for 2 minutes only, the reflected signals were clearly visible in the display. Despite the bad weather, signals from Venus could be detected from 1038UT until the planet reached the local horizon.

The 2.4 GHz high power amplifier used for this achievement is described in the current AMSAT-DL journal.
This represented a crucial test for a final key component of the planned P5-A Mars mission. By receiving echoes from Venus, the ground and command station for the Mars probe has been cleared for operational use and the AMSAT team is now gearing up for building the P5-A space probe.

For financing the actual construction and launch, AMSAT-DL is currently
in negotiation with the DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt) amongst others, to obtain financial support for the remaining budget of 20 Mil Euros.

AMSAT-DL wants to show that low-cost interplanetary exploration is possible with its approach.

More information and the link to the official press release [in German]:
http://www.amsat-dl.org//index.php?o...=166&Itemid=97

The EVE experiment was repeated on Thursday, March 26th for several hours with good echoes from Venus. Morse code was used to transmit the well known “HI“ signature known from the AMSAT OSCAR satellites.

73s de DB2OS

Peter Guelzow
President AMSAT-DL

FCC Clarifies What Constitutes an Amateur Radio Repeater

In December 2007, Gary Mitchell, WB6YRU, President of the NorthernCalifornia Packet Association (NCPA), filed a Petition with the FCC,asking for the Commission to clarify the definition of a repeater.According to Part 97, Section 3(a)(39), A repeater in the amateurservice is "[a]n amateur station that simultaneously retransmits thetransmission of another amateur station on a different channel orchannels."

Mitchell sought clarification on the word "simultaneously," askingif it referred to the signal information being retransmitted, or tothe fact that the receiver and transmitter must both be active atthe same time while acting on the same signal information. On March23, 2009, the Commission clarified that even if there is a slightdelay between what is received and what it transmits (as in the caseof D-STAR and other digital repeaters), it is consideredsimultaneous if the receiver and transmitter are both active at thesame time.

Mitchell pointed out in his petition that while the Commission'sRules specify on which bands amateur repeaters may operate, "someamateur repeaters are operating on bands other than set forth inSection 97.205(b) with systems that are essentially voice repeaterstations, but that digitize and retransmit the user's voice, on thetheory that because there is a small delay in retransmitting thesignal of another amateur station, the signal is not'simultaneously' retransmitted and, therefore, the system is not arepeater.

"In its reply, the Commission pointed out that prior to 1994, arepeater was defined as "[a]n amateur station that automaticallyretransmits the signals of other stations." This, the Commissiontold Mitchell, was revised to clarify "that certain accommodationsfor message forwarding systems do not apply to other operatingactivities such as repeaters and auxiliary stations." The Commissionproposed to define a repeater as "[a]n amateur station thatinstantaneously retransmits the transmission of another amateurstation on a different channel or channels," but ultimately replaced"instantaneously" with "simultaneously" because commenters notedthat there is always a small propagation delay through a repeater.As one commenter explained, "The word 'simultaneously' in this casemeans that the repeater is receiving and transmitting concurrently,whereas each signal might be slightly displaced in time betweenreceive and transmit."To be able to repeat another station's transmission, the Commissionsaid that a repeater "must be able to receive a transmission fromanother station and retransmit it. Because the word 'simultaneously'in the definition is used to modify 'retransmit,' we believe itrefers to a repeater station's transmitter being active whenretransmitting the signal received by the repeater station'sreceiver from another amateur station.

We conclude, therefore, that'simultaneously' as used in the definition of a repeater refers tothe receiver and transmitter both being active at the same time.

FCC Denies Petition to Increase Size of Amateur Radio Question Pools

In April 2008, Michael Mancuso, KI4NGN, of Raleigh, North Carolina,filed a petition with the FCC, seeking to increase the size of the question pools that make up the Amateur Radio licensing exams.Mancuso sought to increase the question pool from 10 times the number of questions on an exam to 50 times more questions.

On March19, 2009, the Commission notified Mancuso that it was denying his petition.In his 2008 petition, Mancuso claimed that the current question pool is too easy to memorize and "that there has been a significant increase in the number of Amateur Radio operators receiving their licenses over at least the last decade or more who do not appear to possess the knowledge indicated by the class of license that they have received.

Most discussion about this topic, both on the air an don Internet forums, generally refers to these widespread observations as the 'dumbing down' of Amateur Radio. It has been widely assumed that the cause of this observed situation is based upon the subject material addressed by the license examinations,that the material requirements specified for the examinations does[sic] not meet some minimum level of knowledge expected by some or many in the Amateur Radio community."

The FCC pointed out to Mancuso that each applicant for a new or upgraded Amateur Radio operator license "is required to pass a written examination in order to prove that he or she possesses the operational and technical qualifications required to perform properly the duties of an amateur service operator licensee, i.e.,that he or she is qualified to be an amateur service licensee."The Commission summed up Mancuso's petition, saying, "You argue that the current question pool size is no longer adequate, because online practice examinations enable examinees to memorize a question pool without fully comprehending the subject matter being tested.Consequently, you propose to increase the size of the question pools, in order to hinder memorization."

The Commission concluded that Mancuso did not present grounds for the Commission to amend its rules: "As noted above, the purpose of the examinations is not to demonstrate an applicant's comprehension of certain material, but rather to determine whether he or she can properly operate an amateur station. Moreover, your contention that there has been 'a significant increase in the number of Amateur Radio operators...who do not appear to possess the knowledge indicated by their class of license' is not supported by any data or facts."The FCC pointed out to Mancuso that the Commission's Rules only dictate the minimum number of questions for each question pool for the three Amateur Radio license classes.

This, the Commission told Mancuso, "does not prevent the National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) from increasing the number of questions in a question pool should it decide that this is appropriate. We conclude, therefore, that the petition presents no evidence of an existing problem or other reason for a rule change."

Police Detonate Ham Radio Equipment Mistaken for Bomb

OMAHA (KPTM) - Police evacuated a midtown neighborhood briefly Thursday morning for what was originally thought to be a bomb, but in the end, it turned out to be ham radio equipment.

The house, located near 48th and Mayberry, caught fire last week. A cleaning company found the equipment and called police, thinking it was a pipe bomb.

Police were called, and officers detonated the equipment. The neighborhood was evacuated during the investigation.

ARRL Mobile Radio Statement

On January 30, at the instruction of the Board of Directors at its
January 2009 meeting, the ARRL Executive Committee adopted a policy
statement on mobile Amateur Radio operations. The statement
addresses the growing number of proposed state and local laws and
ordinances regulating the use of cellular telephone and text
messaging, inadvertently affecting Amateur Radio mobile
communications.

In its statement, the Executive Committee urges state and municipal
legislators to limit the scope of their proposals, limiting them to
devices such as full duplex wireless telephones and related
hand-held or portable equipment. Alternately, it suggests that
licensed Amateur Radio operation be listed specifically as an
exclusion to the proposed regulations.

"At the start of each new session, you see a flurry of this type of
proposal in state legislatures across the country," said ARRL
Regulatory Information Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND.

As of February 1, 2009, Henderson said that the ARRL is aware of
proposals in 11 states: Georgia, Hawaii Idaho, Illinois, Iowa,
Maine, Montana, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming, as well as
several local city or town proposals.

"These proposals are usually intended to regulate cellular telephone
and text messaging by drivers as a matter of safety but, when they
are written in very broad terms, can include Amateur Radio mobile
operations in the 'net' they cast," Henderson continued. "The
Executive Committee's policy statement gives a good, concise
background of the role the Amateur Service plays in public safety
and service communications. It also highlights the differences
between communications conducted by cellular telephone and those
using Amateur Radio. Finally, the statement offers some suggested
statutory language for state motor vehicle codes which would protect
Amateur Radio mobile operation."

The ARRL recognizes that driver inattention is a leading cause of
automobile accidents. The policy statement raises the fact that cell
phones utilize full duplex communications -- where the user is
talking and listening simultaneously. The Executive Committee
statement says "Two-way radio use is dissimilar from full-duplex
cellular telephone communications because the operator spends little
time actually transmitting; the time spent listening is more similar
to, and arguably less distracting than listening to a broadcast
radio, CD or MP3 player. There are no distinctions to be made
between or among Amateur Radio, public safety land mobile, private
land mobile or citizen's radio in terms of driver distraction. All
are distinguishable from mobile cellular telephone communications in
this respect."

The ARRL Policy Statement also recognizes the responsibility of the
amateur community to conduct its activities in a manner that does
not create unsafe operation of their motor vehicle. "Safety has to
be a top concern at all times," Henderson concluded.

The ARRL Policy Statement can be found on the web at,
http://www.arrl.org/govrelations/MobileAmateurRadioPolicyStatement.pdf.