Address Changes: Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO, e-mail kcapodicasa@arrl.org.

Editorial: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, e-mail elindquist@arrl.org.

• Ham radio volunteer services bill introduced
• 1x1 call signs put on ice
• SAREX aboard STS-83
• AEA inks deal to sell product lines
• Ham radio movie role
• Ham Radio & More to continue
• ARRL section manager candidates unopposed
• QST on its way to Southern Californians
• New HQ phone numbers
• Solar update
• In Brief: HQ job opening; Burgeoning ARISS support; DXCC processing status; VHF confab reminder; Lucid gets award; Farquhar departs WTB; Grove Enterprises takes on RCMA Journal list; Norm's acquires Alliance Tenna-Rotor line; St Patrick's Day event; Morocco special event; 7Z1AB PACTOR mailbox open

Good news for ham radio volunteers: the Amateur Radio Volunteer Services Act of 1997 (HR 1013)--introduced this week by US Rep Anna Eshoo of California. If enacted, the bill would place volunteers in the Volunteer Examination Program and the Amateur Auxiliary under the protections of the Federal Tort Claims Act by affording them the same legal protections as employees of the Federal Government while they're carrying out such volunteer duties. "This bill would help protect the personal liability of volunteer Amateur Radio operators while performing duties on behalf of the Federal Government," Eshoo said in introducing the measure. As she explained it on the House floor, it's simply a question of fairness for volunteers, who risk damaging lawsuits while saving the government time and money. The bill was introduced with 21 cosponsors hailing from both parties.

HR 1013 is nearly identical to a bill introduced last year but not enacted and similar to a unanimously accepted amendment to the FCC reauthorization bill that Eshoo herself offered last year in the Commerce Committee.

On the House floor, Eshoo outlined the rationale behind the Amateur Radio Volunteer Services Act of 1997 in these words, and urged her colleagues to support the bill:

"Amateur Radio operators are self-regulated, with volunteer operators monitoring the airwaves for violations and administering licensing exams. This volunteer corps saves countless hours of staff time and resources for the Federal Communications Commission; however, because they are not Federal employees, they put their personal assets at risk in the event of actions taken against them as a result of their volunteer service to the Government."

"It is simply unfair that these volunteers who are saving the Government time and resources should have to risk their personal assets in carrying out their service. The Amateur Radio Volunteer Services Act would classify those individuals donating their time and expertise to maintaining the quality of the Amateur Radio airwaves as Federal employees only for the purpose of actions taken against them in the performance of their duties as self-regulators. This action will ensure the continued viability of the amateur radio community and continue to save the FCC and the Federal Government time and money that would otherwise need to be expended."

The FCC won't be authorizing any more 1x1 Amateur Radio call signs under Special Temporary Authority (STA) any time soon. That was the word this week from David Horowitz, the acting chief of the FCC's Private Wireless Division. Horowitz--who's an attorney--said he felt the FCC should not have issued STAs for any 1x1 call signs while a rulemaking proceeding regarding formal rules for 1x1 call signs, FCC Docket WT 95-57, was in the works. Action in that proceeding might not happen for several months.

Horowitz' decision effectively denied a half dozen or so pending requests for 1x1 call sign STAs. Some two dozen written STA requests for 1x1 call signs were routinely granted over the past year or so by former Private Wireless Division Chief Robert McNamara. That number does not include the 52 1x1 call signs issued for use by contestants in last summer's World Radiosport Team Championship 96 (WRTC-96) event in the San Francisco Bay area.

The League has been assured by the FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau that it will move expeditiously toward concluding the docket proceeding that includes the 1x1 call sign rules matter.

Eighteen schools, including institutions in the People's Republic of China and on Okinawa, have been picked for scheduled SAREX contacts during NASA's STS-83 space shuttle mission set for launch early on the morning of April 3. Three hams are scheduled to be aboard the shuttle Columbia. They are James D. Halsell, KC5RNI, mission commander; Janice E. Voss, KC5BTK, payload commander; and Donald A. Thomas, KC5FVF, mission specialist. The STS-83 flight is scheduled to last 16 days. The mission will carry SAREX configuration C: voice and packet. The mission's primary payload is the microgravity science laboratory.

The schools selected for STS-83 SAREX contacts are:

• Alvin C. York Agricultural Institute, Jamestown, Tennessee (assisting club: Fentress County Radio Club)
• Artesia Public Schools, Artesia, New Mexico (assisting club: Pecos Valley Amateur Radio Club)
• Beau Chene High School, Arnaudville, Louisiana (assisting club: Opelousas Area Amateur Radio Club)
• Center Street School, El Segundo, California (assisting club: Aerospace Amateur Radio Club)
• County College of Morris, Randolph, New Jersey (assisting club: Morris Radio Club)
• Crittenden Middle School, Mountain View, California (assisting club: Ames Amateur Radio Club)
• Edgewater High School, Orlando, Florida (assisting club: Edgewater High Amateur Radio Club)
• Ione Junior High School, Jackson, California (assisting: Dave Larsen, N6CO)
• Lawrence Intermediate School, Lawrenceville, New Jersey (assisting club: Delaware Valley Radio Association)
• Lester Middle School (Department of Defense Dependents Schools, Pacific), Okinawa, Japan (assisting club: Radio Society of Okinawa)
• Lexington Traditional Magnet School, Lexington, Kentucky (assisting club: Bluegrass Amateur Radio Society Inc)
• Mountain View Elementary School, Dewey, Arizona (assisting club: Yavapai Amateur Radio Club)
• Public School No. 9, New York, New York (assisting club: Cooper Union Amateur Radio Club)
• Robert J. Burch Elementary School, Tyrone, Georgia (assisting club: Fayette County Repeater Association)
• S. J. Davis Middle School, San Antonio, Texas (assisting club: Southwest Research Center Amateur Radio Club)
• Sonny Carter Elementary School, Macon, Georgia (assisting club: Bibb County Amateur Radio Emergency Service)
• Troy Intermediate School, Troy, Texas (assisting club: Temple Amateur Radio Club Inc)
• Tsinghua University, Beijing, Peoples Republic of China (assisting clubs: China Radio Sports Association and Tsinghua University Amateur Radio Club).

The SAREX Working Group has designated the following frequencies during the STS-83 mission:

• FM voice downlink (worldwide): 145.55 MHz
• FM voice uplink: 144.91, 144.93, 144.95, 144.97, and 144.99 MHz
• FM voice uplink (Europe only): 144.70, 144.75, and 144.80 MHz

If packet is available, the FM packet downlink will be 145.55 MHz; the uplink will be 144.49 MHz. The FM packet call sign will be W5RRR-1.

The SAREX hardware will be flown in configuration B, voice-only, battery operation. The SAREX equipment aboard STS-83 includes the Motorola 2-meter FM hand-held transceiver, 15 spare batteries, the window antenna, SAREX headset assembly, personal recorder and the required interconnecting cables. Since STS-83 is an extended duration flight with power-hungry primary experiments, the power allocated for SAREX is 0 W.

The SAREX team is also flying the Heathkit packet radio TNC for possible use later in the flight. If power conservation measures are successful, the mission control team will advise SAREX and the astronauts to initiate use of the packet radio system, which also includes one of the Shuttle Laptop computers.

Reports and QSLs go to ARRL-EAD, STS-83 QSL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111-1494. Include the following information: STS-83, date, time in UTC, frequency and mode (FM, voice or packet). You must also include an sase using a large, business-size envelope if you wish to receive a card. --AMSAT News Service/SAREX Working Group

Advanced Electronic Applications (AEA) has closed deals to sell its product lines to two other companies, but the AEA name will live on. Former AEA Chairman Mike Lamb, N7ML, says AEA's line of antennas, antenna analyzers and cable-testing equipment was sold, effective March 7, to Tempo Research of Vista, California. Tempo will handle all technical support, warranty and after-warranty service and plans to produce the products in the antenna, antenna analyzer and cable-testing line that AEA had been producing before it ceased operation late last year. Tempo will continue the AEA name under a separate division. Lamb says he will assume a primary marketing position with the new division.

Lamb said he's excited about the prospect of continuing a role with a portion of the AEA product line that he had a particular interest in. He said he hopes to work on new product development as well.

Timewave Technology of St Paul, Minnesota--already a major name in ham radio gear--is buying the rights to all other AEA products, including its digital line. But Timewave president Randy Gawtry, K0CBH, asked the amateur community to give the company a few weeks to set up the new product line before calling. "Watch our Web page," he said (it's at http://www.timewave.com). Gawtry says a purchase agreement is in place, and Timewave is in the process of making the product line transition from AEA to Timewave and hopes to be manufacturing products soon. Timewave will have the right to use the AEA name for one year (AEA model numbers will be continued, however). Gawtry said Timewave also will handle technical support and warranty and after-warranty service for the new product line, which will includes AEA's DSP-232 multimode TNC, introduced last year.

Callers to the former AEA number are now being directed to either Tempo or Timewave, as appropriate. Tempo Research is at 619-598-9677. Timewave's number is 612-452-5939.

Some ham radio paraphernalia supplied by the ARRL will appear in the upcoming Warner Brothers' film, Contact. The League loaned the moviemakers vintage QSTs and other publications and maps for use in the production. Mike Gastaldo of WB's props department said the radio shack scenes "happen in the first 15 minutes of the film. You can tell people to go for the ham radio scenes and stay for the astrophysics."

Gastaldo expressed thanks to the League for "helping us to portray Amateur Radio in as realistic and positive a way as possible." The movie is scheduled to open July 11.

The Ham Radio & More radio program will continue, says program host Len Winkler, KB7LPW. Winkler said he got the good word recently from Ron Cohen, general manager of KFNN Radio (1510 AM) in Phoenix, which owns and originates the program, which is syndicated to about 20 local commercial stations around the country and shortwave station WWCR. Ham Radio & More has been on the air for six years. Cohen told Winkler that the station has "received some encouraging responses to sponsorship." Darlene Grimes, N7XYB, also has taken over the marketing of the program, which airs each Sunday evening. "We are very hopeful of more industry suppliers and organizations jumping on the bandwagon and supporting a show that really does support Amateur Radio," Winkler said.

Ham Radio & More show information is available on the Web at http://www.goodnet.com/~lenwink/hrm.htm. Ham Radio & More airs live Sundays at 6 PM Eastern (2300 UTC) and may be heard locally on commercial stations as well as on WWCR at 5.070 MHz and on RealAudio via the Internet at http://www.AudioNet.com/radio/business/kbnp. The program airs on a delayed basis via WWCR Mondays at 1000 UTC on 3.210 MHz.

Five incumbents and two new section managers will officially take office July 1, 1997. Nominations closed March 7 for section manager candidates involved, but because there was only a single candidate in each of the sections involved, no elections will be necessary.

Incumbent section managers who ran unopposed are Richard Fairweather, K1KYI, Rhode Island; James Rudnicki, NZ7T, Utah; William Howard, WB3V, Maryland/DC; Alan Shuman, N1FIK, New Hampshire; Donald Costello, AB6TA, San Joaquin Valley.

New section managers-elect are Robert Davis, K7IY, Nevada, and Roy Edwards Sr, KB2LUO, Northern New Jersey. Candidates for the West Texas section manager position will be resolicited later this year.

We've received numerous calls from ARRL members in Southern California who never received March QST, and we've been issuing replacement copies upon request while investigating the problem. We discovered that once the magazines had entered the US Postal Service stream, they were put on the wrong train and spent several weeks in a Houston, Texas, postal facility. The magazines are currently on their way to Southern California and should be delivered to the Los Angeles Bulk Mail Center on Friday, March 14. From there they will be dispersed to the intended recipients. Although this occurrence was beyond our control, we apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused. --Deb Jahnke, Circulation Manager, QST

Out with the old, in with the new. ARRL HQ has had new telephone numbers for more than a year now, but has kept the old numbers active so those who need to get in touch with us won't have to dial twice. And just after we got our new telephone numbers, the telephone company changed our area code from 203 to 860.

Now, the time has come to disconnect the League's old main telephone number and three of the old fax numbers. The old numbers--including the main switchboard number, 666-1541--will stop working as of April 30. The new numbers include the main switchboard (860-594-0200), the fax machine in the Executive Vice President's office (860-594-0259), the fax machine in the comptroller's office (860-594-7109) and the fax machine in publication sales (860-594-0303). Frequent callers should make a note of these. For the next 12 months, callers to the old numbers will get a recording that will give them the new numbers.

Solar prognosticator Tad Cook, KT7H, in Seattle, Washington, reports: Sunspot activity was up last week, but solar flux was about the same. Average values increased by a little over one point. Geomagnetic activity was lower. Over the next few weeks, solar flux is expected to stay right in the mid 70s. Geomagnetic activity is expected to increase around March 26 and 27, due to recurring coronal holes. This is an echo of the rise in A index that we saw on February 28. Next week will be the Spring equinox.

Expect improved conditions as periods of daylight equalize between the southern and northern hemispheres. Due to continued low flux values, night propagation on 20 meters will still be a problem, as will daytime propagation on 10 and 15 meters. After dark the best bands will be 30 and 40 meters. Best propagation on 20 meters will continue to be in the morning after sunrise toward the east, and in the late afternoon and early evening toward the west.

Sunspot numbers for March 6 through 12 were 11, 12, 26, 26, 17, 15 and 21, respectively, with a mean of 18.3. The 10.7-cm flux was 75.4, 74.1, 74.7, 75.1, 74.7, 74.3 and 74.3, respectively, with a mean of 74.7. Estimated planetary A indices for the same period were 8, 8, 5, 3, 3, 4, and 12, respectively, with a mean of 6.1.

• HQ job opening: ARRL Headquarters has a full-time opening for the position of Assistant Contest Manager. The position is in Newington, Connecticut. Candidates must be thoroughly interested and knowledgeable in the League's varied contest programs and familiar with DXCC countries, ARRL sections and divisions, and current contesting issues. An Amateur Radio license, writing skills, PC familiarity, including DOS, Windows, database management and e-mail are required. A high degree of attention to detail and the ability to work well under deadline pressure is required. Pay range is in the mid to upper teens. Send resume and salary expectations to R. Boucher, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; fax 860-594-0298; e-mail rboucher@arrl.org.

• Burgeoning ARISS support: Nine ham radio organizations and societies have so far signed the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) memorandum of understanding. In addition to the ARRL, signatories include Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC), AMSAT-Canada, REF (France), AMSAT-France, AMSAT-Italia, JARL, SRR (Russia), and AMSAT-NA. JAMSAT, the RSGB and AMSAT-UK are expected to come aboard soon.

• DXCC processing status: The DXCC Desk reports the number of unprocessed applications at the end of February 1997 was 191 (23,172 QSLs). It received 252 applications (24,436 QSLs) for endorsements and new awards during the month. Applications being sent out at the end of February were received less than one month earlier. A few applications received prior to that time were in the process of being audited and had not yet been completed. --Bill Kennamer, K5FUV

• VHF confab reminder: The 1997 Southeastern VHF Society Conference will be held April 4-5, 1997, at the Atlanta Marriott Northwest in Windy Hill, Georgia (between Atlanta and Marietta). Jimmy Treybig, W6JKV--a leading expert on 50-MHz propagation--will be the banquet speaker. Steve Kostro, N2CEI, of Down East Microwave will conduct a clinic. Conference registration is $35, which includes a complete set of the Conference Proceedings. The April 4 banquet fee is $30. For registration information, visit the SVHFS web page at http://www.akorn.net/~ae6e/svhfs/ or contact Tad Danley, K3TD, 770-513-9252; e-mail k3td@amsat.org.

• Lucid gets award: The National Aviation Club presented its first annual Achievement Award March 12 to astronaut Shannon Lucid, who became familiar to many hams from her radio activities from the Russian Mir space station. She was selected "for her technical expertise, dedicated service, and pioneering spirit as a space shuttle astronaut." Lucid holds the record for the longest duration in space by a US astronaut and longest space flight by a woman. She becomes the first to receive the yet-to-be-named trophy that was to have been presented to Amelia Earhart upon the completion of her around-the-world flight in the 1930s. Lucid has flown on five shuttle missions including her record-setting mission to Mir last year. She holds a commercial pilot's license, with instrument and multi-engine aircraft ratings.

• Farquhar departs WTB: Michele Farquhar, Chief of the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, has announced plans to leave the FCC effective in early April. In May, she is to assume a one-year term as president of the Duke University Alumni Association. Dan Phythyon will named acting Wireless Telecommunications Bureau chief. --FCC

• Grove Enterprises takes on RCMA Journal list: An issue of Monitoring Times will be sent to each former RCMA member for each issue due of the now-defunct RCMA Journal, according to an agreement reached between the RCMA board of directors and Grove Enterprises. RCMA members who have changed their mailing address should send their new address and RCMA membership number to: RCMA Mailing List, c/o Grove Enterprises Inc, Box 98, Brasstown, NC 28902; e-mail mt@grove.net. --Bill Mauldin

• Norm's acquires Alliance Tenna-Rotor line: Norm's Rotor Service, Frederick, Maryland--owned and operated by Norm Jeweler, K3LYW--has acquired all parts, materials and technical data for the Alliance Tenna-Rotor series of antenna rotators from the Genie Company. Norm's will provide support for the HD-73, U-100 and U-110 series rotors and control boxes. For more information, contact Norm's Rotor Service, 5263 Agro Dr, Frederick, Maryland 21703; tel 301-874-5885; fax 301-874-5887.

• St Patrick's Day event: On St Patrick's Day, March 15, starting at 0000 UTC, the Cork Radio Club in Southern Ireland will operate special event station EI5SPD on 40 20, 15, 12 and 10 meters. A commemorative QSL will be available. --Chris Maverley, EI6IA

• Morocco special event: Morocco is celebrating the 36th anniversary of the crowning of King Hassan II. Special event call signs CN36GI, CN36NL and CN36LU are operational on 80, 40 and 20 meters. QSL via CN8GI. A free certificate is available for working any two. --CN36GI

• 7Z1AB PACTOR mailbox open: The 7Z1AB PACTOR mailbox is back on the air from the US embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The frequency is 14,071.3 MHz, USB. The mailbox has mail forwarding capabilities. --Barry Whittles, G4KUD

The ARRL Letter is published by the American Radio Relay League, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259. Rodney J. Stafford, KB6ZV, President; David Sumner, K1ZZ, Executive Vice President.

Circulation, Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO, e-mail kcapodicasa@arrl.org.

Editorial, Rick Lindquist, N1RL, e-mail elindquist@arrl.org.

Visit the ARRLWeb page at http://www.arrl.org.

The purpose of The ARRL Letter is to provide the essential news of interest to active, organizationally minded radio amateurs faster than it can be disseminated by our official journal, QST. We strive to be fast, accurate and readable in our reporting.

Material from The ARRL Letter may be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form, including photoreproduction and electronic databanks, provided that credit is given to The ARRL Letter and The American Radio Relay League.