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

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

• KC5VPF on his way to Mir!
• Ham radio an official ISS payload
• Attorneys, PEs: The ARRL wants you!
• More on Form 159
• Morse 2000 World Conference set
• Solar update
• Allan L. Severson, AB8P, SK
• Phillip S. Williams, 5W1AU, SK
• In Brief: This weekend on the radio; Correction/compliment; Gate 3 numbers; Ham radio at the CMA Awards; World Puzzle Championship special event station; Iranian special event station; ROARS Silver Jubilee Award; RSGB Young Amateur of the Year; Goldwater ill

It was uncertain right up until launch day whether US astronaut David Wolf, KC5VPF, would get to replace his colleague Mike Foale, KB5UAC, aboard the Russian Mir space station. Under intense political pressure to consider discontinuing the presence of US astronauts aboard the ailing and aging space station, NASA Administrator Dan Goldin gave the okay Thursday, September 25, for Wolf's Mir stay only hours before the shuttle Atlantis was launched from Cape Canaveral on mission STS-86 and a rendezvous with Mir. At least for another four months, Wolf will continue the permanent US presence on the station that began in 1996 with Shannon Lucid.

Goldin cited separate scientific reviews of the situation aboard Mir in his decision to deliver Wolf to Mir as originally planned. An independent task force, chaired by Lt Gen Thomas P. Stafford, USAF (Ret.), a former Gemini and Apollo astronaut, reaffirmed NASA's internal reviews to proceed with Thursday's shuttle mission to replace Foale with Wolf on Mir. Astronaut Col Fred Gregory, USAF (Ret.), Associate Administrator of the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance, conducted another NASA review. In that review, Gregory gave his certification of the shuttle-Mir flight safety as one of the key NASA management approvals prior to a shuttle mission.

"This careful and thorough review of the shuttle-Mir mission analyzed risk, readiness and, foremost, safety," Goldin said. "We move forward not only because it is safe, but for the important scientific and human experience we can gain only from Mir." Goldin said that as NASA looks toward next June's launch of the first element of the International Space Station, "nothing can beat the hands-on, real-time training aboard Mir."

Early this year, a fire broke out aboard Mir. The spacecraft also has had various mechanical problems, including malfunctions of its oxygen-generating and carbon dioxide scrubbing systems. In late June, a collision with an unmanned Progress supply rocket during a docking maneuver damaged the spacecraft's Spektr module and disrupted scientific research. Among subsequent problems, Mir suffered from repeated computer system failures, one as recently as this week. The Atlantis carried a new computer to Mir.

Wolf, 41, is both an electrical engineer and a medical doctor. A native of Indianapolis, Wolf is single. He has been an astronaut since 1990 and served as a mission specialist aboard the shuttle Columbia in late 1993.

Meanwhile, astronaut Andy Thomas, who is scheduled to replace Wolf aboard Mir in January, has successfully passed his Technician examination in anticipation of spending several months aboard the Russian space station. He received his new call sign, KD5CHF, this week and already has come up with the phonetics "Cosmonauts having fun." Thomas will take the place of Wendy Lawrence, KC5KII, in the Mir rotation. Lawrence originally was supposed to replace Foale on the current shuttle mission. In the wake of this year's problems aboard the space station, however, NASA determined it would prefer to have an astronaut aboard Mir who could fit the Russian space suits--in case an astronaut needed to participate in a space walk as Foale had to do during his Mir stay. Lawrence is too small to wear the Russian space gear, and that same thinking could have been behind swapping Thomas for Lawrence on the subsequent Mir posting.

Lawrence is aboard the STS-86 shuttle Atlantis mission that will deliver Wolf to Mir and return Foale to Earth from his four-month stay aboard the space outpost. The Atlantis crew includes Commander Jim Wetherbee; Pilot Mike Bloomfield; and Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski, KC5RSY; Jean-Loup Chretien; and Vladimir Titov, KD5AOS, in addition to Wolf and Lawrence.

Thomas, a native of Australia, is 45 and single. An astronaut since 1993, he holds a PhD in mechanical engineering and flew his first flight in space on Endeavour in May, 1996.--thanks to NASA

Amateur Radio is now considered to be an official payload on the International Space Station (ISS). In fact, reports Matt Bordelon, KC5BTL, at Johnson Space Center, ham radio was the first payload to become official. Bordelon already has started the training program for the first crew who will be putting together the ISS starting in January 1999.

Based on our initial request to be manifested onboard, the ISS Payloads Office is listing Amateur Radio as being onboard with (1) a transportable station (H-Ts), (2) a site on the EXPRESS pallet, and (3) a permanent station on the Habitation Module. Amateur Radio soon will be assigned a Payload Integration Manager (PIM) for each of these.

One important service the ARRL provides to amateurs with antenna restrictions is referral to attorneys or professional engineers in their areas. Because they are hams, these attorneys and engineers are aware of our particular concerns. These professionals are members of the ARRL's Volunteer Counsel and Volunteer Consulting Engineer programs. They provide valuable assistance to hams who have to fight City Hall in order to pursue their interests.

Not long ago we put a call for attorneys and professional engineers to join both programs. The response was gratifying, but the need has become even greater. That's why we're asking again.

The Volunteer Counsel Program has several goals. It was developed to provide a better means of tracking and, when necessary, opposing local ordinances and statutes that might have a detrimental effect on the Amateur Radio Service and League members.

The second goal is to compile and maintain an up-to-date list of attorneys capable of representing amateurs involved in antenna or RFI disputes. Amateurs who need the services of an attorney in their area to deal with local opposition to their radio activities frequently call Headquarters. Because attorneys must be admitted to the state bar in order to practice law in a given state, we need Volunteer Counsels in each state. Unfortunately, the following states and territories are not currently represented in the VC program: Delaware, Mississippi, Oregon, Puerto Rico, and South Dakota. Amateurs who are attorneys in these states are especially needed.

The League does not expect a Volunteer Counsel to represent an amateur free of charge. When Headquarters makes referrals, we emphasize that VCs make their living practicing law and amateurs should not expect free or reduced-cost legal representation. Volunteer Counsels are asked, however, to provide an initial consultation gratis, so that the amateur may knowledgeably decide what further steps to take.

The Volunteer Consulting Engineer Program provides assistance to amateurs who may need to meet structural requirements set forth by local zoning authorities. Such engineering requirements are often necessary to obtain a permit to erect an antenna support structure. Hams often need an "expert witness" to certify that the tower in question meets or will meet the engineering requirements of local ordinances. Amateurs who need assistance are referred to Volunteer Consulting Engineers in their area.

As with Volunteer Counsels, VCEs are not expected to provide their services for free. We only ask them to provide an initial consultation gratis, and to consider giving discounted rates to amateurs where possible to meet a common goal for the good of Amateur Radio in the community.

VCs and VCEs must be full ARRL members and licensed amateurs. VCs must be admitted to the bar in the state for which they are listed, and VCEs must be Registered Professional (structural, civil or mechanical) Engineers.

If you are interested in becoming involved in either program, please contact the Regulatory Information Branch at ARRL Headquarters. We can be reached by phone at 860-594-0323, or by e-mail to reginfo@arrl.org. If you have access to the Web, you can apply on-line for either program by accessing the ARRL web page at: http://www.arrl.org/field/regulations/local/vc-vce.html. -- Tom Hogerty, KC1J, Supervisor, Regulatory Information Branch

ARRL/VEC Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, offers some additional advice on how to file a vanity call sign application, Form 619V, using the newly revised Form 159, Remittance Advice (dated July 1997). Form 159 must accompany all vanity call sign applications, no matter the method of payment.

On Form 159, Item 1, enter the post office box (POB) number that you'll be sending your payment to. If you're filing a paper Form 610V and sending it through the mail with your payment, Item 1 should read 358924. If you're filing electronically and mailing a payment for your electronically filed Form 610V, Item 1 should read 358994.

When using a paper Form 610V and filing by mail, you must include a Form 159 plus a copy of your current Amateur Radio license. The address is FCC, Amateur Vanity, POB 358924, Pittsburgh PA 15251-5924 (so, Item 1 on Form 159 in this case would be 358924, the same as the box number).

To apply electronically and sending Form 159 for your payment by mail, the address is FCC, Amateur Vanity, POB 358994, Pittsburgh PA 15251-5994 (so, Item 1 on Form 159 in this case would be 358994, the same as the box number).

Item 19A should be the applicant's present call sign.

Morse 2000 Worldwide Outreach is giving Morse code a new lease on life to help rehabilitate and educate people with special needs and disabilities. The first Morse 2000 World Conference is now set for late October in Minnesota.

Because it can be sent using a binary-opposition movement pattern, Morse code can be generated with left-right, push-pull and puff-sip control. The code--used in communication for the past 150 years and being phased out in many spheres--has proven to be among the best of several adaptive computer-access methods and augmentative or alternative communication techniques for many people with special needs. The ARRL Foundation has supported the program through grants.

"We now have over 2,000 participants in 27 countries!" exclaims Debra R. King, N9GLG, the director of Morse 2000 Worldwide Outreach. King manages the Office of Continuing Education in Human Sciences and Services at the University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire, and enthusiastically promotes the use of Morse code in rehabilitation and education.

Through her encouragement, various Morse code programs are being used or tested to allow people such as those with spinal cord injuries to converse. She provides information for occupational therapists or speech pathologists and promotes the advantages of using Morse code to help their patients. Occasionally, though, it works the other way around: sometimes patients hear about Morse 2000 and put their therapists in touch with King! The bottom line, however, is that the information she provides can save the therapist-patient team years of research attempting to find the best methods and selecting reliable equipment.

Results have generated heart-warming success stories, especially at learning centers and children's hospitals around the world, as reported in MORSEls, the Morse 2000 newsletter. One researcher told of the case of a woman with ALS (commonly called Lou Gehrig's Disease) who had lost her ability to speak but was able to communicate using Morse code--at first by blinking her eyes and later by using an optical switch activated by jaw movement that was wired to a PC. The same researcher told of a stroke patient who employed his very limited movement to send Morse code messages to his wife. Another report tells of a stroke victim who is able to talk in Morse code by activating a chin switch.

Speech pathologist Thomas King, WF9I--Debra King's husband and the editor of MORSEls--called Morse code "one tool of many" in providing "adaptive access" for those unable to communicate through conventional means. He told of a young man he called Barry who had been severely injured and rendered a quadriplegic after being hit by a car as a youngster. He retained facial movement and can speak (although he's on a ventilator), but he can use Morse via a puff-and-sip switch to write 20 WPM or so. Now in the high school, Barry hopes to eventually attend college. "The use of Morse for taking notes without calling a lot of attention to yourself has worked out very well," Thomas King said.

The first Morse 2000 World Conference will be held October 25-26, 1997, in Bloomington, Minnesota. Featured speaker is rehabilitation engineer Kevin Caves of the Rancho Rehabilitation Engineering Program in California. Although the conference is aimed at clinicians, teachers, therapists, assistive technology users, researchers and product developers, Amateur Radio operators also are encouraged to attend and share their technical knowledge, and to help develop equipment and code skills to train others. Registration prior to October 1 is $98.

For more information on the conference or on Morse 2000, contact Debra King, Morse 2000 Worldwide Outreach, Human Sciences & Services Outreach Office, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI 54702-4004; tel 715-836-3990; e-mail kingdr@uwec.edu. Morse 2000 can also be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.uwec.edu/Academic/Outreach/Morse2000/morse2000.html. --thanks to Richard Regent, K9GDF

Solar prophet Tad Cook, K7VVV, in Seattle, Washington, reports: Solar activity was down, but still quite good this past week after the recent big rise in solar flux. The running average of solar flux for the previous 90 days rose another two points this week to 81, and the flux on every day was still above the moving average, now for the 51st day.

Solar flux dipped down only to 85.2, but is now climbing back up. Look for the increase to continue, reaching the mid-90s by October 2, and over 100 again between October 7-11. Flux values are expected to dip below 90 after mid-month, and back above 90 a few days later. Of course this is based on the previous solar rotation, and new active areas could emerge which would drive the numbers higher.

The sun has spewed forth several coronal mass ejections recently, so expect the resulting high speed solar wind to cause unstable geomagnetic conditions around September 28-30. This may cause some problems for the RTTY contest this weekend.

The worst day this past week in terms of geomagnetic instability was September 18, when the planetary K index was up to 4 and 5 over several 3-hour periods.

With the rising solar flux and the fall season comes better propagation on 10 and 15 meters, so we are no longer as dependent on 20 meters for long-distance communication.

Sunspot numbers for September 18 through 24 were 30, 18, 15, 39, 47, 48, and 47, with a mean of 34.9. The 10.7-cm flux was 88.1, 89.2, 87.7, 85.2, 88.9, 91.7, and 92.9, with a mean of 89.1. The estimated planetary A indices were 17, 3, 7, 15, 8, 4, and 4, with a mean of 8.3.

Former Great Lakes Division Director Al Severson, AB8P, of North Olmsted, Ohio, died September 22, 1997, following a long illness. He was 65. Severson served as Great Lakes Director from January 1990 until June 1995, when he resigned for health reasons. Previously, he'd served as a vice director from 1985 to 1990. He was a Life Member of ARRL, and a member of QCWA and the West Park Radiops as well as many other clubs throughout the Division.

Severson had been licensed for approximately 45 years. During his tenure as Great Lakes Director, Severson was a frequent visitor at various hamfests in the Division.

Born in Minnesota and raised in the Dakotas and Washington State, Severson graduated from Golden Gate University in California. For 26 years, he worked as a field underwriter for State Farm. Earlier, he had served in the Marines in Korea and was awarded a Bronze Star, Navy Cross and two Purple Hearts.

Survivors include his wife, Charmaine, and a son, Craig Severson (W8CS, ex-AB8O), and a daughter, Catherine Sanders.

A service will be held September 28, 2 PM, at St Barnabas Church, Bay Village, Ohio. Cards and letters are invited to Charmaine Severson, 28381 North Park Dr, North Olmsted, OH 44070. Telephone calls are welcome after the memorial service.

Phil Williams, 5W1AU, died September 19, 1997. Williams served for 17 years as president of the Western Samoa Amateur Radio Club. --Marty Maessen, 5W1AT

• This weekend on the radio: The CQ WW RTTY Contest, and the Scandinavian Activity SSB Contest will keep you busy this final weekend of the month.

• Correction/compliment: In our report on new Gate 3 call signs (see The ARRL Letter, Vol 16, No 37), we incorrectly reported Mike Amaral's former call sign. He gave up WA1IDP to become WA1AW. Mike says the "AW" suffix has "a real smooth CW feel," but adds, "It is my little way of saying thanks to ARRL (and HPM!) for the help it provided me over the years, especially when I used the publications How to Become A Radio Amateur and Learning the Morse Code," and for those code practice sessions I copied from W1AW when I was a boy of 12 or so. Mike says he was first licensed in 1967.

• Gate 3 numbers: The FCC reports it issued 597 new call signs in response to vanity call sign applications filed on August 6, the opening day of Gate 3. Another 759 first-day applications were set aside for special handling in the so-called WIPs (work in process) stack at Gettysburg.

• Ham radio at the CMA Awards: Country music star Patty Loveless, KD4WUJ, did not repeat as female vocalist of the year at the 31st Country Music Association awards this week. Loveless had won the award two years running. Country legend Ronnie Milsap, WB4KCG, announced the nominees and this year's winner, Trisha Yearwood. During the awards telecast Wednesday, Loveless performed her latest, "You Don't Even Miss Me," with help from another legend, George Jones.

• World Puzzle Championship special event station: Activity from special event station 9A97WPC at the sixth World Puzzle (ENIGMA) Championship in Koprivnica, Croatia, continues through September 28. The station will be active on CW and SSB. QSL via the bureau or to QSL manager 9A3KQ. --9A6JYL

• Iranian special event station: Special event "pilot" station EP23TIE will be on the air October 2 until October 10, to mark the 23rd Tehran International Exhibition. EP23TIE will be on the air from 0530 until 1330 UTC daily. QSL to the Directorate General of Telecommunications, Box 931, Tehran, Iran.--Iran Ministry of Posts, Telegraph ,and Telephone

• ROARS Silver Jubilee Award: To Commemorate its 25th anniversary, the Royal Omani Amateur Radio Society (ROARS) has introduced the ROARS Silver Jubilee Award. From October 1 until December 31, 1997, all A4 Stations will use /SJ after their suffix. A special event station, A43XXV, will be QRV from December 17 until December 21. The Award will be issued to any DX station that earns five points. Contacts with A43XXV will count three points. Club Stations A47RS/SJ and A47OS/SJ count two points. Other A4 stations count one point. Contacts with the same station on a different band or mode double the point credit. Send your certified log copy with 10 IRCs or US $5 to Awards Manager, ROARS, Box 981, Muscat 113, Sultanate of Oman. --Nasser Khalfan Al Rawahi, A41KG

• RSGB Young Amateur of the Year: Fifteen-year-old Emma Constantine, 2E1BVJ, of West Yorkshire, is the Radio Society of Great Britain 1997 Young Amateur of the Year. Runner up was 14-year-old Mark Haynes, 2E0APH, of Essex. The pair was selected by a judging panel of representatives of the RSGB and the Radiocommunications Agency in Great Britain. Emma is a founder of the Rishworth School Amateur Radio Club, G0SQA, and has been its secretary for three years. The school's science department head, Anthony Vinters, G0WFG, described her as "an excellent ambassador" for Amateur Radio. --RSGB

• Goldwater ill: Press reports say that Barry Goldwater, K7UGA, may be suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Goldwater's wife, Susan, told reporters last week that opinions differ on whether Goldwater actually has the disease or is continuing to suffer the effects of 1996 stroke. Goldwater, the 1964 Republican presidential candidate and a long-time US Senator, remains at his home in Phoenix, Arizona.

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.

The ARRL Letter is distributed directly from ARRL HQ only to elected League officials and certain ARRL appointees and to paid subscribers of the now-defunct hard-copy edition of The ARRL Letter . For members and nonmembers alike, The ARRL Letter is available free of charge from these sources:

• The ARRLWeb page (http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/). This version of The ARRL Letter includes any photographs.

• The HIRAM BBS: 860-594-0306.

• The ARRL Technical Information Server (Info Server): Send an e-mail message to info@arrl.org. The subject line should be blank. In the message body, type send ltrmmdd.txt, where mm represents two digits for the month and dd represents two digits for the day (The ARRL Letter is published every Friday). For example, to request The ARRL Letter file for Friday, January 3, 1997, you'd type send ltr0103.txt. Then, on a separate line, type quit.

• CompuServe and America Online subscribers, as a downloadable text file in the services' ham radio libraries

• The Netcom server, run by the Boston Amateur Radio Club and Mike Ardai, N1IST: Send e-mail to listserv@netcom.com (no subject needed). The body of the message should say subscribe letter-list.