wheatley@inuxi.UUCP (Steven Wheatley) (10/30/85)
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THE / R R \ LETTER
VOLUME 4 \ / NUMBER 21
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October 10, 1985
The ARRL Letter is published bi-weekly by the Information
Services Department of the American Radio Relay League, 225 Main
St., Newington, CT, 06111; (203) 666-1541. Larry E. Price, W4RA,
President; David Sumner, K1ZZ, Executive Vice President; Dave
Newkirk, AK7M, Editor; Debra Chapor, Circulation Manager.
Information from The ARRL Letter may be reproduced in whole
or part in any form including photoreproduction and electronic
databanks, providing credit is given to The ARRL Letter and to
the American Radio Relay League.
The ARRL Letter is available in printed form from ARRL.
Subscriptions, limited to ARRL Members, are $19.50 (U.S. funds)
per year for First-Class Mailing to the U.S., Canada, and
Mexico. Overseas air mail subscriptions are available at $31
(U.S. funds) per year. Sample copies are available for an
s.a.s.e.
In this issue:
o FCC PREPARES TO NAIL RADIO PIRATES
o ARRL FILES COMMENTS ON PR 85-22
o ANOTHER HAM IN SPACE
o ...and much more!
PERIMETER PROTECTION SYSTEMS ON 6 METERS?
In turning a Canadian company's petition for operation of a
perimeter protection system into a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking,
FCC appears to have deflected a potential threat to the Amateur
Radio Service at 50-54 MHz. In the NPRM, General Docket 85-231,
FCC responded to a request for a waiver of Part 15 at 50-88 MHz
by proposing 54-88 MHz instead.
It all began with a bit of alphabet soup called "CTLFDS" and
ended up "GUIDAR." "CTLFDS" stands for "coupled transmission
line field disturbance sensor." Control Data Canada, Ltd. (CDC),
developed one and called it GUIDAR. It's a system that can be
used to provide security surveillance for prisons, and to protect
high-risk sites such as nuclear power stations from terrorism,
theft and vandalism. GUIDAR operates on a principle of guided
radar whereby a detection zone is created between "leaky" or
ported coaxial cables deployed around the protected area. The
present GUIDAR system employs two parallel cables buried
approximately five feet apart and nine inches below the ground.
An RF pulse is transmitted into one cable; some of this energy is
coupled via the ports (holes) in the outer conductor of this
cable into the ground and air near the cable. Some of this
energy is reflected by objects in the ground and discontinuities
in the soil, and is coupled into the second, or receiving, cable.
When a human or other large object crosses between the cables,
the change in RF coupled from cable to cable is detected and
triggers an alarm. Such systems may cover a perimeter up to 2
miles long.
On June 24, 1984, CDC asked FCC for a waiver of Part 15 of
its rules to allow the operation of GUIDAR at 50-88 MHz. (Part
15 is that part of the FCC Rules governing operation of
unlicensed low-power communication devices. Familiar Part 15
devices include cordless telephones, 49 MHz walkie-talkies,
garage-door openers, etc. Such devices must not interfere with
any other service; they must tolerate interference from other
services.)
Why did CDC make a run at 50-88 MHz? The aim was improved
performance of its GUIDAR. CDC indicated that the ability of the
system to detect actual intrusions and to ignore objects that
could cause false alarms is affected by the frequency of
operation. Below 30 MHz, sensitivity of the system to humans
drops dramatically. Operation above 100 MHz increases the
system's sensitivity to small animals, resulting in numerous
false alarms; also, above 100 MHz, signal loss in the cable is
significant. CDC stated that such systems must operate somewhere
between 30 and 100 MHz.
CDC stated that the present rules in Part 15, Subpart F,
allowing perimeter protection systems to operate in the range
40.66 to 40.70 MHz, do not allow for effective operation of a
system such as GUIDAR. GUIDAR uses a pulsed signal with a
bandwidth of 2.5 MHz. A pulsed signal is employed to allow
determination of the exact location along a perimeter where
intrusion has occurred.
CDC proposed 50-88 MHz for GUIDAR. This range includes the
amateur 6-meter band, TV channels 2-6 and radio astronomy and
avigation at 72-76 MHz. CDC contends that its perimeter
protection systems can operate in the 50-88 MHz range without
causing interference to radio services on those frequencies.
In the NPRM, FCC said that CDC's reasons for selecting 50-88
MHz, rather than 30-50 or 88-100 MHz, were "unclear." Yet, "In
view of the public benefits to be derived from improved security
at facilities such as prisons and nuclear plants, we find it
appropriate to accommodate such systems to the extent possible."
Operation of CTLFDS on vacant VHF TV channels sits well with the
Commission. But what about 6 meters? Said FCC, "We have
reservations about also permitting these systems to operate in
the 50-54 MHz amateur radio band because these systems could
extend for considerable distance around a large facility, thereby
increasing the likelihood that an amateur transmitter could come
in close proximity to some part of the system."
What has been proposed by the Commission is a set of
standards for perimeter protection systems allowing for operating
at 40.68 MHz, 54-72 MHz and 76-88 MHz. For systems operating
between 54 and 88 MHz, strength of emissions is not to exceed 10
microvolts per meter at a distance of 30 meters -- the same
limitation placed on computers for use in residential areas. FCC
carved 50-54 MHz and 72-76 MHz from CDC's original proposal:
"Permitting operation on TV channels 2 through 6 should be more
than sufficient, since this ensures that in any given area there
will be at least two vacant TV channels on which a perimeter
protection system could be set to operate."
Comments on General Docket 85-231 were due by October 11,
1985, with the League to file in support of FCC's decision to
keep these devices out of the 6-meter band. Reply Comments are
due on or before November 12.
FCC PREPARES TO NAIL RADIO PIRATES
The Federal Communications Comission's monitoring network is
continuing to investigate and fine illegal radio operators on a
number of frequencies. Through long-distance direction finding,
unlicensed "pirate" radio operations have been identified near
these cities: Richmond, Charlottesville and Staunton, VA;
Youngstown, OH; Miami and Orlando, FL; Minneapolis, MN;
Washington, DC; Louisville, KY; Waterbury, CT; Newark, DE; Grand
Rapids and Lansing, MI; San Francisco, CA; Arkansas City, KS, and
Fort Smith, AR.
The operation of unlicensed radio stations is in direct
violation of FCC Rules and Regulations. Their operation may
endanger life and property by causing harmful interference to
licensed radio operations.
One such pirate station, "KRZY" of Arkansas, was located and
inspected on March 9, 1985. As a result of the inspection, a
$1000 Notice of Apparent Liability was issued for unlicensed and
out-of-band operation. The same operator soon returned to the
air, and on August 9, 1985, U.S. Marshals, accompanied by an
agent from the FCC District Office in Dallas, served a warrant
and seized transmitting equipment
used by the radio operator. The search and seizure resulted from
a close-in DF to his residence on August 16, 1985, at which time
the station was identifying itself as "KBBR" on 7440 kHz.
If convincted of operating an unlicensed radio station, the
operator faces a maximum penalty of one year imprisonment, a fine
up to $10,000 and a possible forfeiture of radio equipment to the
U.S. government.
Persons having information that would assist the FCC in its
effort to locate and close down pirate radio stations should
contact: Engineer in Charge, FCC, P.O. Box 1588, Grand Island, NE
68802-1588; telephone (308) 382-4296.
NEW ADDRESSES FOR TWO FCC OFFICES
FCC's Anchorage District Office has moved to 6721 West
Raspberry Road, Anchorage, AK 99502, telephone (907) 243-2153.
The Honolulu Office has moved shop as well; their address is
Waipio Access Road, Next to the Ted Makalena Golf Course, P.O.
Box 1030, Waipahu, HI 96797. The telephone there is (808) 677-
3318.
Both offices are open from 8 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. Public
inquiries concerning telecommunications matters, complaints of
electronic interference and schedules of commercial radio
operator examinations should be directed to these addresses.
THAT THIRTY-DAY RULE ISN'T GONE YET
From the ARRL/VEC office comes this reminder for all ARRL-
accredited Volunteer examiners: don't forget that the thirty-day
wait rule remains in force until November 8. Don't risk your
license by breaking the rule while it is still on the books.
After November 8, each VEC entity may set its own waiting period.
Once the ARRL Board has determined the cost impact of this rules
change, ARRL/VEC VEs will be advised as to what the ARRL/VEC
retest policy will be.
COHERENT CW ON LONGWAVE
Have you heard of the 1750-meter band? It spans 160-190
kHz, and U.S. experimenters there are allowed unlicensed
operation with no more than 1 watt DC input and a 15-meter
antenna. (Don't get out your calculators; that's like having
QSOs on 80 meters with a wire just a hair longer than two feet!)
It is possible to make electromagnetic hay on 1750, though --
especially if you jump into the experimental spirit of the band
and its users. More and more 1750-meter experimenters, or
LOWfers, as they're nicknamed, are turning to uncommon
technologies in their quest to span greater distances on the
band. One such technology is coherent CW (CCW). What's coherent
CW? There's quite a bit on the technique on pages 21-9 to 21-12
of the The ARRL 1985 Handbook for the Radio Amateur.
Simplistically put, it's a method wherein transmit and receive
frequencies, keying speed, and receiver bandwidth are
synchronized, allowing something like a 20dB improvement in
signal-to-noise ratio at 12 WPM over non-coherent CW systems at
similar signalling rates. From the September issue of QEX, the
ARRL Experimenter's Exchange, comes this report on 160-190 kHz
CCW:
"Mike Mideke, WB6EER, and I have been experimenting with
coherent CW in the 1750-meter experimental band. My CCW beacon
is located in Morro Bay, California, transmitting 10-baud CCW,
while Mike is receiving with a Petit PCF-3 coherent CW filter
(QST, May 1981). A digital dot is precisely 0.1 second, while
dashes, space and blanks between elements are 0.3 second long. A
32-bit memory is used, making the entire ID 10.7 seconds. All
experiments have been conducted on 176 kHz, as sufficient RF
stability occurs with ordinary crystal control. 166.66667 kHz
was planned, but carrier accuracy is far less stringent than
first thought!
"Phase-locking to 10-MHz WWV was discarded after the
discovery that 100-kHz LORAN C signals were received while
tranmitting on the same antenna, using a simple 100-kHz tuned
circuit. A basic 100-kHz receiver is now needed with only a
sample and hold output such that a phase lock can be achieved
with a 1-MHz crystal. A commercial LORAN C unit was used for
this initial try.
"It is becoming more apparent that stabilities and
complexities first thought necessary are not required when the
communication experiment lasts for a few hours, or can be
optimized by the operator on the spot. Both Mike and I are now
look-ing for an experimenter in, say, the Hawaiian islands, to
show what coherent CW and one watt of power can really do" --
Cliff Buttschardt, W6HDO, 950 Pacific St., Morro Bay CA 93442.
ARRL FILES COMMENTS IN PR DOCKET 85-22
In response to rising interference in the repeater subbands,
FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on repeater
coordination, PR Docket 85-22, in January of this year. FCC
intends to add to Part 97 the definitions of "coordinated
repeater," "harmful interference" and "frequency coordinator" --
and a new paragraph (h) to Section 97.85 reading, in part, that
"where one repeater is coordinated and the other is not the
station with the non-coordinated repeater has primary
responsibility to resolve the interference." This was really
bringing the question of whether or not one should coordinate
one's machine home to roost! Further, the NPRM included a
moratorium on new repeater operation in some large metropolitan
areas; this moratorium was lifted in February as a result of a
Request for Partial Reconsideration filed at near-light speed by
the League. Another aspect of the moratorium had quickened
pulses in the field when the fine print of 85-22 was read as
defining "new" repeaters as those that would not be listed in the
new edition of the ARRL Repeater Directory -- unless other proof
of pre-operation was available. The result was a scramble to
list repeaters in the Directory just as the book was in its final
editing stage. The original deadline for the filing of comments
had been July 1, but this was extended at ARRL request to August
15, 1985: the League's Board of Directors wished that maximum
time be allowed for it to consider input from those concerned.
And "those concerned" were legion.
The gist of the League's August 15 filing in Docket 85-22 was
succinctly put at Minute 74 of the Board's July meeting in
Hartford (see September 1985 QST, page 57):
1) Preferred status in instances of harmful repeater-to-
repeater interference should be granted to amateur repeater
operators who have implemented the recommendation of their local
or regional frequency coordinator and are thereby coordinated.
2) Frequency coordination should be strongly urged for all
amateur stations in repeater or auxiliary operation in any
geographical area that is served by a frequency coordinator.
3) The FCC should not consider alternatives to frequency
coordination nor mandate methods of coordination.
4) The use of modern technological innovations, such as
those cited in the NPRM, should be encouraged, but not
substituted for frequency coordination.
5) The FCC should not recognize a single entity, such as a
National Frequency Coordinator, for amateur repeater operation.
Such coordination activities should be performed by local or
regional frequency coordinators with appropriate support to these
coordinators to be provided by the ARRL.
6) The ARRL also recommends that the scope of frequency
coordination include all Amateur Radio stations in repeater or
auxiliary operation.
7) The ARRL further recommends that consideration of the
procedural framework within which frequency coordinators are
recognized and conduct their operations be subject to a future
FCC proceeding.
Next on the agenda: reply comments, which were due by
September 30. More on the League's filing in November QST; watch
there, and here, for more on lively 85-22.
It's almost November 1 -- that's the deadline to register
your repeater with Hq. for the 1986-87 Repeater Directory.
Hint...
AMERICANS ON THE AIR IN JAPAN
Nineteen days after the U.S.-Japan reciprocal operating
agreement took effect, September 26 saw five individual-station
licenses issued to U.S. amateurs, effective October 1: 7J1AAA
was issued to AH0/A, 7J1AAB to NA2Y, 7J1AAC to KH2AC, 7J1AAD to
WA4PRF, and 7J1AAE to AI0/D. Full information for operating in
Japan under the new arrangement is available from ARRL
Headquarters.
ANOTHER HAM IN SPACE IN 1986
NASA has announced that Ron Parise, WA4SIR, is scheduled to
be a member of the crew for the Astro 1 shuttle mission, 61E, in
March 1986. Astro 1 is the first of three related astronomy
missions. Ron is an active AMSAT member, and there is a
possibility of Amateur Radio operation from the shuttle once
again being approved by NASA.
"I GUESS YOU HAD TO BE THERE..."
The best-told jokes sometimes elicit that response . . .
usually after an ego-crushing pause. But it also applies to HF
propagation. Sure, we're in the depths of a solar minimum, but
there's good use to be made of the HF bands yet -- if you're
there when the band opens, making your presence known. And this
is equally important at VHF/UHF. W1HDQ put it well in a recent
W1AW propagation forecast: "We are moving into the best months
of the year, but activity is the key. Nobody ever worked DX with
a receiver."