THE
SPARK GAP
July 1998
Club Information
President: Dennis KI5FW
Vice Pres: C.P. W5OQY
Secretary: Bill KB5ASR
Treasurer: Ross WB4ZIK
Editor : Darrell W5MAV
Club meets every Saturday 10 A.M. at Queen City Truck Stop. All visitors and new members are welcome. Some folks come early for breakfast.
President Report:
GE once agn. to all.
Hot enuff fer everyone??? It is too hot fer me. It was gud to see everyone that came and participated in the FIELD DAY outing. We all had a great time. We made several radio contacts, had some gud fellowship and enjoyed grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner Sat. nite. The wx was great. There was a breeze blowing most of the afternoon and it helped keep the heat from getting the best of everyone. Besides the radio'n and eating we were entertained by several folks picking and singing most of the late afternoon hours. Entertainment was provided by Ronny (KB5DKW) and his XYL "PeeWee", the "NERD" Dennis Smith (N5HGN), and ole Wes (KC5OJS) surprised us with his guitar picking-n-singing. Those of u that didn't make it missed out on a gud time. The endurance award has to go to Russell "DIT DIT" (WA5EE) fer staying all nite long until noon Sunday.
Congratulations goes out to Ben (KD5EOE) fer being the youngest ham in the Club. He got his Tech. License at the Philadelphia Hamfest. There are several folks betting on Ben making General Class before dad.......hmmmmmmm!!
I would like to thank the hams up in the Neshoba County area fer the Hamfest that the put on in June. Let's hope they will try and do it agn next year.
That's abt it from my QTH. Everybody stay cool and enjoy the summer......73's......de.....Dennis....KI5FW.......
Vice President Report:
Editor Report:
A great big thanks to Phillup (KD5CBK) and Ross (WB4ZIK) for their work on getting the great looking MARC T-Shirts designed and manufactured. I think the shirts are very professional and will keep our club looking its best.
It has come to my attention that the "tax" was not included in the cost that we paid. Phillup (KD5CBK) took it upon himself to pay this extra cost. I feel that is too much to ask from one person to absorb the cost on all of the shirts. I have guessed the tax to be approximately $1.25 per shirt. I think it would be a good idea if everyone would hand the appropriate amount to Phillup the next time you cross paths with him. This would help defray some of his expenses. After all, he volunteered to do all this work for free; it should not have cost him anything. Thanks Phillup. 73's W5MAV
VE Schedule for JARC
The JARC Volunteer Examiner (VE) team is affiliated with the ARRL/VEC and conducts exam sessions five times a year. Testing in 1998 will be conducted on Sunday afternoons as follows: July 12, September 13, and November 8. Candidates should arrive by 1:30 PM at the American Red Cross Building at 875 Riverside Drive in Jackson. Bring an original and copy of your current license (if any), the original and a copy of any Certificates of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCEs) you hold, government-issued photo ID, and the 1998 examination fee of $6.35.
Questions may be directed to JARC VE Team Leader Ken Johnston, KG5YV, at 924-6253 (home), 857-3245 (work), or by e-mail to kg5yv@juno.com
NEW VANITY FEE SET
The vanity call sign application fee will drop to $13 effective September 14, 1998. That's the word from the FCC's Terry Johnson in the Office of Managing Director. The new fee will be for the ten-year term, payable at the time of application for a new, renewed, or reinstated license. The current vanity call sign application fee is $50. Earlier this year, the FCC had proposed dropping the fee to $12.90. The actual fee was "rounded up," Johnson said.
The FCC says it has no plans to refund the difference between the current fee and the new fee for applicants who submit applications before the new fee schedule goes into effect in September.
The FCC released its revised schedule of regulatory fees for all services for fiscal year 1998 this week, and it's soon expected to be available on the FCC's Web site. The Commission is required to collect almost $163 million during FY 1998. The FCC calculated the new fee based on an expected 10,000 applicants during FY 1998. ARRL
New General exam test pool
A new General class examination question pool becomes effective July 1. The new General exam will include five additional questions on the topic of RF safety. Applicants take note: as of January 1, 1998, only FCC Forms 610 dated September 1997 or later are acceptable to the FCC or to VE teams.--Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, ARRL/VEC
Time Management
A while back, I was reading about an expert on the subject of time management. One day this expert was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget.
As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz."
Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.
When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?"
Everyone in the class said, "Yes."
Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.
Then he asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?"
By this time the class was onto him. "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied.
He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel.
Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"
"No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim.
He looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"
One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!"
"No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all."
What are the 'big rocks' in your life?
A project that YOU want to accomplish? Time with your loved ones? Your faith, your education, your finances? A cause?
Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all. ---
So, tonight or in the morning when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question: What are the 'big rocks' in my life? Then, put those in your jar first.
VICE DIRECTOR'S NOTES
Representative Michael Bilirakis (R-FL-9th) introduced HR-3572, The Amateur radio Spectrum Protection Act of 1998, in late March. The bill has been referred to the House Committee of Commerce. At the present time, there are 24 Co-sponsors for the Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act. Have you contacted your congress person and asked them to support the bill?
Most of you have heard about it on the local repeaters, or heard about it through some other source. It really is true that the LMCC (Land Mobile Communications Council) are trying to steal the 70-centimeter band (420 - 450 Mhz) out from under the Amateur Radio Service. In July 1998, QST, page 9 is the editorial views on the LMCC. You can see the complete document on the ARRL Web site: http://www.arrl.org/news/bandthreat/RM-9267/.
I will be departing Memphis on Wednesday, July 15, 1998 for the 2nd Annual Board of Directors meeting on July 16-18, 1998. It maybe an opportunity for me to operate W1AW during my stay in the Newington area at Headquarters prior to the meeting.
Henry R. Leggette, WD4Q Vice Director, Delta Division American Radio Relay League, Inc.
Have you written the FCC about the LMCC petition yet?
If not, you have one last chance to do so. As a result of the enormous amounts of comments regarding the Land Mobile Communications Council's petition for the reallocation of 70-cm to Private Mobile Radio Service (PMRS) use, the FCC has extended the comment period to July 16.
Amateur radio operators were quick to act when the announcement of the petition was made over a month ago. The LMCC wishes to see the immediate reallocation of 420- to 430-MHz and 440- to 450-MHz from the federal government to the PMRS. Within the last month, the amateur radio service has gained the support of many organizations and companies, as well as the United States Navy, which feels that the reallocation of this spectrum would not be in the best interest of the public, or those concerned.
A New Threat to Amateur Radio
It seems like we have seen a lot of threats to the amateur radio spectrum recently, and it is not over yet. The FCC has proposed the reallocation of portions of the 5-GHz band (from 5.850- to 5.925-GHz) to the intelligent transportation systems (ITS). Amateur radio is a secondary user of the 5-GHz spectrum, from 5.650 to 5.925-GHz. This one is not looking good for amateur radio, as even a major corporation has stepped in and said that since there is limited amateur activity on 5-GHz, there should be no problem with the reallocation.
The 3M Corporation says that amateur radio operators are not as active on 5-GHz as they are on other bands, and that sharing of this spectrum would prove impossible. They say that high power amateur radio stations could easily block or interfere with the lower power transmissions of the ITS.
This company is right about one thing, there is not much amateur activity in this spectrum. However, it is still ours, and we must fight to protect it. As the rest of our spectrum fills up, especially in the VHF and UHF areas, more amateurs are likely to venture out onto new bands, and try new forms of communication. These bands are crucial to the future of our hobby, and radio experimentation in general, and we cannot just let them slip away one by one. I would urge everyone to contact the FCC in response to this latest proposal. And, it would not be a bad idea to contact 3M, and let them know, politely, how you feel about their comments.
The FCC can be reached informally via email at fccinfo@fcc.gov, or you can contact them directly at Federal Communications Commission, 1919 M Street NW, Washington DC, 20554. RCSM Wire
