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 - - - - -

NEWSLINE RADIO - CBBS EDITION #894 - POSTED 10/02/94
 
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   The following is late news about Amateur Radio for Radio
 Amateurs as prepared from NEWSLINE RADIO scripts by the staff of
 the AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE, INC. -- formerly the WESTLINK RADIO
 NETWORK.  For current information updates, please call
 
                    Audio Version of Newsline
                    =========================
     Los Angeles............................ (213) 462-0008
     Los Angeles (Instant Update Line)...... (805) 296-2407
     Seattle................................ (206) 368-3969
     Seattle................................ (206) 281-8455
     Tacoma................................. (206) 927-7373
     Louisville............................. (502) 894-8559
     Dayton................................. (513) 275-9991
     Chicago................................ (708) 289-0423
     New York City.......................... (718) 353-2801
     Melbourne, FL.......................... (407) 259-4479
 
             Electronic Hardcopy Version of Newsline
             =======================================
      GEnie (RTC Bulletin Board)............. m345;1
      GEnie (File Library)................... m345;3
      Dallas Remote Imaging BBS (DRIG)....... (214) 492-7573
        In bulletin number 36
      The Midwest Connection BBS............. (701) 239-2440
        In bulletin number 6 of the ham radio conference
      Delphi.................................
        In the ham radio conference
      Internet...............................
        In the rec.radio.info newsgroup
        FTP: oak.oakland.edu, archive: pub/hamradio/docs/newsline
      Fidonet, RIME, Intellec, I-Link........
        In the Ham Radio conferences on those networks
      CompuServe/HamNet...................... Coming Soon!
 
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 D.CARY@GENIE.GEIS.COM on the Internet.
 
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                                             NEWSLINE
 
(****************************************************************
 
Some of the hams of NEWSLINE RADIO...
 
WA6ITF WB6MQV WB6FDF K6DUE W6RCL N6AHU N6AWE N6TCQ K6PGX N6PNY
 KU8R N8DTN W9JUV KC9RP K9XI KB5KCH KC5UD KC0HF G8AUU WD0AKO DJ0QN
 and many others in the United States and around the globe!!!
 
(****************************************************************
 
[894]
 
 (* * * *   C L O S E D   C I R C U I T   A D V I S O R Y   * * * *
 (*                                                               *
 (*     The following advisory is not necessarily for broadcast   *
 (*   over amateur radio.  This is just a reminder that the       *
 (*   address for the Newsline Support Fund is Newsline, in care  *
 (*   of Randy Hammock, KC6HUR, Post Office Box 463, Pasadena,    *
 (*   California  91102.  Again, and as always, we thank you.     *
 (*   That ends the closed circuit with Newsline report number    *
 (*   894 for release on Friday, September 30, 1994 to follow.    *
 (*                                                               *
 (* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
 
                      The following is a QST
 
   The FCC acts in the alleged California license fraud case.
 Disciplinary action is on its way!  This story and more on
 Newsline report number 894 coming your way right now!
 
(*****
                 PUNITIVE ACTION IN CAL VE PROBE
 
   The FCC has begun punitive action in the wake of widespread
 fraud in California's all volunteer amateur radio testing
 program.
   The FCC takes action against 54 amateur radio operators
 connected with alleged license fraud in Southern California.
   The Commission plans to revoke the licenses of three hams and
 is cancelling license upgrades for 51 others.  Ordered to turn in
 their licenses are James B. Williams, AA6TC of Wilmington,
 California, Robert L. Flores, N6WPQ of Santa Monica and his wife,
 Rose Marie Flores, N6WPR.  All three are former Volunteer
 Examiners holding Extra class licenses.
   The Commission says that an exam session the three claim to
 have administered never actually took place.  The Commission
 accuses all three of willfully signing certificates showing that
 people who were not tested had passed elements necessary for
 amateur radio licenses.
   The Commission singles out Rose Marie Flores as being in charge
 of the paperwork for one test session.  Flores is accused of
 getting other VE's to sign certificates of completion for people
 the FCC sez were not examined.
   The Commission issued a show cause order against the three
 September 27th.  They have 30 days to appeal or lose their ham
 licenses.
   FCC is also punishing 51 other hams they received license
 upgrades from Volunteer Examiners suspected of fraud.  In June,
 the Commission gave each amateur a choice:  they could either take
 the test again, or lose their upgrade.
   Only 3 of the 51 appeared for re-testing and all three failed.
 Now, the Commission is revoking the upgrades all 51 hams received
 during exams in 1992 and 93.
   The three amateurs who face losing their licenses are part of a
 larger group.  Nearly three dozen Volunteer Examiners were
 suspended throughout California about a year ago.  There's
 speculation that the Commission's action may be the FCC's way of
 saying, there's more to come.
 
(*****
              ENGINEER ADMITS SABOTAGING COMPETITION
 
   A Cleveland Ohio radio station engineer has pleaded guilty to
 charges that he cut transmission lines that knocked Howard Stern's
 broadcast off a rival station.
   On September 7th, William Alford pleaded guilty to one felony
 charge of disrupting a public service and one misdemeanor count of
 criminal trespass.
   Alford admitted that last June 10th that he cut cables to a
 satellite feed as shock-jock Howard Stern was broadcasting his
 syndicated show from a Cleveland nightclub.  Stern was in
 Cleveland to promote local station WNCX FM, which carries the
 show.
   Alford worked for WMMS FM at the time of the incident but is
 no longer is employed there.  He could be sentenced to up to two
 years in jail.
   In a prepared statement WMMS said Alford acted on his own.
 A check of the FCC database indicates Alford is not a ham.
 
(*****
                CABLE TELEVISION SYSTEM SHUT DOWN
 
   The FCC has partially shut down a cable television system for
 excessive leakage.  It happened in Oklahoma where an engineer
 working out of the Dallas, Texas office discovered that a small
 town cable television system had a signal leak on aeronautical
 frequencies.
   The FCC identifies the cable system as Trans-Western Video of
 Waukomis, Oklahoma.  The FCC says it measured a cable leak of
 1,850 microvolts per meter where the FCC rules permit a maximum
 of 20 microvolts per meter.
   As a result of this leak, and several smaller ones, the system
 was found to violate the cumulative leakage index limit.  This
 called for suspension of operation on all aeronautical frequencies
 to prevent interference with aviation communications.
 
(*****
                         FAIRNESS R.I.P.
 
   The FCC's top lawyer has recommended that the agency not
 consider reinstatement of the fairness doctrine.  This is a former
 rule that required TV and radio stations to present both sides of
 a controversial issue.
   According to the trade publication Variety, the recommendation,
 from FCC general counsel William Kennard, is considered a big win
 for broadcasters.  It's believed Kennard made the decision only
 after consultation with Reed Hundt, the FCC's Democratic chairman.
   Kennard's opinion could close the books on attempts to
 resurrect the fairness doctrine, which had been a staple of U.S.
 communications policy until 1987 when then FCC chairman Dennis
 Patrick led a drive to repeal the rule.  Patrick argued that the
 fairness doctrine stifled, rather than promoted the presentation
 of stories with controversial themes.  He also said that the
 explosion in cable TV and other media outlets rendered the rule
 obsolete.
   Since Patrick's FCC nixed the regulation key congressional
 Democrats have fought unsuccessfully to pass a bill making the
 doctrine law and expanding its scope to cover new communications
 technologies.
   But in a memo circulated to Hundt and the four other FCC
 commissioners, Kennard says that the legal arguments against
 codification of the fairness doctrine have not changed since 1987.
 Moreover, he believes that arguments today are even stronger than
 they were seven years ago against bringing the Fairness Doctrine
 back.
 
(*****
                    ARRL TO ASSIST HANDICAPPED
 
   The says that it ARRL is currently working to develop materials
 for disabled individuals with an interest in Amateur Radio.  It
 notes that it is looking for stories, photographs, recordings of
 experiences of disabled Amateur Radio operators or from
 instructors and rehabilitative personnel who have worked with
 handicapped ham radio students.  It is also looking for practical
 solutions to problems faced by handicapped hams.  This includes
 adaptive devices for radios and computers that could be invaluable
 to a potential ham struggling to earn a ticket or make the ham
 shack as accessible as possible.
   If you have any ideas and would like to help, please contact
 Mary Carcia, N7IAL in care of the ARRL Program for the Disabled,
 225 Main Street, Newington, CT  06111.  Or you can call Mary at
 (203) 666-1541 during normal business hours, Monday through
 Friday, Eastern time.
 
(*****
                      BRAILLE NOVICE EXAM
 
   Meanwhile, Dave Allen, WD8LDY says that he has already
 transcribed the most recent Novice question pool for Examination
 Element 2 into grade two Braille.  In his recent all United States
 packet radio posting Dave notes that anyone who needs it, please
 contact Dave at (214) 235-9821.  He asks that you call him only
 between 9:00am and 9:00pm central time.  WD8LDY adds that he will
 try to get the Technician Element 3A done soon, and will look into
 others if requested.
 
(*****
                        NO UNION AT ARRL
 
   There will not be a Union coming to ARRL headquarters after
 all.  The National Labor Relations Board recently conducted an
 election among League employees on the matter of union
 representation.  There were 65 employees eligible to vote.  Most
 did and unionization was rejected by a wide margin.
 
(*****
                        EXAM DAY MISTAKE
 
   National Exam Day is October 29th and not October 9th as noted
 in the September issue of the ARRL's QSO Media News.  The league
 says that the October 9th date was nothing more than a
 typographic error.
 
(*****
                        ANS NEEDS INPUT
 
   The AMSAT News Service is still looking for volunteers to
 contribute its weekly OSCAR status reports.  If you have a
 favorite OSCAR satellite which you work on a regular basis and
 would like to contribute to this bulletin, please send your
 observations to WD0HHU at his CompuServe address of 70524,2272.
 On the Internet he can be reached at WD0HHU@AMSAT.ORG, or by mail
 to his callbook address.
 
(*****
                 ELECTRONIC NASA PRESS RELEASES
 
   Hams involved in the SAREX program and repeaters that carry
 space shuttle mission audio should take note that NASA press
 releases and other information are available automatically by
 sending an Internet electronic mail message to DOMO@HQ.NASA.GOV.
   Now, in the body of the message and not the subject line, you
 must type the words subscribe press-release without any quotes.
 The system will reply with a confirmation via E-mail of each
 subscription.  A second automatic message will include additional
 information on this new electronic press release service.
 
(*****
                              DX
 
   In DX, word that KU0J and DK8FD have been active from the
 Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.  Activity has been mainly CW
 on 17, 30 and 40 meters.  Unfortunately this one does not really
 count for anything but fun.  You may remember that the League's DX
 Advisory Committee recently rejected a petition for new DXCC
 country status for the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.  DXAC
 members stated that it did not meet DXCC Criteria Point 1
 operating to government.
 
(*****
                      SPECIAL ITU STATION
 
   Also, the ARRL reports that special event station 8N3ITU is
 operating from the International Telecommunication Union 14th
 Plenipotentiary Conference.  The station is set up at the
 International Congress Center in Kyoto, Japan, site of the
 conference.  ITU officials attending the conference who are
 licensed amateurs are allowed to operate the station.  Japanese
 amateurs watch over the station and assist visiting amateurs.
   The conference is scheduled to run until October 14.  QSL's may
 be sent via the JARL bureau, or direct with an SASE to 8N3ITU.
 
(*****
                         A FISH STORY
 
   This story from Australia.  Researchers at the University of
 Sydney say that they have made an interesting discovery that could
 yield major benefits in the areas of solar energy and optics and
 they owe it all to a fish.
   It seems that a group of physicists were arguing at lunchtime
 over what makes a fish so "silvery."  Unable to reach a
 conclusion, they went to a nearby Fish Market, bought the
 shiniest fish they could find, and took it back to the lab.
   A scientific inspection of the fish skin showed that it
 contained "multiple stacks of organic crystals, interleaved by
 layers of watery tissues, arranged in what scientists call the
 Chaos Theory principle.  In other words the cells are arranged in
 an apparently disordered manner, instead of neat arrays.
   The highly efficient natural reflectors are intended to
 confuse predators, but this discovery promises to lead to more
 efficient solar mirrors and other optical and reflective devices.
 
(*****
 
   And on that fishy note, we will say for this week, that's all
 from the Amateur Radio Newsline. You can write to us at Post
 Office Box 463 in Pasadena, California 91102.
 
(* * * Newsline Copyright 1994 all rights are reserved. * * *
