Group petitions FCC to eliminate segregation of emission modes
A group calling itself the Communications Think Tank has filed a Petition for Rule Making asking
the FCC "to discontinue mandatory segregation of emission modes and the activities using these modes
in the Amateur Service." Instead, the petitioners would substitute "a voluntary system of coordination"
on the bands. The FCC has designated the petition as RM-11305. Comments are due by February 6. The
petitioners assert "there is a chronic need to allow greater leeway in selecting a place to operate" on
the ham bands. "We propose ending mode-based subbands in the Amateur Radio Service, and we seek affirmation
of established operator responsibility against interference as part of this request for greater latitude
in frequency selection," the petitioners state. A survey, "An Analysis of Band Occupancy by Mode" accompanies
the group's petition.
New Technician class question pool released to the public
The National Conference of Volunteer Examination Coordinators (NCVEC) Question Pool Committee (QPC)
has released the new Technician (Element 2) Amateur Radio examination question pool. The new Element 2
question pool is available for viewing or download in these formats: Adobe PDF, MS Word .doc file, RTF and
ASCII text. Other versions may be available on request. The new question pool will become effective for all examinations
administered on or after July 1, 2006, and it will remain valid until June 30, 2010. The current
Element 2 question pool that became effective July 1, 2003, will expire June 30, 2006. The new Technician
pool contains 396 questions, from which 35 are selected for an Element 2 examination.
New guide on lightning protection available for downloading
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has released a new lightning protection
guide: How To Protect Your House and Its Contents From Lightning: IEEE Guide for Surge Protection
of Equipment Connected to AC Power and Communication Circuits By: Richard L. Cohen, Doug Dorr,
James Funke, Chuck Jensen, and S. Frank Waterer. This is a 52 page illustrated guide written by the
IEEE Surge Protection Device Committee. It covers lighting hazards, integration of the various
components of a lightning protection system, AC and signal surge protectors, multi-port protectors for
equipment connected to signal and power lines, and grounding methods. It is written in plain technical
language, and is an excellentguide for all amateurs concerned about protecting their antennas,
shack and homes from the effects of lightning. The guide is available at no cost as a 1.1 mb pdf file
(61 pages) from the following URL: (Thanks to Ed Frazer, VE7EF)
http://omegaps.com/Lightning%20Guide_FINALpublishedversion_May051.pdf
ISS commander continues to set on-the-air records
International Space Station Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, has topped 100 entities in
his effort to complete DXCC from space. "Bill was able to work a few more stations prior to and just after
the space walk that deployed SuitSat-1 and now has exceeded the 100 mark," says Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS) Ham Radio Project Engineer Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO. Among the latest
DXCC entities he worked from NA1SS were Brunei (V8), Chagos Island (VQ9), Falkland Islands (VP8), East Malaysia
(9M6), Reunion (FR), Tajikistan (EY) and Trinidad & Tobago (9Y-9Z). Since DXCC rules make no provisions
for contacts from space, McArthur will have to settle for an honorary DXCC certificate. One of the most active
ISS crew members, McArthur also now holds the record for the most ARISS school group contacts at 24, and
Expedition 12 still has approximately seven more weeks to go. McArthur has been on both VHF and UHF, and earlier
completed Worked All Continents (WAC), including Antarctica, on both 2 meters and 70 cm. The worldwide VHF FM voice
downlink frequency is 145.800 MHz. Voice uplink frequencies are 144.49 MHz for Regions 2 and 3 (the Americas, and
the Pacific), and 145.20 MHz for Region 1 (Europe, Central Asia and Africa).
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