Xref: news.cs.tut.fi rec.radio.amateur.misc:50663 rec.radio.info:4864 Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc,rec.radio.info,sbay.hams Path: news.cs.tut.fi!news.funet.fi!sunic!EU.net!howland.reston.ans.net!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!netcomsv!netcom.com!marcbg From: marcbg@netcom.com (Marc B. Grant) Subject: ARRL Letter Hilites April 13 94 Message-ID: <$arll0413.1994@ampr.org> Followup-To: rec.radio.amateur.misc Organization: netcom.com Distribution: na Date: Tue, 26 Apr 1994 15:52:26 GMT Approved: rec-radio-info@ve6mgs.ampr.ab.ca Lines: 89 Hilites from the ARRL's THE ARRL LETTER, April 13 1994 * FCC ORDERS RE-TESTS OF 59 AMATEURS - The FCC has ordered 59 amateur licensees to be re-examined on examination elements passed at examination sessions coordinated by the ARRL-VEC in southern Californin between late 1992 and mid-1993. The FCC told all 59 that apparent irregularities indicated that the exam sessions were compromised. "Specifically", the FCC said, "the irregularities on your examination papers indicate that you were apparently given access to the exact (answer) key used by the volunteer examiners." The FCC gave the 59 amateurs 60 days in which to re-take the exams, at any session coordinated by the Greater Los Angeles Amateur Radio Group, and said that no VE present at the suspect sessions was allowed to administer a re-examination. Failure to pass the re-exams will result in license class change, loss of call sign, or loss of license entirely, as appropriate, the FCC said. In the course of cooperating with the FCC's Private Radio Bureau in its investigation, the ARRL-VEC suspended the accreditation of 16 volunteer examiners. * WASHINGTON GETS LAW ON TOWERS AND ANTENNAS - Washington State has new legislation to protect amateurs. On March 23, the governor signed Senate Bill 5697, a bill that will, according to its backers, limit the ability of municipalities to enact antenna and tower regulations, by pointing out the federal pre-emptions of the FCC's PRB-1. Credited with promoting this legislation were Dr. Ralph Shumaker, WX7T, and members of the Mike and Key Club of Seattle, acording to ARRL State Government Liaison Frank Price, KD7AC. * Again this year the new edition of the ARRL REPEATER DIRECTORY will debut at the Dayton HamVention. The 1994-95 edition has been reorganized for easier use "on the run," and has more than 20,000 listings of FM repeaters, packet systems, and propagation beacons. * Check those DXCC application forms; the current form is MSD-505 (194) for all new and endorsement applications. Please DO NOT use older formas, as they lack spaces for critical information needed for processing at HQ. And business is up again in the ARRL DXCC Branch. In March, 1127 applications for new awards and endorsements were received, and for the first three months of 1994 applications are up by 18%, QSLs by 48%, over 1993. Turn- around time is about three and a half weeks. * ARRL affiliated clubs are asked to PLEASE advise HQ (or your local Affiliated Club Coordinator, ed) when your club officers or their adresses change, so we can effectively support your efforts. We can't help you if we can't find you! * The Amateur license application backlog is on the rise again at the FCC: on Feb 1, 8543 were pending, and on Feb 28 there were 12,868 awaiting action, according to ARRL-VEC Manager Bart Jahnke, KB9NM, who also says turnaround time in Gettysburg is hovering around the FCC's self-imposed maximum of 90 days. * The FCC has reaffirmed a $17,500 fine against a Chambersburg, Pennsylvania man Andrew R. Yoder who the Commission says "willfully and repeatedly" operated an unlicensed broadcast station on 7415 KHz in 1990 and 1991. Yoder had filed an application for review of the May 1992 FCC forfeiture order; in March the FCC denied the application and gave Yoder 30 days to pay the fine. In Florida, the FCC issued Notices of Apparent Liability to three Citizen's Band operators, for violations including using illegal power amplifiers. The fines were for $1000, $1500, and $4000. The FCC also released a list of eight individuals cited recently for violations including "operating radio stations without proper authorization and operating on unauthorized frequencies." The fines ranged from $250 to $6400. No other details were given. -- Marc Grant Pager : 214-246-1150 home: marcbg@netcom.com work: marcbg@esy.com Amateur Radio N5MEI