THE LOCAL OSCILLATOR - February 2004 - NOTE: An HTML version is available at www.zianet.com/common/mvrc/index.html For this issue a pdf file of the web edition is available at www.zianet.com/common/mvrc/LO0401n.pdf. It will be easy to print that edition. If you do not have the free pdf reader you can get it at www.adobe.com - TABLE OF CONTENTS COMING EVENTS PRESIDENT'S CORNER BUSINESS MEETING PROPOSED LICENSING CHANGES UNCLASSIFIED ADS COMING EVENTS Week days 6 m FM net 52.540 6:00AM Mon WTRA Swap net 146.88 8 PM Wed Net 146.64 6:45PM round-table 52.525MHz 8 PM Weekdays Informal get together Mon Wed Fri Munson Center 10AM Tue Thur Wal-Mart Feb 1 Super Sunday race Feb 7 Breakfest 8 AM Club House Feb 7 Business meeting 9:30AM Club House Feb 11 1st Wed after 2nd Mon Directors at Club House 7:00PM Feb 09 Social Meeting 6 PM New China Buffet Feb 20, 21, 22 Tech Class 6 PM Club House Feb 27 Code Class starts Mar 14 Code test Mar 20 Elmer demonstrations Club house afternoon Mar 25 Bataan Death March Apr 3 Run Old Mesilla Apr 16, 17, 18 General Class Club House Apr 18 Triathelon Apr 25 Bean Feed May 7 - 9 Extra Class Club House PRESIDENT'S CORNER KD5SSF It's a New Year and I'm optimistic. I'm optimistic because of the club we have. We have young, new Hams who are enthusiastic and anxious to learn. We have Hams who have had their ticket for nearly fifty years who are just as enthusiastic and anxious to learn. We have Elmers of all ages who are eager to share their knowledge and experiences with others. You can get an education in radio and electronics by just hanging around some of these people that would be the envy of any community college. I plan to try out several aspects of Amateur Radio that I have not been involved in before. Join me at our monthly meetings, special events, and Elmering sessions for a lot of fun this year. BUSINESS MEETING The meeting after the breakfast February 7 will include a video from the ARRL and a presentation by K5DI. PROPOSED LICENSING CHANGES The ARRL will ask the FCC to create a new entry-level Amateur Radio license that would include HF phone privileges without requiring a Morse code test. The League also will propose consolidating all current licensees into three classes, retaining the Element 1 Morse requirement--now 5 WPM-only for the highest class. The ARRL Board of Directors overwhelmingly approved the plan January 16 during its Annual Meeting in Windsor, Connecticut. The proposals, developed by the ARRL Executive Committee following a Board instruction last July, are in response to changes made in Article 25 of the international Radio Regulations at World Radiocommunication Conference 2003 (WRC-03) and continue a process of streamlining the amateur licensing structure that the FCC began more than five years ago, but left unfinished, in Docket 98-143. "Change in the Amateur Radio Service in the US, especially license requirements and even more so when Morse is involved, has always been emotional," said ARRL First Vice President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, in presenting the Executive Committee's recommendations. "In fact, without a doubt, Morse is Amateur Radio's 'religious debate.'" The plan adopted by the Board departs only slightly from the Executive Committee's recommendations. The "New" Novice The entry-level license class--being called "Novice" for now--would require a 25 question written exam. It would offer limited HF CW/data and phone/image privileges on 80, 40, 15 and 10 meters as well as VHF and UHF privileges on 6 and 2 meters, and 222-225 and 430-450 MHz. Power output would be restricted to 100 W on 80, 40, and 15 meters and to 50 W on 10 meters and up, thus avoiding the need for the more complex RF safety questions in the Novice question pool. The Board sought to achieve balance in giving new Novice licensees the opportunity to sample a wider range of Amateur Radio activity than is available to current Technicians while retaining motivation to move up to the other two license classes. It was also seen as important to limit the scope of privileges so the exam would not have to include material that is inappropriate at the entry level. While the Novice license was a successful introduction to Amateur Radio for most of its 50-year history, the FCC has not issued new Novice licenses since April 2000, when the FCC's most recent Amateur Service license restructuring took effect. Current Novice licensees, the smallest and least active group of radio amateurs, would be grandfathered to the new entry-level class without further testing. Anticipating assertions that the new plan would "dumb down" Amateur Radio licensing, Harrison said those currently holding a ticket often perceive the level of complexity to have been greater when they were first licensed than it actually was. "Quite frankly," he said, "if you review the questions presented in our license manuals throughout the years, you will be surprised how they compare to those of today." Technicians and Generals The middle group of licensees--Technician, Tech Plus (Technician with Element 1 credit) and General--would be consolidated into a new General license that no longer would require a Morse examination. Current Technician and Tech Plus license holders automatically would gain current General class privileges without additional testing. The current Element 3 General examination would remain in place for new applicants. Generals would gain additional phone privileges as proposed the ARRL in 2002 in its RM-10413 petition, which has not yet been acted on by the FCC. Morse Code Testing Retained for Extra At the top rung, the Board saw no need to change the requirements for an Extra class license. The ARRL plan calls on the FCC to combine the current Advanced and Amateur Extra class licensees into Amateur Extra, because the technical level of the exams passed by these licensees is very similar. New applicants for Extra would have to pass a 5 WPM Morse code examination, but the written exam would stay the same. Current Novice, Tech Plus and General class licensees would receive lifetime Element 1 (5 WPM Morse) credit. "This structure provides a true entry-level license with HF privileges to promote growth in the Amateur Service," Harrison said. "It also simplifies the FCC database by conforming to the current Universal Licensing System (ULS) structure and does not mandate any modifications to it." ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, concurred. "The Board started out by recognizing that three license classes was the right number when looking down the road 10 or 15 years," he said. "We need a new entry-level license. On the other hand, there's nothing particularly wrong with the existing Extra class license; the change in the international regulations notwithstanding, the Board felt that the highest level of accomplishment in the FCC's amateur licensing structure should include basic Morse capability." Sumner and Harrison say the current Technician entry-level ticket provides little opportunity to experience facets of ham radio beyond repeater operation. "The quality of that experience," Sumner said, "often depends on the operator's location." Among other advantages, Sumner said the plan would allow new Novices to participate in HF SSB emergency nets on 75 and 40 meters as well as on the top 100 kHz of 15 meters. The new license could get another name, Sumner said. "We're trying to recapture the magic of the old Novice license, but in a way that's appropriate for the 21st Century." Proposal Includes "Novice Refarming" Band Plan The overall proposed ARRL license restructuring plan would more smoothly integrate HF spectrum privileges across the three license classes and would incorporate the League's "Novice refarming" plan , which would alter the current HF subbands. Proposed to the FCC nearly two years ago but not yet acted upon, Novice refarming would eliminate the 80, 40 and 15-meter Novice/Technician Plus CW subbands as such and reuse that spectrum in part to expand phone/image subbands on 80 and 40 meters. Proposed Phone/Image HF Subbands (Includes Novice Refarming Proposal) 80 Meters Extra: 3.725-4.000 MHz (gain of 25 kHz) General: 3.800-4.000 MHz (gain of 50 kHz) Novice: 3.900-4.000 MHz (new) 40 meters Extra: 7.125-7.300 MHz (gain of 25 kHz) General: 7.175-7.300 MHz (gain of 50 kHz) Novice: 7.200-7.300 MHz (new) 15 meters Extra: 21.200-21.450 MHz (no change) General: 21.275-21.450 MHz (gain of 25 kHz) Novice: 21.350-21.450 MHz (new) 10 meters Extra and General: 28.300-29.700 MHz (no change) Novice: 28.300-28.500 MHz (no change) _____________________________________ Proposed CW/Data-Exclusive HF Subbands (Includes Novice Refarming Proposal) 80 meters Extra: 3.500-3.725 MHz General: 3.525-3.725 MHz Novice: 3.550-3.700 MHz 40 meters Extra: 7.000-7.125 MHz General: 7.025-7.125 MHz Novice: 7.050-7.125 MHz 15 meters Extra: 21.000-21.200 MHz General: 21.025-21.200 MHz Novice: 21.050-21.200 MHz 10 meters Extra/General: 28.000-28.300 MHz Novice: 28.050-28.300 MHz The ARRL license restructuring design calls for no changes in privileges for Extra and General class licensees on 160, 60, 30, 20, 17 or 12 meters. Novice licensees would have no access to those bands. UNCLASSIFIED ADS FOR SALE: Hy-Gain HDR-300 Rotator with digital display control box. Handles 25 sq. ft. antenna wind load. 5,000 in.-lbs. turning power. 7,500 in.-lbs. brake power. 5,000 ft.-lbs. effective moment in tower. The HDR-300 is one of the most powerful rotators on the market. Costs $1,400 new. Excellent used condition. Sell for $600 or best offer. Bill Johnston, K5ZI. 505-382-7804. FREE. High Voltage Transformer. UTC Type CG-308. Primary 120/240 volts. Secondary 4800/ 6000/ 7000 volts center-tapped at 1 amp. Weight is about 135 lbs. No shipping. Taker picks up here. Bill Johnston, K5ZI, 505-382-7804, k5zi@arrl.net FOR SALE: Weather Satellite Picture Receiving Station, complete, as new. Selling at large discount off original price. Receives weather satellite images in real time from both geostationary and polar orbiting weather satellites. Visible, IR, and color. Call or e-mail for details and equipment list. Bill Johnston, K5ZI, 505-382-7804. k5zi@arrl.net BACK PAGE The newsletter is always looking for articles and notes of interest to the members of the Mesilla Valley Radio Club. Please send them to Alex. F. Burr, K5XY, Editor, MVRC Local Oscillator, 695 Stone Canyon Drive, Las Cruces, NM 88011. Small personal ads from members will also be published. It would be helpful if submissions would be made in a machine readable form. MSDOS disks are welcome. Files can also be sent to the Internet address aburr@aol.com. The club maintains a web site maintained by WA2NIJ at http://www.zianet.com/mvrc. OFFICERS Pres Tim Linn KD5SSF 521-0486 kd5ssf@arrl.net VPr Bob Deal KD5PPP bob-verna@zianet.com Sec Carleton Talbot KC5MRM (915 877-3538 kc5mrm@zianet.com Tres Charlie Welch W5TLU 524-3412 cwwelch@usa.net Board Communications Karl Larsen K5DI 524-3303 k5di@zianet.com Education Joe San Filippo WZ5R 521-7574 sanfilippo@zianet.com Special Events Cash Olsen KD5SSJ 382-1917 KD5SSJ@zianet.com News Letter Alex Burr K5XY 522-2528 k5xy@arrl,net Repeaters Brad Sacca KD5SKE 382-4380 sheikyerbouty@msn.com Facilities Bob Bennett AD5LJ 382-0148 rbennett@zianet.com JOIN THE CLUB To join the Mesilla Valley Radio Club, renew your membership, or to support the repeaters, please complete the form below and send it with dues ($25 single, $35 family per year) to: Treasurer, MVRC, Box 1443, Las Cruces, NM 88004. Name: Address: Call: Class of License: Phone: E-Mail Address: ARRL Member? Yes? No?