ARRL Letter 5/17 - NP3AA

[frenaye at pcnet.com]

Excerpts from this week's ARRL Letter.  As usual, the full thing is (will 
be?) available at http://www.arrl.org

73 Tom


NEW CALL SIGN BLOCKS ISSUED FOR PUERTO RICO

On Monday, May 7, the FCC began issuing call signs in Puerto Rico from one 
of the new--and long-awaited--call sign blocks, NP3. For some time now, the 
Amateur Radio community has been awaiting FCC action to begin issuing new 
call sign prefixes (blocks) for areas in the Caribbean, Alaska and Hawaii 
that are running low on--or are already are out of--available call signs for 
higher class licensees.

The FCC already has granted NP3AA through NP3AR, as of May 13. So far, it 
appears that no new call signs have yet been granted from the new Alaska and 
Hawaii prefixes. The FCC has said it no longer will restrict Alaska call 
signs to the number 7, so future call sign prefixes could contain any 
numeral from 0 to 9, such as NL1 or AL0. New Hawaiian prefixes may contain 
the number 7, such as AH7 (prefixes for Kure Island already contain a 7, but 
suffixes begin with K).

MORE ON VANITY CALL SIGN PROCEDURES

Here are some tips about filing for a vanity call sign. Most of these 
resulted from members' frequently asked questions in the wake of the FCC's 
announcement to open filing Gate 1 on May 31:

You don't need to include proof that you or your deceased close relative 
formerly held the call sign applied for, but the FCC can require proof. 
Remember that making a false statement on an FCC application is against the 
law and is punishable by a fine and/or imprisonment.

The FTP version of FCC Form 610V is acceptable for filing. In fact, you may 
even download or obtain it from the FCC via the Internet at 
http://www.fcc.gov/Forms/Form610V or ftp://ftp.fcc.gov/pub/Forms/Form610V/, 
or by fax at 202-418-0177 (request Form 006108).

Include FCC Form 159 if you're paying for your vanity call sign application 
by credit card or if multiple applications are being paid for with one fee, 
charge or check. But (contrary to instruction for FCC Form 610V) Form 159 is 
not required if paying by money order. Form 159 is available from the FCC 
via the Internet at http://www.fcc.gov/Forms/Form159 or 
ftp://ftp.fcc.gov/pub/Forms/Form159/.

Payments made by personal check receive equally expedient handling as money 
orders or bank checks, and no check-clearing delays are expected.

The most recent holder of a call sign has first access to that call sign. 
However, a person with an expired license that is within the two-year grace 
period is still considered to hold the license.

Just prior to announcing the opening of Gate 1 in the vanity call sign 
program, the FCC denied outright three of four petitions for reconsideration 
and granted only part of a fourth petition. The amendment the FCC adopted 
clarifies that a renewal application for a vanity call sign is considered to 
be filed on time when received "on or before" the license expiration date.

FCC TO BACKFILL HOLES IN SEVENTH DISTRICT

Because of a computer programming snafu, the FCC inadvertently skipped over 
a chunk of seventh district call signs in the sequence KC7RAA to KC7ZZY, and 
jumped instead to the KD7 call sign block. The Commission intends to 
backfill the missing Group D call signs. As ARRL/VEC Manager Bart Jahnke, 
KB9NM, explains: "The FCC intends to leave the current 149 grants as is and 
to go back and fill in the KC7RAA-KC7ZZY group first." After that, the FCC 
will pick up where it left off.

The FCC took a different tack when about 50 Group D call signs were 
similarly skipped in the fourth district. Instead of issuing the skipped 
block out of sequence, the FCC deleted those grants and issued new call 
signs from the originally intended sequence.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-mail: frenaye at pcnet.com  
Tom Frenaye, K1KI, P O Box 386, West Suffield CT 06093 Phone: 860-668-5444



>From bdh at mixcom.com (Bruce Herrick)  Thu May 16 00:15:57 1996
From: bdh at mixcom.com (Bruce Herrick) (Bruce Herrick)
Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 18:15:57 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Dayton WX
Message-ID: <199605152315.SAA06430 at mixcom.mixcom.com>

For those venturing to Dayton to participate in the various CONTEST related
activities:

Thursday - Mostly cloudy with scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly in
the afternoon.  Rain could be heavy at times. Low 55 to 60.  Southwest winds
around 10 MPH.  Chance of rain is 50%.

Thursday night - Mostly cloudy with scattered showers and thunderstorms. 
Low in the lower 60s.  Chance of rain is 50%.

Friday - Variable cloudiness with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. 
High mid 80s.  Chance of rain 40%.

Extended forcast for Saturday and Sunday - Warm with a chance of showers and
thunderstorms.  Morning lows in the 60s.  Highs in the 80s.

Fliers should probably expect a bit of turbulence in the area.

Sounds like a fun drive for me...

See y'all at the Society of Midwest Contesters Hospitality Suite in Room
1201 at Stouffers (or whatever they're calling it this year).

73, Bruce WW1M
-- 
Bruce D. Herrick               bdh at mixcom.com      Home:   414.462.1270
Pryon Corporation                                  Office: 414.253.5678
N93 W14575 Whittaker Way                           Fax:    414.253.2772
Menomonee Falls, WI  53051                         PacketCluster: WW1M > NB9C