Vanity Fee Refund Received

[Jastaples at aol.com]

For those who are seeking a refund of their fee for a rejected Vanity
Callsign application this may be of interest.

We filed for a new callsign for our Club contest station under Gate 2.
Unfortunately, an over eager U.S. Postal Service delivered it on Friday prior
to the opening of Gate 2. The FCC promptly responded with a Notice of
Dismissal. It was dated Oct. 30 (a week after the gate opened.) The fee had
been accepted and banked. No instuctions were included as to the exact
"means" of applying for a refund.. 

A call to the FCC resulted in advice to "send a letter requesting a refund
including a SS number and the FCC file number rubber stamped on the orignal
610V form". NO special FCC form was needed. 

We sent a letter to the FCC dated Oct. 18 with the requisite information. The
check for $30 arrived Nov. 18th. 

As a further observation. 

I understand from another source that along with his electronic 610V filing
under Gate 2, made several weeks after the gate was opened, he paid the fee
by using a Credit Card and Form 159 mailed in to the FCC. He just got his
Credit Card statement and the fee was already listed as a debit. 

Obviously, the priority is with collecting fees...  not with servicing the
customer!

73, Joe, W5ASP


>From lstrain at akarea.alaska.ihs.gov (Larry Strain)  Wed Nov 27 18:33:50 1996
From: lstrain at akarea.alaska.ihs.gov (Larry Strain) (Larry Strain)
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 1996 09:33:50 -0900
Subject: 40 meter blackout at 23:25 Z Sunday
Message-ID: <9611271833.AA40235 at akarea.alaska.ihs.gov>

Operating at NL7G we experienced a total blackout on 40 meters at 23:25 that
was so sudden we actually believed that the rig had gone dead.  Europeans
had been coming in with good signals all afternoon and suddenly, over a
period of less than 30 seconds, they all disappeared.  After about 20
minutes we could hear a W7 faintly but nothing else. Twenty and 15 were
unaffected.  When I took the bandpass filter out of the line to check
things, I noticed that even the broadcast station signals from Anchorage,
about 30 miles away, were antennuated.  That must have been quite a solar flare!


>From mwdink at eskimo.com (Michael Dinkelman)  Wed Nov 27 13:51:40 1996
From: mwdink at eskimo.com (Michael Dinkelman) (Michael Dinkelman)
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 1996 05:51:40 -0800
Subject: Tnx for 160M Ant Advice
Message-ID: <199611272020.MAA07326 at mail.eskimo.com>

To all:

        For those who responded to my 160 antenna query (there are many),
thanks for the advice! It's nice that these brains are around for picking. I
even got personal advice in my office cubical. Most ideas revolved primarily
around the Inverted L and I think I will head towards that direction with
less L than most recommended. I also did some modeling with the demo version
of ELNEC. (Good program, I think I need to buy a full copy.) 

Either way, I intend on kicking everybodys buns come December 7-8. If not
(which is more likely), I'll have fun anyway and be better prepared for the
Stu Perry and the CQWW160. CU on CW.

CQ test....
Dink



Michael Dinkelman
N7WA
Kent, WA
mwdink at eskimo.com


>From n4zr at contesting.com (Pete Smith)  Wed Nov 27 20:38:51 1996
From: n4zr at contesting.com (Pete Smith) (Pete Smith)
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 1996 12:38:51 -0800
Subject: DVP Hum
Message-ID: <199611272038.MAA03733 at dfw-ix8.ix.netcom.com>

Some weeks ago, I inquired here about cures for DVP hum.  After trying the
common ground solution to eliminate ground loops, I concluded that isolation
transformers were needed.  They arrived today from Radio Shack (see below)
and just for fun I tried a proper heavy-weight ground lead from my computer
to the system ground in the shack before getting into the cabling.  No more
hum! Just as theory, but not always practice, said it should be. I had
checked the theory earlier, using a clip lead between the computer chassis
and the ground bus, but for some reason that didn't do the trick.  The
zip-cord with spade lugs crimped and soldered on each end did, though.  Go
figure!

Thought people might like to know.  

73, Pete Smith N4ZR
n4zr at contesting.com 
West (bigawd) Virginia


>From n4zr at contesting.com (Pete Smith)  Wed Nov 27 20:38:55 1996
From: n4zr at contesting.com (Pete Smith) (Pete Smith)
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 1996 12:38:55 -0800
Subject: equalizer/mixer/splitter for headphones, mikes and rigs
Message-ID: <199611272038.MAA03745 at dfw-ix8.ix.netcom.com>

Recently someone here recommended a Radio shack pushbutton A/V selector that
looks like a good chassis for the job, but can anyone point me to an
appropriate schematic for the left-right mixer circuitry and line level
controls?

Thanks in advance!


73, Pete Smith N4ZR
n4zr at contesting.com 
West (bigawd) Virginia


>From n4zr at contesting.com (Pete Smith)  Wed Nov 27 20:38:53 1996
From: n4zr at contesting.com (Pete Smith) (Pete Smith)
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 1996 12:38:53 -0800
Subject: BM-10 mike on Radio Shack phones
Message-ID: <199611272038.MAA03738 at dfw-ix8.ix.netcom.com>

I want to try mounting my Heil BM-10's microphone on the left earpiece of my
Radio Shack Optimus Pro-40 phones.  The phones have a nice wide, flat
plastic surface at about the right place on the outside of the earpiece, but
it looks as if I will need a small disc of plastic about 1/8" thick glued to
the earpiece, with the right size nut inset in the center, to mount the boom
mike.  Anyone been this route with a similar modification who can offer some
advice re adhesives, etc. for maximum durability?  Please reply direct and
I'll summarize if there's interest (I exchanged messages with one guy who
had fastened his boom mike to the headband of the phones, but it doesn't
appear that's practical in this case).

Thanks in advance!

 

73, Pete Smith N4ZR
n4zr at contesting.com 
West (bigawd) Virginia