EMARC Relay -- Volume 25, Number 11 November, 1995

The EMARC Relay

Contributions to the newsletter from members, family, and guests are earnestly solicited! Contributions subject to editing and/or compression. ASCII files via packet, Internet or diskettes preferred; but all readable forms welcome. Here are the various ways to reach the editor:

Packet: AA6TA@N0ARY.#NOCAL.CA
Packet: AA6TA on the DX Cluster
Internet: omris@cup.portal.com
VHF voice: W6APZ, 145.23- (100Hz PL)
Mail: POB 1450, Los Altos, CA 94023
'phone: 415-948-4516 (8AM-6PM)
Fax: 415-948-9153
Eyeball: at EMARC meetings.

OUR NEXT MEETING!

The topic for this meeting is HF antennas, especially beams. Our speaker will be Tom Schiller, N6BT. Tom is a well-known DXer, contester, and antenna designer, constructor and experimenter. He is the owner and guiding technical spirit behind Force 12 antennas (Santa Clara). Since Force 12 was established just a few years ago, it quickly gained worldwide reputation for its light-weight, highly-efficient designs.

Tom is an entertaining and very informative speaker, as those who heard his Pacificon presentations can attest! He will probably address antenna efficiency, stacking, and matching. And, be sure to bring any HF antenna question you have; Tom will run an extensive Q&A session.

As usual, the meeting will be followed by the raffle for prizes and the Wish You Were Here drawing for all the cash in the jar! And, to spice it all up, Ginny's famous home-made cookies will (we hope) be there (Tnx, Ginny!).

Elections!

"The President shall preside at all club meetings; observe and enforce the Constitution and By-Laws; decide questions of order; sign all official documents; and perform other duties customary to his office.

"The Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President in his absence as well as those assigned. He shall in addition be responsible for planning the program for the club meetings.

"The Secretary shall keep a record of the proceedings of all meetings; keep a roll of members; submit applications for membership to the Board of Directors; carry on all correspondence; read communications at the appropriate meetings; and ensure that the membership is notified of meetings, voting, removal proceedings and other special events as specified in the Constitution and By-Laws.

"The Treasurer shall receive and receipt all monies paid to the club; he shall keep an accurate account of all monies received and expended. He shall expend only those monies authorized by the membership or Board of Directors. At the end of each quarter he shall submit an itemized statement of disbursements and receipts to the Board of Directors.

"The Training Officer shall conduct classes in code, radio theory and any other training deemed necessary by the membership.

"The Radio Officer shall have control over the operation and maintenance of the club station. He shall ensure that operation is consistent with the wishes of the Station Trustee and the rules and regulations of the F.C.C. He shall establish operating rules to govern the use of the station and determine that those operating the station are qualified in the use of the equipment and understand the rules and regulations which govern its operation.

"Each officer shall maintain records appropriate to his duties which will form a history of the club; serve to assist incoming officers; and form the basis of the Annual Report. these records shall be given to the incoming officer no later than January 1 of each year.

The Board shall comprise: The Club Officers, the immediate past President, three or more members-at-large and the Station Trustee."

[Ed. comments: By recent tradition, the Radio Officer also takes charge of organizing Field Day. Also, some years ago, the RELAY Editor was added to the roster of officers, but no job description was added to the By-Laws].

The current slate of nominees stands as follows:

Officers

	President:		Mikel, KN6QI
	Vice President:		Andy, AC6GN
	Treasurer:		Shel, KM6GV
	Secretary:		Ramsey, KE6TFZ
	Radio Officer:		Paul, AA6PZ
	Training Officer:	(Open)
	RELAY Editor:		David, KD6WRG

	Hans, KE6TGA
	Robert, KE6TFU
	Dick, N6ATD
	Bjorn, KN6IW

Class a Success!

Thanks for a job very well done go to Peter, KN6MO, our Training Officer, who outdid himself in putting on a "class with class" event, despite being under the weather most of time.

EMARC is also grateful to those who helped teaching the class, especially Bill Rausch, AA6PA; Mikel Lechner, KN6QI; and Bill Fies, K6TYO.

Special tnx to the ARRL VEC group! Shorty and his crew of six responded to a very short notice and did a bang-up job. We would not have been able to offer the on-site testing for this class without them.

Those qualifying for the No Code Tech were Les Anderson, Brian Bargo, Jeff Brown, Karen Duncan, Roger Foust, Ronald Gordon, Margaret Gorman, Montgomery Groves, Nick Kocharhook, Edward Rice, Naomi Robinson, and Richard Romney. Passing the Novice theory were Sharon Rose, Margarita Tilley, and Brian Wilkes.

If the past is any indication, we will soon hear some of these new hams on the air and hopefully welcome them at Club meetings.

JOTA '95!

At Pacificon, which was the same weekend, numerous Scouts from the Concord area came to talk to other Scouts using the convention station.

The EMARC station was opened for visitors on Sunday afternoon. Dick, N6ATD, set up a SB-200 linear to boost the signal of the EMARC's new Yaesu HF transceiver. The pair worked flawlessly. We had little difficulty in being heard, but at times it was hard to pick out the station we were working from the QRM. Meanwhile Paul, AA6PZ, set up a table with literature that was held against the breeze by huge paper clamps. A second table held some of the club code practice equipment.

Omri, AA6TA, came by for a while, and then retired to the opposite end of the packet link, conducting about a half-dozen QSOs. Several of the Scouts found typing messages on a computer and sending them without telephone lines (and phone bills) amazing.

Other EMARC members who helped out were Mikel, KN6QI, Ann KC6PUM, and Dennis KC6PUN. It is amazing how much we take for granted after being into amateur radio. The Scouts and their parents asked many questions. What is an HT? How does a radio signal get to a distant location? Do you have to learn Morse code?

When we closed up, there were a dozen entries in the HF log. Most of the QSOs lasted 15 minutes to half an hour as we passed microphone around, and Scouts at the other end were doing the same. The best "DX" contacts were Virginia and Florida. The closest was Saratoga. The most amazing was a fellow who was camping out. He had a 5 watt SSB rig and a wire dipole. He was also at 11,000 ft elevation in the Colorado Rockies, and was experiencing the first snow storm of the season!

While most of the Scouts were in the local grade schools, six were in high school. Of these, two were so impressed that they took the EMARC license class the following week!

AA6PZ printed up a batch of special QSL cards to give to all the visitors, and has sent them out to all the stations that could be found in the callbook.

73, Paul, AA6PZ
paulz@vid.hp.com

Secretary's Report

Present: Bob, KD6VIO; Bjorn, KN6IW; Shel, KM6GV; Stuart, KM7V; Dick, N6ATD; Omri, AA6TA; Mikel, KN6QI; Dave, KD6WRG; George, K6OG; Peter, KN6MO; Larry, KM6IU. Visitor: Roger Foust (graduate of the 2-day class).

Training Class: Peter reviewed the results of the one-weekend training class he had just held the previous weekend. 13 people, or 50% of the attendees passed, some planning to go on to upgrade. Peter said he had a backlog of people who would attend a general class. Peter thanked all those people who had helped him, especially the Cupertino volunteer examiners who came at short notice.

Club Station: Dick requested approval to buy some power cords and lamps for the club station. Items are needed to improve the emergency preparedness of the station. Motion was unanimously passed.

Worldwide DX Contest: EMARC made 81 QSOs to 53 countries, 37 countries were new (i.e., not yet confirmed).

EMARC Banquet: Shel confirmed that the Blue Pheasant has been booked for Saturday, January 13, 1996. A speaker has been informally invited. Shel will confirm invitation. There was a discussion on whether to spend the same as last year on prizes. Motion was to spend the same. There was one dissenting vote. Shel will ask Dennis to make name badges, arrange raffle tickets, print guest list and other actual night logistics. No one has agreed to lead the gift solicitation drive. Dick offered to contact HRO since he has been a good customer this year buying things for EMARC.

Club Officers: Shel said he would like to see more nominations and that nominated people for key positions should be mainstream radio hams. There was a discussion on what qualifications were necessary for key positions with no clear agreement. Stuart suggested that more volunteers might be found if the responsibilities were explained and present incumbents described the benefits they had found by serving their club.

Peter KN6MO indicated he would not be available for the Training Officer post in '96, although he is prepared to assist whoever takes the job with transparencies, mailing list, etc. (Peter was nominated while absent from the recent club meeting).

EMARC Weekly Net: Omri requested ideas on how to improve the weekly net on 2 meters. Club officers were asked to participate more.

Emergency Preparedness: Dick would like to see EMARC better prepared for emergency communications after listening to the October talk by Ernie Iufer, WA6PVM and Rick Ellinger, KJ6NU.

Next club meeting: Friday, November 17, (to avoid Thanksgiving weekend).

Next board meeting: Wednesday, November 29. (No board meeting is scheduled for December)

Respectfully submitted,
Stuart A. Fox, KM7V

Minutes, EMARC General Meeting
Covington School, October 27, 1995

Present: Bob, KD6VIO; Bjorn, KN6IW; Shel, KM6GV; Stuart, KM7V; Dick, N6ATD; Omri, AA6TA; Dave, KD6WRG; Larry, KM6IU; Mikel, KN6QI.

Letter of appreciation: Bob read a section of a letter from Hans, KE6TGA expressing appreciation for the benefits of EMARC membership for a new amateur.

Novice/Tech Class: Bob reminded everyone that the class was scheduled for Oct 28 and 29. The class was run by Peter, KN6MO.

Editorial Assistance: Dave asked for some help in the logistics of producing the EMARC relay. He needs help with stapling, putting on the stamps and other similar duties.

New Officer Nominations: Bob called for nominations for all positions. Please see Elections! in this issue for a list of nominees. Voting takes place at the next general meeting.

Equipment for sale: George, K6OG announced that he has some Yaesu handi-talkies for sale which are the property of Jim Lomasney. Details are in the October EMARC RELAY.

Field Day Results: Bob announced that PAARA beat EMARC this year by 354 points. Final placing information was not available.

Program: Ernie Iufer, WA6PVM and Rick Ellinger, KJ6NU presented a talk on Emergency Communications. We were shown an example of a compact transportable radio station complete with whip antenna. The importance of preparedness was emphasized and we were told about the Los Altos emergency plan.

Wish-you-were-here: The drawing was for $5 this month. It was won by Charlie Grandjean IV, WD6FAF; wish you were here, Charlie!

Thanks vy much! To Robert, KE6TFU, for donating an astronomy book and a glass mount antenna to the drawing prizes; and to Jim, WA6TTJ, for donating the nice memo pads to the same cause.

Respectfully submitted,
Stuart, KM7V

Please Remember!

EMARC Net
Every Thursday at 8 PM
W6APZ, 145.230-, 100 Hz PL is off

Welcome New Members!
...and news of other members

Edie Barrett, KE6LNR received his Tech ticket in April, 1994. He aims to get the code down pat and go for his General one of these days. He found out about our Club through the Town Crier notice. In "civilian life", Edie is retired from Pac Bell where he was a marketing manager. He is a professional registered parliamentarian and does consulting in that field. He enjoys gardening at his Sunnyvale home; his two wonderful dogs, Happy and Parachute; five grandchildren and three adult children.

Jim Matzger, KE6TFY graduated from the EMARC-sponsored class in March-April of this year. In "civilian life", he is a CFP and a registered investment advisor. He lives in Palo Alto. We hope to find out more about Jim and report in a future issue.

Stephen J. Whitt, KE6YQP was first licensed back in 1976. He received his current Tech+ ticket this September. He is particularly interested in 2 meters and emergency communications. He first learned of our club via our Web page (a first!). In "civilian life" he is a tech support manager at software supplier Gupta Technologies. Among his other interests: magic and clowning. He lives in Mt. View.

Live Fox Hunt
Above Saratoga
(Or: a Halloween Horror Story!)

Thanks to KI6HW, Don, the CHP arrived quickly, followed not too much later by a tow truck. The bad news is that I'm out of the fox chasing business for a while; my Subaru was declared a "junker". Apparently, there are numerous other Subaru turbo 4-wheel cars in the same predicament in this area, all waiting, like a patient looking for an organ transplant, wishing that some Subaru crashes somewhere and it isn't too old, and its differential survives!

The good news was that I almost found the "fox", because apparently it is up there on that ridge just to the south of the intersection of Hwys. 35 and 9, and the CDF (Calif. Dept. of Forestry) installation (where the hams that put it there work) is just to the north. When I finally heard someone talking through that box, I contacted them -- that was Sunday -- and I got the whole story on it. It is a simplex repeater, placed deliberately on our SCARES frequency so that the CDF hams and our group could coordinate in event of a wide area disaster. Apparently, it somehow got "deprogrammed" and came on sporadically without a proper ID.

73, Andy VE3FZK

Carrier Detect
...Miscellaneous noteworthy items

Station Open House. Wednesdays 7-9 PM. Hosts: 8 Nov.: - Bob, KD6VIO; 15 Nov.: Omri, AA6TA. Tune into the EMARC net for late info. These open houses are for EMARC members and their invited guests only. Please do not discuss on the air the exact location of the station.

Pacificon report. Again, the Mt. Diablo ARC outdid itself and put on a super convention at the Concord Hilton! The antenna seminar, which went on all day Friday, drew a large crowd. There were some 30 technical sessions spread over Saturday and Sunday (including Omri's satellite talk; in case you missed it, it is scheduled again for our December meeting). The flea mart Saturday morning was, as usual, not very large but still quite interesting. How was the banquet? (I did not attend, so I don't know). Two special event stations were going full blast over the weekend from the convention's site: a satellite station (set up by J.C. Smith, KC6EIJ) and an HF SSB/CW station, the latter using the Force 12 portable tower and triband beam set up in the parking lot. Tradition was observed with the Wouff-Hong ceremony and the Foot-and-Fanny CW contest. The exhibit hall was chock full of all the key vendors and dealers, including HRO, and most gave special convention discounts. Many other dealers set up tables in the hotel's corridors. Some lucky ham won the Kenwood TS850S grand prize; other prizes included an Alinco dual-band mobile, five handhelds, and a PK-232 TNC. VE test sessions took place Saturday and Sunday mornings. In short, there was something for everyone, and great fun was had by all. If you have never attended this event, be sure to do so next year (it is typically held on the third weekend in October).

Club history project. When was EMARC founded? Who was the first president and how many presidents have we had to date? What was the high watermark for club membership, and when? Answers to these and many other questions are buried in past issues of the RELAY, of which we have a significant collection; as well as in the memories of our "old timers". New member Tom Hardy, KD6LWM, has volunteered to research the club's history and come up with a document, which we can publish in the RELAY and also hand out to new members. If you know anything about the club's affairs dating back more than 5-6 years, please contact Tom, or be helpful to him should he contact you.

Ham radio saves ham. According to a Newsline report, a Citrus Heights, CA ham who was shot while using an ATM machine was able to use his HT to call for assistance. 40-year old Rory Clark, KD6RKL, was able to raise Chris Huber, N6ICW, a local repeater's trustee, who then autopatched Rory to the 911 line. Since then the police have arrested two suspects.

Phase 3D donations. As the launch date for this "latest and greatest" amateur satellite (now scheduled for late 1996) gets closer, the need for funds to continue this project gets more urgent! And, if you send your contribution via ARRL (225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111), ARRL not only doubles your contribution, but also rewards you with a very nice, 81/2x11" certificate, suitable for framing, as I found out to my surprise and delight! So please join the contributors' ranks and make Phase 3D a reality. Do so now, as the ARRL matching funds offer is good for a limited time only.

Relay Schedule (reflects new, 4th Fri. meeting date; exceptions marked by *):

Issue		Meeting		Closing Date

November	*17 Nov.	Closed
December	*15 Dec.	04 December

Elmer's Corner

The three top makes are all Japanese: Kenwood, Icom, Yaesu; they make all three kinds of VHF & UHF radios. Quality and features for top-three gear is on the whole comparable. Second-tier makers include Alinco, Radio Shack, and Azden, which only make HTs and Mobile FM rigs. Standard makes only HTs. If you opt for Radio Shack, get the extended warranty! It covers you for practically everything that goes wrong over 5 years, and costs about $40.

Typical HRO prices:

	2m HT - $250-$300 & up;
	2m/440 HT - $350-$600 & up;
	2m Mobile - $290-$500 & up
	2m/440 Mobile - $550 - $700 & up
	Base stations - $1600 & up

How big is it? How much does it weigh? The smaller and lighter the rig, the better it is for pedestrian mobile or emergency operations. But watch out! Too small can be a problem (see below).

How much output power? HTs typically produce up to 5 watts; mobile rigs have 25-50 watt ratings. HTs with less than half a watt (e.g., Standard) will probably have problems reaching repeaters.

What battery is needed for max. power? Often the battery that comes with the HT is only good for 1.5 watts; 5 watts is reached with an optional battery or an external 12V supply.

Is there a positive "battery dead" indication? Alerts you to the need for a fresh battery.

How much does the fast-charger cost? The wall adapter that comes with the HT is a trickle charger, rated at 100-200 milliamps; it will take 12-15 hours to recharge the battery. You cannot use it to power your rig because at 5 watts your rig takes 1-2 amperes. A fast charger will charge your batteries in an hour or two, but it is always and extra-cost, expensive option.

Is the display large & easily readable, day & night? These are important questions if you plan to participate in ARES (emergency) activities, and/or if your eyesight is poor.

Are the buttons large enough (or tactile coded)? If you opt for the really small, micro-miniature rigs, be sure to test whether you can operate the buttons reliably, at least in daylight.

Can rig be operated with an external 12V supply? If you plan on using the HT as a base station sometimes, it's nice to be able to run it off an external power supply or a large gel cell battery.

Is there a cigarette lighter adapter for mobile use? Important if you plan to use your HT as a mobile rig part of the time. Radio Shack has such adapters, but be sure to check that the size of the plug and its polarity fits your rig. The R-S units will typically not fit the micro-miniature HTs.

Is there a battery case for standard AA batteries? Many people prefer to use standard batteries (rather than NICADS) because they are readily available and much less expensive.

Does rig have PL encode & decode as standard? PL encode is a must for many repeaters (see April '95 RELAY, p. 7). The PL decode is usually an extra-cost, nice-to-have option; it lets you listen only to a local repeater that generates the right tone, while remote repeaters on the same frequency will be squelched.

Does rig have an Extended Receive range? Useful if you are interested in weather broadcasts or monitoring aircraft and public safety agencies communications.

Can you set non-standard offsets? You need to set offsets (different TX and Rx frequencies) to work repeaters; those use standard offsets (e.g., +/-600 KHz on 2 m, +5 MHz on 440). All modern rigs have that. To work space objects (e.g., Space Shuttle) you need non-standard offsets.

Is there a Monitor function? It lets you force open the squelch; this is useful to let in a weak station, or to verify that your rig still works (i.e. battery is OK).

Is there an external microphone with a lapel clip? Important in pedestrian mobile applications.

Is there a (VOX) headset available? If you plan on pedestrian mobile or emergency support, a headset is mandatory; VOX is nice to have (especially in motor mobile applications). Even better is the push-once-to-TX, push-again-to-Rx control. VOX tends to be activated on sneezes, laughs, cuss words, etc.

How many memories? The more the better; but in practical use you'll probably have a hard time filling more than 30.

If rig is dual-band, does it have a built-in duplexer? Virtually all modern dual-band HTs have built-in duplexers which allow you to use a single dual-band antenna to receive on one band while transmitting on the other. Dual-band mobile rigs sometimes have two separate antenna jacks; you will need an external duplexer to use a common dual-band antenna.

If rig is dual-band, does it have cross-band repeat? A feature which allows you to operate simplex on one band away from your car while your mobile rig patches you into a repeater on the other band. Much like the police cruiser radio system. Useful in emergency communications support.

Antennas. The "rubber ducky" that comes with the HT is a compromise. You may want a rooftop antenna for home use; best price-performance: the J-Pole (you can make one from a TV twin-lead or buy from the American Legion for $20). "Hot rods" are available at flea marts; but be sure to test - some look great but aren't more effective than the duck!

Best buy on mobile antennas: the MFJ 1724B dual-band: $15 at HRO. Works great both bands and is even cheaper than monoband antennas. - AA6TA

Editor's Soapbox

Unfortunately, intolerant attitudes like this are rather prevalent in our hobby. For instance, in almost every contest you can hear some rag-chewers complain in unprintable language about the "QRM" to "their" frequencies. One disgruntled VHF simplex enthusiast recently posted nationwide a piece of flame mail objecting to the Phase 3D ham satellite because some frequencies it will use are currently used in his area by simplex enthusiasts. And, every one of us has probably heard at one time or another some boob on 2 meters berating No Code Techs and claiming that "if you are not on HF, you are not a real ham".

All these and many more are examples of the "I am better than you" arrogant attitude, which we can certainly do without. This hobby is absolutely unique in its great diversity: VHF/UHF, packet, HF SSB, HF CW, HF digital, satellites, ATV, DFing, APRS, emergency support and public service, to name the key ones. Each can be enjoyed by operating or by home-brewing; and with a bit of tolerance and goodwill we can all co-exist on our allocated portions of the radio spectrum. We should be able to enjoy the hobby without denigrating those who don't share our specific interests.

- Omri, AA6TA

ARRL Pacific Division
Update

Vanity "Preferred" Call Signs:- Applications for other than the sequentially issued club call sign will apparently continue to be delayed, perhaps until 1996. However, the FCC has issued some clarifications, as follows:

1. Call signs reflecting locations outside the contiguous 48 states are reserved for stations "whose licensee's mailing address is in the corresponding state, commonwealth or island." In requesting call signs in the mainland 10 call areas, applicants are NOT limited by their location.

2. Exceptions to this limitation apply to close relatives of deceased amateurs, and former holders of a call sign. So, if a former KH6 amateur now living on the mainland wants his KH6 call back, he will not have to have a Hawaii mailing address to do it.

3. To obtain a call sign, the licensee MUST hold the requisite class of license. For example, if you held W3BE and let it lapse, you will have to get your Extra to get it back. The same concept applies to close relatives of deceased amateurs. There are some very subtle details concerning Group A, B, and C call signs and, in particular to Pacific island calls in these groups. Please see FCC Amateur Station Sequential Call Sign System, Fact Sheet PR-5000 #206, dated February 1995 and the ARRL FCC Rule Book to be sure you understand the details.

4. There will be another gate, One A, for clubs which held club call signs prior to March 24, 1995 who apply to obtain the call sign of a deceased member.

5. The FCC has not stated how they will handle APO/FPO addresses. The fee for a vanity call sign has already been reduced by the FCC to $30 for a ten year period.

Among the topics reviewed was the expansion of the newly signed agreement on Reciprocal Licenses in all of North and South America under the auspices of the Inter American Telecommunications Commission (CITEL) part of the Organization of American States (OAS). The International Amateur Radio Permit (IARP) is now well underway in U. S., Canada, Uruguay, and Peru to permit an amateur from any one of the four to use his native country license as the only license needed. This is the same arrangement the U. S. now has with Canada.

Unfortunately, the U. S. has not implemented this program for U. S. amateurs. ARRL has submitted a petition to FCC (RM 8677) to implement this program in the U. S., but there is no known date for action on the petition. It is not likely that the U. S. will implement the program until more nations sign up. Interestingly, the first two IARP licenses were issued to Canadians at the IARU Region 2 meeting. When fully implemented, you will not need to apply in advance to obtain an actual reciprocal license.

There was also agreement to pursue various programs on 40 meters to try to reduce the interference problems in the frequencies below 7100 kHz among the SSB, CW, and digital activities. This problem is particularly difficult, but now there seem to be the first steps to try to resolve the problems as they relate to North and South American usage.

Save those MARS Stations:- With the closing of the military bases, the related MARS stations will likely be closed. There are several groups working to attempt to save the MARS stations involved. Several have written proposals to save the stations but with mixed results. One Federal program which might be a great aid in saving the MARS stations is the "Federal Lands to Parks Program" as described in a brochure "U. S. Government Printing Office 1993-0-359-650" and related information available from the National Park Service, Western Regional Office, Planning, Grants and Environmental Quality Division, 600 Harrison St., Suite 600, San Francisco CA 94107, (415) 744-3972. A preliminary contact has been made with Pete Sly, the manager of this program. There may be other contacts and programs, but this is the only one found so far.

FCC News:- On Aug. 17, FCC Chairman Reed Hundt proposed actions to save money, including personnel reductions and facility closings. In the Pacific Division, the Honolulu HI field office and the Livermore CA monitoring station would be closed by the summer of 1996. The Honolulu field office is now part of the FCC's San Francisco Region as the Seattle Regional office is now closed with the retirement of the Regional Director.

One facility, in Laurel MD, would be the central site for "electronic monitoring." The FCC will add a new centralized FCC Call Center, where for the first time members of the public anywhere in the United States will be able to call a toll-free number to reach the FCC for information or assistance. See October QST page 15 for more details.

In another announcement, the FCC is considering privatizing the resolution of radio frequency interference to consumer electronics devices. Under the plan, private repair shops would be used to fix problems in the field. FCC spelled out the Commission's concept at a meeting in Tampa, saying "Since it is not feasible for the Commission to attempt to resolve these complaints" (the most of which come from Citizens Band operation), "it is our policy not to investigate interference to home electronic equipment. Likewise, we do not offer any protection from interference."

Over the past several years, the FCC has been unofficially out of the "retail" RFI business, and parties who contact the FCC about an interference problem are asked to work together toward a solution. Depending on what the local repair shop found, either the shop would fix the equipment or, in the case of a violation of FCC rules, the service shop would refer the case back to the FCC for possible FCC action. The question of who would pay was not addressed. See October QST page 80 for additional details.

The FCC Compliance and Information Bureau has recently released a new 24 page color publication titled,"Interference to Home Electronic Entertainment Equipment Handbook." This document states "cost-cutting manufacturing techniques, such as insufficient shielding or inadequate filtering, may also cause your equipment to react to a nearby radio transmitter. This is not the fault of the transmitter and little can be done to the transmitter to correct the problem." The publication called Bulletin CIB-2, May 1995, apparently may be obtained directly from the FCC CIB Field offices, although reports of actual availability vary.

One known source is the U.S. Government Printing Office, PO Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250. The price is $2.50 postpaid. See October QST page 15 for additional details.

New Pacific Division Appointment:- John W. Cooper, Jr., WB6QWG, of Eureka CA, has been appointed as Volunteer Counsel for the north coast area of California.

COMING EVENTS

EMARC Monthly Meeting: Fourth Friday of the month (except 3rd Friday in June, Nov. & Dec.) at 7 PM; Business Meeting, 7:30 PM; Program starts 8 PM. At the Covington School in Los Altos; directions on last page. See specific date listings below. EMARC events are also listed on packet (to EMARC@allscv); on the N0ARY event bulletin board (type EVENT or List Clubs); and on the automatic enunciator on the W6APZ repeater (145.23-). (Note: there are 5 Fridays in March & Sept., so the fourth Friday is not the same as last Friday!).

EMARC Weekly Net. Thursdays at 8 PM on the W6APZ repeater, 145.23- (100Hz PL is off for the net).

EMARC Board Meeting: Wednesday, the 16th day (2 weeks + 2 days) prior to the meeting date.

Foothill Flea Market: 2nd Saturday (starts pre-dawn), March thru September. Bring 4 quarters for the parking meters. At Foothill College, just west of I-280 at the El Monte/Moody Rd. exit in Los Altos. Talk-in: 145.27-

Livermore Flea Market: 1st Sunday (starts 7 AM) year round, rain or shine. At Las Positas College, Airway Blvd. exit off I-580 just west of Livermore. Talk-in 147.120+ or 145.35-(100Hz PL). NOTE: The NorCal QRP Club meets following the flea mart at 11 AM at the California Burger in Pleasanton, abt. 2 miles from the flea mart.

T-hunts: See the February, 1995 RELAY under Carrier Detect (page 6). Difficulty Levels: 1 - very easy; 2 - simple; 3 - average; 4 - hard; 5 - very hard; 6 - "never find it". For latest info and directions, call Rich KN6FW, 510-462-1467, or via packet at KN6FW@WA6YHJ. #NOCAL

10 AM net. Weekdays at 10 AM on W6APZ, 145.23- (100Hz PL). A very informal rag chew net with mostly EMARC members. Net control: Arv, WA6UUT.

Amsat net. Wednesdays at 19:30 on the WA6PWW repeater, 147.015+, as well as the W6APZ repeater, 145.230-, 100 PL. Net control: Bill, AA6PA.

10-10 Net. The local net for 10 meters enthusiasts meets every Monday at 8 PM on 28.475 MHz; net control: Neal, WA6OCP.

Events by date:

Nov

4-6	ARRL Sweepstakes (CW).
17	EMARC Monthly Meeting.	7 PM.
		Speaker:  Tom Schiller, N6BT, of Force 12 antennas.
		(3rd Friday due to Thanksgiving).
18-20	ARRL Sweepstakes (SSB).
25-26	CQ WW (CW) Contest.
29   	Board Meeting.	7:30 PM;
		343 Second St., Suite A, Los Altos.

Dec

9-10	ARRL 10 Meters Contest.
15 	EMARC Monthly Meeting.	7 PM.
		Speaker: Omri Serlin, AA6TA on Working
		the Amateur Satellites.  (3rd Friday due to Christmas).

Jan

13	EMARC Winter Banquet.  Blue Pheasant Restaurant,
		22100 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino.
		Preempts regular meeting (i.e., there is no
		regular meeting this month).
24	Winterfest '96.	 7th annual hamfest put on by
		the Naval Postgraduate School ARC.  Monterey Peninsula
		College Student Center.	 7 AM - 1 PM (12 noon: auction),
		rain or shine.	Inside & outside flea mart.
		Talk-in: 146.97.  Info: 408-883-0491;
		packet: K0MC@K6LY.#CENCA;
		Internet: max. cornell@nitelog.com