The following is from the ARRL Handbook, a must read and heed by all.

SHOP SAFETY

"All the fun of building a project will be gone if you get hurt. To make sure this doesn’t happen, let’s first review some safety rules.

• Read the manual!
The manual tells all you need to know about the operation and safety features of the equipment you are using.

• Do not work when you are tired.
You will be more likely to make a mistake or forget an important safety rule.

• Never disable any safety feature of any tool.
If you do, sooner or later someone will make the mistake the safety feature was designed to prevent.

• Never fool around in the shop.
Practical jokes and horseplay are in bad taste at social events; in a shop they are downright dangerous. A work area is a dangerous place at all times; even hand tools can hurt someone if they are misused.

• Keep your shop neat and organized.
A messy shop is a dangerous shop. A knife left laying in a drawer can cut someone looking for another tool; a hammer left on top of a shelf can fall down at the worst possible moment; a sharp tool left on a hair can be a dangerous surprise for the weary constructor who sits down.

• Wear the proper safety equipment.
Wear eye-protection goggles when working with chemicals or tools. Use earplugs or earphones when working near noise. If you are working with dangerous chemicals, wear the proper protective clothing.

• Make sure your shop is well ventilated.
Paint, solvents, cleaners or other chemicals can create dangerous fumes. If you feel dizzy, get into fresh air immediately, and seek medical help if you do not recover quickly.
• Get medical help when necessary.
Every workshop should contain a good first-aid kit. Keep an eye-wash kit near any dangerous chemicals or power tools that can create chips. If you become injured, apply first aid and then seek medical help if you are not sure that you are okay. Even a small burn or scratch on your eye can develop into a serious problem.

• Respect power tools.
Power tools are not forgiving. A drill can go through your hand a lot easier than metal. A power saw can remove a finger with ease. Keep away from the business end of power tools. Tuck in your shirt, roll up your sleeves and remove your tie before using any power tool. If you have long hair, tie it back so it can’t become entangled in power equipment.

• Don’t work alone.
Have someone nearby who can help if you get into trouble when working with dangerous equipment, chemicals or voltages.

• Think!
Pay attention to what you are doing. No list of safety rules can cover all possibilities. Safety is always your responsibility. You must think about what you are doing, how it relates to the tools and the specific situation at hand." © ARRL Handbook 2005

Always install antennas such that they can never come in contact with outdoor power lines in the event of a catastrophic antenna support or power line support structure failure. An adequate safety margin is usually provided by separating power lines from the antenna and its support structure [1.5 times the height of the support] plus [the length of any antenna or guy wires attached to the support] plus [the height of the power line support pole].

Ground the antenna support structure adequately, so as to dissipate energy absorbed during a lightning strike. Install appropriate lightning arrestors in the antenna lead-in and rotator cable (if used) according to the arrestors instructions.

In the event of an approaching electrical storm, disconnect all antenna lead-in, rotator control, and power cables completely from the station, but only if the storm is not immediately in your area. Do not allow disconnected cables to touch the case of your transceiver or accessories, as lightning can easily jump from the cable to the circuitry of your transceiver via the case, causing irreparable damage.

If a lightning storm is in progress in your immediate area, do not attempt to disconnect the cables, as you could be killed instantly should lightning strike your antenna, tower, or a nearby power line.

If a vertical antenna is used, be certain that humans and/or pets or farm animals are kept away both from the radiating element (to prevent electrical shock and RF exposure danger) and the ground system (in the event of an electrical storm). The buried radials of a ground-mounted vertical antenna can carry lethal voltages outward from the center of the antenna in the event of a direct lightning strike.

03-26-2009 - Clyde KR4DX was Net Control and had 29 check ins.

Topics discussed:
1. What is an elmer. - K8SMD Mark

2. Where to get dial lights. - K8SMD Mark

3. Question asked about 1/2 wave coax leads for 1/2 wave antennas and if it makes any difference in your signal or swr. - W4MDM Dexter

Many answers to all questions asked to the satisfaction of all concerned.

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03-19-2009 - Dexter W4MDM was Net Control

Topics discussed:
1. Requesting info on proper tuneup for Ameritron AL572 Amplifier. - W4AJT

2. Requesting info on standoffs for Rohn towers and materials used. N3GH

3. What are the best types of external antenna tuners available. - AA4MC Mike

4. Off Center Fed Windom info and operating results - WR4G

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02-26-2009 - Glen W4GRF was Net Control.

Topics discussed:
1. High voltage power supply capacitors

2. Coaxial dipoles using RG-6

3. Using New Old Stock (NOS) Tubes

4. Loop antennas vs Center Fed Antennas

5. Vertical antennas (Parts)

6. Types of feeds for Beams

7. Velocity factor

8. Why low power meter reading when using SSB

Topics can be revisited or new topics can be discussed by checking into the Technical Net and asking a question. All are welcome.

FCC CORRECTS CALL SIGN ERROR

In October 2006, Peter Birk (formerly WB2DCG) of Virginia Beach, Virginia, applied for a vanity call sign, K4ZL, under the FCC's Vanity Call Sign Program. This call sign was previously held by Elmer B. Jackson, Jr of Lavergne, Tennessee. Jackson held this call sign since before 1978; it was set to expire June 11, 2008. In October 2006, the Commission received notification that Jackson had passed away February 14, 2004, so the FCC canceled his license as of this date. More than two years after the date of Jackson's death, Birk applied for and received K4ZL.

Per FCC rules pertaining to vanity call signs, certain family members and previous holders of the call sign are eligible to receive the dead person's call sign; after the two year period, the call sign is open for anyone to acquire it under the vanity call sign program.

In June 2008, Jackson notified the FCC that he was still very much alive and that he wished to renew his license. According to the FCC, based upon information they had received, "it appears that the call sign K4ZL was made available under the vanity call sign system as a result of a defective cancellation of the license originally held by Jackson. Further review determined that the information submitted to the Commission in 2006 pertained to a different person with the same name." On Friday, March 27, Birk told the ARRL he had no idea Jackson had passed away. "There was no way for me to know that Elmer Jackson was not dead at the time I applied for K4ZL," Birk said. "In fact, the FCC believed he was dead, as well."

On March 23, the FCC released an Order Proposing Modification and concluded that cancelling K4ZL in 2006 "was defective" and that the call sign should not have been made available in the vanity call sign pool <http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-656A1.pdf>. To correct this error, the FCC "propose[s] to exchange K4ZL with the call sign previously assigned to Birk's amateur radio station, WB2DCG; and concurrently to assign call sign K4ZL back to Jackson's license, which was reinstated under call sign AJ4JT."

The Commission cited Section 316(a)(1) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended <http://law.onecle.com/uscode/47/316.html>, saying it "provides the appropriate vehicle for resolving this matter. Section 316(a) permits the Commission to modify a station license if the action will promote the public interest, convenience, and necessity. In this connection, we note that the proposed modification would serve the public interest by ensuring that a licensee is not harmed by having his or her license canceled based on erroneous information submitted by a third party."

In accordance with Section 97.27(b) of Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations <http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2002/octqtr/pdf/47cfr97.27.pdf>, the FCC will not issue a modification order "until Birk has received notice of our proposed action and has had an opportunity to file a protest." Birk has 30 days from March 23 to submit a written statement to the FCC "with sufficient evidence to show that the modification would not be in the public interest." If Birk chooses not to file a protest, he will have waived his right to protest the modification and will have deemed to have consented to the modification.

 

==> FCC PROPOSES NEW RULES FOR MEDICAL DEVICES OPERATING ON 70 CM BAND

On March 20, the FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) <http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-09-20A1.pdf>, proposing to allocate spectrum and adopt service and technical rules for the utilization of new implanted medical devices that operate on 413-457 MHz (70 cm). According to the Commission, these devices, called implanted neuromuscular microstimulators, would greatly expand the use of functional electric stimulation to restore sensation, mobility and function to those persons with paralyzed limbs and organs; they would be implanted in a patient and function as wireless broadband medical micro-power networks (MMNs). The Amateur Radio Service has a secondary allocation in the 70 cm band.

The FCC said that several proponents claim that this technology "could revolutionize medical treatment and therapy for millions of people living with brain and spinal cord injuries and neuromuscular disorders such as multiple sclerosis, polio, cerebral palsy and ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often referred to as 'Lou Gehrig's Disease'), as well as numerous other neurological disorders. It could be used in conjunction with next-generation prosthetic limbs to provide wireless sensation and control to the prostheses. Of particular note, this technology can provide an important tool in the medical treatment and care of numerous US soldiers who suffered spinal cord, brain and other serious injuries in Iraq, Afghanistan and other missions abroad."

Last month, ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, and Technical Relations Manager Brennan Price, N4QX, met with officials of the Alfred Mann Foundation, developers of the implanted neuromuscular microstimulators, to discuss ARRL concerns with the NPRM. Imlay and Price both came away satisfied that the project should have little, if any, impact on Amateur Radio operators. "There are redundant layers of interference rejection mechanisms built into the product that should protect its users from being impacted by strong Amateur Radio signals,"

Price said. "The very low power output of these devices should have no impact on the Amateur Radio Service. The ARRL Executive Committee will monitor this filing and take action as appropriate."

The FCC is seeking comments on the feasibility of allowing up to 20 MHz of spectrum in the 413-457 MHz band to be used under the Medical Device Radiocommunication Service (MedRadio Service, formerly the Medical Implant Communications Service [MICS]) in Part 95 of the Commission's rules, and seeks comments on the allocation of four specific segments for this purpose: 413-419 MHz, 426-432 MHz, 438-444 MHz and 451-457 MHz.

The Commission also seeks comments on the prospective service and technical rules that would govern MMN operations, such as transmitter power, emission bandwidth, duty cycle, contention protocols, and other operating specifications that generally comport with the framework of the existing MedRadio Service.

==> LEGISLATION INTRODUCED IN US SENATE TO INVENTORY RADIO SPECTRUM

Two US Senators -- Democrat John Kerry of Massachusetts and Republican Olympia Snowe of Maine -- have introduced a bill in the Senate that would mandate an inventory of radio spectrum bands managed by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) <http://www.ntia.doc.gov/> and the Federal Communications Commission. The inventory would include those frequencies between 300 MHz-3.5 GHz managed by the two agencies.

The proposed legislation, known as the "Radio Spectrum Inventory Act" <http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.649:>, states that the NTIA and the FCC would be required to inventory the spectrum no later than 180 days after the bill becomes law; after the initial survey, follow-ups would be required every two years. Both agencies would need to prepare a report listing the licenses or government user assigned in the band, the total spectrum allocation, by band, of each licensee or government user (in percentage terms and in sum) and the number of intentional radiators and end-user intentional radiators that have been deployed in the band with each license or government user. Additionally, if the information is applicable, the report would be required to show the type of intentional radiators operating in the band, the type of unlicensed intentional radiators authorized to operate in the band, contour maps that illustrate signal coverage and strength and the approximate geo-location of base stations or fixed transmitters. The report would then be sent to the Senate's Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and to the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce.

The bill also mandates that both agencies create a centralized portal or Web site that lists each agency's band inventories. This information would then be made available to the public via an Internet-accessible Web site. Both agencies would also be required to make all necessary efforts to maintain and update the inventory information "in near real-time fashion and whenever there is a transfer or auction of licenses or change in allocation or assignment." The bill includes an exemption for licensees or users if they can demonstrate that disclosure would be harmful to national security.

"Our public airwaves belong to the American people, and we need to make certain we are putting them to good use in the best interests of those citizens," Senator Kerry said. "Last year's 700 MHz auction resulted in $20 billion for the treasury and will create greater opportunity and choice for consumers and businesses that need broadband service. We also took a great step forward when the FCC established a way for unlicensed devices to operate in white spaces. These two initiatives are evidence of how valuable spectrum is and how it serves as fertile grounds for innovation. We need to make sure we're making as much of it available to innovators and consumers as possible."

"Used by millions of consumers and countless businesses on a daily basis, wireless technology is a proud part of America's innovative history and a key to its economic future," Senator Snowe said. "But as radio spectrum is already a scarce yet valuable resource in many areas, we must ensure that this public good is allocated and used efficiently for the needs of the American people. This legislation is the first step to addressing comprehensive spectrum reform and will work to enhance advanced communications services to keep people on-line and in touch."

ARRL Technical Relations Manager Brennan Price, N4QX, said that the bill is in its infancy and that there is no corresponding legislation in the House of Representatives: "The text of the proposed legislation neither exempts Amateur Radio nor considers the frequency-agile and unfixed nature of most Amateur Radio operations. This bill merits watching and presents amateurs an opportunity to educate their Senators about the nature of our stations and our Service."