The ARRL Letter 
Vol. 13, No. 14 
July 27, 1994

Flooding mobilizes Georgia hams

By Larry Keith, KQ4BY

     One week, Amateur Radio operators in Macon, Georgia were 
setting up equipment in a high school football field for ARRL 
Field Day. A week later, on Monday, the Fourth of July, they were 
tuning up their rigs at home, in their cars, and at the local Red 
Cross headquarters, preparing for a real emergency. 

     Tropical Storm Alberto was heading their way.

     In fact, while most people in the area were scanning the 
skies and wondering whether they would see a fireworks display in 
Central City Park, alongside the normally tranquil Ocmulgee River  
members of the Macon Amateur Radio Club -- particularly those in 
the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) unit -- were 
monitoring the weather forecasts and debating their next moves. 
If conditions worsened, they meant to be prepared, says 

Debora Bridges, KC4HVO. 
     "We were geared up for emergencies, and we were ready," she 
said.
     The next day, Tuesday, Central Georgians awoke to torrential 
rain. The pounding continued, as the center of the storm hovered 
over the area. By late that night, some 12 inches had fallen on 
ground already saturated by several previous days' precipitation.
     Tom Rogers, W4AOL, didn't go to work that day, instead 
heading straight to the radio command post. In place of the hard 
hat he usually wears as a field superintendent for a construction 
company, he donned a radio headset and set to work as a volunteer 
liaison between ARES and the Red Cross. He wouldn't go back to 
his regular job for another three days.
     As the magnitude of the storm and the damage it was dishing 
out became apparent, Rogers was soon joined by other MARC members 
in a well-rehearsed vigil. Some reported in by way of mobile gear 
in their cars; others relayed messages from home-based sets. 
Although the organization does not ask hams to stay at their 
posts past midnight, many of them did. 

     "A lot of us leave our radios on at our bedsides," Debora 
Bridges said. "You learn to sleep with that static in your ear." 
Debora's husband, Greg, KA4FUB, also is on the scene during every 
field event or emergency.
     During the storm, public officials depended a good deal on 
information provided by the midstate hams. And from Cordele to 
Warner Robins to Griffin, from Forsyth to Roberta to Fort Valley, 
they checked in. A road out here. A bridge down there. Homes 
under water. Youth camps cut off. Wherever people were in 
trouble, the word got out. 
     Other hams from Milledgeville and Dublin, even Savannah and 
Columbus, hours away by car, offered help. That afternoon, local 
officials advised residents to stay home unless travel was 
absolutely necessary. The hams stayed on the prowl, and on the 
air. In all, more than 30 members had signed on. At the base 
station, Rogers was spelled by George Joyner, KD4QMY, a student 
at Macon College, and Willie Garst, N4XMO, a long-time ham.
     Throughout the ordeal, the system operated under emergency 
rules. That is, general communication was restricted. Thanks to 
the cooperation of Georgia Power Company, which allows the local 
hams to use a repeater (with antenna) mounted on one of the 
stacks at Plant Scherer  (1,000 ft high),  the range was 
exceptionally great, from McDonough, some 50 miles to north, to 
Cordele. the same distance south.
     By Wednesday, with the Ocmulgee River nearing flood stage, 
the situation had become alarming. As soon as the Red Cross 
opened shelters, hams began relaying instructions and other 
messages. Dick Joyner, director of public support for the local 
Red Cross chapter, commends the dedication of the radio 
operators. "They kept us in touch with the status of the 
shelters." Such support is crucial, Joyner points out. "If we 
lose phone lines, or they are not available in the temporary 
shelters, we have to have some kind of communication.
     "They (the hams) also help us to make our plans. They can 
tell us how bad things really are, because they see it first 
hand." He adds, "It's vital we get as much warning as possible."
     Because they are on the scene, hams are often the first ones 
to see the need for evacuation or support. "The people down here 
need clothes, food, everything," one frustrated ham was heard to 
say. He was advised to send those flooded from their homes to a 
nearby shelter where they would receive what they needed to get 
them functioning again.
     Jimmy Wood, KA4GHX, is another liaison, coordinating ARES 
operations with the National Weather Service at Macon Municipal 
Airport. When he heard of the washouts on Highway 247 (which 
links Macon to the airport as well as to Warner Robins and Robins 
Air Force Base, where many central Georgians work), he tried to 
find a back road open. The going was tricky, and Wood  got stuck 
for a time. He eventually accomplished his mission and managed to 
return safely.
     The hams also accompanied Red Cross damage assessment teams 
needing communication. These crews decide if it's safe to travel 
on or use a bridge or other public facility. In addition, the 
radio operators also were in contact with the Georgia Emergency 
Management Association, which was trying to stay in touch from 
Atlanta.
     Motorists who are hams were grateful for information, too. 
"How can we get across town?" was a frequent question. "How do we 
get from Florida to Atlanta?" was another. In some cases, ham 
tourists stranded along Interstates 75 and 475, both closed to 
traffic because of submerged roadways and bridges, participated 
in the traffic analyses through 2-meter units in their cars. 
     When the sun poked through briefly on Thursday, a new role 
opened up for the club's  hams: coordination of water allocation. 
After the water treatment plant had been inundated by the raging 
river, which had broken over its banks and levees, surrounding 
communities less affected by the storm sent huge water 
"buffaloes" to help Maconites who were without water. Using hand-
held radios, hams were able to steer the truck drivers to the 
most needy sites, freeing law enforcement officers for other 
duties.
     About 3 PM some good news was reported to the hams at Red 
Cross headquarters. "We are 10 minutes away from opening one lane 
of I-75 south," a state patrolman relayed. Everyone in the room 
began to relax a little. But an hour later, bad news came. "It's 
raining  again in Cordele. Could someone check on a rumor that a 
funnel cloud has been sighted?" The hams hunched over their rigs 
once again.
     Fortunately, the weather abated. On Friday, July 8, the hams 
on the net began relaying health and welfare messages.
     The Macon-area ARES began helping the local Red Cross 
chapter in 1991 during and after Hurricane Andrew. Since then, 
the relationship has grown. "When we get into this (type of) 
situation, ARES can be counted on to keep communications open," 
says David Little, executive director of the agency. "It has 
helped us start moving into the 21st century."
     Larry Keith, KQ4BY, lives in Warner Robins, Georgia, with 
his wife Meg and their four cats. He has been a licensed amateur 
since 1966 and is a senior systems engineer for Computer Data 
Systems, Inc. 

CALIFORNIA-HAWAII PATH YIELDS 2304 MHz RECORD

     This year's summer VHF opening between Hawaii and California 
produced a new 2304 MHz world distance record. On July 11 at 2321 
UTC Chip Angle, N6CA, and Paul Lieb, KH6HME, made a two-way CW 
contact on the band.
     The two had spent 13 years attempting contacts on most of 
the microwave bands before 2304 MHz was finally conquered.  Angle 
says this leaves only 10 GHz left in their quest.
     Angle said that the opening continued into July 12 and that 
Lieb and Russ Sakai, KH6FOO, were busily working stations on the 
mainland on 144 MHz, many of them mobile stations with 
omnidirectional antennas. Lieb also is reported to have worked 
many stations on 220 through 1296 MHz.
     KH6HME  is on the Mauna Loa volcano at 8200 feet elevation; 
N6CA is in Palos Verdes at 340 feet.  Distance for the contact 
was 2468.8 miles.  An SSB QSO was attempted for a few minutes on 
2304 MHz, but was not completed because the two rushed to 10 GHz 
to attempt a contact there. 
     This was an uncommon type of opening, with no elevation 
restriction on the California end, along with good 1296 MHz 
propagation, Angle said.

     The opening produced another record, too, according to a 
report from ARRL Technical Advisor Tom O'Hara, W6ORG.  KH6HME put 
his 434 MHz amateur TV transmitter on the air, where it was 
copied by Gordon West, WB6NOA.  West alerted other ATV operators 
in southern California; the second amateur to copy the fast-scan 
video from KH6HME was Mike Henkoski, KC6CCC, in San Clemente.
     KH6HME did not have ATV receiving equipment with him at the 
Mauna Loa site but hoped to try for a two-way on July 12.
     On 2304 MHz, both N6CA and KH6HME used homebrew transverters 
built by Angle, running 12 watts output to 4 ft dishes and 1.5 dB 
noise figure receivers. The 4 foot dishes have interchangeable 
feeds for 2.3 GHz to 10 GHz that require about four or five 
minutes to change, Angle said.
     September QST will have more coverage of this story, 
including screen shots of received signals from KH6HME.

FORUMS SET FOR UPCOMING ARRL DIGITAL CONFERENCE

     Seven forums are scheduled for the 13th ARRL Conference on 
Digital Communications to be held August 19 to 21 in Minneapolis. 
They are:
     * Digital data methods (voice, image, etc.).
     * DSP developments.
     * HF data methods.
     * TCP/IP developments.
     * High speed data transfer.
     * ARRL Committee updates.

     In addition, this year a "beginner's forum" has been added 
to the conference agenda. Newcomers who may feel intimidated by 
digital communication can join veteran instructor John  Kaplan, 
WR0W, who will present a "crash" (no charge) course from 7:00 to 
9:30 PM on Friday. 
     Eighteen technical papers on digital communications will be 
presented on Saturday; for a list and for more information about 
the Conference or special airline and motel discounts, call or 
write:  ARRL Digital Communications Conference, in care of Paul 
Ramey, WG0G,  16266 Finland Avenue,  Rosemount, MN 55068.  
Packet: WG0G@WA0CQG.#MSP.MN.USA.NA; Telephone:  (612) 432-1640;  
Internet:  <PRAMEY@RAM.NET>
     The host organization for the 1994 ARRL Digital 
Communications Conference is the TwinsLAN Amateur Radio Club. 

SAREX, APOLLO 11 COMMEMORATION UNITE

     To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission 
to the moon, the SAREX station on board the Space Shuttle 
Columbia was operated as a special event station from  July 19 to 
21, joining the dozen other NASA amateur stations in 
commemorating the landing of the Apollo Moon Lander, the Eagle, 
on the moon's surface in 1969 (last issue). 
      Contacts made during the event will be eligible for a 
special commemorative certificate.  Send your report and QSL with 
a 9x12 in SASE to the ARRL Educational Activities Department, 
STS-65 Apollo Special Event, 225 Main Street, Newington, CT  
06111.
     SAREX operators were Shuttle Commander Robert Cabana, KC5HBV 
and Mission  Specialist Donald Thomas, KC5FVF, using the packet 
call sign W5RRR-1.
     Meanwhile, an estimated 100,000 people attending the 
Aerospace American annual airshow in Oklahoma City heard a two-
way contact on July 17.  Retired three-star Air Force General Tom 
Stafford was patched by telephone to Commander Bob Cabana, 
KC5HBV, on board the Space Shuttle Columbia via amateur stations 
WH6CJU in Hawaii, N6IZW in San Diego, California, and W5GEL in 
Corpus Christi, Texas, all members of a SAREX worldwide 
telebridge ground station network.
     General Stafford is a former astronaut who flew aboard the 
Gemini 9 and Apollo 10 missions, and commanded the US/Russian 
Apollo-Soyuz test project.  The SAREX exchange of greetings 
between Stafford and Cabana reflected upon the 25th anniversary 
of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon.
     The contact was managed by Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, at the 
Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and by Lou 
McFadin, W5DID, and Gil Carman, WA5NOM, from the SAREX Control 
Room at Mission Control at the Johnson Space Flight Center in 
Houston.

       ARRL Board holds 2nd meeting 
                  of 1994

     The ARRL Board of Directors met in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, 
July 15, 1994. Here is a summary of the meeting's highlights:
     * The ARRL Spectrum Committee has been asked to study the 
bands between 420 MHz and 300 GHz to enable a better 
understanding of present and future activities in this region of  
the spectrum, giving priority to those bands subject to spectrum 
reallocations by the government.
     * The Board commissioned an RF Safety Committee to advise 
the Board and staff on safe operating practices for the 
development of policy and educational methods and materials.  
Members to be selected by the President.
     * The ARRL Professional Media Award was created to recognize 
media professionals who make distinguished contributions to the  
public image of Amateur Radio.
     * In recognition of more than 10 years of successful SAREX 
missions aboard space shuttle flights, the Board expressed its 
gratitude to the SAREX Working Group.  The Board commended the 
group for its efforts to make Amateur Radio communication a part 
of future space missions, including the Space Station.
     * Jonathan M. LeBretton, N1MJM, of Plymouth, Massachusetts, 
was selected as the 1993 Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award winner.
     * James Dalley, W0NAP, of Centerville, Utah, was selected as 
the Herb S. Brier Volunteer Instructor of the Year.
     * The Board picked Sheila Perry, N0UOP, of Bloomfield, 
Missouri, as the 1993 Professional Educator of the Year.
     * Rick Campbell, KK7B, of Chassell, Michigan, was selected 
at the winner of the Technical Excellence Award for his article, 
"High-Performance, Single-Signal, Direct-Conversion Receivers," 
appearing in the January 1993 issue of  QST.
     * The Board named Len Winkler, KB7LPW, of  Phoenix, Arizona, 
as the recipient of the Philip J. McGan Silver Antenna Award, 
which recognizes outstanding achievement in the public relations 
arena.  The Board thanked all Amateurs for their public relations 
efforts.
     * The staff was commended for developing and implementing 
strategies for responding to the 13-cm band challenges posed by 
the government reallocation plans.
     * The Board selected Peoria, Illinois, as the site of the 
1996 National Convention.  The convention will be held September 
13-15 under the sponsorship of the Peoria Area Amateur Radio 
Club.
     The full story of the Board meeting will appear in September 
QST. 

JOINT RESOLUTION MAKES CRUCIAL PROGRESS IN D.C.

     ARRL's House of Representatives Joint Resolution 199 passed 
a major hurdle when key provisions were included in H.R. 4522, 
the FCC Authorization Act of 1994, during markup by the 
Telecommunications Subcommittee of  the House Energy and Commerce 
Committee on July 14. Sponsored by Rep. Mike Kreidler (D-WA), 
H.J. Res. 199 earlier gained 245 other Congressional co-sponsors 
as a result of hard work by the Amateur community. 
     The next step is action  by the full Energy and Commerce 
Committee, and then consideration on the floor of the House.  
Companion legislation awaits action by the Senate Commerce 
Committee. If the Senate bill  differs from the House bill, an 
additional conference committee decision will be necessary before 
passage.
     The bill urges the FCC to "continue and enhance the 
development of amateur radio as a public benefit by adopting 
rules and regulations encouraging the use of new technologies," 
and urges the Commission to make "reasonable accommodations for 
the effective operation of amateur radio from residences, private 
vehicles and public areas," and urges "all levels of government" 
to facilitate Amateur Radio as a public benefit.
     The bill provides for a one time "vanity" call sign fee of 
$150. The previous "annual fee" provision was deleted in favor of 
a one time application charge, staving off the threat of an 
annual fee for all amateurs. In addition, ARRL lobbied to ensure 
that the fees go to FCC rather than the Treasury. 
     The one time fee was a calculated decision. As a result of 
concern on Capitol Hill about deficit reduction, new bills must 
be "scored" by the Congressional Budget Office to determine 
budgetary impact. A bill stands a better chance of passing if the 
Congressional Budget Office rules that it won't be an additional 
burden on taxpayers. ARRL supported the $150 amount since it 
would generate sufficient revenue to offset new costs to FCC and 
would meet the "revenue neutral" criterion, without imposing any 
new fees on amateurs who keep their present call signs or who 
receive new ones issued routinely.

     Leaders of 3 societies share concerns

     In late June the leaders of three major Amateur Radio 
national associations met to discuss a number of topics, 
especially how they can best support and complement the work of 
the International Amateur Radio Union in developing countries, 
and to compare notes on common problems faced by their respective 
societies.
     The societies taking part in the meetings, held in Markdorf, 
Germany, were the Deutscher Amateur Radio Club (DARC), the Japan 
Amateur Radio League (JARL), and the American Radio Relay League 
(ARRL).
     Attending were JARL President Shozo Hara, JA1AN, DARC 
President Horst Ellgering, DL9MH; ARRL President George S. Wilson 
III, W4OYI; IARU Region 3 Secretary Masayoshi Fujioka, JM1UXU; 
ARRL Vice President for International Affairs/IARU Secretary 
Larry E.  Price, W4RA; JARL IARU Liaison Officer Yoshiji Sekido, 
JJ1OEY; DARC Foreign Advisor Hans Berg, DJ6TJ; and ARRL Technical 
Relations Manager Paul L. Rinaldo, W4RI. 
     Dr Price discussed IARU activities, including the recent 
1994 World Telecommunication Development Conference in Buenos 
Aires and the Union's goal of portraying the amateur service as a 
cost-effective way of transferring technology, a difficult goal 
to achieve, he said.
     The DARC's Dr Ellgering said that the eastern countries 
present opportunities for assisting the continued development of 
the amateur services. Mr Fujioka stated that development in 
Region 3 has been concentrated in three countries and that, in 
general, assistance should be provided through the IARU, as it is 
highly respected.
     Mr Wilson noted that in the US, with the Congress and with 
the FCC, the ARRL has used the argument that the amateur spectrum 
is analogous to a public park and worth preserving for similar 
reasons.  
     The leaders talked about the apparent "downgrading" of the 
importance of radio, including Amateur Radio, in the minds of 
some telecommunications professionals, noting the inconsistency 
of this view at a time when "wireless" is used as carrier for 
many emerging technologies. Dr Price said that the ARRL planned a 
briefing on Amateur Radio for ITU staff on June 28.
     On the subject of continuing international regulations 
requiring a knowledge of Morse code for licensing below 30 MHz, 
and discussions in New Zealand and some European countries of 
eliminating such a requirement. Mr Wilson said it is the position 
of the ARRL Board that there be no deviation from the present 
requirement, both domestically and internationally.
     Most of the remainder of the meeting concentrated on how the 
world's major Amateur Radio societies, through the IARU, can 
promote the development of Amateur Radio in the so-called less 
developed countries (LDCs). IARU-sponsored "leadership courses" 
will be offered, as well as developing a database of people 
available to help in LDCs, including both locals and amateurs 
from the more developed countries visiting there. 
     The representatives of the three countries shared their 
organizations' efforts toward promoting Amateur Radio among the 
general population; the JARL showed a highly regarded information 
pamphlet, while the DARC announced a PC-based multimedia course 
on Amateur Radio.
 
      The DARC said it already devotes $40,000 per year to a wide 
range of foreign activities.  The DARC has a committee of  eight 
multilingual people with. Mr Hara said JARL has about 20 people 
who are partially compensated for their expenses who can be 
called on for development work. Other topics included membership 
numbers for the societies, licensing makeup in the three 
countries, and equipment standards. BRIEFS
     * The FCC has issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for 
$20,000 to Ace Communications of Fishers, Indiana, for marketing 
illegal scanner radios. Ace, the FCC said, advertised two 
different unauthorized scanners in magazines including  73 
Amateur Radio Today, CQ, and Popular Electronics. Both the models 
cover cellular telephone frequencies. The FCC based the fine on 
Ace's apparent ignoring of warning letters from the Commission 
and called the violation "intentional."
     * Ham Radio Horizons, a video introduction to Amateur Radio 
produced by CQ Communications, has won a bronze medal in the 
Association for Visual Communicators' 1994 Cindy awards 
competition.
     The video won in the "public service and information" 
category.  The Cindy awards honor outstanding productions in all 
fields of nontheatrical video programming, including radio, 
television, cable, and nonbroadcast categories, according to a 
press release from CQ.
     "Ham Radio Horizons" was written, produced, and directed by 
Rich Moseson, NW2L, who is the ARRL Section Manager for Northern 
New Jersey, as well as a member of the ARRL's volunteer Public 
Relations Committee.  The awards were presented in June at the 
INFOCOMM trade show in Los Angeles.
     * The ARRL Ombudsman program was announced in July QST.  The 
ARRL Ombudsman can help any time you have a question about ARRL 
services. You can contact the ARRL Ombudsman in the following 
ways:
     By telephone: 203-666-1541 (ext. 285);
     By fax:  203-665-7531 (attn. Ombudsman);
     By Internet: ombudsman@arrl.org;
     Mail Address: ARRL Ombudsman; 225 Main 
                   Street, Newington, CT 06111, USA.

 
*eof

