Thanks for your consideration for the award, a great honor I assure you. – Lee W8RTN

QNI November (10 or more): Perfect attendance K2BCL. N1OTC 29; K4IWW 29; KA8WNO 28; W5TFB 28; WX4H 27; WØUCE 27; WD8DIN 27; KX8B 26; WA3UNX 24; W2MTA 22; W2EAG 22; KK3F 21; K4FUM 20; AA4AT 20; VE3DTR 19; K8LJG 17; N4ABM 16; K3MIY 14; WD8Q 13; NG1A 12; WØGRW 10.

December QTC: N1OTC 129; KA8WNO 81; NG1A 52; K8LJG 43; WØUCE 42; W8RTN 40; WD8Q 39; WX4H 38; N4ABM 26; KX8B 20; AA4AT 18; K3MIY 17; K4FUM 15; WA4DOX 11; W4WXA 11; K8KV 10.

Address Changes: K8GA, Jerry Abbott, 1981 Clack Rd., Madison, GA 30650-4832.
K2VX, David Wiesen, Thoreau Place, 1951 Sagewood Lane, Apt 124, Reston, VA, 20191-5411
WA4SRD, Edith McDade, 2200 Kensington Place, Apt A., Asheville, NC 28803-2295.
New email address: Charles, W4VFJ (callsign)@earthlink.net.  (It's done this way so the "spam scanners" won't catch it.)  
NG1A Frederick Butts, 90 Antwerp St, Milton, MA 02186... Email: fredjbutts at comcast.net

Letter from Don WB8KPE (Feb. 14) Everyone: Please don't give up on me just yet. I have been assured that it won't be long now. Maybe another two weeks. Antennas only need to be wired to the shack in my apartment. More later. 73

ARL FORTY-SEVEN

The following ARRL Numbered Radiogram was implemented February 18^th by W2MTA, an NTS Official in the Second Region. All others active in message traffic handling are invited to implement. By copy of this e-mail, WV1X at ARRL Headquarters is requested to officially implement the "ARL FORTY SEVEN" numbered radiogram.

-William W. Thompson, W2MTA

ARL FORTY SEVEN REFERENCE YOUR MESSAGE NUMBER ____ TO _____ DELIVERED ON ____ AT ____ UTC.

Re: ARL 47 from Empire Slow Speed newsletter by Anne, WI2G: (submitted by KA8WNO)

I declare, it's enough to restore your faith in democracy. Bill, W2MTA, (2RN cycles 2/3 manager and longtime WNY section manager) has--with the gratitude of many--e-mailed ARRL headquarters to inform them that the second region (NY and NJ) has, effective February 18th, implemented a new ARL radiogram text . . . . Bill has also requested--quite reasonably--that the new text be implemented throughout the National Traffic System.

Good idea. Now if we just had one to take care of the long explanations of why a certain (W1GMF or other spam type) msg was not delivered.

Geo finds there's more to crystals than meets the eye.

A journalistic history of the life and times in the Amateur radio world of George Hart, W1NJM, by George Hart W1NJM

CHAPTER 15- PENN STATE AND COLLEGE

RADIO STATION W8YA, PART TWO

In a corner of the room where the W8YA operating position was located was the WPSC broadcast transmitter, 500-watts, with underground lines to the studio and to the various points on the vast campus, including football and baseball fields, the gymnasium and Schwab Auditorium on center campus. Walt (W3AJN) explained to me that WPSC was no longer licensed but there was hope that it would be re-licensed and so it was all ready to go at any moment.

It was served by a motor generator in the anteroom, which delivered 2300 volts but had no brake. This larger generator could be switched to W8YA and frequently was when more power was desired. He demonstrated both generators. The smaller normally used for W8YA started with a loud clack and stopped with a thump as the brake clamped it. The larger one started more slowly, ran with a distinct high-pitched whine and coasted for a few seconds after being turned off.

Walt set me down at the operating position and allowed me to operate the station, after tuning it up for 40 meters. The FB-7 receiver was full of images, but Walt said he was working on a pre-selector that would get rid of them.

"We're trying to get the EE Department to buy us an HRO," he said, "but Crossely is only an instructor and he doesn't have enough clout, so we'll have to make out with this 'til we can get more support. Doc Woodruff, W8CMP, is in our corner. He's a full professor with a long tenure, so I think we'll get it eventually. I seem to remember that you are a hotshot CW operator. Let's hear you call a CQ." I didn't have my "bug" with me, but I rattled of a CQ on the straight key.

"That's great!" Walt enthused. "We're on 7150, so start tuning at 7000. The calibration isn't accurate, but you'll be able to tell where the band starts."

I did as instructed, but heard no one calling W8YA. "Those darned Windoms are no good," Walt muttered "I've been trying to get Crossley to let us put up a couple Zepps, but he's a stubborn guy. But he'll be pleased with your CW skill. I'm only fair, but Jim Faries (W3AOA) is pretty good, and Norm Young is even better. Neither of them measures up to you, though. Xley is impressed with high speed code, although he hardly knows a dit from a dab himself. Come around any time. If I'm here I'll let you operate, but freshmen don't get keys unless they're real hotshots. Xley might make an excepton in your case."

"Xley?" "Yeah, that's what I call him, but not to his face. Go ahead and operate if you want to. I'll be here for another half hour or so, but then I gotta go." Of course the above is a version of how I remember the conversation, probably not accurate but close."How many members are in the club?" I asked, as Walt went back to the little workshop to resume his crystal-grinding. "There is no club. Crossley doesn't want a club, one of his several eccentricities. It's just 'the Radio Station Staff.' W8YA is licensed to the BE Department, and Crossley is trustee. The senior assistant is Jim Beaver, W3AHZ. There are about twelve on the staff right now." 

"How do I join the Staff?"  "You don't, not until you're a sophomore and pass a test. Xley sometimes hands out a key to a freshman of outstanding ability. He might give you one because of your CW skill, but don't count on it. Where are we now, Jim?"

I had many more questions but decided not to wear out my welcome. Already, I felt, Hawk had devoted much more time to me than the ordinary visitor. But in subsequent weeks I visited the station many times and met most of the staff members. Most of them showed up infrequently, Beaver, Hawk and Faries practically haunted the place, and "Pop" Crossley was also frequently present. Norm Young, a junior, was the crack code (CW) operator until I came along.

I met him and Crossley very early in my freshman year. Norm was a rather shy young man, a so-so student in electrical engineering. (They were all EE's except me. I was preveterinary in thr School of Agriculture, which became the subject of many jokes among my W8YA colleagues in the months to come.)

Diuring that first couple of months I met most of the other staffers, three of them freshmen like myself. I can't begin to remember them all, but one of the freshman I do remember very clearly was Charlie Kearns.

Kearns was from the Pittsburgh area and was a brilliant EE student, but like most such students a bit on the conceited side until maturity. Charlie was very young, only sixteen, a tall string bean. His mastery of electronics was superb for the day and for his age, but his CW was only mediocre. Unfortunately he did not rank very high with Crossley or, for that matter, with most of the rest of the staff.

SB QST ARL ARLB007: Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 2005 Introduced

At the urging of the ARRL, Rep Michael Bilirakis (R-FL) has introduced The Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 2005 into the US House of Representatives. The bill, designated HR 691, has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee where Bilirakis serves as vice chairman. Like previous versions of the proposal, the current measure would require the FCC to provide ''equivalent replacement spectrum'' to Amateur Radio if the FCC reallocates primary amateur frequencies, reduces any secondary amateur allocations, or makes additional allocations within such bands that would substantially reduce their utility to amateurs.

ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, says the legislation ''is vital for ensuring that the Amateur Radio Service, the only 100-percent fail safe emergency communication capability, remains a viable public safety option.''

HR 691 references Amateur Radio's role in providing ''voluntary, noncommercial radio service, particularly emergency communications,'' and it points out that hams have ''consistently and reliably'' provided communication support in the event of emergencies and disasters including tornadoes and hurricanes, chemical spills, forest fires and rail accidents. As the measure notes, FCC actions already have led to the loss of at least 107 MHz of spectrum to radio amateurs.

Rep Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) has signed on as the bill's first co-sponsor.

Efforts now will focus on attracting additional cosponsors for the legislation. The League is encouraging members to urge their congressional representatives to sign aboard HR 691. More than 100 lawmakers agreed to cosponsor similar legislation in the 108^th Congress, where it was designated HR 713. Work is proceeding to have identical legislation introduced in the US Senate.

The text of HR 691 is available on the Government Printing Office Web site: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=109_cong_bills&docid=f:h691ih.txt.pdf.

TRAFFIC CALL

C. L. Berry WD8DIN, Editor

1182 Eastbrook Ln

Hendersonville, NC 28792-6411