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| The award-winning monthly publication of The Baltimore Radio Amateur Television Society P.O.Box 5915 Baltimore, MD 21282-5915 |
October, 2007
FAR/ARRL MDC SECTION DIGITAL CONVENTION
On Sunday, November 11, the Foundation for Amateur Radio will sponsor our MDC Section Convention.
It is being hosted by the Armed Forces Retirement Home Amateur Radio Club and will be held in their movie theater.
There will be an explanation of many digital modes from 10 am to 12 noon. After lunch, Atlantic Division
Assistant Director Albert (W3MIV) Schramm will discuss the results of the recent Atlantic Division
survey and their implications. Following that will be a panel discussion of the various modes and
issues with moderated questions from the audience. Our guest from League Headquarters will be someone
well versed in digital, Mr. Steve (WB8IMY) Ford, editor of QST magazine. An online registration form will
soon be posted my website, www.arrl-mdc.net. Since the facility rules DO NOT permit the collection of
funds at the door, you MUST pre-register for this. Walk-ins will not be accepted. We plan to have a CD
available to attendees with a great deal of information and software to get you started with digital.
[Jim Cross, WI3N]
Attention All Amateurs ...
FCC to Lower Vanity Call Sign Fees September 17
The FCC will reduce the regulatory fee to obtain or renew an Amateur Radio vanity call sign by more than
40 percent starting September 17. In a Report & Order (R&O) released August 6, “Assessment and Collection
of Regulatory Fees for Fiscal Year 2007,” in MD Docket 07-81, the Commission will cut the fee from its
current $20.80 to $11.70. This marks the lowest fee in the history of the current vanity call sign program.
The FCC is authorized by the Communications Act of 1934 (as amended) to collect vanity call sign fees to
recover the costs associated with that program. The vanity call sign fee has fluctuated over the 11 years
of the current program — from a low of $12 to a high of $50. The FCC says it anticipates some 14,700
Amateur Radio vanity call sign “payment units” or applications during the next fiscal year, collecting
$171,990 in fees from the program.
FCC Issues Two Citations in Longstanding Power Line Noise Case
The Federal Communication Commission’s Dallas Field Office issued Citations on July 25 to
two utilities in a longstanding power line noise case in Lubbock, Texas. Bryan Edwards,
W5KFT, of Lubbock, first reported the interference concerning the two involved utilities,
Lubbock Power & Light (LP&L) and Xcel Energy, as early as 1994. The record shows that the
FCC Dallas Field Office clarified the FCC rules with regard to power line noise for LP&L
as early as 1998, and issued three letters to LP&L in 2003 and 2004. Xcel Energy was first
issued an FCC letter in 2004.
PUBLIC SERVICE
Saturday, October 6 -- American Diabetes Association Walk -- Federal Hill, 8 AM to 11:30 AM.
Contact Frank, AC3P, ac3p21220@yahoo.com
Saturday, October 13 -- Baltimore Marathon. Contact Ian, N3CVA, 410-303-1412, or
publicservice@bratsatv.org
Sunday, October 14 -- Komen Race for the Cure: Amateur Radio Participation cancelled!
| October, 2007 |  |
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