May Meeting

Lawrence Pizzella WR6K, will return to finish his talk on the subject of crystal radios. This will be the advanced part and deal more with the technology. See the biography in the March issue of the Relay on the web site if you haven't saved wait a minute you are saving these words of wisdom, aren't you? 

President's Corner

We need your help. We are going to be operating at 2 Alpha this year and will have some changes that will be announced at the next meeting. If you have or know of anyone with a 1/2 or 3/4 ton pickup we need there help in getting the Red Cross tower trailer to Arv's house and then to the Field Day site. 

All of our equipment that has been stored at Arv's ;house will be stored after Field Day at Charles Arney's house and we need to give him a big thank you for doing this. 

We have had many members upgrade and special congratulations to each one.

May Board Meeting Minutes

FCC RULING IS "MOST SIGNIFICANT SINCE ADA"

Today the FCC adopted rules and policies to implement Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and Section 251(a)(2) of the Communications Act of 1934, that require manufacturers of telecommunications equipment and providers of telecommunications services to ensure that such equipment and services are accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities, if readily achievable. These rules will give people with disabilities access to a broad range of products and services - such as telephones, cell phones, pagers, call-waiting, and operator services, that they cannot use today. 

Today's action represents the most significant opportunity for people with disabilities since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. The rules adopted today require manufacturers and service providers to design telecommunications equipment and services with the needs of people with disabilities in mind. 

The disability community has told the FCC of the frustration of not being able to check the balance of a checking account using telecommunications relay service, or not being able to tell if a wireless phone is turned on, or not being able to use a calling card because of inadequate time to enter in the appropriate numbers. 

The FCC has received numerous reports from relatives of senior citizens saying that their elderly parents could live on their own, if only they had telecommunications equipment that they could use. 

The benefits of increased accessibility to telecommunications are not limited to people with disabilities. Just as people without disabilities benefit from the universal design principles in the ADA and the Architectural Barriers Act (for example a parent pushing a stroller over a curb-cut), many people without disabilities will also benefit from accessible telecommunications equipment and services. Indeed, many of us already benefit from accessibility features in telecommunications today: vibrating pagers do not disrupt meetings; speaker phones enable us to use our hands for other activities; increased volume control on public pay phones allows us to talk in noisy environments. We all benefit when people with disabilities become more active in our communities and in society as a whole. 

Statistically, most Americans will have a disability, or experience a limitation, at some point in their lives. While 5.3% of persons 15-24 years of age have some kind of functional limitation, 23% of persons in the 45-54 age range experience functional limitation. The percentage of those affected by functional limitations increases with age: 34.2% of those aged 55-64; 45.4% of those aged 65-69; 55.3% for those aged 70-74 and 72.5% for those aged 75 and older. 

Diverse telecommunications tools such as distance learning, telemedicine, telecommuting, and video conferencing enable Americans to interface anytime from anywhere. Congress intended the 1996 Act to provide people with disabilities access to employment, independence, emergency services, education, and other opportunities

Congress recognized the importance of creating employment opportunities for people with disabilities with Title I of the ADA, which addresses the employer's responsibilities in making the workplace accessible to employees with disabilities. 

At a time when Americans are experiencing the lowest unemployment rate in years, unemployment among people with severe disabilities is roughly 73%, and when employed they earn only one-third of [what] people without disabilities [earn]. The rules the FCC adopted today give employers expanded tools with which to employ and accommodate persons with disabilities.

Action by the Commission July 14, 1999, by Report and Order (FCC 99-181). Chairman Kennard, Commissioners Ness, and Tristani, with Commissioners Furchtgott-Roth and Powell approving in part and dissenting in part and all five issuing separate statements. Commissioner Furchtgott-Roth statement will be issued at a later date.

Common Carrier Bureau contact: Ellen Blackler at (202) 418-0491, TTY 202-418-0485
 
 

Board members: Dirk Thiele KE6ZUY, Dick Baldwinson N6ATD; Hans Neumann KE6TGA; Herb Davidson KF6BKL, Omri Serlin AA6TA, Larry Moore KM6IU, Charles Arney KF6CUU, Steve Stearns KF6OIK, David Wilkes KD6WRG.

K6YA Station Trustee: Stan Kuhl, K6MA

FARS Web Page: www.fars.k6ya.org

FARS announcement mailing list is moderated, so you cannot reply directly to the list. 

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The FARS Relay is the official monthly newsletter of the Foothills Amateur Radio Society Meetings are held at 7 PM on the fourth Friday of each month except January (Winter Banquet); and 3rd Friday in June, Nov. & Dec. Annual membership $20; family $25. Visitors are always welcome! Directions on the back page. Talk-in: N6NFI (145.23-, 100Hz) or W6ASH repeater (145.27 or 224.36). 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 is how to reach the editor:
Internet: dwilkes@svpal.org, davewilkes@aol.com

VHF voice: KD6WRG on N6NFI, 145.23- (100Hz PL) FARS net Thursdays 8 PM; Various other times. Mail: 1093 Kelly Drive San Jose CA 95129-3222 Voice: 408-996-1613 (Until 9 PM); Fax: 408-725-1036, and at FARS meetings.
 
 

Calendar

Foothill Flea Market - 2nd Saturday of each month from March to October at Foothill College, Los Altos Hills. FARS NET on 145.23 repeater Thursday nights at 8 PM.

Jim, WE6V is running W1AW code practice sessions on the 145.23 repeater every Tuesday evening 8:00 to 8:30.
 

The nation's top ham radio cop is putting the Amateur Radio Community on notice. He says that you must use your full callsign -- not just phonetics to identify your station. And in his weekly audio column on RAINREPORT.COM, FCC Special Counsel for Enforcement, Riley Hollingsworth says that there is a proper way to identify and the FCC expects everyone to abide by the rules: 

"We have been getting some questions, and I think you have too about identifying with phonetics. Now I just wanted to point out that phonetics are to assist the intended operator in understanding the callsign. They are not a substitute for identifying. The identification rule is very simple, and requires that the callsign be used in English. But now phonetics are not callsigns, they are just facilitators. And it is particularly disturbing to hear signals that are 30 and 40 over and the operator is using phonetics that are repeated. Or only phonetics." Hollingsworth

Hollingsworth says that not only does identifying only with phonetics not comply with the Amateur Service Rules, but excessive use of phonetics is entirely unnecessary. This is not the first time that Hollingsworth has brought the matter of proper identification to the attention of the nations ham community. Last year a number of DX net operators became openly agitated after Hollingsworth told them that partial callsign recognition was OK -- but only if all stations identified properly according to the FCC's rules. (FCC) 
 

ARRL TO LOS ANGELES COUNTY: NO CHOPPERS AT 2.4 GHZ 

And now, with thanks to the ARRL, AMSAT, the CGC Communicator, the FCC, The Ohio Penn DX Bulletin, RAIN, the Radio Society of Great Britain, the VHF Reflector and Australia's Q-News, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. Our e-mail address is:

Do visit the Newsline website. There are many interesting domestic and international links and information about lightning and powerline safety.

How to get to meetings:

FARS meets at the Covington School District building, 201 Covington Road, Los Altos. Take the El Monte exit (The same exit as for the Foothill Fleamarket) off of I-280 and go East on El Monte. Cross Foothill Expressway and turn right at the next light on to Covington (Note Saint William church on corner). Stay to your left as the road forks. Just past the fork, turn left into the school parking lot. Walk through the center hallway and turn right. The meeting room is the first door on the left. Talk in on 145.23 or 145.27, negative offset, 100 PL.