*************** The ARRL Letter Vol. 22, No. 24 June 13, 2003 *************** IN THIS EDITION: * +Pres Haynie makes the case for HR 713 on Capitol Hill * +WRC-03 gets under way in Geneva * +NASA educators hit the road to pitch ARISS, ham radio * +WA8SME joins HQ staff as "Big Project" coordinator * +FCC tells Part 15 users to hold the phone following QRM complaints * +Ham-pianist more than halfway through run * Solar Update * IN BRIEF: This weekend on the radio ARRL Emergency Communications course registration ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration AO-40 expected to be visible to North America by Field Day +Declining QSL volume reflects decaying conditions Hudson, Atlantic Directors pulling out all stops on New York antenna bill K1D to be on the air for Kid's Day Nevada club donates to The Big Project Problems reported with Fuji-OSCAR 20, 29 satellites +Available on ARRL Audio News =========================================================== ==>PRESIDENT HAYNIE TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESSIONAL SUBCOMMITTEE ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, testified June 11 on Capitol Hill on behalf of the Spectrum Protection Act of 2003, HR 713. The ARRL initiative 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. Haynie was the last of 11 scheduled witnesses to speak during the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet hearing, "The Spectrum Needs of Our Nation's First Responders." "We are indeed a first responder," Haynie said on behalf of the nation's some 680,000 Amateur Radio operators. Ham radio is more than "just having fun playing on the radio," he told the panel, a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee chaired by Rep Billy Tauzin (R-LA). "It also produces capable, trained volunteer communicators in systems of emergency telecommunications that are impervious to disasters of all sorts," Haynie said. "These volunteers are ready to respond--and do respond immediately--when all other systems of communications fail, including public safety communications whey they're overloaded, destroyed or lack interoperability." Among other examples, Haynie pointed out how Amateur Radio operators answered the call on September 11, 2001, in New York City, at the Pentagon and at the Western Pennsylvania crash site of the fourth hijacked airliner. Hams also assisted federal authorities in the debris search following the February 1 shuttle Columbia disaster, Haynie pointed out, and aided in the response to tornadoes in the Midwest and South earlier this year. Haynie told the subcommittee that hams have lost more than 100 MHz of VHF and UHF spectrum over the past 15 years and that another nearly 360 MHz of VHF and UHF spectrum "has been substantially compromised." Haynie said hams have shared spectrum successfully with government users on VHF and UHF and have been able to "make do with less," but "that concept has reached a breaking point with our service," he added. The 2.4 GHz area, once left largely to amateurs, in recent years has become "polluted" with wireless activity, Haynie told the panel. "Interoperability" was the watchword of the day at the subcommittee hearing, which got under way at 11 AM EDT and continued well into the afternoon. Several witnesses testified that a lack of interoperability among public safety responders at disaster scenes--including the World Trade Center--prevented warning those in danger and resulted in a tragic loss of life. Haynie was not alone in offering supportive words about Amateur Radio. HR 713 sponsor Michael Bilirakis (R-FL), quoted a paragraph from the submitted testimony of Norman Jacknis of the Westchester County, New York, Department of Information Technology. "In the first hours following the attack of September 11, 2001, the only way we could coordinate the sharing of firefighting, medical examiner, health, and information technology resources with New York City officials was through the highly trained, volunteer Amateur Radio (ham) operators," Jacknis said. "This irreplaceable resource must be protected from incursion by other interests." One of the two amateur licensees in Congress, Rep Greg Walden, WB7OCE (R-OR)--a subcommittee member called for a halt to the "astonishing" erosion of amateur spectrum. "Time and again, if you find an emergency, you find a ham radio operator," Walden said. FCC Office of Engineering and Technology Chief Edmond Thomas also cited the contribution of Amateur Radio operators to public safety. "The ham radio community has offered invaluable service to first responders during emergency situations," the OET chief said. A Senate version of the Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act, S 537, was introduced earlier this year by Sen Michael Crapo (R-ID). The Senate bill is being considered by the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, but no hearing on the measure has been set. The text of HR 713 and S 537 is available via the Thomas Web site <http://thomas.loc.gov/>. ==>WRC-03 UNDER WAY IN GENEVA The International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) World Radiocommunication Conference 2003 got under way June 9 in Geneva, Switzerland. More than 2600 delegates and other participants are expected to attend the four-week conference, chaired by Dr Veena Rawat of Canada. "Several items on the conference agenda are of great importance to radio amateurs, so the International Amateur Radio Union has fielded its largest team of observers at an ITU conference in more than a decade," noted IARU Secretary (and ARRL CEO) David Sumner, K1ZZ, who's part of the IARU delegation in Geneva. In addition to Sumner, the core IARU team consists of IARU President Larry Price, W4RA, Wojciech Nietyksza, SP5FM, Michael Owen, VK3KI, and Ken Pulfer, VE3PU. Past ITU Radiocommunication Bureau Director Robert W. Jones, VE7RWJ, is serving as a consultant to the IARU. Approximately a dozen other radio amateurs representing their national IARU member-societies are participating on national delegations, along with members of IARU regional executive committees who are serving on delegations and in other capacities. Dozens of other radio amateurs are present at WRC-03 in a wide range of professional capacities. Amateur Radio is but a small part of the conference, which is trying to complete work on more than 40 agenda items. Three are especially important to Amateur Radio: Realignment of 7 MHz allocations, revision of the regulations governing the amateur and amateur-satellite services--including the Morse code requirement for HF operation, and consideration of an allocation for satellite-borne synthetic aperture radars (SARs) in the 70-cm band. Two other agenda items with potentially great impact are the drafting of an agenda for the next WRC, scheduled for 2007 and the revision of footnotes to the Table of Frequency Allocations. A member of the IARU core team has been assigned to follow each of these five items, but the greatest focus is on 7 MHz, Sumner said. Committee 4, chaired by Germany's Eberhard George, DL7IH, is handling the critical agenda items for Amateur Radio except for the SARs request. Sumner said that, while there's been plenty of informal discussion about the issues, no final decisions have been made yet. "It is important to remember that nothing is final until the second reading of a document in the Plenary, which--in the case of controversial issues--will not take place until the final week of the conference, June 30-July 4," he said.--IARU news release ==>ON THE ROAD FOR ARISS Three new hams based at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) have been spending more than two-thirds of their workdays on the road highlighting Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) and other NASA-supported educational programs. Aerospace education specialists for the NASA Aerospace Education Services Program (AESP) headquartered at JSC, the ham trio's combined territory includes Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico and Colorado. Forty education specialists work out of NASA regional centers nationwide, serving kindergarten through college-level educators. "NASA personnel are involved in amazing research and engineering programs truly unique to the agency," said Ota Lutz, KD5UQZ <lutz@aesp.nasa.okstate.edu>, whose territory includes Kansas and Nebraska. "The opportunity to share a glimpse inside those programs with education audiences and observe the excitement it generates provides my greatest source of satisfaction." Lutz, Joan Sanders, KD5UQW <jsanders@ aesp.nasa.okstate>, and Angelo Casaburri, KD5UQS <casaburri@ aesp.nasa.okstate.edu>--and Linus Guillory <linus@ aesp.nasa.okstate>--travel to schools and museums as AESP representatives. Casaburri's area is North and South Dakota, while Guillory's is Colorado and Oklahoma. AESP specializes in providing free professional development workshops for teachers of science, mathematics, geography and technology. Workshops introduce participants to hands-on activities and NASA curriculum support materials. Lutz, Sanders and Casaburri studied for and passed their licensing exams in December, not only because they have a lot of respect for Amateur Radio but because they believe in the benefits of the ARISS program. "ARISS offers lots of opportunities, has a fairly simple application procedure and an in-place support network--local ham clubs--and is available to nearly anyone, regardless of geographic location," Lutz said. Fellow aerospace education specialist Sanders agreed. "Without exception, the men and women of the Astronaut Corps are heroes to school children," said Sanders, who travels in Texas and New Mexico. "Amateur Radio makes contact possible with our astronauts on orbit for audiences around the world, and it provides a method of direct access that otherwise may be impossible." They've found that teachers respond very positively to the their presentations. As Lutz explained, "Our focus is on providing inquiry-based hands-on activities that are aligned with state educational standards and utilize inexpensive materials. NASA Enterprise topics are the driving theme, so our material is current and of high interest to students, teachers and the general public." NASA's Aerospace Education Services Program began in 1961. Oklahoma State University, the current contract administrator, recently approved the three new hams for a portable ham station to take on the road. The aerospace education specialists want to give teachers an idea of how easy it is to operate a ham station, and they're hoping local radio club members will partner with schools. Amateurs may check the NASA AESP Web site <http://aesp.nasa.okstate.edu/jsc/aesp> and the OSU AESP Web site <http://www.okstate.edu/aesp/AESP.html> to learn what the specialists have to offer and where they expect to be during the summer.--Rosalie White, K1STO ==>WA8SME IS NEW COORDINATOR OF ARRL'S "THE BIG PROJECT" Mark Spencer, WA8SME, has joined the ARRL Headquarters staff as the new coordinator of the ARRL Amateur Radio Education and Technology program--also known as "The Big Project." He succeeds Jerry Hill, KH6HU, who has returned to Hawaii. Spencer, whose first day on the job was June 5, said he's happy to have the chance to continue to work with both young people and Amateur Radio. "This office has the great opportunity to be a facilitator in integrating wireless technologies into the schools," he said. "Ham radio is a facet that can open doors in that area, and I think that ham radio can help make the curriculum relevant for kids." A ham for 38 years, Spencer has taught math, science, computers and social science at the middle school, high school and community college levels, often integrating Amateur Radio into his lessons. ARRL Field and Educational Services Manager Rosalie White, K1STO, said she's thrilled to have someone of Spencer's caliber to guide the Education and Technology Program. "The sky's the limit, dependent only on the program's funding by generous ARRL members and corporations," White said. White pointed out that Hill--The Big Project's first coordinator--was instrumental in guiding 50 pilot schools into the program and oversaw its development beyond the initial plans into a viable program that already has touched the lives of nearly 1400 young people. Prior to starting his teaching career in 1993, Spencer served 21 years in the US Air Force, retiring with the rank of Lt Colonel after a career that included work in reconnaissance and intelligence. The goal of the Education and Technology Program is to use Amateur Radio as a vehicle to improve the quality of education by providing a curriculum focused on wireless communications. The project emphasizes integration of technology, math, science, geography, language skills and social responsibility within a global society. It also provides a complete Amateur Radio station for schools accepted into the program. The continued success of the ARRL Amateur Radio Education and Technology Program depends on individual and corporate contributions. To learn more, visit the ARRL Development Office secure Education and Technology Program donor Web site <https://www.arrl.org/forms/development/donations/education/index.html>. For more information on The Big Project, visit the ARRL Amateur Radio Education and Technology Program Web site <www.arrl.org/FandES/tbp> or e-mail Spencer <mspencer@arrl.org>. ==>FCC WRITES PART 15 DEVICE USERS ABOUT ALLEGED INTERFERENCE TO AMATEUR Hold the phone! The FCC has written two Northern Virginia residents to follow up on complaints from a local amateur who's alleging that he's on the receiving end of harmful interference from telephone devices with the capability to support multiple cordless remotes. Both are unlicensed Part 15 consumer electronics devices made by a well-known manufacturer. The complaints from Bernie Keiser, W4SW--an ARRL member in Vienna, Virginia, near Washington, DC--represented a bit of a turnabout from the typical interference scenario, where ham operation occasionally generates complaints of interference to cordless consumer equipment. "Harmful interference to a licensed radio service from a Part 15 device is a violation of FCC rules," warned Sharon Bowers, deputy chief of the Consumer Inquiries and Complaint Division of the FCC's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. Bowers explained that the equipment was classified as an "intentional radiator"--a device that generates an RF signal as part of its normal operation. In separate letters June 2 to the two Part 15 users--both also Vienna residents--she pointed out that if their cordless telephone devices cause harmful interference to licensed spectrum users, "the operator of the device is responsible for correcting the interference, ceasing operation, if necessary, whenever such interference occurs." Keiser told ARRL that the interference--in the form of broadband noise from 2400 to 2450 MHz--impairs his ability to hear the AO-40 downlink and beacon on the band. "I have a 2.4-GHz cordless telephone that does not cause problems," he said. According to Keiser, the devices in question electronically poll various remote stations, and it's the polling function that apparently causes the noise. He was able to track down the noise sources on his own and has discussed the issue with his neighbors, with whom, he says, he remains on friendly terms. He said the owner of the device that's causing the worst interference is a communications attorney who understands the problem and hopes to deal with it through the manufacturer. In her letters, Bowers cited the applicable sections of Part 15 and advised that the alleged harmful interference must be corrected before they may use the devices legally. She suggested the consumers contact the manufacturer or retailer of the devices to see if they'd either allow them to return them or exchange them for devices that don't cause interference. ==>HAM-PIANIST MARATHONER GETS BOOST FROM MISSOURI CLUB Concert pianist Martin Berkofsky, KC3RE, got some help from members of the Zero Beaters Amateur Radio Club (WA0FYA) when his CelebrateLifeRun <http://www.celebrateliferun.com> from Tulsa to Chicago took him through Washington, Missouri, on June 4. A cancer survivor and an ARRL member from Northern Virginia, Berkofsky set out April 9--his 60th birthday--on an 860-mile jog to celebrate his recovery from cancer and to raise money for research into the disease. He's now just beyond the halfway point in his journey. "I've been feeling fine," Berkofsky told ARRL, "and have managed to keep out of the really bad weather, only ducking for cover once, and once running with an umbrella." As Berkofsky got closer to the metropolitan area, he found that road noise drowned out his hand-held amateur transceiver and his cell phone. Craig Brune, N0MFD, modified a headset--with a cushion around the earpiece--to cancel road noise and enable Berkofsky to keep talking with fellow hams while on the move. During the June 4 ZBARC club meeting, Berkofsky recapped the first half of his cross-country trek. Berkofsky was set to resume running June 14 following a June 12 benefit concert at Webster University in St Louis. He says Brune also loaned him an extendable antenna for 2 meters, "so I should be able to have some contacts even from the Illinois corn fields." ==>SOLAR UPDATE Propagation prophet Tad "The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: Geomagnetic disturbances continued this week, but at a lower level than the previous seven days. Average daily planetary A index for the week dropped to 21 from 37.1 the previous week. The average daily sunspot number rose from 67.4 to 149.4, reaching a peak of 207 on Tuesday, June 10. Solar flux also was up. Weekly average solar flux rose from 117.4 to 150.5. Solar flux peaked at 192.9 on Wednesday, June 11. Solar flux over the weekend is expected to be 150, 140, 130 and 120 for Friday through Monday. With all of the recent geomagnetic disturbances, there is hope for HF operators with the predicted planetary A index of 12 for June 13 and June 16. This is only slightly unsettled--much better than the A indices of 20 to 30 we've seen recently. However, be aware that flares can pop up and conditions can change. A coronal mass ejection earlier this week could hit Earth June 13, causing a rise in geomagnetic indices. Sunspot numbers for June 5 through 11 were 95, 98, 125, 167, 176, 207 and 178, with a mean of 149.4. The 10.7-cm flux was 113.6, 125.6, 133.2, 153.4, 158.3, 176.5 and 192.9, with a mean of 150.5. Estimated planetary A indices were 13, 13, 24, 27, 28, 27 and 15, with a mean of 21. __________________________________ ==>IN BRIEF: * This weekend on the radio: The ARRL June VHF QSO Party, the ANARTS World Wide RTTY Contest, the Portugal Day Contest, the World Wide South America CW Contest, the Asia-Pacific Sprint (SSB) and the West Virginia QSO Party are the weekend of June 14-15. JUST AHEAD: Kid's Day, the All Asian DX Contest (CW), the SMIRK Contest, the AGCW VHF/UHF Contest and the DIE Contest are the weekend of June 21-22. See the ARRL Contest Branch page <http://www.arrl.org/contests/> and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar <http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more info. * ARRL Emergency Communications course registration: Registration is closed for the Level II ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications on-line course (EC-002) that begins June 24 and is sponsored by United Technologies Corporation. Registration opens Monday, June 16, 12:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time (0401 UTC), for the Level III Emergency Communications on-line course (EC-003). Registration remains open through the June 21-22 weekend or until all available seats have been filled--whichever comes first. Class begins Tuesday, July 1. Thanks to a grant from United Technologies Corp, the $45 registration fee paid upon enrollment will be reimbursed after successful completion of the Level III course. During this registration period, approximately 50 seats are being offered to ARRL members on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, contact Emergency Communications Course Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG, dmiller@arrl.org; 860-594-0340. * ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration: Registration for the new ARRL VHF/UHF--Life Beyond the Repeater (EC-008) <http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html#ec008> and the High Frequency Digital Communications (EC-005) <http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html#ec005> courses opens Monday, June 16, 12:01 AM EDT (0401 UTC). Registration remains open through Sunday, June 22. Classes begin Tuesday afternoon, June 24. Registration for the ARRL Antenna Modeling (EC-004) <http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html#ec004> course remains open through Sunday, June 15. Those interested in taking an ARRL Certification and Continuing Education (C-CE) course in the future can sign up to be advised via e-mail in advance of registration opportunities. To take advantage, send an e-mail to prereg@arrl.org. On the subject line, indicate the course name or number (eg, EC-00#) and the month you want to start the course. In the message body, provide your name, call sign, and e-mail address. Please do not send inquiries to this mailbox. To learn more, visit the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Web page <http://www.arrl.org/cce> and the C-CE links found there. For more information, contact Certification and Continuing Education Program Coordinator Howard Robins, W1HSR, hrobins@arrl.org. [C-CE logo] * AO-40 expected to be visible to North America by Field Day: The AO-40 satellite is expected to return to a favorable alignment (ALON/ALAT = 0/0) on or about June 20, ground controller Stacey Mills, W4SM, reports. A typical passband schedule for ALON/ALAT = 0/0 is MA 40 to 210, which Mills said should hold for the start of Field Day, June 28, when AO-40 will be visible to all of North America, assuming it makes it back to 0/0 by June 20. "We should at least be close to that value by then," Mills said, "although the perigee eclipses are making it slow going to advance ALON." Mills said another cycle of attitude changes will have to start in the fall.--Stacey Mills, W4SM, via AMSAT News Service * Problems reported with Fuji-OSCAR 20, 29 satellites: AMSAT reports apparent troubles with the two remaining linear transponder satellites outside of AO-40. Fuji-OSCAR 20 (FO-20)--uplink 145.90 to 146.00 MHz (CW/LSB); downlink 435.80 to 435.90 MHz (CW/USB); beacon 435.795 MHz--has been reported silent by numerous operators. Launched February 7, 1990, FO-20 is in mode JA continuously. FO-20 control station operators are said to believe that the under-voltage controller now is regulating the transponder. The controller monitors battery voltage and tries to protect the batteries from overdischarge. Meanwhile, AMSAT reports that the Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) FO-29 command station is carefully considering options to turn on the satellite's transmitter because it is not clear why FO-29 recently went silent. When the satellite has been on, reports have indicated it has a distorted signal. The command team seeks reception reports, so if you hear FO-29, report the time (UTC), location, signal strength to Masa, JN1GKZ, <jn1gkz@qsl.net> or to the AMSAT-BB. FO-29 was launched August 17, 1996. Mode JA uplink 145.90 to 146.00 MHz (CW/LSB); downlink 435.80 to 435.90 MHz (CW/USB); beacon 435.795 MHz. Digital Mode JD uplink 145.850, 145.870 and 145.910 MHz (FM); downlink 435.910 MHz (1200-baud BPSK or 9600-baud FSK). FO-29 also has a digitalker at 435.910 MHz.--AMSAT News Service * Declining QSL volume reflects decaying conditions: ARRL Outgoing QSL Service <http://www.arrl.org/qsl/qslout.html> Manager Martin Cook, N1FOC, can't be certain, but he's ready to blame the downswing in the solar cycle for a marked decline in the number of QSL cards his bureau has handled so far this year. "I hope it's not going to be a trend of this cycle," said Cook, whose operation last year mailed out 1,963,165 cards from ARRL members to DX stations--an approximately 1.6 percent jump over 2001. So far this year, the trend is going the other way, with just 681,400 cards shipped compared with 951,000 by the same time one year ago. "This is a significant decrease in cards coming in from members for processing," said Cook, who manages the Outgoing QSL Service with assistance from Heather Dzamba. * Hudson, Atlantic Directors pulling out all stops on New York antenna bill: ARRL Hudson Division Director Frank Fallon, N2FF, and Atlantic Division Director Bernie Fuller, N3EFN, are calling on New York ARRL members to help get the state's Amateur Radio antenna bills enacted this legislative session. "The final session of the New York State Assembly for the year 2003 will be Thursday, June 19," Fallon and Fuller said in a joint statement. "We have only days left to get our antenna bills passed. We need to pull out all the stops and press for passage of our bill now." In the Senate, Fallon and Fuller say, the bill, S63, needs to be "put on the active list" on the Senate calendar and brought out for a vote. They're calling on New York hams to ask three senators to put the bill on the active list: Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno <bruno@senate.state.ny.us>, 909 Legislative Office Bldg, Albany, NY 12247; 518-445-3191, fax 518-455-2448; Sen Dale Volker, 427 Capitol Bldg, Albany, NY 12247 518-455-3471, fax 518-455-6949; and Sen Hugh Farley, 412 Legislative Office Bldg, Albany, NY 12247, 518-455-2181, fax 518-455-2271. The Assembly bill, A2662, has cleared the Local Governments and Ways and Means committees and now needs to be reported out of the Rules Committee headed by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, <speaker@assembly.state.ny.us> Legislative Office Bldg 932, Albany, NY 12247, 518-455-3791, fax 518-455-5467. The New York bills go beyond simply incorporating PRB-1 into state law. They would prohibit municipalities from passing laws or ordinances to "restrict antenna support structure height to less than 95 feet above ground level or restrict the number of antenna support structures." For more information and sample letters for lawmakers, visit the Hudson Division Web site <http://www.hudson.arrl.org>. * K1D to be on the air for Kid's Day: Special event station K1D will be on the air June 21 for ARRL Kid's Day <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/kd-rules.html>. Peter Schipelliti, W1DAD, and his wife Jeanne, K1MOM, will be on the air as K1D prior to Kid's Day to promote the event. Their youngsters Geena, 8, and Luciano, 6, will be on the air on Kid's Day. "Any noises in the background will be Francesca Rose--22 months," Peter Schipelliti said. * Nevada club donates to The Big Project: In recognition of the ARRL and President Haynie's commitment to bring Amateur Radio to the youth of America, the Nellis Radio Amateur Club (NRAC) of Nevada voted to begin financial support of the ARRL Education and Technology Program-- "The Big Project." The club recently announced an initial donation of $150. President John Bigley, N7UR, said NRAC graduates a new class of Technician operators each year. The club also offers an annual General-class course. Nets also conduct twice-weekly interactive code practice sessions on the club's KC7TMC 147.06 and 449.875 repeaters, Bigley said. NRAC is affiliated with Nellis Air Force Base. For more information, visit the NRAC Web site <http://nellisrac.org/>. =========================================================== The ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the American Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur Radio--225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259; <http://www.arrl.org>. Jim Haynie, W5JBP, President. The ARRL Letter offers a weekly e-mail digest of essential news of interest to active amateurs. The ARRL Letter strives to be timely, accurate, concise, and readable. Visit ARRLWeb <http://www.arrl.org> for the latest news, updated as it happens. 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