QRZ! Ham Radio 3/QRZ Ham Radio Callsign Database - Volume 3.iso/digests/infoham/940146.txt

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Date: Sun, 13 Feb 94 08:02:03 PST
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Subject: Info-Hams Digest V94 #146
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Info-Hams Digest            Sun, 13 Feb 94       Volume 94 : Issue  146

Today's Topics:
                Amateur Radio Newsline #860  4 Feb 94
                 Antenna Erection Aids - Thor's socks
                         Golf Causes Cancer!
                      Looking for LOGIKEY keyer
                         Need SW + AM?FM unit
                         Operating in Canada?
                          Vertical Antennas

Send Replies or notes for publication to: <[e-mail]>
Send subscription requests to: <[e-mail]>
Problems you can't solve otherwise to [e-mail].

Archives of past issues of the Info-Hams Digest are available
(by FTP only) from UCSD.Edu in directory "mailarchives/info-hams".

We trust that readers are intelligent enough to realize that all text
herein consists of personal comments and does not represent the official
policies or positions of any party.  Your mileage may vary.  So there.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Thu, 10 Feb 1994 03:33:14 MST
From: mvb.saic.com!unogate!news.service.uci.edu!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!wupost!gumby!destroyer!nntp.cs.ubc.ca!alberta!ve6mgs![e-mail]
Subject: Amateur Radio Newsline #860  4 Feb 94
To: [e-mail]

The electronic publication of the Amateur Radio Newsline is distributed
with the permission of Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, President and Editor of
Newsline.  The text is transcribed from the audio service by Dale Cary and
is first published on Genie.

Editorial comment or news items should be E-mailed to [e-mail]
or [e-mail]. Voice or FAX to [phone].

Notes: 1- The regular transcribed version was not available this week, so
           I'm doing it myself.  Pardon the typos.
        2- Because of earthquake related mail delays, this weeks audio
           report, (860), that this version is made from, was to be
           aired the previous week.  For that reason, one of the stories
           which was outdated, is not included here.

       *************************************************************
        From around the world, this is NEWSLINE.  Amateur Radio's
              independent, on the air, bulletin service.
       *************************************************************
Edition #860, Reporter: Roy Neil, K6DUE

                        Closed Circuit Advisory

        A reminder.  The address for the NEWSLINE Support Fund is;
        Newsline, C/O Dr. Norm Chalfin, K6PGX, Post Office Box 463,
        Pasadena, CA 91102.  Remember, we need your support to keep
        NEWSLINE, online.

 *****
                               Headline

        The following is a QST
        Ham Radio ticket, and a court says a Ham does have a right to
        a tower, and antenna.

 *****
                      ARRL Suggests Lifetime Ham License

        The ARRL has petitioned the FCC to make Amateur Radio operator
        licenses valid for life.  In its petition, the League says
        that there in nothing in the Communications Act of 1934, that
        would prevent such a license term for radio amateurs.  It
        wants a lifetime operators license to allow inactive amateurs
        to return to the service at the same class of license without
        the necessity of retesting. This proposal would apply only to
        operator licenses. Amateur radio station licenses would, by
        law, still be limited to a 10 year term.  A person with a
        lifetime operator license, but no station license, would not
        be permitted to operate a station of his own, but would be
        able to operate from the station of another amateur.

        The League says that nothing in this proposal should have any
        effect on the FCC's call sign issuance program as it currently
        exist, or as proposed in the vanity callsign program.  The
        ARRL says at this time it is not proposing to make this rule
        change retroactive, rather, it suggests the easiest way to
        implement it, is simply to extend currently held operator
        licenses from 10 years to life.  No rule making number has yet
        been assigned to this ARRL regulatory change request.

 *****

                ARRL Asks For Vanity Comment-Date Extension

        Word from Newington, CT., that the ARRL is asking the FCC for
        an extension to the Comment Cutoff deadline, on the
        Commission's proposal to establish a Vanity callsign system.
        The FCC's notice of proposed rule making, known as Personal
        Radio, Docket: 93-305, was released December 29, 1993, it has
        a comment deadline of March 7, 1994.  The League said that it
        immediately decide to publish the text of the rule making
        proposal, in it's entirety, in the Feb. 1994, issue of it's
        QST

        ARRL says it also is asking its members to make their views on
        the matter, made known to their elected representatives, but
        in its request for an extension of the filing deadline, until
        April 21st, the ARRL says that because the matter of issuing
        preferred call signs involves a scarce resource, the question
        of maintaining fairness in all aspects of the program must be
        addressed. The League also says that the March 7th comment
        deadline, simply does not allow enough time for ARRL members
        to express their views on the proposal. Nor will it let the
        ARRL board formulate a position, based on membership input, as
        to what position it should take.  It's now up to the FCC to
        decide on this ARRL time extension request, we'll let you know
        when the Commission decides. (Reported by David Black, KB4KCH)

 *****
                    Court Finds In Favor Of Ham Antenna

        A federal appeals court has found in favor of a Minnesota ham
        in the latest round of a 3 year battle to install a tower and
        antenna.  Back in January of 1991, Sylvia Pentel, N0MRW,
        applied to the city of Medota Heights for a zoning variance
        for a 68 ft. crank-up tower.  At the time she was using a roof
        mounted vertical, which, she was unaware, violated the city's
        zoning rules.  The city denied her application for a tower,
        but did grant Pentel a special use permit to allow here to
        keep the vertical, but that did not satisfy N0MRW.

        Pentel sued the city in U.S. district court.  Her attorney,
        John B. Bellows Jr., K0QBE, argued that the ordinance
        restricting her tower and antenna was preempted by federal
        law.  A law known as PRB-1, which requires a reasonable
        accommodation of radio amateurs.  The U.S. Court of Appeals for
        The 8th Circuit, has ruled that in establishing PRB-1, the FCC
        was attempting to strike a balance between the interests of
        municipalities and ham radio operators.  The court noted that
        granting a special use permit for Pentel's vertical was not an
        acceptable accommodation to the radio amateur under the terms
        of PRB-1 and ordered the city to try again.  The court did put
        some limit on it's decision.  It said the finding does not
        mean the city must necessarily grant Pentel's application for
        a tower.  Rather it stated the Mendota Heights, MN, must make
        a reasonable accommodation to insure her interests as a radio
        amateur are protected.

 *****
              Ham Convicted of Harassing McDonalds Customers

        A United States district court in Texas has written an end to
        the story of Terry VanSikle, WB5WXI, by sentencing him to 90
        days of home confinement, 3 years probation, fining him $1000,
        and ordering that he undergo a group counseling program as
        directed by the probation office.  VanSikle is a TV news
        cameraman at station WFAA who had been accused by the FBI of
        harassing customers at a McDonalds restaurant drive-through
        window in the Dallas area.  He initially protested his
        innocence last summer.  One newspaper even ran a 2 column
        feature about VanSikle, quoting him as saying that the
        frequencies used by McDonalds are posted on computer bulletin
        boards, and anyone could have been responsible.

        But on the 18th of October, Terry VanSikle changed his story.
        He pleaded guilty to one count of violating Title 47, section
        333 of the U.S. code by willfully and maliciously interfering
        with radio communications.  Sentencing was set for early
        January, and that time he faced a maximum term of 1 year in
        prison and $100,000. fine.  The lighter sentence of 90 days
        home confinement and probation falls under federal sentencing
        guide lines.  It's mitigated by the fact that VanSikle has
        already has lost some $15,000. worth of scanners, two way
        radios, and other gear confiscated when he was detained.

        Still, VanSikle's troubles may not be over.  There's a
        likelihood of FCC administrative action to strip him of any
        federally issued radio licenses.  And also there's the
        possibility of civil action against him by the McDonalds
        Corporation to recoup any losses incurred as a result of his
        jamming their radio system.

*****
                    ARRL Reacts To NJ RF Fee Proposal

        Officials of the American Radio Relay League have told the New
        Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Energy that
        a State proposal to register and impose fees on radio
        transmitters, and other sources of RF, was contrary to federal
        law; at least as the law is related to radio amateurs.  The
        New Jersey proposal exempted amateur radio stations at this
        time, but leaves the door open for future regulation of hams
        and imposition of fees.  But ARRL general counsel, Chris
        Imlay, N3AKD, says that only the FCC has the power to license
        and regulate radio transmitters.  Imlay says that applying the
        proposed regulations to amateurs would effectively preclude
        amateur radio communications in New Jersey.  The NJ Dept. of
        Environmental Protection And Energy has extended the deadline
        for comments on the proposal until February 22nd.  Hams in NJ,
        and the surrounding States, are being encouraged to write the
        NJ Legislature in opposition to the radio tax proposal.

 *****
                                DXpediton

        In DX, word that the LAMBDA Amateur Radio Club, LARC, will
        sponsor it's 3rd expedition from March 5th to the 10th.  LARC
        members are planning to operate on HF and OSCAR 13, mode "B"
        and mode "S" from the Caribbean Island of Anguila in the
        British West Indies.  The operators making the trip will be
        Jim Kelly - KK3K, Don Bledsoe - WB6LYI, Mark Wilcox - KC3XC,
        Tom Hendrix - KI4ZN, Howard Wyman - W9BVD, Norm Gray - KF7IK,
        James Keis - AF9A, and Wayne Shuller - AI9Q.  A QSL for all
        operators is direct to their current call book addresses.
        This may well be the first OSCAR 13, mode "S" expedition for
        the record books.

 *****
                             Free QRP Info

        Two QRP nets, located in the Pacific Northwest, are now
        available to help you meet other low power enthusiasts
        throughout the country.  The Northwest QRP Club meets every
        Monday evening at 0300 UTC on 10.123 Mhz.  The Northwest QRP
        Club Saturday Morning Net can be found at 0730 UTC on 3.561
        Mhz. If you're interested in receiving a free copy of their
        NWQ newsletter, please send an SASE to Bill Todd, 4153 49th
        Ave. S.W., Seattle, WA 98116.

 *****
                            Exam Dates Set

        Two ARRL national exam days have been set for 1994, May 14th
        and October 29th.  Details will be in the February Issue of
        QST

 *****
                             Marathon Ham

        A ham who ran in the New York City Marathon last November, to
        raise money for Cancer research, will be doing it again soon
        on the West Coast.  Fred Dube, AA8FQ, has announced that he
        will run in the March 6th Los Angeles Marathon and will be on
        the air before and during the race.  With backing from ICOM
        America, Dube says that he will hold as many QSO's as he can
        while running the course.  He says he plans to use repeaters
        on 145.200Mhz, 146.925Mhz, 445.325Mhz, and 447.235Mhz.  Fred
        also will try his luck on the national SIMPLEX calling
        frequency, 146.52.  His frequency coordination is being
        handled by the Baldwin Hills ARC.  If band conditions warrant,
        he also plans to try some 20 meter remote base operations.
        Look for him on 14.295Mhz.

        AA8FQ's participation in the New York City Marathon raised
        about $2500. that was donated to the Sloan-Kettering Memorial
        Cancer Center.  This time the proceeds of sponsored miles will
        benefit the Los Angeles Childrens' Cancer Research Fund.  That
        organization is considered one of leading pediatric cancer
        research organization in the country.  Ham's interested in
        sponsoring miles to be run by Fred can contact him at (216)
        721-2466.  Meanwhile we at NEWSLINE wish Fred Dube, AA8FQ good
        luck in his next run to save lives.

 *****

        For this week, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline.
        You can write to us at Post Office Box 463, Pasadena, CA 91102.

 * * * Newsline Copyright 1994 all rights are reserved. * * *
 ------------

 < ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
 <                         "Big Steve" Coletti                         >
 <         Shortwave Listener, Broadcaster, Computer Consultant        >
 <                      and all around nice guy                        >
 < Internet: [e-mail] ==== [e-mail] >
 <   UUCP: [e-mail] ==== [e-mail]   >
 <    Fidonet: 1:278/712  US Mail: P.O. Box 396, New York, NY 10002    >
 <                        Voice: [phone]                       >
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 10 Feb 1994 21:21:25 GMT
From: netcon!bongo![e-mail]
Subject: Antenna Erection Aids - Thor's socks
To: [e-mail]

In article <2jdef0$[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Greg Chartrand) writes:
>The sock wins my vote for most creative, low cost, easy to transport
>solution. Now I have a reason to save my old sox!

 Of course the appliance operators will buy ready knitted
socks. The real hams will knit their own - no doubt from recycled
sweaters.

 Many hams prefer the Wigwam brand of socks. Some users report
good results with military surplus socks, but they often require
modification before use.


--
Julian Macassey, N6ARE  [e-mail] Voice: [phone]
Paper Mail: Apt 225, 975 Hancock Ave, West Hollywood, California 90069-4074

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 9 Feb 1994 20:20:00 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!sdd.hp.com!col.hp.com!srgenprp![e-mail]
Subject: Golf Causes Cancer!
To: [e-mail]

Steve Coletti ([e-mail]) wrote:
: In article <[e-mail]>, Alan Bloom wrote:
: > to investigate the death rates of golf course managers.  The study
: > found that golf course managers have death rates from several kinds
: > of cancer that are significantly higher than the national norm.  The
: >
: > Sounds exactly like the famous Milham study of amateur radio operators
: > which implied that exposure to RF radiation causes cancer.  I wonder
: > what the cause is for the golf course managers:  too much fresh air?

: I'd venture a guess that the death rate is probably due to the exposure
: to chemicals and insecticides used in grounds keeping.

I suppose, although I doubt they use much insecticide on golf courses.
(They're mostly grass, aren't they?)

I'm beginning to wonder if there is anything that DOESN'T cause
cancer.  A local best-selling Doctor claims that milk causes leukemia.
If I remember his reasoning, it goes like this:  A high percentage
of milk cows have bovine leukemia.  Bovine leukemia is caused by a virus.
Human leukemia can be caused by the same virus.  While Pasteurization
kills the viral organisms by breaking them into particles, those
particles are still capable of causing leukemia in humans.

Sounds like an awfully dubious string of assertions to me, but lots
of people buy the good Doctor's book.  When it comes to cancer,
reason takes a back seat to fear.

AL N1AL

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 10 Feb 1994 19:19:15 GMT
From: netcon!bongo!netcomsv!netcom.com![e-mail]
Subject: Looking for LOGIKEY keyer
To: [e-mail]

Hannes Hogni Vilhjalmsson ([e-mail]) wrote:
: Can anyone tell me the present address of the Logikey Company,
: or any other outlet for their LOGIKEY microprocessor based morse
: keyer?

If I'm not mistaken, the LogiKey is the commercial version of the CMOS
Super Keyer II which was first described in the November 1990 issue of QST.
That keyer is available in Kit Form (i.e. parts, pcb, but no switches,
boxes, or batteries) from:

   Idiom Press
   Box 583
   Deerfield, IL 60015

When I bought mine (it is a WONDERFUL  keyer), I paid $45 + $3 for domestic
USA shipping.  Foreign orders were $45 + $5.

Sorry, that's all the info I have.
73 de Sandy WA6BXH/7J1ABV   [e-mail]   WA6BXH@N0ARY


------------------------------

Date: Sat, 12 Feb 1994 06:30:30 GMT
From: mentor.cc.purdue.edu!mace.cc.purdue.edu![e-mail]
Subject: Need SW + AM?FM unit
To: [e-mail]

[Please excuse me if I posted this to an inappropriate news group.]

I am looking for a good receiver to integrate into my system. I want
a receiver that will have a good bandwidth SW  PLUS  AM & FM in one unit.
Unlike in Asia (and probably Europe), such units are hard to find here
in the USA. I have inquired at a number of stores and they don't carry them.

Any information regarding where I can find such units, approx. pricing,
alternatives (I am an absolute amateur putting together my sound system
for purely personal pleasure), obstacles to importing (if that's an option)
will help me greatly.

PL. E-MAIL ME. Many thanks in advance,

Gowri Narla
[e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 8 Feb 1994 18:36:08 GMT
From: mvb.saic.com!unogate!news.service.uci.edu!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!torn!news2.uunet.ca!xenitec!mks.com![e-mail]
Subject: Operating in Canada?
To: [e-mail]

David Tucker and Luis Nadeau disagreed as to whether a US ham licensee
is required to follow US (FCC) rules while operating in Canada under
Canadian reciprocal permissions.

Peter Hardie wrote:

 The regs clearly state that a U.S. amateur who is a U.S.
 citizen AND resident and who is qualified to send and
 receive Morse code at a speed of at least 12 wpm has all
 the privileges of the Basic, 12wpm, and Advanced quali-
 fications.  Which means they can operate all modes on
 all bands, just like I can.

Those are the Canadian regulations.  But what about the US regulations?
Do the US regulations permit a US amateur, operating under his US call
outside the US, to operate in any mode or band permitted by the country
he is operating in, even if such operation would be illegal in the US?
Or, is there some specific provision in the FCC regulations that permits
such extra privileges specifically for US hams in Canada?

To take a simple example, Canadian rules require station ID's every 30
minutes, and the ID can be in either English or French.  US rules demand
a station ID every 10 minutes, and it must be in English.  If a US ham
in Canada were to ID himself every half hour, and only in French, this
is perfectly OK as far as Canada is concerned, but is it OK as far as
the FCC rules go?

Even without bringing up issues of extraterritorial jurisdiction, the
FCC could presumably sanction an American amateur operating abroad in
violation of US rules -- e.g., by revoking his US ham license.  So this
question is hardly moot.

--
Rich Wales (VE3HKZ, WA6SGA/VE3)    //          Mortice Kern Systems Inc.
[e-mail]                     //                35 King Street North
[phone]                //    Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2J 2W9

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 10 Feb 1994 23:03:16 GMT
From: mvb.saic.com!unogate!news.service.uci.edu!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!emory!kd4nc!ke4zv![e-mail]
Subject: Vertical Antennas
To: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Alan Bloom) writes:
>Gary Coffman ([e-mail]) wrote:
>: In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Alan Bloom) writes:
>: >Gary Coffman ([e-mail]) wrote:
>: >: In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Alan Bloom) writes:
>: >: >Consider a vertical dipole in free space.  You could insert a horizontal
>: >: >infinite ground plane at the feedpoint without changing the radiation
>: >: >pattern.  Now you have two verticals, one pointing up, one pointing down.
>: >: >Each vertical radiates half the power of the original dipole.
>: >
>: >: True because each has half the current that flows in the entire dipole.
>: >
>: >No, the current is the same, but the power is halved.  There are (at least)
>: >two ways to see this:  1)  Only 1/2 the voltage is applied to each 1/4-wave
>: >element.  Since power = voltage times current, the power is 1/2.
>: >2)  The element is only 1/2 as long.  So the same current results in
>: >only 1/2 as much power radiated.
>
>: Dipole split by infinite ground plane.
>
>:                     |
>:                     |
>: -------/\/\/\/\---o | o---/\/\/\/\-------
>:                  E1 | E2
>:                     |
>:                     |
>         ^^^ 36.5 ohms       ^^^ 36.5 ohms
>         ------------ 73 ohms ------------
>
>: If we apply drive to E1-E2, equal currents are driven into each element's
>: impedance. So the halves of the dipole have equal currents flowing in them,
>: but 180 degrees out of phase. With the infinite ground plane isolating the
>: halves, one half has half the total current flow.
>
>Let's call the voltage applied between E1 and E2 "V".  Since there are
>equal and opposite voltages on the two terminals, the voltage applied
>to each is V/2.
>
>If, for example, V = 73 volts, the current in the dipole is 1 A (since
>the radiation resistance is 73 ohms.)  With the ground plane, the
>impedance of each 1/4-wave element is 73/2 = 36.5 ohms.  Since you have
>half the voltage (37.5 V) applied to each half, the current is still 1A
>in each 1/4-wave element.

Yes, yes, I understand that, but look at what you're saying, "the
current is *still* 1A in *each* 1/4-wave element." Since the dipole
has *two* elements, 1+1=2, it's instant flow is twice the current
of a single element. (I understand what phase does to *net* current
at the *feedpoint*, but that's really a different issue. When the
barrier of the infinite ground plane comes into play, it *isolates*
the two branches so we can treat them separately. Hence we can see
the individual 1 ampere flows at the feedpoints of the two halves
without phase combinations.)

Let's examine *why* an antenna radiates for a moment to see what
I'm getting at here. Radiation occurs when an electric charge is
accelerated. The relevant factors are the amount of electric charge,
RF current, the accelerating potential, RF voltage differential over
the charge path, and frequency, the rate of change of voltage along
a current path. These three are all intimately related, but in most
antennas, the instanteous current is a key to predicting radiation
field shape, and hence gain. The 1/4-wave monopole in the example
has half the instant current of the dipole, and half the total
end to end electrical potential. So crudely it would seem to have
1/4th the field strength, but it's length is 1/2 as great (frequency
effect) so the accelerating gradient is the same. That leaves the
*signs* of the current flows that make the field of a free space dipole.
These vector sum to the same field strength as the monopole over an
infinite ground plane. The dipole's currents generate fields which
vector sum in a way that makes 1+1 appear to equal 1. The ground plane
should be seen as a *shield* to prevent this summing, not as a mirror.

>The resulting field is the same for the ground-plane case as for the
>dipole in free space.  It is as if the other half of the dipole were
>still present.  That's where the concept of the "image" antenna
>extending below the ground plane comes from.

Uh huh, but an "image" antenna extending below the ground plane
is not reality. It's a visualization trick that's sometimes useful,
but the currents that actually flow are induced currents flowing
along the surface of the conducting plane. They are *not* the same
as the currents that would flow in an "image" antenna. They are the
currents a *field* generated by the image antenna would induce in
a perfect conductive sheet. This is important to understanding the
effects of *real* ground planes which are neither perfectly conducting,
nor infinite in extent. And is the reason *real* 1/4-wave monopoles
over *real* ground planes have less gain than vertical dipoles, or
1/2-wave vertical monopoles.

Gary


--
Gary Coffman KE4ZV          |    You make it,     | gatech!wa4mei!ke4zv!gary
Destructive Testing Systems |    we break it.     | uunet!rsiatl!ke4zv!gary
534 Shannon Way             |    Guaranteed!      | emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary
Lawrenceville, GA 30244     |                     |

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 8 Feb 1994 18:14:28 GMT
From: mvb.saic.com!unogate!news.service.uci.edu!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!torn!news2.uunet.ca!xenitec!mks.com![e-mail]
To: [e-mail]

References <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>uunet
Reply-To : [e-mail] (Rich Wales)
Subject : Re: Operating in Canada?

David Tucker wrote:

 I have also been told by Rich, who went through the process,
 that you can get credit for code and theory and will only
 have to pass the rules exam.

to which [e-mail] replied:

 . . . there is no such thing as a Rule exam. There is a Basic
 exam and an Advanced exam. The Basic has 100 questions, with
 multiple choices, and covers rules, basic theory, propagation,
 interference, etc. You need 60% to pass.

Yes and no.  (I was the "Rich" referred to in David's article, BTW.)

When I applied for my Canadian amateur license last spring, I was
required to pass a 26-question subset of the Canadian "Basic" exam,
consisting only of questions on rules, regulations, and operating
procedures.

I was =not= required to do the entire 100-question Basic exam, because
I had a US Advanced-class license.  I received credit for the Canadian
"Basic", "Advanced", and "12 WPM" qualifications on the basis of my US
license.

--
Rich Wales (VE3HKZ, WA6SGA/VE3)    //          Mortice Kern Systems Inc.
[e-mail]                     //                35 King Street North
[phone]                //    Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2J 2W9

------------------------------

End of Info-Hams Digest V94 #146
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