NEWSReport No.  CI 95-2      COMPLIANCE AND INFORMATION ACTIONS   April 6, 1995

                    HIGH  PROFILE  FIELD  ACTIVITIES

INTERFERENCE TO SENATE HEARING:
During the Senate Communications Deregulation Hearing of March 21, 1995, in Washington,
D.C., participants heard a loud, disruptive blast of interference on the public address system. 
The meeting proceeded but the Senate requested the FCC  to assist in resolving the problem. 
Engineers from the Baltimore and Laurel Offices visited the area and conducted tests with Senate
personnel and verified that the problem could be duplicated using nearby CB radio transceivers. 
They also found that a CB transmitter operated by a taxi outside the Senate building could be
heard through the audio system.  To solve the problem, the engineers installed several filtering
devices at the microphone inputs to the main audio mixer.
 
FALSE ALERT FROM AIRCRAFT BEACON:
The Vero Beach, FL, monitoring station received a request from the Air Force Rescue
Coordination Center to help locate what appeared to be a crashed airplane in the Stuart, FL, 
area.  The Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT) system had picked up the
distress signal via its polar orbiting satellites.  Although the satellites crossing over the Stuart, 
area  determined the general location of the distress beacon,  the Civil Air Patrol and local
airport personnel were unable to receive the signal.  FCC investigators drove their direction-
finding vehicle up and down rows of parked aircraft, and finally discovered the signal coming
from one of the parked airplanes.  The owner shut down the plane's emergency locator
transmitter (ELT) and the signal disappeared from the SARSAT system.  

UNCLAIMED MAIL TRIGGERS INSPECTION:
The Atlanta, GA, Office received several complaints of interference to home electronic
entertainment equipment in the Gaston, SC, area.  The FCC staff sent a warning letter to the
CB radio operator who the neighbors had  identified as causing interference.  The staff hoped
to pressure the CBer to stop using illegal overpowered equipment if indeed he had some. 
Because the FCC's warning letter was returned unclaimed, FCC agents from the CIB Powder
Springs Office made an inspection and uncovered illegal high powered equipment.  The CBer
surrendered  the equipment to the FCC staff.






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UNLICENSED TRAVELERS INFORMATION SERVICE STATION:
An ex-employee of the FCC Denver Office was on vacation at Lake Tahoe, NV,  and noticed
signs along the road to the North Star Ski Resort that requested travelers to tune to 101.5 MHz
for information about the resort lodging and restaurant facilities.  Because traveler's information
service stations are licensed for 530 and 1610 kHz, the Lake Tahoe station, the ex-employee
concluded that the station was clearly unlicensed and notified the FCC.  CIB staff from the San
Francisco Office  proceeded to inspect the alleged unlicensed facility.  The staff will conduct a
follow-up check of the station to ensure that it has ceased operation.