SETI League Press Release
LITTLE FERRY, NJ.., February, 2001 -- The SETI League, Inc., a grass-roots international alliance of amateur and professional radio astronomers seeking scientific evidence of other technological civilizations in space, has been granted a unique ham radio club callsign by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Special events transmissions and SETI League on-the-air activities, including a planned calibration beacon which will soon bounce microwave signals off the surface of the moon, will henceforth be identified by the callsign W2ETI.
"This is a valued callsign," states SETI League executive director Dr. H. Paul Shuch, "because it uniquely identifies The SETI League and its global mission. The first letter, W, is an international designation for radio transmissions originating in the United States. The number 2 designates a region which includes the state of New Jersey, where The SETI League's international headquarters is located. And the suffix ETI refers, of course, to Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence, which defines the signals which our members seek."
Shuch is himself a lifelong amateur radio operator, with the personal callsign N6TX. The SETI League counts, among its 1200 members in over 60 countries, several hundred radio amateurs. So-called ham radio operators are licensed by their respective governments for public service use of the radio spectrum, including the pursuit of scientific research. "However," Shuch hastens to point out, "a ham radio license is not a prerequisite to SETI League membership, and is not required when listening for signals from the stars."
SETI scientists seek to determine through microwave and optical measurements whether humankind is alone in the universe. Since Congress terminated NASA's SETI funding in 1993, The SETI League and other scientific groups have been attempting to privatize the research. Experimenters interested in participating in the search for intelligent alien life, or citizens wishing to help support it, should email to join_at_setileague_dot_org, check the SETI League Web site at http://www.setileague.org/, send a fax to +1 (201) 641-1771, or contact The SETI League, Inc. membership hotline at +1 (800) TAU-SETI. Be sure to provide us with a postal address to which we will mail further information. The SETI League, Inc. is a membership-supported, non-profit [501(c)(3)], educational and scientific corporation dedicated to the electromagnetic Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence.
P.S. Tearsheets are always appreciated. Thank you.
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