Friday, October 26, 2012

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1837 - October 26 2012









Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1837 - October 26 2012

Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1837 with a release
date of October 26 2012 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a Q-S-T.  New Zealand hams will have to
wait a while longer to gain full access to 6 meters;
Germany's national ham radio society says no to a new pan-
European B-P-L standard; thethe Hurricane Watch Net
activates for hurricane Sandy; G-R-E quits the scanner
business and a well known British soprano will be the next
space tourist to visit the International Space Station.
Find out who on Amateur Radio NewslineT report number 1837
coming your way right now.


(Billboard Cart Here)


**

RESTRUCTURING:  CLOSURE OF TV CHANNEL 1 AND ZL ACCESS TO 6
METERS UPDATE


Changes will be coming to the 6 meter band down-under, but
not as quickly as some hams in New Zealand had hoped for.
Amateur Radio Newsline's Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, reports:

--

Amateurs across New Zealand may have to wait a bit longer to
get full access to the 6 meter band.  As previously
reported, 50 to 51 MHz down-under is to be returned to
amateur radio once all Channel 1 television has ceased using
the spectrum and the current management right for this band
expires.

What may not be known by some hams is that the last New
Zealand channel 1 television transmitter is not due to close
down until November 2013.  After that, the management right
under which it operates does not expire until August 2015.

Because of this, the New Zealand national amateur radio
society,  NZART, is working with the nations Radio Spectrum
Management on arrangements for the period between when all
the Channel 1 transmitters are turned off and their
management right expires. In the meantime any New Zealand
amateur in an area where TV channel 1 is no longer operating
can apply for a permit to operate on the band.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF,
down-under in Nelson, New Zealand

--

As we go to air, not exact date when all New Zealand hams
will have 6 meter access is known.  (NZART)

**

RADIO LAW:  DARC TO OPPOSE NEWLY PROPOSED EUROPEAN PLT
STANDARD

Germany's national amateur radio society, the Deutscher
Amateur Radio Club, or DARC will be asking the Deutsche
Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information
Technologies to oppose a new pan-European draft Power Line
Transmission standard.  PLT is what Europe call Broadband
over Powerline or BPL.

During its October 22nd meeting, the DARC Board discussed
the pros and cons of the proposed draft standard.  While it
said that it recognizes the new draft provided for some non-
binding commitments for notching out of certain frequencies
in the amateur bands, it also noted that it fears the future
ambitions of the manufacturers of other PLC products in the
direction of higher limits for the emission of harmful
electromagnetic or EMC interference. This could lead to a
weakening of the previous limits in other European EMC
standards.

To be clear, this new standard concerns the devices that
people install in their homes to run data over their house
wiring.  It has nothing to do with PLC or BPL that is
carried over the over company power networks.  (Southgate,
DJ0QN)

**

RADIO LAW:  SARL TAKES UP ZONING REGULATIONS WITH THE CITY
OF CAPE TOWN

Its not just hams in the United States that are having
problems erecting towers and keeping them up.  And a case in
South Africa points graphically this out.  Amateur Radio
Newsline's Norm Seeley, KI7UP, is here with the details:

--

Recently South African Radio League President, Rassie
Erasmus, ZS1YT and Legal advisor. Johan Marais, ZS1JM, met
with a delegation of the Cape Town Metro Council.  This,  to
intervene in a notice received by a society member stating
that he requires approval in terms of the Environmental Act
& City of Cape Town Zoning regulations for his antenna which
is less than 15 meters in height.

It was quickly learned that the council had received a
complaint from a neighbor, which was most probably RF
related.  Rather than investigate the matter the Council
simply elected to notify the ham that his antenna has not
been approved and that it intend taking steps to either have
him remove the tower or to apply for the necessary permits.

But the South African Radio League delegation was right on
top of this one.  It pointed out that amateur radio antennas
fewer than 15 meters of are exempt under the provisions of
the National Environmental Management Act of 1998.

Based on this it was agreed that the process will be
suspended pending the Council consulting with its legal
advisors. The South African Radio League will then be
afforded further opportunities to discuss the issues once
feedback has been received from the Council's legal
department.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline. I'm Norm Seeley, KI7UP, in
Scottsdale, Arizona.

--

The South African Radio League will be keeping the qorld of
amateur radio up0dated on this one.  (SARL)

**

RESCUE RADIO:  HURRICANE WATCH NET ACTIVATED FOR HURRICANE
SANDY

The United States-based Hurricane Watch Net has been
activated for Hurricane Sandy.  Net operations began at
11:00 UTC on Wednesday, October 24th on 14.325 MHz to
observe and report conditions surrounding the storm to the
National Hurricane Center.

Sandy is expected to develop into what forecasters are
calling a volatile hurricane as tropical storm Sandy merges
with a powerful cold front charging towards the East Coast
late the weekend of October 27th and 28th.  As Sandy
progresses the Hurricane Watch Net will be looking for
condition reports from stations located in the affected
areas.  Hams in the places affected by this storm should be
prepared to operate from a place of safety.

Net organizers say that they appreciate the consideration of
all amateur operators in keeping the frequency of 14.325 MHz
clear, and listening for possible relays.  Operation on
lower frequencies such as 40 or 80 meters will be considered
depending on propagation during evening and night hours.

For information on the storm and the Hurricane Watch Net, go
to www.hwn.org on the World Wide Web.  (HWN)

**

RESCUE RADIO:  UK ESSEX COUNTY RAYNET CALLED OUT IN FLOOD
WATCH

Ham radio is called out in the UK as rising waters along
riverbanks put several towns on emergency alert.

The Radio Society of Great Britain reports that at 18:00 UTC
on Sunday, October 14th, the Emergency Planning Officer from
the Maldon District Council requested Essex RAYNET to be
placed on standby.  This in response to flood alerts issued
by the Environment Agency.

At 20.00 members were mobilized and deployed to the
riverbanks at Heybridge Basin, Fulbridge and the Hythe in
Maldon.  This was in preparation for the high tide and
possible tidal surge due at quarter to one in the morning.

Thankfully, the high tide hit without any significant
incident.  RAYNET volunteers were able to stand down shortly
afterward.  More information is on the Web at
www.essexraynet.co.uk.  (GB2RS)

**

HAM RADIO NEAR SPACE:  PICO HAM BALLOON MAKES TREK FROM UK
TO SWEDEN

PicoAtlas VII, a single foil balloon launched by James
Coxon, M6JCX, on Saturday, October 20th from Suffolk in the
UK has landed some 1050 kilometers or 650 miles to the East
in Sweden.

PicoAtlas VII carried a GPS receiver and a miniature
transmitter running only 10 milliwatts output sending RTTY
on 434.301 MHz USB.  The telemetry data from the balloon
transmitter could be decoded using the free software at dl-
fldigi. This program can decode many different amateur radio
digital modes and can be downloaded for Windows, Mac and
Ubuntu Linux at tinyurl.com/8zlo437.

An increasing number of radio amateurs are experimenting
with ultra light balloon payloads, typically weighing less
than 100 grams.  Balloons such as these do not go to high
altitudes.   Instead they float between 3,500 and 6,000
meters which roughly equates to 9000 to 20,000 feet for an
extended period of time.  During the 19 hour flight this
balloon successfully crossed the North Sea before landing in
central Sweden.  We will have more ham radio space related
news later on in this weeks report.  (Southgate)

**

HAM RADIO NEAR SPACE:  MAY LAUNCH AND OCTOBER RECOVERY OF
HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOON PAYLOAD

An amateur radio balloon project launched last May finally
ended this month with the recovery of the payload.

Members of AMSAT-LU, had launched a high altitude balloon on
19th May from La Pampa, Argentina.  The payload included a
70cm to 2m 4 watt FM repeater, live SSTV, an HF beacon and
two video cameras.  During the 4 hour flight, over 200
stations made contacts through the repeater.

Unfortunately, while the flight was deemed to be a complete
success the balloon came down in an isolated and flooded
area.  It was finally recovered from the mud on October 6th
by a 4 by 4 off-road adventure group.

The good news is that all flight data was retrieved.  This
included over 6 hours of video from the two cameras.
Details can be found at www.uk.amsat.org.  (GB2RS

**

BREAK 1

From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world
including the W1JLI Memorial repeater serving Walpole,
Massachusetts.

(5 sec pause here)


**

RADIO BUSINESS:  GRE QUITS THE SCANNER BUSINESS BUR ALINCO
NOT AFFECTED

GRE, the radio manufacturer which also represents Alinco
here in the United States, has ceased all manufacture of
scanner radios.  The good news is that Alinco product sales
and service will continue.  Amateur Radio Newsline's Mark
Abramowicz, NT3V, has the details:

--

The news was a bit of a shock to the GRE group in Belmont,
California - word from Japan earlier this month that the GRE
personnel in Asia and the United States were being dismissed
and scanner operations were being discontinued.

It was October 16th when the official word was released by
GRE-employed U.S. managers of the shutdown in Japan.

But there was a pledge to keep the California office open
because of its distribution affiliation with Alinco.

Michael Herbert, WB6JKV, a service technician and engineer
for GRE's Belmont office, officially confirmed for Amateur
Radio Newsline that things are still go for Alinco.

"GRE America will continue to market, service and support
Alinco's radio products without any interruption," Herbert
says. "So, for us amateurs, it will be business as usual."

And, Herbert continues: "No worries for warranty repairs. We
have a great parts supply. We have a direct line with the
factory and they are really eager to go forward with us and
proceed."

Herbert says he's not authorized to say much more.

However, he says GRE is waiting on Alinco's new SDR, 100
watt HF radio due for delivery by Christmas.  And, is
expecting to distribute the new 900 megahertz /220 megahertz
mobile radio about Dayton time next May.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mark Abramowicz, NT3V,
in Philadelphia.

--

The bottom line.  If you own or are planning to purchase an
Alinco brand piece of radio gear you have nothing to worry
about.  However at airtime the future of GRE manufactured
scanner radios is unknown.  (ARNewslineT)

**

RESCUE RADIO:  ISABELLA COUNTY MICHIGAN WANTS RADIO AMATEURS

An Emergency Management Director in Michigan, is seeking the
assistance of the local ham radio community.  This to be
ready to provide solid emergency communications assistance
in time of crisis.

Isabella County's Marc Griffis is actively recruiting
licensed ham radio operators to help out in a variety of
situations including training exercises.  According to
Griffis, there are more than fifty ham radio operators in
Isabella County and he wants those who are interested to
attend a Community Emergency Response Team training meeting.

Griffis says there is a potential in Isabella County for
emergency management to call upon those with expertise in
ham radio operation, and he wants them to be prepared for
any situation.  Examples of the types of assistance Griffis
is referring to include assisting in the coordination of
search and rescue perimeters.  Also, communications between
shelters and in other situations where other forms of
communication have failed.

Isabella County is a located in central Michigan. As of
the 2000 census, the population was 63,351. Its county
seat is Mt. Pleasant.  (Michigan Morning Sun)

**

ENFORCEMENT:  UNLICENSED IOWA BROADCASTER ISSUED $10000 NAL

It's rare that you hear of an unlicensed broadcaster in
Iowa, but it apparently has happened.  This with word that
the FCC has issued a $10,000 Notice of Apparent Liability
for Forfeiture to Thomas Costa for allegedly operating an
unlicensed radio transmitter on the frequency 87.9 MHz in
Iowa City.  Amateur Radio Newsline's Bruce Tennant, K6PZW,
reports:

--

This past September 17th agents from the Enforcement
Bureau's Kansas City Office used direction finding to locate
the source of radio frequency transmissions on the frequency
87.9 MHz to a transmitting antenna mounted on a chimney of a
residence in Iowa City.  The agents determined that the
signal exceeded the limits for operation under Part 15 of
the Commission's rules and therefore required a license.
The Commission's records showed that no authorization was
issued to anyone for operation of an FM broadcast station at
or near this address.

On September 18th agents from the Kansas City Office again
used direction finding and confirmed that the station was
still in operation.   The agents, this time accompanied by
the property owner, inspected the unlicensed station's
antenna and transmitter.  The latter was located in a locked
basement room.  It turned out that the station was automated
with a computer providing audio to a non-certified FM
transmitter.  The property owner stated that one Thomas
Costa rented the basement room housing the station.

Later that day, the agents interviewed Costa.  At that time
he admitted that he rented the basement room and installed
the radio station equipment but denied operating it.  Rather
he claimed that several unnamed individuals owned the
equipment and gave him rent money each month which he, in
turn, gave to the property owner.  Costa also asserted that
the alleged operators of the station did not provide him
with their names or contact information in order to protect
him and them from the FCC.  He also stated that he was told
by the unnamed operators that he could expect the Commission
to inspect the station at some point and order him to cease
operation.

Now in issuing the $10,000 N-A-L the FCC says that the
record evidence in this case is sufficient to establish that
Costa violated Section 301 of the Communications Act.  Also
that Costa can be said to have "operated" the unlicensed
radio station because the evidence shows that he exercised
control over the general conduct or management of it despite
his claim that other individuals, who he refused to
identify, were actually the operators.  In this regard,
Costa admitted that he rented and paid the monthly rental
for the locked room housing the unlicensed station, and that
he installed the station equipment.

Further, during the interview with the FCC agents, Costa
mentioned that he was warned about the unlawfulness of the
operation by unnamed individuals, who told him that he could
expect the Commission to inspect the station and order him
to cease operations at some point.  Assuming the statement
to be true, it appears that, in spite of the warning, Costa
nonetheless allowed the station to continue to operate in
the basement room.  The FCC says that these facts indicate
that Costa consciously operated and/or otherwise was
involved in the general conduct or management of the
unauthorized station.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, in
Los Angeles.

--

Costa was given the customary 30 days to pay the proposed
fine or to file an appeal.  (FCC)

**

RADIO LAW:  BBG ACCUSES SYRIA OF JAMMING SATELLITE SIGNALS
(Print version only)

The United States Broadcasting Board of Governors and
several other international broadcasters believe jamming of
their satellite signals last week came from Syria.

According to an announcement from the board, the
interference has disrupted satellite transmissions in Europe
and the Middle East.  Specifically, the jamming hit
satellites operated by Eutelsat, a European satellite
operator, and affecting TV and radio programs reaching
millions of households.

The board noted that the jamming started when Eutelsat
announced it would terminate transmission of 19 channels
belonging to Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.  Several
international broadcasters also criticized the jamming,
citing disruption of broadcasts from Russia through Europe,
Central Asia and the Middle East.  Here in the United
States, the Broadcasting Board of Governors said signals of
Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and the Middle East
Broadcasting Networks were affected.

According to the Broadcasting Board of Governors, an earlier
round of jamming this month was traced directly to Iran.
(RW)

**

RADIO ON THE WEB:  SOUTHGATE NEWS OPENS AMATEUR RADIO TODAY
DISCUSSION BOARD

Great Britain's Southgate Amateur Radio News has launched a
new amateur radio forum discussion board.  Called the Ham
Radio Today the forum contains lots of amateur radio news
stories, plus sections for special interest groups.  While
geared mainly toward Europe and IARU Region 1, the board
offers subjects of interest to hams world-wide including
specialty areas to discuss 5 MHz operation, ham radio
satellites EME operations and reports from several of the
worlds best known propagation experts.  Registration is free
and only takes a minute.  You'll find the new forum board
at www.hamradiotoday.com  (Southgate)

**

RADIO EDUCATION:  ARRL GRANT RETURNS HAM RADIO TO MISSOURI
SCHOOL

Thanks to a dedicated teacher and a grant from the American
Radio Relay League, ham radio is back at a suburban Saint
Louis, Missouri school.

STL Today reports that a new amateur radio club has been
created at St. Charles High School, in St. Charles County.
The club was started by science teacher Ellen Zerr,
KD0PES, after the ARRL recently awarded nearly $2,000 to the
school.  Zerr used the grant to buy radio gear and antennas
for the station.

The last time the school had an active amateur radio club
was way back in the 1960's.  You can read the full story
at tinyurl.com/new-missouri-club  (STL Today)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS:  ANOKA COUNTY ARC CELEBRATES THE HALLOWEEN
CAPITOL OF THE WORLD  (Print Version Only)

Turning to the social scene, since 1920 the City of Anoka,
Minnesota, has hosted some major Halloween festivities,
earning the reputation of "The Halloween Capitol of the
World".  To commemorate this years festivities the Anoka
County Radio Club will operate a special event station W0YFZ
from Anoka High School parking lot on Saturday, October 27th
from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time.  Visitors are welcome to
come observe the special event Haloween station.  More about
this operation is on the web at tinyurl.com/anoka-halloween-
event  (KB1UOG)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS:  14 YEAR OLD MAKES DIGITAL DXCC

The ARRL report that 14 year old radio amateur Tom Jose,
VU3TMO, has just achieved his Digital DXCC award.

First licensed when he was 13 years old in December of 2011,
VU3TMO is a 3rd generation ham operator in his family along
with his parents.  VU3TMO is a member of India's National
Institute of Amateur Radio and the Dayton Amateur Radio
Association.  He is reported to be one of the youngest hams
in his nation.  (ARRL, Southgate)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS:  ARRL MEDIA AND PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER
ALLEN PITTS, W1AGP, RETIRES

After more than eight years as the ARRL Media and Public
Relations Manager, Allen Pitts, W1AGP, has retired.

During his tenure, Pitts was responsible for developing
public relations campaigns that featured the many facets of
the Amateur Radio Service.  The first of these was the
simple but very effective Hello Radio campaign in 2006 that
highlighted the fun and friendships of ham radio.  That was
followed by Emergency Radio, which built on the ARRL and the
Amateur Radio Service's response during Hurricane Katrina.
Next was his We Do That - Radio in 2008 showcased the
technologies used in Amateur Radio.  Pitts rounded out his
career by spearheading the 2011 with the  Do It Yourself  or
DIY campaign aimed at recruiting members of the burgeoning
maker and hacker community to expand their horizons through
becoming amateur radio operators.

While W1AGP has retired from day to day work at ARRL
headquarters, he has not severed his ties with the national
society.  The ARRL is currently seeking a new Media and
Public Relations Manager.  In the interim, Pitts has agreed
to continue on a very limited part-time basis during the
selection process to find a successor.  He also hopes to be
able to work as a consultant on the League's Centennial
projects, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the ARRL.
(ARRL)

**

BREAK 2

This is ham radio news for today's radio amateur.  From the
United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline
with links to the world from our only official website at
www.arnewsline.org and being relayed by the volunteer
services of the following radio amateur:

(5 sec pause here)

**

WORLDBEAT:  OPERATOR NEEDED FOR 2013 AMERICAN SAMOA
DXPEDITION

Are you interested in going to American Samoa on a
DXpedition?  If yes, listen up.

Bill Worthman, N6MW, and Jim Colletto, N6TQ. will be active
stroke KH8 from a hotel in Tutuila between March 19th and
the 28th of next year.  Their location on the island will be
well south of the Pago Pago harbor area to avoid as much
mountain low angle cut off as possible.

According to their website, they have an opening for one
more operator to go along on this operation.  For more
details and updates, visit n6mw.jimdo.com on the World Wide
Web.  (OPDX)

**

WORLDBEAT:  DARC SEEKS NOMINATIONS FOR ANNUAL HORKHEIMER
PRIZE

Nominations are being invited by the German national amateur
radio society, the DARC, for the prestigious Horkheimer
Prize.  The prize consists of an etched glass trophy and a
monetary prize for non-personal use. The money is to be
spent for the promotion of amateur radio however the
recipient chooses. The prize can be awarded to one or more
persons or institutions.

Any member of an amateur radio society in the International
Amateur Radio Union is eligible, and self proposals are
permitted.  Nominations must be submitted to DARC by March
28, 2013, and the prize itself will be awarded at the
opening of next year's Ham Radio convention in
Friedrichshafen.  More information in the German language is
on-line at www.darc.de  (DARC, GB2RS)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  FUNCUBE-2 A STEP CLOSER TO LAUNCH

The highly publicized Funcube satellite has taken another
step toward becoming a reality.  This with work that AMSAT-
UK has delivered a set of completed Funcube 2 subsystem
boards to Clyde Space Ltd in Glasgow.  The handover took
place on October 19th.  The boards represent the Funcube-
2 subsystem that will become a part of the UKube-1
spacecraft.

Three circuit boards make up the spacecraft.  One is for
command, control and telemetry.  An RF Board that houses the
command receiver, telemetry transmitter and linear
transponder and a third board contains the 400 milliwatt VHF
amplifier and sensors.

Funcube-2 will provide a 435 to 145 MHz linear transponder
for amateur radio SSB and CW communications and telemetry
for school students around the world.  Its host, the UKube-1
spacecraft is expected to be launched on a Soyuz-2 launcher
from the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch facility in Kazakhstan
in March 2013.  (AMSAT-UK)

**

RADIO FROM SPACE:  NEW EXOPLANET DISCOVERED ONLY 24 TRILLION
MILES AWAY

Scientists using visual and radio telescope data have
discovered the closest planet outside our Solar System.  One
that is orbiting a sun-like star about 24 trillion miles
away from Earth.

According to astronomers at the European Southern
Observatory the so-called exoplanet has about the same mass
as Earth but it circles its star much closer than Earth does
the sun,   The exoplanet which is described as a planet
outside our Solar System is outside the "habitable zone" for
possible life because of hot and rocky conditions
Temperatures on its surface could reach some 2,200 degrees
and the surface is likely to be lava.

Scientists discovered the planet while monitoring stars in
Alpha Centauri, a neighboring star system, only about four
light years away.  That system is peppered with stars
orbiting one another, making the hunt for planets difficult,
astronomers explained.

This is now the closest of more than 840 confirmed
exoplanets.  This according to research published in the
British science journal Nature.  (Nature)

**

DX

In DX, DF7NX is currently operational from Bolivia as CP8MW.
He is active on HF Bands mostly operating CW.  QSL as
directed on the air.

LU3XEM, LU3XEI, LU1XBF, LU5VAT and LU7DSY will be active
from Penguin Island November 2nd to the 4th  as LTZ0.  They
will be operational on 80 through 10 ethers using CW, SSB
and PSK 31.  QSL this operation via LU7DSY

DF7NX is currently operational from Bolivia as CP8MW.  He is
active on the High Frequency bands mostly using CW.  QSL via
his home call, either direct or via the bureau.

JR1MLT has been heard on the air from Singapore as 9V1KK.
He is reportedly active on all of the High Frequency bands
using various modes.  QSL direct only via JH1ILX.

N5ZO will be active from Ascension Island through October
30th  as ZD8O.  He plans to operate the CQ WW DX SSB Contest
in Single Operator All Band category.  If you make contact,
QSL via OH0XX

ND9M will be active from Diego Garcia Island through
November 4th under the callsign VQ92JC.  He also plans to
operate the CQ World Wide DX SSB Contest while at that
location.  If you work him please QSL via home call.

Lastly, ZS3Oh is currently on the air
from Botswana as A22LL.  He is reported to be active on HF
Bands mostly using CW.  QSL via home call.

(Above from various DX news sources)

**

THAT FINAL ITEM:  BRITISH SOPRANO SARAH BRIGHTMAN TO BE THE
NEXT VISITOR TO THE ISS

The British songstress who created the role of Christine
Daae (pron "Die Aye") in Sir Andrew Lloyd Webbers musical
stage classic The Phantom of the Opera will be the next
space tourist to visit the International Space Station.
Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, has the
details:

--


On Wednesday, October 10th it was announced in Moscow that
world famous soprano Sarah Brightman had passed the required
mental and physical examinations to permit her fly to the
ISS.  And in a video of the press conference made public by
the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos, and the singer herself,
Brightman described how as a child she was inspired by the
Apollo 11 landing on the moon.

--

Brightman:  "When I look back, my minds eye brings me to a
rush of images from all of the incredible things that I have
been privileged to experience in my life.  But if I keep
tracking back, my thoughts eventually come to rest on a
flickering TV screen in 1969.  There as a small and
incredulous child I watched a man bound gently from the
steps of a rocket ship and land on the surface of the moon.

"This really was an adventure.  It was something miraculous.

"For me it was an epiphany.  From that moment I began
looking into the future.  I began to dream about what life
might hold in store for me and of what I could accomplish."

--

During her comments, Brightman said the trip would serve as
a way to promote environmental awareness and to encourage
women's education by helping to close the gender gap in the
sciences.  For this she has called on the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, better
known as UNESCO, to join with her to make it happen:


--

Brightman:  "There are two key areas that we have identified
which unify my personal passions, UNESCO's objectives and my
spaceflight.  Both are inexplicably linked and both relate
to issues of sustainability."

--

After completing an upcoming world tour to promote her new
album appropriately called Dream Chaser, Brightman will
undertake six months of training at Star City in Moscow in
preparation for her mission to the International Space
Station.  Once on-orbit she is expected to take part in
several educational ventures as just mentioned but it is not
yet known if she will obtain an amateur radio license or has
any plans to make any ham radio contacts from the ISS.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF,
in the Newsroom in Los Angeles.

--

This is not Sarah Brightman's first venture into the area of
science education.  Earlier this year in conjunction with
Virgin Galactic she launched the Brightman STEM Scholarship
program.  STEM is an acronym for the words science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics.  Her program is
designed to help young women in the United States to pursue
STEM education across their four year college careers.

(Roscosmos, Southgate, others)

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE

With thanks to Alan Labs, AMSAT, the ARRL, the CGC
Communicator, CQ Magazine, the FCC, the Ohio Penn DX
Bulletin, Radio Netherlands, Roscosmos, Rain, the RSGB, the
Southgate News, TWiT-TV and Australia's WIA News, that's all
from the Amateur Radio NewslineT.  Our e-mail address is
newsline (at) arnewsline (dot) org.  More information is
available at Amateur Radio Newsline'sT only official website
located at www.arnewsline.org.  You can also write to us or
support us at Amateur Radio NewslineT, 28197 Robin Avenue,
Santa Clarita California, 91350

For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors' desk,
I'm Jeff Clark, K8JAC, saying 73 and we thank you for
listening.

Amateur Radio NewslineT is Copyright 2012.  All rights
reserved.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1836 - October 19 2012









Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1836 - October 19 2012

Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1836 with a release
date of October 19 2012 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST.  A case to be heard by the U.S.
Supreme Court could limit or curtail your ability to resell
your personal property including used ham radio gear; the
Department of Homeland Security to provide emergency
communications training at Hamvention 2013; ham radio gets
new responsibilities from Army MARS; the FCC asks assistance
in tracking down cellphone and GPS jamming devices.  We will
look into that and more on Amateur Radio NewslineT report
number 1836 coming your way right now.


(Billboard Cart Here)


**

LEGAL WRANGLING:  SUPREME ASKED TO RULE THAT PUBLIC HAS NO
RIGHT TO RESELL OWNED GOODS

How would you feel if there was a law that kept you from
selling or even giving away a piece of ham gear or anything
else you think you own without first getting permission from
the original manufacturer?  Sound crazy?  Well this is a
legal precedent that the United States Supreme Court has
been asked to rule on as we hear from Amateur Radio
Newsline's Mark Abramowicz, NT3V:

--

Imagine, if you possibly can, the Dayton Hamvention, the
Orlando Hamcation or the Huntsville Hamfest with no flea
market.

Or, what about ham gear disappearing altogether from eBay or
Craigslist.

Some fear this could be a real possibility, depending on how
the U.S. Supreme Court rules in a case that could impact a
nearly 104-year-old doctrine recognized by the high court
that allows us to resell items without fear of a copyright
holder coming after us.

The doctrine essentially says the copyright holder had
control only over the first sale.

But a case decided last year in the U.S. Court of Appeals in
the Second Circuit in New York has the potential to re-set
that doctrine.

The case involves a man from Thailand who came to the United
States in 1997 to enroll in Cornell University in Ithaca,
N.Y.

The student found that the same textbooks they were asking
him to buy in the book store could be had for much less in
Thailand.

The man asked his relatives there to help him buy the books
and send them back overseas to him in New York.

Later, the man got some entrepreneurial spirit and court
documents in the case show he decided to start selling
textbooks on eBay. There's some dispute as to how much the
man made on the sales.

So, the publisher of the books objects and brings a suit
against him.

The publisher admits it was charging less for books sold
overseas, but it claims the man was guilty of copyright
infringement. But the man counters his sales are covered by
that first-sale practice.

The federal appeals court in New York upheld a lower court
decision saying, no, that doctrine only applies to stuff
produced in the United States and not to anything made
overseas.

That court's ruling, in the view of some constitutional
scholars, could now throw into jeopardy the whole idea of
what you buy at flea markets, or yard sales and on-line
sales of used goods.

Polk Wagner, a law professor at the University of
Pennsylvania Law School here in Philadelphia, isn't ready to
push the panic just yet with that conclusion.

Wagner says in this case, it's about copyrights...

"So the question here that the Supreme Court has got to
wrestle with is to try and figure out how these two
provisions of the copyright act - one that says that you
can't import anything that's copyrighted without the
permission of the copyright owner and also one that says
lawful owners of books are allowed to do what they want with
the copies of the books that they purchase," Wagner says.

He says there's a bit of conflict here...

"So, the legal question is how those two provisions of the
Copyright Act work together or don't as the case may be,"
Wagner says. "Courts have wrestled with this for the last 5
or 10 years and have not reached any satisfactory
conclusions. So, hence, the Supreme Court is going to take
it up."

eBay has filed a brief on the issue warning that the Second
Circuit's ruling would have significant consequences for
trade and ecommerce. And, in a broader reach, the company
says it could hurt small businesses and consumers and cost
jobs in the U.S.

Wagner, the University of Pennsylvania law professor, says
there's another area and it may involve patents.

For example, he says in cases involving ham gear, it's legal
to buy overseas and import the gear. And, there's nothing
under the patent laws that prevents you from reselling the
gear.

However, Wagner says there's another matter and it has to do
with software that may be included or needed to operate the
gear.

And, while most companies or software developers will sell
you a license to use their software, it's not the same thing
as selling you a book. And, while Wagner says that's not at
issue here it eventually it could be sorted out by the
courts in the future.

Stay tuned.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mark Abramowicz, NT3V,
in Philadelphia.

--

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on the
case on October 29th.   If it does rule with the appellate
court, it's likely that the matter would be brought to
Congress to force a change in law.  However that could take
months if not years or even decades.   Until then,
consumers, including ham radio operators would be stuck
between a rock and a hard place when trying to resell their
belongings without breaking the law.

(Marketwatch, other published reports)

**

RESCUE RADIO:  DHS TO TEAM UP WITH DAYTON HAMVENTION ON
EMCOMM TRAINING

Department of Homeland Security's Office of Emergency
Communications is teaming up with the folks in Dayton to
provide free emergency communications training in
conjunction with Hamvention 2013.  Amateur Radio Newsline's
George Bowen, W2XBS, reports:

--

The Department of Homeland Security's Office of Emergency
Communications will be on hand at the next Dayton
Hamvention.  This to conduct its nationally recognized
NIMS/ICS compliant Auxiliary Emergency Communications
course.

The course itself focuses on a number of important aspects
of emergency communications.  These include auxiliary
communications interoperability, emergency operation center
etiquette, on-the-air etiquette, FCC rules and regulations,
auxiliary communications training and planning,
certification and accreditation to mention only a few.  The
objective of the training is intended to supplement and
standardize an operator's basic knowledge of emergency
amateur radio communications in a public safety context.

This Office of Emergency Communications workshop is designed
for auxiliary emergency communicators who volunteer to
provide backup emergency radio communications support to
public safety and emergency response professionals and their
agencies.  Typically this includes amateur radio
communicators from groups such as MARS, ARES, RACES, SATERN
and the like.  The course will actually be held just prior
to Hamvention, but still in the Dayton area and as part of
Hamvention 2013.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm George Bowen, W2XBS, st
the North-East Bureau in Albany, New York.

--

Details on any pre-required training for this free course is
on-line at www.hamvention.org.  Information on for
registering for this special free course will be posted at
the same site in the near future.
(Hamvention.org)

**

ARMY MARS:  MORE RESPONSIBILITY FOR HAM RADIO VOLUNTEERS

Stephen G. Klinefelter, Chief of the Arrmy's Military
Affiliate Radio System better known as Army MARS has
announced a major leadership realignment.  This,  at a
conference of the auxiliary's Region Directors held Sept.
12th to the 14th in Dallas, Texas.

Under the new terms, volunteer ham radio operators have
assumed day-to-day management responsibility previously
exercised from the MARS headquarters at Ft Huachuca,
Arizona.  Each of the auxiliary's 11 regions will be under
command of its director.  Together the 11 directors will
form a policy-making Governance Executive Board for the
auxiliary as a whole.

This is a striking revision of the military's traditional
top-down chain of command.  It was symbolically activated at
the first national leadership conference in the Military
Auxiliary Radio System's 87-year-history.

Army MARS reports to the Network Enterprise Technology
Command which manages Army computer networks and
communications systems worldwide.  Chief Klinefelter, who
retired as a full colonel in the Signal Corps after 31
years, returned to the Network Enterprise Technology Command
as a senior civilian employee and is Deputy Operations
Officer G3.  He added the MARS post last spring.

An in-depth article on the changes to Army Mars authored by
those involved is on the Web at www.eham.net/articles/29106.
(Army MARS, QRZ.com)

**

BREAK 1

From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world
including the K4LJP repeater serving West Palm Beach,
Florida.

(5 sec pause here)


**

ENFORCEMENT:  FCC SAYS THAT UNREGULATED PART 15 DEVICES
INTERFERING WITH AVIATION WEATHER SYSTEM

The FCC has acted to curb interference to aviation Terminal
Doppler Weather Radars Systems coming from unlicensed Part
15 devices.  Amateur Radio Newsline's Norm Seeley, KI7UP
reports:

--

The FCC's Enforcement Bureau recently took action against
several companies for operating devices that caused
interference to Terminal Doppler Weather Radars maintained
by the Federal Aviation Administration.  Terminal Doppler
Weather Radars systems operating in the 5600 to 5650 MHz
band are used by the FAA to obtain quantitative measurements
for gust fronts, wind shear, microbursts, and similar
information.

Investigations have been conducted by the FCC, the FAA, and
the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration in several areas of the United States and
Puerto Rico.  These have revealed that much of the
interference stems from wireless devices sharing the same
band as Terminal Doppler Weather Radars systems, and
operating outdoors in the vicinity of airports at high
elevations that are line-of-sight to the radar
installations.  Also that most are operating inconsistent
with the FCC Part 15 Rules.

The Enforcement Bureau and the FAA are continuing to
investigate additional areas where interference is reported
to Terminal Doppler Weather Radars systems.  The FCC says
that it will continue to take appropriate enforcement action
as necessary.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Norm Seeley, KI7UP, in
Scottsdale, Arizona.

--

More information on this matter is available in FCC release
DA 12-459 released on September 27th and FCC Enforcement
Asdvisory 2012-07 released on the same date.  (FCC)

**

ENFORCEMENT:  FCC CREATES TOLL FREE NUMBER TO REPORT
CELLPHONE AND GPS JAMMING

The FCC wants your help in locating anyone who is using a
cellular telephone or GPS jamming device and to do this the
Commission's Enforcement Bureau has launched a dedicated
jammer tip line at 1-855-55-NOJAM or 1-855-556-6526.  This,
to make it easier for the public to report the use or sale
of illegal cell phone, GPS or other signal jammers.

As has been said many times before, it is against the law to
use, import, advertise, sell or ship a cellular telephone or
GPS jammer or any other type of device that blocks, jams or
interferes with authorized communications, whether on
private or public property.  As such, members of the public
are being asked to call the FCC's toll free Jammer Tip Line
immediately if you are aware of the ongoing use of a cell,
GPS, or other signal jammer.  Also please call if an
employer operates a jammer in a workplace; you observe a
jammer in operation at a school or college; you observe an
advertisement for a jammer at a local store or you observe a
jammer being operated on your local bus, train or other mass
transit system.

One warning.  This number is only for use to report
cellphone or GPS jamming devices.  Please do not call it to
report that your favorite repeater is being jammed or that
your QSO on 20 meters is being interfered with.  Those
matters will not be handled on this telephone line and will
be of no interest to those taking cellphone or GPS jamming
device calls.

Once again, the number where to report the use of cellphone
or GPS jamming is 1-855-55-NOJAM or 1-855-556-6526.  And
calling that number is toll free.  (FCC)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS:  K6H - HAM RADIO CELEBRATES HOLLYWOOD FROM
CBS STUDIO CENTER STAGE 9

Ham Radio Celebrates Hollywood will be a special event
operation held on Sunday, October 28th from 1600 to 2000
hours U-T-C.  Sponsored by Southern California's PAPA
repeater system, the event using the callsign K-6-H will
originate from the Stage 9 of the CBS Studio Center facility
in Studio City, California.

The historic Studio Center has been the production facility
for such hit programs as Will and Grace, That 70's Show,
Malcolm in the Middle, Spin City, Just Shoot Me, and
3rd Rock From the Sun.   Nine seasons of Seinfeld were
filmed on Stage 9 except for the first four episodes, which
were shot at at another facility.  Stage 9 is currently the
home of ABC TV's Last Man Standing, starring Tim Allen.   As
such, several of the hams who work on Last Man Standing will
be hand to host the PAPA operators.

A number of R-F and non-RF paths will be available to
contact the stage 9 commemorative operation.  These include
HF, VHF, UHF, D-STAR, Echolink and IRLP.  The operation will
also be monitoring the Broadcast Employees Amateur Radio
Society ABC and Disney interconnected amateur repeater
system.  This links W2ABC in Manhattan, New York, WD4WDW in
Orlando, Florida and WB6AJE in Los Angeles. The BEARS system
can be accessed on Echolink at WD4WDW-R.

A schedule of operating times and frequencies will be
published on the PAPA website at www.papasys.com.  To
facilitate contacts during the event, operators will blog in
real-time at www.facebook.com/KA0XTT and on @NN6JA on
Twitter.  A special, limited edition QSL card will be issued
to all confirmed contacts during this fun national event.
(NN6JA)

**

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY:  ALL DIGITAL AM HD TESTING ON ITS WAY

Information is surfacing regarding NAB Radio Technology
Committee plans to test all-digital AM H-D Radio technology
on an existing full carrier AM radio station.

The committee has been meeting since last November to
discuss technical options for the revitalization of AM.
Testing would quantify both indoor and outdoor coverage. In
general, the goal is to verify whether the station coverage
and robustness are improved with an all-digital signal in
both day and night transmission.  Also to quantify any
change. There's little technical data in the public arena
for all-digital AM operation.

Glynn Walden is CBS Radio Senior Vice President of
Engineering.  He  said during the fall NAB Radio Show that a
test station has been chosen with testing likely to begin
right after the presidential elections.  Walden and other
committee members declined to identify the facility but some
believe it will be a CBS station in an area that could be
characterized as a medium sized market.  You can read more
about this AM broadcast digital experiment on-line at
tinyurl.com/all-digital-am.
(CGC, RW)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS:  2012 AMSAT SPACE SYMPOSIUM REMINDER

And a reminder that the 2012 AMSAT Space Symposium will be
held on Friday, October 26th through Sunday, October 28th at
the Holiday Inn Hotel at Orlando-International Airport.
Downloadable paper registration forms in MS-Word and PDF
formats are available at tinyurl.com/amsat-2012-reg.  The
Symposium Schedule web page has been updated with links to
find more information about the planned activities.  You can
find it in cyberspace at tinyurl.com/symposium-program.
More on the overall event is at www.amsat.org  (AMSAT)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS:  RAC COLLECTING CLUB MEMBER BIOS FOR 2012
MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY

If you are a member of the Radio Club of America, please
listen up.  RCA is in the process of collecting data for the
organizations 2012 Membership Directory that will include
biographies.  If you are a club member who has not yet done
so, please go to tinyurl.com/rca-survey-2012 and fill out
the online form.  Also, please be certain to keep all
biographical information on the form as space is limited.
(RCA)

**

AWARDS:  CQ INTRODUCES 40 CQ ZONES ON 160 PLAQUE

CQ has announced the availability of a special plaque for
those who have achieved contact to all 40 CQ zones on 160
meters.  This is considered the most difficult of all
amateur radio awards to earn and because of this the Worked
All Zones 160 Meter Plaque recognizes that receiving it as
one of the elite Top Band DXers.  If you believe you
qualify, please contact W-A-Z Award Manager Floyd Gerald,
N5FG, by e-mail to n5fg (at) cq-amateur-radio (dot) com for
further details.  (CQ via Facebook)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS:  DX SUMMIT APP

Some names in the news.  Kevin Schutz has released a
freeware application he calls code.google.com/p/dxer/.  Its
primary purpose is gather information from DX Summit.
Schutz says that with this data and his application, you can
easily find out if you already have made a contact or not
with that country.  More is on-line at the shortcut of
tinyurl.com/dx-summit-app.  (Via e-mail)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS:  W2ML ORAL HISTORY VIDEO RELEASED

And Steve Mendelsohn W2ML, who passed away earlier this
year, was an extremely active, enthusiastic member of the
ham radio community.  Among other things, he was an ARRL
Vice-President and ran the ham radio communications for the
New York Marathon.  Professionally he was a broadcast
engineer for CBS and ABC, and did frequency coordination for
the National Football League spending 13 years as the Game
Day Coordinator for the New York Jets.  Then tragedy struck
as he was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer and given only a
short time to live.

Knowing that he had a vibrant story to tell, his lifelong
friend Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, interviewed Steve at the 2011
Pacificon hamfest.  Steve was the conventions guest of honor
and it gave them what would be a final opportunity to video
record an oral history of Steve's life.

Steve Mendelsohn passed away early in the morning of May
23rd.  It was decided that the anniversary of the date of
the interview would be apropos for its public release.  As
such it's now available at two locations.

Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, who edited the production, has it
available at his HamRadioNow website at tinyurl.com/w2ml-
video.  It's also on YouTube at tinyurl.com/w2ml-life-story.

Even if you knew W2ML, and many hams did, you may yet learn
a few things you did not know.  If you didn't, then take
this rare opportunity to hear the story of someone that many
call a true trendsetter in the hobby and whose legacy will
remain with us for decades to come.  (ARNewslineT)

**

BREAK 2

This is ham radio news for today's radio amateur.  From the
United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline
with links to the world from our only official website at
www.arnewsline.org and being relayed by the volunteer
services of the following radio amateur:

(5 sec pause here)

**

WORLDBEAT:  QATAR TO HOST FIRST MIDDLE EAST HAM RADIO
FESTIVAL

The city of Doha will host the Qatar's first International
Festival for Amateur Radio in December.  This according to H
E Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah, who is the Chairman of the
Administrative Control and Transparency Authority and the
vice-chairman of the US Amateur Radio Society.

Al Attiyah, who is also chairperson of the board of
directors of the Qatar Amateur Radio Society says that the
festival will include a contest between amateur radio
operators from all over the world.   About 100 hams from
across the globe will be invited to the festival to take
part in the competition.  The Qatar Amateur Radio Society
will also establish five amateur radio stations in different
parts of Doha during the festival, including the society's
office and the festival venue itself.

Announcement of an exact date for this event is expected to
be announced shortly.  The festival is being dubbed as the
first of its kind in Middle East and will take place in
conjunction with the Qatar National Day celebrations.

Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar and is
located on the coast of the Persian Gulf.  (The Peninsula)

**

WORLDBEAT:  INDIA TO ADD 839 NEW FM BROADCASAT STATIONS

India's public service broadcaster, Prasar Bharati
Broadcasting, plans to soon set up 839 new FM stations in
290 cities in that nation.  According to India's Secretary
of the Union Information Broadcasting Ministry, these new
radio stations will be a part of the country's expanding
private sector.  The regions of Jammu and Kashmir are to be
the focal points for what is being termed as this new
broadcasting initiative.  (Hindu Business Line, The
Statesman, RW)

**

WORLDBEAT:  HOW SOLAR STORMS CREATE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS

The British Broadcasting Corporation has released a short
video that explains in laymen's terms how solar storms
affected the Earth's magnetic field to create the Aurora
Borealis.  The news story features Professor Dag Lorentzen
who uses a simple diagram drawn in the snow to explain how
this phenomenon of nature takes place.  The story was taped
in Svalbard and you can see it on line at tinyurl.com/bbc-
aurora-story.
(Southgate, BBC)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  HAMS ASKED TO HELP FIND MISSING F1
CUBESAT

An article published on the AMSAT-UK website reports that
the F Space team at the F-P-T University in Viet Nam are
requesting Amateur Radio operators continue to listen for
their F-1 CubeSat.  The mini satellite went missing shortly
after it was deployed from the International Space Station
on October 4 but never heard on Earth.

F 1 was expected to begin transmitting beacon alternatively
on its main and backup channels 30 minutes after deployment.
Its operating frequencies are on 437.485 MHz while in
daylight and 145.980 in satellite darkness.

More information and guide to download F-1 telemetry decoder
can be found at tinyurl.com/f1-info.  Decoded data can be
submitted on using a File Transfer Protocol client to thuvt
(at) fpt (dot) edu Dot)vn. Audio recordings are highly
appreciated.  (F1 Cubesat Team)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  ISRAELI GPS CUBESAT BEING BUILT

Israel is planning to launch a student built ham radio
microsat.  The Space Duchifat-1 is an experimental and
educational CubeSat being developed and built by students at
the Space Laboratory of the Herzliya Science Centre.

The CubeSat will carry an APRS digipeater operating on
145.825 MHz and a UHF/VHF 1200 bps B-P-S-K transceiver that
can provide a CW beacon and an FM to DSB transponder.

The main mission of the satellite is to transmit real-time
information via packet radio from a Low Earth Orbit using
the Automatic Position Reporting System protocol.  The
satellite will allow remote traveler's to access the bird
for worldwide position, status reporting and messaging.
This using simple handheld or mobile radios with omni-
directional whip antennas.

The project is directed by Dr. Ana Heller with support from
the Herzliya city municipality and the Israeli Amateur Radio
Club.  At this moment no launch date or orbit details are
available.  (ANS)

**

ON THE AIR:  SAQ TO TRANSMIT ON UNITED NATIONS DAY

On the air, word that the Alexander Association will
activate the giant SAQ radio-wave alternator on Wednesday,
October 24th.  This, in recognition of United Nations Day.

Transmissions will begin at about 10:10 UTC, and a special
commemorative message will be sent at 10:30 UTC using CW on
17.2 kHz.  Unfortunately, reports from the transmission
cannot be confirmed by QSL card.

The Alexander Association is a group of European radio
enthusiasts who preserve and demonstrate the old ultra long
wave Alexanderson electro-mechanical transmitter located at
Grimeton, Sweden.  The site houses the only working
Alexanderson rotating alternator radio transmitter in the
world and is classified as a World Heritage Site.

More on the transmitter is at the society Website at
www.alexander.n.se
(Association Alexander)

**

ON THE AIR:  CELEBRATING 150 YEARS OF THE PACIFIC RAILWAY
ACT

And the Union Pacific Amateur Radio Club will sponsor
Special Event UP150 on December 1st.  The operation
commemorates the 150 years since President Abraham Lincoln
signed the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 and directed the
Union Pacific and the Central Pacific to construct a
transcontinental railroad.  The event will use the call sign
WOUPR.  It will begin at 6am Central and end at 8 pm
Pacific.  Many present and past Union Pacific employees are
expected to operate during that time frame in hope of
talking with you.  A special QSL will be available.  More
information is on-line at  www.pocatelloarc.org/uprr. (Union
Pacific ARC)

**

DX

In DX, F1NGP will be active stroke FG from Saint Francois
Island in Guadeloupe through October 26th.  He will be
operational on 40 through 10 meters on CW , SSB , RTTY QSL
via his home call.

G3RWF who was expected to be active this month from Uganda
5X1NH has announced that his trip is now postponed.  No
reason was given.

WJ2O will be operational as 8P9DF from St. Philip, Barbados
between November 21st and the 28th.  Activity will be on all
HF bands using mainly CW and as an entry in the CQ World
Wide DX CW Contest on November 24th and 25th.  Outside of
the contest, he will be on 30, 17 and 12 meters. QSL via
WJ2O.

HB9OAU will be on the air from the Maldives as 8Q7AU between
November 26th and December 11th.  Activity will be holiday
style on 80 through 10 meters SSB only.  QSL via his home
callsign, direct or by the Bureau.

N3IQ will be operational as C6AQQ from Nassau's Providence
Island between October 25th to the 31st.  Activity will be
mostly on the lower bands.  QSL via N3IQ, direct, via the
bureau or electronically using Logbook of the WQorld or
eQSL.

Lastly, ZL1LC planning to be operational from the Chatham
Islands hrom March 21st to the 27th of 2013 as Zed-L-7-L-C.
He planning to be active PSK only.  No times, frequencies or
QSL route have yet been announced.

Above from various DX news sources)

**

THAT FINAL ITEM:  WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE PRINCIPALITY OF
SEALAND

And finally this week, do you remember Sealand?  That's the
self-proclaimed principality that also once claimed to be a
DXCC entity.  Well its still there but changes are in the
wind.  Amateur Radio Newsline's Cheryl Lasik, K9BIK, takes a
look back into recent history:

--

Sealand is a former United Kingdom anti-aircraft tower
legally known as Roughs Tower. Its located in the North Sea
some 7 nautical miles off the shore of Suffolk, England. In
1967 the tower was occupied by a retired army major named
Paddy Roy Bates along with his family in 1967. On September
2nd of that year Major Bates declared the fort an
independent sovereign state from the UK and renamed it
Sealand. He went on to establish Sealand as a nation in
1975.

Sealand had its own constitution, flag, national anthem,
stamps, passports and currency. There were even a few
DXpeditions to Sealand. This included a operation by a group
of German DX'ersin 1982 using Sealand's self proclaimed and
unofficial callsign prefix of S-1-A. Later, in 2000 there
was the Dutch-lead 1SLA1 operation, but neither of these was
awarded DXCC status.

Now comes word that Major Bates passed away on October 9th,
in a senior care home Essex England at the age of 91. This,
after a long battle with Alzheimer's.

But the Sealand saga is far from over. His wife Joan is now
expected to take over the rule of the self proclaimed
nation. Also, with Sealand is managed by the Bates family as
if it were a recognised sovereign entity, and they are its
hereditary royal rulers. Bates son is known as "His Royal
Highness Prince Michael." He has also been referred to as
the "Prince Regent" by the Bates family since 1999. In this
role, he apparently serves as Sealand's acting "Head of
State" and also its "Head of Government". Also, at a micro
nations conference hosted by the University of Sunderland in
2004, Sealand was represented by Michael Bates' son James,
who was referred to as "Prince Royal James".

Butr whomever takes on the leadership of Sealand, one thing
is fairly certain. Mounting a DXpedition to Sealand in the
hope of establisghing it as a new DXCC entity, woyuld likely
be a very expensive waste of time.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Cheryl Lasik, K9BIK, in
Zion, Illinois.

--

According a Wikipedia, the Sealand News says that a movie
about Sealand is currently in development and scheduled to
be released in 2013.  More about this interesting location
is on-line at www.sealandgov.org and also at wikipedia.com.
(OPDX, Wikipedia)

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE

With thanks to Alan Labs, AMSAT, the ARRL, the CGC
Communicator, CQ Magazine, the FCC, the Ohio Penn DX
Bulletin, Radio Netherlands, Rain, the RSGB, the Southgate
News, TWiT-TV and Australia's W-I-A News, that's all from
the Amateur Radio NewslineT.  Our e-mail address is
newsline(at) arnewsline (dot) org.  More information is
available at Amateur Radio Newsline'sT only official website
located at www.arnewsline.org.  You can also write to us or
support us at Amateur Radio NewslineT, 28197 Robin Avenue,
Santa Clarita California, 91350

Before we go, a quick word of congratulations to Amateur
Radio Newsline's Heather Butera-Howell who is now Heather
Embee.  Heather and her new husband Jason Embee were married
last weekend in Pennsylvania.  Please join with us in
wishing Heather and Jason many, many years of happiness and
all good things together.

For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors' desk,
I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, in southern Mississippi, saying 73
and we thank you for listening.

Amateur Radio NewslineT is Copyright 2012.  All rights
reserved.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1835 - October 12 2012







Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1835 with a release
date of October 12 2012 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a Q-S-T.  The FCC released a Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking aimed at changing the Amateur Radio
licensing rules and lots more; the R-S-G-B replies to UK
telecommunications regulator Ofcom on the future of 143 to
156 MHz; hams in Sweden effectively loose access to the 2300
MHz band and a ham radio operators success in gaining
approval for a 65 foot tower leaves neighbors very unhappy.
Find out the details are on Amateur Radio NewslineT report
number 1835 coming your way right now.


(Billboard Cart Here)


**

RESTRUCTURING:  FCC PROPOSES MULTIPLE CHANGES INN THE PART
97 AMATEUR  SERVICE RULES

The FCC has put forth a series of suggested Part 97 rules
changes which when taken as a whole literally redefine many
aspects of the United States Amateur Radio Service.  Amateur
Radio Newsline's Mark Abramowicz, NT3V, takes a look at what
the regulatory agency sees in ham radio's future:

--

It's not a done deal by any stretch, but the FCC has put a
few proposals out there for public comment and it's
interested in hearing from you.

The Notice of Proposed Rule Making or NPRM can be divided
into a few basic categories - exam credit for expired
licenses and grace periods for expired licenses, a change in
the number of volunteer examiners needed for a valid testing
session, and emissions and experimentation by amateurs.

Rich Moseson, W2VU, is editor of CQ Magazine, and Amateur
Radio Newsline called upon him for his take on the
proposals.

Let's begin with one that could have the biggest impact, the
proposal to give examination credits for anyone who held a
license that expired, thereby eliminating the need for re-
testing for someone who has an expired license.

Moseson says he wholeheartedly endorses the idea of being
able to recover a license a ham once held.  He says right
now, the current FCC rules are scattered on this....

"If you held a particular type of license at a particular
time then there's no limit on being able to get it back
without re-testing," Moseson explains. "But if you held a
higher class license or a lower class license or the same
license at a different time and it's expired and beyond the
grace period, then you can't get it back without re-testing.

"So, the current rules make no sense."

Moseson says he's uncertain how many hams are out there who
let their licenses lapse years ago, but he suggests the FCC
recognizes they should be allowed to get back in without
putting an undue burden on them.

Controversial?  Maybe, for some. But Moseson says he
believes it's a win-win for the hobby...

"I don't think that we've been greatly damaged from having
the ability to re-gain licenses once held without additional
testing on the license classes that are permitted," Moseson
says. "And, I don't think there will be any great hazard to
the hobby. In fact, I think there will be benefit to the
hobby of letting people whose licenses have expired return
if their interest has returned as well."


If that doesn't quite sit well with you, Moseson suggests
considering this:

"There's really very little difference between this and what
goes on if you maintain your license," Moseson says. "There
are no activity requirements. So, as long as you renew your
license every 10 years now, you can be licensed continually
without taking a test even if you haven't been on the air in
30 years.

"And, if you want to come back on the air - as long as
you've maintained your license - then you just turn on the
radio. Well, if you've let your license lapse, there's
really not much difference.
"So, if you've passed the test for a license, if you've held
that license before, and you want to get back into ham
radio, let's welcome you back with open arms and not make
you have to take your test again when other people don't
have to take that test again."

Now, on to the proposal to have only two volunteer examiners
at a testing session.

Moseson says he feels a little uncomfortable with that idea,
although the FCC suggests it will open up more exam
opportunities and make it easier for people to get a ham
license....

"I think that a minimum of three people is important at
first glance," Moseson says. "I would be open to looking at
the comments from other people. But from my personal
experience, I think it's good to have a minimum of three
people because it just reduces the possibility of any kind
of shenanigans to a much lower level.

"And, that was the reason for putting in the three-examiner
requirement to begin with and I think that's still valid."

There's also the idea of remote testing sessions - that is
using the technology for VEs to observe an exam session. The
FCC's rationale is colleges and businesses use
teleconferencing and maybe it's time to explore that option.
Moseson says timing might be right...

"Yes, the technology needs to be acknowledged," Moseson say.
"I don't think we should necessarily just jump right into
it. I would suggest a pilot program first to see how well it
works out and then take it from there."

Moseson says he's encouraged by the proposal looking at the
modes for amateur radio transmissions. He says there are too
many restrictions and limitations on hams which can stifle
rather than encourage experimentation.

He says the FCC is wise to look at the issue, especially
considering the area of TDMA or Time Division Multiple
Access technology for amateur radio.

"I think that the more that we can do with them as hams, in
addition to what the commercial world is doing, the better
off we'll all be because that competition is a fact of
life," Moseson says. "You know, you look at our microwave
bands which are really where a lot of the future is going to
be - 2.4 Ghz, 5.8 Ghz - these bands are already shared.

"And if we can make better use of that sharing so that we
can do what we want to do without bothering the other people
and without having them bother us then that's great we can
all get by very well."

Moseson says he still hasn't had a chance to go through the
entire NPRM. He intends to study it and encourages hams to
take the initiative and digest it before commenting...

"Well, I would encourage people to download the NPRM from
the FCC website and read the whole thing, particularly
before sending in comments to the FCC on it," Moseson says.
"I've seen too many people in other situations send in
comments on an NPRM based on a summary and they haven't read
the whole thing and they come off looking uninformed."

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mark Abramowicz, NT3V in
Philadelphia.

--

WT Docket No. 12-121 is expected to draw a lot of discussion
in ham radio circles and we will have more on it in upcoming
Amateur Radio Newsline reports.  (FCC)

**

RESTRUCTURING: RSGB, BATC AND AMSAT-UK REPLY TO OFCOM ON HF
SPECTRUM

Meantime, across the Atlantic, the Radio Society of Great
Britain in concert with the British Amateur Radio Club and
AMSAT-UK, has submitted a response to telecommunications
regulastor Ofcom's Consultation or Notice of Inquiry on the
future use of VHF spectrum from 143 to 156 MHz.  This being
the bandspace that was formally used by the British Home
Office.

According to the R-S-G-B, the unique nature of this
spectrum, and the fact that it surrounds the existing 2
meter amateur radio band, suggested a creative response.
One the R-S-G-B stated that would need to be competitive
with the likely responses from Business Radio users.  No
details of the actual text of the response are known as we
go to air.

(RSGB)

**

RESTRUCTURING:  SWEDEN HAM COMMUNITY LOOSES 2300 MHZ BAND

Swedish radio amateurs have basically lost the 2300 MHz band
although they have gained some spectrum at 1.8 MHz.

The Swedish Amateur Radio Society, the S-S-A, reports the
loss of the 2300 MHz band with effect from October 1st.  And
while 2400 to 2450 MHz is still allocated for amateur radio
operation the power there is limited to just 100 milliwatts
at the antenna.

However there is good news down lower in frequency.  Sweden
used to have "Top Band" allocations of 1810 to 1850 kHz at
max 1 kW and 1930 to 2000 kHz with a maximum of 10 Watts
out.  As of October 1st this changed to 1810 to 1850 kHz at
1 kW and 1850 to 2000 kHz with a maximum of 10 watts.  Power
output is measured at the antenna.

(SSA)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  FOUR CUBESATS DEPLOYED FROM ISS

Radio amateurs around the world have been listening for
signals from the four new amateur radio CubeSats that were
deployed from the International Space Station on Thursday,
October 4th.

FITSat-1 has a CW beacon on 437.250MHz, 1200 bps AX.25
packet radio on 437.445MHz and a high-speed data transmitter
on 5840.0MHz.

F-1 has the callsign is XV1VN and the communications
subsystem is built around two Yaesu VX-3R amateur radio
handheld transceivers. One will transmit 1200 bps packet
radio every 30 seconds on 145.980MHz while in darkness. The
other will operate only in sunlight sending a 20 second FM
transmission of a CW tone on 437.485MHz followed by a 60
second gap.

TechEdSat carries a 1200 bps packet radio transmitter on
437.465MHz.

WE-WISH transmits CW and 1200 bps packet radio on
437.505MHz. Due to the effects of Doppler shift the 70cm
downlink frequencies will vary by +/- 10 kHz during an 8
minute pass.

Each could have a life-time of 4 or 5 months before they
burn-up on reentry into the Earth's atmosphere.

(AMSAT, GB2RS)

**

BREAK 1

From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world
including the W-Zero-B-Zed-N repeater of the Newton Amateur
Radio Club serving Newton, Kansas.

(5 sec pause here)


**

ENFORCEMENT:  FCC REFUSES TO RECONSIDER $10000 NAL

The operator of an unlicensed radio station in Florida will
have to pay a $10,000 fine.  This after the FCC turns down
his petition for reconsideration where he failed to prove he
could not afford to pay.  We have more in this report:

--

The FCC has refused to reconsider a $10,000 fine issued to
Neal Davis of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  In its September
28th release the regulatory agency stated that Davis appeal
of the forfeiture order did not meet the criteria set out by
the agency in regard to providing proof that such a fine
would prove to be a financial hardship.

In his Petition, Davis did not deny that he operated an
unlicensed radio station and therefore violated Section 301
of the Communications Act.  Rather, he urged the
cancellation of the forfeiture based on an inability to pay
claim. Specifically he asserted that he is currently
unemployed and has no income but Davis did not provide any
financial or other form of documentation to corroborate his
asserted financial status.

In the absence of any supporting financial or other reliable
documentation, the FCC says it has no basis by which to
evaluate Davis's inability to pay claim and are constrained
by the limited record before it.  As such the FCC has denied
the Petition and affirmed the Forfeiture Order.

--

Davis was given the customary 30 days to pay the fine.  If
he fails to do so the matter could be turned over to the
Department of Justice for further action. (FCC)

**

ENFORCEMENT:  WIRELESS CAMERA IN PALM TREE INTERFERES WITH
FAA RADAR

The FCC has issued a Notice of Violation to the Redondo
Beach Marina in Redondo Beach, California.  This, for
operating an unlicensed wireless video surveillance camera
that was found to be causing interference to an FAA Radar
system.

After receiving a complaint from the Federal Aviation
Administration concerning interference to their 1240 to 1300
MHz band radar in San Pedro, California the Los Angeles FCC
Office dispatched agents to investigate the matter.  The
agents used direction finding to locate a radio signal on
1282 MHz emanating from a wireless camera mounted on a Palm
tree in the parking lot of Redondo Beach Marina.  When AC
power to the camera was disconnected, the interference
ceased.

Based on this finding, a cease and desist notice was issued
telling the Marina that use of the wireless camera must stop
immediately.  And in its September 20th letter to the
Redondo Beach Marina it was warned that operation of radio
transmitting equipment without a valid radio station
authorization constitutes a violation of the Federal laws
and could subject the operator of this illegal operation to
severe penalties.  (FCC)

**

HELPING YOUTH:  AMATEUR RADIO SUPPLIES ANNOUNCES YOUTH
GIVEAWAY

Amateur Radio Supplies of Haverhill, Massachusetts, has
announced a new biannual giveaway.  This to promote youth in
amateur radio DXing and contesting.

Beginning January 1st of 2013, the company says that it will
give a complete high frequency station to the selected
applicant.  The gear to be presented will include Alinco DX-
SR8T/E 160 through 6 meter all mode transceiver with a 30
amp power supply, an L-D-G antenna tuner, a choice of an all
band G5RV or HyGain DX-77A Vertical plus just about all the
accessories to put it all on the air.

Applicants from any country under the age of 21 are invited
to provide brief answers to the following three questions.
These are how often are you able to operate on the HF bands?
Where do you typically operate from and how do you intend to
use the equipment provided in the give-away.

Send your answers along with your name, callsign, and
license class using the form at
www.amateurradiosupplies.com/youth-s/222.htm.  Nominations
will also be accepted.

For more information please e-mail Randy Rowe at randy (at)
amateurradiosupplies (dot) com.  Amateur Radio Supplies is a
new company that provides a full line of gear, including
antennas, transceivers, coax, antenna wires and countless
station accessories.

(Michelle Garrett - Project Manager - Amateur Radio
Supplies)

**

SWL NEWS:  MORE TV WATCHERS OPTING OR FREE OVER THE AIR
PROGRMMING

As cable bills rise and the United States economy remains
weak, more Americans are watching television using good old
fashioned antennas.

According to the research firm GfK Media, nearly 18 percent
of all US households with television sets are watching
broadcasts delivered for free over the air.  This is up from
15 percent of homes last year according to research the
firm.  Translated into numbers, that means 20.7 million
homes, or roughly 54 million consumers, now get channels
over the air instead of paying a monthly cable or satellite
bill.

According to the study, 6 percent of TV households, or 6.9
million homes, canceled their cable service at some point in
the past and now rely on free broadcasts.  GfK's report also
found that 16 percent of households downgraded TV service in
the business year through March, while only 11 percent of TV
households said they had increased service.

The report also found that people using Web-connected TV
increased to 34 million households, or 29 percent.  That's
almost double the previous year's 16 percent.  More is on-
line at tinyurl.com/9z4ffj5

(Published News Reports)

**

SWL NEWS:  CANADIAN AM STATIONS LEAVING THE AIR

More AM stations are leaving the medium wave AM broadcast
band in Canada than are coming on the air,  This is
according to the trade publication Radio World that says
since 2009, some sixteen Canadian AM broadcasters have gone
off the air as several have moved to the FM band and
companies closed the least profitable stations.

But in this case more seems better from a profit standpoint.
According to the research firm Statistics Canada, the moves
have allowed AM operating revenues to grow by 1.1% in 2011,
to 311 million Canadian dollars.

A quick search of the Canadian Radio-Television and
Telecommunications Commission site shows 727 commercial
licensed radio stations, not broken down by service.  That
compares to 4,754 commercial licensed AM and 6,568 FM
broadcast entities in the United States according to FCC
figures for the most recent quarter.  (RW)

**

NAMES IN THE NEW:  CHANGES AT CQ AVERTISING DEPARMENT

Some names in the news.  CQ Communications has announced the
appointments of Charlie Payne, ex- WN2AKC, and Jon Kummer,
WA2OJK, to the company's advertising department.  Payne and
Kummer succeed Chip Margelli, K7JA, who has reportedly
resigned to pursue other opportunities in the amateur radio
industry.

According to a press release from CQ, the company's parting
with K7JA was completely amicable, and Margelli still is
ironing out details of his next adventure in the amateur
radio industry.  Meantime, for those in need of contact
information, Charlie Payne may be reached by e-mail
at Charlie (at) cqcomm (dot) com.  Jon Kummer's e-mail is
jon (at) cqcomm (dot) com.  (CQ)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS:  PETER LAKE ZL2AZ NAMED IARU R3 CHAIRMAN

Peter Lake, ZL2AZ, of Wellington, New Zealand, has been
elected as the Chairman of IARU Region 3.  He replaces
Michael Owen, VK3KI, who passed away unexpectedly last
month.  Owen, who was also President of the Wireless
Institute of Australia, had served as Region 3 Chairman
since 2006. (IARU-R3)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS:  RADIO AMATEUR FILES SDR PATENT

And Software Defined Radio is coming of age in the world of
amateur radio.  This with word that Tao Wang, KB3KSR, has
filed a patent for a General-purpose software defined radio
platform.

The patent disclosure describes Wang's invention as a
flexible, compact size, low power consumption, low cost,
high performance software defined radio platform.  One that
can be used in different areas, including industrial
applications, amateur radio, and academic research.

In its present form, Wang's unit is a processing platform
that packs a complete computer inside a pocket size
enclosure.  The invention makes use of a graphic user
interface and touch screen LCD display for interaction with
those who are utilizing it. (Southgate)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS:  HAM-JAM 2012 LWRENCEVILLE GA NOVEMBER 10

On the social scene, HamJam 2012 will take place on
Saturday, November 10th at the Georgia Gwinnett College
Student Center, in Lawrenceville, Georgia.  The event is
open to all radio amateurs and admission is free.  Gerald
Youngblood, K5SDR the C-E-O and President of FlexRadio
Systems, will speak on the future of amateur radio while
Doug Grant, K1DG will do a presentation on Contesting Ethics
and the World Radio Team Championships.  More information on
the web at www.hamjam.info
(SEDXC)

**

HAM HPPENINGS:  FREE CQ WW UPDATE WEBINAR WITH K5ZD

The World Wide Radio Operators Foundation will be sponsoring
an open Webinar on Sunday, October 21st at 19:00 UTC titled
CQ World Wide Update 2012.  Hosted by Randy Thompson, K5ZD,
the on-line gathering will provide an update on the status
of the contest including new rules for 2012, log entry tips,
fair play, and various other topics of interest. Questions
will be taken following the presentation.  Registration for
this free event is on-line at tinyurl.com/cq-ww-webinar.
(WWROF)

**

BREAK 2

This is ham radio news for today's radio amateur.  From the
United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline
with links to the world from our only official website at
www.arnewsline.org and being relayed by the volunteer
services of the following radio amateur:

(5 sec pause here)

**

CHANGING OF THE GUARD:  SID T. MAY ET3SID/AB3OZ/G4CTQ, SK

The changing of the guard in ham radio continues with word
of the passing of Sid T. May, who held the callsigns ET3SID,
AB3OZ and G4CTQ.  May was the chairman of the Ethiopian
Amateur Radio Society and credited with setting up the first
amateur radio club of Ethiopia in 1993.  He had also been
teaching amateur radio courses to Ethiopian students for
more than 15 years and was also a volunteer examiner who
administered both U-K and United States amateur exams in
Ethiopia.
(Southgate)

**

INTRUDER REPORT:  CHINESE OTH RADAR GAIN HRASSING 40 METERS

The IARU Monitoring System newsletter reports that Radio
Hargeisa is operating on 7.120 MHz and that Chinese
surveillance radar in the amateur radio 40 meter band is now
stronger than ever before

According to the report, the pesky Chinese Over the Horizon
Radar had left the 40 meter band for few weeks.  But now its
reported back with a very strong burst system.  One that is
at least 10 kHz wide and has an almost S9 signal, world-
wide.  IARU Regions 1 and 3 are reported to be severely
affected by it.

More about both of these situations is on-line at
tinyurl.com/china-radar-again.  (IRUMS)

**

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY:  DISSOLVABLE BIO-MED ELECTRONICS

Ultra-thin electronics that dissolve inside the body have
been devised by scientists in the US and could be used for a
range of medical roles.

According to research published in the journal Science the
components are made of silicon and magnesium oxide and
placed in a protective layer of silk.  Once their job has
been completed these devices can simply melt away with the
speed of melting is controlled by silk.

The technology has already been used to heat a wound to keep
it free from infection by bacteria.  More is on-line at
tinyurl.com/melting-electronics.  (BBC)

**

WORLDBEAT:  UK AUTO MANUFACTURERS NOT SUPPORTING DIGITAL
RADIO BROADCASTING

The United Kingdom's government mandated switchover date for
digital radio may need to be extended several years.  This
following a new survey of car manufacturers that reveals at
least half are steering clear of the new entertainment
technology.

As part of its Digital Britain vision, the UK Department for
Culture, Media and Sport named 2015 as the deadline for
turning off its ageing but very popular analogue radio
network, in favor of one based on digital standards.  The
move would mean the majority of today's in-car tuners as
well as home radio sets would cease to function overnight.

But new findings from Auto Express Magazine suggest the
switchover could now be delayed until 2017 or later.  This
after a survey of 24 mainstream car manufacturers by the
publication has revealed that 50 percent do not offer any
digital radio units for their model range, even as an
optional extra.  Also, almost 60 per cent of new vehicles
registered this in the U.K. this year came with no option
for the installation of a digital radio receiver.  (Auto
Express, Southgate)

**

WORDBEAT:  BELEGIUM HAMS ASSIST IN NEW FREE WIFI SYSTM

The Belgian national society the U-B-A reports on the
involvement of radio amateurs in getting free WiFi in the
city of Geraardsbergen.  The UBA says that O6RY and ON3FDS
worked with the city officials to bring about the new WiFi
service and in the process generated some valuable public
relations for the amateur radio in that nation.  More about
this story is on-line at tinyurl.com/ham-radio-wifi
 (Southgate)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  EQUISAT HAM-SAT TO CARRY OPTICAL BEAON

Students at the Brown University are developing an amateur
radio satellite called EQUiSat that will carry an
interesting optical beacon.  The bird will use a Xenon Flash
Tube that should be visible to the unaided eye of observers
on Earth.  A radio beacon is planned to operate in the 435
to 438 MHz range.  Launch is hoped for in the 2015 time
frame into an orbit of about 300 kilometers.  That should
give the satellite a life-time of a couple of months.

(EQUiSat, Southgate)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  BUAA-SAT PLANNED FOTR 2014 LAUNCH

BUAA-SAT is a micro-satellite project developed by the
students of Beijing University carries an amateur radio 435
and 145 MHz FM voice transponder.  Plans call for it to be
launched into a 600 by 800 kilometer Sun Synchronous Orbit
in late 2014.  Its primary missions are to study the
application of components used in the onboard electronic
system, to demonstrate the coil-able mast deployment
mechanism and to carry out imaging using three CMOS cameras.
More is on-line at http://sat.buaa.edu.cn/

(AMSAT-UK)

**

ON THE AIR:  SAGA INTERNATIONAL BALLOON FESTIVAL

On the air, please listen out for special event callsign 8-J-
6-B-A-L to be aired on all bands and modes between through
November 5th in celebration of the 2012 Saga International
Balloon Fiesta.  This is an Asian maximum grade Hot Air
Balloon International Festival in Saga City, Japan.  More
information is on-line at www (dot) sibf (dot) jp slash e.
QSL via the JARL bureau.

(Southgate)

**

DX

In DX, word that ON4AFU will be on the air from Ko Butang
Island October 26th to November 4th as HS0ZJF stroke 9.  He
will be active on High Frequency bands on CW only.  QSL via
ON4AFU

7L4DXT and K1GI will be operational from Sint Maarten
Island from November 18th to the 24th as
PJ7XK and PJ7I respectively. They will be active on 160
through 10 meters on CW, SSB and some Digital modes.  QSL
PJ7XK via 7L4DXT and PJ7I via JG2BRI

KI5SF reports that he will be operational portable KH6 from
about 0100 UTC October 26th to 10:00 UTC October 27th.
Listen out for him on 160 through 6 meters except for 60
meters on SSB and CW.  QSL to KI5SF.

A group of operators from Switzerland will be active
from Aitutaki Island in the Cook Island chain from November
12th to the 30th using the call signs E51C, E51ABS, E51BZD
and E51CHX.  Listen out for them on 80 through 10 meters
using CW, SSB, and PSK.  QSL this operation via HB9BXU

JA7HMZ and JA7EPO will be active from Pohnpei Island from
November 23rd to the 28 as V63DX and V63EPO.  They also plan
to operate in CQ World Wide DX CW Contest on November 24th
and 25th as V6A.  QSL V63DX via JA7HMZ, V63EOP via
JA7EPO and V6A via JA7HMZ.

JH1EAQ will be active from Palau in CQ World Wide DX SSB
Contest On October 27th and 28th as T88EB.  QSL via home
call only.

Lastly, looking to the future comes word that G3SWH and
G3RTE will be active from Guadalcanal Island in the Solomon
Islands from February 18th to the 28th of 2013.  The
callsign to be used will be H44KW operating on 80 through 10
meters using CW only.  QSL via G3SWH direct or via the
bureau.

**

THAT FINAL ITEM:  BIG ANTENNA WIN DOWN-UNDER ANGERS
NEIGHNORS

And finally this week, a New Zealand ham has won a major
tower and antenna victory but his neighbors are far from
happy with the city council's decision.  This, even before
the antenna system is erected.  Amateur Radio Newsline's Jim
Meachen, Zed-L-2-B-H-F, reports from down-under:

--

Pyes Pa, New Zealand residents concerned about the proposed
installation of a 20 meter high radio antenna are
disappointed that the Tauranga City Council won't fight a
legal battle on their behalf.

Residents of Veda Glen have petitioned the city council to
appeal an Environment Court decision which allows amateur
radio enthusiasts to erect radio masts up to 20 meters or 65
feet high.  They say a radio antenna proposed by a neighbor
would be an eyesore, create wind noise and devalue their
properties.

While Councilors seemed to sympathize with the residents'
plight they also said that based on their legal advice, an
appeal to the High Court would be pointless.  The council
had previously tried to restrict private radio masts to a
maximum height of 9 meters or about 30 feet.  However an
appeal to the Environment Court by the Tauranga Emergency
Communications Group and the New Zealand Association of
Radio Transmitters saw the maximum height raised to the 20
meter maximum.

Council senior policy planner Campbell Larking told
councilors approximately $100,000 New Zealand dollars had
been spent fighting the case in the Environment Court, and
he estimated an appeal to the High Court would cost another
$50,000.  Also that a High Court ruling would not be binding
and the matter would simply be sent back to the same
Environment Court judge to re-consider.

A resolution proposed by Councilor Murray Guy, which sought
to launch an investigation into Environment Court and City
Plan processes in order to enhance community consultation
did not find enough support and failed.

The bottom line is that the unnamed ham can put up his 65
foot high mast along with the antenna that will sit on top
of it.  It's unknown when that installation will be
completed.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, in
Nelson, New Zealand.

--

Outside the chambers, the residents said a legal challenge
was outside their reach and they were disappointed the
council had backed away from fighting the case on their
behalf.  (bayofplentytimes.co.nz)

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE

With thanks to Alan Labs, AMSAT, the ARRL, the CGC
Communicator, CQ Magazine, the FCC, the Ohio Penn DX
Bulletin, Radio Netherlands, Rain, the RSGB, the Southgate
News, TWiT-TV and Australia's W-I-A News, that's all from
the Amateur Radio NewslineT.  Our e-mail address is newsline
(at) arnewsline (dot) org.  More information is available at
Amateur Radio Newsline'sT only official website located at
www.arnewsline.org.  You can also write to us or support us
at Amateur Radio NewslineT, 28197 Robin Avenue, Santa
Clarita California, 91350

For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors' desk,
I'm Skeeter Nash, N5ASH, near Houston Texas saying 73 and we
thank you for listening.

Amateur Radio NewslineT is Copyright 2012.  All rights

Friday, October 5, 2012

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1833 - September 28 2012







Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1833 with a release
date of September 28 2012 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST.  Dedicated Cubesat downlinks to be
discussed at WRC 2018; Ofcom lifts spectrum restrictions
imposed because of London Summer Olympics; Kosovo takes to
the ham radio airwaves and the results of the World Radio
Direction Finding competition.  Find out the details are on
Amateur Radio NewslineT report number 1833 coming your way
right now.


(Billboard Cart Here)


**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  DEDICATED CUBESAT DOWNLINKS FOR
DISCUSSION AT WRC-18

IARU Secretary Rod Stafford, W6ROD, reports that the
International Amateur Radio Union's Administrative Council
will meet in the next 45 days to address the agenda items
for the 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference.  Planning
for the dedicated spectrum for university research cubesats
will begin at that gathering, but the actual allocation of
frequencies may not occur until the 2018 World
Radiocommunication Conference.

In an article posted on the ARRL web, Stafford noted, "A lot
of radio amateurs are aware of the increasing use of amateur
spectrum by small satellites, mainly by universities.  It is
becoming an increasingly difficult situation to accommodate
the number of small, non-commercial satellites within the
amateur bands.  These education-based satellites do not
really fit within the definition of the Amateur Radio
Service, but have been accommodated there.

According to W6ROD, these small birds are categorized as
nano-satellites weighing between 1 to 10 kilogram and pico-
satellites weighing less than 1 kilogram.  The International
Telecommunications Union is trying to deal with this issue
in an orderly manner and a `preliminary' WRC-18 agenda item
is to consider whether these satellite operations can be
accommodated in an already crowded radio spectrum is being
researched.

Stafford concludes by noting that as these issues develop,
the IARU will keep its Member-Societies, such as the ARRL,
aware of developments with an eye to building the best
strategy to deal with those agenda items in a way that is
most favorable to the Amateur Radio Service.

You can read the full article, including many other IARU
agenda items at tinyurl.com/looking-at-tinysats.  (ANS,
ARRL)

**

RESCUE RADIO:  UK PARISHES ABANDONING EMCOMM SYSTEM FOR
CELLPHONES AND RAYNET

An emergency radio system that has provided a lifeline to
Heathfield in the United Kingdom for 25 years is to be
scrapped and to be replaced by cellular telephones.  But
users of the ageing service have criticized the decision to
rely on patchy mobile phone service in an emergency.  Bill
Pasternak, WA6ITF, has the details:

--

That's right Jim.  It is supposed to go away and here's why.

The radio system was created back in 1987 after what has
been called the Great Storm.  Six parishes still have the
gear in service to use emergency situations.

But the district council now wants to abolish them because
they are too expensive to maintain.  The council pays 3,600
British Pounds a year to maintain the radio gear and a
repeater that they are used through.

Parish councilor Bob Wood who has one of the old radios.  He
says that while thee gear my be old and possibly inadequate
for what they want, that doing away with them is silly.  He
notes that mobile phone networks can only hold a certain
number of calls at a time if an emergency happens.

But according to Jim van den Bos, of the District Council,
the Wealden emergency radio network radio equipment is now
old, less reliable and more difficult to repair.  He says
that last year a survey of parishes was conducted asking
which had been active in the network over the past three
years.  Out of the 15 who took part, only seven were in
favor of continuing.

So what will happen when the old emergency radio system
falls silent?  According to van den Bos it will likely be
ham radio that will be used to augment the cellular network.
In a statement he said that the council supports local
members of a network of amateur radio users called RAYNET
who are willing to respond in an emergency.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF,
in the newsroom in Los Angeles.

--

RAYNET in the UK would be quite similar to a combined RACES
and ARES here in the United States.  (Sussix Courier,
Northcliff Media, Southgate)

**

RADIO LAW:  OFCOM LIFTS TEMPORARY SPECTRUM RESTRICTIONS ON
UHF AND SHF BANDS USED FOR OLYMPICS

UK telecommunications regulator Ofcom has announced that as
of midnight on September 23rd, temporary operating
restrictions on parts of the 70 centimeter and several
microwave bands have come to an end.  The restrictions on
spectrum usage by British radio amateurs had been put in
place to permit use of several spectral parcels in relation
to the now conceded 2012 London Summer Olympic and
Paralympic Games.  (RSGB)

**

BREAKING DX NEWS:  KOSOVO NOW OFFICIALLY ON THE AIR

The Republic of Kosovo is now officially on the air. Station
Z-60-K near Pristina commenced amateur radio operation
shortly after 1700 UTC on September 17th.  The call had been
issued to the club station of the Amateur Radio Association
of Kosovo.  For this operation QSL via G3TXF or using
ClubLog.

It has to be noted that as Kosovo is not yet a member of the
United Nations nor does it have an assigned callsign block
allocated by the International Telecommunications Union, it
does not meet the established requirements of the ARRL's
DXCC program at this time.   However CQ has recognized
Kosovo as a separate entity for its award and contest
programs since 2007.  More is on line at www.art-ks.org
(DXNL, CQ Newsroom)

**

DX SPECIAL:  AZORES 9 ISLANDS HUNT SEPT 29 - 30

While short notice, all nine of the Azores islands will be
operational from 12:00 UTC on Saturday, September 29th
through 12:00 UTC on Sunday September 30th.  This a part of
the Azores 9 Islands Hunt operating event.

Callsigns to be used are CU1ARM from Santa Maria; CU2ARA
from San Miguel; CU3URA on Terceira; CU4ARG from Graciosa;
CU5AM on Sao Jorge; CU6GRP on Pico; CU7CRA from Faial;
CU8ARF on Flores and CU9AC operating on Corvo.

Operations on CW will be from 7.000 to 7.015, 14.050 to
14.065 and 18.080 to 18.090 MHz.  SSB phone operations will
be found on 7.175 to 7.195, 14.250 to 14. 275 and 18.120
through 18.135 MHz.

But that's not all.  Those holding a QSO with at least 5
different islands will have a corresponding number of
tickets placed into a lottery for a free trip to the Azores.
Additionally, the first 25 operators making QSOs with all 9
islands will be eligible for a second lottery.

All QSOs will be confirmed through the bureau network with
special full-color cards. Direct QSL requests via CU2CE.
More information on this activation and trip give-away is on-
line at azores-islands-hunt.com. And we will have more DX
related news at the end of this weeks Amateur Radio Newsline
report.  (OH2BH)

**

BREAK 1

From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world
including the Dirty Dozen Club Net in Des Moines Iowa.

(5 sec pause here)


**

ENFORCEMENT:  YET ANOTHER FLORIDA UNLICENSED BROADCASTER
BUSTED BY THE FCC

From the seemingly never ending Florida unlicensed radio
station scene comes word that the FCC's Miami Office has
issued yet another Notice of Apparent Liability to Monetary
Forfeiture.  This time the recipient of a proposed $10,000
fine is Burt Byng of Miami who the regulatory agency claims
operating an unlicensed radio transmitter on the frequency
107.1 MHz.  Amateur Radio Newsline's Bruce Tennant, K6PZW,
reports:

--

By way of background, this past February 9th agents from the
Enforcement Bureau's Miami Office T-hunted the source of a
signal on the 107.1 MHz to a transmitting antenna mounted on
the roof of a commercial property in Miami.  The agents
determined that the signals on 107.1 MHz exceeded the limits
for operation under Part 15 of the Commission's rules and
therefore required a license.  While monitoring the
transmission, the agents also heard the station identify
itself on the air as "WEROC Radio."  Commission records
showed that no authorization was issued to Burt Byng or to
anyone else for operation of an FM broadcast station at or
near this address.

On the same date, agents from the Miami Office, accompanied
by the property owner, inspected the unlicensed station's
antenna and transmitter located on the rooftop of the
commercial building.  According to information provided by
the property owner, a company called J & B Enterprise US,
Inc. was the tenant of the particular area where the
transmitting equipment was located.

The property owner provided a copy of Burt Byng's driver's
license and identified him as the individual who rented the
rooftop space.   According to Florida records, Byng is the
President of an inactive business named "J & B Enterprises
US, Inc."

While researching the matter the agents also discovered that
Mr. Byng registered the domain name, ww.werocradio.com, a
webpage for "WEROC Radio."  The agents also noticed that the
phone number listed in the domain registration was the same
phone number listed on in the information provided by the
property owner.

In issuing the $10,000 NAL the FCC says that it finds that
the record evidence in this case is sufficient to establish
that Burt Byng violated Section 301 of the Act by operating
radio transmission equipment without the required Commission
authorization.   As such he is liable for the proposed fine.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, in
Los Angeles

--.

As is usual, Byng was given the customary 30 days to pay the
$10,000 NAL or to file an appeal.  (FCC)

**

RADIO LAW:  FCC EXTENDS COMMENTARY DEADLINE ON MD DOCKET 12-
201

The public as well as concerned industries have been given
more time to tell the FCC what they think of the agency's
process for collecting regulatory fees as outlined in MD
Docket 12-201.  Originally, comments on commission proposals
to reform the way in which it evaluates the regulatory fees
for the industries it regulates were due by September 17th.
While that date has passed, the agency has announced that
the new commentary cutoff date is October 9th, with reply
comments due by October 23rd.

The FCC also says that it would also like to receive
comments on a recent report from the Government
Accountability Office.  That report is titled "The Federal
Communications Commission Regulatory Fee Process Needs to Be
Updated."  In that document the Accountability Office
observes, among other things, that the commission's
regulatory fee, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposes some
fundamental changes to FCC's regulatory fee program that
relate to many of the concerns raised in its report. (FCC,
RW)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS:  LAST MAN STANDING K6T SPECIAL EVENT
CANCELLED

The highly publicized Last Man Standing K6T operating event
will not take place.  This according to the television shows
Producer John Amodeo, NN6JA.

The thank you to the ham radio community had been slated to
happen on Sunday, October 28th.  According to Amodeo the
decision to cancel was based on concerns about a possible
violation of FCC Regulation 97.113(a)(3).

For those not aware, this rule bars any communications using
ham radio in which the station licensee or control operator
has a pecuniary interest.  It also precludes any
communications on behalf of an employer.

In making the announcement Amodeo notes that while everyone
involved with the planned operation are very disappointed
with the cancellation of what would have a fun, one of a
kind event, that as a licensed radio amateur and producer of
broadcast programs, compliance with FCC rules must take
precedence.

Special event station K6T would have worked hams from around
world on HF, VHF, UHF, D-STAR and IRLP.  While that's not
going to take place the good news is that the ham station
that is a part of the set of Last Man Standing will remain
and continue to be a part of the shows ongoing plot line.
(NN6JA)

**

PUBLIC SERVICE:  HAM RADIO AT THE USAF MARATHON

David Crawford, KF4KWW, reports that over fifty amateur
radio operators from all over the greater Dayton, Ohio. area
and coming from as far away as Detroit, Michigan, recently
converged on Wright Patterson Air Force Base.  This, support
the 2012 United States Air Force Marathon held on Saturday,
September 15th.

Ham radio operators provided emergency and logistic
communications between the race director and his staff.
They also assisted with communications to the hydration
stations positioned throughout the course.

The United States Air Force Marathon is described as a world
class event with over 15000 participants registered and
another estimated 15000 volunteers and spectators in
attendance.  Amateur radio operators were indispensable in
communicating information on runner's locations and status,
weather heat indexes settings, severe weather notifications
and logistic issues.

Robert Aguiar is the marathon Race Director.  He says that
the senior base leaders of the event have come rely on the
communication skills of the amateur radios operators and use
them a as a vital resource.  He adds that this race would be
extremely difficult if not impossible to accomplish without
their support and dedication.  More about this event is on-
line at www.usafmarathon.com.  (KF4KWW)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS:  AMATEUR RADIO TO ASSIST AT VK NATIONAL FUN
FLIGHT DAY 2012

Amateur Radio will once again be a part of Australia's
National Fun Flight Day this coming November 4th.  Amateur
Radio Newsline's Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, has the details:

--

National Fun Flight Day is an event staged by Australian
flying clubs to provide pleasure flights for children and
families touched by adversity.  Amateur radio began its
association with this event back in 2011.  Thats when the
Victoria-based Midland Amateur Radio Club and its station
VK3CMZ were invited to participate in the National FunFlight
Day by the Bendigo Flying Club.  The Midland Club was more
than happy to oblige and an operating High Frequency, VHF
and UHF station was set up at the event site.  A handheld in
a plane also provided communication back to children on the
ground.

The operation was deemed a major success and the Midland
Committee saw it as a worthwhile national amateur radio
event.  So it then approached the FunFlight manager
regarding other amateur clubs' participation.  The result of
the meeting was very positive and contact information has
now been provided to participating flying clubs so that they
can contact their nearest amateur radio club.

For the amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, in
Nelson, New Zealand.

--

More event information on this fun in the sky event down-
under is on-line at www.funflight.org.  (Midland Amateur
Radio Club)

**

WITH ARNEWSLINE:  ARNEWSLINE FACEBOOK PAGES BREAKS 1000
BARRIER

The Amateur Radio Newsline fan page on Facebook has just
passed the 1000 subscriber point.  In fact, as we go to air,
the number of members subscribed stands at 1004.

The page is managed for Amateur Radio Newsline by James
Pastorfield, KB7TBT, who devotes a lot of time and energy to
it.  So as we pass the 1000 mark and hopefully head toward
2000 or more, we want to pause to thank KB7TBT for his
volunteerism in making the page possible and to all of you
who contribute to it.

If you are on Facebook but have not yet joined the Amateur
Radio Newsline family, you can find us there at by simply
typing Amateur Radio Newsline in the blue Facebook search
line.  We would love to have you there with us.
(ARNewslineT)

**


NAMES IN THE NEWS: BILL TYNAN W3XO TO RECEIVE RCA BARRY
GOLDWATER AWARD

The Radio Club of America has announced that former AMSAT
North America President Bill Tynan, W3XO, is to be the
recipient of its 2012 Barry Goldwater Amateur Radio Award.
The award recognizes Tynan's lifelong service to the public
through amateur radio.

The award will be presented to W3XO at the club's annual
awards banquet in New York on November 16th.  ARRL Chief
Executive Officer Dave Sumner, K1ZZ, will be the keynote
speaker at the event.  (RCA, W2RS)

**

BREAK 2

This is ham radio news for today's radio amateur.  From the
United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline
with links to the world from our only official website at
www.arnewsline.org and being relayed by the volunteer
services of the following radio amateur:

(5 sec pause here)

**

THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD:  WIA PRESIDENT MICHAEL OWEN,
VK3SI - S.K.

The changing of the guard in our service continues.  This,
with the sad news that Michael Owen, VK3KI, the Chairman of
Region III of the International Amateur Radio Union and
President of the Wireless Institute of Australia has became
a Silent Key.

Owen's sudden passing came after suffering what is only
being described as a medical condition at his home on
Saturday, September the 22nd.

During his many volunteer years, Owen, who was age 75 at the
time of his passing, participated in many IARU committees
and had been a member of the IARU Observer Team at a number
of World Radiocommunication Conferences.  He served as IARU
Vice President from 1989 to 1999 and is perhaps best
remembered for his work on a package of revisions to the
international Radio Regulations.  These were specific to the
Amateur Radio and Amateur Satellite services and presented
at the 2003 World Radiocommunications Conference.

Michael Owen, VK3KI, is survived by his wife Nan, and his
two daughters. His funeral was to be held on Friday,
September 28th at St Andrews Anglican Church in Brighton.
Australia.  Condolence messages can be sent via the Wireless
Institute of Australia by e-mail to condolences (at) WIA
(dot) org (dot) au or direct to the surviving family members
at PO Box 2042, Bayswater, Victoria 3153 Australia.
(WIA, VK6POP)

**
WORLDBEAT:  NEW FOCUS FOR RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE

The Board of Supervisors of Radio Netherlands Worldwide has
appointed William Valkenburg as editor-in-chief.  This,
effective January 1st of  2013.

According to the announcement, Valkenburg will set out the
new course for the organization with the recently appointed
director general Robert Zaal.  The broadcaster will focus on
free speech in countries where press freedom is limited and
Valkenburg will take responsibility for journalism within
the organization.

As of 2013, Radio Netherlands Worldwide's main focus will be
on Africa, and the Arab World, as well as countries such as
China, Cuba and Venezuela. (RW)

**

WORLDBEAT:  FRENCH POLYNESIA GETS BROADBAND ACCESS

Another remote area of the world is now on-line.  Amateur
Radio Newsline's Skeeter Nash, N5ASH, has the details:

--

High speed Internet access has come to the islands of the
South Pacific.  This with word that OmniAccess has expanded
its network coverage in the remote French Polynesian
islands.

The news follows the company's investment into the opening
of a high-capacity network on the Intelsat 18 satellite that
first became operational in November 2011. This provides the
capacity to enable enhanced broadband internet coverage and
network services via Ku-band coverage platform to that
isolated part of the world.

As a result, for the first time private yachts, charter
yachts and commercial vessels cruising in the region can now
benefit from high quality uninterrupted broadband
connectivity via the new high speed service.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Skeeter Nash, N5ASH,
reporting.

--

More on this new service can be found by going to
www.noonsite.com and using the search engine at that
website.  (noonsite.com via K4CPX)

**

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY:  DARC AND GERMAN NSI COLLABORATE ON
FIELD STRENGTH ARTICLE

The National Standards Institute of Germany in cooperation
with the Deutscher Amateur Radio Club have jointly authored
an article on the calibration of field strength monitors
that has been published in the publication Advances in Radio
Science'.  The article covers a detailed description of a
possible calibration setup including uncertainty
calculations.  You can download an abstract and the full
article at tinyurl.com/field-strength-monitors.  (DARC)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS:  WESTERN STATES VHF/UHF WEAK SIGNAL NET ON
SUNDAYS

The Western States VHF/UHF Weak Signal 75m Net meets every
Sunday on 3.920 MHz at 17:30 Pacific Daylight Time.  This
net is a wide ranging discussion dealing with all aspects of
VHF to microwave building, contesting, and operating. More
about this weekly gathering is on-line at www.weaksig.net
(N8DEZ)

**

DX

In DX, G0VJG will be operational stroke 3A from Monaco
between October 1st and the 5th.  His activity will be on
the High Frequency bands using 100 watts on SSB only.  QSL
via G4DFI.

A multi-national team is on the air from Conway Reef in the
South Pacific Ocean.  They plan to be there through October
5th using the callsign will be 3D2C.  Their QSL manager is
YT1AD.

DL7VSN will be active from Tanzania through October 13th.
His operation will be from two locations using the 5H1HS
from Zanzibar Island and 5H1HS/3 from Lazy Lagoon Island.
Activity is expected on 160 through 10 meters using mainly
CW and RTTY.  QSL via his home callsign.  More about his
operation is on-line at Visit his Web page at
www.qsl.net/dl7vsn

Lastly word that DJ7RJ who was expected to be active stroke
FR from Reunion Island between September 26th and October
21st, has announced he had to cancel his trip. No reason for
the cancellation was given.
(Above from various DX news sources)

**

THAT FINAL ITEM:

And finally this week, hidden transmitter hunters held their
world championships this month and hams from the USA came
home with more medals than ever.  Amateur Radio Newsline's
Joe Moell, K0OV, the details.

--

Every two years, on-foot hidden transmitter hunters get
together to see who is best in the world. The Sixteenth
World Championships of Amateur Radio Direction Finding, or
ARDF, took place at a ski resort in the mountains of central
Serbia. In these big forests, about 330 foxhunters from 33
countries searched for transmitters on two meters and 80
meters using direction finding gear, maps, and compasses,
but no GPS. USA was represented by nine men and four women
from six states. They ranged in age from 27 to 71.

In previous world championships, USA has won no more than
two medals, and no golds. But this year, the team members
packed thirteen medals into their suitcases, including four
golds.

Standing on the medal podium and hearing the Star-Spangled
Banner the most times was Bob Cooley KF6VSE of Pleasanton,
California. He won two golds in the division for men over
age 70 in the World Cup competition for individuals and
another gold for his two-meter run during the main ARDF
competitions. Also winning a playing of our national anthem
was Vadim Afonkin KB1RLI of Newton, Massachusetts, who was
this year's Team Captain. His gold medal was in the 80-meter
ARDF competition.

Other Team USA members on the podium included Jay Hennigan
WB6RDV of Goleta, California, who was a silver medalist on
80 meters. Winning bronze in their divisions on that band
were Alla Mezhevaya of Loves Park, Illinois, Ruth Bromer
WB4QZG of Raleigh, North Carolina and Karla Leach KC7BLA of
Bozeman, Montana.

Team USA members earned their right to go to Serbia by
medaling in the USA ARDF Championships this June at Mt.
Laguna, California and in earlier US championships.

You can read more about Team USA and the ARDF World
Championships at www.homingin.com. There are plenty of
photos, plus links to the complete results. That's homingin,
as one word, homingin.com.

From southern California, where ARDF activities take place
all year long, this is Joe Moell, K0OV, for the Amateur
Radio Newsline.

--

Again, more information is on-line at www.homingin.com.  And
"homingin" is spelled as one word.  (K0OV)

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE

With thanks to Alan Labs, AMSAT, the ARRL, the CGC
Communicator, CQ Magazine, the FCC, the Ohio Penn DX
Bulletin, Radio Netherlands, Rain, the RSGB, the Southgate
News, TWiT-TV and Australia's WIA News, that's all from the
Amateur Radio NewslineT.  Our e-mail address is newsline(at)
arnewsline (dot) org.  More information is available at
Amateur Radio Newsline'sT only official website located at
www.arnewsline.org.

And a reminder to those of you who still receive these
newscasts over our 661-296-2407 dial in line rater than
downloading the MP3 file from our website.  Of late we have
noticed a major decline in the number of those calling into
it and as such we are giving consideration to discontinuing
it by years end.  But before we do, we want to know how many
people are actually using it.  If you are one of those who
call in each week on the phone, please send us a note
telling us who you are and the reason you are using
telephone access rather than simply downloading the newscast
from the Internet.

Our address is the Amateur Radio Newsline, 28197 Robin
Avenue, Saugus California, 91350.  Or, as we said, you can e-
mail us at newsline (at) arnewsline (dot) org.  We look
forward to hearing from you.

For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors' desk,
I'm Jim Damron, N8TMW, saying 73 from Charleston, West
Virginia.  And, as always, we thank you for listening.

Amateur Radio NewslineT is Copyright 2012.  All rights
reserved.