Friday, June 29, 2012

Amateur Radio Newsline T Report 1820 - June 29 2012






Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1820 with a release
date of June 29, 2012 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a Q-S-T. Ham radio continues its aid in
response to wildfires in Colorado; hams in Sri Lanka say
they want to be included in ham radio emergency
communications; big changes coming to 70 centimeters down
under; a day change for Ham Nation and a new method of data
transfer could reach 2 point 5 terabytes per second. Find
out the details are on Amateur Radio NewslineT report number
1820 coming your way right now.


(Billboard Cart Here)


**

RESCUE RADIO: COLORADO AND NEW MEXICO FIRE UPDATE

We begin this week with an update on ham radio assisting
those fighting the wildfires burning in Colorado and New
Mexico. Don Carlson, KQ6FM, has what's known so far:

--

According to a report in the Denver Post, ham radio
operators have become an integral part of the fire fighting
effort. A story talks about the contributions of Amateur
Radio Emergency Service operators. It describes in detail
the work of Randy Long, K7AVV, who the paper says is a ham
radio operator asked by firefighters to find more volunteers
to aid communication in the High Park fire zone.

Since then Long has been managing a team of ham radio
operators staffing eight hour shifts around the clock. They
are described as setting up portable repeaters and relaying
messages between the fire lines and command posts. About 40
operators have so far volunteered. Long is an Amateur Radio
Emergency Service coordinator for Larimer and Weld counties
who was forced to evacuate from his home southeast of
Buckhorn Mountain.

Also involved in the Colorado fire communications effort is
Colorado Section Emergency Coordinator Robert Wareham,
N0ESQ, Long, Wareham and the other ARES volunteers were
reported to be at the National Guard Armory in Fort Collins.
They became an integral part of the communications effort as
the High Park fire encircled Buckhorn and Horsetooth
mountains. That's where critical hubs of Larimer County
public safety communications towers stand.

The Post story notes that as a part of their hobby amateur
radio operators have set up about 50 mountaintop repeaters
around northern Colorado. If the public service
communication systems were damaged or forced off line, the
hams could provide alternate communications through one of
their repeaters or set up a portable repeater to fill in any
gap.

Agencies being served by ARES volunteers include the Larimer
County Sheriff, American Red Cross, US Forest Service,
Colorado State Patrol, and the High Park Fire Incident
Management team of the Poudre Park Fire Department.

Yet another massive wildfire broke out near the city of
Colorado Springs on Saturday, June 23rd. Called the Waldo
Canyon Fire this blaze suddenly grew to a level of fierce on
Tuesday, June 26th. So far it has forced 32,000 people from
their homes and has prompted evacuations from the near-by
United States Air Force Academy. The fire is reported to
literally be swallowing numerous houses at the edge of
Colorado Springs. As we go to air there is no word of any
direct involvement by ARES or RACES teams but its likely
that some amateur radio communications lines are already on-
scene.

Meanwhile in New Mexico, ham radio operations have stood
down following the Little Bear Fire in and around the city
of Riudoso. Michael Scales, K5SCA, is the New Mexico Section
Emergency Coordinator. In a note released on June 17th and
relayed to Newsline by Jay Miller, W5WHN, all personnel
have been released at this point. However they should be
aware that the new threat is flash flooding. With that in
mind they should remain somewhat vigilant and have their "go
kits" ready for deployment.

The Little Bear Fire destroyed 224 homes and had burned 59
square miles before it was 60 percent contained. As
reported here two weeks ago, several New Mexico ARES units
responded to that blaze.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Don Carlson, KQ6FM, in
Reno.

--

More on this situation as information is made available to
us. (W5WHN, Denver Post, others)

**

RESCUE RADIO: SRI LANKA HAMS OFFER TO ASSIST IN EMCOMM WORK

Sri Lanka's amateur radio operators have renewed their call
to be included in communication work during national
disasters. This after the nation's defense authorities have
relaxed rules on clearing ham radio equipment into that
nation.

The report in Lanka Business quotes Radio Society of Sri
Lanka official, Victor Goonetilleke, 4S7VK, as saying that
Sri Lankan hams would like to join-up with the National
Disaster Management Centre in some way. This, to help them
with emergency communication work.

4S7VK spoke during a recent public lecture on Disaster Risk
Reduction, organized by LIRNEasia, which is a regional think-
tank. At the gathering it was noted that with some 200
members the Radio Society of Sri Lanka is not new to
disaster communications in the island. It was noted that
the society played a crucial role during the 2004 Asian
tsunami that claimed over 30,000 lives and displacing about
one million people. More is on-line at tinyurl.com/srilanka-
emcomm and in this case srilanka is spelled as one word.
(Radio Society of Sri Lanka)

**

RESTRUCTURING: PROPOSED REFARMING OF 70CM IN AUSTRALIA

Big changes are coming to the amateur 70 centimeter band
down under. We have more in this report:

--

The Australian Communications and Media Authority's Spectrum
Conference this year saw the ongoing work associated on the
review of 400 MHz spectrum. This is a band of frequencies
that also includes the 70 centimeter ham radio allocation.

Currently, the Australian amateur service has a secondary
status between 420 and 450 MHz. In the last report from the
Australian Communications and Media Authority on its review
issued April 2010, it advised that the allocation for the
amateur service between 430 and 450 MHz would not be
affected from any rearrangement. However, they cited, a
possible need for some temporary use by other services in
the segment 440 to 450 MHz during the transition period.

In the Amateur secondary segment 420 to 430 MHz, in some
geographic areas around Australia, amateur use of that
spectrum has already been withdrawn. At the conference, the
Australian Communications and Media Authority indicated that
they will be seeking to consult with the Wireless Institute
of Australia on withdrawal of the amateur service in this
segment across the rest of that nation.

Currently, the major use of this band segment by amateurs is
fixed links and the like. The Australian Communications and
Media Authority database lists around 126 assignments to
some 35 licensees. It is expected these can be relocated to
the 430 to 450 MHz portion of the band.

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

--

You can follow this story on-line on the Wireless Institute
of Australia news-pages at www.wia.org.au (WIA News)

**

RESTRUCTURING: NEW LOW FREQUENCY ALLOCATION IN MALTA

Hams in Malta now have access to a new low frequency band.
The as the Malta Communications Authority grants amateurs
access to 472 to 479 kHz. The country's National Frequency
Plan identifies this as a secondary allocation, with a
maximum power of 1 watt Effective Radiated Power. (GB2RS)

**

BREAK 1

From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world
including the N5YYU repeater serving Clinton, Arkansas.

(5 sec pause here)


**

ENFORCEMENT: FCC ISSUES A $15000 NAL TO ANOTHER FLORIDA
UNLICENSED BROADCASTER

The FCC has issued a $15,000 Notice of Apparent Liability
also known as a proposed fine to Pierre Nixon Jean. This,
for operating an unauthorized station on 92.5 MHz in West
Palm Beach, Florida. Amateur Radio Newsline's Norm Seeley,
KI7UP, has the details:

--

This past February, FCC agents from the Miami office traced
the source of unauthorized signal on 92.5 MHz to an antenna
mounted on the roof of an apartment building in West Palm
Beach. Agents heard the station identify itself on the air
as "Exitfm.com."

Doing a bit of on-line sleuthing, the agents found an
Internet site for the station that showed a photo of Pierre
Nixon Jean as a D-J and identified him as the station owner.
The agents also learned from the building owner that Jean
rented an apartment in the building from sometime in 2010
through March of this year. He also identified Jean from a
photograph as being the renter.

The building owner told the agents he had seen what he
believed what might have been transmitting equipment inside
the unit and told Jean to remove the gear after speaking to
the FCC. The Enforcement Bureau confirmed the antenna was
removed in May.

Now, in its penalty decision, the FCC says that Jean had no
license for the station and was operating the facility
illegally. The FCC also noted that Jean had been found to
have been transmitting unlawfully on the same frequency from
another location in 2010. It said that such continued
illegal operation demonstrates a deliberate disregard for
the commission's rules. Because of this the agency
increased the level of the fine from the $10,000 base figure
to $15,000.

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

--

As is usual in these cases, Pierre Nixon Jean has 30 days to
pay the fine or file an appeal. (FCC)

**

ENFORCEMENT: FCC AFFIRMS $22000 FINE AGAINST TENNESSEE
UNLICENSED BROADCASTER

The FCC has affirmed a $22,000 monetary forfeiture
previously issued to Arthur Lee Young Cosby, Tennessee.
This for his alleged operation of an unlicensed radio
station on 87.9 MHz and refusal to allow an inspection of
his radio station.

This past March 27th the FCC Enforcement Bureau's Atlanta
Office (issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture
to Young for the alleged violations. According to the
regulatory agency, Young has not filed a response to the
NAL. So, based on the information before it, the FCC
affirmed the fine on June 8th. Young was given the
customary 30 days from issuance of the fine to pay it or to
file an appeal. (FCC)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: HAM NATION CHANGING NIGHTS TO WEDNESDAY ON
TWIT.TV

Beginning on July 11th, the TWIT.tv program Ham Nation will
be moving to Wednesday evenings. This as network owner Leo
Laporte, W6TWT, announces a new programming schedule. Bob
Heil, K9EID, who hosts Ham Nation says that the move is
really good news for his program due to the strong lead in
shows that Leo Laporte has chosen to precede it:

--

K9EID: "They're going to change the day of Ham Nation and
we are going to move it to Wednesday. The reason is that he
is going to put up a like-up of some of his top shows on
Wednesday.

"It starts off with the Security Now with Steve Gibson which
is an incredible show, by the way. (It covers) all kinds of
security (including) your home, your computer. Whatever
needs security, Steve is the master.

"And then, they are going to have the TWIG show - This Week
in Google, Android and all that.

"Then, the big show Triangulation. That show will precede
Ham Nation.

"So you're going to have four of their top shows on
Wednesday."

--

The day change does not affect the shows hour of air-time
schedule. The netcast will still take place live at 9 P.M.
Eastern, 6 P.M. Pacific with video and audio podcasts
available for download at twit.tv/hn about 24 hours later.

Again the new day for the TWIT.TV amateur radio program Ham
Nation will be on Wednesday starting on July 11th. K9EID
and the gang hope you will join them there. (Ham Nation)

**

HAM BUSINESS: ETHERKIT RELEASES QRSS BEACON KIT

Etherkit which is a new amateur radio kit company devoted to
open source hardware, has released its first product.
Called OpenBeacon, it is described as an open source crystal-
controlled QRP beacon transmitter kit which can output a
variety of slow-speed modes. These include QRSS, DFCW, and
Sequential Multi-tone Hellschreiber. More information is on-
line at www.etherkit.com (Southgate)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: CK6S FOR CALGARY STAMPEDED JULY 5 TO 15

The Calgary Amateur Radio Association will be operating
special event station CK6S from July 5 to 15th. This to
celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Calgary Stampede.

The Calgary Stampede is an
annual rodeo, exhibition and festival held every July
in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The event's roots are traced
to 1886 when the Calgary and District Agricultural Society
held its first fair.

In 1912, American promoter Guy Weadick organized his first
rodeo and festival, known as the Stampede. He returned to
Calgary in 1919 to organize the Victory Stampede in honor of
soldiers returning from World War I. Weadick's festival
became an annual event in 1923 when it merged with the
Calgary Industrial Exhibition to create the Calgary
Exhibition and Stampede.

The ham radio special event station CK6S plans to use
frequencies in the general portion of the United States
phone bands. These will be around 3.825, 7.180, 14.250,
21.320 and 28.475 MHz. A special QSL card will be
available through the QSL bureau or direct by following the
CK6S/VE6AO QSL instructions on QRZ.com. (VE6TC, Wikipedia)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: W1A CELEBRATES TELSTAR AT 50

A celebration of the world's first telecommunications
satellite will take place on July 7th. This when the Radio
Adventurers of Maine activate the callsign W1A to
commemorate the first messages through the Telstar bird.
They will be operating on site at the Andover, Maine
satellite facility, the original earth station which
broadcast the first messages via Telstar was uplinked on
July 10th, 1962. The clubs commemorative operation will
begin at 1300 UTC on both 40 and 20 meter phone. Other
bands will be added as propagation allows. QSL as directed
on the air. (Radio Adventurers of Maine)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS: JAMIE GAVIN, KF7WIS NAMED QRZ.COM
GENERAL MANAGER

Some names in the news. First up is Jaime Gavin, KF7WIS,
who has been named as the first General Manager of the
QRZ.com ham radio website. According to site owner Fred
Lloyd, AA7BQ, Gavin will be overseeing all aspects of QRZ's
daily business and interaction with the public.

Jaime Gavin holds a Master's degree from Arizona State
University and Lloyd describes her as being extremely
enthusiastic and capable. She will be handling the business
aspects of QRZ LLC, and will oversee its day-to-day
activities including advertising sales, database
administration, and user and customer support.

According to AA7BQ, with the addition of KF7WIS, his role at
QRZ now transitions to the one that he loves the most. That
being the sites systems designer, programmer, and ambassador
for QRZ.com. (QRZ)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS: FORMER FCC COMMISSIONER RICHARD WILEY
HONORED

The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law
has honored communications law expert Richard Wiley for a
lifetime of achievement, including a career at the Federal
Communications Commission that spanned three presidential
terms.

Wiley is the only person to act as general counsel,
commissioner and chairman of the FCC. He started under
President Richard Nixon, served under President Gerald Ford
and then resigned after helping transition into the
administration of President Jimmy Carter for a year. His
pivotal role in the development of HDTV earned him the
nickname, the "Godfather of Digital Television," and earned
him an Emmy from the Academy of Television Arts and
Sciences.

Richard Wiley, who is now age 77, is only the third person
to receive the Milestone Award from the university's
Institute for Communications Law Studies. (RW)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS: KJ4UFG SAYS HE NEEDS FIELD DAY COVER
PHOTO FOR SERA JOURNAL

John Ghormley, KJ4UFG, who is the editor of the South East
Repeater Association publication known as the SERA Repeater
Journal is looking for a cover photo that depicts an ARRL
Field Day activity.

Specifically, KJ4UFG requires a high resolution photograph
taken at a Field Day site in Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi,
North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and
West Virginia. These are the states serviced by the
organization.

A suitable cover photo should be in vertical portrait
orientation. The file size should be such that it can be
turned into a super sharp image of at least 300 dots per
inch or greater when rendered at 8.5"x11" page size. If
there are people prominently depicted in the photo, he will
need full names, and call signs for the hams in the photo.

If you have a photo you want to submit, email it as an
attachment, to editor (at) sera (dot) org. (KJ4UFG)

**

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: FORMER ARRL GENERAL MANAGER AND
IARU PRESIDENT RICHARD, BALDWIN, W1RU - SK

It's yet another changing of the guard in amateur radio.
This as we learn the sad news of the passing of former ARRL
General Manager Richard Baldwin, W1RU, of Damariscotta,
Maine,

An ARRL Charter Life Member, Richard Baldwin capped a long
career on the ARRL staff with service as General Manager
from 1975 until his retirement in 1982. He served as
Secretary of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU)
from 1976 to 1982. After retirement, he continued his
involvement as a volunteer, serving as IARU President
from 1982 to 1999 and as ARRL International Affairs Vice
President from 1982 to 1986.

According to his daughter Judy, Baldwin's life revolved
around telecommunications. He first became licensed in 1934
as W1IKE. An Amateur Extra class licensee, he earned DXCC,
WAS and WAC, as well as membership in the ARRL's A-1
Operator Club.

Baldwin began his career at ARRL Headquarters in 1948 as an
Assistant Secretary. After a brief hiatus to work in the
private sector in the early 1950s, he returned in 1956 as
Managing Editor of QST. In that position he was responsible
for production of the monthly member journal and all ARRL
publications.

In 1963, Baldwin became Assistant General Manager and almost
immediately got involved with international matters. He
organized the Intruder Watch program and served as the ARRL
Liaison between the amateurs who monitored the bands and the
FCC. In 1975 he was named by the ARRL Board to succeed John
Huntoon, W1RW, as General Manager on Huntoon's retirement,
That's the position now titled Chief Executive Officer. In
total, Baldwin wrote 234 articles and columns for QST.

A graduate of Bates College in Maine, Baldwin earned an MS
in Physics from Boston University in 1948. He spent five
years in the US Navy during World War II. In March 1943,
while serving as Communications Officer aboard the USS
Coghlan, he participated in the longest American naval
daylight firefight of the war. That being the Battle of the
Komandorski Islands. After the war he served in the US
Naval Reserve, achieving the rank of Commander.

Richard Baldwin, W1RU, was age 92 when passed away on
Thursday, June 21, after a long struggle with Parkinson's
Disease. He is survived by his wife Phyllis, daughter Judy
and son Glenn. A memorial service was planned for Friday,
June 29 at Second Congregational Church in Newcastle, Maine.
(ARRL)

**

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: NEW DATA TRANSFER METHOD PROMISES UP
TO 2.5 TB PER SECOND

American and Israeli scientists have developed a new
technology of wirelessly transmitting data using twisted
beams of light that could produce a theoretical throughput
of 2.5 terabits per second. Amateur Radio Newsline's
Heather Butera-Howell, KB3TZD, has the story of the science
making this possible:

--
The new method of high speed data transfer reportedly uses
orbital angular momentum or O-A-M to increase the amount of
information that can be carried by a single stream. To
accomplish this feat, the researchers twisted together eight
300 Gigabytes per second visible light data streams using O-
A-M technology over a space of one meter to achieve speeds
of 2.5 terabits per second. The development comes just one
month after it was finally proved that orbital angular
momentum is actually possible.

Using this new orbital angular momentum technology an
infinite number of conventional transmission protocols such
as WiFi and LTE, can be twisted together for faster speeds
without the need for more spectrum. For perspective, that's
more than 8,000 times faster than the fastest home Internet
connection at 300 Megabytes per second.

The development team says that it will be working increasing
the transmission distance which currently at only 1 meter.
The theoretical distance limit for this new method is likely
to be less than one kilometer. At least in the foreseeable
future.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Heater Butera-Howell,
KB3TZD, in Berwick, Pennsylvania

--

You can read more on-line at tinyurl.com/super-speed-data.
(slashgear.com, N6ZXJ)

**


HAM RADIO IN SPACE: SCOTLAND MOBILE ON THE BIRDS

2E1EUB is currently mobile on the various amateur radio
satellites from Scotland. He began his operation on June
24th and can be heard stroke P through July 6th or 7th.
Grid squares he will be activating include IO-76 IO-77 IO-87
and others if he has the time. QSL to 2M1EUB via his
address on QRZ.com. (Southgate)

**

WORLDBEAT: CANADIAN HAMS NEEDED FOR COMMUNICATIONS FOR
CYCLING EVENT

This note to our friends up north. Radio Amateurs of Canada
says that volunteers are needed to provide communications in
support of that nations Coast to Coast Against Cancer
Foundation cycling event. The ride takes place August 3d to
the 5th along Nova Scotia's Cabot Trail. The route involves
at least 100 riders and more than 50 volunteers.

If you are able to help, please drop a note to Doug Mercer,
V-Oh-1-T-D-M at dougvo1dtm (at) gmail (dot) com. You can
also get in touch with Radio Amateurs of Canada's Atlantic
Director Ev Price at vo1dk (at) rac (dot) ca or Deputy
Director Len Morgan ve9my (at) rac (dot) ca. Any assistance
will be sincerely appreciated. (RAC)

**

ON THE AIR: CELEBRATING THE TOUR DE FRANCE CYCLING RACE
2012

Meantime, keep an ear open for special event station GB4TDF.
G1JYB, G1LAT and the Sands Contest Group are hosting the
operation from Oysterber Farm in the UK to coincide with
for the 2012 Tour our de France bicycle race.

The special event station began operation on June 26th and
will terminate on July 23rd. Operations will be on HF, VHF
and UHF as time and band conditions permit. A special
commemorative QSL card will be available. More is on
QRZ.com under GB4TDF.

The actual Tour de France cycling event starts on the June
30th June and ends on July 22nd. (E-Mail)

**

DX

In DX, Bill Moore, NC1L, the ARRL Awards Branch Manager,
tells Newsline that the 2011 TL8ES Central African Republic
and the 2012 TT8ES expedition to Chad have both been
approved for DXCC credit. Also approved has been the 2012
XW4XR operation from Laos. Card submissions for all of
these operations are now welcome.

DL4ME will be active as 5H3ME from Tanzania between August
14th and September 3rd. His operation will be holiday style
on the H-F bands from 80 through 6 meters using CW and the
Digital modes. QSL via his home callsign.

AJ9C will be active as YN2CC from Granada, Nicaragua,
between November 20th and the 28th. Operations will be on
160 through 6 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL
electronically via Logbook of the World or direct to his
home callsign.

LA0HF will be on the air as TY2BP from Benin for a minimum
of 30 days and could be there for as long as 45. Activity
will be on 20/15/10 meters. QSL via IK2IQD.

Lastly, VE2XB will be operational stroke FP from St. Pierre
and Miquelon Islands from August 10th to the 20th. His
activity will have a special focus on 6 meters, but he will
also be active on all bands from 80 through 10 meters as
well. QSL via VE2XB.

(Above from various DX news sources)
**

THAT FINAL ITEM: DEEP SPACE SUPER COMPUTER TO BE BUILT DOWN
UNDER

And finally this week, a new super high speed data
processing facility to look at signals received from deep
space is slated to be built down-under. WIA newsman Graham
Kemp, VK4BB, has the details:

--

One of the world's most powerful supercomputers is planned
for Perth to process vast amounts of data being collected by
radio telescopes in Western Australia's Murchison region.

WA Today said the supercomputer is to be housed in the
Pawsey Centre being built in the southern Perth suburb of
Kensington, near Curtin University.

The machines will initially process data from existing radio
telescopes based at the Murchison Radio-astronomy
Observatory but is free to expand for use in the
international Square Kilometre Array project.

It was decided in May that Australia would share the $2
billion Square Kilometre Array project with South Africa.

3000 dishes and a discovery potential 10,000 times greater
than the best contemporary instruments, the SKA will observe
such things as what happened after the big bang and how
galaxies evolved, and will attempt to uncover more about the
"dark matter" that fills the majority of the universe.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB, of
the WIA News in Australia.

--

More on this project is on-line at tinyurl.com/vk-super-
computer. (VK1WIA)

**

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 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 editor's desk,
I'm Jim Davis, W2JKD, saying 73 and we thank you for
listening.

Amateur Radio NewslineT is Copyright 2012. All rights
reserved.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Amateur Radio Newsline T Report 1819 - June 22 2012






Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1819 with a release
date of June 22, 2012 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a Q-S-T. U-K hams learn that they will
have to share two meters with the 2012 Olympics; the I-A-R-U
High Frequency Championship to take place in July; German
hams get spectrum at 472 KHz and Radio Netherlands to cease
English language broadcasts. Find out the details are on
Amateur Radio NewslineT report number 1819 coming your way
right now.


(Billboard Cart Here)


**

RADIO LAW: UK HAMS TO SHARE 2 METERS WITH OLYMPICS

Ham radio operators in London will be temporarily giving up
a part of the 2 meter band to accommodate the 2012 Olympic
Games. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, reports from Nottingham in the
UK:

--

British telecommunications regulator Ofcom has announced
that a small block of the amateur radio 144 MHz band is to
be used for the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

The RSGB have issued the following announcement: Following
negotiations to minimize the impact on amateurs, Ofcom has
now announced that it will temporarily authorize a small
block of 12.5kHz channels, ranging from 144.0125MHz to
144.1375MHz, for the period 27 July to 28 August 2012 only.

The frequencies to be used specifically exclude 144.0500MHz
the CW Calling frequency and 144.1000MHz which is the
Perseids Meteor Scatter CW Calling channel.

Ofcom are aware of the various amateur contests scheduled
for 4 and 7 August and will work with Game users to keep
operations to a minimum on these dates.

Usage of this spectrum by Games users will be in the
vicinity of London Olympic venues and will be limited to
handheld equipment operating on a maximum of 5W output.

I'm Jeramy Boot, G4NJH.

--

Ofcom emphasizes that use of primary amateur spectrum is
only for the specified time period and does not constitute a
change of usage. More is on line on the RSGB 2012 Olympic
Pages at www.rsgb.org/olympics. (RSGB)

**

RADIOSPORTS: IARU HF CHAMPIONSHIP ON JULY 14 - 15

The International Amateur Radio Union sponsored High
Frequency World Championship 2012 will take place beginning
1200 UTC on Saturday July 14th and ending 1200 UTC on Sunday
July 15th. The objective of this contest is to contact as
many other amateurs, especially IARU member society
Headquarters stations, around the world as possible. This,
using the 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 meter bands. The rules
for this year are available on line at tinyurl.com/iaru-hf-
championship. (XE1R, IARU-R2)

**

RESTRUCTURING: GERMAN CLASS A HAMS GET 472 KHZ PRIVILEGES

German amateurs with a Class A license are now allowed to
operate in the new 472 to 479 kHz band. The power limit is 1
watt effective radiated with a maximum signal bandwidth of
800Hz. (GB2RS)

**

RADIO POLITICS: UAE GOVERNMENT REGULATOR MEETS WITH
NATIONAL HAM RADIO SOCIERT

The Emirates Amateur Radio Society has met with the United
Arab Emirates Telecommunications Regulatory Authority or T-R-
A. This to discuss amateur radio issues.

According to news reports, the meeting shed light on
Emirates Amateur Radio Society perspectives related to
regulations for radio communications amateurs issued by the
T-R-A. This included amateur radio authorizations,
frequencies used by U-A-E hams, the mechanism of authorizing
visitors and residents to operate in that nation, and
cooperation and coordination between the two groups during
various activities. The two sides also discussed ways to
utilize ham radio to support governmental entities while
performing public service activities and at international
competitions throughout the year.

At that gathering, the T-R-A stated that the United Arab
Emirates is a country concerned with providing various types
of communications to users including radio communications.
It said that meeting with a specialized entity such as the
society is highly important in order to promote radio
communications in the country. It added that this meeting
garners further significance especially when it takes into
consideration that the United Arab Eemirates is a country
that hosts numerous desert sports activities and
competitions. This it says makes radio communications a key
issue particularly with regard to cases of accidents,
disasters, or being lost in the desert.

The meeting took place at the TRA headquarters in Abu Dhabi
and brought to light a number of issues related to radio
communications. The full report of the meeting in English
can be read at tinyurl.com/uae-hams. (Southgate News)

**

PROPAGATION: DOUBLE CME HITS EARTH CAUSING AURORAS

SpaceWeather reports that a geomagnetic storm occured in the
wake of the Suns double Coronal Mass Ejection or C-M-E
impact on June 16. The hit, which strongly compressed
Earth's magnetic field, lit up both poles with bright
auroras.

Here in the United States and Canada, the Northern Lights
descended as far south as Oregon, Michigan, Wisconsin,
Minnesota, Iowa, Washington state and the Dakotas. And as
ham radio operators know, this C-M-E also made for some
rather interesting conditions on the air, especially on 50
Mhz and above. (SpaceWeather.com)

**

TECHNOLOGY: PHASE MODULATION TESTS ON WWVB

The National Institute of Standards and Technology or N-I-S-
T is currently testing phase modulation in addition to the
existing amplitude modulation on time standard station WWVB.
The AM signal continues while the phase modulation is
tested, so there should not be any interruption in service
to existing AM devices. However, the NIST warns that phase-
locked loop devices AM devices may lose signal lock at times
during the tests. The experiment will end prior to the June
30th leap second correction. Questions or comments can be
forwarded to WWVB Broadcast Manager John Lowe by e-mail at
john (dot) lowe (at) nist (dot) gov. (WB5ITT)

**

BANDPLANNING: COMMENTS SOUGHT ON PROPOSED 23 CM BANDPLAN

Rick Roderick K5UR, who chairs the ARRL UHF and Microwave
Band Plan Committee is asking for input on the new proposed
amateur 23 cm bandplan. K5UR requests that the ham radio
community look over the draft band plan and let him know if
you have any major concerns, You can see and download the
proposed plan at tinyurl.com/23-cm-plan. Comments go by e-
mail to microwave-band-plan (at) arrl (dot) org. (ARRL,
Southgate)

**

RADIO LAW: COMMUNICATIONS TOWER LIGHTS NOW FOR THE BIRDS

Federal Aviation Administration officials have decided that
operators of tall towers may turn off one type of warning
light that may be a cause of bird collisions, and do so
without endangering those flying aircraft.

According to news reports federal wildlife researchers found
migratory birds get disoriented by steady red warning
lights. As a result the FAA has determined it may be okay
to turn those off because they claim that pilots can still
see towers at night using flashing red warning lights.

Federal wildlife researchers and some conservationists claim
that close to 7 million migrating birds die each year when
they hit communications towers in the United States and
Canada. Broadcasters and other tower owners doubt the
number is that high. They point to counter research
collated by the FCC that says more birds die from cats and
flying into structures such as high rise building windows.

The FCC hasn't made the new light scheme mandatory but
officials said recently they would honor the change. You
may recall that back last December, the commission began
requiring formal public notice and requiring for new towers
taller than 450 feet. Also required is an environmental
assessment of the potential impact of a new tower on
migratory birds. (RW)

**

BREAK 1

From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world
including the W8HVG repeater serving all of southern
Michigan.

(5 sec pause here)


**

RADIO LAW: FCC CORRECTS LICENSE CLASS PAPERWORK ERROR

The FCC has modified the Amateur Radio Service license of
Todd Wilson, WH6DWF, of Honolulu, Hawaii. This by replacing
his General Class operator privileges with Technician Class
operator privileges.

No, Wilson did nothing wrong. Rather he was the innocent
victim of a clerical error by the ARRL VEC. Heres the back
story.

By correspondence dated January 13, 2012, the ARRL VEC
notified the Commission that it had made an error in the
November 29, 2011 data file and that Wilson was qualified
for a Technician Class operator license but not a General
Class. Therefore, ARRL VEC requested that the FCC modify
Wilson's license to correct the operator privileges
authorized.

The Order of Modification was released on March 15, 2012.
Wilson did not protest the proposed modification of his
license within the requisite thirty-day time frame.
Accordingly, he is deemed to have consented to the proposed
modification. Based on the record before it, on June 19th
the FCC concluded that it is in the pubic interest to modify
the license for Amateur Radio Service Station WH6DWF by
changing the authorized operating privileges from General
Class to Technician Class. (FCC)

**

ENFORCEMENT: ANOTHER UNLICENSED FLORIDA ISSUED $15000 NAL

The Tampa FCC Office has issued a $15,000 Notice of Apparent
Liability for Forfeiture to Albert R. Knighten, Jr.. This
for apparently willfully and repeatedly violating Section
301 of the Communications by operating an unlicensed radio
transmitter on the frequency 107.5 MHz from his residence in
Fort Myers, Florida. Amateur Radio Newsline's Skeeter Nash,
N5ASH, has the details:

--


On December 1st and 9th, 2011, agents from the Enforcement
Bureau's Tampa Office T-hunted a signal on 107.5 MHz to an
FM transmitting antenna mounted on a tower at Knighten's
residence. Agents also determined that the signals on 107.5
MHz exceeded the limits for operation under Part 15 of the
Commission's rules and therefore required a license.

On December 9, 2011, local law enforcement executed a search
warrant for the premises. At that time agents from the FCC
Tampa Office interviewed Knighten who was present in his
residence when the station was on the air. During the
interview Knighten admitted to purchasing and installing the
radio equipment. He also claimed to be the sole person
operating the unlicensed station and had been doing so for
over a month. The FCC agents also inspected the unlicensed
radio station before the equipment was seized by local law
enforcement.

Now in issuing the Notice of Apparent Liability, the FCC
says that because Knighten consciously operated the station
and on more than one day, the apparent violation of the
Communications Act was both willful and repeated. As such,
and based on the evidence before it, that a $15,000 penalty
is warranted.

--

Knighten was given the customary 30 days to pay the $15,000
N-A-L or to file an appeal. (FCC)

**

ENFORCEMENT: INCOMPLETE PAPERWORK LEADS TO $10000 FINE FOR
NYC COLLEGE STATION

Columbia University in New York City has been issued a
$10,000 Monetary Forfeiture based on documents missing from
the public inspection file of its non-commercial station
WKCR- FM. Amateur Radio Newsline's Fred Vobbe, W8HDU, is
here with the details":

--

The case is unusual because WKCR stated on its renewal
application that since its transmission facilities on the
World Trade Center had been destroyed on 9/11, the station
has faced operating difficulties. As such, it has been
transmitting from various temporary locations and with a
reduced coverage area.

According to several media reports, Columbia University was
totally truthful on its license renewal application. It
admitted that WKCR's public file was incomplete. It said
the quarterly issues and program lists were not missing
deliberately but inadvertently.

However in rendering its decision, the FCC said the missing
files occurred over the entire eight-year period of the
license grant. This, included a four-year period before
its transmitting facilities were destroyed. As such, the
regulatory agency stated that WKCR's violations we both
serious and displayed a pattern of abuse of the FCC's rules.
Because of this, the station came close to having its
license renewal granted for a short term period. However
the Media Bureau decided not to take that route because WKCR
is due to file its next renewal application February 1,
2014.

In the end. the Commission decided that overall WKCR has
served the public interest during its license term. That's
why it will grant the renewal separately once the forfeiture
proceeding is concluded.

For the amateur radio Newsline, Im Fred Vobbe, W8HDU, in
Lima, Ohio.

--

Columbia University was given the customary 30 days from the
date the FCC decision was rendered to pay the penalty or to
file an appeal. (RW, FCC)

**

RADIO LAW: SCRAP METAL THEFT BECOME A FELONY IN FLORIDA

It's about to get a lot more difficult harder to sell a
stolen piece of transmission line or any form of purloined
metal in Florida. This as the state severely tightens
regulations on how scrap metal dealers operate their
businesses in that state. Amateur Radio Newsline's Cheryl
Lasek, K9BIK, reports:

--

The new rules that go into effect on July 1st make stealing
copper from a utility or communications services provider a
Florida state first-degree felony. This translates into the
possibility of a thief being sentenced to a 30-year prison
sentence and a $10,000 fine. The law also makes knowingly
purchasing stolen metals a third-degree felony, which could
mean five years in prison and a $5,000 fine for the
purchaser.

But the change likely to have the greatest influence on
copper theft is the banning of cash payments for scrap
metal. Under the new law all payments must be made by check
or an electronic payment system, and payment may be delayed
by up to three days.

All scrap-metal dealers will have to be registered with the
state, and dealers will be required to keep better records
of all purchases, including photographs of the material
bought. If they purchase an item with a serial number on it,
the dealer will have to check a state database to make sure
the item has not been reported stolen.

As to the perpetrators of such thefts, the new law waives
civil liability for property owners if someone is injured or
killed while trying to steal copper or other regulated
materials. In other words a thief or a surviving relative
of the thief will not be permitted to file a law suit trying
to hold those who own the stolen metals responsible for the
perpetrators injuries or death.

Florida Governor Rick Scott signed the bill into law at the
end of April.

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

--

Copper theft has been an increasing problem for
broadcasters, power companies and other industries that use
these metals. This is particularly true for those located
at remote and unattended sites. Even ham radio operators
have in the past years reported theft of antenna
transmission lines. (CGC, RW)

**

HAM RADIO BUSINESS: SUPERANTENNA RETURNS TO THE HAM RADIO
MARKETPLACE

SuperAntenna Corporation, maker of the legendary MP1
Portable Antenna and YP3 Portable Yagi, is back in business.

Super Antenna was begun in 2000 by Vern Wright, W6MMA. As
some of you may know, the company ceased operations a few
years ago to sort out what it termed as legal issues.

On June 18th Super Antenna issued a press release stating
that the new company has already begun shipping the MP1
portable antenna and the YP3 portable yagi. Both it claims
have been re-engineered to a higher standard of performance.

Super Antenna has also announced a new web site where hams
radio operators can get information on Super Antenna
products. Its in cyberspace at www.newsuperantenna.com.
(Via e-mail)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: HAMS IN BROADCASTING VOIP GROUP

Hams in Broadcasting is a new on-line V-O-I-P group that
connects those in the broadcasting industry with one another
world-wide. The system interconnects IRLP conference bridge
9615, Echolink conference 96150 and Allstar Node 27405 for
24 hour a day communication and chatting between hams who
are in the broadcast field. For more information on the
"Hams in Broadcast" conference bridge, take a look
at tinyurl.com/ar-conference-bridge

Also of note are two nets that meet on the bridge. Every
Sunday night at 8:00 PM Eastern there is a general "Hams in
Broadcast Net." It is usually hosted by Bruce Schiller,
WA2ZST, who works for the CBS network in New York City.

There also is a twice a month "SBE Hams on the Air" net.
More information on that gathering is at
tinyurl.com/broadcasters-voip
(Hams in Broadcasting)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: AMSAT 2012 SYMPOSIUM INFORMATION UPDATE

The 2012 AMSAT Annual Meeting and Space Symposium will be
held in Orlando, Florida on the weekend of October 26th to
the 28th. This at the Holiday Inn Orlando Airport Hotel.

The Symposium weekend will feature sessions on various ham
radio satellites, operating techniques, news and plans from
the amateur satellite world. Also taking place will be the
annual Board of Directors Meeting, the annual General
Membership Meeting and banquet.

For the latest updates please bookmark tinyurl.com/amsat-
symposium-2012 (2012 Symposium Committee)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS: W0ADZ APPOINTED NEW SOUTH DAKOTA SM

Some names in the news. Chris Stallkamp, W0ADZ, has been
appointed as ARRL South Dakota Section Manager, effective
June 15.

ARRL Membership and Volunteer Programs Manager Dave Patton,
NN1N, made the appointment in consultation with Dakota
Division Director Greg Widin, K0GW, and with the
recommendation of outgoing South Dakota Section Manager
Scott Rausch, WA0VKC.

Rausch had served as South Dakota Section Manager since
April 2009. He decided not to run for another term of
office that was scheduled to begin on April 1st. After a re-
solicitation for nominations this spring did not result in
any potential candidates, Stallkamp was then appointed to
take the Section Manager reins from Rausch. Stallkamp's
appointment extends until March 31, 2014. (ARRL)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS: VA7MPG ELECTED RAC SM OF BC AND YUKON
SECTION

And congratulations to Paul Giffin, VA7MPG who was recently
elected Section Manager for Radio Amateurs of Canada's
British Columbia and Yukon Section Manager. This, for the
balance of his appointed term that ends October 30, 2013.
VA7MPG ran unopposed eliminating the need for a balloted
election. (RAC)

**

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: RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE TO CEASE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE BROADCASTS ON JUNE 29TH

Radio Netherlands English service will closes down at the
end of June. According to the International broadcaster,
the decision to curtail English language transmissions on
June 29th is the result of steep budget cuts imposed by the
Dutch government and a concomitant change in focus of the
station. As such, providing the world with what it terms as
a realistic image of the Netherlands, as it has done since
1947, will no longer be one of its statutory duties.

According to the stations website, as of July 1st there will
no longer be a daily review of the Dutch papers and coverage
of Dutch news stories will also cease. And, since the
English webstream will also end on June 29th, there will be
a Listening Guide posted or mailed out.

For its final English language transmission on June 29th,
Radio Netherlands plans to broadcast a show looking back at
the past decades of its service. Its asking listeners who
may have a memory to share to sent that by e-mail to letters
(at) rnw (dot) nl.

The shut down of the long popular Radio Netherlands English
language transmissions follow the closure of the Dutch
service in May. More is on-line at
www.rnw.nl/english/article/were-changing (RNW)

**

MAKING WAVES: HAM RADIO TEST CRUISE OF OH10X/MM ON BALTIC
SEA.

Radio Arcala, the massive ham radio contest station that
operates as OH8X near the Arctic Circle in association with
Kristina Cruises Ltd. are in the process of testing to see
if a permanent amateur radio station will suit the maritime
environment and serve DX'ers in their leisure time.

The ship used for the first evaluation held June 20th to the
24th was the M/S Kristina Katarina which is owned by a
private Finnish company. The onboard ham radio station
consisted of an Icom IC-7600 on the top deck. The antenna
was a 20 meter long wire fed by a remote antenna tuner.

The first run that was to ascertain any potential
interference issues from the amateur radio station to the
ship's navigation system. Also to see the impact from the
ship's advanced P-C networks to the reception of amateur
radio transmissions.

During the test cruise, the station was to be active at the
peak propagation hours to various continents on 14.267 MHz.
The test cruise took the ship to Estonia, Gotland, Sweden,
the Aland Islands, and back to Finland.

In addition to the technical evaluation, famed DXer Martti
Laine, OH2BH, was on-board with a target to contact all
continents. This to celebrate the signing a possible
permanent agreement for the station to be available for
guests who hold an amateur radio license.

The M/S Kristina Katarina is a 138 meter long vessel. It
has a cruising speed of 15 knots and can hold a maximum of
450 guests. Two Finnair jetliners were available backing
the operations for change of passengers at a variety of
ports along the way.

For more details on this interesring ham radio cruise
evaluation, please take your web browser to
www.qrz.com/db/OH10X. Information on the cruise line is at
tinyurl.com/ham-cruise. (Radio Arcala)

**


WORLDBEAT: SARL AND ICASA WORKING TOWARD CEPT LIKE VISITORS
LICENSE

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa,
better known as the ICASA and the South African Radio League
are in negotiations to create a CEPT like ham radio license
that is universally accepted. In the meantime, the
telecommunications regulator says that visitors to South
Africa who hold a valid amateur radio license in a Southern
African Development Community recognized country may apply
for temporary authorization to operate in South Africa. A
copy of his or her license and the period to be spent in
South Africa, must be presented.

All requests go by e-mail to KMashile (at) icasa (dot) org
(dot) za as well as admin (at) sarl (at) org (dot) za. The
turn around time for applications will be approximately 48
hours.

According to Wikipedia, The Southern African Development
Community is an inter-governmental
organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal
is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as
well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern
African states. It complements the role of the African
Union. (SARL)

**

ON THE AIR: CYPRUS AND THE EUROPEAN UNION PRESIDENCY

To commemorate the first time that Cyprus will hold the
European Union presidency, a the Cyprus Amateur Radio
Society have been granted the use of the callsign P-3-E-U
for a six month period that expires on December 31st.
Using that call sign, club members will host a 24 hour
special event operation on July 1st on the High Frequency
bands using SSB and CW for the 24 hour event. For the
duration of the 6 months of Cyprus holding the presidency
club members will be active using the P-3-E-U call on all
modes on the High Frequency and VHF bands. A special QSL
card will be available. (OPDX)

**

ON THE AIR: K4O CELEBRATES PUERTO RICO FLAG BEARING IN THE
LONDON OLYMPICS

On Sunday July 1st 2012, the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee
will be celebrating the Flag Bearing of the Puerto Rico
Delegation to the Summer Olympic Games in London. To
commemorate the event, the Puerto Rico Amateur Radio
League will be operating special event station K-4-Oh from
the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee headquarters. Actual hours
of operation will be 9:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m. on June 30th and
9 a.m to 2 p.m. on July 1st. Both are local Puerto Rico
time. More information on this operation is on-line at
www.prarl.org. (PRARL)

**

DX

In DX, K6ZRH will be on the air portable DU1 from Palawan
Island through June 30th. His operation will be on 40, 20
and 15 meters using SSB. QSL this one also direct only to
his home call.

K9EL was on the air as FS/K9EL from St. Martin until June
24th. His operation was holiday style on 80 through 6 meters
using CW, SSB and RTTY. If you worked him, QSL to his call
book address.

PE1GU will be active as PA6FUN from Ameland Island between
July 30th and August 15th. His operation will be on 6
meters only. Modes have not been announced. QSL via PE1GUR,
either direct or via the bureau.

ON4QX, will be operational portable P4 from Aruba through
July 2nd. Activity will probably be on all High Frequency
bands mostly using RTTY. QSL via ON4QX.

An international team of operators plan to visit five
islands belonging to Papua New Guinea between October 19th
and November 4th. Some of the islands to host their
operations include Emirau, Simberi, and Lihir. As we go to
air no bands, frequencies or a QSL Manager has been
announced.

Lastly, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the first
operation from the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, a
group of hams will take to the air using the call sign 1A0C
from Santa Maria del Priorato. Their operation will be from
July 1st to the 4th on all of the High Frequency bands plus
6 meters. QSLs for contacts with 1A0C can be requested via
1A0Z.

**

THAT FINAL ITEM: THE 12TH USA ARDF CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

And finally this week, a hidden transmitter hunt in
California has drawn radio direction finding fans from
around the country. Newsline's Joe Moell (MELL) K-zero-O-V,
who is also the ARRL's ARDF Coordinator, tells us all about
it.

--

Fans of on-foot transmitter hunting gathered in the little
village of Mt. Laguna, California early this month for the
twelfth annual USA championships of Amateur Radio Direction
Finding, or ARDF. They came from nine states plus British
Columbia, Canada to see who would win the medals and who
would be selected to go to the World Championships in Serbia
this September. One quarter of them had never been to a
national championship foxhunt before.

The big event was sponsored by the Los Angeles Orienteering
Club and was organized and hosted by Marvin Johnston KE6HTS.
With lots of volunteer help, Marvin set out two challenging
championship courses in the forested mountains at 6000 feet
elevation, one on two meters and the other on 80 meters, on
the weekend of June 1 and 2. In accordance with standard
rules of the International Amateur Radio Union, the
participants were divided into eleven age and gender
categories, so the ones in their 70's didn't have to compete
against prime-agers for the gold.

The championship courses were over six kilometers from start
to each of the five transmitters and then to the finish. In
addition, there was a sprint event to see who could find ten
lower-powered transmitters fastest. There was also a
foxoring event. That's a new sport that combines
orienteering and direction-finding. Competitors were given a
map marked with ten circles. When they got inside the area
represented by each circle, they could hear a QRP 80-meter
transmitter and track it down with RDF. The first to get all
ten would win. Before these events, there was a two-day
training camp on Wednesday and Thursday, with full-size
courses on two meters and 80-meters.

When it was all over, 13 OMs and 6 YLs had received medals
to take home with them. For the complete results and photos
of these championships, point your Web browser to
homingin.com. That's homingin -- as one word --
homingin.com. That's also a good place to learn more about
bringing on-foot foxhunting to your locality.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, this is Joe Moell K0OV.

--

If you have never been out on a hidden transmitter hunt you
are missing one of the most fun aspects of the hobby. If a
local club or other group you know of holds these fun
events, you might consider joining in and giving it a try.
(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 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 Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, saying 73 and we thank you for
listening.

Amateur Radio NewslineT is Copyright 2012. All rights
reserved.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Amateur Radio Newsline T Report 1818 - June 15 2012





Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1818 with a release
date of June 15, 2012 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a Q-S-T. Hams in Colorado and New Mexico
go on high alert as wildfires rage in both states; new
problems for a South African ham radio satellite; Brunei
says that it is cracking down unlicensed use of ham radio
gear; a verdict in the case of Greece vs. DJ6SI and ARRL
Field Day 2012 is right around the corner. Find out the
details are on Amateur Radio NewslineT report number 1818
coming your way right now.


(Billboard Cart Here)


**

RESCUE RADIO: COLORADO AND NM HAMS STAND BY AS FLAMES RAGE

Ham radio operators in Colorado and New Mexico are on high
alert as wildfires whip across areas of both states. Bill
Pasternak, WA6ITF, is in the newsroom with what we have so
far:

--

Amateur radio emergency operators in Colorado and New Mexico
are on standby alert and a number are already involved in
coordinated relief efforts as wildfires rage across mainly
wilderness areas of both states.

In Colorado, the best information came on Tuesday night the
12th from Amanda Alden K1DDN. Alden and her husband Jeff,
K0JSC, live in Carson City, Colorado. She reported on the
Ham Nation Internet TV show that hams further North in the
Ft. Collins area are very much involved in providing various
types of communications, with APRS markers for the fire
areas being one of the major resources.

Alden said that she has been in contact with Eugene Bentz,
KI6MPA. He is the EOC operator and resource net control.
He told Alden that about 25 assistants are providing
communications to the Forrest Service, the Colorado State
Patrol, the Larimer County Sheriff, the Red Cross as well as
county officials. Also, APRS information regarding fire
locations is being posted to both AGW Tracker and APRS.fi.
The makers show fire locations as well as EOC's, Incident
Command Post and shelter markers. At the time of K1DDN's
report that fire was about 15 miles west of the city of Ft.
Collins.

Moving south into New Mexico, Jay Miller, W5WHN, in
Albuquerque has been in monitoring the work of the hams
involved in the Little Bear Fire that erupted on Saturday
the 9th. He tells Newsline that Joe Kenmore, K5FBK was in
the Lincoln County EOC when this blaze was first discovered.
As this newscast is prepared, Gerald Minor, N5RKE, is at the
Shelter in Ruidoso and Ed Meyer, WK7ED, is active at the
shelter in Capitan.

Currently, the W5BI system at Rio Rancho has been linked
receive only at this time the 449.3 to 146.98 on Buck
Mountain. This allows Albuquerque and Santa Fe to talk
directly to the affected area, if needed. Also the 146.66
MHz NM5ML repeater at Capitan has performed well linking
back to all parts of the State.

As we go to air, there has not yet been any mass call-out of
hams in either state, and hams involved in emergency
communications groups were told on the 13th not to self
deploy. But the word is to have their go kits ready and to
be ready to provide assistance as is needed.

More information as we get it.

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

--

According to fire officials it will be some time before
these fires are contained and controlled. We will have
updates in future Amateur Radio Newsline reports.
(ARNewslineT, TWIT.TV, W5WHN)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE: BATTERIES FAIL ON SUMBABDILLASAT

More problems for the South Africa built SumbabdilaSat ham
radio satellite. Amateur Radio Newsline's Norm Seeley,
KI7UP, tells us the latest on the seemingly problem prone
bird:

--

South Africa Amsat reports that the satellites batteries on
SumbandilaSat have failed which means that the satellite is
only active when the solar panels are illuminated.

The report from SA-Amsat says that the satellite recovery
team at SunSpace is still incrementally reading back the
program code from the nine power modules. This, in an
effort to determine the extent of the problem. But with
SumbandilaSat going through eclipses, the satellite is not
available for as long each day as the team would like.

According to Johann Lochner, ZR6CBC, because of the shorter
illumination of the solar panels in the Southern hemisphere
winter and poor orientation of the satellite with respect to
the sun, progress is much slower than originally
anticipated. Lochner said that there where three passes to
work with in January but this month they currently have one.

That said, ZR6CBC says that SumbandilaSat is responding when
it is in full sunlight. As such, the recovery team is
confident that some operations will be restored. He says
that it may even be possible to do some imaging and have the
amateur radio transponder back in operation. However, no
one will speculate as to when.

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

--

Updates on the condition of SumbandillaSat can be found on-
line at www.amsatsa.org.za (SA AMSAT)

**

ENFORCEMENT: BRUNEI GOING AFTER UNLICENSED MOBILE OPERATORS

The Brunei government says that it is cracking down on
anyone found operating amateur radio gear without government
authorization. Members of that nation's citizenry who are
convicted of illegal use of amateur radio equipment without
a license from the Authority for Info-communications
Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam or AITI will face a
maximum fine of 10,000 Brunei dollars, up to three years
imprisonment, or both.

This new anti pirate operating campaign appears aimed
primarily at those unlicensed individuals who use mobile
gear on the VHF and UHF amateur bands. It was announced by
the AITI during a briefing on the first of several joint
operations with the Berakas Police to crack down on illegal
use of radio equipment. The operations involved a dedicated
corps of sixteen police personnel and seven AITI officials.
(Borneo Bulletin)

**

RADIO LAW: DJ6SI VS. GREECE - THE COURT DECISION

A court decision in the case of DXer Baldur Drobnica, DJ6SI,
who stood trial last week in Greece on three charges
involving his operation of an amateur radio station on the
vacation island of Kos. The three crimes he was eventually
charged with were conducting radio traffic without
permission from the Greek Government. Operating a
transceiver that covered more spectrum than just the ham
radio bands permitted by Greece and his refusal to surrender
his equipment to the officer who investigated the incident.

According to a note posted to the Internet by his attorney,
Drobnica was acquitted on counts 1 and 2 after the court
ruled that he was a properly licensed radio amateur.
However he was convicted on the third count of refusing to
surrender his equipment to the arresting officer.

No word of what penalties if any were imposed on the single
count conviction. However his lawyer is reported to already
have filed an appeal on count three and the court is
expected to hold a separate trial on this issue at a later
date.

Please keep in mind that this report is based on multiple
language translations beginning in Greek with some of it
electronic. As you all know, the latter have been known to
leave you wondering if the translation is completely
accurate. One report in translated English is on-line at
tinyurl.com/dj6si-verdict. (SV5BYR)

**

WORLDBEAT: RADIOSPORT FEDERATION OF AZBERAIJAN APPLIES FOR
IARU MEMBERSHIP

The Federation of Radiosport of Azerbaijan has applied for
International Amateur Radio Union membership. The IARU
Region 1 website reports that the application has found to
be in order and a proposal that organization be elected as
an IARU member has been put out to vote. Member Societies
have been requested to return their vote forms not later
than November 1st. The Federation of Radiosport of
Azerbaijan was founded back in December of 2001. (IARU
Region 1)

**

BREAK 1

From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world
including the WB6VVV repeater serving Lancaster, California.


(5 sec pause here)


**

HAM HAPPENINGS: POWER OUTAGE AFFECTS HAM-COM PLANO TEXAS

If you are old enough, you may remember 1970's Bobby Russel
southern the folk song titled The Night the Lights Went Out
in Georgia. Well this time it wasn't a song and it took
place in Texas when the lights and the air conditioning went
out at the Plano Center on Saturday, June 9th. This during
the annual Ham Com gathering. Chip Margelli, K7JA, of CQ
Magazine was there and gave a brief synopsis of what
occurred:

--

K7JA: "Well, early in the afternoon the lights in the Plano
center went out. They had gone out the previous day and
stayed off for about 30 seconds so it was no big deal. But
on Saturday they stayed off for quite a while and folks that
got onto the Internet to the Plano power company were told
it would be 4 hours that the power would be out. S a lot of
exhibitors along about 2 o'clock and 2:30 began packing up
because it appears as if power was not going to come back
on. It came back at about 3:30 or 4 - somewhere in there -
but by then some of the crowd had gone. So it really was
quite an impact. The lights were bad enough but the lack of
air conditioning really impacted on everyones willingness to
stay inside."

--

Unlike most ham radio shows that are full weekend events,
Ham-Com is held Friday and Saturday that closes both days at
6 p.m. local time. Even so, K7JA says that it was
"interesting" to have the lights come back on and discover
that many of the other exhibitors had already packed up and
left. Not to mention the attendees:

--

K7JA: "At the CQ booth we were quite fortunate because we
were by an exit, so there was a little bit of light there.
We were doing `candle light specials' to entice people to
stop by our booth.

"But if was definitely a downer for everybody in the exhibit
area. The dealers and especially the manufacturers who'se
radios are so dependant on their displays. A lot of the
transceiver manufacturers were just stopped dead in the
water because they couldn't get their displays to show off
all of the neat things that the radios could do."

--

At airtime the reason for the power failure has not been
announced. According to Chris Boone, WB5ITT, the outage
appeared to affect only the convention facility. In a e-
mail to Newsline Boone said that all the stores around the
convention center were ok and the street lights still worked
as well. (ARNewslineT)

**

RADIO POLITICS: FCC ANNOUNCES TWO SPECTRUM-SHARING
AGREEMENTS WITH MEXICO

A new spectrum sharing agreement between the United States
and Mexico for the 800 Mhz and 1 point 9 Gigahertz bands has
been negotiated by the FCC.

According to a June 11th press release by the FCC, the new
800 MHz Protocol allots band segments between the United
States and Mexico, specifies the technical parameters for
operation on these band segments within 68 miles of the
common border. It also creates a bi-national Task Force to
support the transition of incumbent operators along the
border to the new allotment plan.

The new protocol for 800 MHz replaces a previous agreement
and paves the way for completion of 800 MHz re-allocation or
re-banding by U.S. public safety and commercial licensees
operating along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Higher up in frequency, a new protocol for the 1 point 9
Gigahertz band allows the Sprint Nextel Corporation to
deploy C-D-M-A service along the border with Mexico. Sprint
obtained access to the 1 point 9 Gigahertz band in 2004.
This, as compensation for vacating its spectrum holding in
the lower segment of the 800 MHz band in accordance with the
rebanding project.

The FCC ordered re-banding will alleviate interference to
public safety licensees in the band caused by commercial
cellular licensees. The relevant documents are available on
the International Bureau web site at tinyurl.com/border-
agreement. (FCC)

**

RADIO LAW: FCC RULES THAT STATE COURT CANNOT ORDER RADIO
STATION LICENSE TRANSFER

The FCC has ruled that a license issued by that agency
cannot be used by a local court to satisfy a debt.

In its finding the commission ruled that a court in Puerto
Rico exceeded its authority in ordering a broadcaster to
turn over the license of WEGA-AM to help satisfy a financial
judgment.

The FCC had been asked to approve the involuntary assignment
of the WEGA-AM license to Carmelo Santiago Roman, owner of
VI/MAN Broadcasting System Corporation, This, after the
local court ordered station owner A Radio Co. to turn over
cash, the license and other property to a court-appointed
holder pending a final court order in their financial
dispute. Both sides then presented arguments to the FCC
explaining their legal views about the involuntary license
transfer.

Now in issuing a decision, Peter Doyle, who is Chief of the
FCC's Media Bureau's Audio Division, stated that his agency
retains exclusive authority to license broadcast stations.
He noted that when a state court's decision is contrary to
commission policy, the commission is neither bound by the
state court order nor need take action to allow the order to
be carried out.

Doyle continued that a license, unlike a station's physical
assets, is not subject to a mortgage, security interest,
attachment or similar property right. What's more, licenses
are subject to the FCC's consent before any transfer. As
such the decision of the court in Puerto Rico to "attach"
the license of WEGA-AM is invalid from the outset. (FCC, RW)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: RFINDER NOW FULLY SUPPORTS D-STAR LISTINGS

The world wide on-line repeater directory known as RFinder
now supports D-Star. This, as a direct result of its
editorial staff attending the D-Star forum at the recent
Dayton.

According to a press release by the publication, it became
apparent that there was a lack of D-Star repeater locating
options to the vastly growing population of D-Star user
base. As a result, as of May 24th RFinder fully supports D-
Star in the directory.

RFinder is available in the Apple App Store for iPhone and
Android devices. The web version can be found at
www.rfinder.net (RFINDER)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: INTERNATIONAL EME CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN
CAMBRIDGE ENGLAND

The 15th International Earth-Moon-Earth or EME conference
will be held at Churchill College, Cambridge, between 15 and
19 August. This is the first time that this conference will
be held in the United Kingdom and its planners say that this
will provide an opportunity to learn about this most
technically challenging aspect of the hobby.

The event will be hosted by the UK Microwave Group. In
addition to EME-specific lectures there will be
presentations on radio astronomy and deep space
communications, as both these subjects have much in common
with EME.

Two Nobel Physics Laureates from the world of radio
astronomy will be present at the conference. Joe Taylor,
K1JT, is a keen EME enthusiast and will be presenting a
paper on the MAP65 digital mode. His fellow-Laureate
Professor Antony Hewish is the speaker at the conference
gala dinner on Saturday August 18th.

All those wishing to attend must pre-register for this
conference before August 1st. Day passes and a range of
accommodation packages from one to four nights are
available. See www.eme2012.com for full details. (Amsat-UK)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS: DARA ANNOUNCES 2012 - 2013 LEADERSHIP

Some names in the news. The Dayton Amateur Radio
Association, sends word from Ron Moorefield, W8ILC, that Ron
DuBon, N6JRL, has been re-elected as the organizations
President. This at the organizations meeting on Friday,
June 1st.

Also retaining their seats on the DARA Board are Secretary
Nancy Krodel, KC8RMT; Treasurer Jon Thuermer, KB8SRQ; Senior
Trustee Jerry Miller WD8QAI and Junior Trustee Scott Meyers,
AC8DE.

Others elected to the DARA board for 2013 are Vice Pesident
Reuben Meeks, W8GUC, Meeks had previously served as Dayton
Amateur Radio Association President back in 2001 and 2002.
(W8ILC)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS: TWO AWARDS CREATED TO HONOR THE LATE
EUGENE ZIMMERMANN, W3ZZ

To honor long-time VHF contester Eugene Zimmerman, W3ZZ, who
became a Silent Key on June 3, two new awards have been
introduced for the ARRL June VHF Contest in his memory.

First, the ARRL Contest Branch has renamed the plaque for
the Overall Winner for the Limited Multi-Operator the Gene
Zimmerman, W3ZZ Memorial Plaque. Zimmermann had been a very
active as part of the K8GP team in this category. At the
same time the League issued a special thank you to Jeff
Klein, K1TEO, who graciously relinquished his long-time
sponsorship of this plaque to allow this to happen.

In addition, a new award has been created, thanks to Tim
Duffy K3LR and Dave Zeph, W9ZRX. The W3ZZ Rookie Award will
be awarded to the top Single-Op, Low Power score on a
minimum of two bands by a "rookie" submitting a log in the
contest for the first time. This award is open to any
operator that has never submitted a log to the June VHF
Contest.

Both of these awards were made available beginning with last
weekend's ARRL June VHF Contest. (KX9X, ARRL, VHF
Reflector)

**


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)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: ARRL FIELD DAY - JUNE 23 AND 24

For those few who are not yet aware, the annual ARRL Field
Day takes place each year on the 4th weekend of June. This
year the Field Day starts at 1800 UTC on Saturday, June 23rd
and runs through 2100 UTC on Sunday June 24th. And while
its billed as an emergency preparedness exercise, its also a
great chance for you to tell the world about your hobby and
the service it provides to the community. Allen Pitts,
W1AGP, is the Manager of Media and Public Relations for the
ARRL:

--

W1AGP: "Its also a chance for us to show off to various
legislators and government agencies to remind them that we
are here; that we need the spectrum. We provide emergency
services and most of all, we have fun doing it."

--

Again, these years ARRL Field Day takes place from 1800 UTC
on Saturday, June 23rd and runs through 2100 UTC on Sunday
June 24th. We hope to hear you on the air. (ARNewslineT)

**

RADIOSPORTS: AUSTRALIA VHF-UHF FIELD DAY JUNE 23-24

Meantime, down-under Australia's Winter VHF-UHF Field Day
will be held over the same weekend of June 23 and 24. The
event runs for 24 hours, but there are also 8 hour sections
for operators who may not be able to camp overnight. There
are also separate categories for single and multiple
operator stations. And if you don't like the cold weather
of the Southern hemisphere winter, there is also a separate
home station category. More details are on the contest page
at wia.org.au (VK3KM)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE: PHONESATS SHOWN AT MAY MAKER FAIRE

Turning to ham radio in space related news, some new amateur
radio satellites based on cellphones were recently shown to
the public at the 2012 Bay Area Maker Faire in San Mateo,
California. Amateur Radio Newsline's Skeeter Nash, N5ASH,
reports:

--

Among the displays was one for the PhoneSat amateur radio
satellites. These are a pair of ham radio satellites both
of which run the Android operating system and will be
enclosed in a standard 1U CubeSat structure.

PhoneSat 1.0 cost about $3500 and is built around the Nexus
One smartphone. It will operate on battery power only with
a mission lifetime of approx 1 week. Its big brother called
PhoneSat 2.0 used a Nexus S smartphone and has solar panels
on each face for a mission lifetime that should last at
least two weeks when it will likely de-orbit.

The IARU has coordinated a frequency of 437.425 MHz for the
AX.25 AFSK downlink.

The first launch is scheduled for the third quarter of 2012
on the Antares-110 launch vehicle. It will carry two
PhoneSat 1.0 satellites and one PhoneSat 2.0. A second
PhoneSat launch is expected to occur sometime in 2013.

--
The 2012 Bay Area Maker Faire took place May 19th to the
20th. Several news reports estimate that 65,000 to 70,000
attended this ever growing West Coast event that was held
the same weekend as the Dayton Hamvention. (Phonesat Team)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE: ARISS DIGIPETER MOVES TO 437.550 MHZ

The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station or
ARISS digipeater has changed frequency from 145.825 MHz to
437.550 MHz. Packet operations were moved to the Columbus
Module UHF radio when the Kenwood D700 radio was recently
powered off due to needing an additional air purifier to
support the recently arrived Automated Transfer Vehicle or
ATV.

Normally the air purifier is located in the ATV but recent
power support issues necessitated the system be relocated to
the Service Module. As a result the purifier is now using
the power outlet that the Kenwood radio normally uses.

The Russian team has agreed to briefly power the purifier
off for the scheduled ARISS school events but then will re-
activate the purifier right afterwards. This appears to be
a long term impact as ATV is currently scheduled to depart
from ISS in September. (ARISS, AMSAT, N5VHO)

**

RADIO IN SPACE: NASA SCRAPS GEMS X-RAY RESEARCH TELESCOPE
PROJECT

According to space.com, NASA has cancelled a project to
build an X-ray telescope designed to look for black holes,
neutron stars, and the remnants of dead star systems and
radio the results back to Earth. This due to cost overruns.

The GEMS telescope, short for Gravity and Extreme Magnetism
Small Explorer, had a budget of $105 million plus additional
costs associated with launching it into space. But what
have been termed as soaring development costs caused NASA to
scrap the project.

The telescope was reportedly still in the design stage and
no hardware had been built when the space agency pulled the
plug on the mission.
(Space)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: EFC 2012 ON THE AIR.

On the air keep your ears open for numerous special event
stations from the Ukraine and Poland to be active during the
2012 European Football Championship 2012 that runs through
July 5th. This is an on-the-air activity by Polish and
Ukrainian amateurs that are affiliated with PZK and UARL
national societies and will use special prefixes such as
3Z2012 from Poland and EM2012 from the Ukraine to mention
only two. Operations will be on all the amateur bands and
there are two awards which can be earned during this period.
More detailed information about their activities can be
found on the web at efc2012.pzk.org.pl. (Southgate)

**

DX


In DX, word that F4EBT will be traveling in the French
Polynesia area
of the Pacific until 24th June. He is using the callsign FO
stroke F4EBT from at least two different locations in the
Islands on the Air OC-046 group and at least four different
islands in the OC-067 group. QSLs go via his home call or
via the French bureau.

NK8O is working at Mwanza on Lake Victoria, Tanzania and
plans to be active as 5H3CP through June 22nd. Activity will
be in his spare time with QRP power on various HF bands
using CW. QSL direct to his home call.

Lastly, M0AEP under the call VP2MDD will be on the air from
Montserrat until August 6th. He says that he will
concentrate on 12, 10 and 6 meters. Please QSL this
operation as directed on the air.

(Above from various DX news sources)

**

THAT FINAL ITEM: SHORTWAVE NEWS: WASHINGTON DC GATHERING
FINDS NEW INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING INITIATIVES

And finally this week, a large number of the presentations
at the recent National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters
meeting centered on the idea how shortwave radio can find a
place in the 21st century. Amateur Radio Newsline's Heather
Butera-Howell, KB3TZD, has the details:

--

Dismissed by some as a relic of the Cold War era
disappearing under the shadow of emerging digital
communications, many of the conference's speakers argued
that the answer to shortwave's future may reside in
providing service to areas of the world with little electric
power. Also, that it remains an effective means of relaying
information to citizens of countries with repressive
regimes. It was noted that because shortwave radio is harder
to interrupt than the Internet, Radio Free Asia, the
conference host, broadcasts to the highly censored areas
like North Korea.

Presenting the results of a study on which audiences were
tuning into shortwave across the globe was Dr. Kim Andrew
Elliott. Elliott is an audience research specialist. He
pointed out that in countries like Nigeria and Zimbabwe,
people tended to own more radios than televisions.
According to Elliott. 32% of those surveyed face to face in
the impoverished, politically tumultuous nation of Zimbabwe
said that they own shortwave radios,

Another presenter was Thomas Witherspoon, who founded Ears
to Our World. This is a U-S based non-profit organization
that supplies shortwave radios to developing, conflict-
riddled nations like South Sudan. Witherspoon said he is
skeptical when people dismiss shortwave radio's future on
premises like the Internet is everywhere.

Witherspoon says that we can look at the reasons why radio
is on the decline, or instead the ways we can invest in
shortwave radio and why we should do that. He says that it's
affordable, and broadcasters are doing it pretty
efficiently.

One of the conference's attendees was Shahnaz Ghavami of the
United States FCC. She said that after that after spending
the day with the international broadcasters it makes you
think about shortwave as something new.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Heater Butera-Howell,
KB3TZD, in Berwick, Pennsylvania.

--

The National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters meeting
was held May 10th and 11th in Washington, D.C. (RW, B&C,
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, Rain, the RSGB, the Southgate
News 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 Jim Davis, W2JKD, saying 73 and we thank you for
listening.

Amateur Radio NewslineT is Copyright 2012. All rights
reserved.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Amateur Radio Newsline T Report 1817 - June 8 2012





Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1817 with a release
date of June 8, 2012 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a Q-S-T. A famed German DXer is arrested
in Greece but nobody seems to know why, including Greece.
Also, medical wireless network to operate adjacent to ham
radio satellites on 13 centimeters; Malaysia says emergency
agencies should embrace amateur radio and a primer on
International lighthouse and lightship weekend. Find out
the details are on Amateur Radio NewslineT report number
1817 coming your way right now.


(Billboard Cart Here)


**

RADIO LAW: FAMED GERMAN DX'ER DJ6SI ARRESTED IN GREECE


In what has to be one of the strangest international legal
issues involving a ham radio operator, famed German
DXpedition leader Baldur Drobnica, DJ6SI, has been arrested
in Greece. But in a strange turn of events he was permitted
to return to Germany if he promised that he would come back
to Greece for trial. Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill
Pasternak, WA6ITF, is in the newsroom trying to sort it all
out:

--

Let me start by saying that it is very hard to know what has
really taken place because most of the news sources are
foreign language ham radio blogs and other news reports that
have been electronically translated into English. Also, as
we go to air there comes a purported statement in German
from the person in the center of the controversy, DXer
Baldur Drobnika, DJ6SI. It was posted to QRZ.com by YO4PX
after being translated by DK5KF. As that is the latest
information, lets start there and then take a look at the
rest of the story as it seemed to unfold.

The statement credited to DJ6SI reads as follows:

"June 3rd, 2012, 20:46 (UTC 2)

Dear Michael,

I wasn't charged with espionage. As a reason of my arrest it
was stated that:

1. I performed radio traffic without the approval of the
Greek authorities;

2. I owned transmitting equipment which enabled the
reception of other frequencies;

To the accusation was later added an other point:

I hindered the visualization of the content of my notebook.

I would like to ask you to eliminate the information that I
was arrested for espionage, or to replace it with my
statement.

Vy 73 Baldur DJ6SI"

Now, the back story:

According to news reports, 75 year old Baldur Drobnica,
DJ6SI was on holiday on the Greek island of Kos. That's
where he was reportedly taken into custody for the crime of
espionage which was quickly reduced to operating amateur
radio equipment. This, even though both Greece and
Drobnika's home country of Germany are both signatories to
the CEPT pan-European Amateur Radio licensing agreement.

Even so, Greek news reports appear to indicate DJ6SI was
actually arrested under a 1929 Greek law covering illegal
operation of radio telegraph equipment even though the CEPT
agreement would likely superscede the older law.

According to Greek ham radio blogs the accusation of
espionage was based on a complaint that he was "producing
strange noises" with his computer. Those strange noises
turned out to be CW and RTTY. This was corroborated by many
who notice reports of his operation on Internet-based DX
spotting clusters.

Quite quickly the espionage charge appeared to disappear and
the reduced charge under the 1929 law implemented. And in a
strange turn of events, DJ6SI was permitted to return to
Germany but he was told that he must return to Greece to
stand trial on June 7th. That hearing is likely taking
place as this newscast goes to air. But as several Greek
hams have pointed out, DJ6SI would have not been permitted
to leave the country if there were any real case or even a
suspicion that he was engaged in spying activities.

And one Greek ham radio blog took the matter a lot further.
The Radio Amateur Association of Greece issued an angry
statement defending DJ6SI. It claims that the
responsibility for the entire matter should be placed on the
to the shoulders of the officer that ignored laws and
regulations, arrested DJ6SI and led him to court. They also
place blame on the prosecutor who they say was quick to
suggest his conviction based on a law passed in 1927, in
the year 2012.

The hams also point out that radio amateurs have been
complaining for years to the responsible Ministry that
public services and institutions and particularly police
have not been informed properly about ham radio. The
association says that it's the governments duty to inform
all relevant authorities about amateur radio and its
operations.

Obviously. This story is far from over.

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

--

You can read the Aegea News report in Google English at
tinyurl.com/DJ6SI-Aegea-News. An article by Greek amateurs
protesting Drobnika's arrest is at
www.radiofono.gr/node/3251 (SV5YR, DK5KF, YO4PX,
RadioInfo.gr, QRZ.com, others)

**

RESCUE RADIO: MALAYSIA SAYS EMERGENCY AGENCIES SHOULD WORK
WITH HAMS

Emergency Agencies in Malaysia should work with Radio
Amateurs. So says that nations Information Department
director-general Ibrahim Abd Rahman.

Director-general Rahman has been quoted in the Straits Times
newspaper as saying that integration between the two should
be encouraged as it helped the agencies to build good
rapport and teamwork spirit.

Rahman said that agencies like the Fire and Rescue
Department, Civil Defense, police, the Malaysian Red
Crescent Society, hospitals, the Royal Malaysian Air Force
and the Department of Civil Aviation should work together
with amateur radio operators. He notes that hams could be
the key to communicate with people in distress and,
therefore, a collaboration between government agencies and
amateur radio users should be intensified.

You can read the entire story of Malaysia's new emergency
response proposal to include ham radio in its emergency
communications system on-line at tinyurl.com/malaysian-
emcomm. (Straits Times)

**

RESTRUCTURING: NEW BANDS MADE AVAILABLE IN POLAND

Some new spectrum for hams in Poland. Pawe3 Zakrzewski,
SP7TEV, reports via the I-A-R-U Region One website that the
Regulation of the Council of Ministers from April 3rd and
published in the Journal of Laws of the Republic of Poland
on May 17th has made available several new bands. These
include 70.1 to 70.3 MHz on a secondary basis with a power
limit of 20 watts.

Also available to radio amateurs will be 2.400 to 2.450
Gigahertz without causing interference to the other services
in line with the article number 5 of the ITU Radio
Regulations. Lastly is 3.400 to 3.410 Gigahertz on a
secondary basis, with no more than 20 watts effective
radiated power.

The changes to Poland's National Table of Allocation of the
Radio Frequency Spectrum will come into effect on June 1st.
(IARU R-1)

**

RESTRUCTURING: BAND COVERAGE CHANGES IN DENMARK

The Danish regulator the ERST has announced the availability
for of 5250 to 5450 kHz and 472 to 479 kHz and an expansion
to 70 MHz to that nation's amateur radio service.

Effective this past June 1st, the pilot program at 5 MHz
ceased. It was replaced by the new permanent allocation of
5250 to 5450 kHz. This spectrum can be used by that
nation's A certificate holders at a power level of up to
1000 watts and B certificate holders at up to 100 watts out
using all modulation types. Previously issued trial
licenses are valid until their expiration date.

Additionally ERST announced an expansion of 70 MHz which
will become 69.9375 to 70.0625 MHz, 70.0875 to 70.1125 MHz
and 70.1625 to 70.5125 MHz. No changes were implemented to
the current modes and power levels for this band.

Lastly, Denmark will also open a new amateur radio band at
from 472 to 479 kHz as of January 1, 2013. (ERST)

**

RESTRUCTURING: NEW LOW FREQUENCY BAND IN MONACO

The telecommunications regulator of the Principality of
Monaco has allocated the band segment of 472 to 479 kHz to
its amateur service. This is on a secondary status basis
and limited to a maximum power of one watt effective
radiated power. (GB2RS)

**

RESTRUCTURING: SA AGREEMENT FOR HAM RADIO AT YOUTH DAY
EVENT

The South African Radio League has signed an agreement with
telecommunications regulator the Independent Communications
Authority of South Africa that will allow unlicensed persons
to operate an amateur radio station under the supervision of
a licensed radio amateur. This without the need to register
as an educational station.

The agreement comes in time for implementation for the June
16th South Africa Youth Day event. Both SARL and ICASA look
at this agreement as a further incentive to set up a
demonstration station, involve more young people in the
youth day sprint and show the average man in the street how
great amateur radio is. (SARL)

**

BREAK 1

From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world
including the W4GR repeater serving Sumter, South Carolina.


(5 sec pause here)


**

RESTRUCTURING: MED ELECTRONICS TO OPERATE ADJACENT TO
HAMSATS 13 CM

Medical electronics will soon be operational adjacent to ham
radio in the 13 centimeter band. Amateur Radio Newsline's
Cheryl Lasek, K9BIK, has more:

--

The ARRL and AMSAT are reporting on a First Report and Order
and a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking released by the
FCC on May 24. In it the regulatory agency decided to
expand the Part 95 Personal Radio Service rules to allow
medical devices to operate on a secondary basis in the
spectrum from 2360 to 2400 MHz.

The new allocation came in a Report and Order on ET docket
08-59 and is specific for Medical Body Area Networks. These
provide a way for health care facilities to monitor their
patients without confining them to wired hookups.

The use of these frequencies will be on a secondary basis.
This means that Medical Body Area Networks stations will not
be allowed to cause interference to, and must accept
interference from, any primary services using the spectrum.
This includes amateur radio which operate on a terrestrial
primary basis in the 2390 to 2395 and 2395 to 2400 MHz
bands. International amateur satellite operations are
allocated between 2400 to 2450 MHz, which is adjacent to the
new medical devices shared spectrum.

For the amateur Radio newsline, I'm Cheryl Lasek, K9BIK, in
Zion, Illinois.

--

The assignment of this new medical service to the to the
shared 13 centimeter band was not much of a surprise to
those who have been following the communications politics
taking pace in Washington of late. (ARRL, ANS)

**

RADIO PLANNING: ARRL BOD APPROVES NEW 9CM BANDPLAN

The ARRL Board of Directors has unanimously voted to approve
a news 9 centimeter band plan. This, as presented to it by
the League's UHF and Microwave Band Plan Committee.

In its findings, the committee recognized that local
conditions or needs may necessitate deviations from a band
plan. Also that regional frequency coordinating bodies may
recommend alternatives for use in their respective regions.

Several interesting notes about the new bandplan include an
advisory that weak signal terrestrial legacy users should be
encouraged to move to 3400.3 to 3401.0 MHz, as time and
resources permit. Also that broadband segments may be used
for any combination of high-speed data, amateur television
and other high-bandwidth activities. Division into channels
and or separation of uses within these segments may be done
regionally, based on need and usage.

The new plan also notes that per I-T-U Radio Regulation
5.149 that in some regions these band segments are also used
for Radio Astronomy. As such, amateur radio use of these
frequencies should be first coordinated with the National
Science Foundation.

Earlier this year, the committee asked radio amateurs for
comments on a proposed 9 cm band plan. At that time it
explained that the purpose of these band plans is to share
information about how the amateur spectrum is being used
and to suggest compatible frequency ranges for various types
of application. (ARRL)

**

RADIO LAW: FCC DENIES CALL IDENTIFICATION CHANGE REQUEST

The FCC has again denied a rule making petition from Glen
Zook, K9STH, of Richardson, Texas. One that requested that
Section 97.119(a) of the Commission's Rules be amended to
include an exception to the station identification rule.

Accorsding to the FCC, Section 97.119(a) provides that an
amateur station must transmit its assigned call sign on its
transmitting channel at the end of each communication, and
at least every 10 minutes during a communication.

In his petition Zook asserted that the requirement that a
station transmit its assigned call sign at the end of each
communication is routinely violated by amateur operators.

The FCC says that Zook proposed to address this by adding to
Section 97.119(a) which was an exception formerly contained
in the Commission's regulations pertaining to the Amateur
Radio Service. Specifically, K9STH requested that the rule
be amended to provide that if an amateur station transmits
its call sign during its first transmission, the call sign
need not be transmitted at the end of the communications if
the total communication is less than three minutes. Zook
referred to this as the "3-minute rule."

In denying Zook's request the FCC noted that his proposal to
reinstate the "3-minute rule" was dismissed twice in the
last five years. It says that his latest petition sets
forth no new facts or changed circumstances warranting
further consideration of the proposal. As such, the FCC
concludes that the current petition is repetitive and as
such it is being dismissed. (FCC)

**


FCC NEWS: SEAN LEV NAMED NEW FCC GENERAL COUNSEL

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius
Genachowski has announced that Sean Lev, currently Deputy
General Counsel and Special Advisor to the Chairman, will
become FCC General Counsel. This after Austin Schlick
announced his decision to step down as the agency's General
Counsel, effective mid-June.

According to his bio, Lev came to the FCC from the
Department of Energy, where he served as the Acting General
Counsel and Deputy General Counsel for Environment and
Nuclear Programs. Before joining the D-O-E in June 2009,
Lev was a partner at Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans &
Figel, where his practice focused on telecommunications,
administrative law, and appellate and general litigation.
(FCC)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: HAM RADIO AT THE 2012 MENSA ANNUAL
CONVENTION

The 2012 Mensa Annual Gathering and National Convention will
be held July 4th through the 8th in Reno, Nevada. During
the gathering, the on-line Mensa amateur radio special
interest group will be sponsoring the Special Events Station
N-7-M. According to Bil Munsil, K1ATV, of Mesa, Arizona,
there will be field day-type operation from the parking
structure on top of the Silver Legacy resort. There also
may be a 2 meter station and possibly an amateur fast scan
ATV station in the lobby of the Reno Ballroom. More about
the Mensa convention is on-line at www.ag.us.mensa.org.
(K1ATV)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: FOX CITIES ARC TO COMMEMORATE AIRVENTURE
2012

Jon Oldenburg. AB9AH, tells Newsline that the Fox Cities
Amateur Radio club will once again be hosting a special
event amateur radio station at the EAA Airvenute 2012. This
from July 25th to the 29th.

Station W9ZL will operate each day from 1500 to 0000 UTC
from the Airventure venue in Oshkosh Wisconsin. Stations
will be active on 7.250 and 14.250 MHz SSB. Also on 52.550
MHz FM.

For a commemorative please QSL with a large self addressed
stamped envelope to FCARC AirVenture 2011, PO Box 2346,
Appleton Wisconsin, 54912.

According to AB9AH this will be the 19th year that the Fox
Cities club will be hosting this commemorative Airventure
station event. (AB9AH)

**

HAMVENTION 2012: OFFICIAL FIGURE SAYS OVER 24000 ATTENDED
THIS YEAR

The numbers are out and they show conclusively that
attendance at the Dayton Hamvention is on the rise. Amateur
Radio Newsline's Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, has more:

--

The official attendance of Hamvention 2012 reached 24,483.
This good news was announced by 2012 Hamvention General
Chairman Mike Kalter, W8CI, at the Dayton Amateur Radio
Association meeting Friday night, June 1st.

According to Kalter, this was an increase over last year.
He attributed it in part to the excellent weather during
Hamvention weekend.

W8CI also noted that many vendors reported excellent sales
during the three days of Hamvention. Also that many
restaurants, hotels and motels also reported increased
sales. This contributing to an estimated $10 million
economic impact for the region.

For the first time this year, a $3 Dayton Attractions Tour
Shuttle ran from Hara's main entrance Friday and Saturday.
Stops included the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force,
Wright Dunbar Interpretive Center, the Dayton Aviation
Heritage National Historical Park and Carillon Park.

In his address to the club, Kalter said that Hamvention
would not be possible without the 500 plus volunteers who
manage every aspect of the event. For those not aware, the
Dayton Hamvention is the largest amateur radio gathering in
the world and one of the largest events of its type operated
entirely by volunteers.

Planning is already beginning for the 62nd Hamvention which
will be held at Hara Arena May 17, 18 and 19, 2013. We plan
to be there and hope that you will be too.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Don Wilbanks AE5DW, in
southern Mississippi.

--

And one side note. Not to be forgotten was a high altitude
balloon launch that was again part of Hamvention activities.
The two-hour flight reached an altitude over 87,000 feet and
landed in a pasture approximately eight miles southwest of
the Hara Arena launch point. Ironically, the pasture was
owned by a ham, Donald Fourman, AB8OS. (DARA)

**


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: VHF/UHF EXPERT EUGENE ZIMMERMANN,
W3ZZ - SK

We seem to say it more and more of late, but the changing of
the guard in amateur radio continues with word of the
passing of VHF and UHF expert Eugene Zimmerman, W3ZZ.

Zimmermann, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, passed away on
Sunday, June 3rd, was likely best known in ham radio circles
as the author of the popular QST column "The World Above 50
MHz" that he wrote from 2002 to 2011. He also served on
the ARRL Contest Advisory Committee, edited the VHF
contesting column for CQ Contest magazine during its five-
year lifespan and was director of the CQ VHF Contest from
2000 through 2002.

First licensed in 1956, Zimmerman earned the coveted VUCC
award on 50, 144, 222, 432, 903 and 1296 MHz, as well as
DXCC, Worked All States and Worked All Continents on 6
meters. He also logged several national Top-10 finishes in
the ARRL November Sweepstakes as well as a second-place
North American finish in the CQ World Wide CW Contest
operating from VP2MDD. W3ZZ also placed in the Top 10
several times in the ARRL VHF QSO Parties and in the ARRL
VHF Sweepstakes.

Zimmerman was an ARRL Life member. He earned a PhD in
Microbiology from the University of Maryland in 1968. He
began his professional career at the National Institutes of
Health where he spent a year as a technician studying
respiratory viruses. This experience sparked an interest in
virology and conquering the common cold. After this, he
conducted early research at National Institutes of Health,
studying the relationship between retroviruses and cancer,
the use of the simian model for studying leukemia and the
use of interferon as an immune system modulator.

In 1976, he joined the National Institutes of Health Grants
Associate Program, which groomed promising scientists for
careers in managing N-I-H research programs. Zimmerman was
then recruited to be the Scientific Review Administrator of
the Allergy and Immunology Study Section of the
Immunological Sciences Integrated Review Group, where he
evaluated research proposals to provide funds for research
in immunology.

Eugene Zimmerman, W3ZZ, was a member of the Delmarva VHF and
Microwave Society, the Grid Pirates Contest Group, a Past
President of the Potomac Valley Radio Club and an honorary
member of the Connecticut Wireless Association.

As we go to air memorial services had not yet been
announced. At the time of his passing Gene Zimmermann,
W3ZZ, was age 71. (ARRL)

**

WORLDBEAT: 2012 OLYMPIC TORCH RELAY TRACKED ON APRS

The 2012 Olympic Torch Relay route is being tracked on the
APRS.fi web site. To see it go to http://aprs.fi/ and enter
Torch2012 in the Track Callsign field. Also information on
the Worked All Britain Follow the Torch Award is on-line at
www.worked-all-britain.co.uk. (GB2RS)

**

WORLDBEAT: SPECIAL CENTENIARY CALL FOR WIA

2012 is the Centenary of the Wireless Institute of Australia
being established in the State of Queensland. The special
Centenary callsign, VK-100-WIQ, was activated on June 1st
and will be active through July 31st by way of the W-I-A
affiliated radio clubs in Queensland. There is also a
Centenary QSL card and a Centenary award available. Details
can be found at www.wia.org.au. (WIA)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE: LISTEN TO HORYU-2 ON THE WWW

YO8SSQ and YO8TLC have made available a web based receiver
to enable listeners to hear the new HORYU-2 amateur radio
satellite. This when the new bird is within range of
Romania.

The WebSDR receiver is located at the Astronomical
Observatory Department of the University in Suceava. That
in grid locator KN 37 at a height of 350 meters above sea
level.

The hardware consists of two SDR receivers which are fed
into 48 kHz sound cards on an AMD Sempron 2600+ computer
running Vector Linux. The web page displays a track showing
the current position of HORYU-2. It also provides coverage
of the 3.65 to 3.710 MHz portion of the 80 band.

You can listen to the HORYU-2 and 80 meter WebSDR receivers
at tinyurl.com/sdr-sat-receiver

(HORYU-2 TEAM)

**

DX

In DX Word from the ARRL that 2012 XX9E operation from Macao
has been approved for DXCC credit. If you worked that
operation you can submit it for DXCC.
On the air, ON8ZZ, ON3JA and ON3NT will be active as MU
stroke OT9Z from Guernsey between July 16th to the 20th.
During their stay on Guernsey, they plan to activate Herm
Island on the 17th, Sark Island on the 18th and Alderny
Island on the 19th. The group will then head south to be
active from Chausey Island between July 27th and the 29th
using the call F/OT9Z from . QSL all operations via OT9Z.

OE4JHW reports that he will do a suitcase DXpedition to
Kuredu Island between September 2nd and the 4th. More
details including the QSL route will be forthcoming in the
near future.

AC8G who was planning a 6 night stay in Grenada for the CQ
WW SSB Contest, October 27th and 28th, has announced that
the airline that was to transport him has cancelled his
flight. Other dates offered were not acceptable, so he has
terminated his plans the operation.

DL9WVM, will once again be active portable A6 from Dubai
through June 30th. . His activity will be on 80 through 10
meters. QSL via Logbook of the World or via his home
callsign, direct or by the bureau.

DL2RMC is also on the air slash A6 from Abu Dhabi which
started around May 29th. He will be there for 3 weeks
depending on his job in United Arab Emerites. QSL as
directed on the air.

Lastly N0TG has announced a 2013 operation to Sint Maarten
between
March 15th to the 23rd. He states that he has the facility
arranged, as well as tickets, and all other aspects required
so you can look for N0TG, AA4VK and N1SNB to sign slant PJ
during that operation. Activity will probably be on all
bands and modes. QSL's all three callsigns will go via N0TG.

(Above from various DX news sources)

**

THAT FINAL ITEM: A PRIMER ON ILLW

And finally a bit of ham radio history on International
Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend. From down-under here's
Felix Scerri, VK4FUQ:

--

The 15th annual International Lighthouse and Lightship
Weekend in August has inspired many to register early with
32 countries and nearly 250 registered already.

Although this is just over half of the countries normally
attracted by the event it is slightly ahead of expectations
with ten weeks to go.

The weekend increases the public awareness of lighthouses
and lightships and their need for them to be preserved,
promotes amateur radio and fosters international goodwill.

The event was started mainly by late Mike Dalrymple GM4SUC
and the Ayr Amateur Radio Group in 1995 as the Northern
Lighthouse Activity Weekend with stations at Scottish
lighthouses. It quickly went international.

The third weekend in August coincides with the worldwide
lighthouse open day organized by the Association of
Lighthouse Keepers that sees public access to many of the
featured lighthouses.

During the weekend a group or individual sets up an amateur
station at or adjacent to a lighthouse, lightship or marine
beacon that is listed.

To register, complete a short online form, read the event
rules and have lots of fun. You will see complete statistics
on past events, reports from previous years and ILLW are on
Facebook too.

--

This year's International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend
is slated for August 18th and 19th and runs 48 hours. If
you have access to a lighthouse or lightship you want to
activate, you can register for the event on-line at
www.illw.org. (WIA News)

**

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, TWIT.TV, the
Southgate News 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, saying 73 and we thank you for
listening.

Amateur Radio NewslineT is Copyright 2012. All rights
reserved.