Friday, August 31, 2012

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1829 - August 31 2012







The following is a closed circuit and is not necessarily for
air. With a report on the Amateur Radio Newsline current
financial picture here's our producer Bill Pasternak,
WA6ITF:

--

Well, the last time I was on here with a financial report I
told you that I thought we had enough in the bank to
hopefully hold us over the summer months June, July and
August, and that I would not be asking for any contributions
unless the sky was falling. Sadly, the sky is falling this
year. This is mainly because we did not get some of the
larger donations that we have come to count on to keep us
going over the lean summer months when people are away on
vacation.

Right now, we only have a couple of hundred dollars left in
our bank account. Most of that will vanish as we pay off
our financial obligation in regard to presenting this years
Young Ham of the Year Award and the outstanding bills for
the month of August which are quickly piling up. And unlike
the years up through October 2009 when I retired from full
time employment, I'm now living on fixed income and honestly
cannot afford to underwrite the cost of bringing these
newscasts to you.

To be candid, I do not like to lead off a newscast with an
appeal such as this, but we have no other method of getting
the word out to you that we need your financial assistance
to keep Amateur Radio Newsline on the air, and that we need
it now. To all of us involved, each donation is looked upon
as an ongoing vote of confidence in the quality of the news
and information that we provide each week. And for this I
add my personal thank you.

Remember, Amateur Radio Newsline is a 501c3, not for profit
corporation and your donations are tax deductible. The
easiest way to donate is by going to our website at
www.arnewsline.org and clicking on the Pay Pal button. Or
you can mail a donation to the address you will hear at the
end of this weeks newscast.

Whichever method you choose, the all volunteer Amateur Radio
Newsline team says thank you so much for caring. We promise
to do all that we can to continue bringing you the news and
information you want to hear about amateur radio and
personal communications in the coming years.

Thank you. I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, and now this weeks
newscast.

--

Thanks bill. Now, Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1829
with a release date of August 31 2012 to follow in 5-4-3-2-
1.

The following is a Q-S-T.

Amateur radio assists as Hurricane Isaac hits the U.S. Gulf
shore; the London Olympics ham radio station may have set a
world record and a star is found devouring a planet. Find
out the details on Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1829
coming your way right now.


(Billboard Cart Here)


**

RESCUE RADIO: HAM RADIO WAS READY FOR HURRICANE ISAAC

Amateur radio first responders along the United States Gulf
shore were ready when Hurricane Isaac slammed ashore on
August 28th and 29th. We have the more in this report:

--

As Hurricane Isaac made its way across the Gulf of Mexico
and then made landfall several miles West of New Orleans,
Louisiana, members of the Hurricane Watch Net took to the
air to track its approach:

--

(Ham in Florida) ".Victor-Radio-4-Golf. The handle here is
Bill and Im located in Pensacola, Florida and we've had some
winds gusts up to about 44 miles an hour. We went out for a
ride along the beach this afternoon and they do now have
some roads closed and water was coming over the sand dunes
and starting to flood some of the roads, over"

--

While band conditions on 20 and 40 meters were not the
greatest, the net continued and began passing storm
conditions to the National Hurricane Center in Miami:

--

(Ham in New Orleans: ".we have wind gusts of about 70 to 75
miles per hour right now. Its really coming bad on us but
my antenna is located in the attic."

--

One report was rather interesting from a scientific point of
view:

--

(Ham in New Orleans) "The Mississippi river at the Carrolton
gate in New Orleans is flowing backward."

--

Also taking reports for the National Hurricane Center was
the V-O-I-P Hurricane Watch net. This group gathers
information mainly from local repeaters within the storm
area and also passes it along to the National Hurricane
Center:

--

(VoIP Net Audio) "K3-November-Foxtrot-Uniform in Slidell,
Louisiana. Estimated winds of 30 and no rain as of this
time."

--

Hams on the V-O-I-P net also provided ongoing damage
assessment:

--

(VoIP Net Audio) "I was informed that the power has hone out
in mid-city New Orleans, Louisiana near the steets of Murat
and Bowden."

"Roger. I have Murast and Bowden. Did I copy correctly
that was mid-city New Orleans?"

--

As this report is being prepared, Issac has been downgraded
from a category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm but is
soaking Louisiana and surrounding states for yet another
day. As such, the job of ham radio operators in coping with
the storm is far from over.

With thanks to K3VR for the recordings of the 20 meter
Hurricane Watch Net, Im Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, in the
newsroom in Los Angeles.

--

We will have more on the role of amateur radio in the wake
of Hurricane Isaac in upcoming Amateur Radio Newsline
reports. (ARNewslineT with audio from Hurricane Watch Net
and VoIP Hurricane Watch Net.)

**

RADIO LAW: IARU SAYS IT WOULD WELCOME DOT RADIO DOMAIN

The International Amateur Radio Union says that it will back
the European Broadcasting Union proposal that the top level
Internet domain dot radio be used to help to create a global
radio community. IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH, says that
his organization believes that the proposal, to be submitted
by the European Broadcast Union, could provide a unique
opportunity to standardize radio domain names on the
Internet.

In a recently made public letter, VE6SH said that he
recommends that the dot radio domain proposal be approved by
the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.
European Broadcast Union Director General, Ingrid Deltenre
said the International Amateur Radio Union comments are an
expression of confidence in the proposal. The complete
story on the new dot radio domain and how it will impact all
spectrum users is on-line at tinyurl.com/iaru-dot-radio
(IARU, VK3PC)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: LONDON OLYMPICS COMMEMORATIVE STATION MAY
HAVE SET WORLD RECORD

The Radio Society of Great Britain reports that the team
at 2O12L, the amateur radio station for the London Olympic
and Paralympic Games, believe that they have now broken the
world record for the number of Q-S-O's by a Special Event
Station. As of 21:42 UTC on August 21st, 2O12L had logged
contact number 47,791.

2O12L goes QRT on September 9th at the end of the Paralympic
Games closing ceremony. As such the operators are fairly
confident that they can achieve their target of 60,000
contacts.

It is believed the previous standing record for a ham radio
Special Event station was held by the group that operated
DQ2006X during the 2006 World Cup. That station was on the
air from May 13th through July 16th of 2006 and made 47,790
contacts.

More on the operation of 2O12L is on-line at www.2O12L.com.
(RSGB)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE: APRS TO ASSIST VULTURE 2 SPACEPLANE
TRACKING

The Low Orbit Helium Assisted Navigator Vulture 2 space
plane will carry an amateur radio Automatic Packet Reporting
System or APRS system.

The UK newspaper the Register reports that Anthony Stirk, M-
Zero-U-P-U, who was involved in the Raspberry Pi In The
Sky mission, is working on the custom control board for the
Vulture 2 space plane.

As of now, the communications subsystem has a Radiometrix
300 milliwatt HX1 144 MHz band module for APRS and a
Radiometrix 10 milliwatt NTX2 433 MHz band module for RTTY.
More information on frequencies will ve announced at a later
date.

More on this upcoming near to space adventure can be read on-
line at tinyurl.com/vulture-2. And we will have more ham
radio space related news later on in this weeks newscast.
(UK Register)

**

BREAK 1

From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world
including the W9RCA repeater serving Indianapolis, Indiana.

(5 sec pause here)


**

RADIO LAW: VOTE ON ADDING ENGINEERS TO COMMISSION STAFF
SEEMS STALLED IN CONGRESS

Legislation working its way Congress that would add a
technical expert to the staff of each FCC commissioner may
not come up for a vote this fall. This is because the House
and Senate versions of the bill to allow each of the five
commissioners to hire one additional staff engineer are
still in committee. Amateur Radio Newsline's Norm Seeley,
KI7UP, has the details:

--

Maine Republican Senator Olympia Snowe introduced S. 611 in
May 2011. The measure seeks to amend the Communications Act
of 1934 to provide commissioners additional technical
expertise. However Snowe's intention to retire at the end
of this year has led supporters to push for a vote before
the end of this Congressional term.

The companion House companion measure is H.R. 2102: FCC
Commissioners' Technical Resource Enhancement Act. The
Society of Broadcast Engineers better known as the SBE is a
major supporter of these two pieces of legislation. In a
recent press statement, SBE President Ralph Hogan said that
his organization has scheduled a trip to Washington to meet
with key members of Congress in Washington, This to further
groups efforts to move the bills through the House and
Senate before the end 2012.

However, SBE General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, acknowledged
in a column that appeared in the August edition of the SBE
publication "The Signal" that time is of the essence.

According to Imlay, the SBE's last chance this fall to get
H.R. 2102 through the House is `on suspension.' That means
the measure is without the usual hearing and report
procedure.

To move a bill along in these cases normally requires that
the bill have a large number of cosponsors. Imlay says that
in an election year, this is not easy, noting that there are
only four co-sponsors for the House bill now.

Currently, FCC commissioners can appoint only three legal
advisors to counsel the Commissioners on the wired, wireless
and cable media. As part of its legislative agenda, the
Society of Broadcast Engineers has sought greater technical
expertise on the commission for several years.

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

--

Passage of these measures is important to the ham radio
community as it will put technical expertise to the highest
level of the Commission which for decades has lead primarily
by members of the legal profession rather than technologists
and engineers. This could lead to a better understanding of
our needs than is possible right now. (SBE, RW)

**

ENFORCEMENT: RAC ACTS TO PREVENT UNLAWFUL USE OF 2 METERS
BY PARAGLIDING COMPETITION

Radio Amateurs of Canada took action after a Paragliding
competition in British Columbia told its contestants to
communicate using a frequency in the 2 meter amateur band.
Bob Holowenko, VE7WNK, has more:

--

Radio Amateurs of Canada received a report by a British
Columbia ham who notified them of what appeared to be the
use of the two meter band for the operation of a paragliding
competition. Dave Cameron, VE7LTD, witnessed this radio
traffic and I was able to talk with him over the phone.

-

VE7LTD: "I was at a local repeater site helping the locals
there by doing a sweep trying to find a source of
interference. I had my HP8920A Service Monitor and I was
monitoring around the band trying to find what the sources
of intermod could be, and I noticed a few spikes in the ham
band. Knowing that there is not a lot of VHF activity in the
Pemberton area, I decided to tune into each of those and one
was on 146.415 simplex where I heard lots of
intercommunication between both paragliders in the air and
some kind of race coordination on the ground."

-

This "race coordination" which Dave was hearing was the
Canadian Paragliding National Championships held in
Pemberton, BC. Dave reported this to The Radio Amateurs of
Canada who became extremely concerned about the organizers
assertion that all participants must use a VHF radio tuned
to 146.415 Mhz for launching and landing.

Southern BC is popular for paragliding and hangliding thrill
seekers, and the ham community here knows many of those who
take part in these events are licensed hams, however it has
become apparent that many are not.

-

VE7LTD: "There was never a call sign used, and never any
identification used. Although the communication was very
structures, you could tell it was not by ham operators"

-

Dave did go on to say that of the registered Canadian
participants at the event, at least 40% of their names were
found in the Ras=dio Amateurs of Canada database.

RAC has been in contact with representatives from the
Paragliding community and has also requested enforcement
action to be taken by government officals at Industry
Canada.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bob Holowenko, VE7WNK,
in
Vancouver, British Columbia.

--

According to Radio Amateurs of Canada, protecting the ham
radio spectrum from intruders is all in a days work for the
group. (RAC, VE7WNK)

**

HELPING HAMS: RFINDER.NET SEEKS INPUT FROM FREQUENY
COORDINATORS

The on-line repeater directory RFinder is inviting Frequency
Coordinators to use the World Wide Radio Directory help them
in conducting their work. The hams who operate RFinder say
that they have already heard from several frequency
coordinators who have told them that being able to see the
repeaters across borders is very helpful. As such, RFfinder
says that frequency coordinators in several countries are
using RFinder/Web as a tool in their activities. They are
also looking to compile a wish list from the coordination
community to build a special portal for them to have the
tools they need to make frequency coordination easier. If
you are a coordinator who wants to contribute to this wish
list please send your thoughts by e-mail to w2cyk (at)
rfinder (dot) net. You lraen more about RFinder and the
services that it provides all who use repeaters on-line at
www.rfinder.net. (RFinder)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: ARRL CENTENNIAL CONVENTION IN HARTFORD CT

On the ham radio social scene, the ARRL has announced the
organization will hold its 2014 national Centennial
Convention in Hartford, Connecticut, from July 17th to the
20th. The Convention will mark 100 years of the ARRL's
founding that took place in the city of Hartford. The theme
for ARRL's Centennial year is Advancing the Art and Science
of Radio Since 1914. More information is on-line at
www.arrl.org/expo. (ARRL)

**

RADIO HAPPENINGS: NRCDXAS SWITCHING FROM TAPE TO CD
MAILOUTS

According to Amateur Radio Newsline's Fred Vobbe, W8HDU, the
September and October issues of the National Radio Club's D-
X Audio Service will be the last to issue on cassette tape.
Beginning in November these reports will switch distribution
to CD's after 27 years of tape mailouts.

Fred asks that if you know someone who is blind or otherwise
visually impaired, and who loves the topic of broadcast
radio, to please tell them about the DX Audio Service. More
information about it can be found on-line
at www.nrcdxas.org. (W8HDU)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS: BRITISH SOPRANO SARAH BRIGHTMAN MAY BE
THE NEXT SPACE TOURIST

A world famous entertainer may be the next to travel to the
International Space Station. Amateur Radio Newsline's
George Bowen, W2XBS, has the details:

--

British soprano Sarah Brightman could become the next space
tourist to visit the International Space Station. This
according to a senior official at the Russian Space Agency
who hinted on August 22nd that the 52 year old songstress
best known for her creating the role of Christine Daae' in
the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical The Phantom of the Opera is
being considered as candidate for such a trip.

The Interfax news agency cited a space industry source as
saying that the name of the next space tourist, who will
most likely fly to the ISS in 2015, will be officially
announced in around a month. The source also told Interfax
that Brightman visited Russia around a month ago and was
given the go-ahead by the medical commission to train at the
Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City outside
Moscow.

Previous space tourists visiting the ISS have included the
Canadian founder of the Cirque du Soleil, Guy Laliberte, and
computer game creator Richard Garriott, W5KWQ. As most of
you know, Richard Garriott is the son of retired Astronaut
Owen Garriott, W5LFL, who was the first radio amateur to
ever operate from space. This on shuttle mission STS-9.
Iranian-American entrepreneur Anousheh Ansari is so far the
only woman to make the trip to the I-S-S.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm George Bowen, W2XBS, in
Albany, New York.

--

More about Sarah Brightman's proposed trip to Earth orbit is
on-line at tinyurl.com/brightman-iss. (Interfax, AFP)

**

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: MIRAGE AND RF CONCEPTS FOUNDER
EVERETT GRACY, WA6CBA - S.K.

The man responsible for many pieces of equipment in the
shacks of so many hams has become a silent key at age 91.
Amateur Radio Newsline's Don Carlson, KQ6FM, brings us the
story of Everett Gracey, WA6CBA.

--

On Sunday morning, August 26, the Amateur Radio world lost a
gentle giant, as Everett Gracey, WA6CBA became a silent key.
For the many of us who knew Everett, it is loss unlike any
other. We have lost a great source of knowledge, but most
of all, a dear friend. For everyone else who did not know
him, the word "giant" is not adequate to describe him. His
contributions to the Amateur Radio world were immeasurable.

For those of you who ever owned a piece of gear with the
name RF Concepts or Mirage Communications on it, you held a
piece of his life and legacy, since he was a co-founder of
both companies, which he started with Ken Holaday, K6HCP.
Later in life Everett became a consultant to LDG
Electronics, who, according to Everett put out one of the
greatest automatic antenna tuners on the market, and are
sold world wide.

Everett spent most of his life in and around Reno, Nevada,
where he married his wife Dorothy on July 6, 1940. He was
devoted to her, since she was always first and foremost in
his mind. He took care of her in their later years, and
finally, it was his concern for her well being that prompted
his move from Reno to Grass Valley, California, so that her
care could be shared with medical professionals.

Everett was also a decorated veteran, who fought in with the
Army in Europe during WWII, and was awarded both the Bronze
Star and Silver Star for bravery in Germany. He was also
recipient of the Purple Heart. He was also author of
several books, "From A 13 year old Hobo to an Entrepreneur"
"My 20 Years of RV Adventures" and "Buying and Selling Real
Estate by Owner". One of my most treasured possessions is
an autographed copy of his autobiographical book, "From
Freight Trains to Airplanes", published in 1999.

Everett was always ready to lend a friendly hand with a good
piece of advice, Elmering and plenty of wisdom which helped
many a ham in need, and always seemed to have exactly what
they needed to complete the project, or get back on the air.
He even gave away parts used for fixing antennas and gear,
at no charge.

As a dear mutual friend of Everett's and mine said of his
passing, Everett, "I will miss you.you rascal..Oh, and while
you are winging your way around the heavens, and you had
best not tamper with my RF signal when I am attempting to
work DX, or someday, you and I will have a long discussion
about that!".

With sincere thanks to Joe Wolfe, WA6RKN for his informative
help, for the Amateur Radio Newsline, this is Don Carlson,
KQ6FM in Reno.

--

Per his request no service or memorial will be held.
Instead his ashes will be placed next to his wife Dorothy.
Everett and Dorothy Gracey had been married 70 years.
(KQ6FM, WA6RKN)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE: KEPLARIAN ELEMENTS CHANGE WITH ISS
HIGHER ORBIT

Space-Travel.com reports on August 22nd that a European ATV-
3 unmanned supply spacecraft was used to raise the
International Space Station's orbit to about 261 miles. The
orbit adjustment was done in two stages, with the ATV-3
engines firing for 348 seconds to lift the orbit to 257
miles followed by another burn four hours later that brought
the space station to its final altitude.

The maneuver was conducted to prepare for the return to
earth of Russia's Soyuz TMA-04M manned spacecraft on
September 17 and the docking of the Soyuz TMA-06M manned
spacecraft with the ISS on October 15th. For amateur radio
space enthusiasts this means that you will have to readjust
your Keplarian elements when tracking the I-S-S at its new
higher altitude. The complete story of this orbital
maneuver is on-line at tinyurl.com/ISS-Reboost. (ANS, Spece-
Travel.com)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: REGISTRATION OPEN FOR 2012 AMSAT SPACE
SYMPOSIUM

AMSAT says that registration for its 2012 Space Symposium is
now open on-line. To register over the World-Wide-Web
simply take your computer to store (dot) amsat (dot)
org/catalog and click on the "AMSAT 2012 Symposium" item in
the top left box.

A mail-in option is also available for those who wamt to
register the old fashioned way. A downloadable paper
registration forms in MS-Word and PDF format are available
on the 2012 Symposium page at tinyurl.com/amsat-2012-reg.

This years AMSAT Space Symposium takes place October 26th
through the 28th at the Holiday Inn Orlando-International
Airport in Orlando, Florida. This hotel is located at only
one mile north of the Orlando International Airport. at 5750
T.G. Lee Blvd, in Orlando. (AMSAT)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE: CPUT CUBESAT TO LAUNCH END NOVEMBER

A CubeSat designed and built by students at the Cape
Peninsular University of Technology in Bellville, South
Africa, will be launched towards the end of November.

Still known by its engineering name ZA Cube-1, the satellite
will be shipped in the next few weeks to Holland. There it
will be integrated with two other CubeSats in the launch
carrier before being shipped for integrating with the
rocket.

ZA Cube-1 is rare for a ham radio bird in that it carries a
High Frequency transmitter operating on 14.099 MHz in the 20
meter band. Also on-board is a small camera and a telemetry
transmitter. (SARL)

**

DX

In DX, N6MW and possibly 1 or 2 other operators will be
active stroke KH8 from American Samoa between November 8th
and the 19th. Operations will be on 160 through 10 meters
using mainly CW, but some SSB and RTTY. QSL via Logbook of
the World.

A group of radio amateurs from Poland will be on the air
as 5T0SP from Mauritania between November 24th and December
10th. Their activity will be on 160 through 10 meters using
CW, SSB and the Digital modes. As of airtime no QSL route
has been announced

Bill Moore, NC1L, at the ARRL says that the 1998 X-U-one-A
operation from Cambodia has been approved for DXCC Credit.
Moore says that if you have had QSLs rejected please send an
e-mail to bmoore (at) arrl (dot) org to be placed on the
list for update. If you remember the submission in which you
included the QSL please note this to expedite the search for
the rejected QSO.

Lastly, SM0JHF reports that he has retired and can no longer
afford sending out QSL cards automatically. He notes that
for the past 50 years that he has personally filled out and
shipped more than 100,000 QSL cards for his activities using
numerous past callsigns. He says that he will clean house
and dispose of blank cards by the end of this year. If you
need a card for any of his calls please contact him by e-
mail to sm0jhf (at) gmail (dot) com. A complete list of his
operations over the years is under SM0JHF on QRZ.com

(Above from various DX news sources)

**

THAT FINAL ITEM: STAR FOUND DEVOURING PLANET

And finally this week, radio and radio astronomy have
brought some new light on the way nature works out in the
cosmos. Amateur Radio Newsline's Cheryl Lasek, K9BIK, takes
us to the far reaches of space:

--

Astronomers have found evidence of a planet being devoured
by its star, yielding insights into the fate that will
befall Earth several billions years in the future.

The team uncovered the signature of the planet that had been
absorbed by looking at the chemistry of the host star. They
also think a surviving planet circling this star may have
been kicked into its unusual orbit by the destruction of a
neighboring world.

The US-Polish-Spanish team made the discovery when they were
studying the star BD+48 740 - which is one of a stellar
class known as red giants. Rising temperatures near the
cores of red giants cause these elderly stars to expand in
size. This in turn results in any nearby planets to be
absorbed by the expanding star or otherwise destroyed.

It's the way of the universe now brought to us thanks to the
art of radio and the science of Astronomy.

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

--

Details of the work have been published in Astrophysical
Journal Letters. The complete story is on-line at
tinyurl.com/planet-hungry-star. (ScienceToday, BBC,
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, TWiT-TV and Australia's W-I-A News, that's all from
the Amateur Radio NewslineT. Our e-mail address is
newsline(at) arnewsline (dot) org. More information is
available at Amateur Radio Newsline'sT only official website
located at www.arnewsline.org. You can also write to us or
support us at Amateur Radio NewslineT, 28197 Robin Avenue,
Santa Clarita California, 91350

For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors' desk,
I'm Jim Damron, N8TMW, wishing you a safe and enjoyable
Labor Day weekend. 73 and as always, we thank you for
listening.

Amateur Radio NewslineT is Copyright 2012. All rights
reserved.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1828 - August 24 2012






Attention bulletin stations. Please note that this is an
extended newscast and contains three breaks. Thank you.

Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1828 with a release
date of August 24 2012 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The FCC releases the text of its
report to Congress on the role of amateur radio in emergency
communications but provides no relief for hams living with
deed restrictions or CC&R's. Also, hams in Quebec Canada
get an implied exemption to that Provinces restrictive
cellphone law and we take you to the Huntsville Hamfest
where Erin King, AK4JG, receives the 2012 Young Ham of the
Year Award. Please join with us on an extended Amateur
Radio NewslineT report number 1828 coming your way right
now.


(Billboard Cart Here)


**

RADIO LAW: FCC RELEASES TEXT OF ITS R&O IN IMPEDIMENTS TO
HAM RADIO

The FCC has released its long awaited report to Congress
into the uses and capabilities of Amateur Radio Service
communications in emergencies and disaster relief
operations. It also delves into the existence of
impediments to this aspect of personal communications.
Amateur Radio Newsline's Don Carlson, KQ6FM, has the
details:

--

Don't look for Congressional action to override private land
use restrictions more commonly known as Conditions Covenants
and Restrictions or CC&R's even if hams believe that these
restrictions hamper them in times of emergencies. This is
because in its report to the legislative body, the FCC says
that, in its view, such restrictions do not constitute a
significant impediment to ham radio or those in the United
States amateur radio service.

In its report, the FCC noted that some of what it calls
"commenters" recommend that CC&Rs be preempted if they
prohibit antennas that are within certain limits. Others
suggest that private land use restrictions on amateur
antennas should be permitted only for safety considerations,
and not for aesthetic reasons.

However, another group believes that it is not necessary to
preempt private land use restrictions in order to promote
amateur emergency communications. This, given the ways that
even amateurs subject to CC&Rs can communicate effectively
and the nature of amateur emergency communications.

Moreover, while commenters suggest that private land use
restrictions have become more common, the FCC's says that
its own review of the record does not indicate that amateur
operators are unable to find homes that are not subject to
such restrictions. Therefore, at this time, the Commission
does not see a compelling reason for it to revisit its
previous determinations that preemption should not be
expanded to CC&Rs.

In relation to other impediments, the Commission says that
it has already preempted state and local regulations that do
not reasonably accommodate amateur radio communications and
do not represent the minimum practicable regulations to
accomplish the local authority's legitimate purpose. The
Commission says that it has also addressed regulations
regarding possession and operation of amateur radio
equipment while driving. These are state and local laws
that prohibit cellular telephone and texting devices and are
many times very broadly written as to catch hams, CB
operators and even commercial radio users into a confusing
maze of legal webs.

And as to any FCC rules that may be an impediment to the
various technical aspects of enhanced - read that as digital
amateur service emergency communications, the FCC believes
that these matters can be considered through the
Commission's rulemaking process. Consequently, it does not
believe that Congressional action is necessary to address
that issue either.

On the other side of the coin, the FCC notes that the ham
radio community and the emergency response and disaster
communications communities all agree that amateur radio can
be of great value in emergency response situations. The
regulatory agency notes that amateur radio carries with it a
wide range of advantages that allow it to supplement other
emergency communications activities during disasters. This
says the FCC, has been demonstrated time and again in a wide
variety of emergency and disaster situations including
Hurricane Katrina.

But at this point the regulatory agency sort of contradicts
itself regarding CC&R's, albeit it may not have noticed its
own mistake.

Here, the FCC notes that amateur radio emergency
communications require not only stations in a position to
originate the emergency message, but also as an alternative
to the commercial communications infrastructure impacted by
the emergency. This alternative infrastructure is the
network of amateur radio operators and their stations that
relay messages, build and maintain repeater stations and
repeater networks, operate High Frequency message networks
to send messages greater distances than are practical with
mobile or transportable transmitters, and develop new
technologies to improve the reliability of these networks.
As such, the FCC contends that this value could potentially
be increased, through cooperation among Department of
Homeland Security, public safety, emergency management, and
amateur radio emergency communications associations and
groups to develop future training protocols.

But what the FCC fails or refuses to address is how radio
amateurs living with CC&R's that restrict or outright forbid
antennas can possibly pass along emergency traffic using the
High Frequency bands. It's not likely that a long wire or
dipole hidden in a hams attic is going to break through to
any emergency net or pass traffic under adverse conditions.
Operating effectively on the High Frequency bands requires
decent outdoor antennas hung in the clear and this is
something that the FCC fails to address in this section of
its report.

Finally, the FCC recommends that the Department of Homeland
Security work with state, local, and tribal authorities to
develop disaster area access policies and qualifications for
trained amateur operators who provide emergency
communications support. The only question here is how you
get the attention of these agencies, many of whom consider
themselves autonomous are not interested in assistance from
the public at large.

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

--

You can download and read the entire 15 page FCC accounting
to Congress at tinyurl.com/FCC-To-Congress-Report. It's
written pretty much in plain language and might well make an
excellent program for radio clubs and on-air discussion
nets. This is because it could easily set precedent in
regulation of the United States Amateur Service for decades
to come. (FCC)

**

THE BPL WAR: EU VS RSGB OVER BPL STANDARD

A battle appears to be brewing between the Radio Society of
Great Britain and the chairman of the European Union
Committee. This after the latter attacked the RSGB's call
to arms in the battle against Powerline Transmission radio
pollution. A technology better known as Broadband Over
Powerline here in the United States. Amateur Radio
Newsline's Norm Seeley, KI7UP,has more:

--

The chairman of the European Union committee on Powerline
Networking has responded to the Radio Society of Great
Britain's call to arms, claiming that every minute of
filibustering pollutes the radio spectrum more.

According to the UK newspaper the Register, the Radio
Society of Great Britain says that the new standard for
broadband powerline transmission, will water down existing
requirements. This it says will open the way to greater
spectrum pollution. As such, the RSGB has asked members to
lobby their local representatives.

But Ronald Storrs, Chair of the committee defining the
standard refutes that. He claims that it is the RSGB that
is risking the airwaves with - and we quote" "their
pointless protests and inflexible attitude."

The problem is that sending data signals over unshielded
mains wiring, as Broadband Over Powerline transmissions does
generates radio interference. And as the manufacturers push
to increase speeds that interference is spreading into the
frequencies used by other radio services. That, says the
RSGB, is unacceptable.

But BPL or PLT equipment manufacturers have a totally
different view. They say that the devices don't generate
significant interference. Rather it's the mains wiring is
the culprit. The manufacturers also contend that in many
homes the wiring is sufficiently shielded that no
interference is generated. As such they will continue to
sell their devices legally.

Meantime UK telecommunications regulator Ofcom has taken a
back seat in this matter. It says that it can't do anything
as the devices themselves aren't radio transmitters so fall
outside their purview. Ofcom says it's waiting for the new
standard to be enacted which will give it some authority to
regulate Broadband over Powerline technology.

So it appears that a proverbial line has been drawn in the
sand between the UK ham radio community represented by the
Radio Society of Great Britain and those who want to sell
Broadband Over Powerline or PLT gear. And while the
European Union's Storrs agrees that BPL is generating
unacceptable interference, he says that every day there
isn't an applicable standard in place more unrestricted gear
is getting into the marketplace. He adds that the
intransigence of United Kingdom's ham radio community isn't
helping.

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

--

According to Storrs, the manufacturers of this equipment are
dead set against the proposed new standard. He also notes
that the new standard already has the support of the
International Amateur Radio Union and that this leaves the
UK hams standing alone against the European Union. You can
read the entire Register article on-line at tinyurl.com/UK-
PLT-Fight (Southgate, The Register)

**

BREAK 1

From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world
including the WB2QLP repeater serving Naples, Florida.

(5 sec pause here)


**

CHANGING OF THE GUARD: JOEL KLEINMAN, N1BKE, S-K

Ham radio has lost one of its most ardent supporters with
the untimely passing of QST Managing Editor Joel Kleinman,
N1BKE, who died in a house fire on Saturday, August 18th.
Amateur Radio Newslines Mark Abramowicz, NT3V, has the
details on this truly sad moment for all of us:

--

Neighbors of the Kleinman family were first to discover the
fire that claimed the life of Joel Kleinman and left his
widow, Jayne, hospitalized.

According to several news accounts, the fire inside
Kleinman's Meriden, Connecticut home was pushing out heavy
smoke when neighbors discovered it and some of them raced
into the burning dwelling. Reports say they first pulled
out Kleinman's wife, Jayne, who was already unconscious and
is hospitalized at MidState Medical Center. Investigators
say the rescuers saved her life.

But news accounts quote the neighbors who were involved in
the daring and dangerous action as saying the heavy smoke
prevented them from reaching the second floor where Joel
Kleinman was found by firefighters. The medical examiner
says the 64-year-old Kleinman died of smoke inhalation and
he ruled the death accidental.

Joel Kleinman had been the managing editor for the American
Radio Relay League's QST magazine since 2001. But his
history with the ARRL goes all the way back to 1976 when he
was hired by the organization to target young people with
science, and amateur satellites.

A graduate of the University of Montana with a journalism
degree, Kleinman - who didn't have a ham license at the time
- embraced the role.

It didn't take long for his ARRL bosses to recognize his
skills and he quickly moved into the operations of QST where
among the jobs he held was editorial assistant and features
editor. By 1988, Kleinman was promoted to book team
supervisor for ARRL's publications and other media. His
return to QST as the top boss a few years later, clearly was
a recognition by the ARRL management of his value to the
monthly publication that reaches thousands of amateurs every
month.

QST Editor Steve Ford, WB8IMY called Kleinman: "...the quiet
man behind the scenes, shouldering much of the burden that
comes with creating 164 pages of new content every month.
Joel set a high standard for all who may follow him."
_
ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN issued a statement: "With
the passing of Joel Kleinman, N1BKE, we have lost not only a
respected professional colleague, but also a friend."
_
Kleinman was the former president of the Newington Amateur
Radio League and was a member of the Quarter Century
Wireless Association.

Funeral arrangements for Joel Kleinman were still pending as
we were going to air.

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

--

Our hearts and prays go out to the Kleinman family on this
very tragic loss.

(ARNewslineT, ARRL, Meriden Patch, Meriden Record-Journal)

**

ENFORCEMENT: FCC LOWERS FINE ISSUED TO FORT MEYERS
UNLICENSED STATION

The FCC has lowered a fine imposed on an unlicensed
broadcaster. This after he provided proof that the initial
amount would prove a hardship that he could not afford to
pay.

As previously reported, this past June 5th the Enforcement
Bureau's Tampa Florida Office issued a $15,000 Notice of
Apparent Liability for Forfeiture to Albert R. Knighten, Jr.
of Fort Meyers. This for his alleged operation of an
unlicensed radio station.

In response to the proposed fine Knighten admitted to, and
apologized for, the violation. He also urged cancellation
or reduction of the proposed $15,000 forfeiture, asserting
that his financial situation could not the permit payment of
the fine that the FCC had levied against him.

After examining the financial documents provided by
Knighten, the FCC found sufficient basis to reduce the
forfeiture to $1,200. However, it also cautioned Knighten
that a party's inability to pay is only one factor in its
forfeiture calculation analysis. It told him that it had
previously rejected inability to pay claims in cases of
repeated or otherwise egregious violations. In closing it
warned Knighten that future violations of this kind could
result in significantly higher forfeitures that may not be
reduced due to financial circumstances.

Knighten was given the customary 30 days from the August
21st date of the order to pay the reduced forfeiture. If he
fails to do so the matter could be turned over to the
Department of Justice for collection. (FCC)

**

ENFORCEMENT: LACK OF EAS GEAR BRINGS $10000 FINE

The license holder of a low-power FM in Mission, Texas will
likely have to pay a $10,000 fine. This, for its admitted
failure to install and maintain working Emergency Alert
System or EAS equipment. Amateur Radio Newsline welcomes
George Bowen, W2XBS, who has this report:

--

Intercity Christian Youth Program, Inc. is the licensee for
low power station KCYP. Responding to a complaint, agents
from the Enforcement Bureau's Houston Texas office inspected
the station this past March. At that time the manager
admitted to the agents the station had operated without EAS
gear since the facility went on the air in 2007. KCYP also
had no EAS logs to document that the facility had ever had
such gear installed or that it had ever conducted the
required weekly or monthly EAS tests.

The base fine for not having operational EAS gear is $8,000.
The commission tacked on another $2,000 because it appears
the station has not had working EAS gear for the better part
of five years.

The station was 30 days to pay the fine or to file an
appeal. KCYP must provide a sworn statement to the Houston
office of the Enforcement Bureau certifying that it now has
had E-A-S equipment installed.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, Im George Bowen, W2XBS, in
Albany, New York.

--

According to the FCC, every broadcast station is part of the
nationwide Emergency Alert System network and is categorized
as a participating national EAS source. This in turn means
that all stations must ensure their EAS encoders and
decoders are installed and working properly. (FCC, RW)

**

ENFORCEMENT: UNLICENSED BROADCASTER BUSTED UNDER FLORIDA
LAW

Romayne Davis, who local Florida police say operated an
unlicensed radio station, is now free on bond. Police say
Davis operated an illegal station out of a warehouse since
March using a laptop running iTunes.

The investigation began in July when a listener to American
Public Media's Classical South Florida WKCP FM in Miami
complained that rap music was interfering with the
legitimate signal on 89.7 MHz. Police recovered a computer,
transmitter and other gear which they said was used to
broadcast the unauthorized station on an adjacent frequency
of 89.5 MHz.

Unlike the FCC which normally issues fines for unlicensed
operations, under Florida's strict state law regarding
unauthorized transmissions, Davis, who had turned himself
into authorities, could face up to five years in prison for
his unlicensed station operation. (RW, WPEC)

**

RADIO LAW: FCC SEEKS COMMENT ON REGULATORY FEES FOR
INDUSTRIES IT OVERSEES

Public comments to the FCC about the best way to collect
regulatory fees from the industries that the agency oversees
are due in mid-September.

The agency notes a lot has changed in the telecommunications
marketplace since its current system for assessing and
collecting regulatory fees was enacted in 1994. Back then,
commission regulation centered mostly on wired local and
long distance. Since then the wireless industry exploded,
shifting agency resources to that industry.

Complicating things further, telephone companies have
entered the video market, cable operators are winning voice
customers, satellite operators offer competitive radio,
television and broadband services and wireless services
abound.

Comments to MD Docket 12-201 are due September 12th.
Payment of the existing fees for this year are due by
September 13th. This commentary period does not apply to
amateur radio or other personal radio services. (FCC, RW)

**

RADIO LAW: FCC SAYS YES TO TOWER IN WILDLIFE VS. TOWER
CHALLENGE

In a case involving the possibility of bird collisions with
towers, the FCC has decided in favor of both the tower and
its owner American Tower Corporation. Amateur Radio
Newsline's Skeeter Nash, reports:

--

RADIO LAW: FCC SAYS YES TO TOWER IN WILDLIFE VS. TOWER
CHALLENGE

In a case involving the possibility of bird collisions with
towers, the FCC has decided in favor of both the tower and
its owner, American Tower Corporation

Last April Michael Pearson of Marshall, Arkansas, raised
several issues before the Commission related to a 314 foot
structure registered to American Tower that was under
construction in the area. American Tower suspended
construction while the "Emergency Petition to Compel
Compliance" order was reviewed.

In his petition to the FCC Pearson said that because the
tower would be in wooded and pasture land area, and also
within 4,000 feet of a wildlife management area, that the
tower would negatively affect migratory birds and endangered
species. This included mountain lions, bobcats and even
skunks.

But in giving American Tower the green light to resume
construction, the FCC said his complaint did not meet the
standard for requesting environmental review. It said that
Pearson didn't identify endangered species that could be
specifically affected by the tower. Rather he had listed
non endangered species in the area.

Possibly more important, the FCC also stated that the
proximity of a tower to a wildlife management area does not,
by itself, mean that a structure may have a significant
effect on the environment.

As previously reported, environmental assessments are now
required for proposed new towers over 450 feet above ground
level, for replacement or modification of existing
structures over 450 feet that involve a major size increase
or for certain lighting changes to towers over 450 feet
tall. This decision is very significant as it gives insight
as to how the agency will likely handle these cases in the
future.

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

--

As we go to air its unknown if Peasrson will accept the
FCC's decision or if he will appeal it up the Administrative
Procedures chain. FCC, RW

**

BREAK 2

With you 52 weeks a year, every year since 1976, we are the
Amateur Radio Newsline with links to the world from our only
official website at www dot arnewsline dot org and being
brought to you by the following volunteer bulletin station:

(5 sec pause)

**


WITH NEWSLINE: WHO IS STILL USING PHONE LINE ACCESS SURVEY

This note to those of you who still receive these newscasts
over our 661-296-2407 dial in line rater than downloading
the MP3 file from our website. Of late we have noticed a
major decline in the number of those calling into it and as
such we are giving consideration to discontinuing it by
years end. But before we do, we want to know how many
people are actually using it. If you are one of those who
call in each week on the phone, please send us a note
telling us who you are and the reason you are using
telephone access rather than simply downloading the newscast
from the Internet. Our address is the Amateur Radio
Newsline, 28197 Robin Avenue, Saugus California, 91350. Or
you can e-mail us at newsline (at) arnewsline (dot) org. We
look forward to hearing from you. (ARNewsline)

**

RADIO BUSINESS: NEW CHINA BUILT DUAL BAND MOBILE FOR UNDER
$225

Get ready for the first 2 meter and 70 centimeter dual band
mobile selling for under $225 including shipping. At least
that's the price being quoted in an on-line advertisement
from the Hong Kong-based 409 Shop for the new Baojie model
BJ-UV55 dual band mobile radio.

Like its Japan built counterparts, the BJ-UV55 has most of
the features one expects from a basic dual band mobile. The
radio features a large blue back lit LCD display that shows
both frequencies programmed in at the same time. The
transmitter runs 35 watts out on 70 centimeters and 45 watts
on 2 meters. The manufacturer claims a receiver sensitivity
of between .18 to .22 microvolts depending on selected
bandwidth, 128 memory channels, both CTCSS and Digital CTCSS
tone encoding, a DTMF microphone and even a built-in FM
broadcast band receiver.

The negative on this radio is that nowhere in the
advertisement is there any mention of the Baojie BJ-UV55
being FCC certified either under Part 15 or Part 90 making
it illegal to import to the United States. Nor is there any
service or repair station in the United States. That means
returning a radio to the China-based manufacturer should it
require maintenance. And as with any product purchased from
a non-United States dealer, this can be more expensive than
the price of the radio itself.

You can see this new dual bander on-line at
tinyurl.com/Baojie-dual-band-mobile. And as we say with
anything purchased from an overseas dealer, be certain that
its legal to import and use here in the United States. Even
more important are two words Caveat Emptor, which means
buyer beware. (ARNewsline)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS: NZ4O MF/HF/6M PROPAGATIONS FORECASTS GO
DAILY

Thomas Giella has announced that his NZ4O Medium Frequency,
High Frequency and 6 Meter Radio Wave Propagation Forecast
is now published on a 'daily' basis. It can be found on
line at www.solarcycle24.org and
www.wcflunatall.com/propagation.htm. Thomas notes that each
new edition will be available at around 1300 UTC, but that
there will be no daily e-mail notice about its being posted.
Just check the websites for the daily updates. (NZ4O)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: AMATEUR RADIO AND POLITICS MEAN LOTS OF
PEOPLE

North Carolina's Charlotte Observer reports that the 1,500
hotel rooms in Gaston County are solidly booked because of
the Democrat Party's National Convention and a rather famous
amateur radio Hamfest.

The newspaper says that the Shelby Hamfest takes place Labor
Day weekend September 1st and 2nd. Meantime the 2012
Democratic National Convention is being held in the city of
Charlotte from September 3rd to the 6th. And while no
delegates to the convention are staying in Gaston County
there are support people such as FBI agents, U.S. and
foreign media and peripheral groups such as lobbyists who
need places to stay.

The annual Shelby Hamfest is one of the nations best
attended amateur radio events. It is held at Biggerstaff
Park in Dallas, North Carolina. The paper says that in 2011
about 12,800 ham radio enthusiasts from 30 states showed up.
Many camped in RVs, but lots more stayed in local hotels.
More on the hamfest is on-line at shelbyhamfest.com.
(Charlotte Observer, Southgate)

**

ON THE AIR: N1Y TO COMMEMORATE THE 9/11 2001 TERRORIST
ATTACKS

Members of the Symbol Technologies Amateur Radio Club will
once again be operational as N1Y on September 8th and 9th.
This in commemoration of those who lost their lives in the
September 11th, 2001, al Quida lead terrorist attacks that
felled the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York
City.

N1Y will be operating on 40, 20 and 15 meters using CW and
SSB, in the General portions of those bands. A special QSL
may be had by sending a SASE to W2SBL at the address found
on QRZ.com. (Southgate)

**

WORLDBEAT: HAM ROAD RALLEYER REACHES MONGOLIA
Despite a small war in Tajikistan, a pair of road rally
enthusiasts have reached Mongolia. Neil Melville, PA9N,
and Helen Woolnough, driving their 9 year old 1.1 liter Fiat
Panda are taking part in the Mongol Rally where participants
drive, in no more than six weeks, from the United Kingdom to
Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, using a thoroughly unsuitable car
of 1.2 liters or less.

Woolnough and Meloville's entry is called The Uncertainty
Principle and they started on their epic journey from the UK
on July 14th. On Sunday, August 19th their location was
given as 46.37 North and 96.25 East placing them near their
goal.

The pair are driving the race to raise money for the Lotus
Children's Centre Charitable Trust and UNICEF. By the time
the event ends, they will have covered more than 10,000
miles through 19 countries, with no outside support.

Over the years PA9N has given many presentations to
the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium in Guildford,
England. His first spacecraft project was the eXpress-
OSCAR 53 satellite better known as XO-53. Here on Earth you
can follow their route and blog at
theuncertaintyprinciple.co.uk. (Southgate)

**
WORLDBEAT: THE BBC TO TEST TURNING OFF MEDIUM WAVE
TRANSMISSIONS

The British Broadcasting Corporation is undertaking a five
week trial of switching off existing Medium Wave services
for four BBC local radio stations. The experiment runs from
the 17th of August to the 24th of September and affects BBC
Radio Kent, BBC Radio Lincolnshire, BBC Radio Merseyside and
BBC Radio Nottingham.

The BBC say one way to make savings and preserve value to
licensee fee payers is to switch off Medium Wave services
except where listeners depend upon Medium Wave as an
alternative to FM or Digital Audio Broadcasting. Medium
Wave services in the UK mainly duplicate what is already
available on FM and DAB, and most listeners will be able to
hear their local stations on FM. Medium Wave is a European
term that describes what we call the AM broadcast band here
in the United States.

The BBC notes that the aim of the trial is to get a better
understanding of the impact of the loss of Medium Wave would
have on its core listeners and also enable the broadcaster
to ensure adequate coverage is available on other platforms
in these regions. (BBC)

**

BREAK 3

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)

**

RADIO LAW: QUEBEC ANTI CELLPHONE WHILE DRIVING LAW NOW
EXCLUDES TWO WAY RADIO

Some good news for hams living in the Canadian Province of
Quebec. A four year old law banning the use of cellular
phones while driving now has an implied exemption for those
using two-way radio gear including radio amateurs. Amateur
Radio Newsline's Heather Butera-Howell, KB3TZD, is here with
the latest:

--

According to a news release from Radio Amateurs of Quebec,
the ban on the use of cellular telephones while driving came
into force in April of 2008. Since that time different
police departments have issued tickets for the use of
various types of devices which in each departments view
could be construed as a mobile telephone system.

Those who have received these tickets have vigorously
contested them. But over the years the various courts
hearing these cases have expanded considerably on what they
believed the meaning of the law was to include a multitude
of communications equipment far from cellular telephones.

Now, after four years of uncertainty the situation has now
been clarified by amendments to the Highway Safety Code
which came into effect this past June 6th. A new article
of the code simply says that no person may, while driving a
road vehicle, may use a hand-held device that includes a
telephone function. More important, the first paragraph
does not apply to a two-way radio or any cordless voice
communication device which does not allow the parties to
speak simultaneously.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Heather Butera_Howell,
KB3TZD, near Berwick, Pennsylvania.

--

According to the new version of the law, for the purposes of
enforcement, a driver in Quebec who is holding a hand-held
device that includes a telephone function is presumed to be
using the device. This prohibition does not apply to
drivers of emergency vehicles in the performance of their
duties. (VE2LGL, RAQI)

**


RADIO THROUGH SPACE: MARS ROVER GETS SOFTWARE UPDATE

NASA's Mars Science Laboratory at JPL team has sent a
software update to the Curiosity Rover on Mars, more than
160 million miles away. According to Venturebeat dot com,
the software had to be updated because Curiosity needed
different directions to drive around on Mars than it did to
land on the planet's surface.

The computer hardware in the Curiosity Rover is powered by a
pair of computers built by BAE Systems. These RAD750
computers use a 10-year-old IBM PowerPC microprocessor
running at a relatively slow 132 megahertz. These machines
also have only 120 megabytes of random access memory, but
are built to withstand wild temperature swings, radiation,
and physical shaking.

The drawback is that the computers on the robot vehicle did
not have enough memory for both the landing and its surface
missions. So NASA had to swap out the software over four
days of communication through the void of space. It took so
long because it takes about 14 minutes to send the signal to
the rover and another 14 minutes to get a response back.
(Venturebeat.com)

**

DX

In DX, K7BV, having recovered from a serious medical
condition, is returning to Asia for a short visit between
August 25th and September 2nd. He will be using his HS0ZKS
callsign on HF bands from the home of HS1CHB, and hopes to
QSO friends from around the world. He may also get on the
air from Japan as well using his call JF1XJR. QSL via
K7BV's new address at 290 West Road, Turkey, North Carolina
28393.

W7XA will be active stroke DU1 through August 27th from near
Tagaytay Ridge which is about 40 miles south of Manila in
the Philippines. His operation is on 20, 17 and 15 meters
using mostly CW and some SSB. QSL via his home callsign as
found on QRZ.com.

OE4JHW will be operational as 8Q7OE from the Maldives
between September 3rd and the 14th. Activity will be holiday
style on 40 through 10 meters using SSB and BPSK. He will
focus on stations from DL, HB0, HB9 and OE, as well as on
North and South America. QSL via his home callsign, direct
or by the bureau. Also electronically using either Logbook
of the World or eQSL.

Lastly, CT1FJZ says that he is now in Angola and is expected
to be there for one year working in Benguela and Huambo.
Look for him to be active as D2FJZ, mainly on the weekends
and limited times during the weekdays. Activity will be on
80 through 10 meters SSB. QSL to his home callsign, by the
bureau or direct.

(Above from various DX news sources)

**

THAT FINAL ITEM: HONORING ERIN KING, AK4JG - THE ARNEWSLINE
2012 YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR

And finally this week, we want to take a moment to
congratulate 18 year old Erin King, AK4JG, and receiving her
award as the 2012 Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the
Year. The ceremony was held at the Huntsville Hamfest where
I had the honor of being the award presentation emcee, but
it was truly AK4JG's moment to shine:

--

AE5DW: "Ladies and gentlemen it is my pleasure to introduce
to you a very impressive young lady. This is Erin King.
She is your 2012 Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the
Year. Erin, the floor is yours. (Applause)

AK4JG: "Thank you. Thank you. Thanks Don. Thanks to
everyone who has helped to make this possible.

"When I did my project with the tube and with all the ham
radio stuff that I've been doing so far, I had no idea that
it going to bring me this far. I had no idea that I was
going to have the opportunity to earn this award or that any
of this would be possible.

"Its been a lot of fun. I've been a ham for about four
years now and I have learned so much and have met a ton of
great people and ham radio has become an integral part of my
life and its one of the primary reasons that I'm making the
decisions for the future that I'm going to have.

"So it's all very exciting. I'm very excited to be here to
earn this award, so thank you very much (applause).

--

The Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year Award is
jointly underwritten by Yaesu USA Corporation, CQ Publishing
and Heil Sound. Yaesu has been with the award since its
inception some 27 years ago. This year the company was
represented by its Executive Vice President of Amateur Radio
Sales and Marketing Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV:

--

K7BV: "Hi Erin and congratulations from Yaesu. We don't
want you to go off the air while you are traveling around
with all of your schooling, We want you to have a radio that
you get on the air with no matter where you go and that
would be our portable FT-817ND. We hope that you will pack
it in your bag and take it with you all the way to your CEO
position with a Fortune 500 company sometime soon. So
congratulations."

AK4JG: "Thank you. (applause)"

--

Part of the award is an expense paid trip to Spacecamp
Huntsville courtesy of CQ Publishing. CQ Magazine Editor
Rich Moseson, W2VU, took a bit of time to comment on quality
of those nominated:

--

W2VU: We've had a tremendous time being involved with the
Young Ham of the Year Award and I've been honored to be one
of the judges since we became involved and the quality of
the young people who have been nominated has been just
wonderful and it makes me very optimistic for the future of
our hobby. And this is year after year."

--

Last but by no means least the awards newest corporate
sponsor Heil Sound. Not only did founder Bob Heil, K9EID,
present Erin with a pair of the company's new headphones,
but he also gave her a very special invitation to appear
with him on his TWiT TV program Ham Nation:

--

K9EID: "Well we are so happy for you and we want to stay in
touch with you as you get through all the wonderful things
that happen in ham radio. Come and visit us on Ham Nation
and I really hope that we can have you as a guest real
soon."

--

And there you have it for yet another year. The 27th
consecutive year that this award has been presented and the
19th consecutive year that the presentation has been made at
the Huntsville Hamfest. And in that regard we want to
express our thank you to Charlie Emerson, N4OKL, and his
team that puts on this annual event and to Dave Bell, W6AQ,
who sponsors the Young Ham of the Year plaque. And also to
Tom Medlin, W5KUB, who live streamed the presentation over
the Internet for all to see on W5KUB.com and to Gary Pearce,
KN4AQ, of Amateur Radio Video News who video recorded it for
posterity. We thank you all. (ARNewslineT)


**

NEWSCAST CLOSE

With thanks to Alan Labs, AMSAT, the ARRL, the CGC
Communicator, CQ Magazine, the FCC, the Ohio Penn DX
Bulletin, Radio Netherlands, Rain, the RSGB, the Southgate
News, Twit-TV and Australia's WIA News, that's all from the
Amateur Radio NewslineT. Our e-mail address is newsline(at)
arnewsline (dot) org. More information is available at
Amateur Radio Newsline'sT only official website located at
www.arnewsline.org. 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 Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, in Southern Mississippi saying 73
and we thank you for listening.

Amateur Radio NewslineT is Copyright 2012. All rights
reserved.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Amateur Radio NewslineT Report 1827 - August 17 2012






Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1827 with a release
date of August 17 2012 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams respond as flooding hits the
Philippines; e-mail from a net saves a sailors life; a new
source of interference to the H-F bands is discovered, WWVB
to begin Phase Modulation test broadcasts on August 21st and
Morse code is now on Mars. Find out the details are on
Amateur Radio NewslineT report number 1827 coming your way
right now.


(Billboard Cart Here)


**

RESCUE RADIO: HAMS RESPOND AS FLOODING HITS THE PHILIPPINES

The Philippine Amateur Radio Association known as PARA
activated its Ham Emergency Radio Operations on two meters
and 40 meters passing essential traffic during the
widespread flooding that recently hit the capital city of
Manila and surrounding areas. Amateur Radio Newsline's Norm
Seeley, KI7UP, has more:

--

Nearly two weeks of monsoon rains across the Philippines
main island of Luzon peaked with a 48 hour deluge that
battered Manila and surrounding regions on August 6th and
7th. This was the worst rain to hit Manila since Tropical
Storm Ketsana killed 464 people in 2009. .

Eddie Valdez DU1EV, is the Chief Operating Officer of the
Philippines Amateur Radio Association. He said that members
of the Ham Emergency Radio Operations group were on air from
Monday the 6th through Thursday the 9th as the flood waters
rose and then receded.

Through the organizations website DU1EV had warned the ham
radio community of the pending rains. He asked those radio
amateurs involved in emergency communications to be prepared
by monitoring the emergency frequencies of 7.095 MHz and
144.740 MHz.

DU1EV said the sun finally, but only partially, showed up on
the Thursday, August 9th with the flood waters receding in
most areas. He said tones of garbage litter roads, parks
and drains in Manila and surrounding provinces.

A big clean-up is under way. In the worst affected areas
like Marikina City, the Metro Manila Development Authority
said it would take about a month to clean and clear the
drainage canals.

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

--

According to news media reports 66 people died in the
torrential rain and officials estimated 300,000 fled their
homes in the capital city of Manila. According to DU1EV,
during the storm one of the volunteer radio operators had to
leave his home after two days because of the intense
flooding. (VK3PC, DU1EV)

**

RESCUE RADIO: E-MAIL FROM NET SAVES SAILOR IN DISTRESS

The Coast Guard with the aid of amateur radio coordinated
the rescue of a mariner in distress approximately 287 miles
northeast of Hilo, Hawaii on Friday, August 10th.

Duty officers at Joint Rescue Coordination Center in
Honolulu received an e-mail report from a member of the
Amigo Net. It said that a mariner aboard the Australian
flagged sailing vessel the Q-Wave was disabled and
requesting assistance.

According to news reports, the sailor reportedly had less
than one liter of water and no food. The vessel's motor was
disabled, it had lost its dingy, its communications
equipment was unreliable and it had sustained a tear in its
mainsail.

A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircraft from Coast Guard Air
Station Barbers Point was launched and located the disabled
vessel. The crew dropped emergency supplies, including
food, water and a VHF radio to the disabled sailboat. The
Good Samaritan vessel Fifth Wife was in the area, overheard
communications with the disabled vessel and responded to
escort it back to Hilo. (Published news reports)

**

PRO-ACTIVE ENFORCEMENT: CALGARY CANADA FORMS COPPER THEFT
UNIT

Anyone thinking of being a copper thief in Calgary Canada
may want to think again. Amateur Radio Newsline's Jim
Davis, W2JKD, has the reason why:

--

Calgary Canada police have created a special unit to target
copper wire thieves. This, as the number of thefts in that
nation and world-wide continue to rise.

With the price of this metal on the upswing so are the
number of crooks hoping to cash in. Offenders see the crime
as extremely high reward as they can easily steal copper and
turn it around for cash. In other words there seems very
low risk of getting caught.

But that changed in June after the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation was hit when $50,000 worth of copper wire was
stolen from its transmitter site in southwest Calgary. Now
police are watching very carefully for any signs that metal
thieves may be about to strike.

I'm Jim Davis, W2JKD.

--

Calgary police hope that this new initiative will help deter
copper thefts in that area. (WIA)

**

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: EARLY WARNING QUAKE DETECTION
DEMONSTRATED AT CAL TECH

Earthquake prediction may be on the verge of becoming a
reality. This, following media reports that a pair of
temblors centered near Yorba Linda, California were detected
by a new earthquake warning system that's being developed at
the California Institute of Technology.

A 4.5-magnitude quake struck one mile northeast from Yorba
Linda at 11:23 p.m. Tuesday, August 7th. About ten hours
later another a 4.4 magnitude shaker struck two miles from
the same location.

News reports quote Douglas Given from the U.S. Geological
Survey as saying that in the case of the first event Cal
Tech received about nine to ten seconds warning before the
strongest shaking was felt at the facility. In regard to
the second quake the warning time was in the area of four
seconds. Cal Tech is located in Pasadena California which
is about 60 air miles from the two quakes epicenter.

Seismologists say that once the technology advances, they
should be able to quickly determine a quake's magnitude and
send that information out to the public before the strongest
shaking waves reaches a given location. In its current
incarnation, the early warning system sounds an audible
alert, shows a countdown timer and estimates the intensity
of an earthquake.

Experiments in quake detection have been going on for well
over five decades but experts say that this new prototype
system is the first to ever pick up quakes before the ground
started shaking at its location. (Published news reports)

**

RADIO INTERFERENCE: NEW RADIO BURST HEARD ON THE HF BANDS

The IARU Monitoring System Region 1 newsletter reports on a
new burst radio system that is affecting the amateur radio
operations in the 80, 40, 20 and 15 meter bands.

Writing in the newsletter Wolfgang Hadel, DK2OM, says that
he discovered a new burst system operating on 3.5, 7, 14 and
21 MHz, daily.

Hadel who is the IARU Region 1 Monitoring System Coordinator
says that the system is active every full hour at plus 1,
plus 2 and plus 3 minutes with 10.4 sec. bursts of 20 kHz
width. Also, the signals appear to come from France.

DK2OM adds that audio frequency analysis seems to pin this
as being similar to CODAR signals. Their real purpose is
unknown but DK2OM says that perhaps this is a new kind of
over the horizon radar or Ionosonde. As we go to air,
Germany's Department of Post and Telecommunications has
filed a complaint with its French counterpart. (IARU-R1)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE: NROL-36 CUBSAT LAUNCH DELAYED AGIN

The launch of the NROL-36 mission carrying several new
amateur radio micro-satellites has once again been
postponed. According to Spaceflight Now, the United Launch
Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, its classified payload and the ham
radio cubesats remain poised for liftoff at Vandenberg Air
Force Base in California. Now, officials say that the twice
delayed launch will likely take place on September 6th.

The flight was scrubbed during the initial countdown on
August 2nd due to Range Instrumentation problems at the
Vandenberg launch complex.
Spaceflight Now says that engineers are on a path to
resolution and hope to have corrective actions implemented,
tested and certified by late August. The latest
developments on this pending launch can be followed at
www.spaceflightnow.com.

We will have more ham radio space related news later on in
this weeks Amateur Radio Newsline report.
(Spaceflightnow.com)

**

BREAK 1

From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world
including the KC3MM repeater serving Ransom, Pennsylvania.

(5 sec pause here)


**

RADIO LAW: HAM IN WALES USES UNUSUAL APPROACH TO WIN TOWER
FIGHT

A ham in Wales has won a tower dispute with the town he
lives in by taking a very different approach. He accused
the town's community council of bordering on racism and won
an appeal to erect a fourth tower in his garden. We have
more in this report:

--

Michael Butler, GW0MNP, had his planning application for a
21 foot antenna mast rejected three times in under a year
but he did not give up. In what may best be called an
unprecedented three-pronged attack, Butler not only accused
the city council of racism but also wrote letters accusing
the Gazette newspaper of being "biased and sarcastic" and
calling borough Mayor councilor Marlene Thomas "an idiot".

According to Wales dot com, Butler, of Green Meadow, sent a
stinging letter to Cefn Cribwr Community Council last month.
In it he claimed that their "prejudice" against his antenna
mast installation ideas "bordered on racism".

In March, Bridgend County Borough Council planners denied
Butler's request to erect the mast in his garden to further
his amateur radio hobby. Those opposed to his installation
compared the proposed antennae to "a flying bedstead". A
bedstead is a British term for the metal framework that
holds a mattress, pillows and the rest of the bedding.

But in the end, Butler's interesting approach succeeded.
This when Welsh planning inspector Rebecca Phillips upheld
his appeal against the council planners initial decision.
Her decision means he can now keep the three towers already
has and erect a fourth. The only proviso is the new tower
is only at its full height for three hours a day.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF,
mulling this one over here in the newsroom in Los Angeles.

--

You can read the entire story of this fascinating tower
appeal, including commentary by some of Butler's neighbors
on-line at tinyurl.com/wales-antenna-win. (Wales.com,
QRZ.com)

**

RADIO LAW: VANITY FEE GOES TO $15 ON SEPTEMBER 4

Mark September 4th as the day that getting a vanity call
sign will go to $15 for a full 10 year term. On August 3,
the previously approved increase of 80 cents was printed in
the Federal Register. The new charge take effect 30 days
after publication making September 4th the first day it is
in effect. (FCC)

**

ENFORCEMENT: FCC TELLS SPY SHOP TO STOP SELLING JAMMING
DEVICES

A California electronics retailer has been ordered to stop
selling products designed to jam radio communications
equipment. Amateur Radio Newsline's Jeff Clark, K8JAC,
reports:

--

The FCC has issued an official Citation and Order to Spy
Shop of Sherman Oaks, California that also does business as
IQ Tronics, Inc., SpyShopOne.com, and SpyGadgetsShop.com.
This, for marketing cell phone, and Global Positioning
System and other signal jamming devices in violation of
Section 302(b) of the Communications Act, and Sections 2.803
and 15.201(b) of the Commission's rules.

In its July 18th Citation the FCC ordered that the Spy Shop
should take immediate steps to come into compliance and to
avoid any recurrence of this misconduct, including actions
such as removing illegal signal jamming devices from
displays and declining to sell signal jamming devices in the
United States. The FCC said that if after receipt of the
Citation, Spy Shop violates the Communications Act or the
FCC Rules by marketing unauthorized radio frequency devices
within the United States or its territories the Commission
may impose monetary forfeitures of up to $16,000 for each
such violation. In the case of a continuing violation, the
Commission may impose monetary forfeitures of up to $16,000
for each day of such continuing violation up to a maximum
forfeiture of $112,500 for any single act or failure to act.
In addition, violations could also can result in seizure of
equipment as well as criminal sanctions, including
imprisonment.

Im Jeff Clark, K8JAC.

--

As we go to air, a check of the company website shows that
all of the gear that the FCC says is illegal to sell has
been removed from the company website. (FCC)

**

PUBLIC SERVICE: JIMMY FUND WALK VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Ham radio volunteers are needed in support of the Sunday,
September 9th Jimmy Fund Walk in the greater Boston
Massachusetts area. This event is on the Boston Marathon
course but most of its activity is on the last half. All
communications will be on 2 meter FM with volunteer
communicators assigned to buses and first aid Stations along
the route from 5 AM to 7 PM. Some half day assignments will
also be available. If you wish to volunteer please contact
Steve Schwarm by e-mail to w3eve (at) arrl (dot) net and be
sure to put Jimmy Fund in the subject line, (W3EVE)

**

RADIO BUSINESS: HAM RADIO DELUXE UPDATED

HRD Software announces an updated release of Ham Radio
Deluxe version 5.24.36. This update includes fixes for cross
band contacts in Logbook and some PTT issues hams have run
into with DM780.

Meanwhile the Ham Radio Deluxe development team continues
work on HRD Version 6.0. The specific date release date
will be announced in a future press release.

For those who are unfamiliar wit it, Ham Radio Deluxe or HRD
is an integrated suite of software products for amateur
radio. The five modules provide rig control, logging,
digital communications, satellite tracking, and rotator
control. More about it is on-line at www.ham-radio-
deluxe.com (HRD)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS: AUTHENTIC RADIO AUDIO NEEDED FOR
DOCUMENTARY FILM

Some names in the news. Steve Wystrach who is working on
the production of a documentary film about Robert Manry and
his 1965 single-handed Atlantic crossing says that he is in
seed of two pieces of audio to help complete the project.
First he needs an authentic recording of a WWV time signal
from that era. It needs to be legible, but it can have a
bit of static or hash, just as long as it's clear enough to
understand.

Steve also needs a recording of the sound of a Gibson Girl
distress transmitter. Manry demonstrates this unit at one
point in the film but the actual signal it produced was not
receded with a local receiver.

For those not aware, the Gibson Girl was the predecessor of
the modern E-L-T or Electronic Location Transmitter but sent
out an S-O-S signal on the old International Distress
Frequency of 500 KHz. Many of these hit the surplus market
in the 1950's and 1960's and were a popular as a parts
supply for hams and other radio experimenters of that era.

If you have either of these audio tracks please e-mail Steve
Wystrach to info (at) robertmanryproject (dot) com. More
information about the documentary film is on line at
www.robertmanryproject.com/about-us/. (Steve Wystrach)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS: NEW RAC ONTARIO SECTION MANAGERS NAMED

With the break-up of Radio Amateurs of Canada's Ontario
Section, there are now four newly named Section Managers.
Allan Boyd, VE3AJB, has been named as Section Manager
Ontario North. Michael Hickey, VE3IPC, takes the reins for
Section Manager of Ontario East. The Section Manager for
the Greater Toronto Area is George Duffield, VE3WKJ, with
Ian Snow, VA3QT, as Section Manager Ontario South. These
appointments are effective immediately, and will be merged
into the normal election process at the end of a two year
term. (RAC)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: W9DXCC DX CONVENTION SEPT 14 - 25 IN ELK
GROVE IL.

On the social scene, a reminder that the 60th annual W9DXCC
DX Convention will be held September 14th to the 15th at the
Holiday Inn in the Chicago suburb of Elk Grove, Illinois.
W9DXCC is very much a fun gathering with presentations
focused on DXing. Also available will be on site QSL card
checking for CQ and ARRL awards. An optional Friday
afternoon class will help get aspiring DX'ers up to speed.
For more information and on-line registration for this
gathering please take your web browser to www.w9dxcc.com.
(N7US, W9DXCC)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: WESTERN STATES VHF - UHF WEAK SIGNAL 75M
NET

The Western States VHF/UHF Weak Signal 75 meter net meets
every Sunday night from 5:30 to 6:30 pm Pacific time. This
net is an informal opportunity to discuss recent operating
activity, future plans for contests, rovers, and a wide
variety of topics for the non repeater folks who inhabit the
world above 50 MHz. The frequencies used are 3.920 MHz
Lower Sideband region wide and 144.200 MHz Upper Sideband in
Southern California. Anyone with an interest in weak signal
communications is invited to take part. (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)

**


EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: WWVB PHASE MOD TEST STARTS AUGUST 21

The National Institute of Stands and Technology radio
Station WWVB will be conducting a test of a phase-modulated
broadcast format beginning at 1800 UTC on Tuesday, August
21st and ending at 1800 UTC on Friday, August 24th. During
the test period the broadcast will be randomly switching
between the normal WWVB broadcast and the new phase-
modulated broadcast format.

According to WWVB Radio-controlled clocks and watches will
not be affected by the test. However phase-locking 60 kHz
timing and frequency standard receivers may lose lock during
this period. However, they will restore during the normal
broadcast period.

For more information, e-mail WWVB broadcast manager John
Lowe at john.lowe (at) nist (dot) gov (CGC, John Lowe)

**

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: PRINTABLE HF TRANSMITTER DEVELOPED

The British Broadcasting Corporation reports that a new
science has been developed to permit high frequency radio
transmitters for 13.560 MHz to be printed using electronic
inks at a cost of that cost just a penny each.

The transmitters use Near Field Communication technology and
are seen as a replacement for Quick Response Codes. The
latter consists of black square dots arranged in a square
pattern on a white background. The story of this new
technology is on-line at
tinyurl.com/printed-transmitter. (BBC, Southgate)

**

WORLDBEAT: CHRISTIAN VISION LEAVING SOUTH AMERICA TARGETED
SHORTWAVE

Yet another shortwave broadcaster is cutting back on over
the air operations. This time it's the U-K based Christian
Vision that has announced that it will cease its shortwave
service to Latin America, likely by the time this newscast
has gone to air.

According to its announcement, the main reason for
abandoning this targeted shortwave operation is the shifting
emphasis to media that reach younger listeners. It says it
has about 413 affiliates in 23 countries and is using
Internet, mobile and social platforms to increase
consumption by those in the important 18 to 35 year-old
demographic many of whom are not shortwave listeners.

In 2010 the Christian Vision closed two other shortwave
sites. One was in Darwin, Australia, and had served
audiences in Asia. The other was sited in Juelich,
Germany, that aired Russian, Arabic and English programs.

Christian Vision is not completely abandoning the shortwave
bands. It says that it will continue to use shortwave in
India and parts of Africa, where audiences continue to be
significant. RW

**

WORLDBEAT: TWO RADIO STATIONS LOOSE TRANSMITTERS DOWN UNDER

North Queensland, Australia radio stations Hot FM and
4RFM have both had their transmitters stolen. Southern
Cross Austereo had its 91.3 MHz HOT FM transmitter stolen
from its site at the Carborough Range. The 91.3 MHz
transmitter taken consisted of a Crown Broadcast FM30
Exciter, PA1000 Power Amplifier, and PS1000 Power Supply.

The local community station 4RFM also had its transmitter
stolen at the same time from a nearby site. Its gear was
not described.

The thieves used a crow bar to get through the door of the
91.3 MHz site and an angle grinder through the door of the
community radio location. Both thefts seem targeted as none
of the two-way radio equipment was taken from either
location

Matt Paton is a Southern Cross Austereo Engineer. He has
asked that those involved in radio to keep a look out for
the stolen equipment. Paton notes that the market for
broadcast transmitters isn't massive in Australia. As such,
if anybody gets offered a black market deal for such
equipment could they please call the Moranbah Australia
Police at 07 4941 6200. (WIA News)

**

WORLDBEAT: LONDON OLYMPIC OVER BUT COMMEMORATIVE STATION
SETTING RECORDS

The summer 2012 Olympics may be over but operations at
2o12L, the flagship station celebrating the Olympic and
Paralympic Games continues. Further information about the
station can be found on the website at www.2o12L.com.
(RSGB)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE: 2012 OLYMPICS ON THE HAM-SATS

Meantime, another Olympic Special Event Station, 2o12W has
been active on the amateur radio satellites working stations
in the USA and across Europe. The 2o12W satellite station
is being operated by Ken Eaton, GW1FKY, using a Kenwood TS-
2000 feeding a 5-element dual-band Elk antenna mounted on a
rotator on the portable cabin. For details of his operation
please check out www.rsgb.org/operating/ and click on London
Olympics 2012. (RSGB)

**

RADIO IN SPACE: RUSSIA LAUNCHES NON-HAM RS-40

A Russian research satellite called RS-40 carrying
experiments built by students and research staff of the
Siberian State Aerospace University was launched on July 28.
Signals from the new bird have been heard on 435.365 MHz and
were first reported by Maik Hermenau on the AMSAT-DL mailing
list.

While the new satellite uses amateur 70 cm band downlinks it
does not appear to include an amateur radio mission. In
fact, as we go to air details of the downlink signaling
protocol have not been made available. About the only thing
certain is that systems aboard this 65 kilogram satellite
includes testing advanced technological solutions to be
incorporated into future missions. More about RS-40 is on-
line at tinyurl.com/99ryrw8 (PE0SAT, ANS)

**

DX

In DX, preparations for the ZL9HR DXpedition to Campbell
Island are on schedule for activation from November 28th to
December 9th. The containers to carry all required
equipment are currently being prepared and loaded, ready to
be shipped out of Sydney around September 15th. More
information is on-line at ZL9HR dot com.

IZ2WMW will be on the air stroke 9Afrom Krk Island between
August 18th to the 25th. Activity will be holiday style on
the HF bands. QSL via hs home callsign, direct or by the
bureau.

W9XY will be active from the Bahamas as C6AXY between
November 4th to the 9th. His operation will be holiday
style on 40 through 10 meters using mostly CW and SSB,with
maybe some RTTY or PSK31. QSL via W9XY.

AA5UK will be operating stroke EA6 froma in the Balearic
Islands between October 20th and the 31st. Activity will be
holiday style on 80 though 6 meters using SSB, RTTY and
PSK31. QSL direct via his home callsign, by the bureau or
electronically using Logbook of the World or eQSL.

4F2KWT will be active as DX0N from the rare Bongao Island
located in the province of Tawi-Tawi, Philippines, sometime
in September. Look for more details o be forthcoming at
www.qrz.com/db/DX0N

Lastly, a group of Polish radio amateurs will be operational
as from Mauritania as 5T0SP between November 24th and
December 10th, from Mauritania. Activity will be on all HF
bands, 160-10 meters using CW, SSB an RTTY. There will be a
focus on Japan and the Far East.

(Above from various DX news sources)

**

THAT FINAL ITEM: MORSE CODE ON MARS

And finally this week, the story of Morse code on Mars.
When the Mars rover Curiosity moves around the red planet it
leaves a series on dots and dashes on the surface. These
dots and dashes are a part of Curiosity's wheels and are
made by square and rectangular imprints on the rovers
treads.

According to Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Rover
Mechanical Engineering Team, these holes or imprints
actually have a purpose as odometer markers. JPL Engineers
are looking at the tread marks to verify that Curiosity has
traversed the distance it expects.

So what pattern did JPL choose to put on Curiosity's wheels?
The holes are in a pattern of short squares and longer
rectangles as in the ancient and honorable Morse code. And
what does it spell out in C-W? Simply the three letters
JPL.

The full story of this Morse code on Mars is on-line at
tinyurl.com/cw-on-mars. And less we forget, you can follow
Curiosity on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MarsCuriosity.
(Various sources)

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE

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