Friday, February 8, 2013

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1852 - February 8 2013






Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1852 with a release
date of February 8 2013 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a Q-S-T.  New Zealand to take a fresh look
at its 70 centimeter bandplan; Italian amateurs regain
temporary access to the pan-European 70 MHz band; an update
on ham radio assistance in the flooding down-under and radio
helps solve another mystery of the universe.  Find out the
details are on Amateur Radio NewslineT report number 1852
coming your way right now.


(Billboard Cart Here)


**

RADIO LAW:  REVIEW OF THE 70 CENTIMETER BAND PLAN DOWN-UNDER

A frequency conflict on 70 centimeters has lead to the
review of a ham radio bandplan down-under.  Amateur Radio
Newdline's Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, reports:

--

The New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitter's or NZART
Council has decided a review of the current 70 cm bandplan
is desirable as a conflict with the IARU Region III bandplan
has been identified by a number of formal complaints to both
NZART and Radio Spectrum Management or RSM.  The Council
considers it part of its responsibilities to amateur radio
that it reviews the Bandplans when significant changes occur
in the use of the spectrum.

Due to the discrepancy between the NZART 70 cm Bandplan and
the IARU Region III Bandplan, the review will give
consideration to concerns regarding the operation of Amateur
Television.  It will also consider interference received
from UHF Low Interference Potential Devices by equipment ham
radio operate such as 70 cm repeaters even though the
National System was re-engineered to be resistant to this
some time ago.

This proposed review is now on the agenda of the Council
face to face meeting in this month and it is hoped that
submissions will be called for shortly afterwards.  The
NZART Council will seek feedback from existing operators on
the 70 cm band. It is interested in learning about any
interference presently being received or any that may occur
in the future while operating on this band.  The review is
also planned to be a discussion topic at the Technology
Convention in Auckland, where it is anticipated it will be
presented as a Draft Final Recommendation for comment,
before being presented to NZART Council.

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

--

The NZART says that it will soon be inviting comment from
parties interested in providing submissions to a Committee
appointed at the Council Face To Face gathering to perform
this review.  Submissions from New Zealand 70 cm Band users
on the current 70 cm Bandplan or suggestions to improve it
will be most useful.

(NZART)

**

RESTRUCTURING:  ITALIAN AMATEURS BACK ON 70MHZ

Italian amateurs have regained access to the pan-European
70MHz band.  That is at least until December 31st of this
year.

All Italian stations are authorized to use 70MHz, unless
they are within 30km of the borders with Austria,
Switzerland or France. Frequencies in use are 70.100, 70.200
and 70.300MHz, with 25kHz of bandwidth. All modes are
permitted with a maximum power of 50 watts  Effective
Radiated.

(Southgate)

**

RESCUE RADIO:  VK FLOODING UPDATE

Ham radio continues to provide aid in the wake of flooding
that hit the Australian state of Queensland.  WIA Newsman
Graham Kemp, VK4BB, has the latest:

--

VK4BB:  "The Queensland, VK4 disaster continues and as the
state begins its big clean-up and recovery phase, a picture
of emergency communications provided by radio amateurs is
starting to emerge.

Initial reports from Neil McCloud, VK4ERM. WIA National
WICEN Coordinator are that HF links were requested by
Queensland Water Police.  Other WICEN help was given to the
Townsville and Rockhampton regions pending repair by Telstra
of its fiber optic cables to the North.

Widespread power and communications disruption will take a
number of days by repair crews.  No more is immediately
known about WICEN and its emergency role, but this should be
learn't before next weeks broadcastcast.

At least six people have died in Queensland; others are
missing and many thousands are homeless and sheltering in
relief centers while some towns remain inundated and
Isolated.

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

--

The weather system that caused record Queensland flooding
was caused by ex-tropical cyclone Oswald, That weather
system then moved south to affect many parts of the
Australian state of New South Wales.  (WIA News)

**

RADIO POLITICS:  ARRL BOARD MEETING REPORT NOW ON LINE

Back on this side of the Pacific, the ARRL Board of
Directors held its 2013 Annual Meeting January 18th and 19th
in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana.  At the meeting, the
board set its legislative objectives for the 113th Congress,
approved the organization's amended financial plan, elected
members to the Executive Committee and ARRL Foundation,
bestowed awards and more.  You can read the complete report
of the Boards actions on line at tinyurl.com/arrl-board-
2013.  (ARRL)

**

RADIO LAW:  FIRST FCC HEARINGS HELD ON HURRICANE SANDY

In the first of several field hearings to discuss the
aftermath of superstorm Sandy, several communications
industry experts said access to fuel before, during and
after a crisis was of utmost importance.  Amateur Radio
Newsline's Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, is here with more on what
transpired at the gatherings held last week in New York City
and New Jersey:

--

While there was not much that affected ham radio, right off
the top it was noted that none of the broadcast stations in
the areas affected by hurricane Sandy went off the air.  In
the case of Clear Channel Communications which owns a number
of broadcast properties in the region most impacted by the
super-storm the company had pre-staged generator fuel well
ahead of time.  Clear Channel Chairman John Hogan noted that
some employees even camped out for days, making sure the
groups facilities stayed on the air.

Dave Davis is the president and general manager of WABC
television in New York City.  He agreed disaster planning is
essential.  Anticipating power outages due to the storm,
Davis asked asked ESPN to feed content to the company's two
sister radio stations in the affected market. Those stations
also remained on the air.

The manager of social media for the New York Fire Department
described how she kept in contact with residents who had no
phone service using Twitter.  She then passed along their
information to 911 authorities.  As a result, the panelists
discussed how to better incorporate more social media into
emergency alerting.  However WABC's Davis noted that while
social media can be a great tool, that the public needs
accurate information, especially to disprove Internet
rumors.

Finally, in his commentary Clear Channel Chairman Hogan said
the FCC might want to encourage wireless carriers to include
or activate FM chips in their cellphones.  This he said
would make radio available to more people in an emergency
even if other forms of communications are not.

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

--

In her comments, FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai cited Arbitron
ratings service information that estimated about one million
people were listening to radio the day Sandy hit the East
coast.  (RW, other published news reports)

**

BREAK 1

From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world
including the JR6YQF Amateur Radio Society serving the
island of Okinawa in the mid-Pacific.

(5 sec pause here)


**

PROPAGATION:  15 TO 10 METER RADIO BLACKOUT CAUSED BY
ERRUPTING SUNSPOT

If you operate 10 and 15 and were listening on Saturday
February 2nd and several days afterward, the bands likely
sounded like this:

--

Actual band noise recording.

--

That's what happened to the spectrum from 21 to 28 or so
Megahertz when a tiny sunspot erupted into a moderately
sized solar flare/  One that radio astronomers say
completely drowned out radio communication on these
frequencies world-wide.

The recording was made at our studio on a venerable Kenwood
TS-520 and MFJ vertical soon after we heard about the flare.
And as reported by several solar observation sources, it
appears as if the sun is beginning a period of high activity
as it enters its maximum of its 11-year solar cycle.

Radio Astronomer James Thieman, who leads NASA's JOVE
project described the event was a fairly good-sized surge.
He explained that the solar burst that happened on February
2nd accelerated electrons to high energies. This electron
stream created plasma in the sun's atmosphere which traveled
to Earth and caused some disruption in high frequency radio
communications.

Despite this, many astronomers note that the Sun has been
relatively quiet for the last few months, producing few
large solar flares or coronal mass ejections.  These occur
when a star throws off charged particles into space that
travel at speeds of millions of kilometers per hour.  (NASA,
SDR, Wired, others)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  CONGRESS REMOVES EXPORT PROHIBITION ON
SATELLITES

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013,
passed by Congress in late December and now signed by
President Obama has removed a restriction that has
essentially shut down international cooperation for building
amateur satellites in the past decade.

Under the old law, satellites and their component parts were
considered to be "munitions" and their export to other
countries was severely limited. This made it impossible for
amateur satellite organizations in different countries to
work together on major projects.  For example, the last big
amateur satellite, Phase 3D.  It was built jointly by AMSAT
groups in the U.S., Germany and other countries, but that
was before the international cooperation measure was put in
place.

The new law restricts satellite exports only to China, North
Korea and countries identified as state sponsors of
terrorism, as well as those under trade embargoes.  A
recommendation from the Departments of State and Defense
said the old law impeded the ability of American satellite
builders to work with international partners while providing
no noticeable benefit to national security.  (CQ)

**

HAM RADIO PUBLIC RELATIONS:  THAT GUY WITH THE HAM RADIO

Kraft foods has produced a new set of television commercials
called the Velveeta-Eat-Like-That-You-Know campaign, and one
of the 15 second spots features ham radio in a very positive
light.

The ham radio spot is titled "That Guy with the Ham Radio"
and appears to be one of five new commercials for Kraft's
Velvita Shells and Cheese lunch and dinner product.  Others
in the series are titled "That Guy That Drives That Limo,"
"That Guy That Paints Those Landscapes," "That Helicopter
Guy at the Mall" and "That Guy That Owns That Aquarium
Store."

All are fast paced and fun to watch.  You can see them on-
line at genericbaldman.com/Velveeta-Eat-Like-That-You-Know.
But be forewarned, watching any of these spots may leave you
quite hungry.  (ARRL PR Remailer)

**

MEDIA SURVEY:  KPMG SAYS TELEVIEWERS ARE MULTITASKERS

A new study by the research firm KPMG has concluded that 60%
of American television viewers are also devoted multitaskers
who watch television while accessing the Internet at the
same time.

KPMG's findings were based on a global online survey of
9,000 people in nine countries, including the United States
that was conducted lasst October.  The survey also concluded
that even though multiple devices vie for consumers'
attention, that most people still prefer to watch television
shows, movies and other video on the TV.  Only 14% of those
surveyed prefer to watch video on their smartphones or
tablets.

According to KPMG, these results suggest that the next big
disruption in living room viewing may come from so called
"Smart TVs."  These arer Internet-connected sets that afford
the viewer access to traditional TV broadcasts as well as
online services such as Netflix, Hulu or Amazon.com.

KPMG is one of the world's largest professional
services companies and one of the so-called Big Four
auditors with global headquarters located
in the Netherlands.  Its findings hold implications for
network programmers and advertisers, which can no longer be
sure which screen is drawing the viewer's eyes.  (Published
news reports)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS:  FCC CHAIRMAN WILL NOT DISCLOSE HIS
FUTURE CAREER PLANS

Some names in the news.  FCC chairman Julius Genachowski
remains silent on whether he is planning to leave that post
anytime in the near future.  According to news reports
Genachowski would not respond to a press conference question
asked on Thursday, January 31st regarding his short-term
plans.

Genachowski would only say that he is working hard every day
and that the FCC has a terrific agenda and that he is
focused on that agenda.  That echoed his answer over the
last several months when asked whether he is leaving given
the widespread belief in D.C. communications circles that he
would exit early in the president's new term, either for a
private sector job or another Administration post.  (B&C)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS:  SATELLITE EXPLORER APP NOW AVAILABLE

Tom Doyle, W9KE, has released "Satellite Explorer."  This is
described as a Windows 8 app that runs on Intel based
tablets, laptops and desktops as well as Windows RT tablets
like the Microsoft Surface.  It is available in the Windows
Store if you search for "Satellite Explorer."  The app
itself is free but if you find it of value you are asked to
please contribute to your favorite AMSAT project.  A video
preview of it can be seen on-line at tinyurl.com/satellite-
explorer-2013.  (W9KE)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS:  FIRST AWARD FOR ALL VICTORIAN NATIONAL
PARKS TO VK3ZPF

The honor of the achieving the first Keith Roget Memorial
National Parks Award by operating from all 45 parks in
Australia's Victoria State has gone to Peter Fraser, VK3ZPF.
Not only did Fraser operate portable from all national
parks, but also worked from 25 of them on the 20, 40 and 80
meter bands.  In addition he made contact with 25 on mixed
bands and 15 on 40m.  (VK3PC)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS:  11TH WORLD HIGH SPEED TELEGRAPHY
CHAMPIONSHIP IN BULGARIA

Turning to the ham radio social scene, the Bulgarian
Federation of Radio Amateurs will host the 11th World High
Speed Telegraphy Championship in the city of Borovets.  This
from September 22nd to the 26th.  Competitors from all over
the world are invited to take part.  More information is on-
line at www.bfra.org or by e-mail to bfra_hq (at) hotmail
(dot) com.  (BFRA)

**

ELECTRONIC TRAINING:  PROMER ON MICS IN NYC ON FEBRUARY 12

"Is This Thing On? . Let's Talk Mics" is the title of a
primer on microphones being held on Tuesday, February 12th
by the Audio Engineering Society's New York Section.  The
venue is the New School Jazz Performance Space in New York
City with the session beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The host is David Bialik, who is the CBS Radio streaming
operations project manager.  He'll be joined by Mike Webber,
Peter E. Schmitt Co., David Shinn, and Henry Cohen.

The event is open to the public.  The site is located at 55
West 13th Street, between 5th and 6th Aves on the fifth
floor.  (RW)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS:  SPEAKERS NEEDED FOR 2013 HAM RADIO TOWN
MEETING

And for the past 15 years or so, Amateur Radio Newsline has
produced and presented "The Ham Radio Town Meeting" at the
Dayton Hamvention.   Whenever possible, we try to stay close
as possible to the Hamvention's overall theme which this
year is simply "DX."  And in going with that theme, this
years Ham Radio Town Meeting will be titled "What DXing
Means To Me" and will be a very personal glance at the
various aspects of DXing from those who are involved in so
many different ways.

The 2013 Ham Radio Town Meeting will be on Saturday, May
18th, at the Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio.  We usually are
scheduled from 11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. EDT.  If you are
interested in being a speaker please contact us by e-mail to
newsline (at) arnewsline (dot) org or using the fill-in-the-
blanks form at www.arnewsline.org/contact. Either way,
please include all of your act information, including a
SKYPE ID if you have one so that I can get back to you.

Thank you in advance and we hope to see some of you this May
at Hamvention 2013.  (ARNewsline)

**

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: TETHERCELL BLUETOOTH REMOTE CONTROL

Looking for a new way to remotely control things?
Tethercell may be the answer to your needs.

Tethercell is a plastic case the size of an AA battery,
embedded with Bluetooth 4.0 transponder, which is powered by
an AAA battery that fits inside. The Bluetooth-enabled
battery is then synced with an app on your smart phone that
allows you to turn the device on and off, set a timer and
even monitor the amount of power remaining.

According to its inventors Trey Madhyastha and Kellan
O'Connor, this first version of Tethercell as a test bed for
future applications.  Its also an opportunity to get the
technology in the hands of the public.

Only one catch.  If you want one, you'll have to wait until
May or June to get one.  More including a demonstration
video is on-line at tinyurl.com/tethercell.   (OnLine News)

**

WORLDBEAT:  COMMUNITY RADIO COMING TO NIGERIA

AllAfrica.com reports that Nigeria is about to activate some
800 low-power community radio stations throughout rural
areas of the country.  This to broadcast information about
the federal government's policies and programs.

Mike Omeri is the Director General of Nigeria's National
Orientation Agency.  He explainede that the venture is in
collaboration with the Nigeria Community Radio Coalition.
Omeri said that the new radio stations are a result of
problems found in rural communities that currently have less
access to information about the government.

Joseph Obodeze is the Director of Research and Policy.  He
added that some areas of Nigeria are so remote that they
only receive radio transmissions from neighboring Cameroon
instead of domestic stations.  Nigeria hopes to have all of
the new low power stations in operation by the middle of the
year.  (AllAfrica.com, RW)

**

RADIO ADVENTURES:  TOUR OF NEW BBC BROADCASTING HOUSE STARTS
IN APRIL

If you are planning a vacation in the United Kingdom and are
interested in radio, then you will be happy to know that the
British Broadcasting Company's new facility tour launches in
April.

While on the tour some of the things you're likely to see
include a camera's eye view into some of the studios
broadcasting such programs as the Six O'Clock News and Radio
1.  Trained guides will also present a rich history of the
building and the BBC.

The Broadcasting House Tour will be available seven days a
week. Further details at tinyurl.com/new-bbc-tour
(Southgate)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  OSSI 1 TO LAUNCH IN 2ND QUARTER OF 2013

OSSI-1, the Open Source Satellite Initiative developed by
DS1SBO, is now planned for launch in the 2nd quarter of
2013.  The tiny satellite will be placed into a 575 km high,
63� inclination orbit after being carried aloft on-board  a
Soyuz-2-1b rocket from the Baikonur launch facility in
Kazakhstan.

Initial reports say OSSI-1 will have a beacon in the 145 MHz
band, a data communications transceiver in the 435 MHz band
although actual operating frequencies have yet to be
published.  The data communications transceiver is reported
to be using an open protocol although details have not yet
been released yet.  OSSI-1 will also carry a 44 watt LED
optical beacon to flash Morse Code messages to observers on
Earth.  (ANS)

**

IARU SATELLITE COORDINATION BOARD SAYS DOVE-1 WILL NOT USE
145.825

The Dove-1 technology development experiment to be launched
on the inaugural launch of Antares rocket in February from
Wallops Island, Virginia will no longer be using frequencies
in the amateur radio bands.  This based on information
posted on the IARU satellite coordination web page for the
mission.

The satellite sponsors had requested coordination for a 1
watt transmitter on 145.825 MHz to downlink a 1200 baud AFSK
AX.25 beacon with telemetry and health data.  What new non-
amateur radio frequencies Dove-1 will use are not shown in
the latest frequency coordination listings.  (AMSAT-UK)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  AMSAT-UK TO PROVIDE AMATEUR RADIO
PAYLOAD FOR ESEO SATELLITE

AMSAT-UK reports that it will be providing an FM transponder
and a BPSK telemetry beacon for the European Student Earth
Orbiter or ESEO satellite.

The target audience of this mission is primary and secondary
students and the project includes the development of a
simple ground station operating on VHF frequencies in the
Amateur Satellite Service.

The ground station will consist of an omni-directional
antenna feeding a FUNcube Dongle PRO+ SDR receiver.  This
system will receive signals direct from the satellite and
transfer the data to specially developed graphical software
running on any Windows laptop.

The satellite is planned to launch in the 2015 to 2016 time
frame into a low Earth orbit and will be the third mission
within the European Space Agency's Education Satellite
Program.  (AMSAT-UK)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  FOX-1 MAIN COMPUTER ENGINEERING
PROTOTYPE COMES ALIVE

The Fox-1 development team reports that the first
engineering model of the satellite's Integrated Housekeeping
Unit or IHU has been constructed.  Bdale Garbee, KB0G,
performed the assembly work, and he was able to load and run
the operating system on  first power up on January 24, 2013.

Meanwhile, the software team is hard at work getting drivers
and features ready to fully test the hardware.  They have
committed to a March delivery of software for IHU testing.
(ANS)

**

DX

In DX, RW6ACM will be active as RI1ANP from the Russian
Antarctic station Progress from February 1st through the end
of year. Modes and exact operating times are not known.  QSL
via RN1ON, direct or via the bureau.

I2JIN is currently operational from El Salvador as YS3CW. He
is reportedly operating mainly CW on the 10 to 80m bands.
QSL via I2JIN, direct, via the bureau or electronically
using Logbook of the World.

F6AML is visiting Zanzibar until February 28th and signing
5H1Z on the 10 to 40m bands using SSB and CW.  He will also
try to activate the Islands on the Air groups AF-054, AF-063
and AF-075 while in the area.  QSL via F6AML via the bureau
or direct.  No eQSLs on this one.

K0YAK will operate as ST2SF from the Sudan until mid-April.
He hopes to be on 40 through 10 meters. QSL to his home
call.

SM7GIB will be active as D44TIB from Cape Verde between
February 25th and March 8th.  His operation will be holiday
style using a wire vertical on 160-10 meters. QSL via his
home callsign.

Lastly, Prefix hunters will be interested to hear that
TC16BURSA will be active through March 19th.  This station
is located in Bursa, Turkey and operated by members of local
branch of the Turkish Radio Amateur Club.  QSL as directed
on the air.

(Above from various DX news sources)


**

THAT FINIAL ITEM:  EXPLAINING A MYSTERY OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM

And finally this week, thanks to radio and radio astronomy,
another of the mysteries of the solar system has been
solved.  Heres Amateur Radio Newsline's Don Carlson, KQ6FM,
with the details:

--

According to a team of astronomers, they now understand
why particles from inside the solar system bounce off what
is described as a ribbon of energy boundary and as a result,
neutral atoms from that collision stream inward toward the
Sun.  This they say is caused by a strange band of energy
that appears to wrap around the entire solar system and
creates a sort of energy field that push particles inward.

The ribbon of energy was first discovered by NASA's
Interstellar Boundary Explorer or IBEX mission.  Since that
data was radioed back to Earth, astronomers and scientists
around the world have struggled to identify the source of
the barrier, and explain why particles seem to be driven
back towards the sun.

Now, in a paper published in the Astrophysical
Journal, astronomers lead by Dr. Nathan Schwadron of the
University of New Hampshire have put forth the so-
called retention theory that for the first time explains the
key observation of the unexplained ribbon's width.  The
theory says that the mysterious band of energy exists in a
location where neutral hydrogen atoms from the solar wind
meet a local galactic magnetic field.  As a result, the
neutral atoms, which are not affected by magnetic fields,
become charged ions and begin gyrating rapidly around
magnetic field lines. The result is that these ions are
aimed back toward the sun.

While the latest theory is not the first to propose a
solution to the galactic puzzle, Schwadron's hypothesis
provided a key point overlooked by other researchers.  That
being the rapid rotation creates waves or vibrations in the
magnetic field, and the charged ions then become physically
trapped in a region by these waves, which in turn would
amplify the ion density and produce the broader ribbon seen.

The result of all this is that Schwadron's theory could
provide astronomers with a better understanding of how the
solar system interacts with interstellar space. It could
also provide insight into the magnetic fields of the
interstellar medium, which astronomers say still remain
largely a mystery.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Don Carlson, KQ6FM,
watching the clear nighttime sky up here in Reno.

--

Right now the ultimate source of the bands itself still
remains largely unclear.  NASA has yet to announce any
future plans aimed at discovering the ultimate source of the
ribbon itself.  You can read more about this interesting
phenomena at tinyurl.com/space-boundry.
(Space Reporter, Space News, 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 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 Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, in Southern Mississippi saying 73
and we thank you for listening.

Amateur Radio NewslineT is Copyright 2013.  All rights
reserved.

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