Friday, March 29, 2013

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1859 - March 29 2013



Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1859 with a release
date of March 29 2013 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a Q-S-T.  The Wireless Institute of
Australia takes a bold stand to try to keep part of the 2300
MHz band; the Nelson New Zealand City Council sides with a
ham in a tower dispute; the UK to phase out AM broadcasting
by 2016, the FCC grants hams Special Temporary Authority to
use TDMA technology; and a special April 1st report on the
emerging science of flavored mini-computers.  All this and
more on Amateur Radio NewslineT report number 1859 coming
your way right now.


(Billboard Cart Here)


**

RESTRUCTURING:  WIA DECIDES TO FIGHT TO RETAIN PART OF 13 CM
IN FACE OF MANDATED REALLOCATION

Australia's national ham radio society says that it's not
going to give up the 13 centimeter amateur band without a
fight.  This after The Australian Communications and Media
Authority - the A C M A - proposes to withdraw the 2300 to
2302 MHz segment of the band as of July 2015 so that it can
be re-allocated for other uses.  Roger Harrison, VK2ZRH, of
the WIA News has the details:

--

The driver behind the ACMA's proposed move is to create a
tidy 100 MHz wide band from 2300 to 2400 MHz for the purpose
of Spectrum Licensing by auction.

The 13 cm Amateur band has only a secondary service status
at 2300 to 2450 MHz. Primary user status goes to the fixed,
mobile and radiolocation services.  The 2300 to 2302 MHz
segment has been used for narrowband, weak-signal working
and this is reflected in the WIA band plan for 13 cm.

In the face of the ACMA's proposal; the WIA intends to fight
back. The WIA is preparing a submission that strongly argues
for the retention of a 150 kHz-wide allocation at 2300 MHz
on at least a co-primary basis. A 150 kHz-wide "line in the
sand", you might say.

Some have suggested that the Institute should bargain the
loss of 2 MHz in the 13 cm band for more spectrum elsewhere
- like the 80 metre DX window, or securing exclusive access
to 50 to 52 MHz, for example.  However, the WIA Board has
adopted the stance that this is no time to roll over and die
on the 13 cm issue, to use the loss of 2 MHz as a bargaining
chip when it comes to issues affecting other bands or for
that matter, bargaining for a new band elsewhere in the
radiofrequency spectrum.  Each issue really has to be
addressed on its own merits.

This is Rodger Harrison, VK2ZRH.

--

The decision of the Wireless Institute of Australia to stand
its ground to keep at least a small part of the 13
centimeter band is not as unusual as it may at first seem.
As broadband expands and other services are displaced from
their spectrum many are looking for bandspace to relocate.
As such the ham radio bands at 420 MHz and above are quickly
becoming a prime target of these outsiders.  Because of this
more and more national ham radio societies are finding that
there are only two ways to fight back.  The first is to
become politically active in their nation.  The other is to
do what the Wireless Institute of Australia is doing by
literally drawing a proverbial do-not-cross line in the
sand.  (WIA News)

**

RADIO LAW:  NELSON NZ CITY COUNCIL BACKS HAM RADIO TOWER
INSTALLATION

Some good news for a ham radio operator in Nelson, New
Zealand who was being hounded by a neighbor to take down his
antenna.  This because she said it interfered with her view
of the surrounding landscape.  The Town Council says that
the antenna can stay.  Amateur Radio Newsline's Jim Meachen,
ZL2BHF, has this follow-up report:

--

According to information supplied by Andrew Mackie, ZL2HZ,
the Nelson City Council has no intention to proceed with the
complaint filed against a ham radio antenna installation
owned by Rick Kiessig, ZL2HAM.

As reported last week, the complainant Dallas Woods had
appeared before the City Council alleging that Kiessig's
tower and antenna interfered with her landscape overlay
view.  Among other things she asked council members to
change the rules so that amateur radio antennas are no
longer a permitted activity in residential zones.

But in a phone call from Rachel Reese on behalf of the
entire Nelson City Council, Mackie was told that the council
does not intend to proceed with the complaint from Wood's at
this time.  Nor is it proposing to make any immediate
changes to the district land use regulations that permit
antenna systems such as that of ZL2HAM.  Rather, at some
time in the future and only if the land use regulations come
up for review, it might possibly take another look at
amateur antennas, but limited to geographic areas where the
view is perceived to be important.

According to Mackie, this is a major step towards
maintaining the good relations between the Nelson City
Council and the areas amateur radio community.  It also
ensures that continued cooperation in areas of Civil Defense
and other activities will not be adversely affected.

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

--

The bottom line is that the Nelson City Council agrees that
Kiessig's tower and antenna installation complies with all
relevant regulations and as such and he is free to enjoy his
hobby without further outside interference.  (ZL2HZ)

**

RESCUE RADIO:  UK SAYS AM RADIO TO GO AWAY BY 2016

On the other side of the globe, broadcast AM radio for
emergency alerts appears to be on its way out in the United
Kingdom.  This even though at present it remains the
quickest and easiest way to reach the masses in time of
national crisis.  Jason Law, VK2LAW, has the details:

--

UK Government reports indicate an intention to abandon AM
broadcast radio for emergency communications and to phase-
out AM broadcasting from 2016.

The report Impact of a Radio Switchover on the Government's
Emergency Communications Policy says that the coverage of AM
services are near universal across the UK, delivered by
a small number of transmitters which could more easily be
restored in the event of a national disaster.  However,
while AM services are universally available, the number
of households which both have access to and choose to access
such services is on the decline.

The declining value of the AM platform is best displayed in
the case of the National Attack Warning System or NAWS.  The
use of the BBC Radio 4 Long Wave frequency to broadcast
emergency information nationally in the case of a nuclear
attack or similar disaster was formalized through the NAWS
arrangements between the BBC and the Cabinet Office.
However, as a result of the limitations of this system in
the present day, from the falling numbers of Long Wave
receivers in homes, to the delay incurred from having to
restore transmitters following an attack, the Cabinet
Office has since cancelled their NAWS arrangements with the
BBC.

I'm Jason Law, VK3LAW, reporting.

--

For those interested in some heavy reading, the complete
report on the proposed United Kingdom abandonment of AM
broadcasting can be found on line at tinyurl.com/uk-am-going-
away  (WIA News)

**

RADIO RULES:  FCC GRANTS ARRL REQUEST FOR STA PERMITING USE
OF TDMA

Some good news for those involved in digital voice
communications as the FCC says it is OK for hams to use TDMA
Technology.  At least they can for now as we hear from
Amateur Radio Newsline's Norm Seeley, KI7UP:

--

The FCC has granted a request from the ARRL for a temporary
waiver to sections 97.3(c)(5) and 97.307(f)(8) the
Commission's rules.  This to  allow amateur stations to use
additional emission types including  Single and Multiple
Time-Slot Time Division Access better known as TDMA.

In granting the ARRL request the FCC agreed that such a
waiver was warranted so as to permit hams to transmit
communications on amateur bands above 30 MHz using single
time-slot Time Division Multiple Access systems currently on
the market and used by stations in other services.  This
pending the resolution of a related rulemaking proceeding.
The FCC order also dismissed as moot a previously-filed
request from ARRL for clarification of the rules as they
apply to TDMA digital emissions.

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

--

Those interested can read the entire text of the FCC
decision to grant this waiver on-line at tinyurl.com/fcc-
arrl-tdma.  (FCC)

**

BREAK 1

From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world
including the KC6OCA repeater serving Lake Isabella
California.

(5 sec pause here)


**

RADIO LAW:  CHANGES COMING TO THE LEADERSHIP AT THE FCC

Big changes are coming to the Federal Communications
Commission.  This as Chairman Julius Genachowski announces
his plans to step down from his post in the coming weeks.

Genachowski, a Democrat, was nominated by President Obama
and confirmed for the post by the Senate in 2009.  The
announcement of his departure comes only a few days after
Commissioner Robert McDowell announced he was stepping
down from his FCC post.  McDowell was the first Republican
appointed to an independent agency by President Obama.

According to the on-line newsletter Politico, Genachowski's
decision was predicted for months and was likely to come the
same week McDowell was to announce that he was resigning.
Politico added that since nominations for agencies like the
FCC are paired by political party, leaving one seat on the
commission for a Democrat and one for a Republican would
smooth the path for the new nominees.

The FCC is led by five commissioners who are appointed by
the President and must be confirmed by the Senate.  They
each serve a five year term.
(Politico.com and other news sources)

**

LEGAL FINDING:  SUPREME COURT SAYS FIRST SALE DOCTRINE NOT
GEOGRAPHICALLY LIMITED

The United States Supreme Court has ruled that the "First
Sale" doctrine covers a copyrighted work legally made abroad
and imported into the United States without the copyright
owner's permission.  In doing so it overturns a Second
Circuit decision that said it did not.

The case was Kirtsaeng versus John Wiley & Sons.  Supap
Kirtsaeng is a Thai-born U.S. student who imported and
resold in the United States less expensive copies of Wiley
textbooks manufactured for sale abroad.  Wiley took
Kirtsaeng to court claiming that the doctrine of First Sale
forbids his actions.  But in a split 6 to 3 decision, the
Supreme Court Justices concluded that there is no
geographical limitation on the First Sale doctrine that
would limit its application to copies made abroad with the
copyright holder's permission.

This decision appears to limit a copyright owner's ability
to control geographic distribution of publishing his, her or
a company's works.  The First Sale doctrine simply means
where a book is first printed versus where it's first sold.
(B&C)

**

WITH THE LEAGUE:  ARRL ANNOUNCES A CAMPAIGN FOR ITS SECOND
CENTURY

The ARRL, which celebrates its Centennial in 2014, has
launched an unprecedented $10 million fundraising
initiative.  This for the purposes of building the ARRL
Endowment and strengthening the organization's financial
future.

Mary Hobart, K1MMH, is the ARRL Chief Development Officer.
She says that the vision of the ARRL Second Century Campaign
is to secure significant financial resources that will open
a path to passionate involvement in Amateur Radio for new
generations.  Hobart goes on to say that this will provide
opportunities for educational enrichment, community service
and personal achievement through the exploration and use of
the magic of radio communication.

The Second Century Campaign is being led by the ARRL Board
of Directors and an eight-member committee headed by David
W. Brandenburg, K5RQ.  The campaign has already raised more
than $4 million toward the $10 million dollar goal.  Plans
are to reach the $10 million mark by the end of ARRL's
Centennial Year in 2014.  More details on the campaign can
be found at tinyurl.com/arrl-second-century. (ARRL,
Southgate)

**

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY:  NEW HEADPHONES SCAN YOUR BRAIN AND
PLAY THE MUSIC IT WANTS TO HEAR

A new scientific communications breakthrough of sorts is
being reported by Discovery News.  It says that the task of
building a perfect play-list for your smart phone or other
private listening device has just gotten a lot easier thanks
to a new brainwave scanning device called the Mico
headphones.  Amateur Radio Newslines Cheryl Lasek, K9BIK,
has more:

--

Mico (pron miko) headphones are a development of a company
called Neurowear.  The rather interesting looking headphones
have what the company calls a electroencephalograph sensor
that protrudes to scans the wearers brain patterns to match
a person's mood with an appropriate song.

When plugged in to a smart device running Mico's app, its
claimed that the headphones will detect the wearer's state
of mind and select a "neuro-tagged," mood-fitting song from
Neurowear's database and play it. The sides of the ear
pieces illuminate when music plays and even show symbols
correlating to the wearers state of mind such as if the user
is sleepy, stressed or highly focused.

Currently, the headphones are still in the prototype phase.
They made their debut at the recent South by Southwestr
Conferences and Festival in Austin, Texas, but the Mico
Headphones inventor was optimistic they'll be on the market
in what they term as the near future.

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

--

You can read more about this latest development in wearable
consumer electronics at tinyurl.com/brain-scanning-
headphones.  The company's website is simply
http://neurowear.com.  And before you ask, no, these new
earphones cannot locate that rare DX station you are hunting
for on 20 meters.  Well, at least not yet.  (Discovery News,
Mashable.com)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS:  G4CNV WINS AF HARVEY ENGINEERING
RESEARCH PRIZE

Some names in the news.  The Institution of Engineering and
Technology reports that Professor Hugh Griffiths, G4CNV, has
been awarded the A.F. Harvey Engineering Research Prize.
The organization says that Griffiths is one of the leaders
in research into bistatic radar where the transmitter and
receiver are located separately, rather than using a single
antenna.  The �300,000 pound check that comes with this
honor will enable Griffiths to continue his investigations
in bistatic radar.  300,000 British Pounds is about $456,000
United States dollars.  More on bistatic radar and the award
to G4CNV is on line at tinyurl.com/uk-radar-award.
(Southgate)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS:  REP. GREG WALDEN W7EQI TO DELIVER
REMARKS AT NAB SHOW

Sequestration not withstanding, the National Association of
Broadcasters has announced that U.S. Representative Greg
Walden, W7EQI, will be a speaker at this year's NAB
Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Walden, who chairman of
the Communications and Technology Subcommittee of the House
Committee on Energy and Commerce, will discuss his career in
broadcasting and legislative issues as one of the speakers
at the convention's opening session on Monday, April 8th.

By way of background, Greg Walden has represented Oregon's
Second Congressional District since 1998.  He also spent
more than two decades as a radio station owner and uses his
small business and technology experience as chairman of the
House committee he serves on.  In November 2012, W7EQI was
unanimously elected to serve as chairman of the National
Republican Congressional Committee.  (TV Technology)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR'S RECEPTION AT NAB
LAS VEGAS

Heil Sound Ltd. will once again be one of the major hosts
for this year's Amateur Radio Operator's Reception, to be
held in conjunction with the 2013 National Association of
Broadcasters Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Amateur Radio Operator's Reception is traditionally a
big draw for hams attending the NAB show.  It also attracts
those who may have never touched a push-to-talk button or
learned Morse code.  This is because the nature of
broadcasting and of ham radio are both communication.

The 2013 reception will be held on Wednesday, April 10th
from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time in Ballroom B of
the Las Vegas Hotel and Casino.  Typically, between 700 to
800 people pack the ballroom, each hoping he will be the
lucky winner of one of the door prizes.  Everyone attending
the reception is eligible to win a door prize, and is handed
a raffle ticket upon entering.

This year there are more than 140 prizes to be given away.
In addition to those from Heil Sound, others have been
donated by broadcast equipment manufacturers, engineering
consulting firms, retailers and the American Radio Relay
League.  The NAB say the 2013 prize list already has a value
of more than $14,000.

Again that's the 2013 NAB Amateur Radio Operator's Reception
in Ballroom B of the Las Vegas Hotel and Casino on
Wednesday, April 10th from 6 to 8 p.m..  Bob, K9EID, and
company president Sarah Heil say that that they hope to see
you there.  (ARNewslineT, Heil Sound, NAB)

**

RADIO HAPPENINGS: RADIO CLUB OF AMERICA WELCOMES ABSTRACTS
FOR 2013 WIRELESS TECHNICAL SYMPOSIUM

The Radio Club of America is inviting the submission of
abstracts for consideration of presentation at its upcoming
Wireless Technical Symposium to be held on Saturday November
23rd in Orlando Florida.  The club is seeking papers dealing
with numerous areas of telecommunications ranging from
antennas, broadband, land mobile satellite, semiconductors
and amateur radio to name just a few.

If you are interested in being a presenter at this year's
symposium, you need to submit a 1 to 3 paragraph abstract by
July 1st.  Include the title, authors and contact
information, a synopsis of the work to be presented, and why
you think the work is interesting or important to the
wireless industry.  Also please keep in mind that the
conference planners are looking for specifically technical
papers and not marketing presentations and that participants
will have to fund their own travel to the Orlando event.

Those that are selected will be given a 20 to 45 minute
presentation opportunity on November 23rd, and your paper of
any length will be made available on the RCA Website and at
the event.  Those interested should send their presentation
abstracts to the Tech Symposium Chair John Facella at
techsymposium (at) radioclubofamerica (dot) org.  If you
missed that e-mail address it will be in the on-line text
edition of this week's Amateur Radio Newsline report.
(Radio Club of America)

**

BREAK 2

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

(5 sec pause here)

**

CHANGING OF THE GUARD:  EVELYN GARRISON, WS7A, - SK

We are very sad to report the passing of one of the most
beloved people in the world of amateur radio and in the
amateur radio supply industry.  This with word that Evelyn
Garrison, WS7A, of Sammamish, Washington, passed away in her
home on February 26th following a long battle against
Cancer.

Best known in ham radio circles as one of the early sales
representatives for Icom America, Evelyn went on to form her
own organization known as Evelyn Garrison and Associates.
Among other things, she and her company were responsible for
making Alinco a known and highly respected part of the world
ham radio marketplace.  More recently she was the marketing
representative for Jetstream amateur radio products and
introduced the Jetstream brand to all of North America.

Originally from Porter County, Indiana, Evelyn held an Extra
class license. In addition to her love of amateur radio,
WS7A was an accomplished painter and also enjoyed
calligraphy.  And no major hamfest or convention was
complete without Evelyn's smile and always up-beat
conversation to make attendees feel as if they were a member
of her own family.

Evelyn Garrison, WS7A, is survived by her four children,
four grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.  Services
were held on Saturday, March 2nd in Issaquah, Washington.
An on-line commemorative to her with a guestbook where
friends and associates can pay their respects is at
tinyurl.com/ws7a-memorial.  (ARNewslineT)

**

CHANGING OF THE GUARD:  220 REPEATER PIONEER WALTER DIEM,
K6PEA - SK

One of the early pioneers of FM and repeaters on the 220 MHz
band has left us.  This with the passing of Walter "Walt"
Diem (PRON: DEEM), K6PEA, of Laguna Hills, California on
February 25th.

A career staff member at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
Pasadena, California, Diem, then WA6PEA got deeply involved
in ham radio through the JPL Amateur Radio Club.  In 1976 he
became interested in VHF and UHF repeater technology.  Due
to lack of 144 and 440 MHz frequencies available in the
Southern California area he decided to break new ground by
establish the club's repeater on 220 MHz.  That system went
on the air in March of 1977.

In 1979, with the split of the Southern California Repeater
association into two smaller organizations, Diem became a
member of the 220 MHz Spectrum Management Association.
There he served on the organizations Technical Committee
during the group's formative years.

After his retirement from JPL Diem moved to Laguna Hills,
California, to be closer to his son.  When the FCC made
vanity calls available, Diem briefly held W6CWD, but then
realized most people remembered him for the letter P in his
original call and so traded W6CWD for K6PEA.  This was the
call which he held at the time of his passing.  A memorial
celebration of Walt Diem's life was held on Tuesday, March
19th. (W6EJJ, KW6J)

**

WORLDBEAT:  WIA NATIONAL FIELD DAY WEEKEND APRIL 13 - 14

From down-under, word that registrations are just starting
to be received for the 2013 Wireless Institute of Australia
National Field Day takes place on the weekend of April 13th
and 14th.  This happens to falls adjacent to the IARU World
Amateur Radio Day that falls on Friday, April 18th.

The Wireless Institute of Australia National Field Day is
not a contest.  Rather its aim is to introduce amateur radio
to the general public and hopefully to attract more people
into the hobby.  At the same time it presents an opportunity
for VK hams to hone their emergency communications skills.
Details on the 2013 Wireless Institute of Australia National
Field Day can be found on line at tinyurl.com/WIA-NFD
(VK2JI)

**

WORLDBEAT:  BBC WORLD SERVICE REDUCES SHORTWAVE BROADCASTS

A new schedule with reduced shortwave transmissions begins
on the BBC World Service on April 1st.  As part of the
change shortwave and medium wave transmissions in English
will be reduced to a minimum of 6 hours in total each day.
You can read the full BBC announcement at tinyurl.com/BBC-
World-English,  (Southgate, BBC)

**

RADIOSPORT:  THE DAY OF THE YLS CONTEST

The third annual "Day of the YLs' Contest" sponsored by the
European Radio Amateurs Organization will be held May 18th
and 19th.  This purpose of this weekend event is to get as
many YL's and XYL's to take to the airwaves at the same time
as is possible.  Various awards will be available.  For more
information, frequencies and operating times please see
tinyurl.com/yl-contest on the World-Wide-Web.  (Southgate)

**

WORLDBEAT:  INTERNATIONAL MARCONI DAY

And a reminder that International Marconi Day will take
place on April 20th.  For more information and to see which
stations are taking part in this event please take your web
browser to www.gb4imd.com. (IARU)

**

DX

In DX, JR1IZM will be active as 9X0ZM from Rwanda until
March 2014.  He plans to operate on 80 through 6 meters.
QSL via JO1CRA.

VA3QSL is heading to the Caribbean and will be on the air as
8P9HI from Farther Away Cottage, Bayfield, St. Philip,
Barbados between April 6th and the 13th.  His operation will
be holiday style on the High Frequency bands.  QSL via his
home callsign, direct or via the Bureau.

DF8DX will be on the air from Tanzania as 5H1DX between from
April 20th to the 28th.  His operation will include the
activation of several Islands on the Air entities.  Listen
out for him on the High Frequency bands and also some
Earth-Moon-Earth weak signal operation.  If you make contact
QSL direct to DF8DX.

Down the calendar a bit K3LP has announced on his Web page
that he will be operating from the Antarctica; Port Stanley,
the Falkland Islands; Chile, Argentina and Uruguay between
February 2nd and 16th of 2014.  This is a family vacation so
he plans only to be on the air for a few hours at each
location.  QSL will go via his home callsign

Lastly, Bill Moore, NC1L, at the ARRL DXCC Desk reports that
the 2013 9X0ZM operation from Rwanda has been approved for
DXCC credit.  Cards may now be submitted for this one.

(Above from various DX news sources)

**

THAT FINAL ITEM:  A NEW CROP OF FRUIT FLAVORED MINI
COMPUTERS ON THEIR WAY

And finally this week, as most hams know the big thing these
days in tiny computers is the Raspberry Pie, spelled Pi.
This is a computer on a credit-card sized circuit board
that's finding a variety of ham radio applications.  So as
we approached the first of April, our roving reporter,
Pierre Pullinmyleg, set out with his trusty 20 meter SSB HT
and 33 foot rubber-duckie antenna to unravel the mysteries
of the device and to find out if this `pi indeed are
square:'

--

When we first tried zee raspberry pi, we found it to be very
crunchy even though ve were expecting a more mousse-like
consistency.  Then ve learned it was a computer and had to
spit it out, bit by bit.

Some investigative reporting led us to a secretive group
working on new devices similar to zee Rasperry Pi.

Calling themselves zee "Pi R Round Consortium," members of
this group are designing several specialized devices, such
as zee Pecan Pi, which will control automated nutcrackers.
Also in zee works is Cherry Pi, designed for use in lie
detectors, and Apple Pi, which will be very expensive and do
very little, but is still expected to be highly successful.

Finally, an offshoot of the group in Italy is sticking with
the traditional "Pi R Square" formula and has designed a
Sicilian Pi, which will make you an offer you cannot refuse.

All of these new devices will be introduced to zee amateur
radio community at this year's Dayton Hamvention.  Hams
there are expected to gobble them up as tasty alternatives
to Hara arena hot dogs.

In zee Pie Safe aboard the Good Ship Lollipop, zis is Pierre
Pullinmyleg reporting for Newsline.

--

Pierre says that if you found that story a bit hard to
swallow, he recommends a little whipped cream and a broad
smile.  He adds that more about this may or may not be found
on-line at tinyurl.com/well-maybe. (Pierre Pullinmyleg April
1st News Service)

**

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, Australia's WIA News and of coarse roving
April 1st reporter Pierre Pullinmyleg, 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

A reminder that the nominating period for the 2013 Amateur
Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year Award is now open.
Full details and a nominating form are on our website at
www.arnewsline.org/yhoty.

For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors' desk,
I'm Jim Davis, W2JKD, from Florida's Sunshine Coast saying
73, a very happy April 1st and we thank you for listening.

Amateur Radio NewslineT is Copyright 2013.  All rights
reserved.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1858 - March 22 2013




Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1858 with a release
date of March 22 2013 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST.  An antenna battle down under pits a
ham antenna against a landscape view; a big win in New
Jersey as a ham is finally granted approval for his tower
and antenna; a Coronal Mass Ejection on the sun hits Earth
on St. Patrick's Day; the Federal probe of the so-called
zombie attack on the United States Emergency Alert System
continues and GPS jamming becomes a threat to public safety
in the UK.  All this and more on Amateur Radio NewslineT
report number 1858 coming your way right now.


(Billboard Cart Here)


**

RADIO LAW: NELSON NZ COUPLE WANT HAMS ANTENNA TAKEN DOWN AND
ALL HAM ANTENNAS BANNED DUE TO EMI EXPOSURE

A Nelson, New Zealand couple upset by the installation of a
ham radio antenna in the middle of their expansive field of
view from have taken their fight to city councilors.  They
also appear to want a change in local zoning law that would
make all ham radio installations in that city subject to
exceedingly strict human electromagnetic exposure limits.
Amateur Radio Newsline's Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, has the
details:

--

Dallas Woods is the complainant who made a presentation to
the council's public forum.  At that hearing Woods asked
councilors to change the rules so that amateur radio
antennas are no longer a permitted activity in residential
zones or the landscape overlay which covers city ridgelines.
Woods said the landscape overlay was supposed to mitigate
adverse effects on visual qualities and to retain views from
major vantage points.  Also that the council's councils
current plan acknowledged that in some areas use of
structures such as antenna masts should be extremely
limited.

But that presentation did not stop there.  According to
Woods testimony, with the modern communications now
available, there was no justification for large ham radio
antennas as a right in residential zones.  Woods also stated
that ham radio was no longer needed to help with
emergencies.  They are also concerned about the health
aspects for themselves and passers-by who could be exposed
to higher what Woods terms as a than acceptable amount
electromagnetic radiation from the ham radio antenna when it
was operating at full power.  Woods wants the National
Radiation Laboratory of the Ministry of Health should
monitor the RF output from the antenna while the ham radio
station is operating at maximum power.

The tower and antenna in question belong to Rick Kiessig,
ZL2HAM.  He has  acknowledged that his antenna did impinge
on his neighbors view to some degree, but noted that there
was a gum tree in the same area which was taller than his
antenna and blocked much more of the view.  He also said
that he had taken a number of additional steps to mitigate
the effect of the antenna on the view of his neighbors.
This included his  using a self-supporting tower without
lots of guy wires and an antenna made of translucent
fiberglass rather than one with a large number of thick
aluminum elements.

Nelson's environmental inspections manager is Stephen
Lawrence.  He acknowledges that he has received such a
request from the Woods, but he notes that a rule in the
Nelson Resource Management Plan specifies that any antenna
transmitting on radio frequencies had to do so within the
limits of the relevant New Zealand Safety Standard.  He says
that Kiessig has already submitted a very detailed self
assessment to council that shows his antenna system complies
with that safety standard.  According to Lawrence, the
council in the process of seeking someone to peer review
this assessment as a double check, but he adds there are
currently no grounds to believe that it isn't accurate or
that the antenna system is operating outside of proper
safety limits.

And that's where this one stands as we go to air.

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

--

According to ZL2HAM,  amateur radio stations such as his
that operate in the high frequency spectrum makes them safer
at a given power density than cellphones or wireless
internet.  He notes that a ham radio station in the high
frequency range would need to transmit about 12,000 watts of
effective radiated power to have the same power density as a
cellphone in normal use.  (Fairfax NZ News, Others)

**

RADIO LAW:  NJ HAM WINS ANTENNA HEIGHT APPEAL

Back on this side of the Pacific a New Jersey ham has
finally been granted a building permit to erect a 96 foot
high antenna system.  Amateur Radio Newsline's Heather
Embee, KB3TZD, is here with more:

--

In April 2012, Ira Saber, N2IS, filed an application for a
building permit in Morris Township, New Jersey.   A month
later, the Township's Code Enforcement Officer informed
Saber that the proposed 96' high private radio antenna
system, on his modest one quarter acre property, may violate
the height requirement in the zone.

On appeal to the Zoning Board of Adjustment, Saber submitted
a "Showing of Need for Height of an Amateur Radio Antenna
Support Structure," prepared by Dennis Egan, W1UE.  Also
submitted was an ARRL pamphlet entitled "Antenna Height and
Communications Effectiveness," prepared by Richard Straw,
N6BV and Gerald Hall, K1TD, and a brief by his lawyer, Fred
Hopengarten, K1VR.

In December 2012, after soliciting opinions by the
township's RF consultant, the township planner, and the
attorney to the Board of Adjustment, the Zoning Board of
Adjustment held a hearing.  Saber and Hopengarten appeared.
At that time the Board voted unanimously that Saber's
building permit should be issued as requested.

But the most important aspect of this finding was what has
come to light since.  In an opinion letter the Board of
Adjustment attorney said that it is apparent that the
essence of the FCC's preemptive intent as expressed in PRB-1
was to guarantee that each amateur radio operator could
install functional antennas for all amateur frequency bands,
at the licensee`s residence.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Heather Embee, KB3TZD, a
bit to the West in Berwick, Pennsylvania.

--

The full decision, and the opinion of the Board's attorney,
may be found under "Resolution of Findings and Conclusions,
Ira J. Saber" at tinyurl.com/n2is-antenna-win.  (QRZ)

**

PROPAGATION:  CME IMPACT SPARKS ST. PATRICKS DAY AURORAS ON
EARTH

The Southgate news reports that the skies over parts of
North America turned green for St. Patrick's Day.  This as a
Coronal Mass Ejection or CME from the surface of the sun
impacted on planet Earth during the early hours of March
17th.

The CME sparked bright auroras at latitudes as far south as
Colorado.  Other intense Aurora's were spotted on March 18th
mainly over the Arctic as Earth's magnetic field continued
to respond to the solar impact.  And if you heard or worked
some stations on 50 MHz and above who sounded as if they
were gargling while speaking, that was the sound of aurora
propagation.

More information on this latest CME flare including photos
and further updates can be found on line at
spaceweather.com.  (Southgate, Skywatch, others)

**

ENFORCEMENT:  FEDERAL PROBE INTO FALSE EAS ZOMBIE ALERT
WIDENS

FCC Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Chief David
Turetsky says that the investigation continues into what
happened to allow someone to hack some broadcast stations'
EAS encoders/decoders and insert false alerts of zombie
attacks that were aired on some of those facilities.

According to Turetsky, the Internet which is a part of the
EAS system will remain an important means of communication.
Turetsky says that there is no silver bullet to cover all
occasions.  He says that all involved in EAS need to work
hard to create greater security.

As previously reported, some stations that were hacked had
connected their EAS encoder/decoder equipment directly to
the Internet, rather than behind a firewall.  Others had not
changed the factory-provided password making both vulnerable
to attacks by hackers.  (RW)

**

RADIO LAW:  FEUD ERUPTING BETWEEN CTIA AND NAB OVER ENG
SPECTRUM FOR BROADBAND

A feud appears to be brewing between the broadcast community
and the broadband industry over spectrum now used by
broadcast auxiliary operations.  This after the CTIA
Wireless Association has requested that the FCC look to
reclaim some of this spectrum for commercial reallocation.
Amateur Radio Newslines Stephan Kinford, N8WB, has the
details:

--

For its part the CTIA points out that the FCC has until
February of 2015 to identify 15 MHz of contiguous spectrum
for reallocation and licensing for mobile broadband and that
the current broadcast auxiliary services band is a natural
fit.

But the National Association of Broadcasters counters that
such a move would amount to a threat to public safety.  This
is because the spectrum in question is currently used for
electronic newsgathering and is where broadcasters were
forced to move these operations when they reallocated
satellite spectrum.

Perhaps the biggest dig at the CTIA proposal came from
National Association of Broadcasters spokesman Dennis
Wharton.  He is quoted as having said that if the request
were not such a serious threat to public safety, it would be
amusing.

But the wireless industry does not seen to be amused.  In
his statement CTIA president Steve Largent wrote that this
spectrum band is below 3 GHz, is contiguous and adjacent to
current allocations, and would allow pairing in a readily
achievable fashion.  Largent added that the CTIA is not
aware of any other spectrum bands as well-positioned as this
band to meet all the key principles for mobile broadband
spectrum that could be paired with the specific 15 MHz
identified by National Telecommunications and Information
Agency.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Stephan Kinford, N8WB,
in Wadsworth, Ohio.

--

The bottom line appears to be that broadcasters who had been
allied with wireless companies in opposition to the FCC's
incentive auction band plan may be quickly heading in
different directions and may well come to loggerheads over
this new CTIA spectrum demand.  (B&C,
fiercebroadbandwireless.com)

**

BREAK 1

From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world
including the WA4TEP repeater serving Greenville North
Carolina.

(5 sec pause here)


**

ENFORCEMENT:  FCC SEIZES UNLICENSED FM BROADCAST STATION IN
BROCKTON MA

Federal authorities have shut down and seized equipment
reportedly used by an unlicensed radio station in Brockton,
Massachusetts.  A station that is alleged to have interfered
with air traffic communications in the Boston area.  Amateur
Radio Newslines George Bowen, W2XBS, tells us what happened:

--

The equipment was confiscated by the US Marshals Service,
which executed a warrant March 1st.  According to an
affidavit filed in January by FCC Engineer Emmanuel Domkam,
officials began investigating the unlicensed station
operating on 91.7 FM in Brockton, in February 2010.  However
the station's transmitter moved three times before it ended
up on at the location the seizure occurred.

Domkan wrote that each time the move occurred after the FCC
has issued and posted a written warning at the transmitter
location. Investigators eventually traced the transmitter to
an address on Rutland Street in Brockton.  This after the
Federal Aviation Administration filed a complaint last
October that a possible unlicensed station, later identified
as operating on 91.7 and playing Haitian music, was
interfering with its ability of controllers to communicate
with pilots flying in the Boston area.

The interference was likely from spurs generated by the
stations transmitter.  The FCC said the investigation became
a top priority because this kind of interference could be
dangerous to air to ground communications and public safety.

As we go to air the owner of the property where the
equipment was confiscated has not been charged with any
crime.  Nor was immediately clear if that person or anyone
else will be subject to a Notice of Monetary Forfeiture or
other federal penalty.  As regular listeners know, fines in
similar cases start at $10,000 and run as high as $25,000 or
more.

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

--

This is not the first time that the FCC has confiscated an
unlicensed station in the Brockton area.  In an unrelated
2007 case an unlicensed radio broadcaster was cited by
federal authorities for interfering with the traffic control
at Logan International Airport in nearby Boston.  In that
incident the stations equipment was also seized.  (Boston
Globe, Boston Herald, Cape Cod Daily)

**

ENFORCEMENT:  FINE REDUCED IN PENNSYLVANIA OUT OF BAND
OPERATION

A Pennsylvania ham whom the FCC says operated outside of the
amateur radio bands has had his fine reduced by $500.

Back on May 16, 2011 the FCC imposed a $4,000 monetary
forfeiture against Jose Torres, N3TX, of Philadelphia.  This
for his alleged willful and repeated operation of his
amateur radio station on an unauthorized frequency on April
17 and June 2, 2008.  The frequency in question was 26.71
MHz.

On February 17, 2009, Torres met with agents in the
Philadelphia Office to respond to the apparent findings in
the N-A-L. During the meeting Torres claimed that he was not
at home when the alleged unauthorized transmissions
occurred.  He also asserted that payment of the $4000
proposed fine would pose a financial hardship.  At that
meeting he produced the required documentation to back up
his claim.

But in affirming the penalty, the FCC said that it finds
that Torres's Petition for Reconsideration fails to
demonstrate a material error in the Forfeiture Order.  That
it only reiterates arguments previously presented to and
rejected by the agency's Northeast Region office.  As such,
it denies reconsideration of the Petition on this basis.

As to Torres's claim of his inability to pay the forfeiture,
here the FCC says that based on the materials he submitted
that a reduction of $500 is warranted.  Therefore the agency
affirms the Northeast Region's finding that Torres willfully
and repeatedly operated on an unauthorized frequency but
reduces the forfeiture amount to $3,500.

Torres was given the customary 30 days from the March 19th
release of the Memorandum Opinion and Order in this matter
to pay the reduced $3,500 forfeiture amount.  (FCC)

**

ENFORCEMENT:  ANOTHER UNLICENSED FLORIDA BROADCASTERS ISSUED
$25000 NAL

The FCC has issued Gary Feldman a $25,000 Notice of Monetary
Forfeiture for operating an unlicensed radio station in
Miami, Florida.

Responding to a complaint, agents from the Enforcement
Bureau's Miami office traced the source of an unauthorized
signal on 99.7 MHz to an FM antenna mounted on Feldman's
residence, in both 2011 and 2012.  While monitoring the
station, agents heard the website hot977fmmiami.com
mentioned.  A check showed the website domain registered to
Feldman.

According to the FCC, during an inspection in 2012, Feldman
admitted he operated the station but refused to either
surrender the gear to the investigators or to destroy it.
At that time the commission warned Feldman that operating an
unlicensed station violated FCC rules and he could face
further enforcement action.

Later in 2012 the FCC says that Feldman attempted to evade
detection by moving his unlicensed operation to a commercial
building he owns in Miami.  The commission also found
Feldman had earlier been issued a $10,000 fine for operating
an unlicensed station in Fort Myers.  That case had already
been turned over to the Department of Justice for collection
but the fine at that time has still remained unpaid.

In issuing the latest proposed fine to Feldman the agency
noted that it had increased the amount to $25,000 because of
his past record of non compliance with FCC rules and that
the current violation is deemed as willful and repeated.  It
also warned him that he may face larger fines, criminal
prosecution and equipment seizure if he fails to comply.

Feldman has 30 days from the February 21st date of the
issuance of the proposed fine to pay it in full or to file
an appeal.  (FCC)

**

RADIO HAPPENINGS:  FEMA-IPAWS WONT BE AT NAB DUE TO
SEQUESTRATION BUDGET CUTS

It appears that FEMA-IPAWS personnel won't be going to the
National Association of Broadcasters Convention in April due
to the so-called "sequestration."  That's the fancy word
politicians in Washington made up to give a title to the
more than $40 billion in across-the-board federal spending
cuts within the remaining fiscal year.

One member of that office posted a message to the Society of
Broadcast Engineers EAS list serve that at this time FEMA
won't have a presence at the National Association of
Broadcasters Convention next month in Las Vegas, Nevada.
That likely means FEMA won't have a booth and no one can
travel to the event, including those scheduled to be session
panelists.

There's no word yet on how the budget cuts might affect
travel for the FCC personnel scheduled to speak in Las
Vegas.  During a recent Senate FCC oversight hearing
Chairman Julius Genachowski said he has serious concerns
about the effects of the cuts, since the agency is at its
lowest employee level in some 30 years.

The FCC's portion of the sequestration cuts is about $17
million, or 5% of its total $340 million budget.  This in
turn begs the obvious question as to how the sequestration
mandated budget cuts might affect all aspects of ham radio
oversight by the agency as well as FCC participation in
major amateur radio conventions and other events. (RW,
ARNewslineT)


**

RADIO HAPPENINGS:  FAIRBANKS AK COLLEGE STATION TAKES MAJOR
PRIZE

KSUA, a student-run radio station at the University of
Alaska at Fairbanks has been named as the best college radio
station in the country.  The station on 91.5 MHz FM won the
2013 MTVU'S Best College Radio Woodie Award, beating out
competition from major universities in metropolitan areas
from across the country.

MTVU is a division of the MTV Network that targets college-
aged students and is available on more than 750 college
campuses across the United States.  The Woodie Awards are
its top honors, which celebrate everything about college
life from best musical artist and video to best radio
station.

This year awards will be presented in Austin, Texas, during
the South by Southwest festival.  This is a major 10-day
entertainment festival covering music, film and interactive
formats such as video gaming and the online world.
(AND.com)

**

RADIO EDUCATION:  DARA TO AGAIN SUPPORT ADVANCED ARRL
TEACHERS INSTITUTE

For the fourth year in a row, the Dayton Amateur Radio
Association will provide financial support for the advanced
session of the Teachers Institute sponsored by the ARRL.
This advanced session on remote sensing and data gathering
will be held July 22nd to the 25 at the Dayton Amateur Radio
Association's new classroom facility at their clubhouse in
Dayton, Ohio.

There will also be two basic Teachers Institute sessions
taking place this summer.  One will be held July 8th to the
11th at ARRL Headquarters in Newington, Connecticut.  The
other from July 15th to the 19th on the West coast at
Parallax, Inc in Rocklin, California.

More on all of these sessions is on line at tinyurl.com/2013-
arrl-teachers-institute.  (ARRL)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: INTERNATIONAL MUSEUMS WEEKEND REGISTRATION
OPEN

The International Museums Weekends special event will take
place on the double weekends of June15th and 16th and again
on June 22nd and 23rd.  Hams world-wide are being encouraged
to participate in this event by setting up stations in their
local museums in third areas.

The events organizer Harry Bloomfield, M1BYT.  He asks that
all those intending to take part to register their museum
via the web form on the International Museums Weekend
website.  Its in cyberspace at www.ukradioamateur.co.uk/imw.
(GB2RS)

**

WITH NEWSLINE:  ARNEWSLINE FACEBOOK PAGES REACHES 1300

A new milestone for the Amateur Radio Newsline page on
Facebook.  As of this newscast, our page now has 1300
followers.  Many of those who have signed on have also
become contributors on news and events that do not always
make it into our weekly newscast.  For this we thank all of
them for their volunteerism and support.  If you are on
Facebook and have not yet signed onto our page we invite you
to do so and become a part of the Amateur Newsline on-line
family.  And a very special thank you to James Pastorfield,
KB7TBT, who serves as the volunteer moderator of our
presence on Facebook.   (ARNewsline)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS:  SVHFS CONFERENCE APRIL 19-20 IN COCOA BEACH
FLORIDA

And a reminder that the 2013 The Southeastern VHF Society
technical conference is less than 6 weeks away.   This years
gathering will take place April 19 to the 20th at the Cocoa
Beach Hilton Hotel in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

The goal of the conference is to raise the technical level
of amateurs.  This by providing a forum for presenting
papers relating to VHF, UHF, and Microwave while at the same
time providing a focal point for discussions on operating
practices and procedures and other topics that promote
operation on amateur bands above 50MHz.

For further information and registration please visit the
conference website at www.svhfs.org  (VHF Reflector,
SVHFS.com)

**

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)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS: DAVE PATTON N1NN TO SPEAK AT DAYTON DX
DINNER

Some names in the news.  The SouthWest Ohio DX Association
has announced that Dave Patton, NN1N, will be the featured
speaker for its 28th annual DX dinner. This on Friday, May
17th at the Marriott Hotel in Dayton, Ohio.

Dave Patton was first licensed in 1977 as WD9DCL at the age
of 12.  Always an avid DX'er and contester Patton is a two-
time World Radiosport Team Championship competitor has been
on world record holding multi-operator teams at 6Y2A and
HC8N.

For more information and to order dinner tickets please
visit www.swodxaevents.org on the World-Wide-Web  (OPDX)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS:  PB33BQ TO CELEBRATE THE CHANGE OF
ROYALTY IN THE NETHERLANDS

And in celebration of the Netherlands Queen Beatrix handing
over the throne to her eldest son Prince Willem Alexander,
Dutch ham radio operator Jaap Van Duin, PA7DA, will take to
the airwaves using the special callsign PB33Q between April
20th and May 1st.

The PB33BQ callsign stands for Princess Beatrix 33 years
Queen and commemorates the more than three decades since she
took over the throne of her mother Queen Juliana.  That took
place back on April 30th, 1980.

Keep an eye on pa7da.jouwweb.nl/pb33q for more information
on this very special celebration.  QSL PB33Q only via the
bureau.  (Various DX News Sources)

**

RADIO HAPPENINGS:  NRCDXAS MOVES FROM CASSETTE TO CD
DISTRIBUTION

The National Radio Club has announced that its highly
acclaimed DX Audio Service has ceased publication on
cassette and is now available on CD.

Fred Vobbe, W8HDU, is the Publisher of the DX Audio Service
and an anchor here on Amateur Radio Newsline.  He notes that
the audio magazine which targets blind and visually
handicapped individuals has been published on cassette tape
since 1985.  But says W8HDU, the switch to CD distribution
will increase the amount of time to present articles on
radio and the radio listening hobby as well as represent an
advancement in technology. With the move to CDs the club
hopes not to just talk about the quality of a radio
receiver, but let the members make their own qualitative
judgments.  According to Vobbe, the high quality of CD's is
what makes this possible.

The DX Audio Service magazine started with volunteers
reading the printed version of DX News Magazine to tape.
Two decades ago the subject matter was changed slightly from
traditional AM DX'ing, to add general topics on radio
listening, technical articles, and features on people in the
broadcasting business.

A sample of the MP3 version is located on the World Wide Web
at www.nrcdxas.org under the "Publications", then "Download"
links.  A sample CD for United States and Canadian radio
listeners is available for $3.00 from National Radio Club
Publications, P.O. Box 473251, Aurora, Colorado, 80047 in
the USA.  More information is on the web at www.nrcdxas.org.
(W8HDU)

**

RADIO IN SPACE:  FCC ISSUES GUIDANCE ON OBTAINING LICENSES
FOR SMALL SATELLITES

The Federal Communications Commission released a Public
Notice to provide guidance concerning FCC licensing of
spectrum for use by small satellites, including satellites
that fall within the categories of pico-satellites, nano-
satellites and cubesats.  Amateur Radio Newsline's Bruce
Tennant, K6PZW has more:

--

The FCC's rules set forth three different procedures for
licensing satellites.  The Commission's Part 25 rules are
primary for satellite licensing, and are used for regulating
a wide range of satellite operations, including commercial
communication and remote sensing satellites.  The
Commission's Part 5 rules cover experimental operations. The
Commission's Part 97 rules cover amateur radio service
satellite operations.

Currently, many small satellite missions involve
experimental operations such as scientific and research
missions including those conducted under government
contract, and many operate in amateur frequency bands. These
satellites are licensed under Parts 5 or 97 of FCC rules.
Because of the significant interest in small satellites in
the amateur radio and research communities, the primary
focus of this new Public Notice is on those  operations,
although certain guidance in the Notice is also applicable
to Part 25 licensing well in advance of a launch.

The FCC notes that the advent of small satellite designs has
brought with it dramatically lower launch costs.  This is
enabling a larger range of organizations to directly launch
satellites.  Institutions such as universities and research
groups that previously found it cost prohibitive to orbit
their own satellite can now participate in the exploration
of space at relatively reasonable cost.  And because of this
many of these new participants may be unfamiliar with the
spectrum licensing, scheduling and other requirements
attendant on satellites.  The FCC says that this new Public
Notice seeks to alert those planning to orbit a small
satellite of these requirements and aid operators in the
planning necessary for a successful launch operation.

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

--

The full public notice can be found on-line at
tinyurl.com/small-sat-guide.  And we will have more ham
radio space related news later on in this weeks Amateur
Radio Newsline report.  (FCC, AMSAT)

**

RADIO IN SPACE:  THE DL4APV WEEKEND MOON CALENDAR

Still with space related matters, E-M-E enthusiasts should
take note that DL7APV has posted a 2013 weekend Moon
Calendar to the World Wide Web.  Titled the Lunar Weekend
Calendar the page gives all sorts of information regarding
the Moons position on weekends throughout the year along
with ham radio events taking place on the same dates.  You
can access the DL7APV Lunar Weekend Calendar on-line at
tinyurl.com/find-the-moon.  (N4GIV, VHF Reflector)

**

RADIO IN SPACE:  APRIL 432 AND ABOVE EME NEWSLETTER
AVAILABLE

Still with moonbounce communications, the April issue of the
amateur radio 432 MHz and Above EME Newsletter is now
available for download.  The newsletter is available in
Word, PDF and Text formats the newsletter can be downloaded
free of charge at tinyurl.com/april-432-news.  (VHF
Reflector)

**

ON THE AIR:  SPANISH SPECIAL EVENT STATION EH5SIP

On the air. members of the Team Cartagena will commemorate
the launch of the submarine Isaac Peral 125 years ago with
the special station EH5SIP on the air through March 31st.
Operation of this station is on SSB and the digital modes.
QSLs will be sent automatically via bureau.
(Southgate)

**

ON THE AIR:  8J4G CELEBRATING NATIONAL TREE PLANTING IN
JAPAN

And keep an ear open for a special event stations operating
from Japan.  8J4G can be heard through May 31st celebrating
the 64th National Tree Planting Ceremony in Tottori
prefecture on Honshu Island.  QSL only via the JA Bureau.
(Southgate)

**

DX

In DX, JH1NBN is expected to be active from Bhutan as A52W
through March 26th. He is there on business, so his activity
will only be during his spare time.  QSL via JH1NBN direct
only.

F6BGC will be active as 8Q7NC from the Maldives through
March 29th. He plans to operate holiday style on 40 through
6 meters using mostly SSB with some CW and RTTY.  QSL via
F6BGC, direct or by the bureau and electronically using
Logbook of the World.


F5MNW will be active stroke FR from Reunion Island between
April 6th and the 29th.  Operations will be on the High
Frequency bands using only CW.  QSL via his home callsign
either direct or via the bureau.

Lastly, ZS6AYU will likely be operational as C91GR from
Mozambique between May 7th and 11th.  We say likely only
because the C91GR callsign has been applied for but not yet
issued.  Either way he plans to be on 40 through 10 meters
operating CW only.  QSL via his home callsign, either direct
or by the Bureau.

**

THAT FINAL ITEM: GPS JAMMERS GROWING PROBLEM ON UK ROADS

And finally this week, word that jamming of the Global
Positioning System by drivers on United Kingdom is becoming
a growing threat to public safety.  Amateur Radio Newsline's
Jim Damron, N8TMW, reports:

--

The United Kingdom's Guardian newspaper reports that
thousands of people in that nation may be using GPS jamming
devices on UK roads.  This to be invisible to any form of
surveillance while driving.

According to the article there are a lot concerns that use
of these devices could lead to the dangers to public safety.
This includes overtired bus drivers or others staying on the
roads despite the presence of monitoring equipment.  More
importantly they could also pose major a threat if vehicles
equipped with the jammers were to go on in airport areas
near aircraft which rely on the global positioning system
for navigation.

The Guardian article also notes that the growing use of
these devices could torpedo any plans to introduce pay as
you drive insurance or road toll systems.  This is because a
vehicle owner would be able to block communications with
monitoring systems.

GPS jammers, which can have a range of several hundred
meters, can be bought in the United Kingdom for about �30 or
about $45 in U-S currency.  While not illegal to purchase
and own in the U-K it is against the law to use them.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Damron, N8TMW, in
Charleston, West Virginia.

--

The full story is on-line at tinyurl.com/uk-gps-jamming
(Guardian)

**

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

A reminder that the nominating period for the 2013 Amateur
Radio Young Ham of the Year Award is now open.  Full details
and a nominating form are on our website at
www.arnewsline.org/yhoty.

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

Amateur Radio NewslineT is Copyright 2013.  All rights
reserved.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1857 - March 15 2013







Please note that this is an extended newscast that runs 34
minutes 58 seconds from the tone.  Mark (1 sec tone)
The following is a closed circuit and not necessarily for air. With a report on the current state of Amateur Radio Newsline's financial picture, heres our producer Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF: -- Thanks to a number of you who provide month to month contributions it's been quite a long time since I've been here to ask for widespread support for the Amateur Radio Newsline operations. And while we deeply appreciate our ongoing contributors, the income we derive from their generosity is simply not enough to see us through the long term. And that long term is very quickly sneaking up on us. Simply said, Amateur Radio Newsline needs widespread support right now if we are to stay in operation to bring you these weekly newscasts and only you our friends and listeners can provide it. To that end, we try to make it as simple as possible to make your tax deductible donation to us. Simply go to our website at www.arnewsline.org and click on the Pay Pal button to make a donation electronically. Or, if you rather, you can send us a check at the address heard at the end of this week's newscast. Either way, the all volunteer team at Amateur Radio Newsline once again says thank you in advance for your ongoing generosity and your support. Im Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, and hers Jim Damron, N8TMW, with this week's newscast. -- Thanks Bill. Now, Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1856 with a release date of March 8 2013 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. 2013 will see two Global Simulated Emergency Tests in April; France approves digital voice for its ham community; a review of Canada's ham radio examination questions is underway; comments on WRC 2015 close on March 22nd; Dayton announces Hamvention 2013 award winners and the legendary CBS World News Roundup turns 75. Find out the details are on Amateur Radio NewslineT report number 1857 coming your way right now. (Billboard Cart Here) ** RESCUE RADIO: TWO GLOBAL SIMULATED EMERGENCY TESTS IN APRIL There will be two Global Simulated Emergency Tests taking place on the Saturdays either side of World Amateur Radio Day which is slated for Thursday April the 18th. Amateur Radio Newsline's Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, has more: -- Greg Mossop, G0DUB, is the International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 Emergency Coordinator. He says the first Global Simulated Emergency Test will happen on Saturday April 13th will repeat the format of 2011 using 'local time' for each station. This will give a good chance of messages moving towards the regional Headquarters Stations to be delivered. The second Saturday, April the 20th, will see answers to those messages, starting from the Headquarters Stations and being sent back to the countries that originated them. According to Jim Linton, VK3PC, the Global Simulated Emergency Test also known as GlobalSET is an opportunity to increase the common interest in emergency communications, create practices for international emergency communications and the relaying of messages. Linton who is the Chairman of the IARU Region 3 Disaster Communications Committee says that GlobalSET is open to all three IARU regions and will be held on or near the emergency Center of Activity frequencies on the 80, 40, 20, 17 and 15 meter bands. VK3PC adds that the full rules concerning this emergency training operating event are available to those who register through their IARU Regional Coordinator. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, down-under in Nelson, New Zealand. -- Again those dates are April 13th and 20th for the twin edition of thr 2013 Global Simulated Emergency Test. It will be followed June 25th to the 28th by the Global Amateur Radio Emergency Conference or GAREC 2013 in Zurich, Switzerland. (VK3PC) ** RESTRUCTURING: FRANCE APPROVES USE OF DIGITAL VOICE AND OTHER DIGI MODES France has finally approved the use of digital modes by its ham radio community. According to word from Digital Radioamateurs of France president F1SHS, the new draft regulation was signed by the Minister on Wednesday, March 6th. Until now French radio amateurs had been banned from using digital modes including D-STAR and the like. F1SHS calls this great news for the French amateur radio community following a lot of work on the part of the organization. (F1SHS, Southgate) ** RESTRUCTURING: REVIEW OF CANADIAN AMATEUR RADIO EXAM QUESTIONS UNDERWAY As a result of its response to a Request for Proposals from telecommunications regulator Industry Canada, Radio Amateurs of Canada has been awarded a $20,000 contract. This to review the questions used for examinations to qualify radio amateurs in that nation. The actual work began back on January 28th with the final product will be delivered to Industry Canada on April 17th. More than 3000 questions are being reviewed. Of these 965 are in English and in French for the Basic qualification. Another 545 in English and in French for the Advanced qualification. The objective of the review is to identify questions and answers no longer relevant as well as those requiring modifications to correct grammatical errors or improve clarity. The review should also lead to new questions on aspects of amateur radio that have changed in recent years. The present work is the first comprehensive review of the Canadian question pool in more than a decade. While some current questions were revised in 2007 many questions date from much earlier. Radio Amateurs du Quebec Inc. is working with Radio Amateurs of Canada on the French language component of this question pool revision and overhaul. (RAC) ** INTERNATIONAL: LAST CHANCE TO FILE COMMENTS WITH FCC ON WRC 15 Comments are due March 22nd on FCC draft recommendations regarding issues to be considered at the 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference or WRC. These discussions generally involve international spectrum related agreements. You can read the current recommendations at tinyurl.com/fcc- wrc-15. The commission is also seeking comment on National Telecommunications and Information Agency's draft proposals to WRC-15. The NTIA is the Executive Branch agency that is principally responsible for advising the President on telecommunications and information policy issues. You can read its proposals at tinyurl.com/ntia-wrc-15 The FCC says that public input will help the commission in its upcoming talks with the Department of State and the N-T- I-A in developing United States positions for WRC-15. It should be noted that the FCC's International Bureau is inclined to support most of the suggestions provided by the WRC-15 advisory committee. Filed comments should reference IB Docket No. 04-286. (FCC, RW) ** RADIO LAW: MONTANA HAMS WIN EXEMPTION FROM DISTRACTED DRIVING LAW AND MORE Hams in Montana now have both antenna height limit and protection from distracted driving laws. The ARRL reports that on February 28th Governor Steve Bullock signed House Bill 148 into law to provide protections to the states ham radio community. Montana State Representative Pat Connell, WA7PDC, had submitted the bill titled Clarifying Local Government Authority to Regulate Amateur Radio Operations to the 2013 Montana legislative docket. The new law prohibits local governments from regulating licensed amateur radio operations from a motor vehicle. It also establishes a 100- foot height limit below which local jurisdictions may not regulate ham radio towers and antennas. You can read more details on this good news for Montana hams on-line at the ARRL website using the shortcut tinyurl.com/Montana-Antenna-Win And oh yes: We you aware that the Montana state fossil is Maiasaur also known as the Duck-billed Dinosaur? According to Wikipedia it is, and we thought you would like to know. (ARRL, ARNewslineT, Wikipedia Commons) ** BREAK 1 From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the KD8LWR repeater serving Dexter, Michigan (5 sec pause here) ** BREAKING NEWS: HAMVENTION ANNOUNCES 2013 AWARD WINNERS I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, with word that the Dayton Hamvention has announced this years winners of its famed Hamvention Awards. The news was made public on the March 13th edition of Ham Nation by past Hamvention General Chairman Michael Kalter, W8CI, with a well known ham from Germany garnering the top spot: -- W8CI: Our Amateur of the Year is Mustapha Landoulsi, DL1BDF. He was actually born in Tunisia and has set up six amateur radio stations in Tunisia and has brought them into the IARU. He's worked tirelessly to help Middle-Eastrern countries and African counties in amateur radio. He also sped uo and organized the delivery of emergency medical equipment and medicine to African and other third world countries, and he is so well known throughout the world that his work actually embodies what amateur radio is about. He tries to bring peoples together from different countries and his heart is one hundred percent into amateur radio. -- Recognized as this years Special Achievement Award recipient was George Thomas, W5JDX, of Ridgeland, Mississippi. For those few of you not aware, George the producer of the Internet TV show known as amateurlogic.tv. He also co-hosts Ham Nation with Bob Heil K9EID and Gordon West WB6NOA on TWiT TV. And he took the opportunity to thank those who have been working with him over the past few years: -- W5JDX: "You know I couldn't do this without my partners Tommy, Jimmy and Peter and of coarse Bob and Gordo." -- Sharing the 2013 Technical Achievement Award are Dave Whitten, KD0EAG and David Rowe, VK5DGR. They are being honored for their combined work in developing a free digital voice program that can encode high quality digital voice into a 1.25 kHz bandwidth for use on the High Frequency bands, Rounding out this years winners is the West Palm Beach Amateur Radio Club in Florida. It was chosen for its ongoing outreach program to the local community that includes a 7 day a week manning of a ham radio at the South Florida Museum. Also noted was the clubs sponsorship of an ARISS contact that was made available live and in real time to a record 250,000 students across the state. This years winners will receive their awards at Hamvention 2013 that runs from May 17th through the 19th at the Hara Arena the world ham radio capitol of Dayton Ohio. Its planners say that they hope to see you there. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, in the Newsroom in Los Angeles. (Hamvention�, Ham Nation) ** ENFORCEMENT: COCOA BEACH FLA HAM ISSUED $25000 NAL FOR INTERFERENCE TO PRISON COMMUNICATIONS A Cocoa Florida ham has been hit with a $25,000 Notice of Apparent Liability for allegedly causing interference to the Brevard County Sheriff's Department. Amateur Radio Newsline's Norm Seeley, KI7UP, has the details: -- According to the March 1st Notice of Apparent Liability issued to Terry L. VanVolkenburg, the FCC says that it used radio direction finding to locate a signal interfering with communications at the Brevard County Sheriff's Department jail in Sharpes, Florida. The FCC says that VanVolkenburg, whom the agency notes holds an Amateur Service license and the call sign KC5RF was the source of the interference to the prison complex which is licensed to use 465.300 MHz for its communications. By way of background, in September of 2012, the Enforcement Bureau's Tampa Office received a complaint of radio interference from the Sheriff's Department. According to the complaint, on at least 14 days during the months of September and October of 2012 that law enforcement agency experienced intermittent interference to its communications at the jail on 456.300 MHz. Audio recordings taken by the Sheriff's Department suggests that a male individual interfering with the prison's communications by transmitting vulgar language, sound effects, previously recorded prison communications, and threats to prison officials over the prison's radio communications system. In response, on October 28th of 2012 agents from the Tampa Office used direction-finding and traced the source of the interference to a residence in Cocoa, Florida. The agents also recognized VanVolkenburg's voice as the one interfering with the prison's communications system. Approximately two hours after locating the source of the transmissions, the agents inspected the radio stations in the VanVolkenburg residence. The FCC says that VanVolkenburg initially showed the agents an amateur radio station that was incapable of transmitting on 465.300 MHz. However when pressed buy the investigators he eventually produced an Alinco DJ-C5 portable radio transceiver that could operate on 465.300 MHz. Initially VanVolkenburg did not specifically admit that he had interfered with the prison's communications system. But when asked about the transmissions on 465.300 MHz and the interference to the prison he stated that he chose 465.300 MHz because the prison's transmissions on that frequency were strong. Also that he was only using 300 milliwatts and did not think that he could talk over anyone and therefore wasn't interfering with anyone. At that point VanVolkenburg is also reported to have declared that the interference would not happen again. But in issuing the proposed fine the FCC is essentially saying that it does not buy Van Volkenberg's defense. It sates that while VanVolkenburg holds an amateur license and the call sign KC5RF, that this license does not authorize him to operate on public safety frequencies. The FCC says that the bottom line is that the evidence in this case is sufficient to establish that VanVolkenburg violated the FCC rules on 14 different days during September and October of 2012. As such he is eligible for the proposed $25,000 fine. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Norm Seeley, KI7UP, in Scottsdale, Arizona. -- VanVolkenburg was given the usual 30 days from to pay the proposed fine or to file an appeal. (FCC) ** ENFORCEMENT: FCC UPHOLDS $25000 FINE TO ALLGED MALL COMMUNICATIONS JAMMER The FCC says that California resident Kevin Bondy will have to pay a $24,000 fine. Back in 2011 the commission issued a forfeiture order against Bondy for operating in the General Mobile Radio Service and unlawfully causing interference to licensed radio operations. He was also charged with refusing to allow the FCC to inspect his radio gear. The commission said Bondy's radio equipment interfered with the two way radios used by The Oaks Shopping Center in Thousand Oaks, California. During its investigation FCC agents also found an unlicensed and unauthorized repeater transmitter in a secured radio communications facility on Oat Mountain in the Santa Susana Mountains. The transmissions effectively jammed Oaks' operations on two of its frequencies. Now in its Memorandum Opinion and Order the FCC states that Bondy was supposed to file his appeal by July 6, 2011. While he did e-mail a copy to the local Enforcement Bureau, before that date the agency says there's no evidence Bondy sent a copy to the Commission Secretary as required by law. As far as the FCC is concerned this means that the appeal was not properly filed and the agency considers it as being procedurally defective. In its release dismissing the appeal the FCC notes that Bondy raised no new arguments in the version that it did receive. Based on all the evidence before it the agency said as it decided to reaffirm and gave Bondy the customary 30 days from the February 15th release date of the Memorandum Opinion and Order to pay the amount in full. (FCC) ** 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) ** ENFORCEMENT: DRONE SEEN NEAR JFK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT MAY HAVE BEEN A WAYWARD RADIO CONTROLLED MODEL PLANE Federal officials say a small aircraft that reportedly looked like a drone and violated the airspace at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on March 4th was probably a radio controlled model aircraft sent aloft from Long Island that lost its way. Amateur Radio Newslines Steffan Kinford, N8WB, has more: -- Whatever the object was, the FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration issued an alert on Tuesday March 5th. One seeking the public's assistance in identifying the operator and the aircraft which a nearby pilot described as black in color, about 3 feet wide with four propellers. The unidentified aircraft was spotted about 1:15 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday March 4th by the pilot of an Alitalia airliner as it approached runway 31 Right at JFK International. Because no flight plan was filed with the FAA for the mystery aircraft, authorities believe it probably was a radio remote controlled model sent aloft by a hobbyist. Officials speculate that the craft likely took off from somewhere along the south shore of Long Island had drifted off course when the operator lost radio contact with it. It then flew in the direction of JFK International on its own. In his report to the control tower, the Alitalia pilot said that he had seen what appeared to be a drone aircraft. At the time of the sighting he said the aircraft had an altitude of about 1,500 feet and was about three miles from his plane. That would put it well above the 400 foot height restriction for radio controlled model aircraft and well within restricted airport airspace. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Stephan Kinford, N8WB, a few hundred miles West of JFK International in Wadsworth, Ohio. -- Les Dorr is a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration. He says that regardless of whether someone is operating as a public agency or a person flying a model for recreational purposes, they always have to give way to any aircraft in the vicinity. In other words, you are not supposed to be flying anywhere near or over a major airport. (ThisWeek.com, HuffPost and other published news reports) ** HAM RADIO ON THE SCREEN: MODERN AMATEUR RADIO FROM CANADA Modern Amateur Radio is the title of a new, bi-lingual video produced in Canada by Donald Boucher, VE2XT. Boucher put the show together in full wide screen High Definition and it includes some truly breathtaking aerial footage of the Canadian countryside. VE2XT tells Newsline that he owns a video production company in Montreal and that he shot the video last year in his spare time. Posting of the video to Youtube was done by CQ Propagation Editor Thomas Hood, NW7US. What makes Modern Amateur Radio unique is its international flavor. While the narration is in English most of the natural sound background conversations are in French. But you do not have to understand the French language to truly enjoy this Canadian look at our great hobby. You can see it for yourself at tinyurl.com/modern-amateur-radio (ARNewslineT) ** HAM RADIO ON THE SCREEN: SPECIAL EVENT STATION 2O12L VIDEO NOW AVAILABLE The organizers of 2O12L, the amateur radio special event station celebrating the London Olympic and Paralympic Games in the Summer of 2012 have now released a 45 minute DVD of the event. Produced by Fred Curtis G3SVK, the DVD goes behind the scenes of the event, telling the story of how those 69,644 QSOs were made possible. Details can be found at www.2o12l.com under the `News' link. (Southgate) ** RADIO READING: CQ LAUNCHES ONLINE PHOTO GALLERY CQ magazine has announced the launch of the online CQ Photo Gallery to supplement photos published in the magazine. According to Editor Rich Moseson, W2VU, the magazine shoots photos at many events. It also receives many photos from readers that it does not have space to put in the magazine. But CQ still wants to share these with its readers and the new CQ Photo Gallery will allow it to do just that. Moseson says that the new photo gallery is on the flickr.com web site and is organized into albums called sets. Initial sets include CQ cover images; the CQ Garage featuring ham radio license plates; news photos from the FCC's field hearing on communications lessons learned from Superstorm Sandy, and reader-submitted photos. New pictures will be added regularly. The CQ Photo Gallery may be accessed at www.flickr.com/photos/cqphotogallery/sets but you can also reach it using the shortcut tinyurl.com/cq-photos-online. (CQ) ** NAMES IN THE NEWS: M0VFC NAMED WINNER OF CASSADAY AWARD Some names in the news. First up is Rob Chipperfield, M0VFC, who has been selected as the first recipient of the Cass award. This, in recognition of his DX operation from the remote South Atlantic island of Tristan Da Cunha as ZD9UQ in October of 2012. During his short four day operation Chipperfield worked 3,362 unique stations and there-by demonstrating an outstanding effort to log as many individuals as possible. The Cass Award was created and named in memory of the late DXing legend Hugh Cassady, WA6AUD. It is meant to encourage DXpeditions to maximize the number of unique contacts made and comes with a $1,000 prize for the single operator DXpedition that works the most unique callsigns within a four week period. More information about the award program is available at www.cassaward.com (GB2RS) ** NAMES IN THE NEWS: RCA NAMES PATRICIA KOZIOL AS ITS EXECUTIVE SECRETARY The Radio Club of America has appointed Patricia Koziol as its Executive Secretary effective February 25th. RCA President, Bruce R. McIntyre also announced the assignment of Ms. Koziol's firm, Peak Management Solutions for Associations, to manage the administrative and programmatic activities of the association. Patricia Koziol currently manages seven other trade associations and two national and regional trade events. (RCA) ** NAMES IN THE NEWS: CBS WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP HIT 75 The legendary CBS Radio World News Roundup has turned 75. The first broadcast took place on the evening of March 13, 1938. That's when legendary CBS radio newsman Robert Trout reported from New York that the Nazis were "driving with all their might to bring Austria under complete Nazi domination." Then, in what has become a historic moment in broadcast history Trout stopped talking so listeners could hear live reports from correspondents throughout Europe. One of these was Edward R. Murrow in Vienna, who went on to become another CBS broadcast legend. Over the years, the CBS Radio World News Roundup has been there night after night, bringing all of us the news live and direct from the scene. And even in the age of instant reporting over the Internet and bloggers proliferating while spewing opinion as news, the CBS World News Roundup stands apart as one of the most accurate, concise and listened to news sources in the world. Its also a credit to those at C- BS who created it seven and a half decades ago. Ironically, you can read the full story about this iconic radio news service on-line at tinyurl.com/cbs-news-at-75. And if we may be permitted to add our own tiny voice, we say happy 75th to this ongoing radio legend. (ARNewslineT from published reports) ** 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) ** HAM TECHNOLOGY: RFINDER - THE WORLD WIDE REPEATER DIRECTORY ADDS JAPANESE LANGUAGE Yet another expension of RFinder and the World Wide Repeater Directory. Amateur Radio Newsline's Cheryl Lasek, K9BIK, reports: -- RFinder has added the Japanese language to its operational ability. In their ongoing effort to make localized versions of RFinder available, the creators have announced the Android version of RFinder Version 3 and have also loaded the canonical list of analog and D-Star repeaters across Japan nation into the systems World Wide Repeater Directory. To use it, just download RFinder from Google Play. If your device is using Japanese as it's language, RFinder will automatically load in Japanese. RFinder is already available in English, Spanish and French. Italian, German and Portuguese are in development and are said to be next. The World Wide Repeater Directory database is the first repeater directory covering the world of amateur radio on Android, iPhone and RT Systems Software. It also works with CHIRP, the World Wide Web and can loaded into Points of Interest on most GPS's. This makes it of special interest especially to the globe-trotting ham, For the Amateur Radio Newswline, I'm Cheryl Lasek, K9BIK, in Zion, Illinois. -- So far 178 countries are included in the World Wide Repeater Directory. More information about RFinder and the database system is on the web at www.rfinder.net/blog/ (W2CYK) ** HAM RADIO IN SPACE: USAF APPROVES AMSAT REQUEST FOR REDISTRIBUTION OF KEPS The Keps will keep on coming. So says AMSAT North America after a deal was reached between the Amateur Radio Space Agency and the Air Force Space Command that will permit AMSAT to continue to re-distribute Keplerian elements from the latter's SpaceTrack service. Keplerian elements. sometimes called by the acronym Keps are the basis for all satellite tracking. According to AMSAT's Orbital Data Manager Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, the re-distribution agreement was approved on March 7 for the period April 1, 2013 to April 1, 2014. (ANS) ** RADIOSPORTS: ALASKA QSO PARTY MACH 23 - 24 From the radiosports file, remember to mark down March 23rd as the date of the 2013 Alaska QSO party. The event runs from 18:00 UTC and continues to 23:59 UTC on the 24th. This is an H-F only contest on 160, 80, 40, 20 and 10 meters using CW, SSB, PSK31 and RTTY. A similar event for the VHF bands will be held July 15th through the 16th with the same hours. More information on both QSO party's is on line at kl7yk.us/akqso.htm. (KL7YK) ** ON THE AIR: MOMO ON THE AIR CELEBRATIONS IN JAPAN On the air, 8N1MOMO is a special callsign celebrating both the 37th Momo Peach Blossom Festival and the 20th Fire Baloon Contest in the Ibaraki prefecture on Honshu Island. Honshu is Japan's largest island and the station will be operational until April 5th. QSL only via the JA bureau. (DX News) ** ON THE AIR: CELEBRATING THE RESTORATION OF GREY POINT FORT IRELAND And a group of hams who are working to restore Grey Point Fort will be operating a special event stations from 1700 UTC on May 31st to 1700 UTC on June 2nd. Grey Point Fort is a World War One Coastal Defense Fort located in Helens Bay, Northern Ireland. The special event operation will be using three yet to be announced special event call signs. More information will be posted on-line at tinyurl.com/greypoint-2013 or by e-mail to greypointfort (at) hotmail (dot) co (dot) uk. (GI4RNP) ** In DX, word that JQ2WTT and JE1XUZ who are KH0XH and KH0XW respectively will be active from Saipan, in the Northern Mariana Islands through April 1st. Both are university undergraduates. QSL via each operator's home callsign either direct or via the J-A Bureau. An international team of seven operators are currently on the air from the Solomon Islands signing H44G. Several stations will be operating simultaneously on various bands between 160 through 6 meters using CW und SSB, RTTY, PSK31 and SSTV. It all comes to an end on March 25th. QSLs go via DL7DF GM3WOJ and GM4YXI will be active from Cocos Keeling Island from March 30th through April 13th using the new callsign of VK9CZ. They plan to be on SSB and CW, with some RTTY and hope to have a real-time logging system and daily Logbook of the World updates. More updates on this operation will be found on-line at www.vk9cz.com Lastly, a group of Italian operators along with members of the Associationdes Radio Amateurs Tunisiens and the Engineering University of Gabes are planning a DXpedition to Djerba Island using the call TS8TI between April 29th and May 6th. Operation will be on all HF bands plus 6 meters using CW, SSB, RTTY and several digital modes. More information on this operation is on-line at www.qrz.com/db/TS8TI (Above from various DX News Sources) ** THAT FINAL ITEM: SPACE UPDATE: MORE ON US PRIVATE MISSION TO MARS And finally this week, a follow up to our story of a few weeks ago concerning a privately funded United States mission to the planet Mars. Now its been revealed that it wont be to Mars, but rather a sightseeing round trip around the red planet. Amateur Radio Newsline's Skeeter Nash, N5ASH, has the details: -- According to news reports, a team led by millionaire and former space tourist Dennis Tito plans to send what it calls a tested couple to Mars and back in a privately funded mission. The Inspiration Mars Foundation plans to start its one-and-a-half-year mission in January 2018 providing that it can raise funding for the mission. The foundation has carried out a study which it says shows that it is feasible to achieve such a mission using existing technology. Among those involved in the project is Jane Poynter, who spent two years locked away in a sealed ecosystem with seven other people in 1991. Mission planners wanted the crew to consist of an older couple whose relationship would be able to withstand the stress of living in a confined environment for two years. I'm Skeeter Nash, N5ASH. -- More on this story is on-line at tinyurl.com/mars-round- trip. (Published news reports) ** 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 Jim Damron, N8TMW, in Charleston, West Virginia, saying 73 and we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio NewslineT is Copyright 2013. All rights reserved.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1856 - March 8 2013










ARNewsLine


The following is a QST.  Scientists say Solar Cycle 24 may
have two separate peaks; APRS found to extend the range of
underground communications; a United Kingdom ham finds a
long abandoned satellite that has come back to life; Last
Man Standing to feature an episode with ham radio and
Amateur Radio Newsline opens the nominating season for the
2013 Young Ham of the Year Award.  Find out the details are
on Amateur Radio NewslineT report number 1856 coming your
way right now.


(Billboard Cart Here)


**

PROPAGATION:  SOLAR CYCLE 24 MAY HAVE A DOUBLE PEAK

Will 2013 be the year of the Solar maximum of Cycle 24 or
have we already seen one and is there another prak yet to
come.  Some researchers think that the best has not happened
yet because this could be another double cycle.  Amateur
Radio Newslines Heather Embee, KB3TZD, has the details:

--

Something unexpected appears to be happening on the sun.
2013 is supposed to be the year of Solar Max also known as
the peak of Cycle 24.  Yet 2013 has arrived and solar
activity is relatively low.  Sunspot numbers are well below
their values in 2011, and strong solar flares have been
infrequent for many months.  The quiet has led some
observers to wonder if forecasters missed the mark.

Dean Pesnell is a Solar physicist at the Goddard Space
Flight Centre in Greenbelt, Maryland.  He suggests that this
is the solar maximum, but it looks different from what we
expected because it will be double peaked.

Conventional wisdom holds that solar activity swings back
and forth like a simple pendulum.  At one end of the cycle,
there is a quiet time with few sunspots and flares.  At the
other end, the Solar Max brings high sunspot numbers and
solar storms with a regular rhythm that repeats every 11
years.

Reality, however, is more complicated.  Astronomers have
been counting sunspots for centuries, and they have seen
that the solar cycle is not perfectly regular.  For one
thing, the back-and-forth swing in sunspot counts can take
anywhere from 10 to 13 years to complete.  Also, the
amplitude of the cycle varies.  Some solar maxima are very
weak while others can be very strong.

And as researcher Pesnell notes, there is yet another
complication.  He says that the last two solar maxima,
around 1989 and 2001, had not one but two peaks.  He says
that solar activity went up, dipped, and then resumed while
performing a mini-cycle within the Solar Max that lasted
about two years.

Pesnell says that the same thing could be happening now.  He
notes that sunspot counts jumped in 2011 and dipped in 2012.
As such, he expects them to rebound again saying that
another peak will happen in 2013 and possibly last into
2014.  Lets hope he is right.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Heatrher Embee, KB3TZD,
in Burwick, Pennsylvania.

--

Another curiosity of the solar cycle is that the sun's
hemispheres do not always peak at the same time.  In the
current cycle, the south has been lagging behind the north.
The second peak, if it occurs, will likely feature the
southern hemisphere playing catch-up, with a surge in
activity south of the sun's equator.  (SARL, NASA)

**

RADIO WRITING:  ARRL'S DAVE SUMNER K1ZZ EXPLAINS DIY
RENAISSANCE IN HAM RADIO

The resurgence in ham radio may partly be due to a
renaissance in home building coupled with a need on the part
of radio amateurs to serve their community.  So says ARRL
Executive Vice President Dave Sumner, K1ZZ's, in a recent
article appearing in the Urgent Communications on-line
newsletter.

In his commentary Sumner notes that when amateurs began
experimenting with radio more than a century ago, they had
no choice but to build everything they needed.  Some went on
to become successful entrepreneurs, selling their creations
to fellow hobbyists who were more interested in operating
radios than in constructing them.  Others built their own
receivers and transmitters either from economic necessity or
for the fun and satisfaction of being able to say, "I did it
myself."  This in turn lead to the era of kit building with
such giants as Heathkit becoming household names in ham
radio.

K1ZZ notes that the advent of solid-state devices, printed
circuit boards, and automatic parts insertion removed the
price advantage that kits enjoyed.  By the time the Heath
Company closed its doors in 1992, most amateur-radio
equipment was being manufactured in Japan.  But this has not
stopped ham radio operators from continuing the art of home
construction and this in itself has lead to a resurrection
in the art of kit building.  And this in turn has made
portable emergency communications ability more attainable in
the hobby.

As Dave Sumner notes, society has come to rely on a fragile
telecommunications infrastructure that is susceptible to
overload and outright failure.  And while ham radio
operators cannot substitute for all that infrastructure hams
can communicate, no matter what.
+
You can read K1ZZ's entire article on-line at
tinyurl.com/amateur-radio-renaissance.  (Urgent
Communications)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE: UK HAM LOCATES 1965 SATELLITE AS IT
RETURNS TO LIFE

An American satellite, abandoned in 1967 as a piece of space
junk has begun transmitting again after 46 years and a ham
radio operator is responsible for finding it.  Amateur Radio
Newsline's Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, has more:

--

Phil Williams, G3YPQ, is an Amateur Radio Astronomer in
North Cornwall in the U.K..  According to reports he
accidentally picked up the signal and after cross checking
with various lists, he identified it as LES 1.

LES 1 was built by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
and launched in 1965. The satellite failed to reach its
intended orbit owing to a wiring error and has been drifting
out of control ever since.

Williams ran across it while monitoring near 237 MHz when he
noticed a signal with a peculiar signal drift caused by the
bird tumbling end over end every 4 seconds as the solar
panels became shadowed by the satellites engine.  Williams
said that gives the signal a particularly ghostly sound as
the voltage from the solar panels fluctuates.

The LES 1 satellite is about the size of a small car and is
not likely to re-enter the atmosphere for a long time as the
orbit is still relatively high.  It poses no threat other
than that caused by the thousands of other pieces of space
junk currently in orbit.  By now its likely that the on
board batteries have now disintegrated so its likely that
some other component failure has caused the transmitter to
start up when its in sunlight bringing the ghost satellite
back to life.

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

--

G3YPQ says its remarkable to think that electronics built
nearly 5 decades ago, 12 years before Voyager 1, and long
before microprocessors and integrated circuits, is still
capable of working in the hostile environs of space.  He
adds that listening to the signal one can easily imagine the
craft tumbling over and over every 4 seconds and the
transmitter starting up as the sun rises on its solar
panels.  (G3YPQ)

**

RADIO SCIENCE:  APRS EXPERIMENT EXTENDS UNDERGROUND
COMMUNICATIONS

APRS works to extend communications range underground.
So says the modes developer Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, who
reports on an experiment that took place on March 2nd .  One
where he and several other hams tested the use of APRS as a
means to extend radio communications underground in Mammoth
Cave, Kentucky.   Amateur Radio Newsline's Stephan Kinford,
N8WB, reports:

--

According to Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, typically, VHF and UHF
radio in underground caves are limited to only a few hundred
feet and strictly line-of-sight making their routine use of
little value.  But with APRS radios acting as packet
digipeaters, these few hundreds of feet can be extended by
an order of magnitude.

Bruninga says that in the test a total of 14 APRS equipped
radios were used in the cave to establish a network almost a
mile long providing real-time position and text message
communications along the route.  Cavers carried a map of the
cave marked with a Latitude and Longitude grid so they could
manually enter their position into their handheld APRS-
equipped transceivers.   Texting via APRS provided
communications end to end.

Among the interesting findings were that UHF worked about
13% better than VHF withan average link distance of about
450 feet even in the large subway sized passages of Mammoth
Cave.  Also power did not seem to matter much. The Kenwood
TH-D72 walkie-talkie performed as well as several portable
10 watt mobile radios housed in boxes.

Another advantage of using UHF for this APRS network was
that individual links in other caves can just as easily be
pre-tested by unlicensed cave explorers using inexpensive
FRS radios.  This way, all cavers can plan and individually
test the topology of an APRS network before actually
gathering the required APRS equipment and setting up the
actual expedition.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Stephan Kinford, N8WB,
in Wadsworth, Ohio.

--

Bruninga says that the system could even include e-mail into
the topside global APRS system.  (WB4APR)

**

BREAK 1

From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world
including the W7CSK repeater serving Everett, Washington.

(5 sec pause here)


**

YHOTY:  NOMINATIONS SOUGHT FOR 2013 AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE
YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR

The nominating season for the 2013 Amateur Radio Newsline
Young Ham of the Year Award is now open.

Created in 1986, this award is offered to recognize the
accomplishments of a radio amateur age 18 or younger for his
or her accomplishments in service to the nation, his or her
community or to the advancement of the state of the art
through amateur radio.

Nominees must reside in the United States 50 states or its
possessions or in any of the 10 Canadian provinces.

As in years past, corporate underwriter Yaesu USA will
transport the winner to the Huntsville Hamfest in Huntsville
, Alabama, where the award will be formally presented.
Yaesu will also provide Hotel accommodations as well as
convention tickets and a prize of Yaesu amateur radio
equipment to the winner.  CQ Magazine will again treat this
year's recipient to a week at Spacecamp-Huntsville. Heil
Sound Ltd. will be gifting this year's winner with an
additional prize.  Last but by no means least; Amateur Radio
Newsline will present the winner with the official Young Ham
of the Year Award plaque which is underwritten by Dave Bell,
W6AQ, of DBA Entertainment in Hollywood, California.

Complete details, rules and a required nominating form in
Adobe .pdf format are available on our website at
www.arnewsline.org/yhoty.   Nominating forms can also be
obtained by sending a self addressed stamped envelope to
Amateur Radio Newsline Inc., 2013 Young Ham of the Year
Award, 28197 Robin Avenue, Santa Clarita California, 91350.

Again the cutoff date for nominations is May 30, 2013.  And
please note that all nominating forms and support materials
become the property of the Amateur Radio Newsline and cannot
be returned. (ARNewslineT)

**

ENFORCEMENT:  FORMER HAM ISSUED $10000 NAL FOR UNLICENSED
OPERATION ON 20 METERS

The FCC has notified Jared A. Bruegman of Bolivar, Missouri,
a $10,000 Notice of Apparent Liability.  This for his
alleged operating of an unlicensed radio transmitter in the
20 meter band.

On December 18, 2012, in response to a complaint of
interference to amateur radio communications, agents from
the Enforcement Bureau's Kansas City Office monitored a male
voice transmitting on 14.312 MHz.  They used direction
finding to locate the source of the radio transmissions to
an antenna mounted on a pole next to a residence in Bolivar,
Missouri.

The agents quickly determined that the signals on 14.312 MHz
exceeded the limits for operation under Part 15 of the
Commission's rules and therefore required a license.  The
Commission's records showed that no authorization was issued
to the address for operation of a radio transmitter on that
frequency at that location.

Immediately after locating the source of the signals the
agents inspected the unlicensed radio transmitter, which was
located in a bedroom in the residence.  The FCC says that
Jared Bruegman was the only person present in the bedroom
and the only male in the residence during the inspection.

At that time Bruegman admitted to the agents that he owned
the radio transmitter.  The agents observed that the
transmitter was turned on and tuned to 14.311 MHz.  Bruegman
told the agents that he had no current Commission licenses,
but that he previously held an Amateur Radio license with
the call sign KC0IQN.  Bruegman then told the agents he
would remove the microphone from his transmitter and only
use it as a receiver.

On February 25th the FCC issued the $10,000 proposed fine to
the former ham.  In doing so it noted that the evidence in
this case is sufficient to establish that Jared A. Bruegman
violated Section 301 of the Communications Act.  He was
given the usual 30 days to pay the amount in full or to file
an appeal.  (FCC)

**

RADIO LAW:  FCC TELLS STATIONS TO CHANGE EAS PASSWORDS

Several broadcast groups are taking precautions to ensure
their emergency alert units are secure. That's in the wake
of someone hacking into a station's Emergency Alert System
or EAS encoder/decoder through its connection to the
Internet and programming a fake alert.  One which the device
then automatically transmitted.

Soon after the incident the FCC issued an order telling
stations that they must change the passwords for their EAS
encoders/decoders.  This being especially urgent if the
devices are still set with the factory default password.

As previously reported, the bogus alerts, which were
initially broadcast over TV stations in Montana and
Michigan, warned viewers of zombie attacks. The fake alerts
occurred when someone knew or figured out the default
password of EAS equipment and inserted the fake message into
the EAS automatic forwarding system.  (RW)

**

COMMUNICATIONS VANDALISM:  LOCK GLUER HITS COLORADO SPRINGS
TV STATION

A traffic reporter for Colorado Springs, Colorado station
KXRM found he couldn't get into the downtown studio on
Monday morning March 4th.  This was because the locks on the
building had been vandalized by filing them with glue.

Police told KXRM that a substance had been placed in the
locks causing them to malfunction.   The lock gluer also hit
a Presbyterian church, the El Paso Democratic Party offices,
City Hall and the Colorado Springs Independent newspaper.

Authorities say that they have identified a possible suspect
despite the downtown surveillance cameras not working at the
time.  (BCF)

**

RADIO BUSINESS:  HAMMOND MANUFACTURING TO TAKE OVER DAHL
TRANSFORMER LINE

A follow-up on our recent story concerning the decision by
Harbach Electronics to discontinue the manufacture of the
Peter Dahl line of high performance transformers.
Transformers that are used in the design and manufacture of
many high power amplifiers around the world.

Late word is that Hammond Manufacturing of Cheektowaga, New
York will be taking over the Peter Dahl line of from
Harbach.  According to both Harbach and Hammond, the two are
working swiftly on the finalization of the acquisition and
that the transfer of Peter Dahl brand assets will take place
over the next few weeks.

Both Harbach and Hammond hope to have everything completed
no later than March 31st.  Keep an eye on the Hammond
website at www.hammfg.com for the latest updates.  (Hammond
Mfg.)

**

RADIO BUSINESS:  MOUSER ELECTRONICS SIGNS INTERNATIONAL
DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH COILCRAFT

Mouser Electronics, a name well known in the ham radio do it
yourself movement, has  announced the signing of a new
international distribution agreement with Coilcraft, a
leading magnetic component manufacturer, across the regions
of Europe, Asia, Mexico and South America.  Through this
partnership, announced at Embedded World in Germany, Mouser
is now stocking a wide range of Coilcraft's magnetic and
inductive products for immediate shipment.

Coilcraft provides magnetic components including high-
performance RF chip inductors, power magnetics and filters
in a variety of packages and a wide range of values.
Designer's kits are offered to help engineers learn the
capabilities of these high-performance inductors.

According to Mouser President and CEO Glenn Smith, this
agreement with Coilcraft helps further his company's
commitment to providing the newest products and technologies
for design engineers from industry-leading suppliers.  Smith
adds that Mouser and Coilcraft are looking forward to a long-
standing and successful partnership together. (Mouser
Electronics, Power Systems Newsletter)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS:  DARC HAMVENTION 2013

On the social scene, the 64th Lake Constance and the HAM
RADIO 2013 Convention, both organized by Deutscher Amateur
Radio Club will take place from Friday, June 28th through
Sunday, June 30th, 2013 in Friedrichshafen, Germany.  This
event has long been considered Europe's premiere ham radio
gathering with attendees from around the world coming to
take part.

One of the highlights of this years HAM RADIO gathering will
be an informal international meeting for representatives of
IARU member societies.  It will be held at the Zeppelin
Museum on Friday, June 28th.  Event planners say that they
will provide a shuttle bus that will take those attending
from the exhibition halls to the museum.

If you are planning to attend from outside of Europe, the
closest major city to fly into would be Munich.  From the
United States it is served by several major airlines
including non-stop service from New York's JFK International
and Los Angeles International airports on Lufthansa and
United.

More information on HAM RADIO 2013 can be found in the
German language at www.hamradio-friedrichshafen.de.
Planners say that they hope that you can be there this year.
(DARC, DF2OO)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS:  THE SARL NATIONAL CONVENTION APRIL 26 - 28


The 2013 South African Radio League's National Convention
and Annual General meeting will be held April 26th to the
28th at the Sulla Via Venue not far from Johannesburg.  This
years gathering will be hosted by the West Rand Amateur
Radio Club with Kenny Neville from West Rand Astronomy Club
as the featured guest speaker.  If conditions are clear
Neville's talk may be followed by a sky gazing party.  More
information, further program details and reservation forms
should be on-line right now at will be available on
www.sarl.org.za.  The planners hope to see many ham radio
operators there.  (SARL)

**

BREAK 2

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

(5 sec pause here)

**

WORLDBEAT:  WORLD AMATEUR RADIO DAY 2013

World Amateur Radio Day is April 18th and according to the
International Amateur Radio Union that sponsors the event
the theme this year is Amateur Radio:  Entering Its Second
Century of Disaster Communications.  Amateur Radio
Newsline's Cheryl Lasek, K9BIK, has the details:

--

According to the IARU announcement, the theme for 2013 of
Amateur Radio:  Entering Its Second Century of Disaster
Communications is an excellent opportunity for amateur radio
emergency communications groups to take advantage of the
event to highlight the role amateur radio plays in disaster
response.

Among the suggestions are for IARU member societies to
arrange ham radio demonstrations in public places such as
parks or shopping areas.  The IARU says that such
demonstrations in public areas usually generate inquiries
and questions from the public about amateur radio.  It adds
that this makes it a great opportunity to attract new people
to become members of the ham radio community.

The IARU notes that in 2013, April 18th is a weekday but
that should not keep public activity from taking place
either on the weekend before or after that date.  Also, if
you plan on holding a public demonstration, the IARU says
not to forget to include some young people to show all ages
are a part of this growing world wide public service
oriented hobby.

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

--

More information on World Amateur Radio Day is on the web at
www.iaru.org.  (IARU)

**

WORLDBEAT:  BBC ACCUSES CHINA OF JAMMING ITS BROADCASTS

The BBC World Service says that its radio broadcasts in
English are being jammed in China, suggesting the Chinese
authorities were behind the disruption.

In a statement issued on Monday, February 24th the BBC said
that it has received reports that World Service English
shortwave frequencies are being jammed in China.  It
continued by stating that it strongly condemns this action
which is designed to disrupt audience's free access to news
and information.

China, which enforces restrictions on its domestic media,
has been accused by several foreign media distributors of
trying to stop their news reports reaching Chinese
audiences.  A duty officer at China's foreign ministry had
no immediate comment.  (BBC)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  IARU ANNOUNCES FREQUENCIES FOR KOREAN
CUBESAT OSSI

In ham radio space related news, the IARU amateur radio
satellite frequency coordination panel has announced the
frequencies for the OSSI-1 CubeSat developed by Hojun Song
DS1SBO.  The 2 meter downlink will be on 145.980 MHz with an
uplink and downlink on 437.525 MHz.

OSSI-1 is currently planned to launch on April 30th into a
575 kilometer 64.9 degree inclination orbit on a Soyuz-2-1b
booster from the Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan.
Other satellites to be launched on this mission include the
Bion-M1, SOMP, BEESAT 2, BEESAT 3 and the Dove-2
satellites. (IARU Satellite Coordination)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  VANDERBILT-AMSAT RADFXSAT CUBESAT
SELECTED FOR NASA ELANA PROGRAM

A joint satellite venture of AMSAT and Vanderbilt University
has been selected as one of the winning projects for the
fourth round of their CubeSat Launch Initiative.

AMSAT partnered with the Institute for Space and Defense
Electronics at Vanderbilt University to develop its winning
proposal.  The official name of the project is RadFxSat and
it was selected at priority 15 out of the 24 winners.

Project selection was based on technical feasibility and the
assessed merit for conducting technology demonstrations,
education, and science research.  The selected projects are
eligible for a free launch on NASA Educational Launch of
Nanosatellite missions as auxiliary payloads on launches
planned for 2014, 2015 and 2016.  The 24 winning CubeSat
proposals came from universities, a Florida high school, non-
profit organizations and NASA field centers.  (ANS)

**

RADIOSPORT:  HOLYLAND CONTEST 2013 - APRIL 19 - 20

On the air, word that the 2013 Holyland Contest 2013 will be
held from 2100z UTC on April 19th, and ends at 2100 UTC on
April 20th.  This year's contest goal will be to have as
many Israeli mobile stations activating many different and
rare squares for the "Holyland Award".  Complete contest
details and last year's results are available at
tinyurl.com/holyland-contest-2013.  (4Z4KX, IARC)

**

ON THE AIR:  DL100OUI CELEBRATES 100 YEARS SINCE FIRST DL -
US RADIO CONTACT

And keep an ear open for the German special event callsign D-
L-100-Oh-U-I which will be on the air throughout 2013.  This
is in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first
commercial radio contact between that nation and the United
States from village of Eilvese near the city of Hannover.
OUI were the call letters of the German station at that
time.  The US station was located in Tuckerton, New Jersey.
QSL this one as directed on the air.  (Southgate)

**

DX

In DX, word that TA1HZ will be in Somalia on a humanitarian
mission from March 23rd to April 4th with the organization
Yeryuzu Doktorlay.  His primary purpose is as a doctor and
but also plans some on the air time likely from the city of
Mogadishu using the call T5TC.  His operation will be on the
High Frequency bands using a Kenwood radio and a Windom
antenna.  If you work him QSL to TA1HZ as per the details
found in www.qrz.com.

OE1MWW will be active from the Maldives as 8Q7WK between
March 9th to the 23rd.  His operation will be holiday style
on the High Frequency bands. QSL via his home callsign.

DF8DX will be operational from Tanzania as 5H1DX from April
20th to the 28th.  Late reports say that he will be active
from different islands including Pemba.  QSL via his home
call.

G3RWF will be on the air from Rwanda through March 12th
likely usi8ng the call sign 9X0NH.  Activity will be on most
High Frequency bands using mainly CW with some SSB.  Logs
will be uploaded daily to Logbook of the World.  QSL via
G3RWF.

F2FD is now active stroke HR5 from Honduras and should be
there through May 20th.  He states that he will be active as
much as possible on CW, SSB and RTTY.  QSL via F6AJA or
Logbook of the World.

SM6CUK will be operational as SA6G/7 from Ven Island between
June 10th and the 17th.  Activity will be holiday style on
the HF bands.  QSL via SM6CUK, direct or via the bureau.

Lastly, G0VJG will be on the air S79VJG from the Seychelles
between April 4th to the 16th.  Activity will be on the 40
through 10 meters using SSB.  QSL via G4DFI.

**

THAT FINAL ITEM:  MARCH 15TH EPISODE OF LAST MAN STANDING TO
FEATURE HAM RADIO

And finally this week, Friday, March 15th is the date that
ABC will air an episode of its hit situation comedy Last Man
Standing that will involve amateur radio.

The episode is titled The Fight. In it, central character
Mike Baxters daughter Mandy gets her cell phone taken away.
She then uses Mikes home shack and amateur radio to make
friends over the airwaves.

The shows producer John Amodeo, NN6JA.  He tells Newsline
that while he hopes amateur radio operators will enjoy
watching, that they have to remember the episode was written
keeping in mind the shows 7 million non-ham viewers who will
be tuned in.  Even so, he hopes that ham radio-wise the
story line might serve an even more important purpose;

--

Amodeo:  "Episode 217 of Last Man Standing is written about
ham radio, but of coarse its written for the general public;
so hams will probably notice some inconsistencies or
inaccuracies.  But what's most important is that non hams
ask questions about ham radio and perhaps learn something
about ham radio; then we've accomplished something."

--

Last Man Standing stars Tim Allen as Mike Baxter, who holds
the fictitious call KA0XTT and has ham radio as his hobby.
The show is produced by 20th Century Fox Television for the
ABC Television Network and airs on Friday nights at 8 PM
Eastern and Pacific and 7 Central.  Check your local
listings for the ABC station that carries  Last Man Standing
in your area.  (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 editors' desk,
I'm Skeeter Nash, N5ASH, saying 73 and we thank you for
listening.

Amateur Radio NewslineT is Copyright 2013.  All rights
reserved.