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Ärende: Amateur Radio NewslineT Report 1830 - September 7 2012
==============================================================
Amateur Radio NewslineT Report 1830 - September 7 2012
**
RESCUE RADIO: IARU REGION 3 HAMS RESPOND TO TWIN DISASTERS
A powerful storm called Typhoon Bolaven battered Korea on August 27th and
28. Then on August 31st a major earthquake occurred off the coast of the
Philippines. Responding to both disasters were ham radio operators
equipped to provide emergency communication. Amateur Radio Newsline's
Norm Seeley, KI7UP, reports:
--
The South Korean state disaster management agency reported ten deaths as a
result of Typhoon Bolivan. It was the strongest storm to hit the country
for almost a decade and left hundreds of thousands without electricity and
suffering property damage. It also churned up rough seas that smashed two
fishing ships into rocks off southern Jeju island.
Yong-Surke Lee, HL1FB, is the spokesperson for the Korean Amateur Radio
League. He said when Bolaven hit that emergency traffic between the
affected areas kept flowing to the authorities via its D90IK, 2 meter
repeater. In charge of the ham radio relief operations was 6K2BUF acting
as the network control officer. At the height of the severe weather
outbreak almost two million South Korean homes and businesses were without
power or telephones.
Meantime the strongest earthquake in more than two decades, measuring 7.6
on the Ritcher scale, hit the Philippines on August 31st local time.
Almost immediately after the event members of the Ham Emergency Radio
Operations group were exchanging messages with the affected coastal areas.
Eddie Valdez DU1EV, is the Chief Operating Officer of the Philippines
Amateur Radio Association. He says that Roberto Vincencio, DU1VHY,
handled traffic and got reports from the affected areas.
Valdez said the area of DU5 was nearest the epicenter. Lester Price,
DV5PO said that there was a power outage in Borongan, on Samar Island.
Reynaldo Tan, DV5RAY reported that people had been evacuating because of
the tsunami alert. The alert was lifted after officials reported that
only small waves had been generated. Tens of thousands of people who
headed out of the danger zone have since returned.
According to DU1EV, many hams in the affected areas showed
up on the 2 meter and 40 meter emergency channels. He added that other
districts were on standby if needed.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Norm Seeley, KI7UP, in Scottsdale,
Arizona.
--
The Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council initial
assessment was that there was no major structural damage in the affected
areas. It noted that most structures destroyed were built from light
material. (VK3PC, Post World, BBC)
**
RESCUE RADIO: YAESU DONATES NEW GEAR TO HELP REBUILD RAST STATION HS0AC
Yaesu has donated a pair of FT-2000D transceivers to the Radio Amateur
Society of Thailand. This to help rebuild its headquarters station HS0AC
that lost its radio gear during severe flooding last year.
The presentation of the two transceivers to the Radio Society of Thailand
was made by Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV, who is the company's Executive
Vice President Amateur Radio Sales and also holds the call sign HS0ZKS.
In his note, K7BV said that Thailand is what he called extremely "radio
active" with over 300,000 hams most of whom are on VHF. However, that is
in the process of changing.
Dennis says that after seven years of waiting, Thai hams are once again
able to test for a license that gives them operating privileges on the
High Frequency bands. According to K7BV some 40 applicants have already
passed the new exam this year and at least one more test is schedule
before years end.
Photos of the presentation of the new Yaesu transceivers can be seen at
tinyurl.com/yaesu-thailand-radios (K7BV)
**
RADIO LAW: EUROPEAN COMMISSION RECOMMENDS NEW SHARED SPECTRUM PLAN
The European Commission has unveiled plans to deal with the exponential
growth in mobile and wireless data traffic. This, by enabling wireless
technologies, including broadband, to share the use of the radio spectrum
with other services.
The European Commission notes that with new technologies it is possible to
share radio spectrum among several users such as internet providers or use
the spectrum available between TV frequencies for other purposes.
The Commission says that national spectrum regulation often does not
reflect the new technical possibilities, leaving mobile and broadband
users at risk of poor service as demand grows. It also prevents a single
market for investment in such communications growth. Because of this the
Commission believes that a coordinated European approach to sharing
spectrum will lead to greater mobile network capacity, cheaper wireless
broadband, and new markets such as tradable secondary rights for a given
spectrum allocation.
The proposal is 12 pages long and does not seem to exclude any service
from the possibility of sharing spectrum with another. What impact this
proposal might eventually have on amateur radio operations across Europe
is at this point unknown. You can download the proposal in PDF format at
tinyurl.com/european-shared-spectrum. (Southgate)
**
INTRUDER WATCH: RADIO BANGLADESH VACATES 7.105 MHZ
Some good news for users of the low end of 40 meters. The Radio Society
of Great Britain reports that Radio Bangladesh has left 7 point 105 MHz
after the broadcaster finished its experimental transmissions and is now
using 7 dot 250 MHz in the shared portion of the band.
The move is likely due to the many amateur radio operators world wide who
reported the infringement on the band. Particular thanks go to the German
telecommunications authority which filed the official complaints to Radio
Bangladesh. (GB2RS)
**
RADIO PROPAGATION: SOLAR CME HITS EARTH ON SEPTEMBER 3RD
If you were wondering about the strange band conditions this past week you
can blame it on old Sol. This after a Coronal Mass Ejection or C-M-E hit
Earth's magnetic field on at approximately 1200 UTC on Monday, September
3rd.
According to Spaceweather.com the impact induced measurable ground
currents in the soil of northern Scandinavia and sparked bright auroras
around the Arctic Circle. In fact, at the time the alert was issued, a
moderately strong geomagnetic storm that lasted several days was underway.
For current and future information on what the Sun is up to and how it
might affect radio propagation here on Earth, simply take your web browser
to spaceweather.com for the very latest updates. (Spaceweather)
**
RADIO HISTORY: CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF STANDARDIZED RADIO PREFIXES
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the use of ITU callsign prefixes,
special event station PB-100-PREFIX will be on the air between October 4th
and the 31st.
The back story on the standardization of calls came following the loss of
the ocean liner Titanic in April of 1912. The Titanic used the call
letters MGY with the "M" representing the Marconi company.
As a result there was an acknowledgement that there should be
international standards for radio communications. This lead to several
international meetings in the aftermath of the Titanic's sinking and the
emergence of the callsign prefix system that has evolved into what we have
today.
For more details, visit on this special commemorative operation please
take your web browser to www.PB100PREFIX.nl. And if you make contact with
PB100PREFIX QSL via PB0P. (OPDX)
**
BREAKING DX NEWS: GROUGH ISLAND "SLIM"
Hams making contact with a station signing ZD5KN on Gough Island will not
be getting any credit for the contact. This is because Zed-D-9-K-N is
what DX'ers call a "slim" or a "pirate" operation.
According to the Ohio Penn DX Newsletter several sources report that ZS1A,
has confirmed that the callsign ZD9KN has never been issued. As such the
advice being given is to not waste time working this station if you happen
to hear him.
But there is some good news regarding this rather rare entity. Word is
that ZS6KX will be going to Gough Island sometime this month and will be
there for a year. He is hoping to be issued the callsign ZD9KX and is
waiting for the approval of his license. No QSL route has yet been
announced so look for more details to be forthcoming. And we will have
more DX related news later on in this weeks Amateur Radio Newsline report.
(OPDX)
**
BREAK 1
From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline,
heard on bulletin stations around the world including the Alaska Morning
Net serving America's final frontier.
(5 sec pause here)
**
RESTRUCTURING: NEW RULES AND MORE SPECTRUM FOR PHILIPPINE HAMS
Restructuring has come to ham radio in the Philippines. This according to
an announcement by the Philippines Amateur Radio Association which says
that following meetings between the Amateur Radio Consultative Panel and
the National Telecommunications Commission or NTC, numerous changes to
that nations amateur service have been enacted. Amateur Radio Newsline's
Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, is in Nelson, New Zealand with more:
--
As reported by Philippines Amateur Radio Association that organization has
now been officially recognized by the National Telecommunications
Commission as the nations only national amateur radio organization with
the NTC to maintaining a database of licensees that will be made available
in the public domain.
Under the revised rules an applicant for a Philippine amateur license who
passes an exam but does not own a radio will be given an operator
certificate with his own call sign. Also a new entry level Foundation
License or Class D certificate with VHF-only privileges has been created
with a minimum age requirement of 9 years. And in the area of
administering Philippine Amateur Service exams, new question pool and
oversight committees have been officially organized.
One other very important change is that the NTC will now allow Philippine
radio amateurs what it calls convergence with the Internet. In other
words it has authorized interconnects for operations such as Echolink,
IRLP and other VoIP operations.
Lastly, hams in the Philippines have been granted to some additional
spectrum. Depending on license class, hams will be permitted to operate
from 135.7 kHz to 137.8 kHz; 472 kHz to 479 kHz and 7.201 MHz to 7.300 MHz
with Class B and Class C allowed to operate High Frequency mobile.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, Im Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.
--
These changes to the Philippine Amateur Radio Service regulations came
into effect on August 30th. More details can be found at
www.para.org.ph/news.htm (PARA)
**
ENFORCEMENT: THE VANISHED VENTURA UNLICENSED STATION BUSTED BY THE FCC
A follow up to a story from a few weeks ago involving an unlicensed
station in Ventura, California, on 89.7 MHz that called itself KSSR, The
Peoples Radio. It has now been established that this station has been
busted by the FCC with a Notice of Unlicensed Operation issued to the
station itself as well as to the property owners that hosted it. Amateur
Radio Newslines Jim Damron, N8TMW, reports:
--
In a pair of letters dated August 14th the FCC notified the station as an
entity well as property owners John and Lisa Darby that KSSR was found to
be operating without a license and must leave the air immediately. Both
letters also advised the recipients that they had ten days from the date
of the notice to respond with any evidence that they have authority to
operate granted by the FCC.
The notices said that the FCC staff will use all relevant material
information before it to determine what, if any, enforcement action is
required to ensure your compliance with FCC Rules. This will include any
information that the station management or the property owners disclose in
their reply.
This notification from the FCC ends speculation that perhaps the pirate
saw private DF'ing activity taking place and voluntarily suspended
operations. But the station my have had the final word. As of August
26th the unlicensed stations website carried the following message: "Due
to unforeseen circumstances KSSR had the leave the FM airwaves for a
while."
Whether that means the station operator plans to return to the airwaves at
a later date or is just a smug way of bidding its audience a fond
farewell, is unknown. But if the FCC has its way, the unlicensed KSSR
will never be heard on the Ventura, California airwaves, ever again.
From Charleston West Virginia, Im Jim Damron, N8TMW reporting.
--
As is normal in these cases both the station and the property owner were
give the customary 30 days to file a response. (CGC, FCC)
**
RESCUE RADIO: SUFFOLK COUNTY NY SEEKS DONATION OF TRAILER
New York's Suffolk County Radio Club is seeking a donation of a mid-sized
trailer to continue its Emergency Communications Field work. This after
its present communications vehicle has become unusable due to its age.
For those not aware, the Suffolk County Radio Club was established in 1947
and is the oldest radio club on Long Island. Its members provide free
manpower as a public service for special events in addition to their
volunteer emergency communications during disasters such as hurricanes and
wildfires.
If you have a covered trailer in the 12 by 8 foot category that you would
consider donating, please contact club Vice President, Jim Fehling, N2JFD
by telephone at area code 631-926-4370. Or you can e-mail him to n2jfdny
(at) gmail (dot) com. (Suffolk Radio Club)
**
RADIO TRAGEDY: COLORADO HAM RADIO OPERATOR AND WIFE DIE FROM INJURIES
SUFFERED IN CAR COLLISION
A Colorado Springs, Colorado, ham radio operator and his wife who were
involved in an automobile accident on their way home from church have died
from their injuries. This, after their car was broadsided by a driver
alleged to have been going the wrong way down a one-way street. Amateur
Radio Newsline producer Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, has the details on this
tragic event:
--
According to police reports, Teddy Allison, N0NKG and his wife Mary Ann
were in their Saturn headed home from church services at about 10:45 a.m.
on Sunday, August 12th. That's when a Chevrolet Malibu, driven by 18 year
old Khalil Sanders allegedly drove the wrong way on a one-way street,
entered an intersection without stopping and slammed into the Allison's
car.
The couple was taken to the hospital, both in critical condition. Teddy
Allison, who was age 67, died on August 15th. Mary Ann Allison succumb to
her injuries on August 18th.
Khalil Sanders was also taken to the hospital and was treated and later
released. Police continue to investigate the crash and are still
determining what charges, if any, he potentially faces.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, I the newsroom
in Los Angeles.
--
Teddy Allison, N0NKG, was an electronics technician at Hewlett Packard and
Mary Ann Allison was a homemaker and accountant at Young life. The
Allison's had just celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary on July 7th.
(N0RDC)
**
NAMES IN THE NEWS: ARRL SUMMER SECTION MANAGER ELECTION RESULTS ANNOUNCED
Some new faces and some old ones are returning to the ARRL Field
Operations arena. This following the counting of ballots in this years
Section Manager elections.
In the North-East, ARRL Connecticut Section Manager Betsey Doane, K1EIC,
was re-elected to another term. Meantime John Mueller, K2BT, won out as
the new Western New York Section Manager.
Also, Puerto Rico will be getting a new Section Manager in Rene Fonseca,
NP3O, of the city of Fajardo. Fonseca will be taking over from Roberto
Jiminez, KP4AC, who has served as Section Manager since 2007 but decided
not to run for another term of office.
All elected start their new terms on October 1st. (ARRL)
**
NAMES IN THE NEWS: K3EST RETIRES FROM DIRECTOR OF CQWW DX CONTEST
Some names in the news. CQ Magazine has announced that Bob Cox, K3EST,
has retired as Director of the CQ World Wide DX Contest and as CQ's
Director of Contesting. Cox has been at the helm of the CQ World Wide DX
contest for 35 years. During his tenure he guided the competition through
numerous changes in technology and growth to become the world's most
popular amateur radio contest. Cox's retirement is effective immediately.
A successor has not yet been named. (CQ)
**
NAMES IN THE NEWS: MIKE BAXTER KA0XTT OF LAST MAN STANDING GETS NEW
ANTENNA FARM
According to a posting on Facebook by the lead character of the situation
comedy Last Man Standing, as soon as it get closer to the shows season two
premiere of Friday, November 2nd, they will be holding a combined HF, VHF,
UHF and D-Star ham radio operating event. This will put all of the
amateur radio gear used on the show and the licensed staff members on the
air for you to contact.
The shows producer is John Amodeo, NN6JA. He has just uploaded to
Facebook close to a dozen photos of the new outdoor antenna installation
on the roof of the Studio City, California sound stage where the Last Man
Standing is recorded. If you are on Facebook you can see them by putting
the words "Last Man Standing Season 2 Antenna Farm" into the search line
at the top of any Facebook page.
For those of you who have not yet seen the show, Last Man Standing follows
the adventures of Mike Baxter played by actor and comedian Tim Allen.
Baxter's character is the director of marketing at an outdoor sporting
goods store in Denver, Colorado, whose world is dominated by women. This
is especially true at home with his wife and three daughters. His hobby
turns out to be amateur radio with Baxter using the call letters KA0XTT.
Last Man Standing airs on the ABC television network. (ARNewslineT)
**
BREAK 2
This is ham radio news for today's radio amateur. From the United States
of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline with links to the world from
our only official website at www.arnewsline.org and being relayed by the
volunteer services of the following radio amateur:
(5 sec pause here)
**
HAM RADIO IN SPACE: NASA ANNOUNCES OPPORTUNITIES FOR CUBESAT LAUNCHES
Want to put a small satellite into orbit? Well now is your chance
providing the bird you want to launch meets some specific criteria.
Amateur Radio Newslines Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, has the details:
--
NASA is seeking proposals for small satellite payloads to fly on rockets
planned to launch between 2013 and 2016. These miniature spacecraft,
known as CubeSats, could be auxiliary payloads on previously planned
missions or on yet to be announced orbital opportunities.
CubeSats are a class of research spacecraft called nano-satellites. These
cube-shaped satellites are approximately four inches long, have a volume
of about one quart and weigh less than three pounds.
Proposed CubeSat investigations must be consistent with NASA's Strategic
Plan and the NASA education vision and goals. The research must address
aspects of science, exploration, technology development, education or
operations.
Applicants must submit proposals electronically by 4:30 p.m. EST, November
12th. NASA will select the payloads by next January 31st. Selection does
not guarantee a launch opportunity but the selected spacecraft will be
eligible for flight after final negotiations when a launch opportunity
arises. It should be noted that NASA provides only a possible launch
opportunity but it will not provide funding for the development of the
small satellites.
Meantime from the first three launch initiatives, 64 payloads made the
short list for launch opportunities between now and 2014. These
satellites come from 25 states and are eligible for la ride to orbit
pending an appropriate opportunity and final negotiations.
I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW.
--
For additional information about NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative program,
visit go.nasa.gov/puk9K2 (NASA)
**
WORLDBEAT: ZAMBIA MAKES READY FOR DIGITAL BROADCASTING
The Zambian government has issued 10 licenses and 16 construction permits
to radio and TV stations in the country.
Those chosen are expected to switch to digital broadcasting before the
2013 deadline set by the Southern Africa Development Community.
According to the nations Minister of Information and Broadcasting
Services, the move is intended to enhance participation in the affairs of
the country, as well as offer people an opportunity to air their views on
issues of national interest. (RW)
**
ON THE AIR: COMMEMORATING THE LIBERATION OF KNOKKE BELGIUM
On the air, special event station ON44CLM will be operational from October
16th through November 15th in commemoration of the liberation of the town
of Knokke in Belgium by the Canadian Army in 1944. The C-L-M suffix
stands for Canadian Liberation March. More information is on-line at
www.on44clm.be. (Southgate)
**
ON THE AIR: CELEBRATING THE DUBLIN BUS
Hams in Erin's Isle have taken to the air to celebrate the 25th
anniversary of the Dublin Bus with special event special event station
E-I-25-D-B operational from now through June 30th of 2013. The station
will be operated by current and former employees of Dublin Bus Company led
by EI9HQ and EI4GZB. QSL this operation to EI9HQ or electronically using
either Logbook of the World or HamLog.eu. The Dublin Bus Company is a
major public transportation supplier through out the city of Dublin,
Ireland. (Southgate)
**
ON THE AIR: VOODOO CONTEST CLUB TO BE ACTIVE FROM LIBERIA
For the 24th straight year look for the VooDoo Contest Group to again be
active from Liberia between November 21st and the 27th. Operations will
be from a location just South of Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. Their
main goal is to be an entry in the CQ World Wide DX CW Contest on November
24th and 25th as a Multi-Multi category using the callsign E-L-2-A.
Outside of the contest the operators will use their own personal
callsigns. QSL as directed by each operator. (OPDX)
**
DX
In DX, SM1TDE will be active portable 5Z4 from Diani Beach, Mombasa, Kenya
between November 5th and the 22nd. This will be a family vacation and
activity will be limited to how much his XYL and kids allow. His
operation will be on 40 through 10 meters on CW only. QSL via his home
callsign, either direct, via the bureau or electronically using Logbook of
the World.
JA7SGV is now operational as 9J2JA from Zambia. His length of stay is
unknown. Activity has been on the 30, 20, 17 and 15 meters using CW only.
QSL via his home callsign.
W4XP who was expected to be active now as VQ9XP from the club station VQ9X
on Diego Garcia Atoll has been forced to cancel the operation. He says
that this is because the station has been placed off-limits by the
installation Commander.
PA0FAW will be operating PC12WSF through September 30th for the World
Statues Festival in Arnhem in the Nethlands. Modes mentioned are CW, SSB
and PSK. QSL to PA0FAW either direct, via the bureau or electronically
via eQSL. This operation will not accept Logbook of the World
confirmation requests.
Lastly, CT1FJZ will be working in Angola for the next year or so and will
be operational on 80 through 10 meter SSB using the callsign D2FJZ. His
activity will be mainly at the weekends but he will try to get on the air
whenever possible during weekdays. QSL as directed on the air.
(Above from various DX news sources)
**
THAT FINAL ITEM: CONTROLLED CARRIER AM -SOMETHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN
And finally this week, an old modulation technology is making a comeback
for A-M broadcast stations in a new and money saving way. Amateur Radio
Newsline's George Bowen, W2XBS, has the details where something old is new
again:
--
Back in the days of full carrier A-M transmission one very popular and low
cost way to put ones voice onto a carrier wave was to modulate the final
power amplifier's screen grid. A variation on this that required no heavy
modulation transformer was to vary the output power of the transmitter at
an audio rate by varying the final amplifier's screen voltage at an audio
rate. This system was called controlled carrier A-M and it was made very
popular on the ham bands in the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's in such budget
priced transmitters as the Heathkit DX-35, DX-40 and DX-60 to name only a
few.
With the advent of single sideband transmission, full carrier A-M fell out
of favor in the ham radio world but it has remained a staple in the
broadcast industry and other services that want to get their message to
the public. And now, carrier control modulation is making a comeback
among broadcasters but not in the way it was done by radio amateurs of the
past.
For broadcasters who spend 10's of thousands of dollars a year paying for
electric service, the ability to raise and lower power levels can be a
major cost cutting factor. And because of this a number of stations have
received waivers from the FCC to experiment with several new forms of
carrier control technology.
In one instance, transmitter manufacturer Harris Broadcast and New York
City powerhouse WOR-AM say they have had success with a power-saving
Modulation Dependent Carrier Level algorithm. This with no effect on
Arbitron Portable People Meter data encoding/decoding, the stations H-D
Radio signal coverage or digital audio quality.
Harris engineers worked with Tom Ray, W2TRR , who is the Corporate
Director of Engineering WOR AM in New York, to test the compatibility of
two Harris Modulation-Dependent Carrier Level algorithms. Amplitude
Modulation Companding provided the largest reduction in transmitter power
consumption, by saving 37 percent in average AC power input to the
transmitter. WOR estimated this translates up to a $3,000 per month
savings on the electric bill at his New Jersey transmitter site.
So will this new form of Amplitude Modulation Companding bring back full
carrier AM to the ham bands? While a tiny segment may decide to
experiment with it more than likely SSB will remain the preferred voice
system among ham radio operators world wide. At least until it's replaced
by a digital voice system at sometime in the future.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm George Bowen, W2XBS, at the North East
Bureau in Albany New York.
--
Nautel, another transmitter manufacturer has estimated that a 50 kilowatt
AM transmitter using this technology and operating 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week could easily save $20,000 a year or more in electricity costs.
This based on modest electricity rates of 10 cents per kilowatt hour.
The complete story can be found on-line at tinyurl.com/harris-modulation
(RW)
**
NEWSCAST CLOSE
With thanks to Alan Labs, AMSAT, the ARRL, the CGC Communicator, CQ
Magazine, the FCC, the Ohio Penn DX Bulletin, Radio Netherlands, Rain, the
RSGB, the Southgate News, TWiT-TV and Australia's W-I-A News, that's all
from the Amateur Radio NewslineT. Our e-mail address is newsline(at)
arnewsline (dot) org. More information is available at Amateur Radio
Newsline'sT only official website located at www.arnewsline.org.
Before we go a reminder that we are continuing our survey to learn who
still receive these newscasts over our 661-296-2407 dial in line rater
than downloading the MP3 file from our website. If you are one of those
who call in each week on the phone, please send us a note telling us who
you are and the reason you are using telephone access rather than simply
downloading the newscast from the Internet. Our address is the Amateur
Radio Newsline, 28197 Robin Avenue, Saugus California, 91350. Or you can
e-mail us at newsline (at) arnewsline (dot) org. We look forward to
hearing from you.
For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors' desk, I'm Jim Davis,
W2JKD, saying 73 and we thank you for listening.
Amateur Radio NewslineT is Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
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* Origin: Lone Star Unit - Gulf States Backbone (1:387/22)
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