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Ärende: Amateur Radio NewslineT Report 1868 - May 31 2013
=========================================================
Amateur Radio NewslineT Report 1868 - May 31 2013
Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1868 with a release date of May 31
2013 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a Q-S-T. Ham radio stands down following response to
Oklahoma Tornadoes; Louisiana implements ALERT FM system state-wide,
Expedition 36 arrives at the International Space Station; Ham Nation
celebrates its 100th netcast and a final wrap-up on Hamvention 2013. All
this and more on Amateur Radio NewslineT report number 1868 coming your
way right now.
**
RESCUE RADIO: OKLAHOMA ARES RELEASES TORNADO RESPONSE TEAMS GO HOME
Hams in Oklahoma who volunteered when tornadoes hit that state have gone
home. Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, reports:
--
Amateur Radio Emergency Service operators have been released from
assisting the American Red Cross with communications during the response
to the Moore, Oklahoma tornado recovery. This, according to Kevin O'Dell,
N0IRW, who is the ARRL Oklahoma Section Manager.
Odell says that all ARES volunteers were released from scheduled duty and
have returned to volunteer status. He noted that some 25 local hams
volunteered their help along with over 15 out-of-state radio operators who
also offered their services.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, in the
newsroom in Los Angeles.
--
More information can be found at the Oklahoma ARES website. It's in
cyberspace at aresok.org. (KC5FM)
**
RESCUE RADIO: LOUISIANA IMPLEMENTS ALERT FM STATE WIDE
The Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency
Preparedness has announced that the it has completed the implementation of
the ALERT FM and GSSNet systems. This as a way of improving the method
used to deliver voice and text emergency notifications to the public.
Louisiana will use ALERT FM to send out its emergency alerts, as will
emergency managers from all 64 parishes and 42 colleges and universities
across the state. ALERT FM is an FM radio-based emergency notification
system that will help Louisiana better keep citizens, schools, businesses,
and first responders informed of critical information during natural or
man-made disasters.
ALERT FM delivers emergency messages using the data subcarrier of local FM
radio stations. The use of this pre-existing network of FM broadcasters
provides overlapping and redundant signal coverage for the state.
Around 90 FM stations will participate in the Louisiana ALERT FM network.
This overlapping coverage will ensure message distribution over a large
footprint and gives emergency managers the ability to reach their intended
recipients.
More on this Louisiana state wide implementation of ALERT FM is on line at
tinyurl.com/louisiana-emergency-alerting. (RBR)
**
RESCUE RADIO: HAMS RESCUED FROM FLOODED CAMPGROUND THANKS TO THEIR HOBBY
Two hams have been rescued from a flooded campground thanks to their
hobby. Sunday morning, May 19th at about 4:40 a.m. Eric Heaton, KF4LJN,
and Henry Miller N4VG, were awakened by a flooding situation at Lake
Chinabee in Munford, Alabama east of Birmingham. The two had been camping
when Miller noticed water getting into his tent.
Miller and Heaton moved their cars several times to stay above the
flooding line. They soon realized that the only road out of the area was
submerged in 2 to 3 feet of water and impassable. So Miller made contact
with a ham in Talladega, Alabama, over the Mt. Cheaha 147.69/ .09
repeater. That ham in turn notified authorities of the two trapped radio
amateurs.
The Cleburne County Sheriff's Rescue Squad was dispatched and both Heaton
and Miller were soon brought to safety by boat. There was very poor
cellphone coverage in the area but thanks to ham radio everyone is safe.
(KB4KCH)
**
RADIO POLITICS: REP. GREG WALDEN W7EQI CONTINUES TO LOOK TOWARD FCC
REFORM
House Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden,
W7EQI of Oregon has praised interim FCC Chair Mignon Clyburn. But he also
told C-SPAN's "The Communicators" last weekend he has some concerns about
Tom Wheeler. Wheeler is President Obama's pick for chairman of the
regulatory agency.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Rockefeller has said he plans to
hold nomination hearings in June for Wheeler who is a former
telecommunications industry lobbyist. Walden is concerned about Wheeler's
position on some past telecommunications deals. He told C-SPAN that the
commission shouldn't use the extraordinary power it has to approve or deny
a merger to exercise market changes it can't do through a regulatory
environment.
Walden has let it be known at Commission reform is still on his agenda.
While he praised former FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski for some of his
moves to modernize the agency he also noted that the FCC needs more checks
to keep it on schedule and make sure the it doesn't loose sight of the
progress it's made as it transitions to new leadership.
Walden plans to reintroduce an FCC reform measure containing shot clocks
for decisions on proposed transactions and on other agency processes. He
also wants to relax the ban that prevents all the commissioners from
getting together to discuss pending issues. (RW, C-SPAN)
**
HAM RADIO IN SPACE: EXPEDITION 36 ARRIVES AT ISS
Three new crew members have arrived at the International Space Station
(ISS) after launching from Kazakhstan.
The Soyuz rocket carrying Fyodor Yurchikhin, Karen Nyberg and Luca
Parmitano, KF5KDP, lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 20:31 GMT on
Tuesday, May 28th. They arrived at the orbiting space outpost five hours
and 46 minutes later.
To speed up their ascent, the Soyuz capsule was using a new flight profile
that dramatically reduces the rendezvous time from the traditional two
days. It is technically more difficult and requires some very precise
orbital adjustments, but it is deemed to be easier on the crew. This is
because it means they do not have to spend so long inside the cramped
launch vehicle.
Yurchikhin and Nyberg have both been into space before. Parmitano is a
first-timer on-orbit. The trio, whose designation is Expedition 36, was
greeted by the current three member crew already on the ISS. They are
Russians Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin, along with American
Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR. Yurchikhin, Nyberg and Parmitano will be on the
ISS until November. (Published news reports.)
**
HAM CELEBRATION: HAM NATION CELEBRATES SHOW NUMBER 100
The popular Internet television program Ham Nation celebrated its 100th
netcast on Wednesday, May 29th. We have more in this report:
--
It's a voice that so many in ham radio know and on Wednesday, May 29th,
ham radio's Mr. Audio, Bob Heil, K9EID, celebrated the 100th consecutive
week of his video podcast Ham Nation. And this is the way it sounded when
he opened the show:
--
Heil: "Good evening everybody. It's a very special historic night. It's
the 100th broadcast of Ham Nation from the TWiT network, and we are so
happy; so thrilled and a little bit surprised that we made it this far and
that its turned out so well. Its because of one thing and that's the team
behind us.
"This started out with Leo's dream of having a ham radio show and he said
`you do it.'
"I of coarse am not the show. We started picking on the great people who
make ham radio happen and that's what goes on. And we continued to add
people as you will see tonight some of the great people behind the
scenes."
--
Leo of coarse if Leo Laporte, W6TWT, who owns the TWiT TV network. The
others alongside Bob are Gordon West WB6NOA, and George Thomas, W5JDX.
Also on hand for this 100th episode, albeit pre-recorded, was Ham Nation's
first guest and the person who wrote and performed the shows theme song:
Famed Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, WB6ACU:
--
Walsh: I want to wish everybody at Ham Nation a very happy 100th
anniversary and I'm glad that I could help to get it started."
--
Other guests included 38 Special bass player Larry Junstrom, K4EB along
with Ham Nation post show net control stations Dale Puckett, K0HYD and Al
Matthews K1LTJ. Also on hand was Don Wilbanks AE5DW, to introduce and
narrate the shows news segment and Cheryl Lasek, K9BIK who hosts the shows
on-line chat room.
Like all previous Ham Nation episodes, number 100 is available to both
watch and listen to at www.twit.tv/hamnation.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Norm Seeley, KI7UP, watching from
Scottsdale, Arizona.
--
Our congratulations to Bob Heil, K9EID, Gordon West WB6NOA, George Thomas,
W5JDX and of coarse TWIT TV founder Leo Laporte, W6TWT, on this milestone.
(ARNewslineT)
**
RADIO LAW: VANITY CALL FEE MAY BE GOING UP
The price of a vanity call sign may be going up. This as the FCC releases
a Notice of Proposed Rule Making in which it requests a very modest 20
cent increase in the cost of a vanity call over its 10 year term.
Currently the free for a vanity call is $15. That would go to $15.20 if
the measure is approved and acted into law.
As you know, The FCC is authorized by to collect vanity call sign fees to
recover the costs associated with administering that program. (FCC)
**
RADIO AND LAW: UK POLICE LOOKING FOR VEHICLE WITH HAM ANTENNA IN ROAD
RAGE INCIDENT
Dorset England police are trying to locate what they describe white VW
transporter van with a large amateur radio aerial on the roof that was
recently involved in a road rage incident.
Investigators allege that the van overtook a silver Audi driven by a
Portland man. Police said the van driver and a passenger approached the
driver of the Audi and threatened him. They then took the automobiles
keys and threw them down the road.
No one was injured in the incident, which took place at around 6 p.m.
local time on Thursday, May 16th. An unidentified 35-year-old male was
subsequently arrested and released on bail pending further enquiries.
(Dorset Echo)
**
ENFORCEMENT: MAJOR FINES AFFIRMED TO A PAIR OF MIAMI UNLICENSED
BROADCASTERS
Two Miami Florida unlicensed broadcasters have been ordered to pay some
rather stiff monetary forfeitures. Jim Davis, W2JKD, reports:
--
The higher fine was levied against Gary Feldman for operating an
unlicensed transmitter on 97.9 MHz in Miami. The FCC originally proposed
a $25,000 penalty in February after tracing the source of the unlicensed
transmissions to an FM antenna mounted on the roof of Feldman's residence.
According to the commission Feldman during an inspection admitted to FCC
personnel that he was the only one operating the station.
But it did not end there. In June of 2012 FCC agents found he stopped
broadcasting from his home but continued to do so on 97.9 MHz from a
commercial building. The FCC also dug through its records and found
Feldman had previously been fined for operating an illegal station in
Tampa and had not paid that $10,000 fine.
The FCC Feldman didn't respond to them about the original penalty which
the agency has now reaffirmed. And as the result of the evidence before
it the higher amount has been affirmed as well.
The commission has also upheld a $15,000 fine proposed in February against
Bernard Veargis for operating an unlicensed station on 91.7 MHz in Miami.
In that case, FCC agents traced the source of an unlicensed signal to an
FM antenna mounted to the roof of a commercial building. In response to a
complaint from the FAA about interference to Miami International Airport
departure frequency 119.45 MHz, agents found the source was the same
antenna.
The FCC agents soon linked the transmitter ownership to a website for
"Chico the Leo Grown Folks Radio Miami." The site and a Facebook page
listed the same number for Veargis that the property owner had provided to
the FCC. He also told agents that Veargis installed the transmission
equipment in the building, which Veargis later admitted to the agents.
However the Enforcement Bureau says Veargis never respond to the earlier
notice, and that's why it reaffirmed the fine.
Im Jim Davis, W2JKD.
--
Both Feldman and Veargis have 30 days from the May 16th of release of the
orders to pay up or file an appeal. (FCC)
**
RADIO BUSINESS: HEATHKIT LAUNCHES NEW SURVEY
After the apparent final demise of the Heathkit Company last year hams on
several websites are reporting that they were surprised to learn of a new
consumer survey from whomever now owns the company name.
The fairly lengthy on-line survey asks responders to relate what is
important to them, their kit-building interests, their thoughts about the
many vintage Heathkits and their interest if any in amateur radio. It
also requests thoughts and ideas about Heathkit while offering the
opportunity to sign up to join a mailing list.
The opening page instructions note that Customer privacy is very important
to them. As such that they do not release personally-identifying customer
information outside our company as explained in it's Privacy Policy. As
such, those responding to the survey can choose which questions that they
wish to answer.
You can find more on-line at tinyurl.com/new-heathkit-survey. (G3ZOD,
others)
**
NEW PRODUCT: DIRECT ANTENNA CONTROL FROM QUATTRO
While not directed at the ham radio market, those who run mega DX and
contest stations may find this new product of interest. The Direct
Antenna Control system from Swiss firm Quattro identifies any type of
malfunctioning, even partial damage, in antenna array systems used for
radio and television broadcasting.
Comprising a series of a series of sensors that are placed on each branch
of an antenna's array, the Direct Antenna Control system, measures the
direct and reflected power values of the relevant coaxial supply line
compared to its standard levels.
Any deviations from the standard supply values of the direct power
measurement indicate a problem above the sensors threshold while the
deviation of reflected power reveals a problem below the sensor. A
combination of these signals identifies the part of the antenna that has
malfunctioned. The system then converts the corresponding signals of
power transmitted and power received into lines with low sensitivity to
radiation fields. The lines, which are protected from external
interference, are transmitted by a unit that collects all of the signals
arriving from the individual sensors of the various antennas.
The unit also collects the pre-processing and formatting information in
order to allow for the transmission through a network to a router that
then renders the data available both locally and remotely. More
information should soon be available at www.dacsystem.ch. (RW)
**
HAM HAPPENINGS: INDIA SMALL SATELLITE WORKSHOP FEATURES HAM RADIO
A Small Satellite Developer Workshop featuring Amateur Radio is now slated
for July 8th to the 13th in Chennai, India. The amateur radio segment is
being conducted by the National Institute of Amateur Radio with topics to
be discussed to include Software Designed Receiver design and Basics of
Spacecraft Technology among others. Further details are on the web at
www.spaceschool.co.in. (NAIR)
**
NAMES IN THE NEWS: LOOKING FOR WW2 SWL LOGS
Some names in the news. First up is Helena E. Wright, Curator of Graphic
Arts National Museum of American History. She reports that David
Hochfelder, a Professor of History at the State University of New York at
Albany, together with his wife Anne Pfau, are searching for letters, or
other documents about American shortwave radio listeners during WWII.
Specifically from those who were hoping for news of Prisoners of War.
The two have already located some radio logs about listening activities
but need much more. If you can help in this research project, please
contact processor Hochfelder by e-mail to dhochfelder (at) albany (dot)
edu. (W3BE)
**
NAMES IN THE NEWS: SSB USING A RASPBERRY PI
Guido Pen Dolle, PE1NNZ, has released the code to enable the Raspberry Pi
computer board to generate SSB on the 7 and 14 MHz bands.
According to PE1NNZ, the computer code he has written generates SSB
modulation just by controlling a Phase Locked Loop or PLL based carrier.
He says that he has applied this method on the RapsberryPi PLL, and made
several contacts with it on 40 and 20 meter bands.
To find out more on how PE1NNZ makes this happen, please visit his blog at
tinyurl.com/raspberry-ssb. (WIA News)
**
NAMES IN THE NEWS: UK ASTRONAUT ASSIGNED ISS DUTY IN 2015
The United Kingdom's Guardian newspaper reports that Major Tim Peake has
been selected to fly on a five-month mission on the International Space
Station in 2015.
Peake, from Salisbury in Wiltshire, was chosen for astronaut training in
2009. Since then has been undergoing mission preparation in a number of
locations around the world including Star City in Russia and the Johnson
Space Center in Houston in Texas. He had previously served in the army for
18 years primarily flying Apache helicopters and has seen active service
in Afghanistan.
The Guardian newspaper says that the 41-year-old Peake has been assigned a
lengthy stay in orbit. He will be transported to the ISS space on a
Russian Soyuz launch vehicle in November of 2015 where will be able to
take part in spacewalks and other complex scientific activities.
Currently it does not appear that Peake is a licensed radio amateur, but
instruction in ham radio is still a part of Astronaut and Cosmonaut
training. This is so that those serving on an ISS mission will be
familiar with the amateur gear aboard the orbiting outpost and can use it
for recreational and educational purposes as well as a back-up
communications system should all other gear fail.
A detailed article about Peakes assignment to the ISS is on line at
tinyurl.com/British-Astronaut-ISS. (AMSAT-UK)
**
DXCC UPDATE: E51WL WAS THE PREVIOUS ZK1WL AND GOOD FOR DXCC
If you are DXCC hunting and has a card for E51WL for North Cook Island
rejected, here's some good news. According to Bill Moore at the ARRL DXCC
Desk, it turns out that the operator is a native of the island and that
his previous ZK1WL had previously been approved. The bottom line is that
this is just a callsign change, so if you had E51WL rejected in a recent
submission send an e-mail to bmoore (at) arrl (dot) org for an update to
your record. (NC1L)
**
DX
In DX, W5JON will be operating as V47JA from his Calypso Bay, St. Kitts,
West Indies vacation home from July 9th until August 10th. Listen out for
John on 160 through 6 meters using SSB, RTTY and several digital modes.
He will also be using his newly issued contest call V49J in the IARU and
Islands on the Air contests on SSB. Johns wife Cathy, W5HAM, may get on
the air occasionally operating as V47HAM. All QSL's go direct or via
Logbook of the World to W5JON.
PA3A, PD1AEG, PA8AD and PA8AN will be active from Congo September 28th to
October 11th as TN5MS. They will be active on H-F Bands. QSL via PA3AWW,
either direct, or Logbook of the World.
ZL2JU is currently active from Rarotonga in the South Cook Islands as
E51JJU. He is operational on most of the High Frequency bands but no exact
schedule of operating times is mentioned. QSL via home call.
OO9O will be on the air portable LX from Luxembourg from June 17th to the
20th. He plans to focus on 30 meter CW and PSK. QSL via home call, or
electronically using eQSL or Logbook of the World.
Five operators will be active using the call will be active from Ustica
Island from July 24th to the 29th signing IE9 stroke IK6JRI. They also
plan to take part in the RSGB sponsored Islands on the Air contest that
takes place during their stay. If you make contact please QSL via IK6JRI
Lastly, G0MGX is currently working in Qatar and has obtained a permit to
operate stroke A7. He says to listen out for him during evenings and some
weekends primarily using RTTY and JT65. He adds that the Qatar Amateur
Radio Society has made him feel very welcome and that he is very grateful
to them for the support and help they have given to him. He adds that he
has provided the ARRL with the necessary documents of licensing for all
his callsigns and uploads to Logbook of the World regularly. QSL as
directed on the air.
(Above from various DX news sources)
**
HAMVENTION 2013: PART 2 - WRAPPING IT UP
And finally this week we conclude our coverage of the 2013 Dayton
Hamvention by looking at activities that do not usually fall into the
spotlight. Also a quick glimpse of the concurrent Four Days in May event.
Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Stephan Kinford, N8WB:
--
While most tend to report on the Dayton Hamvention based on number of
attendees and new equipment released or at least previewed, there is a lot
more to this annual gathering. This is also a place where braking news is
first reported and according to AMSAT North America President Barry
Baines, WD4ASW, hams involved in space communications had at least two
things to smile about. The first was the announcement of a launch
commitment for one of the group's newest birds:
--
Baines: "The biggest project we are doing is called Project Fox. It's a
4 inch by 4 inch cube that will weight about three pounds that will be an
amateur radio repeater plus carry a scientific payload that will be flown
into orbit.
We have learned this week that NASA is assigning us to a launch
opportunity to be flown in November of 2014 so that's when we expect Fox 1
to be flown".
--
Baines also told Newsline that it looks as if there will soon be some good
news on the cooperation front with other AMSAT groups around the world.
This, thanks to a pending change in US laws:
--
Baines: "Congress in 1999 passed a law called ITAR, the International
Traffic in Arms Regulations that decided that satellites no matter what
their purpose or how sophisticated or unsophisticated their purpose was is
are considered to be a munition and subject to regulation. So under ITAR
we cannot have collaboration with foreign nationals on evolving technology
that's being developed. We can only talk about it with foreign nations
once its completed placed in the public domain. So we publish what we do
and then we can talk about it after the fact.
"Congress passed a bill called the National Defense Authorization Act last
December which gives the President at his discretion to transfer items
from ITAR to a less restrictive category under Export Arms Regulations.
We are now waiting for the Department of State to come out with revised
rules."
--
Also at Hamvention 2012 were representatives from our neighbors to the
North in a delegation representing Radio Amateurs of Canada. Its
President is Geoff Bawden, VE4BAW, said that they were happy to be there
once again:
--
Bawden: "It's really good to be here in Dayton. We have been here at
Dayton three times in a row raising our profile within the States and also
to (serve) the many Canadians that come down here. It's not only a mecca
for United States radio amateurs but also for many Canadian amateurs from
across Canada who come down. So it's not only a chance to shake hamns
with out friends the Americans but also to meet with our colleagues and
neighbors across Canada."
--
But the Hamvention was not the only happening in the Dayton area that
weekend. Only a few miles away was a smaller show devoted to low power
operation and kit building. Its called Four Days in May and who better to
explain it than the kit-building master himself, Joe Eisenberg, K0NEB:
--
Eisenberg: "Four Days in May for those who don't know of it is a QRP
convention that kind of wraps around the Hamvention. It doesn't block
anything going on at the Hara Arena. "It just operates in the evenings
when the Hamvention itself is closed and the main day which is the day
before Hamvention on that Thursday. And during the day on Thursday we
have seminars all day long as well as an evening where we have a vendors
night where we have a lot of kits and where a lot of QRP stuff is traded
and sold. There are some pretty amazing bargains there as well."
--
Joe tells Newsline that some of the most interesting highlights came in
kit form:
--
Eisenberg: "One is a very sensitive RF voltage probe called the
Acu-Probe. There were other kits including an antenna analyzer which is
simply a Dip Meter. All you do is that you tune it until the light goes
out and that tells you what frequency your antenna is resonant on."
--
Meanwhile, back at the Hara Arena the 2013 Hamvention came to end midday
on Sunday May 19th with the long awaited prize drawing. From there it was
off to the open road, the rail station or the airport for the short ride
or long flight home. Hamvention 2013 was now history with planning for
Hamvention 2014 already underway.
From ham radio city USA, I'm Stephan Kinford, N8WB, for the Amateur Radio
Newsline.
--
And those dates for the next Dayton Hamvention are May 16, 17 and 18 of
next year. We hope to see you there. (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
Before we go a word that if you are hearing this newscast after May 30th
that the nominating period for the 2013 Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham
of the Year Award has closed. It's now up to the committee to do its
work. We should have more information for you within a few weeks.
For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors' desk, I'm Skeeter
Nash, N5ASH saying 73 from near Houston, Texas, and we thank you for
listening.
Amateur Radio NewslineT is Copyright 2013. All rights reserved.
------------------------------------
R\%/itt, K5RXT
--- GoldED+/W32 1.1.5-31012
--- D'Bridge 3.92
* Origin: K5RXT HAM Echo Moderator - San Antonio, Texas, USA (1:387/22)
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