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Ärende: Amateur Radio NewslineT Report 1887 - October 11 2013
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Amateur Radio NewslineT Report 1887 - October 11 2013
Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1887 with a release date of October
11 2013 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. The 2013 Scouting Jamboree on the Air takes to
the air on October 18th; Complaints pour in about closed government
websites; Several hams receive warning notices from the FCC; The South
African Radio League announces its young scientist expo winner and the
Dayton Hamvention puts out a call for its 2014 awards. Find out the
details are on Amateur Radio NewslineT report number 1887 coming your way
right now.
**
SCOUTING: JOTA 2013 TO AGAIN INVOLVE HAM RADIO
The 2013 Scouting Jamboree on the Air is slated for October 18th to the.
Amateur Radio Newsline's Mark Abramowicz, NT3V, is here with the rest of
the story:
--
Jamboree on the Air, or JOTA as it is known by those who participate, is
the largest Scouting event in the world.
James Wilson, K5ND, is the national Boy Scouts of America coordinator for
JOTA in the United States.
"Typically, about 700,000 Scouts get on the air from 6,000 stations and
roughly 14,000-15,000 radio amateurs are making things happen around the
event," Wilson says.
"It's a huge deal worldwide and that's part of its excitement. It's not
just, gee let's check out the fun, technology and the magic of amateur
radio. But, let's get on and talk to other Scouts.
"It might be in another state, it might be across the country, or they
could be around the world. And, a lot of fun interaction happens reaching
out to Scouts who are from a completely different culture but still
enjoying Scouting and being introduced to amateur radio."
Jamboree on the Air is coordinated by the World Organization of the Scout
Movement out of the World Scout Bureau in Geneva, Switzerland.
The activity is in its 56th year.
Wilson says JOTA operations in the U.S. range from home stations where a
den of Cub Scouts or a patrol of Boy Scouts might be introduced to the
event by an operator to set-ups on an outdoor or larger scale...
"There are troops, for example, that are going out on a campout. One of
the dads or maybe a Scoutmaster is an amateur radio operator and they're
setting up, probably a fairly simple station at the campout and getting it
on the air," Wilson says.
"And, then there are large camporees or merit badge universities or what
have you where they're setting up multiple stations and planning to get
literally hundreds, if not thousands, of Scouts in front of the radio
during Jamboree on the Air."
This year marks the end of an era for one well-known station, HB9S, the
station based at the World Scout Bureau.
"This year will be it's last year because the World Bureau is relocating
its offices," Wilson says. "It's moving out of Geneva, pretty much it's
moving out of Europe. They don't know exactly where, but they do know it
will be taking place in 2014.
"And, so, this will likely be the last time that HB9S is on the air from
Switzerland."
If you're looking for more information about JOTA and want to participate,
the best place to look, Wilson says, is www.scouting.org/jota
"That gives a list of frequencies which includes Echo Link and D-Star and
those nodes as well so it really provides a great deal of information
about Jamboree on the Air," Wilson says.
"That also, that same site, scouting.org/jota, has a link to register your
station. And, once you register your station, you'll be added to an email
list and you'll be updated on Jamboree on the Air on all what we call
Radio Scouting activities which is the broad sweep of amateur radio
activities within Scouting."
Station registration is still under way and Wilson says it's not too late
to get involved.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mark Abramowicz, NT3V, in
Philadelphia.
--
The complete history of the event can be read on Wikipedia at
tinyurl.com/scouting-worldwide. (NT3V, ARNewsline)
**
RADIO LAW: LAWYERS AND OTHERS COMPLAIN ABOUT GOVERNMENT WEBSITE SHUTDOWNS
Lawyers and others are accusing several Federal regulatory agencies of
unnecessarily blocking access to websites during the government shutdown.
Agencies including the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal
Trade Commission have entirely shut down their websites, preventing the
public from accessing regulations, filings and other documents. Other
federal agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food
and Drug Administration and the National Telecommunications and
Information Administration have stopped updating their websites during the
shutdown but old information is still available.
The the Federal Trade Commission shutdown guide does not directly address
whether the website should be kept available during a shutdown. Instead,
it directs the agency to retain up to six information technology employees
to work to ensure the integrity and security of the agency's information
infrastructure and its availability for use by exempt employees pursuing
excepted and essential law enforcement actions during the shutdown. The
FCC's shutdown plan also did not mention cutting off access to its
website. According to the plan, the agency retained four employees for
critical information technology issues.
Congressional Republicans have accused the Obama administration of
maximizing the pain of the shutdown to increase Democrats' leverage in
negotiations. Because of the shutdown, the FTC and FCC were unable to
comment. More on this story can be found on the web at
tinyurl.com/government-websites-down. (The Hill)
**
GOVERNMENT HALTED: MOST OF ARMY MARS STILL OPERATIONAL
The US Army MARS gateway station at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, is operating
on its normal schedule during the government shutdown, but routine
administrative activity is on hold. This is because computer systems are
down and no membership paperwork can be processed for the duration of the
fiscal crisis.
As a civilian contractor not covered by the shutdown, Operations Officer
David McGinnis, K7UXO, is completing final preparations for the November
3rd to the 4th national communications exercise. Also, the MARS national
net is still functioning normally. (US Army MARS, ARRL)
**
GOVERNMENT HALTED: NIST CLOSED AND AFFILIATED WEB SITES NOT AVAILABLE
While the tick and the announcements over WWV and WWVH are still available
over the airwaves, the current deadlock in Washington over the Federal
budget has shut down the National Institute of Standards and Technology or
NIST. It has also closed most NIST and affiliated web sites until further
notice. As a result, the NIST is warning that its time signals may not be
100% accurate until staffing returns.
The National Vulnerability Database and the NIST Internet Time Service web
sites will continue to be available. A limited number of other web sites
may also be available. Take a look at tinyurl.com/2dt3l7 to see whats
on-line and whats not. A notice will be posted at www.nist.gov once
operations resume. (NIST)
**
BREAKING DX NEWS: GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN PUTS WAKE ISLAND COMMEMORATIVE ON
HOLD
According to news reports the partial Federal shutdown is preventing a
group of radio amateurs visiting Wake Island to commemorate a WWII
massacre.
A dozen operators using the special call sign K9W were supposed to be on
Wake Island as this newscast goes to air. They were working to assemble
their gear in Hawaii for transport to Hickam Air Force Base and then on to
Wake Island. Instead, after months of preparation, the trip is on
indefinite hold because of a paperwork delay the group attributes to the
partial federal shutdown.
The operators still hope to make the trip once the government funding
crisis is solved. Please keep an eye on wake2013.org for the latest
details and we will have more DX news for you later on in this weeks
report. (wake2013, various other sources)
**
ENFORCEMENT: HAMS SENT WARNING NOTICES BY FCC
According to the ARRL, the FCC's Enforcement Bureau recently made public
warning letters to several individuals. This for alleged infractions of
the Part 97 Amateur Service rules or Section 301 of the Communications Act
of 1934. Amateur Radio Newsline's Heather Embee, KB3TZD, has the details:
--
Back on June 24th, FCC Special Counsel Laura Smith sent identical warning
notices to Eric J. Christianson, KNZ0CW, and Thomas E. Barnes, N7OVC, of
Reno, Nevada. This, to inform them that the trustee of the WA7DG repeater
in Sparks, Nevada, had requested that they refrain from using his system.
In her notices, Smith said that the written request was issued as a result
of the failure of the two hams to follow operational rules set forth by
the licensee and control operators of the repeater system for their users.
She went on to note that the Commission requires that repeaters be under
the supervision of a control operator. Also that it not only expects, but
requires that such control operators be responsible for the proper
operation of the repeater system. As such, control operators may take
whatever steps they deem appropriate to ensure compliance with the
repeater rules.
Smith then advised the two licensees that the FCC expects them to abide by
the repeater owner's request and any similar requests by other repeater
licensees, control operators or trustees of other systems. She also said
that continued use of the WA7DG repeater could subject the two hams to
severe penalties, including monetary forfeiture, a modification proceeding
to restrict the frequencies upon which you may operate or even license
revocation.
On August 9th, Smith took on a High Frequency band issue. This in a
letter to Jack Hartley, K4WSB, of Tampa, Florida. In it, Smith cited
evidence received from members of the Amateur Auxiliary Official Observers
that Hartley had operated outside of his Advanced class privileges on four
separate occasions while attempting to contact a station on Kwajalein
Atoll in the South Pacific.
Smiths letter to Hartley noted that According to the Official Observer's,
the Kwajalein operator refused the contact noting that Hartley was not
authorized to be operating in that part of the band. She noted that after
sending Hartley three previous notices the O-O's contacted the Commission
and asked it to remind K4WSB that his continued attempts to contact the
operator on Kwajalein Atoll constitute a violation of the Amateur Service
rules. Smith cautioned Hartley that continued operation outside the
parameters of his license could lead to enforcement action that could
include revocation or suspension and fines. The three prior instances
noted by the Official Observers occurred in 2007 and 2008.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Heather Embee, KB3TZD, in Berwick,
Pennsylvania.
--
The FCC also sent warnings to several non hams for operating without a
license. That part of the report next week. (ARRL, FCC)
**
ENFORCEMENT: ALLEGED UNCERTIFIED TRANSMITTER SUPPLIER CITED BY FCC
The Federal Communications Commission's Los Angeles Enforcement Bureau has
cited a company known as FCCFrequency for marketing unauthorized RF
devices in the U.S.. Amateur Radio Newsline Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF,
reports:
--
The case began when the Los Angeles Office received complaints alleging
that FCCFrequency was selling and installing non-certified low-power FM
transmitters that could be used in LPFM stations. In addition, the
company was also reportedly selling and installing the gear to individuals
and entities that had no FCC authorization to operate the devices.
The company'name: FCCFrequency. That's FCCFrequency spelled as one word.
It came to the FCC's attention when the agency was inspecting an
unlicensed station in the Los Angeles suburb of Arleta. At that time the
operator showed agents the purchase contract for the 100-watt transmitter
manufactured in the Dominican Republic that he bought in March for around
$6,000 from FCCFrequency.
The regulatory agency noted that at the time of its investigation that the
company's website said that it specializes in Low Power FM Radio Station
equipment sales and installation, and encouraged nonprofit organizations
to install their own Low Power FM Radio Station. The website also
advertised that the company will help applicants to file for new L-P-F-M's
and major changes to existing stations in the upcoming filing window,
which is supposed to open on October 15th. A check of the website on
October 9th now only shows an almost blank page with the short message
that reads "new.FCCFrequency.com is coming soon."
In its citation the FCC told FCCFrequency that it must stop marketing the
unauthorized devices and avoid any recurrence of the alleged misconduct.
The company must also inform the FCC within 30 days of the date of the
citation who it sold RF equipment to since January of 2012. It must also
supply contact information on each purchasers and copies of sales
contracts. Not responding in 30 days could result in further sanctions.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, in the newsroom in Los
Angeles.
--
More on this story is on the web at
tinyurl.com/transmitter-supplier-cited. (FCC, RW)
**
RESCUE RADIO: FCC SEEKS COMMENTS ON EAS FIXES
It is nearly two years since the first-ever nationwide test of the
Emergency Alert System and the FCC is now ready to look at making some
procedural changes based on what it learned November 9, 2011. This as
the agency begins accepting public comments on several equipment and
operational issues. The FCC says the goal is to create a dialogue with
broadcasters and equipment companies to develop a list of recommendations
for what action the agency needs to take. Obviously nothing much is going
to happen until Congress passes a measure that fully funds the
government's agencies but more on this issue is on the web at
tinyurl.com/eas-revisited (Inside Radio)
**
NAMES IN THE NEWS: SARL SPONSORED EXPO FOR YOUNG SCIENTIST AWARD
The South African Radio League sponsored Expo for young scientist award
has won by Justin Boyce, a student at St. John's College in Johannesburg.
Boyce set out to predict future Solar Coronal Mass Ejection activity by
proving a correlation between the number of C-M-E's and the sunspot cycle.
His findings were that Coronal Mass Ejections and the sunspot cycle are
both caused by intense activity in the Sun's magnetic field and therefore
strong correlations can be expected. Also that predictions on the future
of C-M-E's can be made using the repetitive pattern of the solar sunspot
cycle. The press release from the South African Radio League did not say
if Boyce was or was not a radio amateur. (SARL)
**
NAMES IN THE NEWS: K6OSC RESIGNS AS W6RO QUEEN MARY WIRELESS ROOM MANAGER
So0me names in the news. First up comes word that Nate Brightman, K6OSC,
stepped aside as the W6RO Wireless Room Manager aboard the Queen Mary
museum ship, anchored in Long Beach, California.
Brightman, now 96, was the W6RO Wireless Room Manager for 34 years. Prior
to that K6OSC devoted a decade arranging for the GB5QM "Last Voyage"
Amateur Radio operation from the Queen Mary. He then was responsible for
establishing W6RO as the club station of the Associated Radio Amateurs of
Long Beach.
K6OSC cited his recent illness, hospitalization and his advanced age as
reasons for his decision to step aside effective October 1st. He is
succeeded as W6RO Station Manager by David Akins, N6HHR. (ARRL, ARALB)
**
NAMES IN THE NEWS: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF A QRMER BY JAMES MILNER WB2REM
The Psychology of a QRMer is the title of a feature article authored by
James Millner, WB2REM. In it, Millner who is a licensed Psychologist with
35 years of experience delves into the thinking of those who cause
problems for their fellow hams.
Without giving away any of the plot so as to speak, we will say that
Milner is very meticulous in separating unintentenional from intentenional
interference. This, as he looks into the underlying factors of operators
who cause these kinds of problems on the amateur bands.
The Psychology of a QRMer makes good reading, especially if you have ever
been the intentional target of a jammer. You will find it beginning on
page 44 of the October issue of CQ Magazine. (ARNrewslineT)
**
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: THE OTHER EFFECT OF THE SOLAR CYCLE
As almost every ham knows, the number of sunspots rises and falls in a
regular cycle that repeats every 11 years, but there's a lot more to the
story. Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Cheryl Lasek, K9BIK, with that
part of the story:
--
Sunspots are among the least dramatic activities in a solar cycle. This
is because they are easy to count and closely correlated with flares and
other indications of solar activity. As such astronomers and scientists
have used them for centuries to monitor variations in the sun's activity.
But it is Solar Flares and Coronal Mass Ejections that pose the biggest
risk to power grids and communications systems here on Earth. These take
place when billions of tones of solar plasma erupt from the surface of the
sun and are flung out into space at speeds up to millions of miles per
second.
Variations in the amount of heat and light reaching the Earth's surface as
a result of the changes in the 11 year cycle are tiny. Total solar output
reaching the surface varies by just 1.3 Watts per square meter or 1/10th
of 1 percent between the maximum and minimum phases of a solar cycle.
However some researchers say that even this miniscule variation has
profound impacts on climate and weather. They note that rainfall, cloud
formation and river run-off are all strongly correlated with the sun's
11-year cycle.
All in all, the impact is far smaller than the warming associated with
other sources of climate change.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Cheryl Lasek, K9BIK, in Zion,
Illinois.
--
One thing that solar activity cannot explain long-term trends in global
temperatures such as those associated with global warming. That said
there are some researchers believe that it may have a noticeable impact
over shorter timescales. (macedoniaonline.eu)
**
RADIO IN SPACE: LADEE SPACECRAFT GOES INTO LUNAR ORBIT
NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer or LADEE spacecraft
fired its engines Sunday morning, October 6th, slowing it enough to be
captured by lunar gravity and placing it into orbit around the Moon. Once
given the green light the spacecraft will begin its mission to study the
Moon's exotic and almost transparent atmosphere, which is highly affected
by space weather. That information will be sent by radio back to Earth
for further analysis. (Spaceweather)
**
HAM RADIO NEAR SPACE: HABEX BALLOON TO FLY NOVEMBER 30
Plans to launch an unmanned high altitude balloon called HABEX have
received the approval of South Africa's Central Airspace Management Unit.
The launch will take place from the Klerksdorp Airport between 06:00 and
08:00 local time on Saturday, November 30th. The payload is expected to
reach an altitude of about 130,000 or more feet before the balloon bursts
and returns to the ground.
Chris Gryffenberg, ZS6COG, is coordinating the project. He says that the
mission will carry an Automatic Packet Reporting System which will allow
the monitoring of the balloon trajectory via the internet at aprs.fi.
HABEX is a joint project of the Gauteng Department of education and the
South African Radio League. It is specifically aimed at getting young
people involved scientific activities as a precursor to following a career
in communication and electronics. (SARL)
**
WORLDBEAT: VOICE OF RUSSIA MAY GO QRT JANUARY 1 2014
North American and Western European international shortwave broadcasters
aren't the only one's feeling todays financial squeeze. RIA Novosti
reports that the Voice of Russia will cut its shortwave service as of
January 1st, 2014. However, the government shortwave broadcaster,
originally known as Radio Moscow, has not confirmed this plan of action,
according to The SWLing Post. The station has been broadcasting since
1922. (SWL Post)
**
DX SUPPORT: NCDXF ANNOUNCES ESTABLISHMENT OF W7OO CONTRIBUTION CHALLENGE
The Northern California DX Foundation has announced the establishment of
the W7OO Contribution Challenge. From October 15th through the end of
December long-time DXer Bill Everett, W7OO, will match contributions
received by the Northern California DX Foundation. For those contributors
who file United States income tax returns, contributions to Northern
California DX Foundation are tax-deductible under Section 501(c)(3) as an
entity with the IRS. More information is at www.ncdxf.org. (W0GJ)
**
DX
In DX, word that CT2HPM is once again on the air from Angola operating as
D2CT. He plans to be there through November 15th operating PSK31 and RTTY
on 20 through 10 meters including the WARC bands. QSL via CT2HPM.
W1CDC will be operational from Guyana as 8R1A between October 13th and
November 1st. Activity will be holiday style on 80 through 10 meters
using CW and SSB. QSL via his home callsign, direct or by the bureau.
YB9WZJ and YD9RQX will be active using their home calls stroke P from
Waigeo Island between October 16th and the 22nd. Operations will be on 40,
20 and 15 meters using SSB only. QSL only via their home callsigns.
Members of the Andorran Amateur Radio Union will again be active as C37NL
from Andorra during the CQWW DX SSB Contest. The dates are October 26th
and the 27th. QSL via C37URA.
N0HJZ, will be active as C6ARW from Grand Bahama Island between October
22nd to the 29th. Operations will be on 30, 17 and 12 meters using CW and
RTTY. QSL via his home callsign, direct (with sufficient postage) or by
the Bureau.
Lastly, AA1AC will be on the air stroke 6W from La Somone, Senagal between
December 8th and the 14th. No information on times or frequencies was
given. QSL direct or by the Bureau to his home callsign.
(Above from various DX news sources)
**
THAT FINAL ITEM: HAMVENTION 2014 OPENS AWARDS NOMINATION SEASON
And finally this week, the Dayton Hamvention has announced that it is
soliciting nominations for its awards for the 2014 Amateur of the Year,
Special Achievement, Technical Excellence and Club of the Year. Amateur
Radio Newsline's Stephan, Kinford, N8WB, has the details:
--
The Amateur of the Year Award goes to an individual who has made a
long-term, outstanding commitment to the advancement of amateur radio.
The Special Achievement Award honors someone who has made an outstanding
contribution to the advancement of amateur radio. This is usually someone
who has spearheaded but bit necessarily limited to spearheading a
significant project.
The Technical Excellence Award is for the person who has made an
outstanding technical advancement in the field of amateur radio.
Last but by no means least, the Club of the Year award goes to an
organization which has made a significant contribution to the advancement
of amateur radio.
The Hamvention Awards Committee makes its decision on all awards based in
part upon the information it receives and not on the number of nominations
submitted for a given candidate. Documentation that informs the Awards
Committee of a nominee's accomplishments may include magazine articles,
newsletters, newspaper clippings, and even videos. These materials become
the property of Hamvention and will not be returned.
The winners will be recognized at the 2014 Hamvention, which runs May 16th
to the 18th. To be considered, nominations must be received by January
17, 2014. Additional details on these awards and a nomination form are
available on the Dayton Hamvention Web site at
tinyurl.com/hamvention-awards-2014.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Stephen Kinford, N8WB, not far from
Dayton in Wadsworth, Ohio.
--
Once again Forms and other information are on the web at
tinyurl.com/hamvention-awards-2014. The last day for a nomination to be
postmarked is January 17, 2014. Nominations may be sent by e-mail to the
awards at Hamvention dot org or mailed to Dayton Hamvention Awards, P.O.
Box 1446, Dayton, OH 45401-1446 in the USA. (DARA)
**
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.
================================================================
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--- GoldED+/W32 1.1.5-31012
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* Origin: K5RXT HAM Echo Moderator - San Antonio, Texas, USA (1:387/22)
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