[AMRadio] Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1800

Tue Feb 14 06:29:24 EST 2012

Nothing in here about AM, specifically, but it -all- about Ham Radio.
Newsline is celebrating it's 18,000th report.
I beg from  the moderators a little leniency for this special event.

-Geoff/W5OMR

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1800 - February 10 2012

Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1800 with a release
date of February 10th, 2012 to follow in 3-2-1.

The following is a Q-S-T.  Ham radio activates after a
killer earthquake hits the Philippines; some good news out
of WRC 12; new rules about United States ham radio operation
on 60 meters take effect on March 5th and CQ Magazine's
Editor says that ham radio use of the Morse Code is still
alive and well in an era of no-code licensing.  Find out the
details are on Amateur Radio Newsline anniversary report
number 1800 coming your way right now.

(Billboard Cart Here)

**

RESCUE RADIO:  HAM RADIO RESPONDS TO PHILIPPINE QUAKE

Rescuers assisted by armed forces are hard at work searching
for survivors in the quake hit central Philippines.  The 6.8
temblor shook the country on Monday, February 6th.  At least
56 are confirmed dead and thousands are homeless.  And soon
after the shaking ended ham radio operators were asked to
provide what appears to be a first response effort.  We have
more in this report:

--

Most of the information to date comes from Jim Linton,
VK3PC, who is the Chairman of the IARU Region 3 Disaster
Communication Committee.  Jim reports that the after effects
continue across the central Philippines after the magnitude
6.8 earthquake struck triggering numerous landslides and
other devastation.

Linton notes that Eddie Valdez, DU1EV, is the Chief
Operating Officer for IARU society PARA.  Valdez says that
ham radio operators are now active in communications
assistance, especially those near the quake's epicenter in
the DU7 and DU6 call areas. They have chosen to mainly use
the VHF and UHF bands for in-country communications. With
phone communications cut, the services they are providing
include message handling, reporting on widespread power
outages as well as other infrastructure damage.

Meantime Radio Amateurs of Canada reports getting a message
from a shortwave listener in Taiwan.  He notes that 7 point
095 MHz on 40 meter Lower Sideband is also in use for
emergency communications into and out of the Philippines.

This latest disaster come on the heels of a series of
typhoons that swept the Southern Philippines last December.
Those storms brought with them a heavy loss of lives and
severe property damage.  In that scenario, radio amateurs
were called on to become that nations communications front
line.

For the Amateur radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF,
in the Newsroom in Los Angeles.  Jim.

--

As we go to air aftershocks are continuing and the
Philippine ham radio community remains on the job as an
important first line of search, rescue and quake relief
communications.  (VK3PC, DU1EV, RAC)

**

RADIO LAW:  A HAM RADIO ALLOCATION AT 500 KHZ COMES A STEP
CLOSER

A ham radio allocation neat 500 KHz has taken another step
closer to becoming a reality.  According to several reports
out of WRC 12 being held in Geneva, Switzerland, Working
Group 4 has approved an agenda item that calls for a
worldwide secondary allocation to the Amateur Service from
472 to 479 kHz and has sent it on to the full assembly
called the Plenary for its consideration.

There are some restrictions which come with this action.
Power output is limited to an effective one watt but would
permit nations that are more than 800 Kilometers from an
Aeronautical Service non-directional beacon to permit hams
up to five watts effective radiated.  Either way, ham radio
operators must not interfere with any other spectrum user
holding a primary status in that band.

Hat said, this is far from a done deal.  Next up is two
separate presentations or readings of this proposal before
the Plenary session of all nations taking part in the world
wide communications law making process.  There, footnotes to
the proposal can be added by any administration that has a
representative at the conference.

While there is still a lot of work to take place before WRC
12 ends, at least near 500 KHz, there appears to be some
light at the end of the proverbial tunnel in the matter of a
new super low frequency ham radio band.  We should know for
certain by this time next week.  (Various WRC 2012 Reports)

**

RADIO LAW:  NEW 5 MHZ RULES GO INTO EFFECT ON MARCH 5

In the United States, word that the new rules governing ham
radio operations in the 5 MHz or 60 meter spectrum take
effect on March 5th.  This after a notice to that affect
appeared in the February 3rd edition of the United States
Federal Register.

As previously reported, last November the FCC released a
Report and Order detailing new rules for the 5 MHz Amateur
Radio band.

The announcement brought with it a number of changes for 60
meter operators.  This included substituting a channel at 5
point 358 point 5 MHz for 5 point 368 MHz previously
authorized.  The effective radiated limit in the 60 meter
band will be raised by 3 dB to 100 Watts Peak Envelope Power
relative to a half-wave dipole.  Also, three additional
emission types are authorized.  These are Data, RTTY and CW.

Currently, amateur radio in the United States holds a
secondary allocation for 5 MHz and ham radio operations must
not cause any interference to the primary users of that
band.  These include fixed service, as well as mobile
stations authorized by the telecommunications regulators  of
other sovereign nations.  Access in the United States to the
channelized 60 meter spectrum is limited to holders of
General class or high FCC license grants.  You can read the
entire Federal Register item explaining the 5 MHz changes at
tinyurl.com/6wzsfjm  (FCC)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE: SUMBANDILASAT MAY LIVE AGAIN

 >From South Africa comes word that the SumbandilaSat amateur
radio payload may resume operation in the near future.  This
according to the South African Radio League which says that
a combination of ingenuity and innovation by the satellite
payloads ground control team has resulted in bringing the
ham radio functions back to life.  Amateur Radio Newsline's
Norm Seeley, KI7UP, has the latest:

--

A statement issued by South Africa AMSAT and released by the
South African Radio League says that there is a real
possibility that communication through SumbandilaSat may
resume next month while the satellite is in sunlight.
Here's the back story:

According to Johann Lochner, ZR1CBC, last June the primary
controller on the power distribution unit for the On-Board
Computer stopped responding to commands from the ground.
While the exact cause has never been determined it appears
likely that this failure was related to a major solar
radiation event on June 7th.

It later appeared that the battery had also failed and
nothing was heard from the satellite for some time.  In the
meantime the ground station operation to monitor for
SumbandilaSat on passes over South Africa and to begin any
recovery procedure was automated.

After a month of trying contact was made with SumbandilaSat.
That was last November and the control team set in place a
planned recovery procedure.  It took about 4 days to
discover that the main battery had indeed failed with
SumbandilaSat responding only when it's solar panels were in
full sunlight.

The ground stations at the South Africa National Space
Agency's  operations center at and the Electronic Systems
Laboratory at Stellenbosch University are now receiving
telemetry when the satellite's solar panels are illuminated
by the sun.  As a result, Lochner is confident that some
operations will be restored even to the point where it may
be possible to have the amateur radio transponder back in
operation within a reasonable time frame.

The bottom line is that while the overall space-frame has
been written off by South Africa's SunSpace, the
SumbandilaSat ham radio payload may be usable whenever the
bird is illuminated by the Sun.  In the world of ham radio
space operations having that kind of service is far better
than having nothing at all.

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

--

More on SumbandilaSat recovery efforts are on line at
www.amsatsa.org.za.  (SARL)

**

BREAK 1

 >From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world
including radio station CHNW on 88.7 FM serving the city of
Westminister, near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

(5 sec pause here)

**

RADIO LAW:  PROPOSED MOBILE CELLPHONE LAW COULD END HAM
RADIO MOBILE OPERATIONS IN ILLINOIS

Proposed laws introduced into both houses of the Illinois
legislature could severely impact on mobile operation by
hams, C-B operators and even long-haul truckers passing
through that state.  Matthew Chambers, NR0QQ, has the
details:

--

New legislation has been introduced into the Illinois House
that will have a significant impact on the mobile use of
amateur radio transceivers within the state.

House Bill 3970 introduced by Democrat Representative Karen
May would ban use of all electronic communication devices
with the limited exceptions of those in a hands-free or
voice-activated mode and for law-enforcement and operators
of emergency vehicles or parked vehicles.

Not included in that bill is any exceptions for two way
radios or amateur radios. That would in effect ban all
amateur and CB / GMRS / FRS activity in vehicles in
Illinois.

Also introduced into the Illinois House is House Bill 3972
by Democrat Representative John D'Amico that is identical to
HB 3970.

As the legislative sessions are getting into full swing
across the nation, here at the Amateur Radio Newsline we
will be watching closely as more cell phone bills are being
introduced that may affect the mobile use of amateur
transceivers.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Matthew Chambers NR0Q.

--

As we go to air, efforts are being made from within the
amateur radio community to obtain exclusion for mobile ham
radio operations, but the wording of the two measures may
make that very hard to accomplish.   (NR0Q)

**

ENFORCEMENT: COLLEGE STATION GIVES UP LICENSE FOR NET ONLY
OPERATION

Yet another college radio station has gone QRT.  Amateur
Radio Newsline's Stephen Kinford, N8WB, reports:

--

Paul Smiths College in Adirondack Park, New York, has
relinquished its Class D FM broadcast license for its campus
radio station WPSA FM.  The school had been facing problems
keeping it on the air that came from a series of FCC
Monetary Forfeiture Orders over the late renewal of the
station license in 2006 as well as lack of interest from the
student body in the stations operation.

WPSA reportedly operated at around 10 watts with a service
radius of two miles that covered little more than the
campus.  Its problems began when its license was cancelled
by the FCC and the call sign deleted.  Two years later, the
college filed a Petition for Reconsideration and had it
reinstated.  Following the late renewal in 2006, the FCC
issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture in the
amount of $7,000 fine for unauthorized operation of a radio
station after the license had expired.

Adding to the situation was a seeming loss of interest by
its potential audience.  According to the schools
coordinator for student activities, students were part of
the decision to give up the broadcast license.  She said
that no one wanted to participate in it and that it had very
few listeners.

The spokesperson added that it appears the trend these days
is that the students are on-line rather than listening on
the airways.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Stephen Kinford, N8WB,
reporting.

--

WPSA will live on but without a transmitter or antenna.
Current plans are to bring it back to life, but as a
strictly online entity. (RW)

**

COMMUNICATIONS LAW:  FCC CHAIRMAN EMBRACES DIGITAL TEXTBOOKS

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has joined Secretary of
Education Arne Duncan to discuss the state of digital
learning in American schools.

At the first-ever Digital Learning Day Town Hall held
recently in Washington, D.C., the Digital Textbook
Collaborative presented them with the "Digital Textbook
Playbook." This is a plan to help Kindergarten through 12th
grade schools transition to digital textbooks. The
Collaborative also helped the FCC and the Department of
Education update the School 2.0 bandwidth planner to help
schools plan for their connectivity needs.

At the meeting, Chairman Genachowski challenged state
leaders and the digital textbook industry ecosystem to make
national adoption of digital textbook a reality.  He also
announced a meeting for March  with CEOs of companies in the
digital learning space to drive national adoption of digital
textbooks in the next five years.

The complete FCC press release that details the agency's
plans to help facilitate the conversion to digital textbooks
is available on-line at tinyurl.com/fcc-digital-textbooks.
(FCC)

**

LIGHT SQUARED VS GPS:  GOVERNMENT REPORT SAYS THERES NO WAY
FOR THE TWO TO CO-EXIST

More problems for LightSquared in its bid to construct a 4 G
network in spectrum adjacent to that used by the GPS
navigation system.  Amateur Radio Newsline's Bruce Tennant,
K6PZW, reports:

--

A joint panel of representatives from nine federal agencies
says that it has determined that there are no practical
solutions that would allow LightSquared's proposed broadband
service to operate without significantly interfering with
the Global Positioning System or GPS that operates in
adjacent spectrum.

The report was made in a January 13th letter from the
National Executive Committee for Space-Based Positioning,
Navigation, and Timing to the National Telecommunications
and Information Administration.  It said that over the past
year it has closely worked with LightSquared to evaluate its
original deployment plan, and subsequent modifications, to
address interference concerns.  It said that substantial
federal resources were expended and diverted from other
programs in testing and analyzing LightSquared's proposals.
The report added that no further tests are warranted, as
LightSquared has not demonstrated any means that would
prevent such interference from occurring.

As previously reported, numerous tests over the past year
have shown that  signals from LightSquared's proposed 4G
network held the potential to interfere with the weaker
signals from space used by global positioning system
receivers. As a result, In December 2011, the company
offered to limit its signal to lower frequency spectrum
farthest away from the bandwidth used by GPS in exchange for
immediate access to that spectrum.  Then as reported last
week  LightSquared lashed out at the GPS industry in a
Federal Communications Commission filing, claiming poor
design of GPS units is solely to blame for the problem.

Not surprisingly, LightSquared immediately issued its own
press release calling for the FCC and NTIA to retake the
lead on conducting tests of its network, claiming the
committee report demonstrated bias and inappropriate
collusion with the private sector.   LightSquared noted a
director for Trimble GPS, whom is called an outspoken
LightSquared opponent, served as Director of the Advisory
Board.  It also claims that government testing has become
unfair and shrouded from the public eye.

With the latest on this seemingly never ending story, Im
Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, in Los Angeles.

--

With the committee decision now on the books, a final ruling
from the FCC on whether LightSquared will be allowed to go
ahead with its plans to turn on its 4 G could come at any
time. (Various News Reports)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS:  W9GKA WANTS JANUARY VHF CONTEST E-SKIP
INFO

Some names in the news.  First up is Kevin Kaufhold, W9GKA,
of Belleville, Illinois.  He says over the VHF Reflector
that he is looking for log data on the E-skip conditions in
this year's January VHF Sweepstakes.  W9GKA says that he is
writing an article on the e-skip QSO's in the contest, and
would like to include as much information as possible.  If
you can assist, please send the log information on your e-
skip contacts to him at kaufhold (at) yahoo (dot) com.
(W9GKA)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS:  G0SFJ RELEASES NEW NOVEL INVOLVING MORSE
CODE

A new novel featuring Morse code and radio is now available
for purchase on the internet.  Of Martian Lines was written
by Andy Thomas, G0SFJ.  It's plot is set on the Mars and in
modern Russia and the Ukraine of two generations in the
future.  The book is described as a blend of cosmology,
radio, space technology and Russian literature.

This is the second novel in the "Dmitri" series that
explores the first Russian colony on Mars, and the lies and
tensions the first Cosmonaut colonists from Earth bring with
them. Of Martian Lines is available for sale on-line at
www.createspace.com/3739192  (Southgate)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS:  SARL NATIONAL CONVENTION

The 2012 South Africa Radio League's National Convention
will be held in Pinetown from April 20th to the 22 at the
Premier Hotel in Pinetown.  The event kicks off with a
buffet type supper at the Highway Clubhouse on Friday
evening featuring a presentation highlighting how South
Africa's electronic industry found it's origin in Pinetown
and the local development off SSB.

The South Africa Radio League's Annual General Meeting will
be held on Saturday morning at the hotel venue followed by
two presentations covering VHF antennas and Logbook of the
World.  An awards banquet will also be held at the Premier
Hotel.  The full program and booking details are available
on-line at www.sarl.org.za. (SARL)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS:  HAMVENTION 2012 QCWA DINNER MAY 18

The 2012 QCWA Banquet will take place on Friday May 18th at
the Dayton Ohio Airport Holiday Inn simultaneously with the
Dayton Hamvention.  The gathering will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Eastern time with nature photography expert John Lemker as
the featured after dinner speaker.  For more information or
to make reservations please contact Jerry Ragland, WA8BOB,
at his Callbook or QRZ.com address.

**

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:  WORLDRADIO FOUNDER ARMOND NOBLE,
N6WR - SK

The changing of the guard in amateur radio continues with
the sad news that Armond Noble, N6WR, founder and publisher
of WorldRadio Magazine for 37 years has become a silent key.
According to Les Cobb, W6TEE, Noble died February 1st in
Sacramento, California after a short illness.

The print version of WorldRadio was published monthly from
July 1971 until the end of 2008, when N6WR sold the magazine
to Hicksville, New York-based CQ Communications, Inc.

Armond Noble had a long and distinguished career in
communications and the media. From 1953 to 1955 he served in
the U.S. Army with a VHF radio relay unit. He went on to
positions at commercial radio and TV stations around the
United States.  These included KTWO-TV and KATI in Casper,
Wyoming; KOOK-TV, Billings, Montana; KTVB, Boise, Idaho;
KERO-TV, Bakersfield, California, WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids,
Michigan, and KCRA Radio in Sacramento.

During the Vietnam War, Noble was a reporter and
photographer for TIME magazine and the Milwaukee Journal. He
also served in the TIME-LIFE bureau in Sacramento,
California.

Armond Noble, N6WR, was reportedly hospitalized about two
months ago.  As we go to air memorial services have not been
announced.  (W6TEE, W6FJ, CQ Publishing)

**

WORLDBEAT:  RSGB WANS HAMS ABOUT UNAUTHORIZED USE OF OLYMPIC
LOGOS

The Radio Society of Great Britain is warning that although
telecommunications regulator Ofcom has granted permission
for that nations radio amateurs to use special prefixes over
this summer, this permission does not extend to use of the
various logos associated with the London Olympic games on
QSL cards or elsewhere.

The RSGB notes that these logos, or Games Marks as they are
called in the UK, are strictly controlled by the London
Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
As such they are not free for individuals and organizations
to use without express permission..

There is so far only one exception.  Project ECHO which is
concerned with the two main special event stations has been
granted permission to use the games Inspire logo, but only
in a limited way.

More information about the use of the Olympic logos and
their use can be found in the at the Frequently Asked
Questions on the www.london2012.com website.  (RSGB)

**

DX

In DX, HA0NAR and HA0SR will be active as FW0NAR from Uvea
Island through February 20th. The plans were to have two
stations active on 160 through 6 meters using CW, SSB and
RTTY, with a focus on the lower bands. However, this may
change since they lost the third operator who was to make
the trip. QSL FW0NAR via HA0NAR.

SP5APW is expected to visit Phu Quoc Island between March
7th and the 12th. He has applied for the callsign 3W4JK.
Operations will likely be  holiday style on 40 through 10
meters using SSB, PSK31 and RTTY, with possible operations
on 6 meters. QSL as directred on the air.

Lastly, well placed reports indicate that an international
group of 10 operators will activate St. Paul Island during
the middle part of 2012. More details should be forthcoming
in future Amateur Radio Newsline reports.

(Abve from various DX News Sources)

**

THAT FINAL ITEM: CQ SAYS MORSE IS ALIVE AND WELL

Finally this we we take a trip back to February of 2007.
Thsats when  the Federal Communications Commission took
action to eliminate Morse Code testing as a requisite
requirement to obtain any class of Amateur Service license
in the United States.  Now, five years later, CQ Magazine
Editor Rich Moseson, W2VU, has published a very pointed
editorial where-in he notes that both ham radio and use of
the Morse code are alive, well and growing.  This despite
the ney-sayers who predicted the abandoning of Morse testing
would bring a sudden end to the hobby.

In his editorial titled "No-Code Plus Five Years: An
Assessment", W2VU, states that ham radio is still here.  CW
is still here and despite the fears of many CW supporters
the universe did not implode on February 23, 2007.

Rather his article was prepared based on research that
checked on signs of the state use of Morse by today's ham
radio community.  It did this by asking manufacturer of keys
and paddles about sales, talking to the FISTS Morse
preservation group, looking at CW contest results and
overall United States licensing statistics.  And says W2VU,
the article has already brought some interesting response:

--

W2VU: "We've gotten a lot of good feedback from readers on
this already and any ofb them are agreeing with the comment
that we had at the end that the only real hiccup that we see
and that was pointed out by Nancy Kott, WZ8C, is a
difference in the conversion of CW learners to comfortable
CW operators.  That a lot of the newer hams that are
learning the code do not yet feel comfortable on the air
with it."

--

Moseson adds that ham radio has a long tradition of lending
a helping hand to newcomers in need of assistance:

--

W2VU:  "The best way to deal with this of course is the way
that hams have dealt with learning experiences for decades
which is to hook up experienced people with newcomers and
helping them one-on-one, either on the air or off to be more
comfortable as code operators and they will find a lot more
enjoyment in it."

--

Without giving away all the findings in the article, W2VU
does note  that Morse has a bright future in amateur radio,
despite or perhaps because of the elimination of the code
test requirement.  You can judge for yourself by reading
Rich Moserson's complete article.  You will find it on-line
in Adobe PDF format at tinyurl.com/6rreyxy   (ARNewslineT,
VK3PC)

**

A VER SPECIAL 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 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, I just want to say a word of thank you to all
of you who listen in each week to these Amateur Radio
Newsline bulletins.  As we end this 1800th consecutive week
of bringing these newscasts to you, we want to pause for a
moment and look back to 1977 when Jim Hendershot, WA6VQP,
and Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, produced and issued the first
Westlink Radio Network bulletin.  It was devoted entirely to
repeater deregulation and only heard by those in the Los
Angeles area with a transceiver set to 223.5 MHz simplex.
Likely no more than two dozen people or so.  Now just a few
months shy of 35 years later, Amateur Radio Newsline, which
is the successor name to Westlink Radio, is heard on
thousands of repeaters world wide and by tens of thousands
over the Internet.  And as it was back in 1977, so it
remains a free listener supported service to the ham radio
by your fellow radio amateurs.

Yes, there are many people to thank, but we will limit it to
three who were part of the original 1970's core group and
who sadly have become Silent Keys.  So as we end Newscast
1800 we lift up our imaginary glass to toast the lasting
memory of our original Production Coordinator Bill Orenstein
KH6QX.  We also salute the master wordsmith and anchor Alan
Kaul, W6RCL.  Last but by no means lest, we remember our
guiding light of many years and the man who made it possible
for Astronauts to take ham radio into space.  Of coarse we
are referring to one of the world's greatest news reporters,
producers and anchors, the late Roy Neal, K6DUE, of NBC
Network News.  All three may no longer be with us in the
flesh, but they will never be forgotten here in the Amateur
Radio Newsline studios.  What they helped to pioneer in the
1970's 1980's and 1990's is the reason you are hearing this
1800th newscast right now.

For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors desk,
and for all of the Amateur Radio Newsline volunteers the
world over, I'm Jim Davis, W2JKD, saying 73 and we thank you
for listening all of these years.  You are an important part
of the Amateur Radio Newsline family and we would not be
here if not for you.