[Ham-News] Amateur Radio Newsline 1274 - January 11 2002

Sun Jan 13 04:21:53 EST 2002

AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE(tm) REPORT #1274 - January 11 2002

The following is a Q-S-T.  No more taxicab Q-R-M plaguing a popular ham
satellite and lots of FCC enforcement actions highlight this weeks
Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1274 coming your way right now.

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  TAXI TO SATELLITE QRM ENDED

Some good news for satellite operators.  Thanks to some hard work by the
International Amateur Radio Union, the troublesome F-M signals to ham
satellites from Mexican taxi cabs are for the most part gone.  Amateur
Radio Newsline's Norm Seeley, KI7UP, has the details:

--

According to the IARU Monitoring System newsletter it now appears that
FM radio transmissions from the taxi drivers in the cities of San Luis
and Sonora, Mexico area are no longer getting into the 2-meter uplink
of the UOSAT 14 ham satellite.

The issue was raised by many involved in ham radio satellite
communications including Ray Soifer, W2RS, of AMSAT North America. The
newsletter says that it was Soifers plea to the VHF and Satellite
Committee at the 2001 IARU Region 2 Conference in Guatemala City
generated extra interest and concern about this and similar problems.
This lead to some very productive discussions between the Mexican
telecommunications administration and the Federaci n Mexicana de Radio
Experimentadores which is Mexicos national Amateur Radio society.

Credit also is given to Alejandro Pereida, XE2BSS, for his thorough
technical analysis of the problem and for his persistence in pursuing
the matter from beginning to end. The end being the removal of the
interfereing signals from the UOSAT 14 two meter uplink passband.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Norm Seeley, KI7UP, not far from the
U.S. - Mexico border in Scottsdale Arizona.

--

The newsletter reports that after a lot of correspondence and
negotiations on this issue took place over the past eighteen months.  It
also credits Lorne Libin, XE1V, as being an important mediator during
this period.  (AMSAT)

**

HAM RADIO AND THE LAW:  NEW HAMPSHIRE HAM WINS ANTENNA CASE

Meantime, a lot closer to the ground, the ARRL Letter reports that a
New Hampshire ham appears to have won a battle to erect an antenna
support structure on his property.  But says the League,  it remains to
be seen, however, whether Jerry Muller, K0TV, of Hudson will be allowed
to erect the extensive system of three towers that he'd originally
planned.

Unlike many amateur antenna battles, this case did not pit Muller
against the town.  In December 1998, Muller applied for a permit to
erect three 100-foot antenna structures on his property, and the town of
Hudson granted the permit.  Three of Muller's neighbors appealed the
grant of the permit, but the Hudson Zoning Board affirmed the grant.
The neighbors then sued the town and
won, resulting in the order for Muller to dismantle the towers.

Now, in a 4-0 vote, with one justice abstaining, the Supreme Court of
New Hampshire has reversed a lower court ruling but it is not a 100%
victory.  Writing for the court, New Hampshire Chief Justice David A.
Brock concluded that the lower court's order requiring Muller to
dismantle his towers violated the limited federal preemption known as
PRB-1 as well as New Hampshire's statutory codification of PRB-1.
However Brock also agreed with the lower court that Muller's three-tower
installation did not qualify as a "customary, incidental and
subordinate" accessory use permitted by Hudson's ordinance.

While another amateur in Hudson has a tower at the same height, there
are no instances of three such towers on the same property.
Nevertheless, Brock said that Muller's installation may be permitted
within the framework of PRB-1, if Muller can demonstrate that his three
towers are necessary to "reasonably accommodate" his communications
needs.  (ARRL)

**

THE WAR:  73'S GREEN SAYS US COMMUNICATIONS ILL PREPARED FOR TERROR
ATTACKS

73 Magazine El Supremo Wayne Green, W2NSD -- thats his title not ours.
El Supremo Green says that the United States is ill prepared to handle
communications in the event of another terror attack.  Writing in his
Never Say Die editorial column, Green says that no matter how the
terrorist network hits us, the one thing we are going to need is
communications.  And this says Green, this is another item that the
government has been lax in providing.

Green notes that anytime there is an emergency, the first things to
disappear are electric power and telephone service.  This includes
cellular as well as wired phones.  He notes that police, fire, rescue
and other services have no way to inter-communicate until ham radio
operators arrive on the scene.  He says that if ham radio is going to be
called on to provide services anywhere and at any time, then we need at
least 600,000 licensed hams trained and ready to help, and not just the
100,000 or so that are now really active.

Green's comments begin on page four of the January issue of 73 Magazine.
(73 Magazine)

**

THE WAR:  PIRATE HAM OPERATION FROM AFGHANISTAN

You may find this hard to believe, but even with a war going on some
joker is pirating the YA5T call-sign and pretending to be on the air
from war-torn Afghanistan.

According to Peter Casier, ON6TT, and the Radio Society of Great Britain
all the operators who had previously put YA5T on the air have left
Afghanistan.  Casier tells the RSGB that he expects to travel back to
Islamabad on the 20th of January and then to Kabul within the following
few days.  Until then, any station you work claiming to be on the air
from Afghanistan is most probably somewhere else in the world.

We will have more D-X news later on in this weeks newscast.  (RSGB)

**

FCC:  THE VANITY CALL SIGN PROGRAM MAY RESUME SHORTLY

Some god news for hams waiting for vanity call signs.  According to an
ARRL bulletin, the vanity program which was put on hold since October
14th as the result of the post 9-1-1 Anthrax mail scare may could be in
operation shortly.

The vanity gridlock got started after mail received between October 15th
and November 1st was diverted from the FCC's Gettysburg, Pennsylvania,
office for decontamination in the Washington, DC, area. That mail,
believed to contain more than 100 vanity applications filed on paper,
has not been returned to Gettysburg.

Current FCC policy says that paper and electronic vanity applications
get equal processing priority, so the Commission halted vanity
processing altogether until it could resolve the mail snafu.

FCC staffers in Gettysburg have been attempting to work around the
roadblock. Using vanity fee payment data from the FCC's fiscal agent,
Mellon Bank in Pittsburgh, the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
in Gettysburg has been contacting applicants directly to have them
resubmit their applications. The FCC now is asking applicants whose
paper vanity filings may have arrived at Mellon Bank between October
15th and November 1st and who have not been contacted to get in touch
with the FCC to find out if they need to forward a copy or facsimile of
their original paperwork. The request affects only vanity applicants who
filed on paper and not electronic filers.

More information on whats happening in the ham radio vanity call sign
program can be found at the ARRL Website.  Its in cyberspace at
www.arrl.org under W1AW Bulletins for the year 2002.

And late word in.  The FCC has begun processing some vanity call signs
as this newscast is prepared.  (ARRL)

**

ENFORCEMENT:  EX-KV4FZ'S NEW LICENSE APPLICATION DESIGNATED FOR
HEARING

I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF.  The FCC has designated a new ham radio
license application filed by Herbert L. Schoenbohm, the ex-KV4FZ, for a
public hearing.  According to the order released on January 9th, the
hearing will determine whether Schoenbohm possesses the requisite
character qualifications to be a Commission licensee.  Schoenbohm lost a
series of appeals during the 1990's and was ordered off the air last
year.  He was given twenty days to request that the hearing on his new
application be held.  If he fails to do so, his application will be
dismissed.  More on this story, next week.  (FCC)

**

ENFORCEMENT: YOU CANT SEND FELONY COMPLAINT AFFIDAVITS TO OTHER
HAMS

The FCC wants to hear immediately from any ham who receives notification
that a felony complaint has been lodged against him or her by Glen
Baxter, K1MAN.  This after the government tells the Belgrade Lake Maine
operator to stop sending other radio operators so-called Standard Felony
Complaint Affidavits.  Speaking on his Rain Enforcement Log,  FCC
Special Counsel for Amateur Radio Enforcement Riley Hollingsworth says
that this is not the first time Baxter has been warned:

--
Hollingsworth:  "We reiterated a warning issued by the United States
Attorney in Maine to a Belgrade Lakes operator who had sent so-called
Felony Complaint Affidavits to licensees who had refused to clear the
frequency for his broadcasts, or bulletin shows or whatever they are.
Complaints about the nature of the transmissions are also under review
as well, and we will be looking at those.  That went to Glenn Baxter,
K1MAN.

The United States Attorney in that case has warned Baxter that if he
continues sending the so-called Felony Complaint Affidavits he may be
subject to federal criminal charges for misrepresentation and for using
the U.S. Mail to make threats."
--

If you receive one of these Standard Felony Complaint Affidavits, or
notification that one has been filed against you please contact Riley
Hollingsworth as soon as you can.  He can be reached by e-mail to
fccham at fcc.gov.  (FCC)

**

ENFORCEMENT: FCC - ALLEGEDLY UNCOORDINATED IN CALIFORNIA

Still with enforcement news, the FCC has notified Dean K. Perrins,
N6HWI, of Freemont California that his alleged uncoordinated repeater on
443.725 MHz is causing interference to the coordinated K6TWI system.
This is a repeater which operates on the same frequency.

The FCC says that it has information that Perrins has been notified
several times
regarding the interference problem but that he has not taken any steps
to resolve the problem.  Perrins was given twenty days from the date of
notification to respond to the FCC.  (FCC)

**

ENFORCEMENT:  FCC - ALLEGEDLY UNCOORDINATED IN FLORIDA

In still another repeater interference case Joseph Bushel Jr., W2DWR, of
Live Oak Florida has been directed by the FCC to respond to a complaint
that he is operating a repeater on 146.94 MHz after being denied
coordination by the Florida Repeater Council.  The FCC says that
Bushel's repeater is causing interference to the coordinated K4EHM
system and the government wants him to explain his actions.  The FCC
also wants W2DWR to respond to an allegation that he was observed
transmitting a digital voice recording an that frequency without ever
identifying the transmission.  (FCC)

**

ENFORCEMENT:  FCC- DON'T TALK ON THAT REPEATER

Meanwhile, another Florida ham identified as Thomas Banks, KB4AN of Port
Saint Lucie Florida has been notified by the FCC that he is to refrain
from using an area repeater.  Specifically, the FCC has told Banks that
he is not to be heard over the Saint Lucie Repeater Association's AF4CN
machine as requested by the system's trustee.  (FCC)

**

AWARDS:  ARRL EDUCATOR AWARDS NOMINATIONS SOON CLOSE

According to the American Radio Relay League, nominations close January
31st for League awards that recognize excellence in teaching.  The ARRL
Instructor of the Year, Educator of the Year and Professional Instructor
of the Year awards will be presented, as well as the ARRL Excellence in
Recruiting Award. All winners receive engraved plaques.  Complete
information and nomination forms are available at www.arrl.org. (ARRL)

**

AWARDS:  DARA NOMINATIONS TO CLOSE

The nominating period for the 2002 Dayton Hamvention Awards is quickly
coming to an end. The deadline for nominations is also January 31st.

There are three awards presented each year.  They are the Radio Amateur
of the Year, Special Achievement, and Technical Excellence. All amateurs
Novice through Extra are eligible.

Awards are decided by the Awards Committee, based partially upon the
information received. Magazine articles, newsletters, newspaper
clippings, videos and the like are appreciated but cannot be returned.

Nominations can be sent to Post Office Box 964, Dayton Ohio 45401.  They
can also be filed electronically by completing the e-form on the web at
www.hamvention.org. (DARA)

**

AWARDS:  NEWSLINE NAMES FOUR AS SUPER SUPPORTERS

The Amateur Radio Newsline has named four hams who will receive its
first Super Supporter Award certificates.  Don Wilbanks, KC5MFA, has the
names:

--

In alphabetic order, the first certificate goes to Roy Blanchard, N5YHS,
right here in New Orleans. It was Blanchard whose assistance made it
possible for Amateur Radio Newsline to become a federally tax exempt
coropration.

The second is earmarked to Dale Cary, WD0AKO for his decade plus work
in putting the Amateur Radio Newsline on the Internet and creating the
Amateur Radio Newsline website.

Sandy Donahue, W4RU, receives a Super Supporter certificate for his many
years of coordinating the arrival of the Newsline Young Ham of the Year
Award in Huntsville Alabama, and the recipients registration at
Spacecamp. And for the last several years he has also helped to defray
the cost of the mini-banquet held to honor the winners.

Last but by no means least, Todd Hitzeroth, N6ZXJ, was recognized for
his years of volunteering with Newsline at its Dayton Hamvention booth
and engineering the Ham Radio Town Meetings. What makes his contribution
unique is that Hitzeroth lives in California and pays his own way to and
from Dayton each year.

With congratulations to all four recipients, I'm Don Wilbanks, KC5MFA.

--

Approval for the creation of the Amateur Radio Newsline Super Supporter
certificates and naming of the first four recipients took place at the
organizations Board of Directors Meeting held in Glendale California on
December 30th 2001.  A synopsis of the minutes of that meeting will be
posted to our website within the next few weeks. (ARNewsline(tm))

**

INTERNATIONAL-ISRAEL: "FIRST" BRINGS IN NEW HAMS

A new group of radio amateurs has emerged in Israel from a rather
unexpected place.  According to Hagal International, the new Israeli
hams are from an all volunteer Search and Rescue group called First.

 First members are on call to provide wilderness rescues in areas such
as the Israeli desert and canyons.  For communications, First members
have long carried two-way hand helds operating in point to point simplex
mode.  The limitations of simplex in rugged terrain means that there are
times when they cannot keep in touch.

Recognizing a need for improved communications, First contacted to
Israel Amateur Radio Club to ask if the nationwide repeater system could
be made available for search and rescue use.  And according to veteran
ham radio instructor Moshe Inger, 4Z4PF, when First members learned that
they would first have to pass an Israeli ham radio exam, they did not
flinch one bit.  They studied, passed the test and there are now dozen
new hams from Eilat in the South to Golan in the North.  (Hagal
International)

**

INTERNATIONAL-UK:  G3YJO BECOMES SIR MARTIN SWEETING

Meantime, over in the United Kingdom word that Martin Sweeting, G3YJO,
on being knighted.  Sweeting is the Chief Executive of Surrey Satellite
Technology and Director of the Surrey Space Centre.  He will join Sir
Jimmy Young and Sir Ben Kingsley to collect his Knights Bachelor medal
from the Royal Palace. Professor Sir Martin Sweeting, F.R.S., was
knighted for his services to the U-K in microsatellite engineering.
(RSGB)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  QUIET HOURS FOR AO-40

AMSAT reports that AO-40 satellite ground controllers have begun
adjusting the spacecraft's attitude as it enters a period of adverse sun
angles.  The satellite is currently in a long period during which Earth
eclipses the sun near perigee.  These periods will continue well into
next June. As a result, AO-40's operating schedule has been modified to
reflect the decreasing attitude longitude.  (AMSAT)

**

HAPPY BIRTHDAY:  JOHANNES KEPLER AT AGE 470

VK2KGM notes the 470th recorded birthday of Johannes Kepler last
December. Kepler was the first astronomer to determine a mathematical
relationship existed that could be used to predict the motion of
planets.  This became the basis for the Keplerian data we use today for
satellite orbits.  (AMSAT)

**

DX

In DX, word that F2JD is active from the Philippines as DU1 slash G0SHN
on 20, 15 and 10 meters SSB and CW.  Listen for him from now until June
of this year.  QSL as directed on the air.  (RSGB)

Three Finnish operators will be active from Tonga through the 15th of
January, with an emphasis on 160 to 30 meters. They will work CW, SSB
and RTTY with three stations using verticals and dipoles.  (Modern DX)

**

THAT FINAL ITEM:  FANTASTIC VOYAGE REDUX

And finally this week, the world of medical communications research has
finally caught up with the lights of Hollywood.  This, as the government
approves a tiny radio camera-in-a-capsule that patients can swallow.  It
is a camera that will transmit pictures to give doctors a close-up view
of what is inside of you.  Amateur Radio Newsline's Mert Garlick, N6AWE,
has more:

--

The new transmitting video pill is made by Given Imaging Ltd. in Israel.
It is called the M2A Swallowable Imaging Capsule.  It is also  exceeding
tiny.  In fact it is so small that it is easily swallowed by the
patient.

Its inventors say that it then painlessly winds its way through the
digestive tract and uses wireless technology to transmit full color
pictures to a belt pack receiver worn by the patient.  That unit also
decodes the signal and records the information as the patient goes about
his or her daily routine.

A U.S. spokesman for Given Imaging says that doctors who wish to use the
video imaging pill will have to buy a specialized $20,000 computer
workstation.  Each camera capsule costs about $450.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mert Garlick, N6AWE, in Los Angeles.
Roy.

--

The entire system is reminiscent of the science fiction movie "Fantastic
Voyage."  In that film a submarine and its crew of medical specialists
are miniaturized and injected into the bloodstream of a critically
injured man to perform an operation to save his life while receiving
instructions by two way radio.  (Science Today)

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE

With thanks to Alan Labs, Amateur News Weekly, AMSAT, the ARRL, the CGC
Communicator, CQ Magazine, the FCC, the Ohio Penn DX Bulletin, Radio
Netherlands, Rain, the RSGB and Australia's Q-News, that's all from the
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm).  Our e-mail address is newsline
@arnewsline.org.  More information is available at Amateur Radio
Newsline's(tm) only official website located at www.arnewsline.org.  You
can also write to us or support us at Amateur Radio Newsline(tm), P.O.
Box 660937, Arcadia, California 91066.