[Ham-News] Amateur Radio Newsline 1296 - June 14 2002

[Tim Miller]

Amateur Radio Newsline 1296 - June 14 2002

The following is a Q-S-T.  Venezuela says no to W-R-C 2003 and the 
international conference is looking for a new home.  This story is first on 
Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1296 coming your way right now.

**

RADIO LAW:  WRC-03 LOOKING FOR A NEW HOME

The venue of the next World Radiocommunications Conference has become 
uncertain.  This, after Venezuela withdraws an invitation to the International 
Telecommunications Union to host the conference.  Amateur Radio Newsline's 
Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, tells us the impact this decision may have on Amateur 
Radio:
--
According to an ARRL Bulletin, the conference had been scheduled to be held in 
Caracas next June and July.  Whether it can be held on the scheduled dates in 
some other location is not yet known.  This is because the planning for a 
conference of this size and scope generally takes two or three years.

There are a number of issues of importance to hams are on the agenda.  These 
include reaching agreement on separate allocations for Amateur Radio and 
broadcasting in the the 7 MHz band along with the possible revision of Article 
S-25 of the International Radio Regulations.  Also to be taken under 
advisement is the issue of whether to retain the treaty requirement to 
demonstrate Morse code proficiency for access to amateur bands below 30 MHz. 

But all of this may have to wait if the I-T-U cannot find a new host and find 
one quickly.  And that could be a rather problematic at best.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF.
--

The International Telecommunications Union did have an option on conference 
space in Geneva, but that expired before Venezuela decided to cancel. The 
Venezuelan National Commission of Telecommunications cited ongoing economic 
concerns for its decision to walk away from hosting the meeting.  (Adapted 
from ARRL Bulletin)

**

RESCUE RADIO:  THE COLORADO HAYMAN FIRE AND HAM RADIO

A 90,000 acre wildfire called Hayman -- the largest wildfire in Colorado's 
history -- is blazing just outside Denver.  Firefighters, supported by many 
volunteers including ham radio communicators moved into position ahead of the 
flames Wednesday June 12th.  They are setting backfires to try to block the 
fire's path toward the city's southwestern suburbs.  

According to news reports, the Hayman fire was sparked by a campfire in the 
Pike National Forest southwest of Denver.  It has been growing in intensity 
and slowly moving to the north-east.  The blaze now covers close to 145 square 
miles.  So far it has destroyed 21 homes and immediately threatens another 
2,500.  

Earlier, evacuations had been ordered in the town of Sedelia and in the 
Tarryall area in Park County.  Tarryall is on the fire's northwestern edge.  
Colorado has also put out a call for additional fire-fighting crews from 
across the nation to be sent to the area.  About 540 firefighters were working 
on the fires, and 800 more were requested.

Amateur Radio is playing a vital role in the overall fire control effort. 
According to Jay Miller, W-A-5-W-H-N in Albuquerque, quite a bit of support 
communications is taking place over the Mega Link repeater that interties the 
entire region.  And health and welfare nets are operational on both 40 and 75 
meter SSB in addition to VHF F-M.   It is a very fluid situation and net 
frequencies vary with location and time of day.  (WA5WHN, ARNewsline)

**

RESCUE RADIO: THE COLORADO IRON MOUNTAIN FIRE FIRE AND HAM RADIO 

The Hayman fire comes on the heels of last weeks Iron Mountain Fire. more than 
1000 residents were evacuated near Canon City.  At least 200 structures were 
destroyed.  According to the ARRL, members of Fremont County ARES staffed a 
Red Cross shelter set up to serve the evacuated residents in nearby Cotopaxi.  
They also helped to staff the incident command post and the Deer Mountain Fire 
Station.  Also, hams from Pikes Peak ARES staffed the Red Cross headquarters 
in Colorado Springs.  More on this story as news is made available.  
(Adapted from ARRL Bulletin)

**

ENFORCEMENT:  TWO MORE PIRATE BUST 

Two unlicensed broadcasters are are off the air and feeling the FCC's sting.  
Amateur Radio Newsline's Henry Feinberg, K2SSQ, has the details from New York:

--
In the first case the agency has issued a monetary forfeiture -- better known 
as a fine -- a forfeiture in the amount of $10,000 to Thomas A. Brothers of 
Detroit Michigan.  Brothers was cited for willfully and repeatedly violating 
Section 301 of the Communications Act of 1934 involving operating an FM 
station on 88.3 MHz without a Commission license. 

Also being ordered to pay $10,000 for operating an unlicensed broadcast 
station is the Revrend Doctor Phillius Nicholas of Brooklyn New York.  Dr. 
Nicholas is also acused of operating a station in the FM broadcast band 
without a license to do so.  He too was found to have violated the same 
section of the Communications Act. 

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Henry Feinberg, K2SSQ.


--

Neither Brothers or Nicholas responded to initial Notices of Violation. Both 
have been given thirty days to pay the fines imposed by the FCC.  (FCC)

**

THE WORLD:  MISSIONARY KILLED IN THE PHILIPPINES WAS A HAM

Some sad news to report.  A ham radio operator and missionary taken captive by 
Muslim extremists in the Philippines died during a rescue attempt on Friday 
June 7th.  

Martin Burnham, KC0DNB, and his wife Gracia were among three Americans 
abducted by the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas in May of 2001 from a resort off Palawan 
island in the southwest Philippines.  Martin Burnham was killed during the 
fire-fight to rescue them.  Gracia Burnham suffered a would to her leg but was 
otherwise unharmed.  A Filipino nurse held hostage by the same rebels was also 
killed during the rescue attempt.

The Abu Sayyaf rebels have been linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist 
network by United States intelligence sources.  Four rebels were killed while 
Philippine troops suffered seven wounded.  U.S. military advisors training 
Filipino troops in jungle warfare were not involved in the rescue attempt.

The Burnhams, from Rose Hills Kansas, were married for 19 years and had lived 
in the Philippines since 1986.  Martin Burnham, KC0DNB, was a pilot for New 
Tribes Missions, flying other missionaries and supplies throughout the region.  
(CQ, ARNewsline)

**

ENFORCEMENT:  FCC TELLS UTILITY TO CLEAN UP INTERFERENCE TO HAM RADIO

Yet another utility company has been told by the FCC to solve an interference 
problem to a local ham.  This as the agency's Consumer Information and 
Government Affairs Bureau issues a letter to Reliant Energy Corporation of 
Houston Texas requesting that it work with a local amateur operator named Ed 
Gerber, W5GCX, to resolve an ongoing powerline interference problem.  (FCC)

**

ENFORCEMENT:  EX-HAM BACK IN JAIL FOR PAROLE VIOLATION

A former ham is back in jail.  This with word that Jack Gerritson, the ex-
KG6IRO of Los Angeles will be spending the next three years in prison for 
violating parole on an earlier conviction involving malicious interference to 
emergency service communications.

As previously reported, Gerritson was arrested and convicted in 1999 for radio 
interference to the Los Angeles Police Department. On November 14, 2001, 
Gerritson's ham radio license and KG6IRO call sign were set aside by the FCC.  

Gerritson was freed from prison on probation after serving one year of a five 
year term.  After his release, the FCC says that he continued operating and 
causing deliberate interference to numerous Amateur radio repeaters in the Los 
Angeles area.  So this past January 29th, Los Angeles FCC agents participated 
in a pre-dawn arrest of Gerritson.  His arrest came in direct response to 
complaints of death threats allegedly made by Gerritson on a 2-Meter Amateur 
Service frequency.  (FCC)

**

RADIO LAW:  FCC DISMISSES DISH ANTENNA CHALLENGES

The FCC has dismissed several petitions for reconsideration of it's 1996 
direct broadcast satellite antenna Report and Order.  In the order, the 
Commission had preempted local regulations that imposed restrictions affecting 
the installation, use and maintenance of satellite earth station antennas one 
meter or less in any area or two meters or less in commercial or industrial 
areas. 

Nine petitions for reconsideration of the 1996 Report and Order were filed. 
Then, in October of 2001, the FCC's International Bureau released a public 
notice asking parties to refresh the record regarding petitions for 
reconsideration of the Antenna Report and Order.  

In the public notice, the Bureau noted that, since the release of the order, 
many of the issues raised in the petitions for reconsideration may have become 
moot or irrelevant in light of intervening events. No petitioner filed in 
response to this public notice.  The FCC has now dismissed those petitions on 
the grounds none have not indicated an intent to pursue their respective 
appeal.  (FCC)
**

RADIO REGULATIONS:  MICROWAVE RADOMES PROPOSED FOR LOCAL FOREST SERVICE SITES

The CGC Communicator reports that the Forest Service is proposing to require 
radome covers on all microwave dishes that are installed on Forest Service 
land in the state of California.  The service says that this action is 
necessary to protect the California Condor from perching on the horizontal 
feed horns of the dishes and becoming microwave baked.  The decision comes in 
the wake of an environmental lawsuit brought by conservationists.  (CGC 
Communicator)

**

CONTESTS:  CQ WW VHF WEEKEND

Changing gears, word this year's CQ World Wide VHF Contest will be held the 
third weekend in July.  Operations commence at 1800 U-T-C on July 20 and 
ending at 2100 U-T-C on July 21, 2002.

Please note that this date is one week later than in past years. The change 
comes in response to numerous requests by the participants and potential 
participants.  The old date was in direct conflict with the I-A-R-U contest 
and the World Radiosports Team Championship games.  It also occurred only one 
week after the European Field Day.  Complete rules can be found in .pdf format 
at http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/VHFRUl02.pdf  (W3ZZ)

**

AWARDS:  KB2YAA NAMED BY PIONEER RADIO OPERATOR SOCIETY

And congratulations go out to Gary Tillinghast, KB2YAA, of Springville New 
York.  This, on his being named as the Pioneer Radio Operator Society Amateur 
of the Year.  KB2YAA is an active member of the Handi Ham System which made 
public the news that he had received this prestigious honor.  (Handi Hams)

**

REGULATORY:  ARE YOU ELECTROSENSITIVE?

Are you ectrosensitive?  That is, are you one of those people who is unusually 
sensitive to radio frequency fields?  

Well a group called the Cellular Phone Taskforce thinks that some people are.  
It also believes that the FCC should not allow certain RF telemetry equipment 
in health care facilities.  The Taskforce's holds the opinion that these R-F 
fields will have what it calls the "unwanted, illegal and unconstitutional 
effect of depriving electrically sensitive persons of access to health care.  

Well, it turns out that the electrosensitivity issue was considered by the FCC 
some time ago in E-T Docket 95 dash 177.  After giving it consideration, it 
was dismissed. More information can be found at 
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-02-135A1.doc  (FCC)

**

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY:  FLYING THE INTERNET
 
Three airlines -- American, Delta and United say they will offer high-speed 
Internet connections on some long-distance U.S. flights beginning this summer.  
The connections will cost around $20 an hour and offer e-mail, access to the 
Web, and live television broadcasts.  The airlines say that they hoped to 
eventually expand the service to most of their domestic and international 
flights. Passengers would have to bring their own laptop computers.  (Computer 
Daily)

**

SPACE AND SCIENCE:  HAMS SET NEW SPACE ENDURANCE RECORD

Two American ham radio operators have broken NASA's space endurance record of 
188 days and four hours.   But astronaut Dan Bursch, KD5PNU, declined a 
playful suggestion from Mission Control that he might want to go for the 438-
day world record. 
   
Bursch's fellow space-traveler, Carl Walz, KC5TIE, was with him in the space 
station and the shuttle and shares the endurance record.  The two astronauts 
broke the record while in bed, ready for some shut-eye.  The old U.S. record 
was set by Shannon Lucid in 1996 aboard Russia's now de-orbited Mir station.  
(NASA)

**

SPACE TECHNOLOGY:  JPL TAKES COMMAND OF FRENCH SATELLITE

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena California is now handling command 
sequences for a weather satellite the French launched in December.  Over the 
next six months, data from Jason I will be dissected by JPL's team of 
scientists, who will study interactions of the world's oceans and atmosphere 
and observe events like El Nino. 
   
Until now, Jason I has been under the guidance of the French Centre National 
d'Etudes Spatiales.  With the handover, JPL will be responsible for sending 
command sequences to the spacecraft. The French agency will continue to 
perform navigation and engineering tasks.  (NASA)

** 

INTERNATIONAL - U.K.:  HAM RADIO HELPS CELEBRATE QUEEN ELIZABETH'S GOLDEN 
JUBILEE

On the international scene, Amateur Radio was front and center with a 
commemorative station near Windsor Castle when Britain's Queen Elizabeth 
celebrated her recent Golden Jubileee.  Jeramy Boot, G4NJH, reports from 
Nottingham in the U.K.:

--
As of 1530UTC on Tuesday the 4th, GB50 had made in excess of 14,000 contacts, 
putting them within reach of meeting their own target of 20,000 QSOs during 
the operation. More importantly, over 2000 members of the public had visited 
the station and 'Amateur Radio Experience' exhibition by Tuesday afternoon, 
the majority learning about amateur radio and the Foundation Licence scheme 
for the first time. 

Also on Tuesday, no fewer than 41 members of the public were able to send 
greetings messages from the GB50 station, giving them a real 'hands-on' 
experience of amateur radio. 

Jeramy Boot, G4NJH
--

The GB50 station closed down operations at 21:00 UTC on Sunday, June 9th.  
(RSGB)

**

INTERNATIONAL - SOUTH AFRICA:  A LICENSING RECORD

South Africa has set a new licensing record.  This as the results of that 
nations May 2002 Radio Amateur Examinations or R-A-E are announced.  Q-News 
Graham Kemp, VK4BB, reports:

--
Results of the May 2002 Radio Amateur Examinations are published in record 
time. The results of the RAE, held in South Africa, written 23 May,  were 
announced on 30 May.   Each candidate who passed the examination and had 
completed a  license application form has also been issued with a callsign. 

 95 of the 113 candidates who wrote the examination were successful.  The 
highest marks were achieved by Dr G A Keen of Cape Town, 100% in both the 
papers.

 The youngest candidate to pass the class A examination is 15 year old Q D Du 
Preez of Durban who now boasts with the callsign ZR5QD.  The oldest to pass, 
72 year old C H Stevens of George who now boasts ZR1AWG.