[Ham-News] Amateur Radio Newsline 1307 - August 30th, 2002

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Amateur Radio Newsline 1307 - August 30th, 2002

The following is a Q-S-T. 

Ham radio assists at a world development summit in Africa and hams in 
Michigan aid in the search for two missing girls.  These stories are  
first on Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1307 coming your way right 
now.

**

HAM RADIO IN ACTION:  SUMMIT IN SOUTH AFRICA

Ham radio has played a vital role in a World Summit for Sustainable 
Development held in South Africa.  It began on Monday August 26th.  Just 
before the opening gavel fell Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS6AKV, filed 
this report from Johannesburg:

--
"Radio amateurs will be providing communications assistance at three 
main operational centers.  Members of the South African Radio League's 
emergency communications arm Hamnet will set up facilities alongside the 
National Defense Force and the South African Police Services.  They will 
be operating at the main convention center, at Campton Park near 
Johannesburg International Airport and in Pretoria near the Woodcliff 
airbase.  

Radio amateurs will be using the extensive repeater network in the city 
as well as H.F.. ZS6BUU, the National Director for the South Africa 
Radio League's Hamnet  has more details:

--
ZS6BUU:  "There will also be at least two mobile stations fully equipped 
to be available should the necessity arise.  More vehicles can be called 
upon if needed.  

One vehicle will be on stand-by should we need communications from 
Lancerial Airport.  Now, Lancerial is an alternative airport should 
Woodcliff Airbase become clogged up with aircraft coming in from al over 
the world.  

Hamnet is required to render emergency communications in association 
with the SANDF -- that's the defense force as well as our local police.  
Hamnet regards this as a good exercise to test our preparedness and how 
we will be able to handle any emergency -- if and when one should come 
up."
--

It goes without saying that many other radio amateurs will be available 
should the need arise.  

I'm Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS6AKV, reporting from Johannesburg.

--

The 10-day summit is being billed as the largest in U.N. history.  It 
has been nicknamed Rio+10 because it marks the 10th anniversary of the 
landmark 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

**

RESCUE RADIO:  MICHIGAN HAMS HUNT FOR MISSING KIDS

They did not plan to get involved but a group of Michigan hams  swung 
into action after a policeman in the town of Grand Haven knocked on the 
door of Andrew Young, N8ARY.  The officer was going door to door looking 
for two missing area youngsters.  On learning of the situation, Young 
decided to see what he could do to help:

--
Young: "I called a friend of mine who is also an Amateur Radio person 
because he had a park across from his house where kids generally play.  
I asked him to keep an eye open for the two children.  A few minutes 
later he called someone else on the repeater and asked them to do the 
same thing and a few guys heard it and just kind of assembled as a loose 
knit net."  
--

The person that Young called was Donald Smith, N8HCS, also of Grand 
Haven.  He enlisted Smith to keep his eyes open for the two young girls. 
N8HCS assisted by David Cross, N3WJF, then called up an informal net 
that grew in size to about a dozen area hams.  Most of the action was in 
the search:

--
Young: "We sort of just stayed out on the street and interacted with 
people and reported anything we heard back to the net control."
--

As the informal net grew into a formal operation, John Sundstrom, N8YQD  
was dispatched to be at the girls parents home.  His job was to maintain 
contact after the net turned into a formal search.  Coordination and 
central dispatch where in the hands of Don Meyer, KB8ODB.

The good news came when the girls were located by the police about two 
hours after the start of the net.  This, thanks to a report from a 
neighbor who saw the girls and called in.

Young says that with all of the recent abductions in the news, it is 
nice to see a community mobilize like this to find the missing children.  
Even better:  In this case the search was a complete success.  
(ARNewsline)

**

EMERGENCY COMMS:  GRANT AIDED ARRL TRAINING TO BEGIN

Word from the American Radio Relay League, that its Amateur Radio 
Emergency Communications Training Courses supported by a
$181,900 federal Homeland Security grant will begin within a few
weeks.  As previously reported from an ARRL bulletin the League was 
among several dozen nonprofit organizations designated to receive some 
$10.3 million in federal money to boost homeland defense volunteer 
programs.  During its first year, the grant will reimburse the cost of 
Level I ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course training for 
up to 1700 volunteers.  More information is on the web at www.arrl.org.  
(ARRL)

**

RADIO RULES: VANITY FEE GOES UP SEPTEMBER 9TH

A new and slightly higher fee for vanity call sign applications will go 
into effect on September 9th.  According to the FCC, applications 
received on or after that date will be subject to a $14.50 fee for a 
full ten year license term.  (FCC, RAIN)

**

ENFORCEMENT:  FCC WEIGHS INTO REPEATER FRAY

The FCC is weighing in on an ongoing repeater versus repeater dispute in 
Arkansas.  The Agency's Daryl Duckworth, NN0W, explains:

--
Duckworth:  "We requested further information from Gerald Hogue, KD5CYA, 
of Conway Arkansas regarding continuing interference between his 
repeater and the AC5RU repeater.  We had notified both parties some time 
sago that each was responsible for taking steps to minimize 
interference, but we are seeing no cooperation on the part of the KD5CYA 
repeater.  Hogue has 20 days to respond."
--

But the problem seems to have gone past the repeater versus repeater 
stage.  Now users are getting involved and the FCC is taking action 
there as well.  Again, the FCC's Daryl Duckworth:

--
Duckworth:  "On the same topic, the Enforcement Bureau has warned Ronald 
Lewis of Morrilton Arkansas, KC5BNN, about interference to users of the 
AC5RU repeater.  I was pointed out Lewis that his license renewal comes 
up in June 2003 and that this matter must be resolved if he is to 
receive a routine renewal."
--

In its letter to Lewis the FCC said that it will not tolerate deliberate 
interference between the two repeaters.  Also that it does not care if 
the interference is from a transmission by one of the repeaters or by a 
user of one of the repeaters making a broadcast intended to degrade the 
other repeater.  Either way, it must stop.  (FCC, RAIN)

**

ENFORCEMENT:  MORE TROUBLES FOR FAX.COM

More problems for fax.com - the direct fax advertising company recently 
hit with a 5 point 4 million dollar fine by the FCC.  Now a California 
businessman says that he wants a lot more from the firm in punitive 
damages for being spammed.

Steve Kirsch, a Silicon Valley executive is suing fax.com for two-point-
two trillion dollars.  Yes we said trillion with a capitol T.  And 
Kirsch says that he has filed the litigation because he believes that to 
be the amount consumers should get if the proper penalty is assessed for 
each and every junk fax ever sent by fax.com, plus triple damages as 
permitted under federal law. 
   
Kirsch is founder and chief executive of Propel Software in San Jose.  
He decided to pursue the class action suit after he got a torrent of 
unsolicited faxed ads.  Kirsch estimates an unwanted fax wastes ten 
cents for the cost of paper, ink and fax machine wear and tear.  
(Published news reports)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS:  BASS WILL FLY IN OCTOBER

According to the latest news reports, Lance Bass of the boy band 'N Sync 
will fly to the International Space Station in October.  Hollywood 
producer David Krieff, who has arranged financial backing for the 
performer's space venture, says that Russian space agency executives and 
attorneys recently flew to Los Angeles and spent eight days hammering 
out a 400-page flight agreement with Bass' representatives.  Krieff said 
Bass is slated to blast off October 28th from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in 
Kazakhstan with two cosmonauts on an eight-day Soyuz "taxi" and resupply 
mission to the space station.  Krieff also disputed remarks attributed 
to a Rosaviakosmos spokesman Sergei Gorbunov that the Russian space 
agency might scrub Bass from the mission because he had failed to meet a 
payment deadline. 
    
Bass hopes to follow in the footsteps of the world's first two space 
tourists -- American businessman Dennis Tito and South African 
millionaire Mark Shuttleworth.  There is still no word  as to whether or 
not Bass might operate the ham station on board the I-S-S, but the 
entertainer was scheduled to talk with school children from the Johnson 
Space Center in Houston on August 29th over the Internet.  This, using 
NASA's Distance Learning Outpost and Education Web Portal.  (Published 
news reports, NASA release)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS:  FORMER HAM TO HOST REVIVAL OF TV GAME SHOW

Donny Osmond, the former KA7EVD, will be helping to bring a legendary 
television game show back to the small screen.  USA Today reports that 
starting in September, Osmond will be the host of Pyramid, a syndicated 
revival of the game shows created and hosted by Dick Clark in the 1970s 
and '80s. 

According to Los Angeles ham radio lore, Osmond was reportedly mentored 
into ham radio in the early 1980's by the late Art Gentry, W6MEP.  This, 
when Osmond and his sister were taping the Donnie and Marie Show at the 
Golden West Studios in Hollywood.  Gentry, who was employed there as a 
Broadcast Engineer is best known for his development of the FM repeater 
- a device that changed the way most hams operate on the VHF and UHF 
Amateur Service bands.  He and his wife Millie, K6JJN, were also  
mentors to many Los Angeles youngsters wanting to enter ham radio.  (USA 
Today, ARNewsline)

**


NAMES IN THE NEWS:  DARA NAMES SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

Gary Des Combes, N8EMO Chairman of the Dayton Amateur Radio Association 
Scholarship Committee has announced the recipients of the clubs 2002 
scholarship program.  Named to receive financial support for their 
future education are Thomas Tenaglia, K3TAT; William Bailey, KF4VAU;  
Victoria Morgan, KF4PNI; Nicholas Bishop, KG6JSA; Jeanne Hansen, KB2RAP; 
Sara  Hanna, KE6MWX; Jeffrey Doub, KC8IOC; Michael J. Haessler, KB9TGF 
and Amy Morris, KI6F.  Scholarship awards run between $1000 and $2000.  
(DARA)

**

HAM RADIO BUSINESS:  NEW LINK-COMM SOFTWARE ENHANCES REPEATER 
CONTROLLERS

Attention repeater owners.  If your system uses a Link-Comm controller, 
have we got good news for you.

Steve Srobel of Link Communications has announced that new programming 
software for the RLC-1 Plus, RLC-2, RLC-3, RLC-4, and RLC-Club is now 
available.  The new software allows you to program messages, timers, 
autodial numbers, etc. with a point-and-click interface.  It also 
provides a way to manually edit and upload a file of other advanced 
commands.

The best part is that it can be downloaded for free from 
www.linkcomm.com/quickstart.html.  You can email feedback about the 
program to mark at link-comm.com.  (Repeater Owners Remailer)

**

HAM RADIO BUSINESS:  COMMEMORATIVE PIN FROM KENWOOD

Kenwood Communications is offering a commemorative "United We Stand" pin 
with the purchase of any new Kenwood Amateur radio. The offer is good in 
the United States only and began on August 20th.  It runs till further 
notice.   More information as on the web at www.kenwood.net/ama_page.cfm  
(Kenwood Communications)

**

CONVENTIONS:  CB'ERS TO MEET DOWN-UNDER

Are you into C-B radio?  Do you like to travel?  Would you like to go to 
a week long C-B Break?  Well here's a convention for you.

Q-News reports that the Albatros C-B Radio Club will be holding its 
annual convention the week of September 14th to the 21st.  That's right 
it is a week long C-B show with all the trimmings.  New gear.  lectures 
and what have you.  

It all takes place in the city of Ballina.  That's down-under -- in 
Australia.  (Q-News)

**

HAMFESTS:  LIMARC IN NEW YORK SEPTEMBER 15TH

Closer to home, LIMARC, the Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club will 
be holding its fall hamfest on Sunday, September 15th.  The venue is 
Briarcliffe College in Bethpage, New York.  Gates open at 6:30 AM for 
vendors and for the general public at 8:30 AM Eastern time.  More 
information is in cyberspace at www.limarc.org or call the 24-hour info 
line at 516-520-9311.  (LIMARC)

**

HAMFESTS AND CONVENTIONS:  NRC TO WEBCAST 

The National Radio Club will hold its annual convention the Saturday and 
Sunday prior to Labor Day.  N-R-C is a group made up of Medium Wave D-X 
radio listeners with the club founded back in 1933.  And in past years 
the club has set up a carrier current radio station in the hotel where 
its conventions are held.  Normally you cannot hear the broadcast 
outside the hotel grounds, but this year could be different.  This is 
because the carrier current station will be helped by a broadcast remote 
pick-up channel that will be used to send the audio across town to a 
server that will distribute it as a webcast.  The frequency to be used 
belongs to WLIO television in Lima Ohio.  Fred Vobbe, W8HDU, explains 
what will happen.

--
W8HDU:  "At the hotel we're going to place a small walkman radio 
connected to an old remote pickup unit.  The transmitter is on 26.410 
in narrowband FM, and it will relay back to WLIO's studios where the 
club will have its server encoding the data stream.  The transmitter 
runs about 40 watts into a CB type antenna, and it IDs every 10 minutes 
with the call WPLP549.  The ID won't be heard on the webcast as it's 
filtered out at the receiver."
--

If you hear this broadcast, you can get a QSL by sending an accurate 
report to Fred Vobbe, W8HDU, in care of WLIO Television, 1424 Rice 
Avenue, Lima Ohio 45805.  (NRC, W8HDU)

**


INTERNATIONAL-AUSTRALIA:  VANDALISM AND BULLETS ON THE AM BAND

On the international scene, the staff of Brisbane Australia commercial 
AM station 4BH are in shock after what appears to have been a deliberate 
attack on the radio station's twin broadcasting towers.  Q-News Graham 
Kemp, VK4BB, has the details:

--
4BH broadcasts on 882 kHz and although now a DMG music station is 
probably better known from it's "glory days" as the Queensland Key 
Station of the Macquarie Broadcasting Network.

Police are investigating an incident just before 9 o'clock Monday August 
19 which saw both broadcasting towers have their guys cut with what 
appears to have been bolt cutters, which sent them crashing to the 
ground, putting the radio station off air, and coming to rest just 
meters away from a caravan park.

The broadcast industry in Brisbane rallied around, SWITCH AM a public  
community access station at Long Pocket on 1053 kHz has gone "off air", 
donating their transmission facility to the Commercial station.  4BH was 
back on air just 27 hrs later at just some 800 watts, instead of their 
5kW, using a retuned 1053 TX and tower, retuned thanks to Radio TAB 
engineering staff winding some 11 heavy duty inductors.

This incident is unprecedented and has ramifications for all commercial 
radio broadcasters and the Commercial Broadcasters Industry Association 
has said "While it is hoped that this situation will not occur again it 
may be advisable for stations to review, and where necessary, upgrade 
security arrangements at their transmission facilities".  

This is the same site which saw thieves using bolt cutters gain entry to 
steal some 2 dozen satellite dishes belonging to Radio TAB early in the 
year.  Allegedly the 4BH studios in suburban Stones Corner were fired 
upon recently, at least one bullet penetrating an office.