[Ham-News] Amateur Radio Newsline 1321 – December 6, 2002
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Sat Dec 7 01:25:07 EST 2002
Amateur Radio Newsline™ Report 1321 – December 6, 2002
The following is a Q-S-T. North Korea takes its only ham off the air and
the first digital voice Q-S-O across the Atlantic. These stories are first
on Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1321 coming your way right now.
**
INTERNATIONAL – N. KOREA: LAST HAM FORCED OFF THE AIR
The Peoples Republic of Korea appears to no longer want Amateur Radio
operating from its soil. It made its intention clear when it asked its
only ham to pack his gear and send it out of the country. Jeramy Boot,
G4NJH, in Nottingham England has the details:
--
Ed, P5/4L4FN, the only radio amateur operating legally from North Korea,
has had to close down. On the evening of the 22nd of November, Ed was
called into a meeting with the North Korean Radio Regulation Board. Without
any explanation he was politely asked to stop all transmissions and to pack
up all his radio equipment.
Ed spent the following day dissembling his antennas and packing boxes. That
afternoon government officials sealed all the boxes and Ed has been told to
take everything out of the country when he leaves North Korea for a
two-week holiday on the 10th of December.
Jeramy Boot, G4NJH
--
With Ed now off the air, ham radio is gone from North Korea and nobody
expects it to be resumed anytime in the near future. It also puts North
Korea back near the top of D-X'ings most wanted list. More on this story is
at www.amsatnet.com/p5.html. (RSGB)
**
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: DIGITAL HAM AUDIO SPANS THE ATLANTIC
Two ham radio communications pioneers have achieved a major breakthrough.
The first two-way digital voice transmission across the Atlantic via
Amateur Radio. Norm Seeley, KI7UP tells us who did it and how it was
accomplished.
--
Doug Smith, KF6DX, and Didier Chulot, F5MJN, have successfully transmitted
and received HF digital speech signals between Sevierville, Tennessee and
Paris, France. It happened on Friday, November 22nd.
The first historic contact took place on 21.218 MHz in the 15 meter band.
Chulot spoke with Smith for several minutes using a high-frequency digital
link within a 3-kHz bandwidth. Signal strengths were S-5 to S-7 and
readability was solid in both directions.
The feat was accomplished using Ten-Tec transceivers and digital audio
systems from Thales Communications.
--
The Q-S-O demonstrated the advantages of digital audio for two way radio.
This includes noise-free, FM-like reception and the potential for
simultaneous voice and data exchange.
With an eye toward the digital future of Amateur Radio, I'm Norm Seeley,
KI7UP.
--
The Ten-Tec/Thales system used in this experiment is based on a new
international broadcasting standard for digital radio adopted last year by
the International Telecommunications Union. The FCC has approved a
similar standard for broadcasting in the United States. An Amateur Radio
version is expected to appear on the market sometime in 2003. (KF6DX,
Ten-Tec)
**
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: PPW PROPOSES ELECTRONIC INFRASTRUCTURE TO WARN PUBLIC
OF DANGER
A group of U.S. communications security experts has recommended that
Americans be alerted to impending danger over their wireless devices.
Amateur Radio Newsline's Fred Vobbe, W-8-H-D-U, takes a look at this new
concept in emergency notification:
--
The Partnership for Public Warning says that a national wireless system
could send alerts to citizens via their pagers, mobile phones or computer
screens.
The Partnership for Public Warning is a newly formed thirty-member advisory
body that includes representatives of government agencies, relief agencies
and even a ham radio operator. And on Monday, November 25th it released a
report that says conventional media broadcasts may spread alerts too slowly
in instances of pending natural disaster or terrorist threat.
P-P-W says that the newly formed Department for Homeland Security should
take responsibility for leading development of a national all-hazard public
warning architecture. This, in partnership with other federal agencies,
state and local governments, industry, universities and other stakeholders.
The technology itself would be produced by private industry with the alert
system operated by governments and selected other organizations following a
strict set of alert protocols.
P-P-W says that improved warning systems and procedures will reduce losses
from natural and man-made disasters, and will speed recovery. Most
important is that it will save lives.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Fred Vobbe, W8HDU
--
President Bush cited quick responses to attacks as a priority of the new
Department of Homeland Security which will consolidate parts of 22
departments to better prevent attacks in the wake of the September 11, 2001
terrorist attacks in which some 3,000 people died.
information about the Partnership For Public Warning is on the web at
http://www.partnershipforpublicwarning.org/ppw (Published reports)
**
HAM RADIO GROWTH: GOOD NUMBERS TO US
The folks on that "other band" might call this "almost good numbers." This
with word that the number of radio amateurs licensed by the Federal
Communications Commission is at a five-year high. But there are some
caveats. Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, has more:
--
According to the CQ Magazine website, FCC numbersshow a total United States
ham population of 684,498 as of October 31st. And breakdowns provided by
Joe Speroni, A-H-Zero-A, say that the primary growth has come among Amateur
Extra Classand General Class licensees. Extra is now breaking the 100,000
point for the first time.
Technician Class figures have essentially held steady. Also we had 20,000
new hams entering the hobby in the year ending October 31st.
License renewal statistics were also encouraging with the renewal rate
climbing from an abysmal 45% two years ago to a better, but still
unacceptable, rate of 55% in the past year.
Better numbers, but not the best.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, in Los Angeles.
--
More on licensing figures are on the web at www.speroni.com/fcc (CQ)
**
HAM RADIO IN THE PUBLIC EYE: THE ATLANTC MONTHLY
The November 26th edition of Atlantic Monthly Magazine On-Line has some
good words about ham radio and its role in homeland security. In an
article titled America's Secret Weapon in the War on Terror, one of the
groups singled out for attention is the nations corps of Amateur Radio
operators. Its described in the article as an ever-ready line of emergency
communications.
The story goes on to say that America boasts 650,000 licensed ham-radio
operators. It quotes he ARRL's Mary Hobart as saying that about 1,500 of
them are fully certified in emergency communications and are prepared to
rush to the scene of a forest fire, flood, or hurricane with a jump bag
full of portable radio equipment. And says Hobart, That can be crucial.
Atlantic Monthly notes that when phone lines, radio towers, and even
satellites go down, ham operators -- broadcasting each to each other , and
operating on batteries or generator -- stay on the air. And says Atlantic
Monthly, after the terrorist attacks of 911 when New York's cell phones
turned into paperweights hundreds of hams, some from as far away as Texas
and California, turned out to provide radio lifelines for emergency
workers and relief agencies.
The article is must reading for everyone involved in Amateur Radio public
relations. It can be found at the U-R-L listed in this weeks Amateur Radio
Newsline print edition.
The complete article is at
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/nj/rauch2002-11-26.htm (KS2G)
**
ENFORCEMENT: FCC INVESTIGATING INTERFERENCE TO EMERGENCY TRAFFIC IN LOS
ANGELES
The FCC is looking into allegations that two Los angeles area hams
interfered with a distress call on an area repeater. The FCC's Daryl
Duckworth, NN0W explains:
--
"The Enforcement Bureau has opened a case involving allegations of
deliberate interference to emergency communications on the N6SAP repeater
in the Los Angeles area. Anton W. Johnson, N6OAY, and Ledge Musselman,
KC6NCN, are being asked to explain the allegations of the operations on
October 2.
Information is also being sought from the repeater licensee. Scott Press.
This mater is being taken very seriously by the Enforcement Bureau since
emergency communications is one of the foundations of Amateur Radio."
--
The FCC claims that Johnson and Musselman interfered with attempts to relay
emergency traffic on the 147.435 repeater at about 9:45 a.m. on October
2nd. Press is being asked to explain what action he is taking in this
matter. He is also been directed to summarize any conversations he may
have had with the licensees against whom the allegations have been made.
The FCC says that Press must also provide any written correspondence he may
have sent to Johnson and Musselman. All three were given twenty days from
he date of the FCC letters to respond.
**
ENFORCEMENT: THE STORY OF THE EX-AA8DP
A follow-up now to last weeks report of the capture of Steve Anderson, the
ex AA8DP. Anderson was wanted in connrection with an alleged attack on a
police officer. He was arrested in the hills of North Carolina following
a manhunt that has lasted over a year. Amateur Radio Newsline's Henry
Feinberg, K2SSQ, has the story of how Anderson was caught:
--
A tip to the Fox Television program "America's Most Wanted" and forwarded
to federal investigators has led to the arrest of Kentucky fugitive Steve
Anderson, the ex-AA8DP. Anderson, an alleged white supremacist who
resigned his Amateur Radio license almost two years ago and then operated
an unlicensed radio station from his home, had been at large since October
14th of 2001.
According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, Anderson was arrested in the
mountains of southwestern North Carolina by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco
and Firearms and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. The
A-T-F's Don York told the newspaper that America's Most Wanted received
a tip about Anderson's whereabouts after airing its second segment on him
about a month ago. The tip was forwarded to the A-T-F, which worked the
case with North Carolina authorities.
Anderson is accused of shooting an automatic weapon at Deputy Scott Elder.
This, after Elder had pulled Anderson's truck over north of Middlesboro
Kentucky for a traffic violation. Elder was unharmed after Anderson
allegedly opened fire, but his police cruiser was struck about two dozen
times. Police said Anderson then drove into the mountains, and a search of
his property turned up explosives and guns.
Anderson had attracted attention of authorities several years ago by
playing host to a small Ku Klux Klan rally during which a cross was burned.
He also allegedly operated a shortwave radio station out of his home, where
his commentary against minorities, immigrants and the government drew the
attention of the Federal Communications Commission. The Anti-Defamation
League complained to the FCC about Anderson's broadcasts which were taking
place in the Amateur bands. Rather than explain his actions, Anderson sent
in his AA8DP license for cancellation. It was accompanied by a rather
convoluted message that said he did not recognize the licensing authority
of the FCC which he called an agent of a foreign power.
Anderson continued to broadcast but bowing to extensive pressure from the
nations ham radio community, he took the transmissions out of the Amateur
service bands. They stopped after he disappeared following the alleged
attack on Officer Elder.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, In Henry Feinberg, K2SSQ.
--
As previously reported, the ex-AA8DP had been a member of the Kentucky
State Militia until April 2001. That group dismissed Anderson because he
refused to shut down his unlicensed radio operation. (ARNewsline(tm) from
published reports)
**
THE INTERNET VS. HAM RADIO: HOTMAIL AND JUNO BLOCK ARRL E-MAIL FORWARDING
If you get your e-mail using the American Radio Relay League's @arrl.net
vanity address, and use Juno or Hotmail as your account you know that you
were cut off for a few days. It wasn't the ARRL's doing. Blame it on the
twi internet service providers.
According to an ARRL bulletin the two companies notified the League on
November 25th that they had stopped accepting e-mail messages forwarded to
users of their services from the arrl.net e-mail server. According to
representatives of the two companies, this was part of heir solution to the
Internet-wide problem of spam.
The ARRL, through the vendor for the arrl.net server began working with
both companies to resolve this matter. The ARRL and Hotmail reached a
accord the fllowing day and service was restored. Juno was back late on
Monday December 2nd. During the peak of the service outage, forwarded
e-mail to nearly 6,000 ARRL members was curtailed. (ARRL)
**
RADIO LAW: NEW CODES DEVELOPED TO HELP STUDY RADIO RELATED HIGHWAY
ACCIDENTS
State highway departments will soon get help tracking how many traffic
accidents are caused by drivers chatting on their handheld cell phones or
C-B sets, using their pagers or checking their personal digital assistants.
In January, every state will receive a booklet of revised codes that
describes causes of vehicle crashes, including distractions from electronic
communication devices. The codes were developed by traffic safety and crash
data experts, including the Governors Highway Safety Association and the
Federal Highway Administration.
A spokesperson for the Governors Highway Safety Association, says that the
updated crash codes will allow the organization to develop data that
demonstrates whether electronic distractions in cars are a serious safety
problem. A March report by the National Conference of State Legislatures
suggests device-related distractions killed an estimated 600 to 1,000
motorists in 2001 and could kill 2,000 a year by 2004. (Published news
reports)
**
RADIO EDUCATION: HAM RADIO COURSE OFFERED AT PENN STATE
Amateur Radio is a part of the training being offered this fall to freshmen
at the Pennsylvania State University. According to Brad Parola, KB3HQE,
Vice President of the Penn State Amateur Radio Club, part of the course
during the first half of the Fall semester included exposure to Amateur
Radio. Students were shown how to tune radios like the Ten Tec Pegasus,
shown how to receive PSK 31 signals, and were given a tour of the world
famous Rock Springs Antenna Test Range run by Dr. Jim Breakall WA3FET.
Early in October, those students who were interested were given the
opportunity to take their Technician class tests. So far 15 students have
passed an Amateur service exam. (KB3HQE)
**
RESCUE UPDATE: ZL1AMO CONDITION REPORTED UNCHANGED
We have an update in the medical condition of famed D-X'er Ron Wright ,
ZL1AMO. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, has the latest:
--
A bit of good news this week. Wrights daughter Terri says the family
visited Ron in the hospital and he was sitting up in a lazy boy chair. This
is the first time any of the family had seen seen him out of the bed since
he was hospitalized. Terri Wring says that Ron is also trying to
communicate with those around him and he looks a lot better than on
previous visits.
As reported last week, Wright suffered collapsed lungs while visiting Fiji.
He was air lifted by an emergency air ambulance to Auckland New Zealand
where he was initially reported to be in critical condition and on life
support.
The INDEXA – the International D-X Association -- has established a fund
to assist Wright and his family with the cost of air evacuating him from
Fiji to Auckland. Donations go to the ZL1AMO Air Ambulance Fund, in care
of Bill Jennings, W4UNP, P. O. Box 607, Rock Hill, South Carolina, 29731.
Sorry, but INDEXA says that contributions to this fund are not tax
deductible.
From Auckland New Zealand – down under – I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF,
reporting for the Amateur Radio Newsline
--
Updates on the fund and Wrights condition are being posted to the web at
www.papays.com/opdx.html ( ARNewsline(tm), INDEXA, AA7UC)
**
THE SCIENCE PAGE: WHALES YES – NAVY NO
A federal judge has tentatively blocked the Navy from deploying a new early
warning system because it might harm whales. Amateur Radio Newsline's
Brucce Tennant, K6PZW, has the rest of the story:
--
A Federal court has said no to a new high-frequency SONAR system designed
to detect enemy submarines at long range because it could further endanger
the worlds whale population. But in making his ruing, the judge also said
the Navy may use the sonar during wartime and must be allowed to train with
it beforehand.
In partially siding with environmentalists, the judge ordered both sides
back to court to begin formulating a plan balancing environmental and
military concerns. Environmental organizations say the Navy's powerful
sonar system can strand, maim or kill marine mammals. The Navy disagreed.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, in Los Angeles.
--
A few days earlier, a different judge ordered the National Science
Foundation to stop firing high-intensity sonic blasts into the Gulf of
California because they harm whales. So far there has been no comment from
either the Navy or the N-S-F. (Published reports)
**
HAM RADIO IN SPACE: UO-22 IS BACK WITH US – FOR NOW
G7UPN reports that U-O-SAT 22 is back on line and open for business. At
least for the time being.
Chris tells the AMSAT News Service that new software has been loaded to try
and keep the downlink operating most of the time. But says G7UPN, UO-22 is
an older veteran satellite. This means it may give problems in the near
future. More information is in cyberspace at www.amsat.org (ANS)
**
INTERNATIONAL – JAPAN: JA SAYS NO TO PLT
Japan has said no to the introduction of Power Line Transmissions or P-L-T
in that nation. Following extensive trials, the Ministry of Public
Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications has decided not to
permit their roll-out for fear of interference to other services.
The Japan Amateur Radio League had been actively working with the
government, radio astronomers, broadcasters and others to assess the
impact of P-L-T systems on the radio spectrum. The results of this P-L-T
study in Japan is a real eye-opener. It showed conclusively that Power
Line Transmission system emissions are harmful to High Frequency
communications operating in the range 2 to 30 MHz. Because of this Japan's
telecommunications regulators have refused all requests from P-L-T
manufacturers to operate these systems. (JARL, Q-News)
**
INTERNATIONAL: GETTING ON THE AIR DOWN UNDER
Still in that region of the world, were you aware that New Zealand is one
of very few countries in the world where licensed amateurs visiting from
overseas can immediately operate?
Well it is and a visiting amateur can get off an airplane, walk into the
terminal building and start operating on 144 MHz and above by simply
signing his own call sign portable Zed-L. This, without the hassle of
getting a license and without paying a licence fee.
For more information on operating in New Zealand as a tourist or visitor
take your web browser over to www.nzart.org.nz (NZART)
**
ON THE AIR: COMMEMORATING DIANA
Back here in the U-S-A, the first successful moon bounce experiment was
conducted by the Army Signal Corps on January 10th 1946. And to
commemorate the event, the Ocean Monmouth Amateur Radio Club will operate
from the historic Diana radio site on January 10th 2002. The Ocean
Monmouth group plans to operate using Morse and SSB in the General and
Novice Technician sub bands of the 80, 40, 20, 15, 10 meter bands. For
more information on the Diana Project and for QSL info please visit the
OMARC web site at www.qsl.net/n2mo (OMARC)
**
DX
In D-X, F6COW is reporteed tobe operating from the 9S1X club station in the
Congo. He will reportedly be there until the 9th of December. (GB2RS)
Also, F6BLQ will participate in the ARRL 10 Meter Contest on the 14th and
15th of December, also as 9S1X. His operation will be on SSB
only. (GB2RS)
And ST1MN is a new ham in the Sudan. He will be active on all bands until
the end of June 2003. Q-S-L as directed on the air. (GB2RS)
A lot higher in frequency, FT1ZK, is active on 6 meters every afternoon
from Amsterdam Island. The operator is named Caroline and she has a beacon
transmitter active on 50.086 MHz and running 24 hours a day. She will be on
Amsterdam Island until January 16th. QSL via F5JCB. (VHF Reflector)
**
THAT FINAL ITEM: THE CANALS OF VENUS - DEBUNKED
And finally this week lets turn our eyes toward the planet Venus. Just our
eyes. Not our telescopes. Because if we do use a telescope we might make
the very same mistake made by a very famous astronomer regarding canals on
that mist shrouded planet. Q-News Graham Kemp, VK4BB, takes us into the
cosmos for this one:
--
Turn of the century astronomer Percival Lowell is well known for promoting
the incorrect notion that water canals had been built on the surface of
Mars. He also drew a map of the "canals" on Venus; the only problem was
that no one else could see anything resembling canals because Venus is
always shrouded in clouds.
Turns out that Lowell had narrowed the aperture of his 24" telescope down
to about 3" to attenuate the bright light from Venus. That little known
fact - recently publicized - caught the attention of optical experts who
realized that Lowell had unwittingly turned his telescope into a reverse
ophthalmoscope, an instrument used to examine the interior of the eye.
Instead of mapping the surface of Venus, Lowell was apparently mapping the
shadows of blood vessels and other structures on his own retina!
Sky & Telescope magazine explains the situation in detail, presents
Lowell's sketch of the Venusian "canals," and a photograph of retinal blood
vessels. The two patterns are strikingly alike.
From Q-News Australia, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB, for the Amateur Radio
Newsline.
--
You can see the pictures Graham reefers to in the online edition of Sky and
Telescope magazine. Just take your web browser over to
http//skyandtelescope.com/news/current/article_648_1.asp (Q-News)
**
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.
For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors desk, I'm Don
Wilbanks, KC5MFA, in New Orleans saying 73 and we thank you for listening."
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2002. All rights reserved.
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