[Ham-News] Amateur Radio Newsline 1328 - January 24, 2003

Sat Jan 25 10:49:38 EST 2003

Amateur Radio Newsline 1328 - January 24, 2003

The following is a Q-S-T.  Wildfires rage in Australia, an FCC official 
says the agency is excited about P-L-C and the past becomes today  at 
Cape Cod.  These stories and more follow on Amateur Radio Newsline 
report number 1328 coming your way right now.

**

RESCUE RADIO:  HAMS HELP IN FIRE COMMUNICATIONS IN VK3 WIKLDFIRE

Hams in down-under are hard at work assisting in emergency 
communications as widfire rage in several Australian states.  Q-News 
Graham Kemp, VK4BB, is in Brisbane with the latest:

--
Audio report only.  No text.  Hear it at www.arnewsline.org
--

(Q-News)

**

RESCUE RADIO:  REPEATER APPEARS LOST IN VK1 WILDFIRE

Meantime there is some good news regarding hams living in and around the 
city of Canberra.  They are all reportedly O-K, but one of their local 
repeaters may have been lost in a widlfire thats has been sweeping the 
area. Phil Longworth VK1ZPL who is the WICEN Coordinator Canberra:

--

Longworth: "We have a couple of repeaters around town.  One which is 
actually located at the NASA site down at Cape Mc Villa.  We haven't 
heard it since Saturday. The scouts cannot get close to there because 
they have lost a lot of infrastructure.  So we are assuming that we have 
probably suffered some damage."

--

The repeater being referred to is VK1RAC.  So far radio operators have 
not been called in the Canberra area because there have be no major 
failures in the nations telecommunications system.  But hams are 
standing by even though they may have to do without one major repeater.  
(Q-News)

**

RESCUE RADIO:  US HAMS NOT NEEDED IN MEXICAN QUAKE

Mexico's telecommunications system is working properly following a major 
earthquake and communications assistance from the United States is not 
needed.  The quake hit in Nortth-West Mexicio. It registered 7.6 on the 
Richter scale, toppled dozens of homes, killed at least 24 people and 
injuring at about 175.  And while telephone service in several remote 
areas was knocked out for a time, the Mexican government got it quickly  
restored.  Also, Mexico's own ham radio community has decasdes of 
experience making outside aid not necessary in many cases.

Here in the United States, Gordon West, WB6NOA, has been monitoring the 
situation from his home in Costa Mesa Claifornia.  Thats about 150 miles 
North of where the quake hit.  And hes been taklking to hams in the area 
and confirms that United States hams going to assist are just not 
needed:

--

West:  "In communiocating with the maritime mobile operators near 
Manzinello Mexico, many ofd the mariners rowed ashore and asked whether 
or not their ham radio gear on 40 meters might help relay messages back 
to the U.S.A.  The villagers on shore evidently indicated that their 
communications were still up, and, that while they apreciated the 
boaters going ashore to ask for relays, none were needed.

The mariners did indicate that they felt a slight tidal movement.  That 
was reported the following morning on many of the Baja maritime mobile 
nets."

--

West says that immediately after the quake hit he began monitoring the 
various frequencies known to be usaed by Mexican hams for emergencies on 
40 and 75 meters.  West says that not a signal on the air indicated any 
apparent need for mutual communications aid from the United States.  
Don.  (ARNewsline™)

**

SPECTRUM ALLOCATIONS:  FCC ON WRC-03 PROPOSALS

Back here in the U-S, an ARRL Bulletin says that the FCC is seeking 
comments on draft recommendations the World Radiocommunication 
Conference Advisory Committee adopted January 8th.  Amateur Radio 
Newsline's Ken Locke, N8PJN, has more details:

--

The FCC's International Bureau says that based on its initial review of 
the recommendations, it tentatively concludes that it can generally 
support the proposals recommended by the W-R-C 03 Advisory Committee.   
And if adopted, United States delegations will use the proposals at 
bilateral, regional and international meetings. 

One agenda item of interest to hams involves examining the adequacy of 
the frequency allocations for High Frequency broadcasting in the 
vicinity of 4 to 10 MHz. The FCC also has draft proposals developed by 
Executive Branch agencies, and the agency is requesting  comments on 
those as well.

The Public Notice was released January 15th.  The deadline for comments 
is January 31st.  Complete texts of draft proposals are available via 
the FCC's WRC 03 Web site.  You reach it from a link at www.fcc.gov.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ken Locke, N8PJN.

--

Comments may be filed via e-mail to wrc03 at fcc.gov. You can also submit 
them by mail the Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications 
Commission, 445 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20554.  (ARRL)

**

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY:  PLC MAY BE COMING TO THE USA

P-L-C could be coming to the United States -- but not right away.  This 
according to a top official at the FCC.  Amateur Radio Newsline's Bruce 
Tennant, K6PZW, is here with the details:

--

P-L-C stands for Powerline Communications and the idea is to use the 
same wires that bring electricity to your home as a pathway for high-
speed Internet access.  And as previously reported, in nations where P-
L-C has been evaluated or approved it has caused moderate to severe 
degradation to a good portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.  In 
fact,. several nations have decided against implementing P-L-C even 
though it holds the promise of becoming a less expensive alternative to 
cable modems and D-S-L telephone lines as a way to get broadband 
service. 

And the FCC appears to be optimistic about P-L-C.  On Wednesday January 
15th, Edmond Thomas, chief of the Federal Communications Commission's 
Office of Engineering and Technology said companies developing the 
technology have overcome many  hurdles in the past year.

The FCC has been studying P-L-C technology for several months and Thomas 
says that the agency will pay more attention to it this year. He notes 
that there are no regulations that prohibit the technology, but the 
agency is concerned that Internet data transmissions carried over power 
lines could radiate signals inside and outside the home that could cause 
interference. 

And Thomas indicates that the widespread introduction of Powerline 
Communications wont happen very soon.  He says that the FCC wants to be 
certain P-L-C is not going to cause problems to your TV.  And that's 
certainly good news for all communications services including Amateur 
Radio.

Reporting from Los Angeles, I'm Bruce Tennant, K6PZW.

--

Obviously this is an emerging technology that can impact negatively on 
ham radio and will have to be watched.  (Published reports)

**

ENFORCEMENT:  FCC CANCELS EXPERIMENTAL LICENSE WC2XZV 

The FCC has cancelled an experimental license to California company 
because the agency says its being used for other purposes.  According to 
the CGC Communicator, the FCC cancelled experimental authorization of 
WC2XZV after Enforcement Bureau monitoring confirmed the operation.

In a short letter dated January 17th, the Commission stated that the
California station's emissions were not in compliance with the terms of 
its experimental radio license.  But a story on recnet.com says a lot 
more.  It says that that there were published reports of an alleged 
pirate station operating in the Antelope Valley area prior to the 
experimental license grant.  The station was operating on 104.7 MHz and 
identifying as Frequency Radio with its website at www.1047.fm  A check 
of the website makes no mention of the experimental license or the FCC 
action to cancel it.  Acopy of the FCC's letter is posted in cyberspace 
at  www.recnet.com/fcc/wc2xzv_cancel.pdf   (CGC Communicator)

**
NAMES IN THE NEWS:  MITNICK FREE TO REJOIN THE WWW

Former computer hacker Kevin David Mitnick, N6NHG, has completed his 
probation and is now free to once again use a computer and surf the web.  
After being released from prison three years ago on probation, the 
Mitnick had been barred from contact with computers until last year.  He 
was not allowed to access the Internet until this his probation ended 
Monday January 20th.

But simply roaming the web may not what Mitnick has in mind.  Since his 
release he has turned his efforts to becoming a consultant on computer 
and Internet security issues.  He hosted a radio program on Los Angeles 
talk station KFI, has written a book and has even testified before a 
congressional committee on ways to make computing more secure.  

Only a few weeks ago the FCC agreed to permit him to renew his Amateur 
Radio license. The Administrative Law Judge hearing the case said that 
Mitnick was rehabilitated and would likely adhere to all of the agency's 
rules.  And in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times newspaper, 
Mitnick said - quote : "The truth is, I learned my lesson."

Kevin Mitnick, N6NHG, also learned a lot about computers and the world-
wide-web from his days of hacking.  Now he appears to want to use this 
knowledge for the benefit of all in society. (ARNewline™ from published 
news stories)

**

PROMOTING THE HOBBY:  "AMATEUR RADIO TODAY" - THE VIDEO

The most trusted man in America has lent his name and callsign in 
support of the hobby.  This as retired CBS newsman Walter Cronkite, 
KB2GSD, tells the story of hobby's public service efforts to the non-ham 
public in a new ARRL produced video titled Amateur Radio Today. 

Cronkite narrates the program from his office in New York City from a 
script developed by Alan Kaul, W6RCL.  Kaul is the West Coast Producer 
of NBC Nightly News and a former anchor here on Amateur Radio Newsline.  

Amateur Radio Today was directed by Dave Bell, W6AQ, who is responsible 
for many ham radio films including the all-time classic "The Hams Wide 
World."  Bell, Kaul, Bill Baker, W1BKR, of PBS and Bill Pasternak, 
WA6ITF served the co-producers.  The show was edited at Suite Sixteen 
Post in Burbank California with Keith Glispie, WA6TFD, at the controls 
of the all digital Quantel Edit Box.  But its really Walter Cronkite 
that takes you on a fast-paced six minute trip into the very soul of ham 
radio.

The only legitimate authorized source of Amateur Radio Today is the 
American Radio Relay League which holds the copyright.  It will be 
available on video CD in the very near future and -- eventually -- VHS 
tape.  Visit www.arrl.org/catalog and order item number 8861  (ARRL, 
ARNewsline™)

**

HAM RADIO VIDEO:  WRTC 2002 VIDEO NOW AVAILABLE

Another video is aleady being called the best ham radio sports show  
ever to hit the street.  This with the announcement that the official 
video of the Amateur Radio Olympics 2002 is now available on DVD and 
VHS.  

The world premier was held in Helsinki Finland on January 18th  before 
an overflow crowd at the Contest Club Finland meeting. Unlike previous 
ham radio videos, this one is produced from a 100% "pro-sports" 
perspective. 

In order to capture as much of the action as possible, three camera 
crews taped as many teams and events as they could during  the actual 24 
hour competition.  Supporting all this great footage are high-end 3D 
graphics, scoreboards, top-ten boxes, team profiles, and everything else 
that you might expect when watching a professional sports event on 
television.  And the production is even narrated by one of ESPN's top 
sportscasters

The program's total running time is 60 minutes.  The DVD version 
contains lots of extra features like full score breakdowns for each 
team, continental line-ups, competitor rulebook, and even all the past 
W-R-T-C scores dating back to 1990.

If you've ever wanted to watch the worlds top radiosports teams in 
action, now is your chance. Copies are available for a nominal fee from 
the website:  http://home1.pacific.net.sg/~jamesb  (WRTC)

**

RESCUE RADIO:  FISHING BOAT CREW DISAPPEARS BUT CELL PHONE TURNS UP IN 
INDONESIA

A strange story from Taipei.  A mobile telephone belonging to the 
missing chief engineer of a ship found abandoned off Australia has been 
used to make more than 80 calls from Indonesia. Australian police said 
they are baffled by the discovery of a fishing boat full of rotting fish 
and its lifeboats in tact, but no crew.  News reports say that the boat 
was found drifting off the remote northwest Australian coast.  The phone 
calls from Indonesia add to the mystery of what happened to the missing 
crew.  (PacificRimOnline)

**

COMMUNICATIONS MAGAZINES:  POPTRONICS CEASES PUBLIC ATION

Popular Electronics -- better known as Poptronics Magazine is the latest 
hobby electronics publication to fail.  This with the announcement that 
its publisher Gernsback Publications is no longer in operation.

Gernsback was in the publishing business for 94 years. The January 2003 
issue was the last.  Negotiations are reportedly under way to provide an 
alternative publication to Popular Electronics current subscribers.  
(W8HDU)

**

HAM LICENSING HELP: OH-KY-IN OFFERING HAM CLASSES

If you live in Ohio, Kentucky or Indiana and have a friend wanting to 
become a ham, this is for you.  The OH-KY-IN Amateur Radio Society will 
offer ham radio license classes in the Cincinnati, Ohio area.  Training 
is scheduled to begin on Thursday evening, February 20th..  Training will 
cover Technician through Extra grades along with Morse instruction to 5 
words per minute.  At the conclusion of the ten week course, Amateur 
exams will be offered.  More information is in cyberspace at 
www.ohkyin.com.  (OK-KY-IN release)

**

WITH THE HANDI HAMS: THE CALIFORNIA CAMP

The Handi Hams California Radio Camp is the week of March 2 through 9th.  
This years special guest speakers include Bob Zeida N1BLF, Gordon West 
WB6NOA and Bill Pasternak WA6ITF. 

Also, those of you contacting camp special event station W0EQO will be 
eligable for a special QSL.  More information about the camp and the 
station is on the web at www.handiham.org  (HandiHams)

**

CONVENTIONS AMD HAMFESTS:  THE MIAMI TROPICAL HAMBOREE

The 2003 convention seasons gets off to a bang the 1st weekend in 
February.  Thats when the 43rd annual Tropical Hamboree and ARRL Florida 
State Convention will be held in at the Fair Expo Center in Miami 
Florida.  

The Tropical Hamboree is truly a fun filled convention with loads of new 
and used radio gear for sale along with a host of terrific programs and 
top notch speakers.  

The hours of operation are 9 am to 5 pm Saturday February 1st and 9 am 
to 4 pm on Sunday the 2nd.  For everything you might want to know about 
this years Tropical Hamboree take your web browswer over to 
www.hamboree.org  (Tropical Hamboree)

**

HAM RADIO ASSISTS:  THE MIAMI MARATHON

Another activity scheduled for the same weekend in the same place is the 
2003 Miami Marathon.  Sponsored by Toyota and The National Diabeties 
Association, the Miami Marathon is a 26 mile foot race starting at the 
famed Coconut Grove, across Biscayne Bay, to Miami Beach and back again 
to Miami.  

The date for this event is Sunday February 2nd.  Ben Nemser WA4DZS,  
owner of Nemal International Electronics is coordinating the amateur 
radio communications.  His assistant, all the way from New York City is 
none other than that well-known 'marathon man', and former ARRL 1st Vice 
President Steve Mendelsohn,  W2ML.  

With two major events involving ham radio the same weekend, its going to 
be a major challenge for the South Florida ham community.  Its also 
looks to be a very memorable weekend in Miami as well.  (Tropical 
Hamboree)

**

TECHNOLOGY:  EIGHTY ONE MILLION PEOPLE WATCH FREE TV

According to the National Association of Broadcasters, approximately 
eighty-one million television sets in the U.S. receive programming 
exclusively from free, over-the-air TV stations.  In comments filed with 
the Federal Communications Commission, the NAB noted that while the 
total number of television sets in the U.S. is 267 million that  more 
than three out of every ten  TV sets relies exclusively on "free TV" for 
programming.  This means that the TV set is not hooked up to cable, 
satellite or any other subscription TV service.

Other figures noted by the NAB say that twenty-five percent of all cable 
and satellite homes have at least one TV set in the household that 
receives signals solely from free TV.  Also, 24 percent of African-
American and 32 percent of Hispanic households rely exclusively on free 
TV for their television viewing. 

The National Association of Broadcasters analysis was provided to the 
FCC as part of the Commission's "Annual Assessment of the Status of 
Competition in the Market for the Delivery of Video Programming." The N-
A-B says that its comments demonstrate the considerable extent to which 
consumers still depend on over-the-air broadcast television signals.  
(NAB)

**

INTERNATIONAL - IARU

On the international scene, the Radio Society of Great Britain passes 
along word that the national amateur radio societies of Cameroon and 
Macau have been admitted to the International Amateur Radio Union.  A-R-
T-J in Cameroon was formed in 1998 and has 14 members, seven of whom are 
licensed.  Macau's ARM was founded in 1992 and now has 85 members.  Both 
societies were inducted as of last December the 9th.  (RSGB)

**

ON THE AIR: AO-40 QSO PARTY

The operating period for the first AO-40 QSO Party has been extended to 
4 days in order to give more operating windows to Amateur stations world 
wide.  The QSO Party will begin at 0000 UTC on the 24th of January and 
conclude at 2400 UTC on January 27th.   Currently stations from over 30 
countries have indicated their intention to participate in this years 
event.  (ANS)

**

DX

In DX, a team of operators that includes  SM0BSO, SM0LQB and SM1TDE will 
operate from the QTH of JW5E on Spetsbergen between February 24th and 
March 1st.  Look for them on 160 through 2 meters running CW, SSB, RTTY 
as well as SSTV and other soundcard modes.  QSL to each operators  home 
call direct or via the bureau.  (GB2RS)

**

THAT FINAL ITEM:  SPANNING THE ATLANTIC

And finally this week, the story of history being celebrated.  Of the 
earliest days of radio being commemorated by the people of the 21st 
century.  And those who were there said it was like the past catching up 
with the future on a cold day at Cape Cod Massachusetts.  

The event was the 100th celebration of the first ever radio transmission 
from the United States being received in Europe.  It was made by radio 
pioneer Guglielmo Marconi in 1903.  And it was his daughter, Princess 
Elettra Marconi, who lent her voice to begin the 100th anniversary 
celebration of the first trans-atlantic radio message.  A message that 
probably sounded something like this:

--
Audio Here
--

That sound was supplied by Bob Doherty, K1VV.  He along with members of 
the Marconi Radio Club and Marconi Cape Cod Memorial Radio Club were the 
people behind KM1CC.  That was the on-the-air celebration of the two 
club's namesake making the first wireless transmission to Europe.  And 
quite an affair it was.  

Princess Elettera Marconi began the festivities in a brief contact with 
Ken Bowersox, KD5KBP.  That's Commander Ken Bowersox on board the 
International Space Station.  A bit later, Bowersox  spoke with Cape Cod 
area school children who asked questions about life on-orbit.  Both 
contacts were made possible by ARISS --  Amateur Radio on board the 
International Space Station.

The January 18, 1903 contact by Guglielmo Marconi used an early form of 
hand sent code to span the Atlantic.  A short time later Marconi 
predicted that mans voice would eventually span the globe using 
wireless.  Now, precisely a hundred years later on a frigid January 18, 
2003.  Marconi's daughter returned to near the scene of that first 
contact and got to speak to a man in space.  If he were alive today, 
Guglielmo Marconi would justly be proud.  (K1VV)

** 

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. 