[Ham-News] Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1345 - May 23, 2003

Fri May 23 13:22:10 EDT 2003

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1345 - May 23, 2003

The following is a Q-S-T.  Hello and welcome to a very special Amateur
Radio Newsline being recorded live  in the closing hours of Hamvention
2003.  I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW at the combined RAIN, Amateur Radio
Newsline and WA0RCR booth in Hara Arena in Trotwood Ohio.  Trotwood is a
suburb of Dayton for those of you not familiar with the area.  With me
are Newsline's Producer Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, RAIN Producer Hap Holly
--  and a host of other people -- most probably wondering what we are up
to.

Its now just a bit after 10 a.m. on Sunday May 18th.  Bill has been out
in the crowd with his tape recorder.  So tell me, what have you been
seeing and hearing.

--

(This is an audio only report at http://www.arnewsline.org)

--

I guess we all agree that its been a fun weekend and we will have more
on Hamvention 2003 next week.  But there lots of other news including a
new ham radio allocation at 5 MHz and a proposed New Jersey law that
could bring a ban on operating a two way radio -- or even changing a
station on a car radio.  We will have that and more, after this.
(ARNewsline)

**

RADIO RULES:  FCC SAYS PARTIAL YES AT 5 MHZ

The FCC has granted hams five discrete 2.8-kHz-wide channels in the
vicinity of 5 Mhz.  This, in a Report and Order issued on Wednesday May
14th.  But, says an ARRL Bulletin, the Commission has has declined to
grant amateurs any allocation at 136 kHz at this time.

In its Notice of Proposed Rule Making a year ago, the FCC appeared
inclined to go along with both requests which had come from the American
Radio Relay League.  But opposition arose along the way with power
companies fearful of interference to their operations at 136 kHz.  The
National Telecommunications and Information Administration filed against
the 5 Mhz grant based on a possible need for the requested band by
federal government users.  The five channels granted the Amateur Service
are seen as a compromise.

The FCC did agree to elevate the Amateur Service, but not the Amateur-
Satellite Service, to primary status at 2400 to 2402 MHz.  The changes
to the Part 97 go into effect 30 days after publication in The Federal
Register.  (FCC, ARRL)

**

RADIO LAW:  N.J. MAY BAN "EVERYTHING" WHILE DRIVING

New Jersey state lawmakers are proposing a wide ranging law that would
not only ban the use of cellular telephones in motion, it might also ban
just about anything else a person might do while driving a car including
sipping coffee or changing a radio station.

According to the May 11th Ocean County Observer, the state Assembly
Transportation Committee has released a bill to better define what is
and what is not considered to be reckless driving.  Proponents of the
measure call it an effort to reduce motor vehicle accidents caused by
driver distraction.

The proposed legislation says distracting behavior includes the use of
communication technology such as cellular telephones, pagers, fax
machines, locating devices, video players, two-way dispatch and citizen
band radios.  Also on the list is the normal AM/FM radios found in most
vehicles along with compact disc and tape players.

The bill also defines a variety of things that have been labeled as
distracting behavior.  On this list are such activities as personal
grooming, consuming food or beverages, reading and tending to unsecure
pets.  All would be considered as reckless driving.

State Representative John Wisniewski of Middlesex is chairman of the
Transportation Committee and the primary sponsor of the bill.  He says
that giving the police a clear mandate to stop motorists who drive
inattentively is logical way to stem the tide of roadway crashes and
fatalities.  And while Amateur Radio is not specifically mentioned it
could easily fall under the two-way radio portion of the measure if it
becomes state law.  (W2CE)

**

RESCUE RADIO:   NHC TO PERFORM 2003 HURRICANE TEST

Mark June 1st for the National Hurricane Center's Amateur Radio station
WX4NHC to conduct its 2003 hurricane season on-the-air station test.
According to an ARRL bulletin the station will take to the airwaves on
Sunday, June 1st from 13:00 to 22:00 U-T-C.

Coordinator John McHugh, KU4GY, says the purpose of the annual test is
to check out all of the WX4NHC radios, computers and antennas using as
many modes and frequencies as possible.  Some R-F-I monitoring also will
be done.

Listen for WX4NHC on HF worldwide and VHF and UHF in South Florida.
Anyone making contact is asked to provide a signal report, location and
brief weather report.  QSL cards are available via W4VBQ.  Please be
sure to include a self addressed stamped envelope with any QSL requests.

The event will mark the first time the National Hurricane Center will
use its new call sign for this event.  In years past it operated as
W4EHW.  (ARRL)

**

RESCUE RADIO:  HAM RADIO RESPONSIBLE FOR TORNADIO WARNING SYSTEM

An interesting side note to our coverage of this years tornado season
and the role that ham radio is playing in storm spotting and relief
efforts.  We recently learned that one Kentucky city has ham radio to
thank for its early warning system.

The ham responsible is retired ARRL president George Wilson, W4OYI.
Wilson suggested the installation of the system following a twister that
hit Brandenburg, Kentucky in April of 1974. Wilson learned that it had
taken more than 40 minutes for severe weather alerts to reach Owensboro
from the National Weather Service in Evansville Indiana, about 40 miles
away. Thanks to the efforts of W4OYI, a month later local warnings were
coming from a NOAA weather radio monitoring system installed in
Owensboro.   (ARNewslime)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS:  KB2GSD BACKS AWAY FROM WJMK

Former CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite, KB2GSD, has severed his
agreement with a Florida production company.  This, after having signed
to host for a series of corporate-sponsored videos, resembling news
reports, that are broadcast on public television stations.

The New York Times reports that a production company called WJMK  had
recently hired Cronkite and Cable News Network anchorman Aaron Brown to
replace Morley Safer of "60 Minutes" as hosts of a series called
"American Medical Review."  After it was learned that pharmasutical
manufacturers and other health care companies pay WJMK about $15,000
each to have their products featured in the videos the high profile
hosts began to drop away.  Brown backed out of his agreement with WJMK
on Wednesday May 7th with Cronkite following on Thursday May 8th.

Marlene Adler who is Walter Cronkite's chief of staff, said that the
retired newsman had agreed to become a host after being assured that the
videos would be educational.  She said he had now concluded that WJMK
was using the videos, at least in part, for commercial promotion, adding
that "Mr. Cronkite does not do product endorsements, and will not."

This is not the first time Cronkite has had a a problem with others
using his voice or likeness.  Back in January Cronkite's Attorney,
Ronald S. Konecky, demanded that Glenn Baxter, K1MAN,  immediately cease
using a previously recorded station ID made by Cronkite several years
ago.  He also told Baxter to desist from the use of Cronkite's name and
likeness, in any medium, and on any basis whatsoever.  (ARNewsline and
published news reports)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS:  N1SS ON W4BW

Peter Hurd, N1SS, says over the QCWA remailer that he is writing an
article for publication as a tribute to the late A. Prose Walker, W4BW
and is asking for your help.  If you have any recallections about the A.
Prose Walker that you are willing to share, please contact Hurd by e-
mail to n1ss@ ainop.com or write him at PO Box 1005 Houlton Maine 04730.
(QCWA Remailer)

**

HAM RADIO ON THE WEB:  THE NCG REFLECTOR

Do you own an NCG radio.  Looking for the latest information?  Then
listen up. KU4QD says that there is now an Internet a reflector for
folks who have, or are just curious about, NCG gear.  It also covers
National brand transceivers sold in Japan that weren't imported to the
U-S-A.  The new group is on Yahoogroups.  Go to www.yahoogroups.com and
search for NCG.  (VHF Reflector)

**

CONVENTIONS AND HAMFESTS:  LIMARC - NEW YORK - IN JUNE

The Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club annual hamfest will be held Sunday,
June 8 th. The venue is at Briarcliffe College in Bethpage New York from
9 a.m to 1 p.m. local Eastern time.  Briarcliffe College is located at
1055 Stewart Avenue in Bethpage.  For more information please visit
www.limarc.org on the World Wide Web.  (K2EPM)

**

CONVENTIONS AND MEETINGS:  DCC IN AUGUST

Technical papers are solicited for presentation at the 22nd Annual ARRL
and Tucson Amateur Packet Radio Digital Communications Conference.  The
event is slated for September 19th to the 21st in Hartford, Connecticut.
Conference proceedings are published by the ARRL.  Presentation at the
conference is not required for publication. Information on paper
submission guidelines is available on-line at www.tapr.org/dcc
Submissions are due by August 5th and should be sent to Maty Weinberg,
ARRL, 225 Main Street, Newington, Connecticut , 06111.  They can also be
e-mailed to maty at arrl.org  (TAPR, ARRL)

**

ON SAFARI:  A DX'PEDITION WITH A NEW TWIST

A major Dxpedition is coming up but this one is rather different.
Amateur Radio Nerwsline's Norm Seeley, KI7UP, has the details on this
rather unique operation:

--
IN3QBR, IN3ZNR and AA4NN are teaming up to go on the air as the "African
Double Jump Dxpedition from South Africa, Lesotho and Botswana starting
at the end of June.  According to their Web page, the team will meet
with ZS6WPX, who will become their tour guide.  Between June 28th and
July 1st, the team will go on a Safari. There is a possibility they may
do some operating using callsigns portable Zed S, but on July 2nd, they
head to Gaborone City Botswana where they  plan to erect their antennas
and operate from their hotel that day.  Callsigns mentioned so far are
A25NN and A25ZNR.

They will leave for the town of Rustenburg on July 5th, and will travel
to Sun City, South Africa. There "MAY" be some activity portable Zed S
and early July 7th, they will leave for Lesotho and expect to be there
late afternoon.  Expected callsigns will be 7P8JB and 7P8NR. Activity
will last until July 11th.  They depart for Johannesburg on July 12th
and expect to leave for home July 13th.
--

Please visit their Web page for updates at www.qsl.net/xu7aay/africa.
More DX news later on in this weeks newscast.  (via e-mail)

**

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY:  INTERNET LINKING BREAKS 2000

Ian Abel, G3ZHI, reports that the total number of amateur radio repeater
and simplex internet gateways now exceeds 2,000.  This includes nodes on
the three major linking systems, IRLP, EchoLink and eQSO.  (G3ZHI)

**

INTERNATIONAL-AUSTRALIA:  NEW IRLP LINKED REPEATER

And speaking about Internet based repeater linking, Q-News reports that
the VK4RXG repeater on 438.500 Mhz is now up and running from a new
location.  This Australian repeater is linked to the IRLP network giving
its users world-wide access, and the rest of the world's hams access to
VK.  (Q-News)

**

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY:  EUROPEAN TV LOVES SMS

Unforeseen by most media analysts, European TV networks started using
short message services as an interactive channel in the late 90's.
Today, many of them have embraced SMS text messaging-interactivity as a
revenue-generating feature in some form, whether it be chats, voting,
comments, reminders, and many other  things.  And believe it or not,
hardly an hour of the broadcast day goes by without some channel
encouraging the viewer to send messages.    (Media Network)

**

INTERNATIONAL - CANADA:  VE3CDM TO CANADIAN AMATEUR RADIO HALL OF FAME

Tom Atkins, VE3CDM, has been elected to the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall
of Fame.  This, for his extensive contribution over many years to
Canadian and International Amateur Radio activities through his active
involvement in numerous organizations including Radio Amateurs of Canada
and the CNIB Amateur Radio Society for blind radio amateurs.

Atkins retired as President of IARU Region 2 in 2001 after having served
in all of its  Executive positions for eighteen years. And during this
time was a member of the IARU Administrative Council and is currently
serving as an IARU Expert Consultant.  (RAC)
**

INTERNATIONAL - U.K.:  PROPAGATION BEACONS OFF THE AIR

GB2RS reports that the two GB3BUX beacons located near the city of
Buxton in the U-K are temporarilly off the ait.  One operates on on
50.00 MHz and the other on 70.00 MHz in the U.K. only 4 meter band.
Both have been switched off due to intermittent problems and it is
believed that the repairs will take some time to complete.  (GB2RS)

**

INTERNATIONAL - EUROPE:  INTERNATIONAL MUSEUMS WEEKEND

The third annual International Museums Weekend will take place on the
14th and 15th of June.  The event begins at midnight UTC Friday and ends
at midnight UTC Sunday. Those wishing to take part should please insure
they have registered via the form on the International Museums Weekend
website nat www.ukradioamateur.org/imw  (GB2RS)

**

ON THE AIR:  W8RMR FROM THE UNSINKABLE AIRCRAFT CARRIER

The Motor City Radio Club will sponsor the 4th annual Grosse Ile
Islandfest special event station  from U.S. Island MI005R.  Located 20
miles south of Detroit, the island was named "The Unsinkable Aircraft
Carrier" back when the Naval base was active.

Listen for W8MRM operating from the hanger of the old Naval station from
14:00 UTC on May 31st to 21:00 UTC on June 1st on 28.375, 21.375, 14.244
and 7.244 MHz SSB.  There may also be some CW operation, and AM with
vintage gear.  For a commemorative certificate send a QSL with an SASE
to MCRC PO Box 337, Wyandotte, Michigan, 48192.  Any question?  Please
e-mail K8CBS at arrl.net or visit this web site: www.w8mrm.org/k8cbs  Again
the call sign to be used is W8MRM.  (Via press release)

**

DX

In D-X, word that G3LIV, will be active stroke 9M2 from Penang Island
through the 30th of May and from Langkawi Island from May 30th to the
9th of June.  He will mainly be on CW with some PSK31.  (GB2RS)

And RSGB reports that K4VUD is active from Thailand again as HS0ZCW.  He
will be there until the middle of June.  QSL as directed on the air.
(RSGB)

Lastly word that MM0OKG will be on a trekking holiday in Peru and
Bolivia through the 25th of May and plans to be active on 20 meter S-S-B
using a Yaesu FT-817 and dipole antenna.  He will operate portable from
locations higher than 3500 meters above sea level.  Look for him calling
on 14.280 MHz, plus or minus about 10 kHz.   (GB2RS)

**

THAT FINAL ITEM:  THE EVER CHANGING BRAIN

Finally this week, if you have ever taken a taxi in a major city you may
have wondered how the taxi drivers know how to reach even the most
obscure destination without a street map or a hint from their
passengers.  Well, a new study indicates cabbies are working their
brains so hard that they become enlarged in the zone associated with
navigation.

According to the study published in the journal Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences, the drivers' brains adapted to help them
store a detailed mental map of the city.  This, by shrinking in one area
to allow growth in another called the rear hippocampus.

In the latest study, researchers at University College, London
University compared the brains of 16 male taxi drivers with those of 50
other men of a similar age. They found that among the cabbies, the back
of the hippocampus, the part of the brain associated with spatial
memory, was larger than it was in the comparison group.

Scientists had previously reported differences in the structure of the
brain between musicians and non-musicians.  Researchers say that
evidence that the brain is physically able to change according to the
way it is used could be important  in understanding human development.
(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, Australia's Q-News, and of coarse the 2003
Dayton Hamvention -- in Trotwood  Ohio -- 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.

Before we go, a reminder that the nominating period for the 2003 Amateur
Radio Newsline Young Ham of The Year Award closes next week on Friday
May the 30th.  That means you have only a few days left to nominate a
deserving young radio amateur for this award.  Nominees must be 18 or
younger.  Full rules and an electronic fill-in-the-blank  application is
on our new special website at www.yhoty.org.

For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors desk -- which this
week will be a coach seat on a Northwest Airlines 757, I'm Don Wilbanks
AE5DW, saying 73 from Hamvention 2003, and we thank you for listening."
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2003.  All rights reserved.