[Ham-News] Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1357 - August 15 2003
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Fri Aug 15 20:42:32 EDT 2003
Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1357 - August 15 2003
The following is a Q-S-T. Belgium says yes to no-code, Australia says
it wants no-code and the ARRL releases a movie that documents the horror
of B-P-L. Find out the details on Amateur Radio Newsline report number
1357 coming your way right now.
**
WARC'03 FALLOUT: BELGUIM JOINS THE NO CODE BRIGADE
Another Europpean nation has joined the codefree revolution. This, with
word that Class 2 hams in Belgium can now trade up to a full access
license without having to pass a Morse proficiency test. RSGB
Newsreader Jeramy Boot, G4NJH, has more:
--
Belgium has become the latest country to allow CEPT Class 2 amateurs
access to the HF bands. A news story on the Belgian national amateur
radio society - the UBA - website says that Belgian Class 2 amateurs,
who hold ON1 callsigns, may start using the HF bands from the 4th of
August. It is expected that more countries will follow suit shortly.
--
To obtain an upgrade, class 2 license holders in Belgium only need to
send a request with all of the relevant data and a 5 Euro stamp for each
license to be processed. (RSGB)
**
WRC'03 FALLOUT: WIA TO SEEK REMOVAL OF MORSE TESTING
The Wireless Institute of Australia - the W-I-A - says that it will seek
and end to Morse testing. This based on decisions made at the recently
concluded 2003 World Radiocommunications Conference held in Geneva
Switzerland. Ernest Hocking, VK1LK, is Federal President of the
Wireless Institute of Australia:
--
Hocking: "On Sunday 13 July the WIA held a teleconference to discuss a
number of matters including the official WIA response to the removal of
the Morse testing requirement after WRC 2003. At this time the ACA has
indicated to the WIA that it intends to use the licence reform process
referred to above as the single reform of the Licence Conditions. This
would have the affect of delaying the adoption of the WRC
recommendations until early 2005.
At the teleconference the WIA council voted unanimously to actively
promote the immediate removal of the current Morse testing requirement.
This has already happened in a number of other countries such as for
example the UK, and Switzerland with the administrations in these
countries simply issuing an administrative order recognising that the
Morse Code test is not longer required."
--
The initial response from the Australian Communications Authority has
indicated that it does not expect to vary its current position but will
at least review the situation. (Q-News)
**
INTERNATONAL - NEW ZEALAND: NO REPEATER FEES AFTER ALL
Mentime here in New Zealand, word that the cost of owning a repeater
will not be going up after all.
You may recall our report earlier in the year regarding a decision by
New Zealand's telecommunications regulators to impose an licensing fee
on all Amateur Radio repeaters and beacons. Well, the powers that make
these decisions have reconsidered and late word is that no such fee will
be imposed. At least not right now.
That's the good news. Here's the bad. It looks as if the probability
of a lifetime New Zealand ham radio license may have gone away as well.
In the latest schedule the annual license was retained, but there is a
bit of god news here. The annual fee for a New Zealand ham radio ticket
has been reduced to NZ $35 from the previous NZ $49.50. (ARNewsline(tm)
from NZART)
**
THE BPL PROBLEM: IEE MEMBERS ASKED TO COMMENT ON BPL
Great Britain's Institution of Electrical Engineers is asking its
members for their views on Broadband over Powerline tramsmission
systyems. This, in the run-up to the formulation of European Standards
that will control the spurious radio emissions from combined power and
data networks.
Broadband over Powerline -- called Power Line Transmission overseas --
is seen as a serious threat to amateur radio. Comments must be made to
the Institution by the 2nd of September. (GB2RS)
**
THE BPL PROBLEM: BPL - THE MOVIE
Meantime in the United States, The ARRL has produced a short movie that
documents justy how bad the problem of Broadband over Powerlines can be.
Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, is here with the rest of the story.
--
"BPL is the most crucial issue facing Amateur Radio and the one that has
the most devastating potential." The words of ARRL President Jim Haynie,
W5JBP. And Haynie is not far from wrong. Take a listen.
--
BPL audio from Japan.
--
No, that's not B-P-L here in the United States. That's the same
recording we aired two years ago when Broadband over Powerline tests
were being conducted in Japan. And we suspect that it, or evidence like
it, was responsible for the decision by telecommunications regulators in
Japan to turn thumbs down on permitting their nations power grid
operators the extra income that comes from being Internet access
providers.
This is the way B-P-L sounds in the United States:
--
ARRL BPL Audio
--
That recording was made in July by Ed Hare, W-1-R-F-I, of the ARRL Lab
during his 1350 mile drive to visit B-P-L trial communities in Maryland,
Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York. Hare took measurements over
significant parts of the High Frequency spectrum. He also took initial
readings at low-VHF frequencies. What he found was noise. Lots of it
blanking out signals that in some cases were S 9 or better.
--
ARRL BPL audio
--
When he got back, Ed and his colleagues at the Lab set to work analyzing
their data. They also prepared a 6 minute movie that graphically shows
the literal horror of BPL to Amateur Radio communications and by
inference, to all radio services operating in the 2 through 80 MHz
spectrum.
If you have any doubts that this is one of the biggest challenges yet to
the survival of ham radio, simply take your web browser to the ARRL
website and click on the link to the on-line movie. Then watch and
listen for yourself.
To again quote ARRL President Jim Haynie, in terms of interference
potential on H-F and low-VHF frequencies, nothing is on the same scale
as BPL.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF. Jim.
--
Again, to view the League's mini documentary on BPL take your web
browser over to www.arrl.org (ARRL, ARNewsline(tm))
**
RADIO LAW: FCC TELLS CABLE SUPPLIER TO ROLL BACK RATES
The F-C-C has ordered bankrupt cable giant Adelphia Communications to
roll back cable rates and refund about five million dollars to more than
a quarter of a million cusdtomers in the Los Angeles California area.
The order came on July 30th when the reguklatory agency denied
Adelphia's request to delay a city ordinance ordering the cable company
to cut rates and refund customers who had been overcharged.
Each overcharged Adelphis customer will eventually receive a refund of
about $16 to $20 and rates will be rolled back to July 2002 levels.
This will be a savings of about two dollars and twenty-five cents a
month for eavery customer affected.
A spokesman for Adelphia says the company is disappointed that the FCC
denied its request. It says that it may appeal. (FCC release,
published reports)
**
HAM RADIO BUSINESS: THE SHOW MUST GO ON
Plans are moving ahead at warp speed for the 2004 Dayton Hamvention.
This, even though the initial 2003 dollar totals showed a loss.
According to the latest R-F Carrier newsletter, 2003 Hamvention expenses
were $570,420 while income was a bit shy at $568,080. The net loss of
$2340. While significant, that's still allot better than the
anticipated $20,000 shortfall that many were expecting.
The loss did prompt a call by one or two members for the clubs Planning
Council to cancel Hamvention 2004 and all subsequent shows due to the
failure of 2003 to provide a suitable return. That motion was handily
beaten back with the Planning Council apparently taking seriously an old
show business adage. The one that says: "The show must go on." (RF
Carrier)
**
NAMES IN THE NEWS: KF9PU NEW NCVEC CHAIR
The National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators has elected
Tom Fuszard, KF9PU, as its chairman for the 2003 to 2004 operationg
year. Fuszard iss with the Milwaukee Radio Amateur Club VEC and replaces
John Creel, WB3GXW, who has served in that post for the last term.
The election was held at the joint NCVEC and FCC meeting in Gettysburg
Pennsylvania on July 25th. At the same time James Wiley, KL7CC, of the
Anchorage VEC was elected to serve as vice chairairman. As previously
reported, the NCVEC currently has a petition before the FCC asking the
abolition of Morse testing in the USA. (NCVEC)
**
NAMES IN THE NEWS: N4QX DEPARTING FULL TIME ARRL SERVICE
Assistant Technical Editor Brennan Price, N4QX, is leaving his full time
job at ARRL Headquarters. But Price says that he will still remain on
as Editor of the very popular ARRL Repeater Directory.
In a note to the National Frequency Coordinators Council, Price expained
that he will now serve as an editor for the Connecticut Law Review and
also spend time furtheing his education. But the ARRL has asked him to
continue the editorship of the ARRL Repeater Directory. Price says that
he has accepted this offer, and that he looks forward to working with
the nations frequency coordinators to produce the 2004 to 2005 edition.
In addition to his writing and editing skills, Brennan Price is also
well known as one of the regular reporters on the ARRL Audio News. We
wish him the best of luck in his new career. (Various)
**
NAMES IN THE NEWS: RIVERSIDE 911 SUPERVISOR AND DIRECTOR TAKE TOP APCO
AWARDS
Two long-time Riverside California public safety communications
professionals have been honored for their work by Association of Public-
Safety Communications Officials. Supervisor John Wright, N6RPD, has
been named APCO's Technician of the Year, and Director Cherie Curzon has
been selected as the organization's Communication Director of the Year.
The awards were presented at a ceremony in Indianapolis Indiana about a
week ago. (Riverside Press Enterprise and CGC Communicator)
**
NAMES IN THE NEWS: ZS6ALJ RESIGNS FROM SARL COUNCIL
And word of changes in the make up of the leadership of the South
African Radio League. This with word that ZS6ALJ has tendered his
resignation from the SARL Council because personal and business
pressures. His resignation was effective as of July 31st ZS6GJH will
act as President until the next council meeting when an election will
take place. (SARL)
**
SPECTRUM ALLOCATIONS: CROATIA NOW ON 4 METERS
Last week we reported that Danish amateurs had been given access to the
4-metre band. Now, G8TOK reports that Croatia is about to give its hams
access to the same band.
According to Derek, Croatian amateur 9A2EY says that following
negotiations with the Croatian Ministry of Maritime Affairs,
Transportation and Telecommunications, amateurs in that nation will also
soon gain access to the 4 meters. Also, that an announcement is to be
made in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia.
Iit is expected that the first 4 meter licenses will be issued at the
end of September. The band will be 70.000 to 70.450 MHz with Secondary
Status. Modes permitted will be A1A, J3E, F1B and F2D modes at a
maximum of 10 watts Effective Radiated Power. (RSGB)
**
RADIO RECORDS: UK TO DENMARK ON 4 METERS
Meantime, Darrell Mawhinney, GI4KSO, is claiming what is probably the
first England to Denmark contact on 4 metres. This foloowing the
opening of the 70 Mhz allocation to OZ hams.
Mawhinney says that he worked OZ3ZW on 70.100MHz SSB at 09:55 U-T-C on
the 22nd of July. He also reports reception of the OZ7IGY beacon on
70.021MHz on the same day.
But theres more. G8TOK, reports that S53X worked OY9JD in the Faeroe
Islands on 4 metres on the 19th of July. This means that the newly
granted permission obviously extends to Danish overseas territories
including, presumably, also Greenland. (RSGB)
**
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE - MEXICO AND RFID
Shades of George Orwell's novel 1984. According to a story in the
Washington Post, Mexico is considering the radio frequency I-D chip as
an answer to crime and as a tool to help the medical profession keep
track of health histories. Up to 10,000 radio frequency I-D tags may be
implanted in Mexico's citizens in the coming year. The R-F-I-D
"Verichip" can be tracked for a distance of 5 to 8 kilometers, but
Mexican officials are looking toward an implant that can be tracked by
satellite, and a Global Positioning System implant that could aid in
locating kidnap victims. The full story is on-line at
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6440-2003Jul17.html
(CGC)
**
INTERNATIONAL-KOREA: RKI AT 50
If you are a ham who likes to listen to shortwave broadcasts, listen up.
This one is for you. Word that Radio Korea International is
inaugerating a special web site on August 15th to mark the stations
50th anniversary. The cyberspace home page will feature a look at the
pst, pfresenty and future of the station. Radio Korea International
first took to the airwaves as the Voice of Free Korea on August 15,
1953. (ASWLC)
**
PROPAGATION STUDIES: NEW 136KHZ BEACON ON THE AIR IN ALASKA
The RSGB reports that Laurence Howell, KL1X, has a new 136 kHz
propagation beacon on the air from near Anchorage, Alaska. Using the
experimental call sign WD2XDW the beacon is located in grid square BP41
and became operational on the 28th of July.
The purpose of the beacon is for propagation experimentation within the
US, and transpolar propagation to Europe on paths over the high Arctic.
Howell's experimental license permits only very slow Morse beacon
transmissions of up to 2 watts Effective Radiated Power. The transmit
carrier frequency is 137.77389kHz into a 32 meter tall vertical antenna.
(RSGB)
**
DX
In D-X, word rthat DL6KVA will be active once again as 4K0CW from Baku,
Azerbaijan. This through the 17th of August. Activity will be on CW
only, typically in his night hours, after 2100 U-T-C. (GB2RS)
And JH3PAS will operate as 9N7AS from Nepal through the 19th of August.
He will be active on HF CW, SSB, RTTY and PSK31, and plans to
concentrate on 30 metres. QSL both operators as directed on the air.
(GB2RS)
**
THAT FINAL ITEM: THE HAM RADIO MUSIC OF CQ SERENADE
And finally this week, the story of a song. A song about our favorite
hobby and service, Amateur Radio. Here's Bruce Tennant, K6PZW:
--
The name of the song is CQ Serenade and we found it sometime back while
trolling the world wide web. After downloading it, our curiousity got
the best of us so we decided to find out more. Our search finally lead
us to Jean-Guy Renaud, VE2AIK, who supplied us with allot of
information.
According to VE2AIK, CQ Serenade was composed sometime between 1965 and
1970 by Maurice Durieux, VE2QS. Durieux was orchestra conductor
employed by Radio Canada who had emmigrated fromm France. Assisting
Duriux in the creation of the song was F9KT.
CQ Serenade was first recorded with French lyrics by Raymond Girerd. An
English language version written by VE2QS and by Georges Brewer, then
VE2BR, of Montreal. It was later covered by songstress Joyce Hahn.
Both versions were available on 45 RPM long playing records under the
rather apropos QSO Records label.
Today, those discs are probably true collectors items and all but
impossible to find. But don't dispair. Thanks to the magic of MP3
audio and the Word-Wide-Web, CQ Serenade is still around to hear and
enjoy.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, in Los
Angeles.
--
You can download the MP3 version of C-Q Serenade by takeing your web
browser to the rather complex U-R-L of
http://www3.sympatico.ca/ddufault/cq-serenade/cq-serenade.htm (Our
sincere thanks to VE2AIK for the information contained in this special
report)
**
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 at 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 2003 Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham
of the Year Award presentation takes place Saturday, August 16th at the
Huntsville Hamfest. Representatives of Newsline, Vertex Standard and C-
Q Magazine will be on hand to honor the accomplishments of 17 year old
Jay Thompson, W6JAY. We will have a full wrap-up on the award ceremony
and the Huntsville Hamfest in next weeks Amateur Radio Newsline report.
For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors desk, I'm Jim
Meachen, ZL2BHF, in Auckland New Zealand saying 73 and we thank you for
listening." Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2003. All rights
reserved.
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