[Ham-News] The ARRL Letter, Vol. 23, No. 01

[ham-news-admin at mailman.qth.net]

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The ARRL Letter
Vol. 23, No. 01
January 2, 2004
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IN THIS EDITION:

* +Comments augment BPL alarm
* +A BPL tale of two cities
* +ISS commander debuts new ham gear
* +California ARES/RACES teams respond following earthquake
* +Joe Knight, W5PDY, SK
* +Washington state lawmakers hear from ARRL SM on BPL threat
* +Hamvention 2004 award nomination deadline looms
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF:
     This weekend on the radio
     Reminder: Kid's Day is Sunday, January 4!
     ARRL Emergency Communications course registration
     ARECC/ARES seminar set in New York City-Long Island Section
     Amateur Radio assists in Iran earthquake relief
     Emanuel G. "Manny" Papandreas, W4SS, SK
     Canadian hams may lose 220-222 MHz segment
     TO4E/TO4WW DXpedition racks up 34,000 Qs
     CQ names Floyd Gerald, N5FG, as Worked All Zones awards manager

+Available on ARRL Audio News

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==>ORGANIZATIONS' COMMENTS AUGMENT ALARM OVER BPL

Two organizations have filed comments with the FCC that augment previously
expressed worries about potential interference from and to Broadband over
Power Line (BPL) systems. Picking up on the "grave concerns" the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) <http://www.fema.gov/> expressed over
BPL December 4, the nonprofit Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response
Association (DERA) <http://www.disasters.org/> called on the FCC to require
impartial BPL field testing as well as additional public comment and full
and open public hearings.

"DERA concludes that serious interference to and disruption of critical
emergency communications systems in several licensed services throughout
North America would almost certainly result from BPL implementation as
currently proposed," DERA said. Endorsing the earlier FEMA remarks, DERA
said proposed BPL systems don't just pose a risk of interference, they've
already been shown to "actually cause harmful interference to licensed
radio services."

Meanwhile, the Amateur Radio Research and Development Corporation (AMRAD)
has filed additional test data with the FCC to support preliminary
findings suggesting that BPL systems are susceptible to interference from
even modest Amateur Radio HF signals. AMRAD said its newest data
demonstrated that amateur operation in the test neighborhood would cause
many homes to lose their Internet service.

"At least an area out to a radius of 0.51 miles from the transmitting
station could have their Internet connection interrupted," AMRAD said.
"Closer-in homes would almost certainly have their Internet service
interrupted."

For its RF susceptibility experiment, AMRAD used the Potomac Electric
Power Company system test site. It features a mid-1960s vintage home with
unshielded interior electrical wiring and overhead power lines.

AMRAD found that at a distance of just over one-half mile, data transfer
ceased in the face of a 100-W signal on 3980 kHz from a mobile
transmitter. Adjacent to the test property, AMRAD said data transfer
ceased in all but one instance at a transmitter power of just 4 W in the
BPL operating band of from 4 to 21 MHz.

The ARRL hopes to complete an independent BPL engineering study early this
year. It will explore how BPL might affect HF and low-VHF amateur
operation as well as how Amateur Radio operation could affect BPL systems.

In related news, BPL equipment manufacturer Amperion Inc recently
announced an "industry first" by successfully testing its high-speed
"Connect" system on 69 kV transmission lines. Typical BPL systems have
employed medium and low-voltage lines to deliver broadband and Internet
access. Amperion said its tests, performed in conjunction with American
Electric Power, demonstrated multi-megabit data transmission to a distance
of nearly one mile without the need for a repeater. There's more
information on Amperion's Web site
<http://www.amperion.com/press.asp?pid=89>.

Additional information about BPL and Amateur Radio is on the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/>. To support the League's efforts
in this area, visit the ARRL's secure BPL Web site
<https://www.arrl.org/forms/development/donations/bpl/>.

==>A BPL TALE OF TWO CITIES

A Virginia community is preparing to go forward with plans to deploy a
city-owned BPL network, while a California city has decided against BPL
for its own municipal broadband system.

The city council in Lompoc, California <http://www.cityoflompoc.com/>--a
community of some 42,000--opted December 16 to go with a wireless and
fiber optic cable-based broadband network, rejecting BPL and other
possible options. ARRL Santa Barbara Section Technical Coordinator Paul
Andreasen, K1JAN, said he and other members of the local Amateur Radio
community lobbied hard to ensure that Lompoc would not pick BPL.

After contacting Lompoc Mayor Dick DeWesse to spell out the downside of
BPL, Andreasen said he subsequently received assurances from City Manager
Gary Keefe that Lompoc's consultants would not entertain technology that
would radiate in the HF/low-VHF spectrum. The report from McKibben
Consulting noted the "ongoing controversy" about BPL and cited a 2003
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) study that, McKibben said, "made it
clear that there is very good reason to be concerned about RF
interference." The consultant concluded that BPL's advantages failed to
outweigh its disadvantages.

The Washington, DC, suburb of Manassas, Virginia, meanwhile, indicates it
will go ahead this month with plans to inaugurate BPL service in four
subdivisions--a total of some 2100 homes. Manassas--with a population of
nearly 35,000--hopes to be the first community in the US to deploy BPL
citywide.

Amateurs in the Manassas vicinity have pointed to FEMA's "grave concerns"
that BPL could interfere with HF communications systems critical to
national security and public safety. They've also cited Japan's banning of
BPL deployment in the wake of Amateur Radio pressure as well as the BBC
study, where the BPL system used the same Main.net technology Manassas
plans to employ.

City officials seem unimpressed. "Nobody has proven it's a problem," City
Councilman Ulysses X. White told Potomac News
<http://www.potomacnews.com/>. "If it is a problem, then we re-evaluate it.
There's no reason not to go forward with it." The same article quotes City
Utilities Director Allen Todd, W4VUB, as saying that the city will monitor
the system and rectify any problems that crop up. No field testing for RF
interference took place during the system's pilot program.

Potomac News also quoted ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, saying that the risk
of disrupting worldwide and emergency communications for BPL is
shortsighted and, as FEMA aleady has noted, carries potential national
security implications.

==>ISS COMMANDER GETS ON THE AIR WITH NEW HAM GEAR

Astronaut Mike Foale, KB5UAC, fired up the new Phase 2 Amateur Radio on
the International Space Station (ARISS) equipment December 21 to make a
number of 2-meter contacts with amateurs around the world. The Expedition
8 commander completed QSOs with amateurs in Australia, Europe and North
America from 1100 to approximately 1700 UTC.

"I heard him at approximately 1100 UTC and also on the next pass."
commented Ib Christofferson, OZ1MY, on the SAREX reflector. "He had a
large pileup."

A new Kenwood TM-D700E VHF-UHF dualband transceiver was installed late
last fall in the ISS Zvezda Service Module--the crew's living quarters.
ARISS International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, said official permission to
use the new gear came December 17. The RS0ISS packet system also is back
in operation.

"This equipment, including antennas, radios, hardware and software were
developed and provided by a diverse set of team members located around the
world," Bauer said in a year-end statement. "This was quite a challenge to
make happen."

Activation of the new gear means a power boost from 5 W to 25 W for the
NA1SS downlink signal. It also means the ISS now has two functional ham
stations. Additional Phase 2 equipment--which could go into space this
month--is to include a slow-scan television (SSTV) system and a Yaesu
FT-100 HF/VHF/UHF transceiver.

"I was able to hear him from as far out as 1200 miles," reported Arthur
Rowe, N1ORC, of Lawrence, Massachusetts. "I guess that the new output
power was helping."

Foale's operation was part of a special event to honor SAREX/ARISS Working
Group Chairman Roy Neal, K6DUE, who died last August. Stations contacting
or monitoring the ISS on voice (NA1SS) or packet (RS0ISS) through the end
of 2003 are eligible for special event certificates. See "K6DUE ISS
Commemorative Event Certificates" on the ARISS Web site
<http://www.rac.ca/ariss> for details.

ARISS is an international educational outreach program with participation
by ARRL, NASA and AMSAT.

==>CENTRAL CALIFORNIA HAMS RESPOND TO EARTHQUAKE

Amateur Radio operators aided the American Red Cross after a magnitude 6.5
earthquake struck California's Central Coast region Monday, December 22.
Amateurs in San Luis Obispo County provided radio links between shelters
and the Red Cross San Luis Obispo Chapter office. Santa Barbara Section
Manager Robert Griffin, K6YR, said the San Luis Obispo County Office of
Emergency Services requested the assistance of the Amateur Radio Emergency
Service (ARES)/Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) teams.
Griffin said San Luis Obispo ARES/RACES operators helped staff the county
emergency operations center and backed-up communication for the Red Cross
after cell phone service proved unreliable.

"About 24 operators were involved," Griffin said. "By 10 PM Monday night,
the primary American Red Cross communication resources were again
reliable, and the ARES net secured." Griffin says a few operators
continued communications support at the EOC.

Griffin said the American Red Cross quickly established three shelters for
quake victims--one in hard-hit Paso Robles, another in Morro Bay and a
third in the southern part of the county. Hams staffed shelters to
maintain contact with the Red Cross chapter office. Two people died in
Paso Robles, some 25 miles from the epicenter.

Force 12 President Tom Schiller, N6BT, reports the antenna
manufacturer--located in Paso Robles--suffered "minimal damage" from the
December 22 quake.

"Most of it was confined to the front office, with ceiling tiles falling
down, books and computers being tossed around," Schiller said in an update
on the company's Web site. "Those who had a view out the front glass doors
watched the cars and trucks in the street leave the ground as the shock
waves rolled through." He said the quake took out electric power,
telephone and cell service within less than a minute, although the power
returned and telephones became sporadically operative within a few hours.

Schiller reports his own house--about a mile away--was "trashed," although
his towers and the plumbing and electrical systems survived. Standing
outside while checking the house, Schiller said he noticed that there was
no wildlife at all. "No birds, no deer, no dogs barking. Not even a
breeze," he said. "Thankfully, we made it through."

==>DEAN EMERITUS OF ARRL SECTION MANAGERS JOE T. KNIGHT, W5PDY, SK

Former ARRL New Mexico Section Manager Joe Knight, W5PDY, of Albuquerque
died December 28. He was 76. Until he stepped down last July after his
health began to fail, Knight had provided leadership to the New Mexico
Section for nearly 27 years--longer than any of his peers. ARRL President
Jim Haynie, W5JBP, called Knight an exemplary amateur and volunteer and
said he was saddened to said to learn of his passing.

"You couldn't ask for anybody who was more dedicated to Amateur Radio and
to the League than Joe Knight," Haynie said. "He was the consummate ham."

An ARRL Life Member, Knight had belonged to the League for 55 years. For
several years through 2002, Knight was a regular participant at the New
Section Manager workshops each fall, at which he would share the wealth of
expertise derived from his many years of Field Organization leadership
experience.

Knight was the subject and chief narrator of an article, "The Luckiest Man
Alive," which appeared in the January 2003 issue of QST. In it Knight
said, "Amateur Radio will exist as long as there are people who love the
art and science of communicating by radio." The article also outlined the
vast emergency communication resources that Knight and hundreds of other
dedicated volunteers built up over the years in New Mexico.

During Knight's tenure as SM, New Mexico amateurs convinced state
lawmakers to pass The Emergency Communication Preservation Act--an Amateur
Radio antenna bill--signed into law in 2002. Knight also was at the helm
as amateurs in New Mexico assisted in response and relief efforts during
devastating wildfires in 2000 and in 2002.

Last July, the ARRL Board of Directors created the Knight Distinguished
Service Award and named Knight as its inaugural recipient. The award
honors "exceptionally notable contributions" to the health and vitality of
the League by an SM.

With Knight's blessing, then-New Mexico Assistant SM Bill Weatherford,
KM5FT, of Albuquerque, was appointed fill the remainder of Knight's term.
Weatherford, who recently was elected to a new two-year term in his own
right, appointed Knight in September as an Assistant SM.

Official Observer (and former ARRL Web youth columnist) Brian Mileshosky,
N5ZGT, said Knight "served as a great example that each of us should
follow every day to keep our beloved hobby alive and healthy."

In addition to his lengthy service as New Mexico's SM, Knight was a past
president and long-time member of the Upper Rio FM Society. He also
belonged to the Albuquerque Amateur Radio Club, the Albuquerque DX
Association and the A1 Operator Club, and he served on the board of the
Duke City Hamfest. He also was active in the Quarter Century Wireless
Association.

Survivors include his wife, Lois, KC5CXO, who often accompanied Knight on
his hamfest and convention visits and was a tireless recruiter for new
ARRL members.

A memorial service was held January 2 in Albuquerque. The family has
invited memorial contributions to the Knight Distinguished Service Award
or to the ARRL Foundation Scholarship Fund. Memorials may be made to
either fund on the ARRL Memorial Gifts Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/development/memorial.html> or to ARRL, 225 Main St,
Newington CT 006111-1494.

==>ARRL SECTION MANAGER REPRESENTS HAM RADIO IN STATE SENATE BPL INQUIRY

ARRL Western Washington Section Manager Ed Bruette, N7NVP, testified
December 9 before the Washington Senate Technology and Communications
Committee during an informational inquiry on Broadband over Power Line
(BPL). The committee invited Bruette to speak after Gloria Sharp, WA7GYD,
of Ellensburg, contacted a senior committee staffer to ask if Amateur
Radio would be represented at the hearing. As a result, the panel added
Bruette to the list of spokespersons.

"My presentation outlined the Part 15 device limitations, the interference
issues both to and from Amateur Radio, BPL trials in Europe and Japan, and
the other users of the HF and VHF spectrum who will be impacted by
interference by BPL," Bruette said in summing up his 15-minute
presentation. "I included the first 37 seconds of the BPL video made by
ARRL Lab Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, along with an NTIA spectrum allocation
chart that I modified to show the potential loss of spectrum."

Bruette followed remarks by two industry representatives. He said the
committee's feedback was positive, as was the reaction from the four radio
amateurs in the audience.

Bruette said he was surprised to hear one industry representative
characterize power lines as antennas. He also said he was pleased to learn
that the Chelan County Public Utility District had received letters from
local hams expressing concern about BPL.

==>HAMVENTION 2004 SEEKS AWARD NOMINEES

Nominations close January 31 for the Hamvention 2004 Radio Amateur of the
Year, Technical Excellence and Special Achievement awards.

The Radio Amateur of the Year is an individual with a long term commitment
to the advancement of Amateur Radio--a well-rounded amateur who has
contributed in an exceptional manner to Amateur Radio.

The Technical Excellence award goes to an amateur who has made an
outstanding technical contribution to advance Amateur Radio. This could
include, but is not limited to, a revolutionary equipment design or
operational mode that has positively influenced the day-to-day operation
of many amateurs.

The Special Achievement award honors an outstanding contribution to the
advancement of Amateur Radio and typically recognizes an amateur who has
spearheaded a significant project.

All amateurs are eligible for any of these awards, and the Hamvention
Awards Committee makes the final decision on recipients, based in part on
the information submitted on the nominee's behalf (and not on the number
of nominations). Documentation to support a nomination is essential. This
could be in the form of magazine articles, newsletters, newspaper
clippings or videos. All materials become the property of Hamvention and
will not be returned.

Submit nominations by mail to Awards Committee, Hamvention 2004, PO Box
964, Dayton OH 45401, or complete the on-line Nominating Form on the
Hamvention 2004 Web site <http://www.hamvention.org/> (click on "Award
Nominations"). Nominees are responsible for submitting substantiating
documentation via mail by January 31, 2004.

Hamvention 2004 is May 14-16.

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Sun watcher Tad "I stayed up to watch that glittery ball drop" Cook, K7RA,
Seattle, Washington, reports: This is the first "Solar Update" for
2004--time to review averages from 2003 and compare them to previous
years.