[Ham-News] Amateur Radio Newsline 1391 - April 8, 2004

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Amateur Radio Newsline 1391 - April 8, 2004

The following is a Q-S-T.  It's ham radio versus BPL in upstate New 
York.  Hear the racket for yourself on Amateur Radio Newsline report 
number 1391 coming your way right now.
 
**

THE BPL FIFGHT:  HAM RADIO VS. BPL IN PENN YAN N.Y.

If you have been wondering what Broadband over Powerline interference 
will do to your ability to communicate on the high frequency bands, here 
is a very graphic illustration.  Take a listen:

--
Penn Yan NY Audio - BPL Noise
--

That recording of the 15 meter phone band was recently made by Dave 
Hallidy, K2DH, operating mobile in Penn Yan, New York and posted to the 
Rochester VHF Society website.  It was made the weekend of the CQ WPXSSB 
Contest using a Yaesu FT-100D transceiver, a Tarheel Screwdriver antenna 
and recorded at a time when the band was loaded end to end with high 
power contest stations.  And while you cold detect a few of them, the 
majority were covered up by the BPL grudge.  

--
Penn Yan NY Audio With Signals Covered Up
--

In an Internet posting Mark Hoffman, K2AXX, who is Chairman of  
Rochester group described it as frightening to hear.  He encourages all 
ham radio clubs and other organizations to contributed to the ARRL BPL 
Defense Fund as a way of fighting this threat to the ham radio bands.  
(K0BC, K2AXX, K2DH, QCWA)

**

THE BPL FIGHT:  TIME TO GO TO COURT?

And Hoffman is not alone in his concern.  Others on the Internet are 
circulating a more drastic approach.  Some hams advocate taking the 
matter to court and try to have the interfering BPL providers  charged 
with being a public nuisance or as a threat to our national security.  
(Various Internet Posts)

**

ENFORCEMENT:  UTILITY WARNED TO CLEAN UP RFI

An electric utility has been told for a second time to locate and fix an 
interference problem to a ham radio operator.  Amateur Radio Newsline's 
Bruce Tennant, K6ZW, has more:

--

The FCC has sent a second letter to an energy provider warning it to 
clean up interference to a ham or face punitive action.  The notice was 
sent directly to Wayne H. Brunetti who is Chairman, President and Chief 
Executive Officer of Xcel Energy based In Minneapolis, Minnesota.  

In his letter the FCC tells Brunetti that the agency notified him back 
in December of 2003 that it has received complaints of harmful radio 
interference possibly caused by equipment operated by Xcel Energy.  That 
this interference has been reported by a ham living in Wellington, 
Colorado and that Xcel had been given 60 days to let the FCC and the ham 
know what steps were being taken to resolve the problem.

The FCC says that while Xcel did comply with its directive to respond, 
but as of the date of the latest letter the harmful interference 
reported to its office still remains unresolved.  So the FCC told 
Brunetti that the company had 30 days to let the regulatory agency know 
what action Xcel has taken, or intends to take, in order to identify and 
correct the source of these radio emissions if they are being caused by 
its equipment.  If Xcel fails to comply it could face enforcement 
action.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, reporting.

--

As we go to air there is no word if Xcel's Burnetti has responded to the 
FCC.  (FCC, RAIN)

**

THE BPL FIGHT:  OPPOSITION GOES PUBLIC IN SOUTH AFRICA

BPL is also a big concern in South Africa and that nations national ham 
radio society has voiced its concern to the public about the 
introduction of Broadband over Powerline Communications in that nation.  
SARL -- the South African Radio League  did this during the program 
"Technologic" which aired on Africa's D-S-T-V  Business Channel. 

Society president Graham Harlett, ZS6GJH, was interviewed at the 
National Amateur Radio Center.  He said that the SARL is opposed to 
Power Line Communication because of its inherent interference to High 
Frequency radio communication.  He noted that the interference is not 
limited only to frequencies used by Radio Amateurs.  That it includes 
the military, civil emergency agencies and some broadcasting stations as 
well.

Harlett, says that extensive tests carried out in Europe, the USA and 
Japan has clearly shown this.  A transmission line that carries power  
will become like an antenna at higher frequencies and render the high 
frequency spectrum unusable.

Harlett, who is a managing director of a South African consulting 
company voiced another concern as well.   One that has not really been 
talked about in the United States.  That of ingress to Broadband over 
Powerline systems from other radio spectrum users including hams.  
Harlett says that radio transmitters in close proximity to users of BPL 
are likely to cause interference to them because of the antenna effect 
of the long, unshielded powerlines.  

Technologic was broadcast on Monday March 29th and has been repeated 
twice since its initial airdate.  (Q-News)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  SOLVING HAM-SAT INTERFERENCE

Meantime, the subject of interference to ham radio satellite was one of 
the topics at the recent meeting of the IARU Region One VHF Managers 
held in Vienna.  Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, reports:

--

As a result of research performed by OZ1MY, it now been  shown that QRM 
that is occurring to ham radio satellites.  Its primarily but not 
exclusively to 145 MHz satellite uplinks and mainly occurs when the 
birds are flying over Africa and the Middle East.

According to AMSAT, IARU Region 1 has a Monitoring Service which has 
been active for some years but which has, up to now, concentrated on 
frequencies below 30 MHz.  In view of the wide area of QRM that can be 
caused by satellites and their ability to relay signals across 
international borders, the monitoring team has now agreed to scrutinize 
the satellite subbands as well.

Right now, what is needed are regular reports detailing instances of 
interference to the ham-sats along with audio files to back up each 
claim.  The audio files will enable more precise identification of 
accents and dialects of those heard interfering.  Hopefully, this will 
be a first step in getting those causing the interference off the 
satellites and off the ham bands as well.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, in Los 
Angeles.

--

The IARU Region One Monitoring Service team is said to have good 
contacts which are used daily to remove intruders from the High 
Frequency bands.  Hopefully they will be able to do the same on VHF and 
UHF as well.  (AMSAT, Others)

**