[Ham-News] Amateur Radio Newsline 1429 - December 31, 2004
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Mon Jan 3 05:56:31 EST 2005
Amateur Radio Newsline™ Report 1429 - December 31, 2004
The following is a Q-S-T.
Ham radio provides aid after an Indian Ocean Tsunami. Find out the
details on Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1429 coming your way
right now.
**
RESCUE RADIO: QUAKE & TSUNAMI HIT ASIA - DX-PEDITION AFFECTED
An estimated 100,000+ people died across South and Southeast Asia on
Sunday, December 26th. This, after the largest earthquake in forty
years triggered massive tidal waves or tsunamis that fanned out across
the Indian Ocean, bringing massive devastation wherever they made
landfall. And as the story unfolded, it was ham radio that was called
to provide communications when every other means failed. Amateur Radio
Newsline's Mark Abramovich, NT3V, has more:
--
It didn't take long for amateur radio operators in the affected
countries to begin setting up emergency communication networks. In
India, in Sri Lanka, in Thailand, in Indonesia and other places affected
by the disaster, ham operators answered the call setting up
communications on a variety of bands.
In addition to side-band signals, CW and PSK-31 are being used. There
are also operations on 40 and 80 meters and 20 meters.
And, for those who have managed to get some power source, there are even
messages coming out via the Internet.
The need for aid is critical; many lives are at stake.
No one appreciates that more than the American Radio Relay League's
President Jim Haynie W5JBP.
"We're in touch with some of the people over there in Sri Lanka and
Thailand, and, some of the other affected countries, India as well,"
Haynie says. "And stand ready to do whatever that they would find that
it's necessary for us to do. We're fixing to send a couple of ICOM 706s
over there. We had a request the other day, but I think that's just the
tip of the iceberg."
Haynie says amateur radio operators in the affected countries are
playing a key role in the response.
"The amateur radio operators, are the only communications," Haynie
explains. "We are the primary communications and the things that they're
asking for relief on and, of course, it's the essential stuff such as
medicine and food and water. And amateur radio is playing an enormous
role in that right now."
Haynie says the ARRL is getting all kinds of traffic from South Asia
through an Internet reflector as well. And, he relates one recent phone
call he received.
"I got a call from an amateur, whose wife is Sri Lankan, she's a medical
doctor," Haynie says. "They were prepared to go over there and we were
prepared as a national organization to allow them to courier equipment
to do some communications in Sri Lanka on 40 meters.
"And, so the radios we were prepared to get to them at that particular
moment were available. Now, as time went by, we found out that there was
actually a laundry list that was needed. And we're in the process of
getting that laundry list for the Sri Lankan Amateur Radio Society."
Haynie says it's gratifying to see how amateurs have come together.
"Thailand has done a remarkable job, just on their own," Haynie says. "I
knew from meeting with some of the Indian representatives in Dayton two
years ago that their organization is very much effective and on top of
emergency communications.
"In fact, their government recognizes they amateur radio operators in
India as one of their front-line communication fallbacks and all these
things are coming into play now. So it makes me very proud to be a ham."
Haynie says calls offering help have been coming into ARRL, too.
I've had calls from amateur radio clubs around the country saying what
can we do, and pledges of money and what not," Haynie says. "Right now
what I'm saying is hold tight, let us see where we can be the most
effective and do what we can do as ham radio operators to facilitate the
distress relief in our respective countries.
"In this case, the United States being one of the richest nations in the
world, I think we can do a lot."
And, Haynie says, the spirit of amateur radio and service goes beyond
our shores.
"What impresses me more than anything else is the solidarity of amateur
radio throughout the world, "Haynie says. "That we've come together and
we want to do what we can and to relieve some of the suffering and
problems that some of the citizens have in the respective countries."
There will be much more about relief efforts and you'll hear about how
you might be able to help in future Amateur Radio Newsline report. For
the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mark Abramowicz, NT3V, in Philadelphia.
--
Aid agencies groups the world are mobilized to help people in areas that
have been devastated by the tsunamis. CARE Australia is providing
emergency relief, food, water and shelter. The United States dispatched
disaster teams and prepared an initial $35 million aid package to the
devastated countries . U.S. officials are also seeking to contact
hundreds of Americans who remain unaccounted for in the region.
(ARNewsline)
**
RESCUE RADIO: DXPEDITION BECOMES REAL LIFE EMERGENCY
By pure chance a group of ham radio operators were not far from where it
began. They were in the Indian Ocean as part of the long awaited V-U 4
Andaman and Nicobar Islands D X-pedition. Graham Kemp, VK4BB has their
part off the story:
--
December 2004 and for the month the world was trying for and working a
DX-Pedition in the Bay of Bengal, north east of Sri Lanka.
Yes for the first time in some 17 years VU4 was "on the air".
Thousands of miles away, just off Indonesia the plates glowed! No not
your average Ham Radios Finals, but the earth's plates moved an earth
quake produced a tidal wave or Tsunamis which raced across the world,
from Exmouth on the VK6 coast to 6O Somalia.
The VU4 Andaman Islands were one of the close land areas to the
epicenter of the earthquake which apparently set off multiple
aftershocks and several tidal waves (tsunami) which killed over
Hard hit VU, VU4, 9M, 4S, 8Q, YB, HS. VU4 is a barren Island and
herself is the home of the only active volcano in India.
--
(Disaster relief audio -- courtesy vu2pop)
--
Multiple sources reported a VU4 DXpedition YL, Bharathi, on the air
several hours after the quake and tsunami. VK6APK, Alex, heard heraround
1000Z and she was reporting "there is no electricity or telephone
communication. All of the team SAFE."
VK1WIA News spoke with Sandeep VU2MUE in India:
--
Interview Audio here
--
VU2MUE did write....
Dear OM GRAHAM KEMP, VK4BB.
Hams from India are handling emergency traffics continuously...Contact
with VU4RBI [ Port Blair ] established from New Delhi [ VU2UKR ]
General Information passed are:-
1: People being evacuated from Nicobar Region to Port Blair.
2. Port Blair Area Safe
3. Ships/ Boats not Allowed to venture - So only means is by AIR.
4. Power supply resumed in Port Blair Area, Many Phone Lines Working,
Drinking WATER is scarce.
5. Nicobar is badly affected, Communications is a total failure in
Nicobar Area.
6. Coastal Areas of Nicobar totally washed off. At Head Quarters all are
safe.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, this is Graham, VK4BB, in Brisbane,
Australia.
--
More on this unfolding drama in upcoming Amateur Radio Newsline reports.
(ARNewsline(tm), WIA News, Net audio courtesy vu2pop)
**
THE BPL WAR - THE MARKETING PLOY DOWN-UNDER
The momentum for the introduction of Broadband over Powerlines is
increasing in Australia. Marketing experts are using buzz words and
phrases to make it all sound so very attractive to the public down-under
and worldwide. But is it? Jim Linton VK3PC reports.
--
BPL is being described as "electric Internet" that can make every
household and business power outlet an "always-on web connection".
The hype and marketing lingo also include that BPL "will inject
competition into the broadband market place," and "change the way of
doing business on the Internet."
In targeting small rural cities in the United States, BPL promoters
suggest that by deploying BPL now, those municipalities can put
themselves well ahead of the big cities on the technology curve.
A major barrier for BPL continues to be the financiers who need to be
convinced that BPL is not a dot.com-like speculative venture. The bean
counters will determine whether BPL is viable against other broadband
technology such as fiber optic cables, ADSL and wireless.
Power companies need to justify expenditures to shareholders and in some
cases industry regulators.
Any limits, restrictions or controls, or the likelihood of any in the
future, imposed to mitigate radio frequency interference from BPL will
be a negative in the financial equation.
The WIA has recently and publicly expressed a strong view about
radiocommunications interference experienced through the testing of BPL
and called upon the Australian Communications Authority to take
appropriate action.
We have interesting times ahead as BPL interests continue to lobby hard
for approval so they can begin to roll-out the technology in Australia.
This is Jim Linton VK3PC.
--
With big dollars to be made from any successful rollout of B-P-L, the
less than techno whiz marketing people are having a great time trying to
turn a bucket of electronic worms into corporate gold. (WIA News)
**
ENFORCEMENT: HAM RADIO - A DECEMBER OVERVIEW
Lots of enforcement news this week:
--
PKG HERE: Audio Report Only
--
As 2004 winds to an end and 2005 takes center stage, it appears as if
the FCC is busier than ever in the ham radio enforcement arena. (RCC,
RAIN)
**
ENFORCEMENT: FCC PROPOSES $220,000 FORFEITURE AGAINST ENTERCOM FOR
APPARENT VIOLATIONS OF INDECENCY RULE
Hams are not the only ones the Federal Communications Commission is
targeting for enforcement. The regulatory agency has issued a Notice of
Apparent Liability to Monetary Forfeiture in the amount of $220,000
against Entercom Kansas City License, LLC. This, for willfully and
repeatedly airing apparently indecent material during multiple
broadcasts of a program called the "Dare and Murphy Show."
Entercom is licensee of Stations KQRC-FM, Leavenworth, Kansas, and KFH
AM in Wichita, Kansas. In its December 22nd release, the Commission
proposed the maximum legal forfeiture for each of the four apparently
indecent broadcasts by the two stations. That's $27,500 for each
occurrence and a total proposed forfeiture of $220,000.
The Commission says that the material in these broadcasts appeared to
meet the agency's indecency definition. Specifically, the program
materials included repeated, graphic and explicit sexual descriptions
that were pandering, titillating or used to shock the audience.
The Commission says that it proposed a forfeiture at the maximum
statutory amount because of what it calls the egregious nature of the
violations and Entercom's history of prior indecent broadcasts.
Entercom is expected to file an appeal. (FCC)
**
ENFORCEMENT: $9000 NASL ISSUED TO CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY
And Citadel Broadcasting, licensee of Station KSYY FM in Kingfisher,
Oklahoma has been issued a monetary forfeiture in the amount of $9,000.
This, for failure to maintain the required staff and management presence
at the station's main studio and failure to maintain all of the required
material in the station's public inspection file. The potential fine
against Citadel was issued on December 22nd with the station being given
the normal 30 days to respond. (FCC)
**
RADIO LAW: FCC TO EXAMINE THE BAN ON USING CELLPHONES IN AIRCRAFT
The FCC has proposed relaxing its current ban on the use of cellular
telephones in airborne aircraft. Specifically, the Commission is
proposing to permit airborne operation of off the shelf wireless
handsets and other devices provided the devices can be made to operate
at their lowest power settings under the control of a "pico cell"
located in the aircraft. This the Commission says would insure that
airborne cellphone operation would not allow unwanted RF emissions to
interfere with conventional ground-based cellular systems. The
Commission has asked for public comments on these and other issues.
More is on line at
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-255246A1.doc
(CGC))
**
RESCUE RADIO: SATERN TRAINING OFFERED IN CA
The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network will hold a Western
states training session in San Bernardino, California, on Saturday,
January 29th. Sponsored by the San Bernardino Corps of the Salvation
Army, the subject matter covered will be using Amateur Radio supporting
the Salvation Army with emergency communications. For reservations e-
mail ke6jzf at arrl.net. More is on-line at www.satern.net (KE6JZF)
**
ON THE AIR: CSVHFS ROVER AWARD
VHF and UHF "Rover" class stations now have an award of their own.
This, thanks to the Central States VHF Society which has created a new
program to honor these and other portable operations.
The Central States group calls the new program the Reverse V-U-C-C
Award. It says that it is very similar to the ARRL's V-U-C-C except
instead of contacting a set number of grid squares on a particular band,
the goal is to make contacts from a set number of grid squares per band.
Certificates will be awarded as well as endorsement stickers. More on
this new program is on-line at www.csvhfs.org/CSVHFVUC.HTML (CSVHFS,
VHF Reflector)
**
WITH NEWSLINE: YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR AWARD WEBSITE
And thanks to the work of Kevin Boudreaux, N5XMH, the Amateur Radio
Newsline Young Ham of the Year Award now has its own home in cyberspace.
The site whose U-R-L is www.yhoty.org is where you can find out
everything about the Young Ham of the Year program and also file a
nomination on-line. And if you want to nominate a young ham
electronically, you can do so by simply clicking on the color coded 2005
Nominations tab, filling out the on-line form and clicking the words
"Submit Nomination" at the bottom of the page.
N5XMH was the 1993 recipient of the Young Ham of the Year Award. He
says that he created the new website to insure that the program will
continue to grow in the years to come.
Again the url is www.yhoty.org on the world-wide-web. (ARNewsline(tm))
**
CHANGING OF THE GUARD: THE VOICE OF WWV BECOMES A SILENT KEY
The Voice of time signal station W-W-V has passed away. Marty Edwards, a
newscaster who doubled as the voice of W-W-V, died on Friday, December
10th. Edwards did the speech transcripts for the time checks provided
by the U.S. Navy Bureau of Standards and broadcast on W-W-V from Ft.
Collins, Colorado. (Published news reports)
**
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: SAN FRANCISCO LIBRARY DISCUSSES RFID TAGGING
San Francisco library officials recently hosted a public forum to take
up the issue of radio frequency identification tags that the city's
library system wants to put in books to improve inventory control. The
scheme that the library envisions would recognize which items were
checked out to whom, and then special gates installed at the exit doors
would detect if the book has physically left the premise.
But critics of the idea say there are serious privacy concerns about
exactly what information would be contained on the tags and how secure
the devices would be. They fear third parties, bored hackers or the
federal government, might find a way to surreptitiously find out who's
reading what.
Using RFID tags for this type of inventory control is not new. Several
large city libraries throughout the United States already use RFID tags
and retailers are increasingly adopting the technology to streamline
their operations and cut down on theft. (Science OnLine)
**
HAM RADIO IN SPACE: KIDS DAY ON AO-51
A-O 51 is joining the ARRL's Kids Day operation on January 2nd. AMSAT
North America will sponsor Kids Day on AO-51 from approximately 1600 UTC
on January 2nd to 0345 UTC on January 3rd. During that time you uplink
to AO-51 on 145.880 MHz FM voice using a 67 hertz sub-audible tone.
Listen on 435.300 MHz FM voice. All AO-52 users are asked to give a
short stand-by during this window to promote satellite operations with
kids. (AMSAT-NA)
**
SPACE & SCIENCE: CHINA ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR 2ND MANNED SPACEFLIGHT
We doubt it will carry a ham radio station but China plans to launch its
second manned space flight in September of 2005. This, according to
news reports that describe it as a five-day mission with two astronauts
aboard.
And China's state radio confirms that Fighter pilot Yang Liwei, who
became that nations first man in space is among a pool of 14 astronauts
in training for the new mission, to be called Shenzhou VI. Liwei made
history in October 2003 when he circled the earth 14 times aboard the
Chinese built Shenzhou V spacecraft. (Space News)
**
WORLDBEAT - SOUTH AFRICA: LEGAL ISSUES DELAY NEW RULES
Turning to news from around the world. Dateline, South Africa where
legal issues are delaying the implementation of a new set of ham radio
rules. Wew have more in this report:
--
Some minor legal issues delayed the promulgation of the new radio
regulations in early December as advised by the Department of
Communications. Some small technical legal issues require to be cleared
up between the two legal departments.
According to a spokesperson for the Department of Communication, the
regulations are now on the Minister's desk for signature. It is at this
stage not clear if another Government Gazette will be published before
early January. The Department has undertaken to keep the SARL informed
of the progress and is doing everything possible to speed up the
promulgation of the regulations.
--
The South African Radio Leagues's news service and the S-A-R-L website
will update as soon as more news is made available. (SARL)
**
THE PAST REVISITED: 6 AM ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF VINTAGE AM
In D-X, the past really came to life for Dale Svetanoff, WA9ENA on
Sunday, December 26th and Monday December 27th. This as a myriad of old
time full carrier A-M stations showed up on 6 meters during the on and
off two day band opening.
Dale reports over the V-H-F Reflector that he was unaware the and was
open when he casually turned on his rig at about 22:15 UTC on Sunday
afternoon. It so happened that the rig came up on 50.4 MHz which is the
6 meter AM window. Dale heard several strong signals and decided to see
who they were. In the next 30 minutes, Dale worked 9 stations in New
England, all on AM and all running truly vintage A-M gear.
Dale says it was a blast to hear rigs such as a Clegg 66er, a Multi-
Elmac AF-68, Gonset Communicator II, and the Knight-Kit TR-106. The TR-
106s were only running 7 watts of output, but they were S-7 to S-9+ at
Dale's Q-T-H in Iowa. W-A-9-E-N-A even worked a station running a
truly rare Heath Seneca transmitter with its up and down controlled
carrier screen grid modulation.
Dale says that was running 25 watts out of an Alinco DX 70. He says
that the fellows out there in W-one land gave him reports as high as 20
over 9. He adds that more than one of the guys in North East said that
they never expected to work DX with their vintage 6 meter rigs. (VHF
Reflector)
--
DX
In other D-X news, GM4CXP, is active from the Canary Islands stroke EA8
until 5th January. He plans QRP CW activity using an FT-817 at 5 watts
output into simple wire antennas. Look for him around the usual CW QRP
calling frequencies. (GB2RS)
Also, ON4MA reports to the Ohio-Penn DX Bulletin that Belgian operators
may use the Oh Oh prefix during the whole of 2005. This, to celebrate
the 175th anniversary of the founding of Belgium as an independent
nation. (OPDX)
And, HG4I is active from Hungary as HG05HNY now until the 31st of
January to celebrate the New Year. Listen for him on all bands using
CW, SSB, RTTY and BPSK. The HNY suffix obviously stands for happy new
year. (GB2RS)
**
HAM RADIO VS. TIME MAGAZINE: IS HAM HADIO FAINTLY EMBARASSING?
And finally this week, i ham radio really a faintly embarrassing hobby
as one Time magazine writer seems to imply? That's the question being
asked by radio amateurs world wide following the publication that
description of the hobby in a recent issue of the magazine. We have
more in this report from Amateur Radio Newsline's Bruce Tennant, K6PZW:
--
In introducing Time Magazine's first ever Blog of the Year Award and
naming its recipient, writer Lev Grossman writes - and we quote:
"Before this year, Blogs were a curiosity, a cult phenomenon, a faintly
embarrassing hobby on the order of ham radio and stamp collecting. But
in 2004, Blogs unexpectedly vaulted into the pantheon of major media,
alongside TV, radio and, yes, magazines" - end quote.
For those of you who never heard the term blog, its short for web log.
That's a place in cyberspace that anyone with a computer and internet
access can post his or her views on any subject. And writer Grossman's
remark has now taken on a life of its own on the better known ham radio
web logs. One of the most widely read is of coarse Q-R-Zed dot com and
it is there that Grossman's remark regarding the hobby was first made
known by Ken Linder, KC7RAD, of Henderson, Nevada.
In posting the link on qrz.com, Linder says that if this is indeed
writer Grossman's view, then the editors at Time need to be informed
that ham radio is in no way embarrassing. Also, that a publication such
as Time should not allow such a statement to be published.
Others are a bit more direct. In one posting that was a copy of a
letter to the Editor of time V-73-N-S answered the Time article by
saying in part -- quote: "Embarrassing is thinking a Blog is a powerful
tool and will change the minds of everyone on the planet. Embarrassing
is only seeing the world on a 15" screen in front of you. Embarrassing
is living your life on-line and letting you personal life -- and heath -
- go down the tubes."
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, in Los
Angeles.
--
You can read the entire press release at the web link in this weeks
printed Amateur Radio Newsline. For Grossman's entire story you need to
buy a copy of the issue of Time magazine that features President Bush on
the front cover as its "Mab of the Year."
More is on-line at:
http://www.time.com/time/press_releases/article/0,8599,1009842,00.htm
(QRZ.com)
**
NEWSCAST CLOSE
With thanks to Alan Labs, AMSAT, the ARRL, the CGC Communicator, CQ
Magazine, the FCC, the Ohio Penn DX Bulletin, Radio Netherlands, Rain,
the RSGB and Australia's W-I-A 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.
For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors desk, I'm Jim
Damron, N8TMW and I'm Jeff Clark, K8JAC, wishing you a great 2005, 73
and we thank you for listening." Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is
Copyright 2004 and 2005. All rights reserved.
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