[Ham-News] Amateur Radio Newsline 1442 - April 1, 2005

Sun Apr 3 10:49:10 EDT 2005

Amateur Radio Newsline™ Report 1442 - April 1, 2005

The following is a Q-S-T.  Ham radio responds to another Indian Ocean quake 
and U-K hams say "no" to a free lifetime license.  They fear it could mean 
the end of the hobby as they know it.  Find out the details on Amateur 
Radio Newsline report number 1442 coming your way right now.

**

RESCUE RADIO:  SUMATRA QUAKE RESPONSE

Ham radio operators are again at the front lines.  This, following an 
earthquake that hit off the coast of Sumatra on Monday, March 28th.  We 
have more in this report:

--

There was no tsunami following the magnitude 8.2 shaker, but devastation 
across Northern Sumatra Province is widespread.  So far news reports peg 
the death toll at between 2000 to 3000.  That number is expected to climb 
as searchers dig though a massive amount of rubble.

Wyn Purwinto, AB2QV reports that YB6HB is a doctor and a vice chairman of 
the Organization of Amateur Radio for Indonesia.  Wyn says that YB6HB, 
YC6PLG, and their ham radio medical emergency team have been deployed to 
Nias island. The new shaker knocked out the under sea cable connection to 
Nias isolating its  population. Hopefully the hams will be able to restore 
communications to the isolated site.

Meantime, telecommunications and electrical power in several areas of North 
Sumatra Province which have been out since the December quake and tsunami 
remain off.  Hams are believed to be at work there as well,  But this 
latest tembler only exacerbates an already bad situation.

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

--

More on this story as developments are made known.  (AB2QV)

**

RADIO LAW: AUSTRALIAN NOVICES NOT ALLOWED SSTV

The Australian Communications Authority -- the A-C-A -- says that Slow Scan 
Amateur Television is not a permitted mode for that nations Novices or 
Novice-Limited licensees on any band.  Wireless Institute of Australia 
National Technical Advisory Committee Chairman, John Martin VK3KW-A 
explains that the modes listed in the Licence Condition Determination for 
Novices are all data modes such as packet, RTTY and the like.  But says 
Martin, SSTV is a video mode and it is not included.  This, even if the 
pictures originate through a computer.

Australia's is in the process of revising its Amateur service licence 
restructure.  While its due soon it won't to give today's Novices increased 
modes like SSTV  when the Novice and Novice-Limited are translated into the 
new middle level Standard Licence grade. Australian Novices will need to 
upgrade to the Unrestricted and future Advanced licence to enjoy these 
modes.  (WIA News)

**

RESTRUCTURING:  RSGB SAYS NO TO FREE LIFETIME LICENSE

The Radio Society of Great Britain is saying no to a governmemt proposal 
for a free license for life.  Jim Linton, VK3PC, is here with the rest of 
the story:

--

Britain's radio regulator, Ofcom is considering the introduction of a free 
licence for life for radio amateurs that on the surface, looks like a good 
deal.

VK radio amateurs had the same offer made to them in August 2003 by the 
Australian Communications Authority, as part of the Review of Amateur 
Service Regulation.

The Wireless Institute of Australia and the overwhelming number of 
respondents to that review, rejected the concept of a licence fee free 
Class Licence.

The concern was that without paying a licence fee, radio amateurs could 
only expect minimal service and in particular help with interference 
resolution, from the ACA.

The RSGB is telling its membership what it believes are the implications of 
Ofcom's "Spectrum Review" published in late 2004 and in the yet to be 
published "Future of Amateur Radio Licensing" consultation document.

The RSGB believes it's vital to stop any attempts to de-regulate the hobby, 
therefore, any movement towards a licence for life must be opposed.

It believes that a free licence is likely to be followed, in a few years, 
with deregulation. Among the ramifications of such a move would be removal 
of the need for amateur licence exams and the opening up of the amateur 
bands to other users.

This is Jim Linton VK3PC in Melbourne Australia for the Amateur Radio 
Newsline.

--

And this just in.  Following an invitation from the Office of 
Communications, a delegation led by the RSGB President, Jeff Smith, MI0AEX, 
was to meet with officials of the regulatory agency.  Plans are to discuss 
the future direction of amateur radio licensing in the U-K and the 
possiblity of deregulation of that nations Amateur Radio service over the 
next five to 10 years. The RSGB strongly opposes deregulation and sats that 
it will fight to maintain the status of radio amateurs and the privileges 
they currently enjoy. (WIA Victoria News)

**

RESTRUCTURING:  FCC LICENSEES OUTSIDE REGION 2 TO GAIN EARLY ACCESS TO 
7100-7200 KHZ

The United States FCC has given a limited numbere of Amateur Service 
licensees operating in its administered territories in I-T-U Regions 1 and 
3 early access to 7.100 to 7.200 Mhz.  According to the ARRL Letter, the 
change was included in a massive Report and Order in ET Docket 04-139.  A 
portion of this document dealt with 40 meter worldwide realignment.

In a footnote to the Report and Order, the FCC said amateur operators may 
file complaints if they receive interference from High Frequency broadcast 
signals directed to Region 2.  The FCC noted that in the current seasonal 
schedule it observed that several High Frequency broadcast signals are 
directed to the United States in the 7.100 to 7.300 MHz band.

The regulatory agency has not yet announced the effective date of the rule 
change. (ARRL)

**

RADIO LAW:  SDR HAM RADIO SETS WILL NOT BE FREQUENCY RESTRICTED

The FCC has released a Report and Order on cognitive or smart radios thats 
good news for radio amateurs.  Software Defined ham gear will not be 
frequency restricted.  Evi Simons has tge latest:

--

The good news came in the FCC Report and Order on E T Docket 03-108.  Its 
full name is Facilitating Opportunities for Flexible, Efficient, and 
Reliable Spectrum Use Employing Cognitive Radio Technologies.  For our 
purposes it was the S-D-R Docket and in it the Commission thankfully 
declined to adopt any new regulations for Amateur Radio transceivers.

As noted by AMSAT one proposal called for regulations limiting the 
transmission ability of S-D-R ham gear to the amateur bands.  This would 
have prevented new designs from being used as wideband Intermediate 
Frequency amplifiers in conjunction with transverters to access the 
microwave bands.

AMSAT notes that such transverters are frequently used in connection with 
both terrestrial and satellite applications for reception and transmission 
on various microwave bands.  But says AMSAT, the organization is very 
pleased to see the Commission continue to allow the development and 
introduction of devices which have such high potential to prove beneficial 
to radio amateurs and the general public.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Evi Simons in New York.

--

According to the AMSAT News Service , during the proceeding the Commission 
appeared to be concerned about potential misuse of high speed 
digital-to-analog converters and software defined radios.  But its letting 
things ride and not acted to limit coverage on any new software defined ham 
radio gear. At least not at this time.  (ANS)

**

RADIO LAW:  WA6DPB TO CONTINUE FIGHTING RPV

A Rancho Palos Verdes, California ham radio oprerator has vowed to continue 
fight with city over millions of dollars in attorney fees.  This, even 
after the U-S Supreme cout ruled that he his not entitled to them.  Bruce 
Tennant, K6PZW, has more:

--

As reported last week, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously reversed a lower 
court ruling that businessman Mark Abrams, WA6DPB,  could sue Rancho Palos 
Verdes for damages.  This for incorrectly denying Abrams a commercial radio 
antenna permit.

Abrams, who operates a commercial radio tower in his backyard had sought 
damages from the city after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled he had 
the right to do so.  The appellate court decision ran counter to an earlier 
ruling by a U.S. District Court judge.  He had said that the city, while 
wrong in refusing Abrams a conditional use permit, would not have to pay 
attorneys' fees or damages.

Abrams claims the city owes him millions of dollars in attorneys' fees and 
damages, and said he'll continue to fight City Hall.  He told the Peninsula 
News that while the Supreme Court denied his civil rights damage claim it 
did leave the door open for him to get damages directly under the statute.

Many civil rights groups including the National Association for the 
Advancement of Colored People, the National Asian Pacific American Legal 
Consortium and the National Partnership for Women and Families backed 
Abrams. They argued that denying him the right to seek damages disregards 
an indispensable tool in the fight against arbitrary or malicious 
deprivation of peoples rights as Americans.

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

--

Abrams has a ham radio installation at the same location, but it was not 
involved in this case.  (Peninsula News)

**

RADIO SHOWS:  AES NEEDS TOPICS

Attention hams who are involved in broadcast sound and audio.  David 
Bialik, broadcasting events chair for this year's Audio Engineering Society 
Convention, says A- E-S is inviting topic suggestions from the broadcast 
community in response to growing interest in radio and TV audio 
issues.  Industry professionals are invited to send in brief proposals 
outlining broadcast-related audio subjects they would like to see 
addressed. Send topic suggestions to 119th_broadcastevents at aes.org. The 
convention will be held later this year at the Javits Center in New 
York.   (RW On-Line)

** CONVENTIONS AND HAMFESTS:  DX'ERS MEET IN CA IN APRIL Turning to the 
hamfest and convention scene, the 56th annual International D-X Convention 
is slated for April 15th to the 17th at its longtime home in Visailia, 
California. Simply said, if you are into D-X'ing, there is no convention 
anyplace that matches what happens every year in Visailia.  Attendees flock 
to this one from around the world.  Its literally a whose - who of those 
calls and names you have heard on the air and never thought you could meet. 
The venue is once again the Visailia Holiday Inn Hotel and Confrerence 
Center with sponsorship this year by the Northern California D-X Club in 
association with the Central Arizona D-X Association and the Mother Lode 
D-X and Contest Club.  More information is on-line at 
www.ncdxc.org  (NCDXC).

**

CONVENTIONS AND HAMFESTS:  JOPLIN MO IN APRIL The annual  Joplin Amateur 
Radio Club Hamfest  will open its doors on Friday evening, and all day 
Saturday April 29th and 30th.  The venue is once again the John Q. Hammon's 
Trade Center located off of South Rangeline in Joplin Missouri.  And this 
yar the Ozark Con QRP conference will again be held in Joplin at the Ramada 
Inn the same weekend as the Hamfest.  More information is on line at 
www.joplin-arc.org  (N0ZPD) **

OPEN HOUSE: JPL PASADENA CA ON MAY 14 & 15

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena is holding Open House on Saturday 
and Sunday, May 14th and 15th.  There will be a wealth of displays with 
scientists and engineers will be on hand to answer your questions about 
spacecraft in general.  More information is on the web at 
www.jpl.nasa.gov/pso/oh.cfm  (CGC))

**

HAM HAPPENINGS:  THE DAYTON WEAK SIGNAL DINNER

Weak signal VHF, UHF and Microwave enthusiasts are invited to attend the 
12th Annual VHF Weak Signal Group banquet to be held on Friday evening May 
20th of Hamvention weekend.  The location is the Holiday Inn Dayton North 
on Wagner Ford Road in Dayton Ohio. Cost per person is $35.00 and includes 
dinner and prize ticket. Happy hour starts at 6:15 p-m with the formal 
dinner at 7:15.  Seating is limited to 125 operators and spouses are 
welcome to attend.  For more information please contact Tony Emanuele at 
WA8RJF at ARRL.net or Tom Whuitted at WA8WZG at WA8WZG.com  (VHF Reflector)

**

RADIO HONORS:  AN AWARD FOR WOROLD AMATEUR RADIO DAY

The World Amateur Radio Day or WARD 2005 Award issued by the Polish radio 
amateurs' journal M K QTC, commemorates World Amateur Radio Day.  The award 
has the support of the Polish national amateur radio society and will be 
issued to those making at least 10 QSOs on the High Frequency bands, or 
five QSOs on the VHF bands on  April 18th.  World Amateur Radio Day is 
celebrated by the IARU on April 18th of each year.  (GB2RS)

**

WITH NEWSLINE:  ITS TIME TO NOMINATE FOR YHOTY

For those of you not aware, the nominating period for the 2005 Amateur 
Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year Award is now open.  This program, now 
in its second decade, is presented annually to a continental United States 
licensed Radio Amateur  who is 18 years of age or younger and who has 
provided outstanding service to the nation, to his community or to the 
betterment of the state of the art in communications through the Amateur 
Radio service.

Nominees must hold any class of FCC license Amateur Radio operator license, 
be 18 years or younger and live in the 48 contigious United States.

Applications forms are available for a self addressed stamped envelope 
mailed to the 2003 Young Ham of the Year Award % Newsline, 28197 Robin 
Avenue Santa Clarita California 91350.  Applications are also available for 
electronic download from our special award website at www.yhoty.org.  Also 
available on that site is an on-line nominating form that you fill out and 
click top send.

The closing date for this yeards nominations is June 30th.  Again that URL 
is www.yhoty.org  (ARNewsline)

**

CHANGING OF THE GUARD:  PAST ARRL DIRECTOR RUSH DRAKE, W7RM - SK

Past ARRL Northwestern Division Director Rush Drake, W7RM, of Vancouver, 
Washington, passed away on March 11.  Drake served as Northwestern Division 
Director from January 1987 through December 1989, when he stepped down due 
to medical problems.  Prior to serving as Director, he was the division's 
Vice Director for two years. A Life Member of the ARRL and a 1993 inductee 
to the CQ Contest Hall of Fame, Drake may have been best known for his 
devotion to contesting and his hosting some of the nation's top operators 
from several operating locations.  Drake initially got into contesting 
while attending the University of Washington, and he won a club award as 
W-7-E-S-K for his 1938 ARRL International DX Contest effort.   He was age 
87  (ARRL)

**

CHANGING OF THE GUARD:  JEF RASKIN, KE6IGI, APPLE MAC INVENTOR - SK

Jeff Raskin, KE6IGI, who dreamed up the affordable, user-friendly computer 
that became Apple's Macintosh died on February 25th at his home in 
Pacifica, California.

Raskin was Apple's thirty-first employee when he joined the company in 
1978.  By the next year, he began to pursue his goal of simplifying the 
computer user's experience by focusing on a faster and more logical 
interface.   He named the project the McIntosh after one of his favorite 
fruits as a child in New York City.

Raskin, who had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a few months ago, was 
61.  A commemorative website for Jef Raskin is on-line at 
http://jef.raskincenter.org/home/index.html  (via e-mail)

**

RESCUE-A-RADIO:  CELLPHONE SMOKES AND BURNS

KSL television reports that a cellular telephone recently caught fire in 
Ogden, Utah, dispatch center causing a scare among employees.    Jim Davis, 
W2JKD, has more:

--

A phone operator was working when she noticed smoke coming from her 
jacket.  Her cellular phone was on fire.  It burned a hole through the 
jacket, the chair she had been sitting in and into the carpet.  It  looked 
as if the phone had exploded.  It was in pieces and it was glowing hot red.

Dispatch Supervisor Karen Disney says the worker was not injured, but was 
shaken.  She says that the workers cell phone is only a few months old and 
came with a manufacturers battery.

The worker has called the cell phone company to find out what might have 
happened. Nobody else at the facility had the same model of phone.

In Jim Davis, W2JKD.

--

According to news reports, nobody was hurt in the mishap.  (Various)

**

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY:  FIGHTING THE WAR ON TERROR

A British technology group has created a scanning device that sees under 
people's clothes to spot not just metal but other potential threats like 
ceramic knives or hidden drugs.

Technology Online says that a new electromagnetic technology is known as 
Millimeter Wave, or MMW, could bring an early warning to airport security 
personnel of a suspected terrorist.  The system which detects just about 
any form of contraband at was developed by QinetiQ which was formerly part 
of the research arm of the British defense ministry. Not only can it seek 
out explosives and metal objects, but also drugs and other banned items.

Another prospect in store for air travelers is hyperspectral sensing.  This 
is a system that will check for pheromones secreted by the human 
body  which may indicate agitation or stress.  The anxiety may have an 
innocent cause such as fear of flying, but could also betray the 
nervousness of a potential attacker.

As with M-M-W, the hyperspectral sensing technology could function at a 
distance and without the need for people to wait in line.  By conducting 
such checks while people are approaching the airport and moving through it, 
authorities could avoid bottlenecks so common these days.  (Science OnLine)

**

WORLD ABOVE:  VHF AM GROUP COMES TO YAHOOGROUPS

A VHF AM Group -- thats A-M as in full carrier and double sideband.  The 
group has been formed on a Yahoo remailer and already has around 100 
members. The group has settled on the following frequencies as centres of 
AM activity, but emphasises that these are not `must use' frequencies, but 
just somewhere to look for AM operation. They are: 29.05, 50.57, 70.26, 
144.57 and 432.57MHz. To join the group, send an e-mail to VHF- 
AM-subscribe at yahoogroups.com  (RSGB)

**

DX

In D-X word that members of the D-X-Zero-K expedition to the Philippine 
Spratly Islands are currently waiting in Puerto Princessa for 
transportation to arrive.  The tentative departure for the trip to Spratly 
is now the very end of March.  They plan to stay anywhere between two and 
10 days depending on flights out.  Operators will be active on 6 metres 
using W-S-J-T at moonrise and moonset as well as the normal modes on the 
High Frequency bands.

And word that the Kenyan licensing authority has granted that nations 
amateurs the use of two new bands.  These are 1.810 to  1.850 on 160 meters 
and 10.100 to 10.15 MkHz on 30 meters.

Also, the multinational Microlite Penguins DXpedition Team should be 
winding down operations as FT5XO from Kerguelen Island as this nrewscast 
goes to air.  Their scheduled off date is April 1st. The DXpedition has 
already been worked worlwide on both CW and SSB on most bands.  (Various DX 
Sources)

**

THAT FINAL ITEM:  PIERRE FINDS P-B-L

And finally this week,  with today being the 1st of April, its time to hear 
from our ever roving reporter Pierre Pullinmyleg.  And as we get ready to 
go to air, Pierre has learned of a new front in the Broadband over 
Powerline or B-P-L battle.  This as several overseas telephone and cable 
companies have decided to fight back with a new, and rather strange 
technology of their own.  We have more in this somewhat exclusive April 1st 
report from Pierre.

--

A consortium of cable and telephone companies is rolling out its answer to 
Broadband over Power Lines _ Power over Broadband Lines, or P-B-L.

Using the same technology that makes B-P-L possible, only installing the 
units upside down and backwards, the broadband companies have found that 
they can send electric power over cable T-V and telephone lines. As a 
result, they say computers, televisions and appliances connected to the 
internet via P-B-L will no longer have to be plugged into electrical 
outlets. Instead, their power will come through their cable or phone wires.

Telephone companies have always run low-voltage D-C power down their lines, 
which is why phones often keep working during power failures. But the new 
technology will permit them to run 110-volt A-C on their lines as well. The 
only remaining technical hurdle, officials say, is preventing the voltage 
spikes that tend to accompany incoming spam e-mail.

Asked about the risks of electrocution, a spokesman for Ze Authority du 
Power, or ZAP, said engineers there, who have also done B-P-L studies, say 
the risk of electric shock from a properly installed P-B-L system is no 
greater than the risk of radio interference from a B-P-L system. 
Nevertheless, they recommend that P-B-L customers use only cordless 
telephones, TVs with remote controls and computers with wireless infrared 
keyboards.

Reporting from the well-insulated "rubber room" at ZAP headquarters, near 
Paris,  this is Pierre Pullinmyleg for zee Newsline.

--

Spokespersons for several overseas electric utilities said the news of 
upcoming Power over Broadband Lines deployment came as a "shock" to 
them.  But a spokesman said that anything can happen.  Especially on an 
unofficial fun holiday like April the 1st. (PPCHRA-1-O - The Pierre 
Pullinmyleg Collection of Ham Radio April 1st Oddites)

**

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.

A reminder that the nominating period for the 2005 Amateur Radio Newsline 
Young Ham of the Year Awaed is now open.  Full details along with 
downloadable and on-line nominating forms are at the awards website at 
www.yhoty.org.  Just click on 2005 Nominations at the top of the page.