[Ham-News] Amateur Radio Newsline 1443 - April 8, 2005

Sat Apr 9 09:12:19 EDT 2005

Amateur Radio Newsline™ Report 1443 -  April 8, 2005

The following is a Q-S-T.  Restructuring worries continue down-under and 
some big B-P-L wins on both sides of the Atlantic.  Find out the details 
on Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1443  coming your way right now.

**

RESTRUCTURING:  NO NON-DEREGULATION ASSURANCES IN THE UK

Hams in the United Kingdom still face the possibility of a fully 
deregulated service.  This as a meeting between the Radio Society of 
Great Britain and the U-K Office of Communications --Ofcom -- fails to 
assure the national society that a lifetime license will not mean an end 
to ham radio as it now is in the U-K.  Jeramy Boot, G4NJH, is here with 
the rest of the story:

--

At a meeting between the RSGB and Ofcom which took place on 25th  March, 
Ofcom's Deputy Chairman, Richard Hooper, assured the RSGB that 
deregulation of amateur radio was not an option that Ofcom were 
considering at this time.

Despite these assurances the RSGB remains unconvinced. Ofcom is 
committed under the Telecommunications Act 2003 to ease the regulatory 
burden wherever possible. The RSGB would argue that changing the expiry 
date on the amateur license will not ease this burden, radio amateurs 
will still be required to hold a license, and the costs and 
administration involved in issuing that license will still exist. Only 
deregulation will fulfill Ofcom's objective and that is why the RSGB 
remains sceptical of Ofcom's statement and position.

The meeting with Ofcom was productive. The RSGB team was well received 
and the Society's concerns regarding deregulation and the proposal to 
issue a 'life time' license were noted. It is the RSGB's understanding 
that the proposed consultation on the future of amateur radio licensing 
will now begin around the middle of April.

This is G4NJH in Nottingham 

--

A further meeting between the Society and Ofcom is planned after the 
consultation document on changing the rules is released later this 
month.  (GB2S)

**

THE BPL WAR:  BIG WIN IN THE UK

A big win against BPL in the United Kingdom.  This with word that the 
planned rollout of a BPL system will not take places.

According to the GB2RS News, a representative of Scottish and Southern 
Energy PLC has said that the company is not likely to undertake any 
further rollout of the technology.  The reasons given were the lack of 
progress on technical standards for B-P-L  systems and the commercial 
position in relation to the provision of other  broadband services such 
as ADSL. 

While this is good news, at  this point it is not clear whether the 
planned trial of BPL  by the Manx Electricity Authority on the Isle of 
Man will go ahead or be put on hold as well.  (GB2RS)

**   

THE BPL WAR:  TEXAS BPL PROJECT SHUTS DOWN

Back on this side of the Atlantic another big win in the BPL war.  This, 
as the ARRL Letter reports that a Texas B-P-L demonstration has 
figuratively pulled its own plug.  Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, reports:

--

The pilot BPL project in Irving, Texas, by supplier T-X-U had been the 
target of an ARRL complaint.  In mid-March, the League called on the FCC 
to shut down the system and issue fines for causing harmful interference 
to Amateur Radio communications. 

The ARRL filing to the FCC's Enforcement Bureau and equipment 
manufacturer Amperion supported a complaint from North Texas Section BPL 
Task Force Chair Jory McIntosh, KJ5RM, who regularly commutes through 
the BPL test zone in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The ARRL became 
involved after the FCC failed to respond to McIntosh's formal complaint 
last fall.

The test report the League included with its complaint pointed out that 
the interference was not confined to Amateur Radio spectrum.  It 
actually  included additional High Frequency spectrum used by other 
services and failed to protect many of the bands that the FCC's new BPL 
rules will require to be notched by July 2006.

There's been no word from T-X-U as to its reasons for shutting down the 
system and removing the equipment.  With the trial operation now over 
the ARRL has withdrawn its complaint.  (ARRL)

**

RESCUE RADIO:  HAM RADIO AIS FOLLOWING LATEST SUMATRA QUAKE

And this just in.  Ham Radio was once again a lifeline following the 
latest Earthquake and Tsunami to hit in the Indian Ocean.  Wyn Purwinto, 
AB2QV, in Syracuse New York tells Newsline that a Tsunami was generated 
by a March 28th quake located near Banyak islands off west coast of 
Sumatra.  It measured 8.7 on the Richter scale.  

Reports from Ady Susanto, YB6VK, in Northern Sumatra reports that in one 
island village one resident was killed, 411 families lost their houses 
and 30 families experienced severely damaged houses.   Acording to 
YB6VK, some 632 family refugees are living in the tents on the Kennam 
company's property. 

YB6VK says the Sumatran national ham radio society has a command post 
set uup.  It has also contacted authorities and several disaster aid 
relief task force operations in the region offering communications 
support.

YB6VK adds that this quake has destroyed large parts of Nias island and 
several parts of other nearby islands as well.  More on this story in 
future reports.   ( AB2QV)

**

RESTRUCTURING - IRELAND:  EXPERIMENTERS EXAMS APPEAR ON HOLD

Exams for Irelands Experimenters Class license appear to be on hold.  
The W-I A News reports that there has been no theory examination held in 
almost a year now despite repeated requests from the Irish Radio 
Transmitting Society to hold such a session.

Irelands telecommunications regulator is ComReg.  ComReg appears to be 
unprepared to hold a further examination for a number of reasons.  This 
includes a previous announcement that it intends to outsource the theory 
examination process.  

The agency has already published a document seeking what it calls 
expressions of interest from parties interested in setting, organizing 
and correcting the examination for the Experimenter's License.  On 23 
March the Irish Radio Transmitting Society submitted a detailed proposal 
for them to take over the administration of this exam.  Now its a matter 
of waiting to see what ComReg  decides. (IRTS)

**

RESCUE RADIO:  BROADCAST HAMS WHO DIED AT WTC INDUCTED TO NYS 
BROADCASTERS ASSN HALL OF FAME

Six broadcast engineers who died in the 911 Al Quida terror attack on 
the World Trade Center are among the first 32 members inducted into the 
New York State Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.  Three of those 
named were hams.  

Steve Jacobson N2SJ, Bill Steckman WA2ACW and Rod Coppola KA2KET, along 
with non-hams Bob Pattison, Don DiFranco, and Isaias Rivera were all 
killed when the building housing most of the city's television station 
transmitters collapsed.  Their dedication will be remembered as they 
become a key part of the first group named for this new honor.  

Other charter inductees include broadcasting pioneers William S. Paley, 
Al Anscombe, Marty Beck, Frankie Crocker, Jim Delmonico, Bill 
O'Shaughnessy, Don Imus, Nancy Widmann and the three generations of John 
Gamblings who collectively held forth on W-O-R  A-M for over half a 
century.

As an aside, the New York State Broadcasters Association turns 50 this 
year.  (Adapted from RW On-Line)

**

ENFORCEMENT:  FCC TO TEXAS HAM - EXPLAIN ALL THIS

The FCC wants a Texas ham to explain allegations that he caused 
deliberate interference to repeater operations.  Richard K. Reeder, 
NC5V, of Silsbee was also asked by the FCC to answer complaint dated an 
October 24, 2004 that purportedly  details allegations of false 
identification as the Hardin County Emergency Coordinator.  The letter 
to Reeder was dated March 8th and he had been given 20 days to file a 
written response.  (FCC)

**

ENFORCEMENT:  FCC EXPLAINS W2VJZ WARNING

The FCC has explained why it has demanded that Irwin Richardt, W2VJZ, of 
Liberty Corner, New Jersey, explain his on the air actions that lead to 
a warning letter from the agency.  Commission spokesman Daryl Duckworth, 
NN0W, tells us the details:

--

Audio report only.  Hear it at www.arnewsline.org

--

The latest letter to Richardt also leaves no doubt as to what the rules 
are:

--

Audio report only.  Hear it at www.arnewsline.org

--

As previously reported, Rchardt's previous response to the FCC was a 
simple statement that he was pleading "not guilty."  (FCC)  

**

ENFORCEMENT:  PLEASE SIGN HERE

Jeffrey Stouffer, K6JSI, of Vista, California has been thanked by the 
FCC for his response regarding a malfunctioning repeater he looks after.  
The FCC says that Stouffer's February 21st response appears to be 
satisfactory, but there was one tiny problem.  Stouffer neglected to 
sign it.  

The FCC has now returned the paperwork to him with a request that he 
affix his signature to the document and send it back.  An apparent 
controller malfunction had  caused the repeater to remain on without 
identifying,.  It also  prevented K6JSI from shutting the machine down 
remotely.  (FCC)

**

RADIO LAW:  FCC TO CONSIDER "EXPANDING, STRENGTHENING" LPFM SERVICE

The FCC has modified some of the rules governing the low power FM or 
LPFM broadcast service, and is seeking comments on a number of ownership 
and technical issues.  Mert Garlick, N6AWE has more:

--

There are several sensitive issues to be resolved in this FCC 
proceeding.  These include whether Low Power F-M authorizations should 
be transferable and, if so, whether transfers should be broadly 
permitted or limited to special circumstances.  

Also to be looked at is under what conditions LPFM applications should 
be treated as having "primary" status with respect to prior filed FM 
translator applications and existing FM translator stations.  
Additionally, whether or not an LPFM station should be permitted to 
continue to operate even when interference is predicted to occur within 
the 70 d-B-u contour of a subsequently authorized second or third-
adjacent channel full service FM station.

Watching this situation from Los Angeles, I'm Mert Garlick, N6AWE, fopr 
the Amateur Radio Newsline.

--

As for now, the Commission has imposed an immediate six month freeze on 
application grants of FM translator new station construction permits.  
So if you are waiting, you now have an even longer wait.  (FCC)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS:  FCC CHAIRMAN MARTIN TO NAB-LAS VEGAS

Some names in the news.  First is that of the newly appointed chairman 
of the FCC, Kevin Martin who will be speaking at the National 
Association of Broadcaster convention later this month.  Now, N-A-B 
President Eddie Fritts says that he will interview new chairman on 
Tuesday April 18 during the annual FCC Chairman's Breakfast.  Fritts 
will ask Martin about the transition to digital radio and television, 
content regulation, and broadcast localism.  (RW On Line)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS:  HAM TO HEAD NASA  

Michael Griffin, NR3A, has been nominated by president Bush has 
announced his intention to nominate to be the next Administrator of the 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration.  According to AMSAT, 
Griffin currently heads the Space Environment Department in Johns 
Hopkins University's  Applied Physics Laboratory.  The Senate must 
confirm Griffin's appointment.  If approved, he will succeed Sean 
O'Keefe who departed earlier this year.  (ANS)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS:  EVI GRADUATES A BROADCASTER

And a word of congratulations to Newsline's own Evi Simons on her recent 
graduation from broadcasting school in New York.  Evi tells us that she 
is now looking for work doing, news, commercials or voice overs.  You 
can contact her by e-mail to newsline at arnewsline.org.  (ARNewsline)

**

COMNMUNICATIONS RESEARCH:  WHAT CAUSED MASS BEACHING

The U.S. Navy and marine wildlife experts are investigating whether a 
submarine used sonar before dozens of dolphins beached themselves near 
Marathon, Florida, on March 6th.  More than 20 of 68 dolphins died as a 
result of a mass grounding. 

The beachings came a day after the USS Philadelphia conducted exercises 
off Key West, about 45 miles from Marathon.  Dolphins are known to use a 
form of natural form of sonar to navigate.  Scientists think that sonar 
from ships may disorient or scare marine mammals.  

Navy officials refused to say whether the submarine used its sonar 
during a training exercise so researchers will try to determine if it 
was a naval sonar signal from the Philadelphia interfered with the 
ability to the dolphins to find their way.  Naval ships emitting pulses 
of sound have been blamed for at least one mass beaching in years past.  
(Published news reports)

**

WORLDBEAT - AUSTRALIA:  SECOND IRLP NODE IN HOBART 

The Internet Repeater Linking Project is expanding once again.  A second 
IRLP node is now on-line and available in the Hobart, Australia area.  
Designated as node 6720 it operates on 439.10 MHz simplex and covers a 
region known as the Lenah Valley.  Hobart IRLP Node 6710 is linked to a 
repeater on 146.70 MHz atop Guy Fawkes Hill.  IRLP links repeaters and 
remote stations world-wide using Voice Over Internet  Protocol or VoIP  
technology and high speed Internet connections  (WIA News)

**

WORLDBEAT - UK:  NEW VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS HOBBY IN THE UK

If you want to learn what ham radio is like in the United Kingdom, you 
are invited to download a new video titled What is Amateur Radio.  Its 
from the famed Essex Radio Club and covers just about every aspect of 
the hobby from a very British point of view.  You can view it on-line or 
download it at www.essexamateurradio.org.uk/RSGBvideo2.wmv  (GB2RS)

**

WORLDBEAT - LESOTHO:  THE 7P8 CALLS ARE LEGIT

Some strange sounding calls from Lesotho are not pirate stations.  This, 
according to Leon Tromp, 7P8EK, who is the president of the Lesotho 
Amateur Radio Society.

In a note to the South African Radio League Tromp says that some hams 
have publicly challenged other radio amateurs with 7P8 prefix call 
signs.  He says that the call signs are legitimate, explaining that many 
of those sporting the 7P8 calls work in Lesotho but over weekends reside 
in South Africa.

One of the sources of this mis-understanding may be a repeater that 
covers both Lesotho and South Africa.  Tromp says that there is no law 
in either country to prevent hams from using it for cross border 
communications.  This repeater is also connected to the world via 
EchoLink on  weekends.  (SARL)

**

DX

In D-X, word that OZ5HCA will be active from Odense in Denmark during 
the whole of April.  The station will commemorate the 200th anniversary 
of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen.  More is on line at the 
www.oz3fyn.dk/diplom-hcaGB.html

And F8DVD is active as F8DVD portable J W from Svalbard.  He will be 
there through April 10th operating on all the HF bands, mainly SSB.

(Various DX sources)

**

THAT FINA L ITEM:  A BIT BATTY BUT....

And finally this week, hams and scanner fans have an opportunity to help 
researchers learn more about wildlife. With the story is Newsline's Joe 
Moell, K0OV.

--

How's this for an outrageous transmitter hunt? There are no boundaries 
and the weak signal source may fly away at any moment. No, it's not a 
Burrowing Owl this time, it's something much smaller. If you live in the 
right place and you're up to it, the New York State Department of 
Environmental Conservation wants you, even if you can't leave home.

Wildlife researcher Carl Herzog AB2SI is seeking help with a project on 
Indiana Bats. When they emerge from their winter caves in upstate New 
York, about 60 of them will be trapped and fitted with tiny radio 
transmitters. The goal is to find out where they go to raise their young 
in the spring.

Last year, most of the bats were discovered about 30 miles away, but 
some were never heard from again. Researchers think that they may go 200 
miles or more to find a summer home.

If you live in the area and would like to assist, either as part of a 
field tracking team or by listening for the signals from home, point 
your Web browser to the Wildlife Tracking page on the "Homing In" Web 
site. There you will find the latest news, and how to contact the 
researchers. You probably know the URL by now, it's www.homingin.com -- 
homingin is one word. Start checking there now, because the first few 
days of warm weather in April will probably bring the bats out of 
hibernation and start the hunt.

Thanks in advance for your help. This is Joe Moell K0OV for Amateur 
Radio Newsline.

--

Again thats www.homingin.com, and homing in is one word. 
(ARNewsline(tm), K0OV)

**

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.  