[Ham-News] Amateur Radio Newsline 1488 - February 17, 2006
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Sat Feb 18 09:22:48 EST 2006
Amateur Radio NewslineT Report 1488 - February 17, 2006
The following is a Q-S-T. Good words to congress about ham radio, dropping
Morse seems to be on the back-burner at the FCC, the 3Y0X DXpedition gets
up to full speed and "Ham Radio is Public Service" is announced as the
Theme of Hamvention 2006. Find out all the details on Amateur Radio
Newsline report number 1488 coming your way right now.
**
HAM RADIO PRAISE: KIND WORDS FOR THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD
Words of acclaim for ham radio become a part of the congressional record.
This as a Congressman and radio amateurpraises his fellow hams for their
ongoing dedication to the rest of society. Amateur Radio Newsline's Mark
Abramowicz, NT3V, is in Philadelphia with the rest of the story:
--
Representative Mike Ross, a Democrat from Arkansas, took to the floor of
the House on February 8 to recognize amateur radio operators for their
service in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Ross, WD5DVR, called hams the true heroes who were the only line of
communication available into the storm ravaged areas.
Ross noted in his statement on the House floor that people sometimes look
at hams and their hobby as old-fashioned or obsolete. Katrina proved those
who hold that misconception wrong.
Ross says Katrina exposed the vulnerabilities of all kinds of
communications technology from cell phones to computer networks to severe
weather and proved that self-contained transmitters, batteries or
generators and a strip of wire brought by the hams were the only effective
means to get messages out of the Gulf Coast region.
Ross noted it was a ham operator in Connecticut who alerted rescue crews
about a woman trapped for four days without food or water. He says it was
one of many examples of how lives were saved because of what he called "the
critical intervention of ham operators throughout the country."
Ross said in his remarks to the House that hundreds of volunteer amateur
radio operators gave up their time and brought their own equipment to the
Gulf Coast to help the victims of one of the worst natural disasters in
America.
He said the dedication of hams who responded in any way to help after the
disaster sets a tremendous example. And, he noted, quoting from the
statement:
"The people whose lives were rescued as a result of the tireless dedication
of ham radio operators will forever be grateful to these self-less public
servants."
Ross said he is proud to be a ham operator and part of a community of
operators willing to help their fellow citizens in times of need, including
after major earthquakes, tornadoes, the Sept. 11th terror attacks, and
Hurricane Katrina.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mark Abramowicz, NT3V, in Philadelphia
--
Ross is one of two radio amateurs serving in Congress. The is
Representative Greg Walden, W7EQI, of Oregon. (NT3V from Rep. Mike Ross
Website:
www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ar04_ross/morenews/021006d.html)
**
RADIO LAW: FCC HOLDING TIGHT ON DROPPING MORSE
If you are waiting for the Morse code to to away, you will have to wait a
bit longer. This, according to the ARRL which says that it has no idea
when the FCC will act on the Morse code proceeding, in WT Docket 05-235.
The Commission released a Notice of Proposed Rule Making and Order last
July. It proposes to eliminate the Element 1, five word per minute Morse
code requirement for all license classes. In a February 14th release, the
League notes that the Amateur Radio community filed more than 3800 comments
on the proceeding, and additional comments continue to show up, even though
the formal comment deadline was last fall.
The ARRL says that the next and most-anticipated step is for the Commission
is to formally adopt any revisions to its rules and conclude the proceeding
with a Report and Order that spells out the changes and specifies their
effective date. But an FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau staffer told
ARRL last week that the agency hopes to release its decision on WT Docket
05-235 sometime this year, but we're not making any predictions at this
time. The staffer also indicated there would be no ''big announcements''
at this years Dayton Hamvention FCC Forum either.
Translated into street language: Don't hold your breath on this one.
(ARRL)
**
HAM RADIO IN SPACE: SUITSAT VS SPACE - ROUND 2
It was only supposed to operate for a day or two, but the SuitSat ham radio
satellite now dubbed Amsat Oscar 54, must thought itself to be a proverbial
Timex wristwatch. No matter what the rigors of spaceflight do to it, the
Kenwood HT inside a discarded Russian spacesuit was ticking away well after
the weekend of February 11th and 12th when some had predicted its demise.
Take a listen:
--
SuitSat Audio Here
--
That was recorded by Harry Muller, KC5TRB, as SuitSat flew over his home in
Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Monday, February 13th at 06:10 U-T-C. The signal was
weak, but still there more than a week after SuitSat was deployed as an
independent satellite from the International Space Station.
SuitSat was placed into Earth orbit February 3d. transmitting on 145.99 MHz
FM. Reports say that it never achieved the expected signal stregnth even
though several media reports showed non-hams listening to the novel bird
using off-the-shelf scanner radios. But hams reported the signal getting
weaker and weaker as SuitSat fouggt to stay alive in the cold of space. On
February 8th it sounded like this as recorded by VE6VLB:
--
SuitSat Audio Here
--
Weak yes, but still quite readable through the noise. But as the weekend
approached the signal level from SuitSat cobtinued to decline, but as you
have already heard, on Monday the 13th, it was still there. A day later
KC5TRB sent us this recording of SuitSat
One of the reasons that SuitSat lasted so long may be because its higher
power operation failed. While nobody is quite sure of what happened, there
is now some speculation that its flea power output has put less of a burden
on the systems battery supply and allowing SuitSat to remain a ham radoio
voice and data beacon from space. Even so, noting lasts forever.
Especially in space and the as the latest recordings prove, SuitSat is on
its way to going Q-R-T. Likely it will be by the time this newscast his
the air. (ARNewslineT with audio supplied by KC5TRB and others)
**
RESTRUCTURING: UK HAMS GET LIFETIME LICENSE
United Kingdom telecommunications regulator Ofcom has announced its
decision to restructure that nations Amateur Radio service with a lifetime
license. That means once someone has passed the test, his license is good
until the day that he or she becomes a silent key.
Ofcom said it was taking the action to reduce the administrative burden on
the UK's 63,000 amateur radio users. Under the new regulations, Ofcom will
issue amateur radio licenses which will remain valid for life as long as
the license details remain correct or until the license is revoked by Ofcom
or surrendered by the licensee. The agency will require licensees to
confirm their license details at least once every five years but will also
provide an online licensing service as an alternative to the postal
service. The regulatory agency will also issue electronic licenses to
users of the online licensing service but will continue to make paper
licenses available, subject to an administrative charge.
In addition to the formal consultation process, Ofcom commissioned a survey
of amateur radio license holders' views of the Ofcom proposals.
At present, the Royal Mail processes amateur radio licenses through the
Radio Licensing Center. But as of October 1st Ofcom will take over this
function, which will include issuing, renewing and amending licenses.
Ofcom says that this new approach to amateur radio licensing will reduce
unnecessary bureaucracy on what it calls a very popular international
hobby. (RSGB)
**
ON THE AIR: 3Y0X UPDATE
An update on one of the most significant DXpedition's of the past decade.
Three Yankee Zero Xray came on from Peter One Island over a week ago and
has been causing pile-ups ever since. Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, reports:
--
The 3Y0X operators are now set up and operational on all High Frequency
bands from 160 to 10 meters. They have multiple stations on each band, so
rather than try to list them here, we'd point you to the group's website,
www.peterone.com. That's the spot in cyberspace where a table of operating
frequencies, up to date logs and much additional data is to be found.
And oh yes. One thing to remember in your quest to contact 3Y0X. In each
case, the operators are listening above or below their transmit frequency.
In fact, they specifically note that there is no point whatever calling on
top of them because they are not listening there..
If you've not worked a major DXpedition station before, the best advice we
can give to you is to listen carefully. According to Chris Edmondson,
VK4AA, who has been monitoring from Australia, the operators 3Y0X are very
anxious to work you, but they are on the receiving end of literally
hundreds if not thousands of calls. They are breaking calls into areas to
speed things up, so if you are a W-A-7 here in the USA there is no point
calling if they're asking for J-A-7 prefix stations.
This major operation presents your best opportunity ever to work this
remote speck far in the -Antarctic mainland and we wish you good luck in
making that very rare contact.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, reporting
--
Again the DXpedition website where you will find the latest news and logs
is www.peterone.com (WIA News, Peterone.com)
**
HAM RADIO HAPPENINGS: THEME ANNOUNCED FOR HAMVENTION 2006
Taking note of the important role that radio amateurs played in the wake of
last years Gulf Coast hurricanes, the Dayton Hamvention has selected the
theme of "Ham Radio is Public Service" for its 2006 outing.
In making the announcement, Hamvention General Chairman Jim Nies, WX8F,
says that this choice serves to remind the public and the ham radio
community that one of the reasons Amateur radio exists is to provide the
public with communication in emergencies.
Several forums are expected to deal with topics related to emergency
communication. This is expected to include sessions on how amateur radio
performed after the hurricanes wiped out communications in a wide segment
of the south.
In other Hamvention news, Inside Exhibits Chairman Gary Kopas, KC8CSH, says
that sales of booth space is running slightly ahead of last year with about
half of the spaces already committed and more orders coming in each day.
Several major vendors have also already made prize commitments.
And back by popular demand will be the very successful ARRL Expo area.
This is a place where visitors to Hamvention can learn about the United
States only recognized national society for Amateur Radio and what
membership benefits it offers the country's ham radio community.
Hamvention 2006 is slated for the weekend of May 19th to the 21st at is
usual venue at the Hara Arena in the Dayton suberb of Trotwood, Ohio.
Orders for exhibit and flea market spaces and advanced tickets can be
placed on the Hamventionr website. Its in cyberspsce at www.hamvention.org
(Dayton HamventionT)
**
RADIO STATS: TOWER CLIMBING IS A DANGEROUS BUSINESS
TV Technology magazine reports that climbing towers for a living can be
hazardous to your health.
According to the latest national census of fatal occupational injuries from
the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, tower workers have
the most dangerous job in America. The report showed 115.2 deaths per
100,000 tower workers, versus only 27.6 deaths per 100,000 drivers.
Tied with them in second place in the most dangerous occupation were
logging workers and aircraft pilots. Both with had 92.4 deaths per 100,000
workers.
The Web site www.wirelessestimator.com noted that tower workers represent
one of the smaller specialized construction groups with about 8,700
employees. Only ten fatalities were reported in 2004 (TV Technology)
**
RESCUE RADIO: MPA GIVES LAPD SURVEILANCE CAMS
Some communications of a different sort. This as the Motion Picture
Association of America donates 10 wireless security cameras to the Los
Angeles Police Department. This, for use in monitoring a crime-plagued
downtown alley.
The cameras will be used to assist in police investigations of such crimes
as robberies, counterfeit merchandise sales and vehicle thefts, according
to an LAPD report. The value of the gift is in the area of $186,000.
(LAPD)
**
RADIO HISTORY: CONNECTICUT RADIO MUSEUM TO OPEN NEW FAVILITY THIS FALL
Some good news. A spokesman for the Vintage Radio and Communications
Museum of Connecticut says that it has completed the purchase of a new
20,000-square-foot building in Windsor and is working for a reopening in
the fall. The museum is said to be working with the town to finalize a
state grant to fund building upgrades to allow the facility to meet
occupancy codes. (RW)
**
HAM RADIO SOCIAL SCENE: M2 OPEN HOUSE AND BBQ APRIL 1 IN FRESNO CA
And the annual M 2 Antenna Systems open house and BBQ will take place on
April 1st in the company parking lot on Selland Avenue in Fresno,
California. The event starts at 7:30 a.m. Pacific and runs until 1 p.m.
The M2 Shop will open at 8:00 am for tours. All are welcome to attend.
More is on-line at www.m2inc.com/openhouse2a.html (M2)
**
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: KEEPING PLANES SAFE ON THE GROUND
Fourteen additional airports will get a new system designed to keep
airplanes from colliding on the ground. Called Airport Surface Detection
Equipment, the radio and radar based device will show all the planes and
vehicles on the ground on an air traffic controller's screen.
Four airports are already using the system. The Federal Aviation
Administration says the new radar is an improvement over an earlier
collision avoidance detection scheme. (FAA)
**
WORLDBEAT - UK: GB2RS NEWS GOES DIGITAL
The Radio Society of Great Britain s news service is going digital.
Last December RSGB newsreaders were informed that some experimental G-B-2-
R-S news broadcasts were planned for 2006 using digital voice
transmissions. The first of these experiments took place from GX0BAA on
Sunday 12th February at 21.15 UTC. The transmission was on 1 point 992 MHz
using Upper Sideband WinDRM.
WinDRM is the the successor of HamDREAM software. DREAM is an open
software implementation of Digital Radio Mondiale, which was developed by
the University of Darmstadt in Germany. It was later modified by Cesco,
HB9TLK, to an amateur standard that fits into a narrower 2.5kHz bandwidth.
The software can be downloaded free from the web. (GB2RS)
**
RADIO IN SPACE: THE LIGHTNING OF SATURN
Astronomers are tracking the strongest lighting storm ever detected at the
planet Saturn. According to Space.com, radio outbursts caused by the
lightning were first detected by NASA's Cassini spacecraft January 23rd.
The storm is reported to be larger than the continental United States, with
electrical activity 1,000 times stronger than the lightning found anywherer
here on Earth. (Space Daily)
**
HAM RADIO IN SPACE: KC5ACR CONTINUES QUEST FOR DXCC FROM THE ISS
Astro-ham Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, has topped 100 contacts in his quest to
make DXCC from space before his tour as International Space Station
Expedition 12 Commander comes to an end. According to a press release by
Ken Ransom, N5VHO, McArthur continues to hold QSO's with rare locations
such as the Falkland Islands, Reunion Island and even Tajikistan.
Your best chance of hearing KC5ACR space mobile is on the worldwide VHF FM
voice downlink frequency is 145.800 MHz. The uplink frequency on which to
call him depends on where in the world you happen to live. If you reside in
I-T-U Region 1 try uplinking on 145.20 MHz. For I-T-U Region 2 and 3
please use 144.49 MHz. (N5VHO, ARISS, ANS)
**
HAM RADIO FROM SPACE: GB4FUN SPOTTED BY GOOGLE EARTH
And talk about some fum from space. In this case we mean the Radio Society
of Great Britains GB4FUN Ham radio demonstration vehiclke which has now
been spotted from Earth orbit. Jeramy Boot, G4NJH, has more:
--
Satellite images of the Radio Society of Great Britain's GB4FUN
demonstration vehicle have been spotted on Google's revolutionary new
location software Google Earth. This free software presents users with a
3D image of a globe on their computer screen.
Pete, G0PUB, used the software to zoom into the site of the Windsor
International Guide and Scout Camp held in 2003. Despite the event having
taken place around three years ago, he was not only able to make out
individual camping facilities but also GB4FUN, the vehicle the RSGB uses to
educate youngsters about amateur radio by helping them to chat to
astronauts on the International Space Station. At maximum zoom, the
vehicle is clearly visible against a backdrop of grass.
I'm G4NJH in Nottingham.
--
Google Earth is free software is available at earth.google.com. When you
run it you will be presented with a 3D image of the globe to the left of
which is a field where you can enter the coordinates of the location you
wish to view. (RSGB)
**
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: SCIENTISTS CREATE NANOCAR
Scientists have built the worlds tiniest car. Tiny as in smaller than a
stand of hair.
Using the parts inside a single molecule, scientists have constructed the
world's smallest car. It has a chassis, axles and a pivoting suspension.
The wheels are spheres of pure carbon containing 60 atoms apiece.
The whole car is no more than 4 nanometers across. That's slightly wider
than a strand of DNA. A human hair is about 80,000 nanometers thick.
(ScienceOnLine)
**
WORLDBEAT - MEXICO: FIRST DTV SIGNS ON IN TIJUANA
Tijuana, Mexico on the U-S Mexican border now has its first digital
television station. XHUAA-DT, UHF Channel 20, hit the air January 31 from
Mt. San Antonio in Tijuana. (CGC)
**
WORLDBEAT - NETHERLANDS: DUTCH RESEARCHERS ADOPT ULTRA WIDE BAND FOR BODY
NETWORKS
Initial work is taking place on a new science involving RF body networks.
These are miniature Ultra Wide Band transmitters and receivers in the 3 to
5 GHz range that are worn on or implanted in the human body. These systems
will be able to communicate over distances of 1 to 3 meters with data rates
of between 0.3 and 3 Megabits per second.
For medical applications, body sensors could be tied to a belt-worn
cellphone that would relay the data to a doctor's office or data analysis
point. More is this amazing science is on-line at www://tinyurl.com/c4rxc
(CGC)
**
WORLDBEAT - SWEDEN: SAQ VLF BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND
Sweden's Very Low Frequency S-A-Q transmitting station will make a return
appearance at 09.00 and 13.00 UTC on Sunday, February 19th. The two
transmissions will start with a short message followed by a "VVV DE SAQ"
for at least 30 minutes. The frequency to listen on is 17.2 kHz on C-W.
Also known as the Great Radio Station, construction of S-A-Q was completed
in1924. Its transmitter was a special alternating current generator
developed by Swedish engineer Ernst Alexanderson. The alternator fed a
half dozen 126 meter higg towers as its antenna array.
S-A-Q went on the air on December 1, 1924, on 16.1 kHz but soon changed to
17.2 kHz. It remained in operation for the next 75 years.
More about the station and this event is on-line in both English and
Sweedish at www.alexander.n.se (RN, RSGB, others)
**
DX
In DX, word that Amateur operators in Mongolia have been authorized to
replace their prefix with JV800 for the rest of the year. This is to
commemorate the 800th anniversary of Mongolian statehood initiated by
Chinggis Khan in 1206. QSL each station as directed on the air.
And F6HMJ, will operate as TO2FG from Guadeloupe until 7th March. He will
be on 80 through 10 meters on CW, SSB and RTTY. Again, QSL as directed on
the air.
Also VE3EBN, will operate as J37LR from Grenada until the 5th April.
Listen for him on 40 through 10 meters running RTTY, PSK, SSB and CW. QSL
direct to VE3EB-N
Lastly, Special Event station II1TPG is the official amateur radio station
for the IX Paralympic Winter Games. The station will be active until the
31st March. QSL via IZ1CCE, direct or via the bureau.
(Above from various DX sources)
**
And finally this week, a question. Have you tried ham radio's version of
foxhunting? It's lots of fun and you might win yourself some medals.
Newsline's Joe Moell, K0OV, has the story of this year's direction finding
championships.
--
More and more hams every year are discovering the fun of tracking hidden
radio transmitters in their cars or on foot. The on-foot variety of
foxhunting has become an international sport, with names such as
foxtailing, radio-orienteering and ARDF. USA is one of about 30 countries
with an active ARDF program, including national championships and
participation in the World Championships every two years.
To see the USA's best on-foot foxhunters in action, to learn from them, and
to try it for yourself, make plans to come to North Carolina this spring.
The Sixth USA ARDF Championships get under way April 7, with practice
sessions, a big two-meter hunt, and another hunt on 80 meters. It's open to
anyone at any foxhunting skill level, with or without a ham license. If
you're a senior, don't worry about trying to compete against teenagers.
Equal medals will be awarded in five separate age categories for OM's from
under 18 to over 60. There are four similar age categories for the YLs. The
big forest site is right next to the Raleigh/Durham airport.
What's the reward? The possibility of a medal and a place on our country's
team going to the ARDF World Championships in Bulgaria this coming
September. We can only field a maximum of three people in each age
category, so our national championships determine who will go.
Will this be the year that you win a radio-orienteering medal? The
registration deadline is coming soon. So for everything you need to know
about the USA Championships, including schedules, registration forms and
equipment ideas, point your Web browser to www.homingin.com. That's
HomingIn, as one word, homingin.com. You can also learn about the World
Championships in Bulgaria and how you might join ARDF Team USA. In my next
report, I'll tell you about a way to get the foxhunting fun going in your
own home town.
From southern California, this is Joe Moell, K0OV, for Amateur Radio
Newsline.
--
Again that website is www.homoingin.com (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 at 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, saying 73 and we thank you for
listening." Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2006. All rights
reserved.
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