[Ham-News] Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1519 - September 22, 2006

Sat Sep 23 09:15:33 EDT 2006

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1519 - September 22, 2006

The following is a Q-S-T.  A California prosecutor asks the death 
sentence for two men accused in the murder of a ham radio couple, a 
Federal judge gives a radio jammer 7 years in jail, two U-S hams head 
off to set up an emergency communications system on a remote island and 
we take you to the launch of STS-115.  Hear it all on Amateur Radio 
NewslineT report number 1519 coming your way right now

**

RADIO AND THE LAW:  SOCAL DA TO SEEK DEATH PENALTY FOR ALLEGED KILLERS 
OF HAM RADIO COUPLE 

The Orange County, California, District Attorney's office has announced 
that it will seek the death penalty in the case against two Long Beach 
men accused in the murder of a pair of ham radio operators.  This, in a 
scheme to steal the boat and possibly their identities. Amateur Radio 
Newsline's Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, has the rest of the story:

--

Orange County, California, District Attorney Tony Rackauckas says that 
former actor Skylar Deleon along with John Fitzgerald Kennedy will be 
tried For capital murder with special circumstances.  This will allow 
his office to seek death if either or both men are convicted.  

The case revolves around the disappearance of Thomas and Jackie Hawks, 
KD7VWJ and KD7VWK.  Back in November 2004, the Hawks placed an 
advertisement to sell their 55-foot boat named the Well Deserved.  The 
asking price was $440,000.  

The Hawkes vanished after taking Deleon and some friends on a 
demonstration cruise off the Newport Beach coastline on November 15th of 
2004.  Deleon later claimed title to the boat saying that he paid the 
Hawkes asking price and producing a document purportedly with their 
signature.  He said that the last time he saw the Hawkes was watching 
them drive away from the dock after the sale was made.  

Suspicious, family members filed a missing persons report with the 
Newport Beach Police.  They also got the sale of the Well Deserved put 
on hold.  

Ham radio friends alerted the Amateur Radio community to be on the 
lookout for the Hawkes silver Honda CRV.  Hams set up watching roads 
and border crossings.  The car was found in December 2004 some 70 miles 
South of the U-S and Mexico border in the town of Ensenada.

On December 17, 2004 detectives arrested Deleon and charged with 
suspicion of murder in the disappearance of the Hawkes.  Also taken 
into custody were Alonso Machain of Pico Rivera, and Myron Gardner Sr. 
of Long Beach.  John Fitzgerald Kennedy was arrested a week later, and 
Deleon's wife Jennifer was arrested on April 8, 2005.  

A Special Circumstances Committee convened by the District Attorney 
found particularly aggravating the cruel and cold blooded way in which 
Skylar Deleon is alleged to have murdered the Hawkes.  That of  their 
being tied together to an anchor, thrown into a deep frigid ocean, and 
literally watching as their dreams floated away as they were drowning. 

As to Kennedy, the Committee considered his prior conviction for an 
attempted murder in 1988. It found that even though Kennedy was late in 
joining the conspiracy, without Kennedy providing the muscle, this 
crime could not have been carried out.  The committee also considered 
Kennedy's membership in a Los Angeles County street gang as an 
aggravating factor. 

A jury trial is scheduled to begin on January 29, 2007, for Deleon and 
Kennedy.  If convicted and sentenced to die, in California a death 
sentence is carried out using lethal injection.  

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

--

Deleon is also charged with the murder of John Jarvi, as well as 
soliciting the murder of his own father and cousin while he was in jail  
awaiting trial on the pending Hawkes and Jarvi killings.  More 
information on this case is on-line at a website commemorating the 
Hawkes' life.  Its in cyberspace at www.tomandjackiehawks.com  (Adapted 
from www.tomandjackiehawks.com/news.htm)

**

ENFORCEMENT:  EX-KG6IRO DSENTENCED TO 7 YEARS IN PRISON

A former ham will spend the next 7 years in prison.  This, after a 
federal judge in Los Angeles hands down one of the harshest sentences 
in history against a convicted radio communications jammer.  It 
happened on Monday, September 18th.  Amateur Radio Newsline's Bruce 
Tennant, K6PZW, is here with the details on the jailtime metered out to 
Jack Gerritsem, the ex-KG6IRO:

--

United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner, minced no words when he 
told Jack Gerritsen that he would spend the next 84 months confined to 
a Federal prison.  Gerritsen's lawyer appealed to the court to be 
lenient and give him no more than two years in jail.  The Federal 
Prosecuror had asked the court to impose a harsher 46 month jail term.  
And before learning his fate, Gerritsen even offered a formal apology 
to the government, to the FCC, and the Amateur Radio community.

But Gerritsen's request for forgiveness fell on deaf ears.  Judge 
Klausner, took the position that the public had to be protected against 
people like the former KG6IRO.  To quote part of his sentiment to 
Gerritsen:  

"How many times have you said you would not do this again?  But based 
on your history, you come back again and again for this.  I believe you 
will continue to do it, and it would send the wrong message to others, 
that 5 years is not long enough either!"

Judge Klausner then sentenced Gerritsen to 7 years in a federal prison.  
He also  imposed a $250 immediate fine and another $15,000.00 fine to 
be paid through the Probation Department.  

But that's not all.  After he gets out of jail, Gerritsen will be on an 
additional 2 years of supervised probation.  He must also participate 
in substance abuse treatment program, paid for at his own expense.  

Gerritsen is also barred from using any pseudonym including his 
previous Amateur radio license call sign and can only use your real 
name when identifying himself.    And maybe most important of all to 
the ham radio community, Gerritsen cannot ever again own, possess or 
use any form of radio broadcasting equipment.  In other words, he's 
effectively barred from the airwaves for life.  

By way of background, Jack Gerritsen was found guilty last December of 
one felony charge of malicious interference with a communications 
system operated by the United States.  He was also found guilty of two 
misdemeanor counts of willful or malicious interference with radio 
communications and three misdemeanor counts of transmitting radio 
signals without a license.

According to court documents filed in this case, an FCC investigation 
revealed that Gerritsen transmitted prerecorded messages, real-time 
harassment and profanity for hours at a time.  This said the FCC, often 
made it impossible for licensed radio operators to use various 
frequencies including a number of which were handling emergency 
communications traffic.  

In one incident in 2004 Gerritsen interfered with a Coast Guard search 
for a missing boat.   In another he hindered American Red Cross radio 
transmissions while the agency was preparing for disaster relief 
operations involving a California dam.  He even caused the cancellation 
of an Army Reserve homeland security training exercise on March 10, 
2005.  This, when he interfered with the United States Army Military 
Affiliate Radio System.  

But this was not his first brush with the law on communications related 
matters.   In 2000 Gerritsen was convicted in state court of 
interfering with the radio communications of the California Highway 
Patrol.  On that one he was sentenced to a year in prison.  

After he was released, Gerritsen passed his Amateur Radio exan and was 
granted the call sign KG6IRO.  But within a week of issuing him a 
license, the FCC set it aside after learning of his California state 
conviction.  Gerritsen seemingly refused to recognize the FCC order to 
stay off the air and continued to operate without a license until he 
was arrested on the Federal charges for which he's now headed off to 
jail.  

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, in Los 
Angeles.

--

There were approximately 16 hams and Law Enforcement represented at the 
sentencing.  As part of the proceeding the court recommended that 
Gerritsen serve his time at a prison in the Southern California area.  
Gerritsen is expected to file an appeal.  (ARNewslineT, N6USO, others)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  TOURIST TO ISS TO COME ON THE AIR AFTER ALL

The first female space tourist is now on board the International Space 
Station and she will be on the ham radio bands after all.  

US businesswoman Anousheh Ansari, blasted into space on Monday, 
September 18th on board a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.   She arrived on-
board the ISS later a day later.  

Ansari had decided originally not to be involved in Amateur Radio 
operations from the orbiting outpost after realizing her heavy schedule 
didn't allow her to study for her exam.  But a few days before liftoff 
she decided to go for a potential QSO to try to talk with students at 
her alma mater George Washington University.   

Mark Steiner, K3MS, is leading the communications effort.  He says that 
in addition to the university contact, Ansari hopes to talk with school 
children across the United States who are licensed radio amateurs.  She 
will be using the on-orbit ham astronauts as her Control Operators and 
the call RS0ISS.  Steiner says that she will be listening at various 
times during her stay through Tuesday, September 26th but can only talk 
to those on the ground who are licensed hams due to 3rd party 
restrictions.  (K1STO)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  SUIT-SAT IS DEAD

A ham radio satellite built in a Russian space suit and kicked out of 
the International Space Station has met a fiery end.  Jeramy Boot, 
G4NJH, of the RSGB News has more:

--

SuitSat - the makeshift satellite that enthralled the amateur radio 
community earlier in the year - has finally returned to Earth. The 
satellite burnt up during atmospheric re-entry 1,400km south west of 
Australia at 1500UTC on 7 September.

Made by converting an old Cosmonaut space suit, SuitSat caught the 
world's attention when it was launched from the International Space 
Station on 3 February. Radio amateurs across the world sought to detect 
the weak signals the satellite was transmitting. The wider community 
was also entranced by the project, with many schools following the 
progress of the satellite. The SuitSat website attracted a remarkable 
nine million hits during February.

The satellite was initially only expected to transmit for a few days 
after its launch. But a technical fault significantly reduced the power 
output of the transmissions, allowing SuitSat to remain on the air for 
more than two weeks after its launch.

Jeramy Boot, G4NJH, Nottingham.

--

Suit-Sat 1 may be history but during its short life span the bird raised 
the profile of both space and Amateur Radio.  Because of this, serious 
consideration is being given to launching a second SuitSat in coming 
years.   More is on the web at www.suitsat.org  (GB2RS)
.

**

RESCUE RADIO: U.S. SENATE APPROVES WIRELESS EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM

The Senate has adopted a new wireless emergency alert system.  This, as 
part of a larger comprehensive port security bill it is debating. 

In the measure passed on Tuesday, September 12th, the Senate included 
language from a Commerce Committee approved bill to establish the 
Warning, Alert, and Response Network or WARN.  

WARN will be a national system for the transmission of public safety 
alerts to a broad variety of communications technologies including 
wireless devices.  Cellular phones, Blackberries, the Internet, digital 
and analog cable television, satellite television, and satellite and 
terrestrial radio, as well as non-traditional media such as sirens are 
among the numerous public alerting systems mentioned.   

The legislation would require that alerts provide individuals with 
instructions about what to do in response to the threat.  WARN also 
would establish a grant program to help remote communities install 
sirens and other devices, particularly in areas where the 
telecommunications infrastructure is insufficient.

More about WARN is on-line at the URL in on-line at  
http://commerce.senate.gov/newsroom/printable.cfm?id=247498)  (CGC)

**

RESCUE RADIO:  US HAMS TO SET UP EM-COMMS SYSTEM ON CHRISTMAS ISLAND

A pair of United States hams are heading off to Christmas Island on a 
mission to establish medical emergency communications on that remote 
island.  Making the almost 8000 mile trek are Texas businessman Carlton 
Smith, KE5EUL and 2006 Radio Amateur of the Year Gordon West, WB6NOA.  
West says it's a voyage well worth making:

--

West: "We found out from those on the island that they needed 
eyeglasses.  They needed medical supplies, and they needed a lot of 
medical type equipment for their small hospital and their outlying 
clinics.  As a humanitarian effort, another friend and I are going over 
there to help them to set up their communications, as well as to add to 
what medical supplies they already have on hand."

--

West and Smith will depart on Monday, October 2nd and should be on the 
island by the 3rd in United States time zones.  The pair will set up a 
new non-ham radio, solar powered short range radio communications 
system to link the atoll's only small hospital to three very remote 
clinics on the Island.  They will also put in a High Frequency SSB 
system operating from the same hospital to Fanning Atoll and Washington 
Island.  Both are several hundred miles to the North.   Smith says that 
these system will fill a critical communications need:

--

Smith:  "Gordon and I are going to install radios -- SSB Marine radios 
-- at the very small hospital on Christmas Island and the three 
outlying medical clinics as well as in a recently donated ambulance so 
that the nurses on this island at the various clinics can communicate 
with the doctor at the small hospital."

--

In addition to the radio gear, Smith and West will also be taking with 
them close to a thousand pounds of medical supplies and reading glasses 
that will be distributed to the residents. Providing assistance to the 
residents of Christmas Island has been an ongoing project for Smith.  
It began after a cruise he was on made an unscheduled stop at the 
atoll:

--

Smith:  "About two years ago, my wife and I happened to visit Christmas 
Island and learned that they were very isolated and quite medically 
needy.  Their central government often does not supply them with any 
medicines.  There are 9000 people living on the three isolated 
islands of Christmas Island, Fanning Island and Washington Island -- 
all within a couple hundred miles of one another, but these three 
islands are collectively isolated from the rest of their country.  The 
capital is Tarawa which is over 2000 miles away.  So these three 
islands are very isolated and only visited by a government supply ship 
once every three or four months."

--

So Smith decided to get his ham radio license as a means of assisting 
in communications to the island group.  In doing so he met West and 
invited him to join the project.  Gordon tells Amateur Radio Newsline 
that this is work he has done before.  In fact, it was a part of his 
life at a very young age:

--

West: "Well, I grew up with my parents aboard a boat off Mexico long 
before Mexico even had phone lines to some of the places we went.  I am 
used to working with those in need of supplies and communications.  So 
this is taking me back probably 50 years from when I was working down 
in Mexico to now be able to work for this country."

--

While their primary mission is humanitarian work, West and Smith hope 
to find time to get on the ham bands and hand out some contacts.  They 
will be there for a week and have been given permission to operate 
T32GW by the Telecommunications Authority of Kiribati.  Ham needing a 
T32 QSL or a contact for the Islands On The Air awards program should 
keep an ear open for the two operators during evening hours on 14.275.  
That's when they will likely be looking for statewide contacts.  

West tells Newsline that he will also explore the Pacific tropo ducting 
VHF/UHF paths that were first observed years ago.   He will be on 
144.170 MHz , upper sideband , listening for beacon reception of the 
KH6HME beacon several thousands miles to the North . QSL your contacts 
with WB6NOA and KE5EUL at their respective callbook address.  
(ARNewslineT)

**

TELECOMMUNICATIONS LAW:  CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL RESTRICTING USE 
OF CELLPHONES BY MOTORISTS

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill making it 
illegal to use a cellular telephone without a hands free system after 
July of 2008.  After that date, drivers will face escalating fines if 
caught using hand-held cellular phones while behind the wheel. 

There are a number of exceptions to this new law.  Drivers of emergency 
response vehicles will be permitted to continue to to use cell phone 
any way that they need to.  Drivers of commercial vehicles will be 
permitted to to use push-to-talk phones until July 1, 2011.  And any 
motorist will still be permitted to make emergency phone calls without 
using a hands-free device.

While there appears to be no specific exemption for Amateur Radio, the 
measure does include a section dealing with push to talk operations.  
It says  --and we quote:  

"This section does not apply to a person when using a digital two-way 
radio that utilizes a wireless telephone that operates by depressing a 
push-to-talk feature and does not require immediate proximity to the 
ear of the user."

The key words here appear to be digital two-way radio but the 
legislation does not define exactly what this term means.  (CGC)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS:  CHIP MARGELLI, K7JA, MOVES TO HEIL SOUND

After 29 years representing Yaesu brand gear to the ham radio public, 
one of the worlds best known radio amateurs has made a career move that 
will take him down in frequency. In fact, its right down into the audio 
range and according to Bob Heil, K9EID, it is a match made in heaven:

--

K9EID: "Sarah and I are just elated to be able to bring Chip Margelli, 
K7JA, into Heil Sound. He is now the national and international Sales 
Manager for this company. He will be responsible for handling all of 
the marketing and the dealer structure around the globe."

--

Bob tells Newsline that being able to lure Margelli to Heil Sound is 
good for both:

--

K9EID: "I don't know of anybody who has a greater passion for this 
hobby than Chip Margelli. He's just wound up all the time about it and 
hes done everything. Contesting. DXpeditions. You name it he's been 
there -- done that and wrote the book. 

So I am very happy to have him here and I am also very happy for the 
(ham radio) industry because it was apparent to me that he might make a 
move out of this industry. And I said -- we cannot loose someone like 
Chip Margelli. We are such a small industry anyway. I just couldn't 
fathom loosing a Chip Margelli (from it). So we did something about it 
and I am very happy to say that he is now the National Sales Manager 
for Heil Sound."

--

By way of background, K7JA is a graduate of the University of 
Washington. He holds both a bachelor's degree in Political Science and 
a Masters in Business Administration. He is also fluent in the Japanese 
language. His wife Janet, KL7MF, is a manager with the Anaheim Ham 
Radio Outlet chain. 

On the air Chip's favorite mode is C-W and many will remember a year 
ago May when he and Ken Miller, K6CTW, beat out champion text messager 
Ben Cook in sending and receiving in an event televised on the Tonight 
Show with Jay Leno. Who will ever forget a very enthusiastic Margelli, 
dressed as an old-time telegrapher, figuratively cooling his fingers as 
the two hams completed their transmission far faster than the 
competeing text-messaging duo. Now that enthusiasm is a part of the 
Heil Sound Limited family and Bob Heil says that his company and all of 
ham radio are better because of it.  (ARNerwslineT)

**

DX

In D-X, word that members of the United Kingdom's the Workington and 
District Amateur Radio and I T Group will be active as MS0WRC/P.  This 
between September 30th and October 7th from the Edinbane Cottages on the  
Isle of Skye.  QSL as directed on the air.

And the Sands Contest Group will be activating the Island of Mull from 
the 23rd to the 29th of September.  Operation will be on all HF bands, 
SSB, RTTY and PSK31.  The call sign to be used is M0SCG

Lastly, keep an ear open for DL8AAV operating portable O-Z from Laeso 
Island through the 30th of September.  His activity will be on 80 though 
10 meters on CW and SSB.  QSL to his home callk or via the bureau.  

(From various DX news sources)

**

THAT FINAL ITEM:  AR NEWSLINE AT THE LAUNCH OF STS-115

And finally this week, a question.  How many of you have ever wished 
you could be at the Kennedy Launch Center in Florida to watch the space 
shuttle launch.  Ill bet a lot of you have, but few have been able to 
make that dream come true.  But what if one days your telephone rang 
and the voice on the other end says -- come on down!  That's what 
recently happened to Amateur Radio Newsline's David Black, KB4KCH, when 
he got invited to see the blast-off of STS-115:

--

Note:  This is a 6 1/2 minute audio report recorded on-location at the 
Kennedy Space Center during the launch of STS-115.  There is no text 
version available nor would a text translation do justice to this 
event.  

We strongly suggest you download the MP3 version of this weeks newscast 
and enjoy the true "magic" of a shuttle launch as seen through the eyes 
of ham radio operator and professional news reporter David Black, 
KB4KCH.  The MP3 is at our website:  www.arnewsline.org

--

The late Roy Neal. K6DUE, reported shuttle launches from near this same 
location for NBC Network News.  Many times he described it as riding a 
Roman Candle into space.  After being there up close and personal, 
David and his colleagues would seem to agree.  (KB4KCH, ARNewslineT)

**

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 
NewslineT.  Our e-mail address is newsline at arnewsline.org.  More 
information is available at Amateur Radio Newsline'sT only official 
website located at www.arnewsline.org.  You can also write to us or 
support us at Amateur Radio NewslineT, P.O. Box 660937, Arcadia, 
California 91066. 