[Ham-News] Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1530 - December 8, 2006
ham-news at mailman.qth.net
ham-news at mailman.qth.net
Sun Dec 10 08:13:16 EST 2006
Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1530 - December 8th, 2006
The following is a Q-S-T. A major flare on the Sun could impact radio
on Earth, one week and counting to restructuring in the United States
and the end of Seafone down-under. All this and more on Amateur Radio
Newsline report number 1530 coming your way right now.
**
HAM RADIO IN SPACE: MAJOR SOLAR FLARE
A major eruption has occurred on the surface of the Sun that could
impact radio communications here o Earth.
On Tuesday, December 5th, at 10:35 U-T-C, solar observation satellites
detected a powerful X-class solar flare. The source was a giant
sunspot given the designation 929, which was then emerging over the
Sun's eastern limb.
According to spaceweather.com, because of the sunspot's position this
flare was not Earth-directed. However, future eruptions could because
the Sun's spin is turning the spot toward Earth. This in could disrupt
radio communications around the world and impact satellites in orbit.
Sunspot 929 will be visible for the next two weeks as it glides across
the face of our home star. Please visit spaceweather.com for more
information on solar conditions and how that might affect your ability
to communicate. (KC6WFS, SpaceWeather.com)
**
RESTRUCTURING: ONE WEEK AND COUNTING
Restructuring is almost here. As of 12:01 a.m. on Friday, December
15th, some hams in the United States and its possessions will gain
expanded operating privileges. Jeff Reinhardt, AA6JR, joins us with a
look at what the near future has in store:
--
When the Report and Order in WT Docket 04-140 goes into effect at 12:01
Eastern on December 15th, the 75 meter phone band will span 3.8 to 4.0
MHz for Generals, 3.7 to 4.0 MHz for Advanced class licensees and 3.6
to 4.0 MHz for Amateur Extras. And yes: The extended 75 meter Amateur
Extra class phone allocation does reduce the amount of 80 meter
spectrum available for CW, RTTY and data.
On 40 meters, Amateur Extra and Advanced licensees will be able to
operate phone beginning at 7.125 MHz, while Generals start at 7.175
MHz. The top end of the CW, RTTY and digital sub-band will be 7.125
MHz.
On 15 meters, the General class phone band will start at 21.275 MHz
while on 10 meters, Novice and Technician Plus license class holders
will be able to operate CW, RTTY and permitted digital modes from 28.0
to 28.3 MHz. Also, Novices and Tech Plus licensees will be able to use
Morse on the same frequencies as General and Advanced licensees on the
80, 40 and 15 meter bands.
One question keeps coming up that we answered before. We will do so
again right now.
There are no new High Frequency phone privileges granted to either the
Technician, Tech Plus or Novice class license holders in this latest
restructuring round. None what-so-ever -- right now. Maybe that will
happen down the road in relation to the Morse code matter still pending
before the FCC. But for the moment the status quo for voice for these
three license classes still exists.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeff Reinhardt, AA6JR, in Los
Angeles.
--
Again, the new rules do not take effect until Friday morning, December
15th at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Do not use the new
allocations until after that date and time. (AR Newsline from various
sources)
**
RESTRUCTURING: AMATEUR RADIO EXAM QUESTION POOLS ALTERED TO AGREE WITH
NEW RULES
The question pools used to test candidates for Amateur Radio exams are
changing to meet the times.
As the new FCC Part 97 rules come into effect on Friday December 15th,
the National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators' Question
Pool Committee has dropped two dozen questions from the three Amateur
Radio examination question pools. The deletions will bring ham radio
license exams offered starting December 15 into line with rule changes
spelled out in the FCC Report and Order in WT Docket 04-140.
According to the ARRL Letter, the Question Pool Committee cut one
question from the Technician question pool, 13 from the General pool
and 10 from the Amateur Extra pool. Changes in rules governing
frequency privileges and external RF power amplifier standards
accounted for the majority of the questions cut from the General and
Amateur Extra exam pools. (From NCVEC QPC Release)
**
RESTRUCTURING: SOUTH AFRICA WILL NOT FOLLOW USA
The South African Radio League has rejected a proposal to follow the
American system of regulating and band planning. This is because of
the regulations governing Amateur Radio in South Africa in regard to
mode and spectrum is more liberal than in the United States. Amateur
Radio Newsline's Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, has the details:
--
In the United States, making any regulatory change in ham radio or any
service is a lengthy process. One where the FCC acts only after it
gets a request, issues a Notice of Proposed Rule Making and permits
ample time for public discussion both in the ham community and by the
general public.
After that comes a time period where commenters can file replies to
those previous filed. The reply comment period.
Then the issue disappears for a long time until either a Report and
Order or a Memorandum, Opinion and Order is issued by the agency, The
result can be a flat denial or a document outlining what changes the
FCC has decided that we need made. Then we wait for the documents
publication in the Federal Register after which we wait another 30 days
for it to come into effect. This is a process where even the simplest
regulatory change can take years.
But in South Africa, the Amateur Radio service bands are not sub-
divided by the nation's regulatory authority. Instead, South Africa
follows the I-A-R-U Region 1 gentlemen's agreement band plan . This
is a method 2based on mutual trust between all Region 1 members and one
reviewed at conferences held every three years.
The decision to look at the possibility of adopting United States
regulatory model was based on the restructuring of certain U-S ham band
allocations that comes into use on December 15th. On 40 meters, it
restricts United States amateurs to CW only in the segment 7.0 to 7.125
MHz. SARL sees this as a problem for stations outside the United
States who are restricted to using 7.0 to 7.1 MHz.
As a result, the organizations Council decided to look at the system
used in the U-S-A. After due consideration, the South African Radio
League has concluded that the current IARU Region 1 band planning
system provides flexibility by setting an exact timetable for review.
It also avoids having a regulatory scheme which is complex and very
time consuming in regard to spectrum regulation and as technology
changes as well.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF at the
studio in Los Angeles.
--
For those interested in seeing the IARU Region 1 bandplan it's on-line
at www.sarl.org.za/hf_happenings.asp or simply go to www.sarl.org.za
and click on the left hand side link called HF Happenings (Southgate,
SARL)
**
HAM RADIO IN SPACE: KE5CGR TO BE FIRST NORDIC IN SPACE
European Space Agency Astronaut Christer Fuglesang, KE5CGR, is about to
become the first Swedish citizen and the first Nordic astronaut in
space. This, when he flies to the International Space Station on
December 8th.
KE5CGR is slated to fly to the ISS on the space shuttle Discovery as a
Mission Specialist on flight STS-116. He and his six crewmates are
slated to add a new section to the stations truss structure and to
reroute electrical power supply and thermal control from its new set of
solar arrays and radiators.
Once on board the ISS, Fuglesang will meet up with fellow ESA astronaut
Thomas Reiter, DF4TR from Germany, who has been a permanent crew member
since July 6th. This will be the first time that two ESA astronauts fly
together on the same ISS mission. Both will return to Earth on board
Discovery at the end of its 12-day assignment.
If all goes according to schedule, Discovery will lift off from NASA's
Kennedy Space Center at 02:36 UTC on December 8th. Docking with the ISS
is scheduled for 23:00 hours UTC on December 9th. (AMSAT, Southgate,
others)
**
HAM RADIO IN SPACE: KIWISAT TO FLY IN 2008
Meantime, New Zealand's first Amateur Radio Satellite called KiwiSAT
will not be orbited until 2008. KiwiSAT Project Leader Fred Kennedy
ZL1BYP says that while KiwiSAT along with KatySat appears to be on the
manifest for the May 2007 Russian Dnepr-1 launch. He has now
confirmed that KiwiSAT will definitely not be flying until sometime in
2008. (AMSAT)
**
HAMVENTION 2007: AWARDS PERIOD NOW OPEN
The Dayton Hamvention is now is accepting nominations for its 2007
awards for Amateur of the Year, Special Achievement, and Technical
Excellence awards. Evi Simons has an in-depth look at the
qualifications for each:
--
As most of you know, the Dayton Hamvention's Amateur of the Year Award
goes to an individual who has made a long-term, outstanding commitment
to the advancement of Amateur Radio. The Technical Excellence Award is
for the person who has made an notable technical contribution to the
hobby. The Special Achievement Award honors someone who has
spearheaded a project that has benefited from or two ham radio.
Pat Johnson, KC8ZZO, chairs the 2007 Awards Committee. He says that
there is a reason for having three separate award categories:
--
Johnson: "The obvious thing that we are looking for is people who have
made specific contributions to Amateur Radio, and the reason we have
three awards is that there are different ways to contribute."
--
Regardless of which award category you want to nominate someone into,
it is very important to include documentation. This is the information
used by the Awards Committee to judge a candidate's overall
accomplishments. It could be such things as magazine articles,
newsletters, newspaper clippings, and even video presentations. But
please be aware that all materials become the property of the Dayton
Hamvention and will not be returned.
The deadline for nominations is February 19, 2007 and all amateur radio
operators, world-wide are eligible. Additional details on these awards
and a nomination form are available on line at
www.hamvention.org/nomination07.htm.
Nominations also are accepted by mail. Address them to the Dayton
Hamvention Awards, PO Box 964, Dayton, Ohio 45401.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Evi Simons, in New York
--
Again, the deadline to submit nominations is February 19, 2007. The
winners will be recognized at the 2007 Hamvention which runs next May
18th to the 20th. (AR Newsline)
**
THE BPL WAR: SOME BPL OPERATORS GRANTED EXPERIMENTAL AUTHORIZATIONS
The CGC Communicator reports that some B-P-L operators have been
granted Experimental license authorizations by the FCC. In California,
San Diego Gas & Electric Company has been granted an Experimental
license to cover its B-P-L testing.
The call letters of the license are WD2XZO and the FCC's summary of the
grant says that was issued San Diego Gas & Electric as a new
experimental certificate to operate in the 1 point 7 to 80 MHz range.
This, to test Broadband on Power Line technology.
According to an industry observer, some of the B-P-L models being
tested are not yet FCC Certificated, so San Diego Gas & Electric must
operate under an Experimental authorization. However, the fact that
Experimental BPL licenses are being granted suggests that there is
still work to be done to get BPL to the point where it is a fully
commercially viable technology. (CGC)
**
ENFORCEMENT: CBS TO THE FCC - WE WON'T PAY
The CBS network is telling the FCC that it will not pay a big fine, and
it's doing so in court. Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, has more:
--
Lawyers for CBS Corp. argued in court on Monday, November 20th that
singer Janet Jackson's breast-baring at the Super Bowl halftime show in
2004 was unintended. Also that it took place without the knowledge of
the network, and should not be considered an indecent broadcast
incident subject to punitive action.
In a court brief, CBS argued that the FCC had failed to turn up any
evidence suggesting that anyone at CBS participated in the so-called
"wardrobe malfunction." Also, that the commission had abandoned its
long-standing approach that "fleeting, isolated or unintended" images
should not automatically be considered indecent.
In response, the FCC released a statement charging that the network
continues to ignore the voices of millions of Americans, Congress and
the commission by arguing that Janet Jackson's halftime performance was
not indecent. The FCC continues to believe that CBS is wrong.
The show aired on Feb. 1, 2004, to an estimated audience of 90 million.
During a musical number, singer Justin Timberlake pulled off part of
Jackson's bustier.
CBS was fined $550,000 for the incident. The company is now suing the
Federal Communications Commission in the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals in Philadelphia, challenging the fine. The network claims
that Jackson and Timberlake independently and clandestinely devised the
finale" without informing anyone at the network.
--
Whatever is decided in this case will likely have a ripple-down effect
on just about every service regulated by the FCC including what can and
cannot be said on the air using Amateur Radio. Just about everyone
involved in telecommunications is watching this one. (Published news
reports)
**
ENFORCEMENT: FCC REVOKES LICENSE OF CONVICTED HAM
The FCC has revoked the amateur license of David Edward Cox, the now
former W5OER. This after the regulatory agency concluded that Cox
lacks the basic requisite character qualifications to remain a
Commission licensee based on his conviction for felony burglary and
firearms-related offenses.
In its December 4th Report and Order, the FCC says that Cox has been an
amateur license since 1995. That a check of its records does not
reveal any violations by Cox of the Communications Act or any of the
Commission's rules.
However, on August 27, 2003, Cox was arrested and subsequently charged
with two counts of simple burglary. Each of those was being a felony.
On January 8, 2004, the District Court of Louisiana convicted him on
both counts and sentenced him to five years incarceration at hard
labor, but suspended the sentence and placed Cox on supervised
probation for the five years.
Cox was released from jail on January 14, 2004. On September 21, 2004,
he was arrested again and has been incarcerated since that date.
Following a plea agreement, on June 3, 2005, the United States District
Court sentenced Cox to concurrent terms of forty-one months for felony
violations of several firearms provisions contained in various sections
of the United States Criminal Code. The Court also ordered him to
make restitution to Redstick Firearms and Indoor Range in the amount of
$3,000.
The Commission says that it's character policies provide that any
felony conviction is a matter predictive of licensee behavior and is
directly relevant to the functioning of the Commission's regulatory
mission. It also says that it finds that such egregious criminal
misconduct justifies a finding that Mr. Cox will obey the law only when
it suits him. Mr. Cox's record as an amateur licensee and his
assertions regarding his character and his crimes1 are insufficient to
overcome the impact of the crimes.
In its final decision, the FCC states that David Edward Cox does not
possess the character qualifications required by this Commission to be
or remain a licensee. That the serious nature of the convictions in
this case mandate the conclusion that his Amateur service license
should be revoked. (FCC)
**
ENFORCEMENT: CSI FINED FOR PETLOCATOR TRANSMITTER POWER
Communications Specialists, Inc. of Orange, California, a company best
known in ham radio circles for its tone encoding and encoding products,
has been dinged with a $7,000 Notice of Apparent Liability to Monetary
Forfeiture by the FCC. This, for the marketing of radio frequency
devices in the United States that do not comply with the agency's rules
regarding radiated emission limits.
Among its many products, CSI manufactures and markets the PT-1
"Petlocator" transmitter. This is a device which is used to track
pets, children and model airplanes. The FCC says that its Office of
Engineering and Technology Laboratory found that the PT-1 substantially
exceeds the radiated emissions limits for intentional radiators
specified in its rules. Based on these findings, the FCC has concluded
that Communications Specialists is apparently liable for the $7,000
fine. The company was given the usual time to pay or to file an
appeal. (FCC)
**
ENFORCEMENT: FCC ASKS HAM TO PROVE HE HELD CALL
The FCC has written to a Houston Texas ham asking him to prove that he
is the former holder of a vanity call sign he has requested once again.
The October 24th letter of inquiry went to Francisco B. Guerrero who
currently holds the WL4B call letters that were granted to him on
October 6th The FCC says it has no record that Guerrero previously
held the WL4B call. (FCC)
**
ENFORCEMENT: 40 METER INTERFERENCE ALLEGED
William C. Dolvin, W8VYZ, of Ashtabula, Ohio, has been asked by the FCC
to explain some of his alleged operation on the 40 meter band. This,
as the agency gives him 30 days from its October 24th letter of inquiry
regarding a complaint filed against the operation of his station.
According to the FCC, the complaint alleges deliberate interference to
communications on 7.290 MHz from Dolvin's station at various times
including transmissions purported to have been made on September 11th of
this year. (FCC)
**
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: NANO ANTENNAS AND MEDICINE
The tiniest of the tiniest antennas are helping to perform medical
miracles.
Norm Seeley, KI7UP, has more in this report:
--
Opening a whole new interface between nanotechnology and neuroscience,
scientists at Harvard University have used slender silicon nanowires to
detect, stimulate, and inhibit nerve signals along the axons and
dendrites of live mammalian neurons. Harvard chemist Charles M. Lieber
and colleagues report on this marriage of nanowires and neurons this
week in the journal Science.
Lieber describes this first artificial synapses between nano electronic
devices and individual neurons with the first linking of a solid-state
device. In other words, a nanowire transistor to the neuronal
projections that interconnect and carry information in the brain.
Electrophysiological measurements of brain activity play an important
role in understanding signal propagation through individual neurons and
neuronal networks. But existing technologies are relatively crude and
very bulky. By contrast, the tiny nanowire transistors developed by
Lieber and colleagues gently touch a neuronal projection to form a
hybrid synapse. This makes them noninvasive and thousands of times
smaller than the electronics now used to measure brain activity.
Because the nanowires are so slight -- their contact with a neuron is
no more than 20 millionths of a meter in length. As a result, Lieber
and his colleagues were able to measure and manipulate electrical
conductance at as many as 50 locations along a single axon.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, Im Norm Seeley, KI7UP, in Scottsdale,
Arizona.
--
Dr. Lieber's work was supported by the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency and Applied Biosystems. (Science Daily)
**
HAM EDUCATION: THE FOUNDATION FOR AMATEUR RADIO 2007 - 2008
SCHOLARSHIPS
The Foundation for Amateur Radio tells Amateur Radio Newsline that it
will be administering fifty-six scholarships for the 2007 through 2008
academic year. This, to assist licensed Radio Amateurs in furthering
their higher education.
Hams can compete for these awards if they plan to pursue a full-time
course of studies beyond high school and are enrolled in or have been
accepted for enrollment at an accredited university, college or
technical school. The awards range from $500 to $3000 with preference
given in some cases to residents of specified geographical areas or the
pursuit of certain study programs. Non-USA residents are eligible to
apply for some of the scholarships.
Additional information and an application form may be requested by
letter or QSL card, postmarked prior to April 30, 2007. The address is
F-A-R Scholarships, Post Office Box 831, Riverdale, Maryland 20738.
Applications are also available electronically on request to
Scholarships at Farweb.org. (FAR)
**
HAM PUBLICATIONS: NEW ARRL CLUB NEWS
A new monthly newsletter called ARRL Club News, is now available via e-
mail at no charge to ARRL members.
According to the ARRL Letter, the new publication is designed to help
empower Amateur Radio clubs and their activities. Each issue will
contain information and highlights for and about ARRL-affiliated clubs.
The first issue of ARRL Club News became available on Wednesday,
December 6. If you are a League member you can subscribe for e-mail
delivery on the Members Only page at the ARRL Web Site at www.arrl.org
(ARRL)
**
NAMES IN THE NEWS: NEW PAINTINGS FROM 4X1MK
Some ham Radio names in the news. First up is noted Israeli artist Ron
Gang, 4X1MK, who has posted 15 new works on his web page entitled "Most
Recent Paintings." Gang says that these paintings continue to explore
the land of the Western Negev desert that he says provides
inexhaustible artistic material and challenge.
One of the works shown is a very unique multi-canvas panorama, made up
of ten paintings joined end to end and measuring 31.5 feet long. Gang
says that this is his most ambitious outdoor work to date. One that he
created during May, June and July while trying to beat the then
oncoming summer heat.
You can see these paintings on-line at www.iarc.org/~4x1mk. 4X1MK says
that your critical comments are as always appreciated and useful. E-
mail Ron to gang at urim.org.il (Press elease)
**
NAMES IN THE NEWS: COMPUTER HISTORY MUSEUM INDUCTEES
And some well known names from the world of computing are now a part of
telecommunications history. Burt Hicks, WB6MQV, has the list and what
they are being honored for:
--
Audio report only. Download the newscast MP3 file at
www.arnewsline.org
--
We say, congratulations to all. (Computing News)
**
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: FIND THAT GRID ON-LINE
If you are looking for a particular grid square, then Laurent Haas,
F6FVY may have exactly what you need.
Haas has programmed a tool based on Google Earth so that you can click
on any spot in the world and automatically the corresponding full grid
locator is being displayed. To use the free service, just go to
F6FVY's website. Then adjust the map to the desired location and click
on the spot you want to know the data on. A small window will then pop
up with longitude, latitude and Grid Square Locator.
And oh yes. There is one thing you will need. That's the U-R-L. You
will find it on-line at http://f6fvy.free.fr/qthLocator/fullScreen.html
(VHF Reflector via DF2ZC /JO30RN)
**
HAM RADIO IN SPACE: SKN on OSCAR 2007 TO BE IN MEMORY OF K7RR
Hams worldwide are invited to participate in Straight Key Night on
OSCAR 2007. The event runs from 0000 to 2400 UTC on 1 January 2007,
with the only requisite rule being that you use a straight hand key.
Straight Key Night 2007 is dedicated to the memory of Cliff
Buttschardt, K7RR. Buttschardt was an longtime Straight Key Night
participant on both OSCAR and HF, as well as a perennial Best Fist
winner. (ANS)
**
WORLDBEAT - GREAT BRITAIN: ICOM'S "DXPEDITION FOR THE REST OF US" PART
OF RSGB 2007 YEARBOOK
A DXpedition video produced by Icom has become a part of the R-S-G-B's
2007 Yearbook. The documentary was shot during an Islands On The Air
operation from St. George Island Florida in September 2005 with members
of the Icom family joining friends from the Tennessee Valley DX
Association,
Ray Novak, N9JA, is one of the Icom staffers who went on that
operation. He says that while this DXpedition did not rival that of
Peter I, the crew did have a great time he hopes that they can share
the excitement that they had doing it.
The show's title is a "DXpedition For The Rest Of Us" and should be
available on the ICOM America website shortly. The URL is
www.icomamerica.com/amateur/video and it will require Windows Media
Player to view. (Icom)
**
DX
In D-X, word that W8CAA, K8FL, W9IXX and W8GEX will be active from
Eleuthera as C6DX and C6AXX through December 13th. They plan to
operate all bands and modes with two stations. One will be dedicated
to H-F contacts and the other on 6 meters at 50.125 MHz. QSL C6DX via
W8GEX and C6AXX via W9IXX.
(Above from various DX news sources)
**
THAT FINAL ITEM: HOLD THE SEAPHONE
And finally this week, its the end of an era down-under: This with the
announcement that Australia's VHF Marine "Seaphone' service turned off
its radios at midnight UTC on Friday December 1st. WIA Newsman Glen
Dunstan, VK4DU, has this tribute to what was a service at sea:
--
Seaphone was used to connect ships at sea to telephone subscribers
ashore via VHF marine radio. It provided an essential communications
link for the maritime community.
The Seaphone service was established by OTC in the early 1970's,
initially operating on VHF marine channels 23 and 26 in major capital
cities. The network was expanded around the Australian coastline and
eventually provided nearly continuous coverage of the East Coast of
Australia from Torres Strait to Melbourne with additional coverage of
other main coastal areas.
In the mid 1980's, the service was automated with the introduction of a
DTMF hand held microphone. Auto Seaphone, as it was known, provided a
relatively inexpensive method of making radio telephone calls. The
DTMF microphone connected to a standard VHF marine radio.
The Auto Seaphone facility provided direct dial calls from ship to
shore, store and forwarding of call details in the shore to ship
direction, '999' emergency calls and a '333' repeater call facility.
The closure of the Seaphone service ends a long tradition of radio
communications services provided to the Australian Maritime Industry by
OTC and its predecessors.
I'm Glenn Dunstan VK4DU, for the national WIA
--
The unique Auto Seaphone technology was developed at a time when mobile
phones where still a novelty item. Its now been replaced by the next
generation of personal digital voice communications. (WIA News)
**
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. Our e-mail address is newsline at arnewsline.org. More
information is available at Amateur Radio Newsline's only official
website located at www.arnewsline.org. You can also write to us or
support us at Amateur Radio Newsline, P.O. Box 660937, Arcadia,
California 91066.
For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors desk, I'm Jim
Meachen, ZL2BHF, saying 73 and we thank you for listening.
Amateur Radio Newsline is Copyright 2006. All rights reserved.
More information about the Ham-News
mailing list