No subject

reporting for the Amateur Radio Newsline. 
-- 
 
A s we go to air, no completion or launch date has been announced for 
Kiwi Sat.  An excellent article on the project appears in the summer 
edition of the AMSAT Journal.  (AMSAT) 
 
** 
 
HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  PC SAT IN ECLIPSE 
 
Meantime users of the P C Sat ham satellite are being requested to 
please turn off all unattended night time transmissions.  This, to 
conserve energy while the bird is not in direct sunlight and having its 
batteries charged. 
 
According to Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, P C Sat left full sunlight on Sunday 
September 30th.  The bird is still fully operational but is passing 
through 25 minute eclipses on every orbit.  And because of these 
eclipses the overall power available on board P C Sat is down.  Keeping 
unattended beacons off while you are not there cuts the load on the 
satellite power supply significantly.   
 
Bruninga says that with everyone's cooperation the satellite might be 
able to make it to full sun again in November.  He adds that normal 
operations are O-K when the satellite is in sunshine and the batteries 
are on charge.  (AMSAT) 
 
** 
 
RADIO LAW::  FOLLOW-UP - S.A. ACTS TO PROTECT THE 70 CM BAND 
 
A follow-up to last weeks story on the probable threat to the 70 
centimeter band posed by a planned Earth Exploration Satellite Service 
that's soon to be launched.   As reported last week a discussion paper 
will be brought before the World Radio Conference next year that 
directly targets 432 to 438 MHz for exclusive use by the Earth 
Exploration birds. 
 
The threat is very real and now comes word that at least one national 
ham radio society is taking action to stop the incursion. The South 
African Radio Relay League which was the first to make information on 
the threat public is already engaged in urgent talks with the that 
nations telecommunications regulatory body.  Their objective is to try 
and convince the radio law makers that such a reallocation of spectrum 
would be a severe blow to the future of amateur radio.  Others national 
societies are expected to quickly do the same.  (SARL, Q-News) 
 
**  
 
RESCUE RADIO:  HAMS HONORED FOR TORNADO WORK 
 
Ham radio Radio Skywarn spotters from 14 Central and Southern Indiana 
counties are being given credit for helping save lives.  This, during an 
unusual outbreak of tornadoes the morning of Friday, September 20 th.  
Amateur News Weekly's Jack Parker, W8ISH,  tracked the storm and has 
this report.  
 
-- 
When an F3 Tornado started it's destructive journey across Indiana, 
Hoosier hams were hot on the trail. In fact, the storm moved so quick 
several amateur radio operators almost became casualties themselves.  
 
The mid-morning outbreak started as a line of strong thunderstorms 
associated with a cold front. Tornado touchdowns were reported in 
several counties southwest of Indianapolis before noon. The storm gained 
strength as it ripped apart homes and businesses while tossing cars like 
they were matchbox toys. Many amateur radio operators saw first hand the 
destructive power of these late summer storms. Around 1:00 p.m., an F3 
tornado touched down in Ellettsville, just west of Bloomington, Indiana. 
Two Ellettsville hams, Mike Poe, KB9SGN, and Russ Ryle, N9DHX, had close 
encounters with the super strong tornado. According to one Monroe County 
Spotter "The tornado went right past Mike's house. Poe was in his 
driveway trying to get away in his truck and wound up dodging parts of 
his neighbors house while transmitting a warning to the Bloomington 
repeater. At the same time Russ Ryle was taking cover. 
 
-- 
Ryle: "I was just passing information for my local area. First report I 
had was, we had a tornado on the ground. I could see some debris. At 
that point my wife and I took cover in the bathroom". 
-- 
 
As many as four tornadoes skipped across Indiana covering 112 miles. 
Over 20,000 homes were damaged. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured 
or killed. The National Weather Service office in Indianapolis credited 
the Skywarn spotters with saving hundreds of lives. As the NWS began to 
receive frequent damage reports, activation of spotter groups became 
critical. The NWS requested spotter information be relayed to their 
office as quickly as possible so counties in the path of the storm could 
be alerted.  
 
According to National Weather Service Warning Officer, Dave Tucek, quick 
actions by spotters helped the NWS increase watch and warning lead times 
to 25 minutes or more, saving lives.  
 
After the storm passed, many of the individual county spotters groups 
teamed up with their local Red Cross, Salvation Army and Emergency 
Management agencies to provide communications between shelters and 
county EOC's. Some of the amateur radio operators found themselves 
working with damage assessment teams while providing communications for 
National Guard clean up crews. Reporting from Indianapolis, for Amateur 
News Weekly, this is Jack Parker, W8ISH 
-- 
  
Following an aerial survey of the damaged areas, Indiana's Governor 
Frank O'Bannon said this is the most wide spread tornado damage to hit 
the state in over a decade.  Damage assessments are expected to be in 
the millions.  (ANW) 
 
** 
    
RESCUE RADIO:  FCC OK'S NEW PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACONS

If you are a ham involved in search and rescue work, listen up.  The FCC 
has issued a report and order that provides for licensing individual 
406.025 MHz personal locator beacons or P-L-B's.  The agency says that 
it will require mandatory registration of these devices with the 
National Atmospheric and Oceanographic administration. 
 
According to the CGC Communicator, a 406 MHz digital P-L-B signal 
contains information on the type of emergency, the country an 
identification code of the beacon in distress and other information to 
facilitate search and rescue operations.  Even more important, a 406 MHz 
distress signal can be received and stored on-orbit by the COSPAS/SARSAT 
satellite and later retransmitted to the ground.  That should eliminate 
the so-called blind spots found in older 121.50 MHz and 243.00 MHz  
devices.  (CGC Communicator) 
 
** 
 
ENFORCEMENT:  YOU GET YOUR OLD CALL BACK 
 
The FCC has written to Jamie H. King, Jr. of New Bern, North Carolina to 
tell him that it has canceled the Vanity Call Sign W4JHK and has 
reinstated his previous KG4RLJ call.  Amateur Radio Newslines Bruce 
Tennant, K6PZW has more: 
 
-- 
 
Back on June 19th the agency requested that Jamie H. King, Jr.,  provide 
documentation of his claim that he was a former holder of the W4JHK call 
sign.  He responded by letters dated July 20th and 27th.  In his reply 
King stated that he believed that the problem seemed to lie in 
interpretation of blanks to be filled in on the Vanity Call Sign 
application.  He says that when he completed the application last 
February, he interpreted the line 'Former Primary Station Holder' to 
mean any primary station license, regardless of call sign, issued at a 
date earlier than the application. Therefore he says that he was 
referring to his previous license KG4RLJ when he checked that line. 
 
But the FCC says that explanation might be acceptable if King had only 
checked the "Former Primary Call Sign Holder" block.  But the FCC says 
that King also wrote in the call sign W4JHK.  Also, that the application 
block contains the statement -- quote -- "This call sign was previously 
shown on my primary station license."  
 
The FCC says that in view of the fact that King has never been a former 
holder W4JHK, that his call sign reverts to KG4RLJ.  It says a license 
bearing that call is on its way to him. 
 
Reporting for the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bruce Tennat, K6PZW 
-- 
 
The FCC adds that  it is not pursuing further enforcement action at this 
time but cautioned King to use care in the filing of any future 
applications with the FCC.  (FCC) 
 
** 
 
ENFORCEMENT:  BIG FINE FOR SELLING ILLEGAL CORDLESS PHONES 
 
The FCC has issued a $7,000 against Lightning Electronics Incorporated 
of Miami Florida.  This, for willful and repeated violations of the 
Commission's rules involving Lightning's marketing of unapproved long-
range cordless telephones.  Phones that the agency says are capable of 
interfering with aviation safety.  Phones that hams say are ripping up 
the two meter band.  We have this report: 
 
-- 
Back in February of 2001, the Federal Aviation Administration told the 
FCC  that some pilots were reporting receiving sporadic interference to 
an aviation frequency here in the Miami, Florida, area.  In March of 
2001, the FCC's Miami Office identified the source of the interference 
as a long-range cordless telephone being operated from an electronics 
store in Miami.  That one was quickly removed from the airwaves. 
 
As a result of the FAA's concerns, the FCC launched a nationwide 
investigation into the unlawful  marketing and use of long-range 
cordless telephones.  During the inquiry, the Bureau discovered that 
electronics dealers were selling long-range cordless telephones in 
several states.  It also found that certain of the long-range cordless 
telephones caused interference by transmitting spurious emissions on 
aviation frequencies.  Even more scary -- others were specifically 
designed to operate in the aviation band.   
 
During the investigation, agents from the Miami Office visited Lightning 
Electronics retail store.  This took place on July 27, 2001.  While 
there, agents saw several of the illegal long-range cordless telephones 
on display.  Models included a Super Phone CT-9000, a Prolink CT-
6000CID, and an Optima OP8810.   
 
According to the FCC, a salesperson at Lightning offered to sell one of 
the units to the agents.  As a result, on August 24, 2001, the Miami 
Office issued a citation to Lightning for violation of rules which 
prohibit the marketing of unapproved radio frequency devices.  
 
But the company apparently did not heed the warning.  On September 26, 
2001, agents from the Miami Office and from the Tampa Office again 
visited Lightning's retail store.  At that time they purchased a Prolink 
BAO-6110CID long-range cordless telephone and antenna for $669.80.  The 
telephone the agents purchased was capable of causing serious 
interference to aviation communications and was not approved for sale by 
the Commission. 
 
On October 29, 2001, the Tampa Office issued a Notice of Apparent 
Liability to Monetary Forfeiture against Lightning but the company did 
not file a response.  On February 21, 2002, the Bureau issued a 
Forfeiture Order.  On March 8, 2002, Lightning filed a petition for 
reconsideration of that order indicating certain information did not 
pertain to the company.  The FCC responded with a new order last May 
21st and has now ordered Lightning to pay up.