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Thu Mar 8 06:28:51 EST 2007

Amateur Radio Newsline.

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Again, "Fateful Journey" will air 8 and 11 PM Eastern and Pacific times 
on Thursday February 20th, and again at 2 PM Eastern and Pacific on 
Saturday February 22nd.  (ARNewsline, K0OV)

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ARRL PACIFIC DIVISION DIRECTOR JIM MAXWELL, W6CF, SK

ARRL Pacific Division Director Jim Maxwell, W6CF, has died.  The 69 year 
old Maxewll passed away on Thursday February 6th at his
home in Redwood Estates, California.  The cause of his death has not 
been announced.

Maxwell, who became a Director in January 2000, joined the ARRL Board in 
1994 after being elected Pacific Division Vice Director.  He also served 
as an ARRL Emergency Coordinator from October 1991 to March 1999.  

An avid DXer, Jim Maxwell belonged to mumerous DX clubs, contest clubs 
and organizations.  This included the famed Northern California Contest 
Club.  He also served as a member of the ARRL DX Advisory Committee from 
April 1988 through 1994 and was an accredited Volunteer Examiner.

Professionally, Maxwell held doctoral degrees in aeronautical
engineering and biomechanics.  He retired from the Lockheed Missiles and 
Space Corporation as a technical consultant in 1992 and from Scitor 
Corporation in 1998.

Pacific Division Vice Director Bob Vallio, W6RGG, takes over
immediately as Director.  ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, will
appoint a new Vice Director in the coming days.  Maxwell previously held 
the call W6CUF.  (ARRL) 

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HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  ISS PACKET RETURN DELAYED FURTHER

When will the packet system on the International space station come back 
on?  Nobody is quite sure but ARISS International Chairman Frank Bauer, 
KA3HDO says that his group has been working with its colleagues in NASA 
and Russia's Energia to get it  operational again.  Unfortunately, so 
far they have only been successful in getting it turned on for about one 
orbit.

Bauer says that several factors are impeding the packet startup.  First, 
the progress vehicle docked with ISS and the crew is currently unpacking 
and stowing about a ton of supplies and equipment.  Also, the crew is 
working with their mission control counterparts on  schedule changes 
that have occurred due to the Columbia accident.

Given these items its apparent that this crew is not as engaged in ham 
radio the way the last ISS Expedition crew was.  And because of this the 
packet system may be off for a bit longer.  (ANS)

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CONTESTING:  ARRL SAYS BEACONET IS OK

ARRL Contest Branch Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, says that BEACONet does 
not violate any contesting rules.  According to Henderson, after 
additional review the ARRL has come to believe that BEACONet is similar 
to an automated CQ'ing system.  That it only  facilitates the 
solicitation of contacts and as such it seems to comply with the letter 
and spirit of the contest rules.  (VHF Reflector)

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DX

In DX we take to the sky this week.  This with word that Wayne Estes, 
W9AE,  plans to operate the Amsat Oscar 40 satellite as FG slash W9AE 
from the island of Guadeloupe.  The tentative plan is for Wayne to start 
operation at 2300 U-T-C on February 21, 22, 25, and 26 for windows to 
the Americas and the Pacific.  Also listen for him on Sunday February 23 
from 1500 to 2000 UTC for a satellite window to Europe and central Asia.  
Exact operating times will depend on the RUDAK schedule and Wayne's 
vacation activities.  If you work him, QSL to Wayne Estes, 18673 W. 
Meadow Lane, Mundelein IL 60060, U.S.A.  (ANS)

And Hagal International reports that Israeli amateur operator Dov 
Gavish, 4Z4DX is the first ham in the world to completely confirm DXCC 
using  electronic QSL's.  Although still not recognised by the DXCC, 
electronic QSL'ing is gaining ground in the DX community.  (Hagal 
International)

Also, the ARRL's new Logbook of the World secure electronic contact-
confirmation system took a major leap toward public release in January.  
This, with several weeks of limited tesrting of the concept.  (ARRL)

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THAT FINAL ITEM:  TURN AROUND IS FAIR PLAY

And finally this week, we have all heard the expression "turn around is 
fair play.  And one person who has just found that out is former 
computer hacker turned on-line security expert Kevin Mitnick, N6NHG.  
That's because Mitnick's new company website has been -- well -- hacked.  
Amateur Radio Newsline's Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, has the rest of the 
story:

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The ham who holds the honor of being the world's best-known computer 
hacker suffered the indignity of having hackers break into his new 
security consulting company's Web site -- twice.  But news reports say 
that Kevin Mitnick, N6NHG, simply shrugged off the incidents as amusing 
and not serious enough for him to call authorities to investigate.

As I said, two electronic break-in's have taken place.  The first was on 
January 30th.  In that one a hacker calling himself "BugBear" added a 
page to Mitnick's corporate website that read "Welcome back to freedom, 
Mr. Kevin."  This is probably a reference to Mitnick's probation which 
ended ten days earlier on January 20th. During his probation Mitnick was 
barred from accessing the Internet and this hack may have been more of a 
welcome home -- in this case -- home being the World Wide Web.

The latest incident took place over the weekend of February 8th and 9th 
and was more of an on-line job application than a hack.  In this case a 
hacker in Texas broke in and asked Mitnick to hire him as the company's 
security officer.

Mitnick says that the hackers apparently exploited  separate flaws in 
Microsoft's Internet server software.  He says that the person 
responsible for the company's Web site failed to install patches 
available from Microsoft.

In neither instance did hackers vandalize the Website. One said in e-
mail that he didn't do damage out of respect for Mitnick.

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

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Mitnick's new organization is called Defensive Thinking and is located 
in Los Angeles.  A company spokesman said that no customer information 
was released nor was there any danger of information being compromised.  
(Published news stories)

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NEWSCAST CLOSE

With thanks to Alan Labs, Amateur News Weekly, AMSAT, the ARRL, the CGC 
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