[Ham-News] Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1549 - April 20, 2007
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ham-news at mailman.qth.net
Sat Apr 21 08:09:11 EDT 2007
Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1549 - April 20, 2007
The following is a Q-S-T.
The space adventure of KE7KDP nears an end as his QSO total continues
to mount. Also, a high seas rescue radio down-under and the FCC says
it only wants opposition comments on two requests for reconsideration
that ask Morse testing be restored. We try to sort this one out on
Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1549 coming your way right now.
**
HAM RADIO IN SPACE: THE KE7KDP SPACE ADVENTURE DRAWS TO A CLOSE
Dr. Charles Simonyi, KE7KDP, may go down in the ham radio history books
as the most popular space tourist to ever grace the Amateur Radio
bands. He has been a big hit with everyone with whom he has held a
QSO. Amateur Radio Newsline producer Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, has been
following the mission from our newsroom in Los Angeles:
--
Space tourist Charles Simonyi, KE7KDP, turned out to be one of the most
active ham radio operators to visit the International Space Station.
Not only was he involved in several on-orbit scientific experiments, he
also took time to share his space adventure by ham radio with school
children around the world. One of his first contacts using the space
stations NA1SS ham gear was April 12th with Fairborn High School in the
city of Fairborn, Ohio. Those students had some interesting questions
for the intrepid space traveler:
--
Actual contact audio - hear it by downloading the audio version of this
newscast at www.arnewsline.org
--
When he wasn't talking to schools, Dr. Simonyi used his ham radio
airtime to give some high flying DX contacts to radio amateurs on the
ground. This QSO with Dr. Simonyi again operating as NA1SS took place
when he connected with Zach Schrempp, KM7I. KE7KDP was flying over
Schrempp's home town of Bothell, Washington when the two made contact:
--
KM7I / KE7KDP QSO audio, Hear it by downloading the audio version of
this newscast at www.arnewsline.org
--
A few days later we got to ask KM7I his feelings about Dr. Simonyi's
dedication to ham radio while on-orbit:
--
KM7I: "I think it is great that Dr. Simonyi is operating the ham radio
equipment while on orbit, both for casual and school contacts. The
ARISS ham radio school contact program is an excellent experience for
many people around the world to learn more about life in space, and
it's great that he is participating in it."
--
But KM7I was not the only one that Dr. Simonyi contacted from orbit
during that pass. Heres a condensed version of several other QSO's:
--
Actual contact audio - hear it by downloading the audio version of this
newscast at www.arnewsline.org
--
All in all, it sounds as if Charles Simonyi, KE7KDP, not only fulfilled
his dream of flying in space but has put space into the hamshack of
anyone who tuned in. And for that a lot of folks here on Earth say
thanks.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the
studio in Los Angeles.
--
Depending on when you hear this newscast, Dr. Simonyi will either be on
his way back from his space adventure or already landed. We say
"welcome home and a job well done. A complete wrap up on Charles
Simonyi's trip to the ISS is on-line at www.charlesinspace.com
(ARNewsline with audio supplied by KM7I and the ARISS Telebridge
Archive)
**
RESCUE RADIO: VK RADIO ENTHUIAST SAVES TWO IN THE PACIFIC
A radio hobbyist in Australia is credited with saving the lives of two
men battling treacherous seas. This, during a day-long Good Friday
ordeal in the Pacific Ocean. Roobert Broomhead, VK3KRB, reports::
--
The Port Macquarie News and the Sydney Morning Herald are reporting how
a radio enthusiast helped save two sailors stranded in wild seas off
Newcastle in V-K-2.
Bob Wilson and his friend Mike Ross were sailing from Queensland to
Sydney in when their boats propeller broke off and jammed against the
rudder. This left the vessel stranded nearly 200 kilometers off the
coast with no way for Wilson and Ross to control its speed or
direction.
Enter Harold Ralston. Ralston was out in his shed about 6.30am on Good
Friday when his 25-year-old maritime radio, which he bought for $50 on
eBay a year ago, crackled with a plea from an operator on a stranded
boat:
--
Ralston: "I turned the radios on.I heard the boat calling for Foster
Tuncurry Coastal Patrol, or anyone who could hear him.he called for 3
or 4 minutes."
--
Ralston is not a ham. In North America he might best be called a
Utility Station monitoring hobbyist. As a part of his monitoring he
listens to the coastal marine channels. And when he heard the call for
assistance, he knew exactly what to do:
--
Ralston: "No one responded so I replied to him..He came back to me
straight away and told me that his predicament and wanted to pass a
message on to Foster Tuncurry Coastal Patrol because he was overdue.
So I took the particulars of what happened to his boat which was
particularly serious in that his propeller shaft had come loose from
the gearbox and lodged against the rudder and he did not have any
measure of propulsion and he could not steer the boat. So I relayed
that to the Foster Tuncurry Coastal Patrol and the Port Macquarie
Coastal Patrol and that's what started the ball rolling.
--
Newcastle Water Police responded to the call for help. They soon
reached the stricken vessel and began an eight-hour towing mission back
to Port Macquarie. The rescue was completed when the two ships reached
port at 7am on Easter Saturday. That was about 24 hours after Wilson
and Ross put out their call for help that was heard and answered by now
rescue radio hero, Harold Ralston.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Robert Broomhead, VK3KRN, of the
WIA National News repotting from Australia.
--
The two mariners have called Ralston a hero. Their boat is berthed in
port and news reports say that it will stay there until it has been
repaired. (WIA News)
**
MORSE: HOSTAGE SAILORS USE CW TO KEEP IN TOUCH
One of the British seamen held hostage in Iran has told how they used
Morse code to stay in touch with one another while imprisoned. Felix
Scerri, VK4FUQ, reports:
--
Able Seaman Simon Massey revealed they developed a system of 'knocking
in and knocking out' during their first week of solitary confinement.
He said: "It was like keeping a mental register - checking off the
voices of comrades whenever one of them asked for a toilet break or a
cigarette.
"Leading Seaman Chris Coe was next door to my cell. We would just sit
here tapping out code. We'd check up on each other, say goodnight, and
if we went out of the cell, we would give a little knock when we got
back to let each other know we were OK.
"Just knocking with knuckles. Little things like that got us through."
The use of Morse code by prisoners was made famous in the 1962 classic
film Birdman Of Alcatraz. It was also used by PoWs in Vietnam.
--
The 14 men and one woman sailor were seized by Iranian warships on
March 23rd. It took 13 days to secure their release. (WIA News)
**
RESTRUCTURING: FCC INVITES ONLY OPPOSITION COIMMENTS ON TWO MORSE
RECONSIDERATION PETITIONS
Back here in the USA, we have one of the strangest stories out of
Washington in a long time. It comes from the ARRL Letter which reports
that the FCC has invited only opposition comments to two petitions for
reconsideration on the Report and Order in WT Docket 05-235. That's
the regulatory change that eliminated any Morse code examination to
obtain a United States Amateur Radio license.
As expected, there have been several Petitions for Reconsideration
filed. One petition calls on the FCC to reinstate the 5 WPM Morse code
requirement for Amateur Extra class applicants. The second cites
problems with the FCC Electronic Comment Filing System and seeks to
have the Commission reopen the proceeding for an additional round of
comments.
Now the FCC is essentially saying that communications to the agency in
support of either petition is not welcome, Instead, the only folks it
wants to hear from are those who oppose the reconsideration efforts.
These opposition filings are due at the FCC no later than April 27th
with a reply comment date 10 days later. Both petitions are at the FCC
website at
http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_do
cument=6518808553 and the other at
http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_do
cument=6518808784. (ARRL Letter)
**
RESCUE RADIO: AMERICAN RED CROSS REFUSES TO NEGOCIATE ON BACKGROUND
CHECKS OF HAMS
The American Red Cross has told the ARRL that it will not back away
from its demand that ham radio volunteers submit to a background check
by a third party contractor. A check that that could include a
examination of that persons finances.
According to a news item on the ARRL website, a meeting between the
League and Red Cross officials to discuss the matter lead to am
impasse. One with the Red Cross holding firm to its position on the
right to have its contractor conduct a background check that could
include personal finance check if it deems it to be necessary and
refusing to modify any aspect of it stance.
In recent days, a growing number of hams have reconsidered volunteering
their services to the Red Cross because of the potential of having
their personal finances made a part of such a background check. They
say that they are freely giving of their time to assist the relief
agency and should not be subject to this level of lifestyle scrutiny.
As a result of the American Red Cross intransigence on the matter the
ARRL has reiterated its earlier recommendation. While not singling out
the American Red Cross by name, the League suggests that its members
carefully review any consent document that permits a private
organization to conduct a background investigation on that person.
The full story is on-line at League's website. Its in cyberspace at
www.arrl.org/news/stories/2007/04/16/100/?nc=1 (ARRL)
**
RESCUE RADIO: HAM RADIO NOTED IN SKYWARN ARTICLE
Some really good words about ham radio can be found in the April 13th
issue of NOAA Magazine in a lengthy story about the Skywarn program.
The piece written by Editor Julie Bedford notes that for more than 35
years, the Skywarn program has been helping the National Weather
Service gather critical information from the field before, during and
even after severe weather events. It also notes that nearly 280,000
trained volunteer storm spotters many of whom are radio amateurs help
keep their local communities safe. This, by providing reports of
severe and hazardous weather and goes into local training programs
conducted by the National Weather service in cooperation with local
Amateur Radio clubs.
The complete article is on-line at
www.magazine.noaa.gov/stories/mag226.htm. In our opinion, its well
worth your time to read. (W7VZD)
**
ENFORCEMENT: DOD COMPLAINS ABOUT INTERFERENCE TO RADAR FROM HAMS
If you own and operate a UHF repeater near Otis Air Force Base in
Massachusetts or Beale Air Force Base in California you could
eventually be asked to take it off the air by the Department of
Defense. This, because it is causing interference to the military's
PAVE PAWS radar system that you are likely unaware of. But the ARRL
has been made aware of the situation and says it is working with the D-
o-D to try to eliminate the interference so that the affected machines
can remain in operation. Repeater owner operators in the affected
areas should read the complete story on the ARRL website at
www.arrl.org (ARRL)
**
ENFORCEMENT: COPPER THEFTS COST FOUR LIVES
Four people have been electrocuted in recent days after trying to steal
copper cable that they apparently thought was not in use.
DesignLine.com reports that two New Hampshire men were buried last week
after they were electrocuted while taking copper wire from an
unoccupied power plant in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts. The bodies were
found lying alongside bolt cutters and coils of copper wire. According
to law enforcement authorities, the men did not have permission to be
on the property.
Their deaths followed the electrocution fatalities in Arkansas of two
people attempting to strip copper wire from utility poles. According
to news reports, the price of copper has skyrocketed driven partially
by the demand for copper for telecommunications transmission. One
report says that the problem has gotten so out of hand that the
Arkansas state government has passed three bills that crack down on the
theft of scrap metal.
Despite continued upgrades to fiber optic systems, copper is still in
heavy use for telecommunications systems, worldwide and the thieves
know it. (RF Design, CGC)
**
NAMES IN THE NEWS: NWS HONORS HAM FOR HIS SKYWARN LINKED REPEATERS
A note of congratulations to Charlie Campbell, KC5EZZ, who has been
named to receive the 2007 National Oceanographic and Atmospheric
Administration's 2007 Environmental Hero Award.
Campbell was nominated by the meteorologists at the San Angelo Texas N-
W-S office. This, in recognition of the work he has done in linking
repeaters to serve the SKYWARN program in his area.
KC5EZZ was scheduled to receive his award on April 24th in Washington
D.C.. A few days earlier his friends from the San Angelo National
Weather Service office held a Pizza get-together in his honor.
(AA5PK)
**
THE SOCIAL SCENE: ARRL 2007 GREAT LAKES DIVISION CONVENTION IN
SEPTEMBER
Turning to the ham radio social scene, word that the ARRL 2007 Great
Lakes Division Convention will be held on September 22nd at the
Sheraton Independence Hotel in Independence, Ohio. Seminars will
feature top-name speakers including Bob Heil, K9EID, and Chip Margelli,
K7JA, from Heil Sound. There will also be a DX Seminar will be
moderated by OPDX Editor Tedd Mirgliotta, KB8NW, with guests that
include Bernie McClenny W3UR of "The Daily DX and Weekly DX"
newsletters and John Papay K8YSE of the Swains Island operation. For
further information on this one, please visit www.2007gldc.com on the
World Wide Web. (E-Mail)
**
THE SOCIAL SCENE: HAMVENTION 2007: "LOCAL CLUBS: THE HEART OF HAM
RADIO"
Planners have announced that the theme for the 2007 Dayton Hamvetion is
Local Clubs: The Heart of Ham Radio. They say that the Hamvention
wants to acknowledge the support that local ham radio clubs around the
world provide to their communities and to amateur radio. To that end
there are some special plans for clubs at this years Dayton gathering.
General Chairman Jim Nies, WX8F, says to keep an eye on
www.hamvention.org for the latest developments.
Hamvention 2007 will be held May 18th to the 20th at the Hara Arena in
Dayton, Ohio. We hope to see many of you there. (Hamventionr)
**
THE SOCIAL SCENE: EMCOMMERST 2007 IN RENO MAY 4 - 6
And its only a few days until the doors open at Emcommwest 2007. Don
Carlson, KQ6FM is in Reno, Nevada, with more:
--
EMCOMMWEST 2007 IS COMING TO THE BIGGEST LITTLE CITY IN THE WORLD, RENO
NEVADA MAY 4TH THROUGH THE 6TH. ONCE AGAIN HAMS FROM ALL OVER THE
COUNTRY WILL GATHER IN RENO FOR THE ANNUAL ARRL SPECIALTY CONVENTION,
BASED ON EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS.
THIS YEAR'S KEYNOTE SPEAKER WILL BE PR GURU AND HELLO CAMPAIGN CREATOR
ALLEN PITTS, W1AGP FROM ARRL HQ IN NEWINGTON. ALLEN WILL ALSO DO A
FORUM ON BEING AN ARES PIO. OTHER HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE FORUMS ON HOSPITAL
SUPPORT, WORKING WITH EOC'S AND FEMA, ICS TRAINING, BUILDING COMM VANS,
ATV AND MUCH MORE.
THERE WILL BE VE TESTING, AND A NEW HAM FORUM TO GET THE NEW HAMS
STARTED RIGHT. SATURDAY MORNING A HUGE SWAP MEET, AND A SATURDAY NIGHT
BANQUET, FEATURING 2 GUEST SPEAKERS . HENRY FEINBERG, K2SSQ WHO GAVE ET
HIS COMMUNICATOR IN THE MOVIE, AND DENNIS MOCHENBACKER, K7BV, NOTED
CONTESTER NOW WITH YAESU RADIO. THERE WILL BE A VENDOR HALL AND LOTS OF
DISPLAY COMMUNICATION VEHICLES TOO.
FOR INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION, CHECK THE WEBSITE AT WWW DOT
EMCOMMWEST.ORG. OR EMAIL INFO at EMCOMMWEST .ORG.
FOR THE AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE. I'M DON CARLSON, KQ6FM IN RENO.
--
More about Emcommwest is on line at www.emcommwest.org (KQ6FM)
**
SCIENCE HISTORY: MORE EINSTEIN LETTERS MADE PUBLIC BY CALTECH
The 10th volume of letters written by or sent to mathematics genius
Albert Einstein have been made public under the auspices of the
Einstein Papers Project at the California Institute of Technology." The
Collected Papers of Albert Einstein - Volume 10" contains letters
penned by Einstein between 1909 and 1920.
According to Caltech, the letters discuss many scientific issues,
including his association with physicists in Europe and efforts to
further confirm his theory of general relativity. But volume 10 also
contains letters focusing on personal matters, such as the state of his
marriage and his relationship with his sons. He also discusses the
challenges he faced with his newly acquired celebrity status.
The volume was published for Caltech by Princeton University Press. For
more information, visit www.einstein.caltech.edu on the World-Wide-Web.
(Press Release)
**
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: L-ION BATTERIES FOR YOUR CAR
Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries hopes to start mass production of
lithium ion batteries for automotive use in 2010. These rechargeable
batteries would be sold to auto makers for use in electric and gas-
electric hybrid vehicles.
Sanyo Electric which supplies nickel metal hydride batteries to Honda
and Ford is also developing the technology. Also getting into the act
are electronics conglomerate Hitachi, car battery manufacturer Yuasa
Corp and electronic parts maker Murata Manufacturing.
Lithium ion batteries are more compact than nickel metal hydride
batteries, contributing to fuel efficiency. But safety concerns such as
overheating remain and the technology is still considered too expensive
by many. (Power News)
**
OPRERATING EVENTS: THE 2007 SBMS 2 GHZ AND UP CONTEST MAY 12 - 13
On the air, the 2007 San Bernardino Microwave Society 2GHz and Up Club
Contest runs from 6 a.m. on May 12 to 8 p.m. May 13 local time. This is
a club competition in which members tally up their scores and add them
with other members' scores to make up a club score. Logs go via regular
mail only to Pat Coker, N6RMJ, 40916 179th Street, Lancaster CA 93535.
For more information, rules and past scores see the www.ham-
radio.com/sbms (SBMS)
**
OPRERATING EVENTS: ARMAD HAM IT UP FOR THE TROOPS - MAY 26th
The next ARMAD will "Ham It Up For The Troops" operating event takes on
May 26, beginning at 9 a.m. Eastern time ARMAD has conducted this
special event for the past three years. It's primary purpose is to let
those that sacrifice know that we support them. More about ARMAD and
the "Ham It Up For The Troops" event is on line at www.armad.net
(ARMAD)
**
OPRERATING EVENTS: INTERNATIONAL MARCONI DAY
Several U-K special event stations will be on the air April 28th to
celebrate International Marconi Day and hams world-wide are invited to
make contact. These stations will operate on or close to sites where
Marconi carried out experiments or where Marconi equipment was used
prior to his death in 1937.
Although the event is not a contest, participants can qualify for award
certificates by contacting certain stations. Further information can
be found on the web at www.gb4imd.org.uk. (GB2RS)
**
OPRERATING EVENTS: SUBMARINES ON THE AIR
The weekend of April 28th and 29th is the Submarines-On-The-Air Special
Event. There will be many submarine based stations on the air using SSB
and C-W on 80 through 10 meters. A special certificate will be
available for working 10 of the boats. See http://w0oog.50megs.com/
for more information. (QRZ.com)
**
DX
In D-X, the Swains Island N-8-S DX-pedition made over 115,000 contacts
before going Q-R-T on April 15th. An on-line log check is available at
www.yt1ad.info/n8s/log.html where you just put in your call to see if
you are verified as having worked the operation. Initial QSL cards for
N8S shoyuld be going out in about a month. That same group should be
back on the air from Samoa as 5W8AA as you hear this report.
DL9MWG will be active from Malta as 9H3RT from April 18th through to the
11th of May. Activity will be on HF, mainly CW. QSL as directed on the
air.
And PA5CW will be active portable YB9 from Bali from April 25th to
May 10th . QSL this one to his Callbook address.
DL2GAC expects to be active from the Solomon Islands until the 25th of
April. No word on what call sign he will be using or his schedule of
operation as of this time
Lastly, DS4DRE, is currently active portable from Hong Island. Word is
that he will be there until the 30th of June. Activity is on 80 through
10 meters on CW and SSB. QSL via his Callbook address.
(Above from various DX sources)
**
THAT FINAL ITEM: THE MIT BIOSATELLITE PROGRAM - YOUR NAME IN SPACE
And finally this week, for hams and others who cannot afford the
million-dollar price tag attached to space tourism, there is an
alternative. Just have your name and call go into orbit. Amateur
Radio Newsline's Evi Simons tells us how:
--
Hams will be happy to learn that at least their names and callsigns may
be able to travel into space for a much smaller fee than that paid by
Charles Simmonyi, KE7KDP. It cost him $25 million dollars to visit the
I-S-S, but for the rest of us about $140 is a lot more reasonable. And
thanks to a group of Massachusetts Institute of Technology students
working on the design of a small research spacecraft to simulate the
gravity found on Mars, about 25,000 of us might be able to go into
Earth orbit, at least vicariously.
For the past five years, students from MIT's Mars Gravity Biosatellite
Program have worked together with others from around the world to
create a satellite to study how Martian gravity will affect mammals.
They hope their work will pave the way for future manned missions to
Mars where gravity is about one-third that here on Earth. And to help
fund the project they are selling space on the bird for personal
messages.
The entry price is just $35 for one square centimeter of space. There
will be at least 100,000 square centimeters of space available, but in
order to make the name legible donors will need to buy at least four.
That adds up to a mere $140 which is about the street price of a new 2
meter mobile radio.
If you decide to buy in, your name, call and/or logo will be printed on
aluminum panels and attached to the spacecraft. The satellite will
launch sometime in 2010 and remain on-orbit for 5 weeks. And after
that you will be able to say that at least your name and call made it
into space.
I'm Evi Simons in New York City for the Amateur Radio Newsline.
--
The Mars Gravity Biosatellite Program is the largest known student-led
spacecraft design agenda, with more than 450 student participants from
universities around the world. More about it and how to buy space for
your name is on-line at www.marsgravity.org (Science Daily, Science
OnLine, others)
**
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, the Southgate News 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'sT 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.
Two reminders before we go. First about our on-line poll regarding
your position on the concept of Regulation by Bandwidth. To take part,
take your web browser to www.arnewsline.org. Scroll down and watch for
the word "Polls" on the left hand side of the page. Then click on the
box that is closest to your view. As soon as you cast your vote you
will see the current results.
Also, the nominating season for this years Amateur Radio Newsline Young
Ham of the Year Award is now open. Any radio amateur age 18 or younger
residing in all 50 United States, plus Puerto Rico and all 13 Canadian
Provinces can qualify. Full details and nominating forms are on our
special website at www,yhoty.org. Also see the Vertex-Standard
sponsored ad on page 8 of the March issue of QST Magazine.
For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors desk, I'm Jeff
Clark, K8JAC, saying 73 and we thank you for listening.
Amateur Radio Newsline is Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
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