Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1891 - November 8 2013
Please note that this is an extended Amateur Radio Newsline and
includes three breaks. Thank you.
Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1891 with a release date of
November 8th 2013 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. AMSAT North America celebrates 30 years of
manned ham radio in space; all hams in New Zealand will soon have
access to 6 meters; Oregon's Office of Emergency Management says it
needs more ham radio volunteers and the FCC acts to stop abuse of EAS
alert tones. All this and more on Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) report
number 1891 coming your way right now.
(Billboard Cart Here)
**
HAM RADIO IN SPACE: AMSAT CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF MANNED HAM RADIO IN
SPACE
The weekend of November 1st to the 3rd was very special for AMSAT North
America. Not only was it the organizations 31st Space Symposium and
Annual Meeting, but also a very special celebration of a giant step by
ham radio as it crossed into the final frontier. Amateur Radio
Newsline's Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, has the rest of the story:
--
The weekend gathering in Houston, Texas, marked AMSAT's celebration of
the 30th anniversary of amateur radio involvement in human space
flight. It also told the story of its evolution into a successful
program on board the International Space Station which is known as
today as ARISS.
But to tell the story we must step back three decades. It was in
November of 1982 when then Astronaut Owen Garriott, W5LFL became the
first ham radio operator to use amateur radio to communicate from a
spacecraft in Earth orbit. It was also the first time that anyone on
mother Earth who held a ham radio license got to speak with an
astronaut on-orbit. As such it was an event that changed the face of
ham radio forever. If you weren't there, this is what that first QSO
from space sounded like:
--
Actual 1st QSO between W5LFL on the space shuttle Columbia and WA1JFN
in Frenchtown, Montana from the video "Amateur Radio's Newest
Frontier." (Note QSO was time compressed.)
--
That was shuttle flight STS-9. From that initial contact evolved the
Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment or SAREX program with its 25 space to
schoolroom contacts. That later grew into today's ARISS: Amateur Radio
on the International Space Station. And in an interview on NASA
television, AMSAT's Vice President for Human Spaceflight Frank Bauer,
KA3HDO, told NASA Public Affairs Officer Kelly Humphries just how far
the program has come since the ARISS ham station took to the air:
--
KA3HDO: "In 1996 we started the ARISS program; Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station and that program has been going very well
on the space station. We turned on the radio system two weeks after
Bill McArthur and Sergi Krikalev got into the module on Space Station
and we have been operating since on all 37 expeditions at this point."
--
According to Bauer, using ARISS as a way to educate is very important
to everyone involved:
--
KA3HDO: "It's all about education. It's to get students interested in
STEM careers; science, technology, engineering and math. We go beyond
just inspiring into engaging the students and educating the students.
Ultimately that's our goals and objectives of the program."
--
These days there are about 100 ARISS school contacts made world-wide
every year. There are also the experiments with Packet Radio, Fast
Scan and Slow Scan television plus the casual operations from orbit by
some licensed crew members. When added together you come away with a
ham radio in space program that cannot be duplicated by any other all
volunteer radio service. And now at age 30, manned ham radio in space
is not only alive and vital, but through ARISS, it's going strong.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, in the
newsroom in Los Angeles.
--
Another part of the celebration was a panel presentation hosted by
KA3HDO and included discussions with retired NASA Astronaut's Owen
Garriott, W5LFL, and Bill McArthur, KC5ACR.
And less we forget, you can see and hear the complete interview with
Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, and NASA's Kelly Humphries on the web. It's at
tinyurl.com/thirty-years-in-space.
(ARNewsline archive, NASA, AMSAT-NA, ANS)
**
RADIO IN SPACE: INDIA LAUNCHES ITS FIRST MARS PROBE
India's first-ever mission to Mars launched into space on Tuesday,
November 5th. India's Mars Orbiter Mission rocketed into space at
09:08 GMT from the Indian Space Research Organization's Space Centre.
If all goes as planned it will arrive at the red planet on September
24, 2014, making India the fourth country to successfully deliver a
spacecraft to orbit Mars. (Space)
**
RESTRUCTURING: CLOSING OF CHANNEL 1 TV BRINGS 6 METERS TO ALL NEW
ZEALAND HAMS
With the imminent departure of television transmission from New Zealand
TV channel 1, hams throughout that nation will have access to the lower
Megahertz of 6 meters as we hear from Amateur Radio Newsline's Jim
Meachen, ZL2BHF:
--
The last Channel 1 Television transmitter in New Zealand is due to
close down at the end of November. And now telecommunications
regulator Radio Spectrum Management has announced that as of December
6th that hams throughout the nation will have access from 50 to 51 MHz
without needing to apply for a permit.
The actual allocation which is called a management right under which
the channel 1 television transmitters operated does not expire until
August 2015. Therefore 50 to 51 MHz can not appear on the Amateur
General User Radio License until after this date.
To get around this, Radio Spectrum Management is putting in place a
footnote called license No 4122. It simply says that those who hold a
New Zealand General Amateur Operators Certificate of Competency and a
callsign issued pursuant to the Radiocommunications Regulations of 2001
may operate an amateur radio station under this new grant. The power
limit will be 1 kilowatt to bring it into line with the power on the
nations General User Radio License for Amateur Operators. When the
actual Management Right expires on August 30th of 2015, 50 to 51 MHz
will be added to the New Zealand General User Radio License for Amateur
Operators.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, down-under in
Nelson, New Zealand.
--
This long sought after change comes just in time for the annual New
Zealand VHF/UHF and Super High Frequency Field Day Contest slated for
December 7th and 8th, local time. (NZART)
**
RESCUE RADIO: OREGON OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SEEKING MORE
AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS
A recent simulated emergency test in Oregon has pointed out a need for
more ham radio communications volunteers in that state.
The scenario of the event centered around the simulated hacking on the
electric power grid that in turn cut off both telephone and internet
access. As such the test planners had identified amateur radio as the
fallback method of communication.
While the exercise was considered a success, it also pointed out one of
the current vulnerabilities. That being a lack of qualified amateur
radio operators east of the Cascade Mountain range.
While the state has about 700 licensed volunteer ham radio operators to
help run the emergency communications system, most are in Western
Oregon. Morrow, Grant and Jefferson counties have no volunteers. Other
counties have as few as 1. So the bottom line is that more emergency
communications trained amateur radio volunteers are needed in the
eastern part of the state.
More on this story is at tinyurl.com/oregon-needs-emcomm-hams. (OPB)
**
DX UP FRONT: MYANMAR NOVEMBER 15 TO THE 26
Some breaking DX news. Word that JH1AJT and an international group of
10 other operators will be on air from Myanmar from November 15th to
the 26th. This will be the third and final operation for 2013 from X-Z
land. As we go to air the proposed call sign is X-Zed-1-J and plans
are to set up three to four stations, running 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week on 160 through 10 meters. Modes will likely be CW, SSB and RTTY
with QSL's preferably going via OQRS. (XZ1J Team)
**
DX UP FRONT: YEMEN AND AFGHANISTAN OPERATIONS APPROVED FOR DXCC CREDIT
And word from ARRL Awards Branch Manager Bill Moore NC1L, that several
operations have been approved for DXCC credit. These are Yemen 2013
using the call 7-Oh-2-A and the 2012 and 2013 operations from
Afghanistan as T-6-M-H. Also approved has been the current T-6-S-M
Afghanistan operation that began on August 14, 2012.
If anyone had this contact rejected in a recent submission, please send
an e-mail to bmoore (at) arrl (dot) org to be placed on the list for an
update to your record. Please be sure to note the submission date to
help expedite the search for any given QSO. And we will have more DX
news for you near the end of this weeks newscast. (ARRL, OPDX)
**
BREAK 1
Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the
W0ILO repeater serving Fargo, North Dakota.
(5 sec pause here)
**
ENFORCEMENT: FCC SAYS FLUORESCENT LIGHTING JAMMING CELLPHONE SITE
The FCC has issued a violation notice to a Texas business because it's
new lighting is interfering with a cellular telephone site. Skeeter
Nash is near Houston with more:
--
It doesn't happen very often but the FCC has issued an official
Citation and Order for violation of Section 15.5(b) of the Commission's
regulations governing what are called Incidental Radiators. In this
case the recipient is Ronald Bethany doing business as Perfect Cuts
Salon in San Antonio, Texas, who is being cited for operating
incidental radiators and causing harmful interference to a cellular
telephone system.
This past July 24th the FCC's Houston Office used direction finding
techniques to locate the source of an unknown transmissions on 705 MHz
to the Perfect Cuts Salon. The agent confirmed that the interfering
signal was coming from the overhead fluorescent lighting in the salon.
The agent then interviewed Bethany who is the owner of the salon. He
reportedly stated that representatives of AT&T had conducted on and off
testing of the lighting in the salon and confirmed that the interior
fluorescent fixtures were the source of interference to a cell site
located next door. Bethany further stated that he had unsuccessfully
asked General Electric, the manufacturer of the fluorescent lighting,
to replace the lighting.
The FCC says that Bethany would not cooperate, so the agent from the
Houston Office was unable to conduct his own on/off testing of the
lighting in the salon. The agent verbally warned Bethany that he must
repair or replace the lighting fixtures to resolve the interference.
On July 31, the agent spoke by telephone with Bethany, who stated that
the lighting was not causing him any problems and that he saw no reason
to repair or replace them unless he was paid to do so. The agent
reiterated to Bethany that he must resolve the interference or be in
violation of the FCC's rules. As of the October 25th release date of
the Citation AT&T continues to report receiving interference at its
cell site next door to Mr. Bethany's salon.
Now, based on the evidence it has on hand the FCC has found that Ronald
Bethany is in violation Of Section 15.5(b) of its Rules by operating
incidental radiators and causing harmful interference. It has directed
him to cease operation of the incidental radiators immediately. Or in
simpler terms, it basically told him to turn off the lights until the
interference can be resolved.
>From near Houstron Texas, I'm Skeeter Nash, N5ASH.
--
Bethany and Perfect Cuts were given the normal time to respond and take
corrective measures or face further enforcement action. (FCC)
**
ENFORCEMENT: FCC ACTS TO STOP USE OF FALSE EMERGENCY ALERT SOUNDS
Responding to a growing number of consumer complaints that TV and radio
commercials are misusing the Emergency Alert System or E-A-S sounds the
FCC's Enforcement Bureau has taken action to stop the practice
immediately. This is according to Robert H. Ratcliffe who is the
Acting Chief of the FCC's Enforcement Bureau.
In a press statement, Ratcliffe said that it is inexcusable to
trivialize the sounds specifically used to notify viewers of the
dangers of an incoming tornado or to alert them to be on the lookout
for a kidnapped child, merely to advertise a talk show or a clothing
store. This activity not only undermines the very purpose of a unique
set of emergency alert signals, but is a clear violation of the law.
Caught by FCC Enforcement is Turner Broadcasting. It has been issued a
$25,000 Notice of Apparent Liability for using simulated E-A-S tones to
promote its Conan O'Brian Show.
The FCC also reached a resolution with MMK License LLC which owns WNKY
- DT in Bowling Green, Kentucky. In that case the complaint alleged
misuse of a simulated EAS Attention Signal in an advertisement for "The
Fan Wear and More Store." Settling that case cost MMK a $39,000
voluntary contribution to the U.S. Treasury in the form of a Consent
Decree.
The Enforcement Bureau has also issued an advisory to address growing
concern about the misuse of these sounds to capture audience attention
during advertisements and at other times when there is no emergency or
scheduled E-A-S test. The warning reemphasizes the wide-ranging and
long-standing ban on such abuses and the potential for sanctions in the
case of violations. More on this E-A-S enforcement action is on the
web in PDF format at tinyurl.com/dont-misuse-eas-tones. (FCC)
**
ENFORCEMENT: ALASKA CB OPERATOR FINED $500 FOR USING LINEAR AMP
The FCC has fined Glenn S. Yamada, of Kenai, Alaska, $500 for what the
agency terms as his willful and repeated operation of a non
certificated Class D CB transmitter and a linear amplifier. This in
direct violation of its Part 95 Citizens Radio Service rules.
On July 18, 2012, the Enforcement Bureau's Anchorage Resident Agent
Office issued a Notice of Apparent Liability in the amount of $12,500
to Yamada for operating a non-certificated CB transmitter with a radio
frequency linear amplifier which voided his authority to operate his CB
station. In response to that notice, Yamada did not deny the
violations, but stated that he had not intend to violate the
Communications Act or the FCC Rules and that he is unable to pay that
high an amount. He also provided the necessary documentation to prove
his claim.
In issuing its final ruling on October 30th, the FCC said that based on
financial documents Yamada provided that it found there is sufficient
basis to reduce the fine to $500. And as is customary, it gave Yamada
30 days to pay the amount in full or to arrange making full payment
over time under an installment plan. If he fails to do one or the
other the case can be turned over to the Department of Justice for
further enforcement action. The complete text of the Forfeiture Order
is on the web in P-D-F format at tinyurl.com/alaska-cb-fine (FCC)
**
ENFORCEMENT: FCC UPHOLDS FINE AGAINST CONSUMER TRANSMITTER
MANUFACTURER
The FCC affirmed an earlier decision to fine Hong Kong based Richfield
Electronics $18,000 for marketing wireless radio gear in the United
States that does not comply with its technical and labeling
requirements.
Richfield received FCC certification for its 106.7 to 107.9 Whole House
FM Transmitter in 2002, but later modified it to improve sound quality.
The modification made it noncompliant with the FCC's rules. The
Enforcement Bureau originally proposed the penalty in 2009.
In its response to the proposed fine, Richfield told the FCC it didn't
know exactly how many of the noncompliant devices the company had
shipped to the United States, but conceded it had shipped at least
2,500 transmitters that had the modified antenna. The FCC believes the
number of noncompliant devices made and sold was significantly higher
than Richfield acknowledges.
Richfield asked for the fine to be cancelled, alleging that TAW asked
Richfield to make the devices based on that company's designs and
therefore TAW and not Richfield was responsible for violating the FCC's
rules. However the commission says Richfield did manufacturer and
market unauthorized FM transmitters in the U.S.
Richfield also asked for the fine to be cancelled because it was
unfamiliar with the FCC's labeling requirements. The FCC says lack of
knowledge of its rules does not let a company off the hook and the
agency upheld the fine. (FCC)
**
RADIO LAW: FCC RELEASES AM REVITALIZATION PROPOSAL
The FCC has released its AM revitalization proposal as a Notice of
Proposed Rule Making in MB Docket 13-249. Its contents include an
exclusive FM translator filing window for AM stations, changes in
community of license coverage standards, the end of the so called AM
"ratchet rule," wider implementation of modulation-dependent carrier
level control standards, and changes in AM antenna efficiency
standards. Amateur Radio Newsline's Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, has the
details:
--
The FCC revitalization plan has many facets. The proposed translator
filing window would allow AM stations one chance at a single FM
translator within the stations AM daytime signal coverage contour. It
would be permanently linked to the AM so that it may only be sold or
transferred with the underlying AM license and not by itself.
The change in community of license coverage would reduce the
requirement from 100% daytime and 80% nightime to 50% daytime and night
coverage within the 60 dBu contour. This is the same as it is for
noncommercial educational FM stations.
The proposal would also do away with the so-called "ratchet rule." This
is the nighttime skywave protection requirement that result in new
stations or those moving their transmitter sites having to reduce power
or go directional and thereby reducing their nighttime coverage. It
would also alter the minimum efficiency standard for AM antennas by
reducing the existing minimum effective field strength values.
The notice also opens the door for new proposals to help AM stations
that include the use of modulation dependent carrier level control.
This is a system similar to the old controlled carrier AM techniques
used by hams back in the 1950's and 1960's. It's a system where
carrier level increases with modulation level, but now on a far more
technically advanced level than was available in the old days of ham
radio. Experiments have shown a significant reduction in energy costs
with no loss in intelligibility or area of coverage using this
modulation technique.
The bottom line appears to be that the FCC wants AM radio to grow and
prosper. The only question is whether these proposed changes are
enough to make that happen,
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, in Los
Angeles.
--
Comments on MB Docket 13-249 are due 60 days after publication in the
Federal Register, with replies due 90 days after publication. You can
read the entire proposal on-line at tinyurl.com/fcc-am-redo (FCC, RW,
others)
**
BREAK 2
This is ham radio news for today's radio amateur. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline with links to the world from our only official website
at www.arnewsline.org and being relayed by the volunteer services of
the following radio amateur:
(5 sec pause here)
**
NAMES IN THE NEWS: NEW FCC CHAIR WHEELER NAMES HIS STAFF
Newly confirmed FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has announced several staff
and other appointments. Ruth Milkman will be his chief of staff. She
is currently Chief of the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and
has worked as special counsel to the chairman for innovation in
government. She's former deputy chief of the International and Common
Carrier Bureaus and was senior legal advisor to Chairman Reed Hundt.
Philip Verveer has been named senior counselor to the Chairman. He is
former United States coordinator for international communications and
information policy at the State Department, and practiced
communications and antitrust law for 35 years. At the FCC he was chief
of the Cable Television Bureau, the Broadcast Bureau and the Common
Carrier Bureau.
Gigi B. Sohn joins as Wheeler's special counsel for external affairs.
Since 2001 she has been president and CEO of Public Knowledge, an "open
Internet" advocacy organization. More recently co-chair of the board of
directors of the Broadband Internet Technical Advisory Group.
Diane Cornell was named the chairman's special counsel. She was Vice
President for government affairs at Inmarsat and also the Vice
President of regulatory policy at CTIA, The Wireless Association. Her
FCC background includes working as a legal advisor to three
commissioners, chief of staff of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
and division chief in the International and Common Carrier Bureaus.
Others include Daniel Alvarezwho was named a legal advisor to the
chairman, Deborah Ridley who was named confidential assistant to the
chairman, and Sagar Doshi as special assistant.
Also named to the commission staff are Jon Sallet will serve as interim
director of the Technology Transitions Policy Task Force and will
become acting general counsel when General Counsel Sean Lev departs in
the near future. Jon Wilkins was named acting managing director and
advisor to the chairman for management with Roger Sherman becomes
acting chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. It is the
latter that oversees matters affecting Amateur Radio at the FCC. (FCC
Press release)
**
HAMES IN THE NEWS: W3BE FILLS QCWA DIRECTOR VACANCY
The Quarter Century Wireless Association's Board of Directors has
announced the appointment of John Johnston, W3BE, to fill the Director
vacancy of Val Erwin, W5PUT.
Johnston has been licensed for 59 years and resides in Derwood,
Maryland He is a Life Member of the QCWA, and a member of QCWA
Chapters 20, 91, 45 and 222. Johnston is a past QCWA Director,
Vice-President and President. He is also the contributing editor of
'The Rules & Regs Digest' for the QCWA Journal.
In his professional career, W3BE served for 26 years with the Federal
Communications Commission carrying out regulatory duties with the
Office of Engineering and with the series of bureaus administering the
private radio services. Some of the positions he held included Deputy
Chief of the Spectrum Management Task Force and Chief of the Amateur
and Citizens Division. Johnston also authors the Rules and Regs column
for Worldradio Online magazine. (QCWA)
**
NAMES IN THE NEWS: ART BELL DEPARTS FROM SIRIUS/XM RADIO
Art Bell, W6OBB, who only recently returned to broadcasting, has
departed from Sirius/XM Satellite radio after only about a month and a
half on the air. According to a posting on his website credited to
siriusbuzz.com, his reasons for leaving boiled down to three main
items:
First is a claim that the SiriusXM's web player is notoriously
unreliable, causing a loss of subscribers and a degraded listening
experience for those who remain listening online. Second is that for
a "caller driven" show, the caller pool is just too small and lastly
that international listeners have no legitimate way to hear the show.
According to siriusbuzz.com, Bell will continue his show on the web. As
of late on November 6th he was already testing at
http://live.artbell.com:8303/stream.
For more information simply go to artbell.com/art-leaves-siriusxm. At
the very end of the posting is a link to the siriusbuzz.com news
article. (artbell.com, siriusbuzz.com, Huffington Post)
**
HAM RADIO IN SPACE: SSTV FROM THE ISS
UB4UAD reports that the Slow Scan Television experiment on the
International Space Station was active on 145.8 MHz FM on October 28th
and 29th. He also says that on October 31st that SSTV images were to
be transmitted from the ISS showing photographs of the life and work of
the first Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. SSTV pictures received by
Pete Sipple, M0PSX can be seen at tinyurl.com/iss-oct-2013-sstv
(UB4AUD, Southgate)
**
HAM RADIO IN SPACE: INTERFERENCE TO THE AMATEUR-SATELLITE SERVICE IN
THAILAND
E22ICQ has posted a video on YouTube that shows the problem of
interference to the Amateur Satellite Service allocations taking place
in Thailand. Terrestrial users are making signals from the ham radio
satellites into tiny heterodynes or signals that are totally inaudible.
Take a listen:
--
Actual terrestrial signals interfering with weak satellite signals.
--
The video shows that terrestrial usage of frequencies reserved for the
Amateur Satellite communications such as 145.800 to 146.000 MHz can
result in the satellite transmissions being totally blocked and
rendered useless. You can see and hear the E-22-I-C-Q recording and
spectrum display photos of the interference at
tinyurl.com/sat-qrm-in-thailand. (Southgate)
**
BREAK 3
Serving you 52 weeks a year, every year since the mid 1970's, we are
the Amateur Radio Newsline with links to the world from our only
official website at www.arnewsline.org and we will be right back.
(5 sec pause here)
**
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: NEW TINY PACEMAKER DEVELOPED THAT REQUIRES NO
WIRING
A miniaturized wireless pacemaker that can be inserted into the body
without invasive surgery has been given approval for use in the
European Union. Amateur Radio Newsline's Heather Embee, KB3TZD,
reports:
--
Developed in the United States by the company Nanostim, the tiny device
is less than 10% of the size of a conventional pacemaker, uses a
built-in battery and is designed to be implanted intravenously directly
in the heart.
Conventional pacemakers require a patient be subject to a surgical
procedure so that a pocket can be created in the body to house the
pacemaker and associated wiring. Such wires are regarded as the
component of pacemakers most likely to fail.
By contrast the Nanostim pacemaker is inserted via a catheter inserted
through a vein leading to the heart. It has a built-in battery that is
expected to last between nine and thirteen years. Eliminating the need
for wires lowers the risk of infection or malfunction and means that
patients are not restricted in the amount of activity they do, the firm
behind the device claims.
Currently more than four million people around the world have some sort
of cardiac rhythm device with an additional 700,000 people getting one
each year. The new pacemaker design has yet to receive full United
States Food and Drug Administration approval.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm, Heather Embee, KB3TZD, in Berwick,
Pennsylvania.
--
More on this story is on the web at tinyurl.com/wireless-pacemaker.
(BBC)
**
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: INTEL GALILEO BOARD SOON AVAILABLE
Intel's Galileo open-source computer can now be ordered and is
scheduled to ship at the end of November. Online retailer Mouser
Electronics is the first to take orders for the board.
The Galileo computer is an unenclosed circuit board that's a little
larger than a credit card, and uses Intel's extremely low-power Quark
processor.
Though higher priced, the Intel board is being called a competitor to
the popular Raspberry Pi open-source PC. Both are targeted at the
community of makers and hackers who design computing devices ranging
from robots and health monitors to home media centers and PC's. Galileo
is also expected to become a welcome addition in ham radio development
circles as well. (Southgate)
**
ON THE AIR: ARECIBO OBSERVATORY ON-THE-AIR THIS SUNDAY NOVEMBER 10.
If you are hearing this before Sunday, November 10th, then listen out
on 20 meters for station KP4AO. This as part of the celebration of the
50th anniversary of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.
The operation will be on the air from 1300 until 2000 UTC around 14.250
Mhz. A commemorative certificate will be available for those who make
contacts with KP4AO. QSL to Arecibo Observatory Radio Club, HC03, PO
Box 53995, Arecibo, Puerto Rico, 00612. The special event is sponsored
by the Caribbean Amateur Radio Group and the Arecibo Observatory Radio
Club. (WP3GW)
**
DX
In DX, JF1OCQ will be active as 5W7X from Apia, which is the capital of
Samoa, between November 7th and the 14th. Operations will be on 160
through 6 meters using CW and SSB. QSL via JF1OCQ, either direct or by
the bureau. E-mail requests for Bureau QSLs can be sent to jf1ocq (at)
arrl (dot) net
F4FET will be active stroke as 3A from Monaco on November 11th and
12th. His operation will be on 40through 10 meters using SSB. QSL via
his home callsign, direct or via the bureau.
IK7JWX has informed the Ohio Penn DX Newsletter that his DXpedition to
the Island of Zanzibar scheduled for April of 2014 is has been
cancelled. The reasons given are technical and logistical constraints.
members of the DX Friends will be on the air from an Andres Island as
5J0R until November 10th. Activity was slated for 160 through 6 meters
using CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL via EA5RM direct. More is on the web at
dxfriends dot com/SanAndres2013
EA4ATI says that he will be in Kenya for a couple more years and will
be active stroke 5Z4. He is using a Cobwebb antenna with a small
amplifier and is active on 30/20/17/15/10 meters. His QSL Manager is
EA4YK.
JA8BMK will be operational as 9N7BM from Kathmandu and Nagalkot in
Nepal between November 8th and the 28th. Activity will be holiday style
on all HF bands and he says that he will try to work the United States
on 160 and 80 meters if vertical antennas can be put up. QSL via
JA8BMK, direct or via the bureau.
Lastly, 8P9IU, 8P9TA and 8P9BJ will be on the air from Barbados between
December 9th and the 16th. Their main activity will be the ARRL 10
meter Contest on December 14th and 15th using the call 8P8T. Prior to
the contest, operators will be using their own callsigns. QSL via
KI1U.
(Above from various DX news sources)
**
THAT FINAL ITEM: IN FLIGHT BAN ON USE OF HAM GEAR TO CONTINUE
And finally this week, in the not to distant future airline passengers
may not have to turn off all electronic devices prior to takeoff and
landing in a commercial jetliner, but anything that has the capability
of radiating any RF power will still fall under the current ban. That
includes any form of ham radio gear as we hear from Amateur Radio
Newsline's Stephen Kinford, N8WB:
--
Under a new set of new FAA guidelines passengers on domestic U.S.
flights will be permitted to read, work and listen to music from gate
to gate. But they still will not be permitted to talk on their
cellphones, directly browse the Internet or use any form of two-way
radio through the flight. Internet connectivity will only be permitted
on aircraft equipped to provide such a service, usually at a fee. For
ham radio operators it means the ban on the use of a hand-helds or
other gear operating on any band will continue just as the rules are
now.
Currently airline passengers are required to turn off their
smartphones, laptops, and other devices once a plane's door closes.
They're not supposed to use them again until the planes reach 10,000
feet and the captain gives the go-ahead. Passengers are then supposed
to turn their devices off again as the plane descends through 10,000
feet to land and not restart them until it is on the ground or at the
arrival gate.
Under the new guidelines, airlines whose planes are properly shielded
from electronic interference may allow passengers to use the devices
during takeoffs, landings and taxiing. The FAA says that most new
airliners and other planes that have been modified so that passengers
can use airline supplied WiFi at higher altitudes are expected to meet
the criteria. However to use electronics that normally radiate an RF
signal, that feature must be disabled unless instructed otherwise on
aircraft with airline supplied WiFi connectivity.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Stephen Kinford, N8WB, in
Wadsworth, Ohio.
--
The bottom line is that while most passengers with certain devices will
be able to enjoy some relaxation in the rules regarding their use, ham
radio operators and users of any other two way radio gear will continue
to face a complete ban from operating such devices from boarding a
flight to disembarking from it. (Published news reports)
**
NEWSCAST CLOSE
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all from the Amateur Radio Newsline(tm). Our e-mail address is
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For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors' desk, I'm Don
Wilbanks, AE5DW, in Southern Mississippi, saying 73 and we thank you
for listening.
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2013. All rights reserved.