Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1937 - September 26 2014
Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1937 with a release date of
September 26th 2014 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Brazil will propose a permanent 60 meter ham
radio allocation; rules restructuring underway in Australia and
Austria; the FCC turns down a petition to create a 4 meter band in the
USA; the ARRL Simulated Emergency Test to be held October 4th and 5th;
a ham radio flood relief effort in India is stalled by government red
tape and the Dayton Hamvention begins solicitation nominations for its
2015 awards program. All this and more on Amateur Radio Newsline(tm)
report number 1937 coming your way right now.
(Billboard Cart Here)
**
BRAZIL PROPOSES 5275 KHZ TO 5450 KHZ INTERNATIONAL ALLOCATION FOR
AMATEUR SERVICE
Anatel which is the national telecommunications agency of Brazil will
propose new 60 meter Amateur Service allocation from 5275 to 5450 kHz,
This at the next meeting of the Inter-American Telecommunication
Commission or CITEL slated to take place from September 29th to October
4th at M‚rida City, Mexico. Amateur Radio Newsline's Don Wilbanks,
AE5DW, has the details:
--
The decision to move forward occurred on September 11th at the
Brazilian Communications Commission. This is a consultative committee
for WRC-15 subjects formed by government, industry and representatives
of the society and is lead by Anatel.
The 5275 to 5450 kHz contiguous secondary allocation is the widest
segment recently suggested by compatibility and sharing studies at the
ITU. Even so, the preliminary proposal will also consider national
adaptations since it will include a footnote where is described that
each national administration can provide additional constraints to
provide further compatibility with existing services and other national
and local spectrum realitie.
As reported Canada also plans to introduce a similar request at the
upcoming meeting. In its case the proposal will be for a split
allocation running from 5.330 to 5.355 MHz and the second beginning at
5.405 and ending at 5.430 MHz. In both proposals the Amateur Service
would be on a secondary, non interfering basis to existing 60 meter
spectrum users.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline. I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, in southern
Mississippi.
--
Despite Canada and Brazil being the first countries in Region 2 to
officially support Amateur Service around 5300 MHz, several others
already have authorized domestic allocations considering past
successful experiments.
(GDE/LABRE)
**
RESTRUCTURING: WIA SEEKS MEMBER INOUT FOR NEW HAM RULES FOR THAT
NATION
The Wireless Institute of Australia is seeking input from the V-K ham
community on possible new regulations to bring before that nation's
telecommunications regulator as we hear from Roger Harrison, VK2ZRH:
--
The regulation that governs amateur radio in Australia, known as the
License Conditions Determination, or LCD, will expire on the first of
October next year. The Australian Communications and Media Authority
-the ACMA - has to "remake" the LCD so that regulation of the Amateur
Service continues after that date. This offers the WIA and the
Australian amateur community an opportunity to re-think how best to
regulate the Amateur Service now, and for the future.
The LCD sets out how the three license grades operate, their frequency
bands, the transmission modes that may be used and maximum permitted
powers. The WIA Board has identified a raft of issues for evaluation
and invites all current and prospective amateurs to have input on any
related matter, before a final submission - or series of submissions
-is prepared by the Board.
The WIA sees the need to better align the LCD with the regulations
prevailing in other countries - particularly for Foundation and
Standard licensees . . . and license conditions set to enable
Australian amateurs to adapt to emerging technologies; a new LCD should
reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens - on both amateurs and the ACMA.
A major issue raised by the WIA Board is that the remade Amateur LCD
must include direct reference to the electromagnetic emission - or EME
- requirements all amateurs must meet, so that every amateur is made
aware of their compliance obligations.
Another key issue identified by the WIA Board is to have a new LCD
allow greater flexibility to experiment, with amateur radio to remain a
self-regulating service with no reduction or downgrading from the
current Apparatus License principles.
In summary - for the Advanced license, the WIA advocates a relaxation
of permitted bandwidths and, in line with greater awareness and
compliance with the EME requirements, a power limit of up to 1000 watts
without having a separate a permit. In addition, a variety of new
frequency band allocations are also to be sought.
For the Standard license - the WIA advocates a relaxation of bandwidths
to allow wideband digital and image modes, up to 200 watts output, and
an increase in the number of permitted bands - particularly the lower
part of six meters at 50-52 MHz - the latter was pursued with the ACMA
some years ago.
For the entry level Foundation License, the WIA will seek the addition
of digital modes, the use of commercial DIY transmitter kits, permitted
for the use of converted non-amateur transceivers to ham bands, an
increase of power level to 25 watts, and conditions to enable
unattended operation and remote control - this style of operation is
permitted in other countries, the UK for example.
This is Roger Harrison VK2ZRH.
--
Roger Harrison, VK2ZRH, is a member of the Board of Directors of the
Wireless Institute of Australia. (WIA News)
**
RESTRUCTURING: NEW AMATEUR RADIO ACT IN PREPARATION FOR AUSTRIA
Another nation that appears to be getting ready for some level of
license restructuring is Austria. This with word that the Austrian
national ham radio society is involved in the negotiations with the
government telecommunications ministry, to create a new Amateur Radio
Act.
On September 15th the President of the national society was contacted
by senior representatives of the Federal Ministry and invited to
discuss a contemporary redesign of Austrian amateur radio rules. The
invitation notes that the current Amateur Radio Act of 1999 and forms
the fundamental basis for the amateur radio service in Austria. It
provides the basic Amateur Service framework at the national level, the
detailed regulations and frequencies available to hams in Austria.
According to the Austrian national ham radio society, the negotiations
will revolve around modernizing that nation's rules. This so as they
are more contemporary, bring relief in the application process and also
enable such concepts as remote operation. The society notes that
recent experiments with remote operation proceeded without any
disturbances or incidents. (OVSV, Southgate)
**
RADIO LAW: 2300 MHZ RESTRICTION IN NIJMEGEN NETHERLANDS
The Netherlands Ham News reports radio amateurs within 20 miles of the
city of Nijmegen lost the use of the 2300 MHz band on September 21st.
This is because TV video and audio links that will use the frequencies
2325, 2335, 2345 and 2355 MHz each with a bandwidth of 8 MHz. In the
Netherlands television broadcasters are the primary users of the 13 cm
band. The article did not say if this loss is permanent or only for a
limited time. (Netherlands Ham News)
**
RADIO LAW: FCC TURNS DOWN PETITION TO CREATE A UNITED STATES 4 METER
HAM BAND
There will not be a 4 meter band in the United States anytime in the
near future if ever. At least it appears that way after the FCC acts
to dismiss a rule making request filed by Glen Zook, K9STH, of
Richardson, Texas, who had asked that such a ham radio band be created.
Amateur Radio Newsline's Heather Embee, KB3TZD, has more:
--
In his filing, Glen Zook, K9STH, had asked the Commission to allocate
70.0 to 70.5 MHz to the amateur radio service. This based on the
migration of broadcast television stations to primarily UHF frequencies
and there-by basically eliminating any probable interference to
television channels 4 or 5.
In denying the request the FCC noted that there are still a trio of
full power broadcasters and more than 100 low power television
broadcasters currently using TV channel 4 in the United States. The
regulatory agency also noted the likely re-farming of the broadcast
television landscape after the upcoming incentive auction to free up
UHF spectrum for broadband. This might mean numerous full power
television stations being forced to relocate to the low band broadcast
allocations that includes channels 4 and 5.
The 4 meter band is authorized in several ITU region one nations
including the United Kingdom. Hams in North America have been
experimenting with cross-band contacts by monitoring the 4 meters while
using time coordination and other Region Two amateur service spectrum
to try to make contacts. This is not unlike the so-called old days
before I-T-U Region one had a six meter allocation. Back then, hams on
this side of the Atlantic worked their European counterparts by
returning their calls on what were informally known as the 10 meter to
6 meter calling frequencies.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline. I'm Heather Embee, KB3TZD, reporting.
--
The complete text of the FCC's denial of the petition by K9STH in PDF
format is at tinyurl.com/zook-petition-denied. More information
regarding current amateur radio operation on 4 meters can be found at
tinyurl.com/four-meters-today.
(FCC, ARNewsline archives)
**
In DX up-front, word that JH1AJT operating portable from Eritrea went
QRT at around 18:00 UTC on September 22nd after having made over 4,200
QSOs. According to JA1TRC of the FGC Radio Team, after JH1AJT arrives
back in Tokyo they were to begin arranging DXCC documentation and
register the operation with Logbook of the World. They will also
provide a Club Log online check and OQRS for convenient QSL'ing after
JH1AJT returns to the FGC office. (JA1TRC)
**
DX UP FRONT: NEPAL THROUGH OCTOBER 4TH
DK5AD will be active from Nepal as 9N7AD through October 4th. His
operation is holiday style on the HF bands using an Elecraft KX3 and a
vertical antenna. QSL via his home callsign. For updates keep an eye on
QRZ.com under DK5AD or 9N7AD. (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 QSO
Radio Show with Ted Randall, WB8PUM heard each week Worldwide on
shortwave station WTWW.
(5 sec pause here)
**
ACCIDENT REPORT: WISCONSIN HAM KILLED IN FALL FROM TOWER
A sad story to report. James Linstedt, W9ZUC, of Eau Clair, Wisconsin
died Tuesday, September 16th following injuries sustained when he fell
95 feet from an amateur radio tower just outside of Chippewa Falls,
Wisconsin.
Linstedt, age 59, is reported to have had extensive experience climbing
and working on towers. Chippewa County Sheriff Jim Kowalczyk says it
appears Linstedt was wearing a safety harness while on the
100-foot-tall tower, but as he moved around on the tower he was not
safely strapped in. (Nevada AR News, Eau Clair Leader)
**
RESCUE RADIO: INDIA HAMS HOPE TO RESPOND TO KASHMIR FLOODING
Bureaucracy and red-tape has apparently placed a ham radio relief
operation on hold to India's flood ravaged Jammu and Kashmir regions.
As this newscast is being prepared, the amateur radio communications
team is ready to go but there are some sticking points.
Suri Ram Mohan, VU2MYH, is the executive vice-chairman and director of
the National Institute of Amateur Radio. He notes that the operation
of amateur radio is banned in certain areas like Jammu and Kashmir. As
such ham relief operators cannot jump into action without seeking
permission from India's Wireless Planning Commission and Co-ordination
Wing.
VU2MYH says that he has written to the agency's wireless advisor asking
him to grant the ham radio relief communicators permission to operate
from those locations without facing any legal complications. If
everything worked out as VU2MYH hoped, the operator's should be on
station by the time this newscast goes to air. (New India Express)
**
RESCUE RADIO: ARRL SIMULATED EMERGENCY TEST OCTOBER 4-5
The 2014 ARRL sponsored national Simulated Emergency Test or SET is
slated for the weekend of October 4th and 5th. SET usually pronounced
as the word set is a nationwide exercise in disaster response and
emergency communication, administered by the League's emergency
coordinators and net managers, in which volunteers respond to a mock
emergency or disaster, such as an earthquake or hurricane.
SET offers volunteer public service communicators the opportunity to
focus on their capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses. This, while
interacting with National Traffic System nets. It also provides a
public demonstration to served agencies such as the Red Cross, along
with state and local emergency managers.
More about this years Simulated Emergency Test can be found on the
League's website using the link tinyurl.com/arrl-set-2014 (ARRL)
**
HAM TECHNOLOGY: IARU R1 RELEASE VHF/UHF/MICROWAVE HANDBOOK
IARU Region 1 has released edition 6.14 of the free VHF Managers
Handbook covering the VHF, UHF and Microwave amateur radio bands. While
primarily aimed at activities on these bands in Europe, Africa and
parts of the Middle-East, the publication contains quite a bit of
information applicable to operations world-wide. This is especially
true in the area of planning contact attempts between various IARU
regions.
The handbook has chapters on Band Planning, Contests, Propagation
Research, Operating Procedures and Satellites. It also goes into
intricate detail on a number of technical aspects such as specifying a
standard for the use of circular polarization defining which way
helical beam antennas should be threaded. You can download your copy
of this informative publication at tinyurl.com/IARU-VHF-Handbook-6-14
(IARU-R1)
**
HAM TECHNOLOGY: PLAN FOR BETA RELEASE OF WSJT-X V1.4
A public beta release of the weak signal data modes software WSJT-X,
version 1.4, is now planned for October 1st.
WSJT-X is a computer program designed to facilitate basic amateur radio
communication using very weak signals. The first four letters in the
program name stand for "Weak Signal communication by K1JT," while the
suffix "X" indicates that this version started as an extended and
experimental branch of WSJT.
Some of the changes in version 1.4 relative to version 1.3 include such
items as improved C-A-T control for most radios including expanded
support for Commander, Ham Radio Deluxe, and OmniRig. Other
improvements are the ability to better handle messages that include
compound callsigns and support for standard localization conventions to
mention only a few.
In all, there are nine specific changes and improvements to the WSJT-X
software in this latest release. To find out what they are send your
web browser tinyurl.com/njabe49 to read the latest WSJT-X manual.
(K1JT, WSJT Development Team)
**
HAM TECHNOLOGY: MEASURING TRANSMITTER NOISE
An interesting web page that measures the transmitter performance of
noise element production by a number of popular amateur radio
transceivers has been created by Jim Brown, K9YC. In his research,
Brown measured such areas as key clicks, intermodulation distortion,
and phase noise. You can see the results of his study on the web at
k9yc.com/TXNoise.pdf (Southgate)
**
RADIO HONORS: POSTAGE STAMP FEATURES HAM RADIO SATELLITES
A new Lithuanian postage stamp features the amateur radio satellites
LituanicaSAT-1 and LitSat-1. The two CubeSats were launched to the
International Space Station last January 9th and deployed from the ISS
on February 28th.
LituanicaSAT-1 carried a FM transponder and a camera while LitSat-1 had
a linear SSB and CW transponder developed by William Leijenaar, PE1RAH.
LitSat-1 was the lighter satellite and re-entered the Earth's
atmosphere on May 23. The heavier LituanicaSAT-1 remained on-orbit
until this past July 28. (Southgate)
**
HAM HAPPENINGS: LOCATION NAMED FOR 2015 NEVADA STATE ARRL CONVENTION
The Boomtown Resort and Casino in the city of Reno has been picked by
the Sierra Nevada Amateur Radio Society as the site for the 2015 ARRL
Nevada State Convention. Known as NVCON, the convention will run May
1st to the 3rd of 2015. More information will be released as it's made
available. (Nevada AR Newswire)
**
HAM HAPPENINGS: TEXAS HAM-CON MOVES TO LARGER VENUE
Ham-Com, the largest amateur radio convention in Texas, announced that
it will be moving the location of the 2015 event to the Irving
Convention Center.
The Ham-Com board of directors deemed the move necessary due to the
increased growth they have experienced over the past several years.
For the past several years the gathering has been held at the Plano
Center in Plano, Texas. Both locations are near the Dallas
metropolitan area and only a short drive from Dallas - Fort Worth
International Airport.
Because of its central location, Ham-Com draws attendees from every
state and visitors from around the world for the yearly event. The
show hosts various American Radio Relay League division events and also
has the longest-running Boy Scouts of America radio merit badge program
held during the convention.
Ham-Com 2013 will be held on June 12th and 13th. More on the move and
the show itself can be found at www.hamcom.org (Ham-Com)
**
HAM HAPPENINGS: DAYTON HAMVENTION SOLICITING 2015 AWARD NOMINATIONS
The 2015 Dayton Hamvention is soliciting nominations for its Amateur of
the Year, Special Achievement, Technical Excellence and Club of the
Year awards.
The Amateur of the Year Award goes to an individual who has made a
long-term, outstanding commitment to the advancement of amateur radio.
The Special Achievement Award honors someone who has made an
outstanding contribution to the advancement of amateur radio such as
spearheading a significant project.
The Technical Excellence Award is for the person who has made an
outstanding technical advancement in the field of amateur radio.
Last but by no means least, the Club of the Year award is presented to
a radio club which has made a significant contribution to the
advancement of amateur radio.
Additional details on these awards and a nomination form are available
www.hamvention.org/awards.php. Completed submissions go electronically
to awards (at) hamvention (dot) org or mailed to Dayton Hamvention
Awards, PO Box 1446, Dayton, Ohio 45401 and must be received by January
16th, 2015. The winners will be recognized at the 2015 Hamvention
which runs May 15th to the 17th. (DARA)
**
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)
**
RADIO TECHNOLOGY: DIP IN STRATOSPHERIC RADIATION DURING SOLAR STORM
A rather surprising outcome to a scientific experiment. On September
12th, student scientists from Earth to Sky Calculus in California
launched a weather balloon during the most intense solar storm so far
this year.
They expected to measure an increase in the radiation count. Instead
they measured a sharp drop. The reason for this phenomena is thought
to be something call the Forbush Decrease named after physicist Scott
Ellsworth Forbush who first described it in the 20th century.
Simply said, when the Suns Coronal Mass Ejection, or CME sped past
Earth, it swept aside many of the cosmic rays that normally surround
our planet. More on the unexpected outcome to this experiment can be
found by searching for "students measure Forbush decrease" on the
Spaceweather.com website. (Southgate, spaceweather.com)
**
RADIO FROM SPACE: ROSETTA MISSSION ANNOUNCES PHILLAE LANDING SITE
Europe's Rosetta mission team, which intends to land a probe on the
4km-wide comet 67 P later this year, has identified what they think is
the safest place to land the small robot craft. Now, researchers and
controllers from the European Space Agency have chosen what appears to
be a relatively smooth region on the smaller of the comet's two lobes
as the spot to send the lander named Phillae.
Comet 67P is currently some 273million miles from Earth. The plan is
still to make the Phillae landing attempt on November 11th. The area
where ESA hopes the Phillae probe will successfully set down is
designated as landing site J. (ESA)
**
WORLDBEAT: DUTCH NPO TO END MEDIUM WAVE TRANSMISSIONS
It is reported that Netherlands Public Broadcasting plans to end its
medium wave AM broadcasts. The Netherlands Ham Radio News website says
that both the 747 kHz in Flevoland and 1251 kHz in South Limburg are
slated to be closed but no dates for this action to take place have yet
been announced. (Netherlands Ham News)
**
WORLDBEAT: EUROPEAN MEDIUM WAVE BROADCASTER TO END AM TRANSMISSIONS
Another European broadcaster is planning to stop all of its RF based
transmissions. Medium Wave Info reports that Deutschland Radio will
end broadcasting in the Medium and Long Wave bands by years end.
A press release says that on December 31st that transmitter sites
Donebach on 153 kHz, Sehlendorf and Oranienburg on 177 kHz along with
the Aholming transmitter on 207 kHz will close. In all more six medium
wave stations are planned to close by or on December 31, 2015.
(Southgate)
**
ON THE AIR: ARIZONA QSO PARTY OCTOBER 11 - 12
On the air, this years Arizona QSO Party will take place on October
11th and 12th. Modes to be used will include Phone, CW and digital
modes on 160 through 2 meters excluding the WARC bands.
The Arizona QSO Party is sponsored by the ARRL Arizona Section and
Catalina Radio Club. Full information on this event including complete
time scheduling and log submission is in cyberspace at
www.azqsoparty.org. (Arizona QSO Party)
**
ON THE AIR: CALIFORNIA QSO PARTY OCTOBER 4 - 5
Also on the near horizon is the 49th annual California QSO Party slated
to begin at 16:00 hours UTC on October 4th and running through 22:00
hours on October 5th. This event is sponsored by the Northern
California Contest Club which invites operators world wide to take
part. More information on this event is on the web at www.cqp.org
(W6TCP)
**
ON THE AIR: EI1100WD CELEBRATING IRELAND'S OLDEST CITY
Ireland's oldest city, Waterford, is celebrating its 1100th birthday
and ham radio is a part of the festivities. Through years end the South
Eastern Amateur Radio Group is activating the special event call-sign
E1100WD on the High Frequency bands from various sites. More
information, modes and logs are to be posted at searg.com and on the
SEARG Facebook page. (IRTS)
**
DX
In DX, N7QT and AB1UH will be active as VK9AN from Christmas Island
through October 2nd. This is a suitcase expedition on 80 through 10
meters using CW, SSB and the Digital modes. QSL via N7QT, direct, via
the bureau or electronically using Logbook of the World. Their next
stop will be on Raivavae Island in the Australs using the callsign
TX5Z.
JH3AZC, JH3QFL and JR3GWZ will be will be active as V63AZ, V60O and
V63GW, respectively, from Pohnpei Island Micronesia between October
10th to the 14th. Their operation will be on 80 through 6 meters using
CW, SSB, RTTY and JT65. They also plan a 2 meter moonbounce operation
while there using the callsign V60EME. QSL via each operator's home
callsign.
F4HAU has announced that he will activate several African islands
during the month of October. These include Reunion Island operating
stroke FR from October 9th to the 24th. This will include a side trip
to Rodrigues Island from the 13th to the 17th where he will be heard
operating stroke 3 B 9. QSL as directed on the air.
N7OU will once again be operating as E51NOU from Rarotonga in the South
Cook Islands, between October 13th and November 9th. Activity will be
on 160 through 10 meters using CW only. Operation will be in his spare
time as work allows. QSL via N7OU.
DL7VOA will be operational as J34O from Grenada between November 22nd
and December 6th. Activity will be holiday style, mainly on CW with
the possibility of some SSB during his evening and nighttime hours.
QSLs for J34O are by the Bureau or direct to DL7VOhA.
Lastly, N7XR reports on his Web page that the VQ9XR operation from
Diego Garcia has been delayed but that sometime in October looks
possible. Activity will be focused on 160 through 10 meters using CW
and RTTY with some SSB. QSL via NN1N direct only. No bureau or
electronic QSL's will be accepted for this one.
This weeks DX news courtesy of the Ohio Penn DX Newsletter
**
THAT FINAL ITEM: NEW TECHNIQUE FOR INDUSTRIAL-SCALE GRAPHENE
PRODUCTION
And finally this week, a Penn State University Research team has
suggested a new technique for industrial-scale production of single
atom layers of graphene. This is one of the strongest materials ever
developed as we hear from Hal Rogers, K8CMD:
--
Graphene is pure carbon in the form of a very thin, nearly transparent
sheet, one atom thick. It is remarkably strong for its very low weight
and is said to be many times stronger than steel. It also conducts
heat and electricity with remarkable efficiency. But until now, mass
producing it had eluded the scientific community.
Recently the Penn State team developed a new way of separating graphene
sheets from graphite. The scientists used a technique known as
intercalation to produce single atom sheets of graphene. Using this
method, guest molecules or ions are inserted between the carbon layers
of graphite. Later, the single atom layers can be pulled apart.
Scientists suggest that graphene could be used in numerous ways. These
include the design and manufacture of more efficient solar cells,
improving the form factor of electronic equipment and launching truly
flexible electronic equipment.
I'm Hal Rogers, K8CMD
--
A study of this new technology has been published in the on-line
edition of the Journal Nature Chemistry. It can be found at
tinyurl.com/penn-state-graphine (newsmaine.net)
**
NEWSCAST CLOSE
With thanks to Alan Labs, AMSAT, the ARRL, CQ Magazine, the FCC, the
Ohio Penn DX Bulletin, the Dayton Hamvention, Rain, the RSGB, the South
African Radio League, the Southgate News, TwiT-TV, Australia's WIA News
and you our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. Our
e-mail address is newsline (at) arnewsline (dot) 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, 28197 Robin Avenue, Santa Clarita California,
91350..
For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors' desk, I'm Jim
Damron, N9TMW, saying 73 and we thank you for listening.
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2014. All rights reserved.