Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1940 - October 10 2014
Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1940 with a release date of
October 10th 2014 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a Q-S-T. Ham radio is first responder as cyclone
batters India coastline; Russian over the horizon RADAR battering the
15 meter band; United Kingdom Full license class holders get temporary
access to more spectrum on 2 meters; Ham radio moon orbiter to launch
on October 23rd and guess what's keeping a radio relay station in
Hawaii from being repaired. Find out the details are on Amateur Radio
Newsline report number 1940 coming your way right now.
(Billboard Cart Here)
**
RESCUE RADIO: INDIA HAMS CALLED OUT AS FIRST RESPONDERS AS CYCLONE HITS
BAY OF BENGAL SHORELINE
When Cyclone Hudhud swept into the Bay of Bengal coastal areas of India
on Sunday, October 12th, disaster authorities had already called on
radio amateurs to provide communications where they knew that other
types would likely be lost. And the ham radio community was ready as
we hear from Amateur Radio Newsline's Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF:
--
Before cyclone HudHud made landfall, authorities in India realized that
communications could be lost in coastal areas that the storm might hit.
In such a scenario, amateur radio will become the only medium for the
government to coordinate relief operations and exchange critical
messages between government bodies, the two states and also with New
Delhi. So a few days in advance it put out a call via the Nations
Institute of Amateur Radio for radio amateurs trained in rescue radio
efforts to be ready if needed. As it turned out they were.
Cyclone Hudhud made landfall with winds up to 125 miles per hour
damaging buildings, power systems and causing a total of communication
in many areas. Cellphone systems were overloaded quickly and soon
failed. Media reports blame the storm for at least 20 deaths but that
figure could rise. That's where ham radio stepped in.
Jayu Bhide, VU2JAU, is India's National Coordinator for Disaster
Communication. According to Bhide, at airtime there are currently six
hams in the Odissa region working to maintain the communication
covering the entire state.
VU2JAU said that VU3UFX, VU3PLP and VU2AOR are active from the
Bhuvaneshwar area. In the Sambalpur region VU2DPI is control of a
network with VU2SIC and VU2PGU. These stations and others have been on
air using 7 dot 140 MHz and have kept their stations open 24 hours a
day.
In the Andhra coastal area all communication is handled by the National
Institute of Amateur Radio under control of VU2JAU from the Amateur
Radio Society of India. He is reported to be monitoring emergency
traffic from his home station in Gwalior. A complete damage
assessment, clean-up from the storm and the return of normal lines of
communications is likely to take several more days.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, down-under in
Nelson, New Zealand.
--
Another one of those times when ham radio truly was a life-saving first
responder before, during and after a severe weather event. (VK3PC,
Times of India, Hindustan Times)
**
INTRUDER WATCH: RUSSIAN RADAR AND VOICE OF IRAN ON 21 MHZ
The IARU Region 1 Monitoring System newsletter reports a Russian high
power Over the Horizon radar system centered around 21 MHz recently
affected the entire 15 meter band. Added to this a Russian voice
scrambler nicknamed Yakhta has been transmitting daily on 21 dot zero
MHz on USB voice encryption that also contains a Frequency Shift Keyed
synchro signal with a 100 baud rate and 150 Hz shift. That
transmitters location is believed to be at Nizhny Tagil. Meantime, a
spurious emission from Voice of Iran is also causing interference on
21.249 MHz. An in depth report including charts compiled by DK2OM can
be found at tinyurl.com/k3nskk8 (IARU-R1)
**
RESTRUCTURING: UK FULL CLASS HAMS TO GET TEMPORARY ACCESS TO 1
Some hams in the United Kingdom will get temporary access to an extra
portion of the two meter band. This as a part of a planned long term
overall restructuring of the VHF spectrum from 143 to 169 MHz. Jeremy
Boot, G4NJH, has the details:
--
Ofcom has published a Statement that included an intention to release
1MHz of additional spectrum to radio amateurs on the 2m band on a
temporary basis.
The frequencies, from 146 to 147MHz, will be available via a Notice of
Variation to Full license holders only. Applications for Notices of
Variations can be made via the RSGB website from the end of October.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot. G4NJH, in Nottingham
in the UK.
--
This temporary use decision came as a part of an Ofcom published a
statement setting out plans for the release and re-allocation of
spectrum returned to civil use by Emergency Services. Ofcom believes
this band space will be of most interest to business radio users such
as utility and construction companies. As such it will be made
available on a first-come-first-served basis through a managed and
gradual approach. This, in order to maintain maximum flexibility in
the future should new demands emerge. (GB2RS)
**
RESTRUCTURING: SARL DEFENDS AMATEUR UHF FREQUENCIES AT REGULATORY
HEARING
The South African Radio League has submitted its response to the draft
plan concerning the restructuring of the 450 to 470 MHz band and other
U-H-F spectrum parcels.
In its reply to the national telecommunications regulatory agency, the
SARL said that although the amateur service is not in this band, the
problem for ham radio would arise if the intended migration of some
existing users in the 450 to 470 MHz were to temporarily move into the
amateur band prior to them shifting to a new frequency band once they
obtain suitable equipment.
The South African Radio League also pointed out that the statement that
amateurs only use 1 MHz of the 430 to 440 MHz is incorrect. Rather the
entire frequency block is used extensively for terrestrial and space
communications.
The South African Radio League also filed comments on proposed changes
at 2.3 gigahertz and requested a new ham radio allocation from 3.4 to
3.410 Gigahertz. In both ITU Region 2 and Region 3, this spectrum
parcel is allocated to the amateur and amateur satellite services.
(SARL)
**
HAM RADIO IN SPACE: 4M LXS MOON ORBITER TO LAUNCH OCTOBER 23
The 4M LXS ham radio moon mission now has a definite launch date as we
hear from Amateur Radio Newsline's Heather Embee, KB3TZD:
--
The launch of China's Chang'e 4 mission carrying the 4M LXS moon
orbiting ham radio payload is expected to take place on Wednesday,
October 23rd from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center.
According to China's State Administration of Science, Technology and
Industry for National Defense, the soon-to-fly craft is a backup probe
of Chang'e 3. This was that nation's first moon lander and rover, which
successfully touched down on Earth's nearest neighbor in December 2013.
But Chang'e 4's job is not to land but to circle the moon. More
important its hoped that the capsule will return its payload safely to
Earth without burning up in the atmosphere during descent to our home
planet.
As previously reported, the on-board amateur radio payload will
transmit a JT65B signal on 145.990 MHz which can be decoded by radio
amateurs here on Earth using the free WSJT software. Its builder,
LuxSpace is encouraging radio amateurs around the world to receive the
transmissions and send in data to it.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, Im Heater Embee, KB3TZD, in Berwick,
Pennsylvania.
--
Complete details on the role of amateur radio can be found beginning on
page 14 at tinyurl.com/lux-space-moon. The file is in PDF format.
Reports can also go via the missions Facebook page. (AMSAT-UK,
LuxSpace, IrelandNews)
**
WORLDBEAT: DOMINICA ALLOWS 60 METER OPERATION
The Dominica National Telecommunications Regulator N-T-R-C has granted
hams on the island nation the ability to operate on five 3 kHz-wide
channels on the 5 MHz or 60 meter band. These are 5330.5, 5346.5,
5355.5, 5371.5 and 5403.5 kilohertz at 50 Watts Peak Envelope Power
using only SSB. This allocation is applicable to Dominica General and
Advanced licensees only.
The Commonwealth of Dominica is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles
region of the Caribbean Sea. It is located south-southeast of
Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its also known as the "Nature
Isle of the Caribbean" for its unspoiled natural beauty.
And less we forget to mention, please note that the new Dominica 5 MHz
allocation should not be confused with that of the Dominican Republic
which also has a 60 meter allocation. (ECTEL, Dominica NTRC, G4MWO)
**
BREAK 1
Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the
N2XPM repeater serving the Big Apple of New York City, New York.
(5 sec pause here)
**
Im Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, with news that hams on both sides of the
nation are on the lookout for some severe weather events.
In the Caribbean and along the Eastern Seaboard the Hurricane Watch Net
was activated on October 16th to follow the track of Hurricane Gonzalo
which at airtime is Category 4 storm heading toward Bermuda packing
sustained winds upward of 145 miles per hour. The Bermuda Weather
Service issued a statement that these winds were expected to buffet the
island for more than 24 hours, and seas would be rapidly building up to
35 feet on Friday October 17th. As this report is being prepared, the
Hurricane Watch Net is expected to be using 14.325 MHz and 7.268 MHz.
Please keep those frequencies clear of non-hurricane traffic until the
emergency is declared to be over.
Meantime in the Pacific, hams on the Island state of Hawaii are on
alert as Tropical Storm Ana is forecast to pass as potentially as a
Category 1 hurricane. According to meteorologist Dan Kottlowski,
Southern parts of the Big Island and Kauai are at greatest risk of
flooding from rain and tropical storm-force winds.
Bob Schneider, AH6J, is the Leagues Pacific Section Manager. He was
quoted in the ARRL Letter as saying that he expected to deploy Ham Aid
equipment kits to several schools. The Ham Aid kits which contain both
HF and VHF gear were sent to Hawaii in September as a lava flow was
threatening communities on the Big Island.
On Thursday, October 16th the Ana was located about 490 miles southeast
of Hilo, Hawaii, and had sustained winds of 60 mph. It was moving to
the west at 10 mph. A tropical storm watch was posted for the Big
Island by the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Ana is expected to
reach the islands on Saturday October18th.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline. I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, in Los
Angeles.
(Bermuda Weather Service, ARRL, published news reports)
**
RESCUE RADIO: FCC WAS TO DISCUSS APRIL 2014 911 OUTAGE
The FCC is scheduled to hold an open meeting as this newscast goes to
air on October 17th. Among the topics that were scheduled for
discussion was a presentation regarding an inquiry into a major 911
service outage that affected seven states this past April. The
presentation was to include findings from a report on the causes and
effects of the outage
The panel was also to look at recommendations on actions that the
industry, state governments and the Commission can take to strengthen
the reliability and resiliency of 911 services as the nation
transitions to what's being titled the Next Generation of 911.
Additionally, the Commission was to consider a Notice of Inquiry to
explore innovative developments in the use of spectrum above 24 GHz for
mobile wireless services. It also will look into how the regulatory
agency can facilitate the development and deployment of those
technologies. (FCC)
**
COMMUNICATIONS LAW: FCC COMPLETES REVIEW OF COMPLAINTS
In an October 9th post at the FCC website, Special Counsel to the
Chairman, Diane Cornell noted that the Enforcement Bureau has largely
completed its review of its pending complaints, leading to almost 700
license renewals granted within the past few weeks. At the same time,
the Media Bureau disposed of 55 competition rulings requests dealing
with a March omnibus ruling. Simultaneously the Consumer and
Governmental Affairs Bureau has so far closed over 760 dockets with
another 750 on track to be completed by years end. (All Access)
**
NEW FROM THE NET: MORSE CODE KEY FOR APPLE IOS8
If you have a device running Apple's new iOS 8 operating system, you
can now add an app that will permit sending Morse code from that unit.
Morse Code Telegraph Keyboard plugs directly into your iPhone's
keyboard and lets you send dots and dashes from right within iMessage
or your favorite e-mail.
The most interesting feature of the keyboard app is its relative lack
of keys. It only includes the bare essentials of a J-38 looking key
and a handy Morse Code alphabet and numbers guide.
If you want to give it a try, "Morse Code Telegraph Keyboard" is
available for only 99 cents at the App Store. (Business Insider)
**
NEW GEAR: K9EID INTRIDUCES PRO 7 HEADSET
Something new for your ears courtesy of Bob Heil, K9EID of Heil Sound.
This as he introduces his new PRO 7 headset that applies some of the
knowledge Bob gained from audio engineering pioneer Paul Klipsch back
in the early 1970's.
The new Pro 7 earphones feature a very specialized electrical and
mechanical design that uses a very specialized tuned headphone
enclosure that Bob says really eliminates usual distortion while
producing greater sensitivity and a gorgeous response. Also included
in the design is a balanced control that's usually absent from most
headsets.
On the microphone boom, you can get either a newly developed dynamic
that is as articulate as the original Heil HC 5. Also available is an
electret capsule for the early low level input iCOM rigs. These mic
elements are interchangeable in the field.
For more on the new Pro 7 headset and other of Bob's inventive products
go to heilsound.com slash amateur ad click on the photo of the headsets
you will see at the top of the page. (Heil Sound)
**
NAMES IN THE NEWS: AMSAT-NA ANNOUNCES 2014 - 2015 OFFICERS
Some names in the news. AMSAT North America has announced that Barry
Baines WD4ASW will hold forth as the organizations president for the
2014 through 2015 operating year. Others appointed include Alan Biddle
WA4SCA as the organizations secretary with Keith Baker KB1SF as
Treasurer.
Flight Frank Bauer, KA3HDO has been appointed as Vice President of
Human Spaceeflight operations; Jerry Buxton N0JY as Vice President of
Engineering; Drew Glasbrenner KO4MA as its Vice president of operations
and JoAnne Maenpaa K9JKM as the Vice President of User Services. E.
Mike McCardel KC8YLD will be serving as the Vice President of
Educational Relations with Martha Saragovitz continuing as Manager.
Positions not yet filled are Executive Vice President and Vice
President of Marketing. (AMSAT News Service)
**
NAMES IN THE NEWS: STEVE HERMAN W7VOA DISCUSSES HIS CARREER
The career of Steve Herman, W7VOA, is the subject of an interesting
interview appearing in the current issue of the Overseas Press Club of
America newsletter. In it, Herman, who serves as the Voice of
America's Southeast Asia bureau chief and its correspondent answers
questions about his education, how he got started as a news journalist,
the languages he speaks and much more. You can read the article in
full at tinyurl.com/Steve-Herman-W7VOA. (opcofamerica.org)
**
HAM HAPPENINGS: WRTC 2018 TO BE HELD IN GERMANY
Tine Brajnik, S50A, who is the chairman of the next World Radiosport
Team Championship Sanctioning Committee has announced that Germany has
been chosen as the site of the 2018 WRTC games. Specifically the event
will be hosted by an oversight organization made up of the German
National Amateur Radio Society DARC, the Bavarian Contest Club and
Rhein Ruhr DX Association. According to S50A, the German application
was very well prepared and knowing their combined experience another
outstanding competition among world's best contesters is expected four
years from now. A website has been set up to provide further details
at www.wrtc2018.de. (WRTC)
**
HAM HAPPENINGS: K6H HOLLYWOOD SALUTES HAM RADIO QSL CARDS READY FOR
DISTRIBIUTION
According to a posting on Facebook, QSL cards for the recent K6H,
Hollywood Celebrates Ham Radio operating event have arrived from the
printers and forwarded to the California-based PAPA System for
distribution.
The event was held on September 28th and originated from the historic
Stage 9 of the CBS Studio Center facility in Studio City, California.
Stage 9 is currently the home of ABC's hit TV show "Last Man Standing."
In the past it has been the production facility for such shows as
"Seinfeld" and "Spin City" to mention only two.
If you worked this special event station please QSL direct to the PAPA
System address found at www.qrz.com/db/K6H. There is no other mailing
address or electronic QSL service associated with this event.
(Facebook, PAPA System)
**
WITH NEWSLINE: ARNEWSLINE FACEBOOK PAGES SURPASSES 5000 SUBSCRIBERS
We find it hard to believe but this past week the number of subscribers
to Amateur Radio Newsline's page on Facebook broke the 5000 mark and
currently stands at 5026. According to the pages Chief Moderator James
Pastorfield, KB7TBT, the lucky 5000th member is Davide Zirretta, IZ1WWW
of Novara, Italy.
If you are on Facebook but not signed up for our page there is a
convenient link to it from our website at arnewsline.org. We would
love to have you there.
In the meantime, our sincere thanks to KB7TBT who originated the page
and all the other moderators who keep it running smoothly and have made
it the success that it appears to have become. (ARNewsline)
**
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)
**
TECHNOLOGY VS. ECOLOGY: ENDANGERED TREE SNAILS STOP HPR OVER THE AIR
BROADCASTS
Hawaii Public Radio says its signal to parts of Kauai and Oahu will be
out until further notice because of endangered tree snails. Amateur
Radio Newsline's Bruce Tennant, K6PZW reports:
--
According to the broadcaster, recent storms knocked out power lines to
the radio station's relay facility at the summit of Mount Ka`ala relay
transmitters beam signals to the east and south sides of Kauai as well
as to Oahu's North Shore. A separate microwave relay also sends signals
to KIPL 89.9 in Lihue.
Station generators carried the signal for several days, but ran out of
fuel on Sept. 30th. Normally the power company would have been able to
fix the electrical line with little delay, but not this time. That's
because the location where the required repair is needed has been
identified as the habitat of endangered species of tree snails that are
currently in mating season.
For now, listeners on Kauai and the North Shore are asked to tune in
via live Internet streaming using Hawaii Public Radio free mobile app
or to cable broadcasts.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, Im Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, in Los
Angeles.
--
At airtime there is no word when the snails mating season will end and
the power line can be repaired. (VK3PC)
**
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: MORE GADGETS THAN PEOPLE
You may find this next item a bit strange, but apparently its true. And
depending how you look at it can be funny, scary or a little of both.
Here's WIA Newsman, Graham Kemp, VK4BB, with the details:
--
For the first time ever there are more gadgets in the world than there
are people, including a growing number that only communicate with
other machines, according to data from digital analysts at GSMA
Intelligence.com.
The number of active mobile devices and human beings crossed over
somewhere around the 7.19 billion mark.
GSMA's real-time tracker put the number of mobile devices at 7.22
billion whilst the US Census Bureau says the number of people is still
somewhere between 7.19 and 7.2 billion.
Gadgets like tablets, smartphones and not-so-smart phones are
multiplying five times faster than we are, with our population growing
at a rate of about two people per second, or 1.2% annually.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB, of the WIA News
in Australia
--
Cant help but wonder if this might not be author George Orwell's novel
1984 on the verge of coming to pass here in 2014. (WIA News)
**
RADIO FROM SPACE: NASA MAVEN ORBITER SENDS BACK INFORMATION ON SUN CME
NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution or MAVEN orbiter has yet
to begin its formal science mission, but it is already radioing back
clear images and crucial data about the fourth planet's upper
atmosphere.
The spacecraft entered orbit around Mars September 21st. Only nine days
later it imaged a coronal mass ejection from the Sun's surface. The
early observations are already providing scientists with hints as to
how the red planet's atmosphere changed over time.
MAVEN's official mission will begin sometime in November, once
adjustments are made to the orbiter's science instruments. Its long
range purpose is to conduct a study of the Mars upper atmosphere to
determine how it transitioned from a habitable planet to the cold and
dry world it is today. Scientists think that maybe billions of years
ago that a warm Mars would have been able to sustain liquid water in
which microbial life could develop.
An in-depth look at the overall mission can be found at
tinyurl.com/maven-at-mars (spacereporter.com)
**
ON THE AIR: SATELLITE EXPEDITION ENDS
John, Papay, K8YSE's, satellite grid expedition trip has come to an end
on October 1st, and he is now signing as K8YSE stroke 7 from Mesa,
Arizona. According to Papay, he operated in 27 different grids, most
of them very rare. States covered during his trip included South
Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Nevada and
Arizona while driving over 7300 miles in 27 days. A computer controlled
Icom 910H was used on the linear satellites and a Kenwood V7A was used
for communications through the SO-50 FM bird. Arrow antennas were used
for all contacts. QSL information is on QRZ.com. (OPDX)
**
DX
In DX, JH3PRR is reported to be on the air using the call KH8B from
Pago Pago and will be there through October 27th. Activity is on 160
through 10 meters. QSL via JH3PRR preferably using Logbook of the
World.
By the time you hear this, N7OhU should be operating as E51NOU from
Rarotonga in the South Cook Islands. He plans to be there through
November 9th operating 60 through10 meters in his pare time using only
CW. QSL direct via N7OhU.
F6ICX will be active as 5R8IC from Saint Marie Island between November
3rd and December 12th. Operation will be holiday style on all HF bands
operating mainly CW, with some SSB, RTTY, and PSK63. QSL via his home
callsign as listed on QRZ.com. Logs will be uploaded to ClubLog and
Logbook of the World.
DK9PY will be operational as 6Y6N from Jamaica between November 26th
and December 17th. Activity will be holiday style on the High
Frequency bands using a Yaesu FT-857 into an inverted L antenna. QSL
via his home callsign, direct or via the bureau.
G3RWF is heading back to Southern Africa for a 5 week holiday. He will
begin operation in Lesotho as 7P8NH between December 11th through the
14th. Listen for him on the higher bands on CW only. QSL via G3RWF.
Lastly, CE5WQO will be active stroke CE0Z/CE5WQO from Juan Fernandez
Island between November 19th through the 27th. This will be a holiday
style operation using CW, SSB and the digital modes on 160 through 10
meters using. QSL via KA3LKM with two International Reply Coupons.
**
THAT FINAL ITEM: PACIFICON CLOSES OUT THE MAJOR HAMFEST SEASON
And finally, the weekend of October 10th to the 12th saw the unofficial
end of the 2014 major ham radio convention season with the holding of
the 2014 Pacificon Convention in Santa Clara, California. And
according to Gordon West, WB6NOA, who was one of this years presenters,
accolades go to the sponsors of this years event:
--
WB6NOA: "What a great job that the Mt. Diablo Amateur Radio Club and
other volunteers did in pulling this off. It was a three day deal on
Friday, Saturday and Sunday."
--
Saturday was the big day with lots happening through out the Santa
Clara Marriott Convention Center:
--
WB6NOA: "On Friday afternoon as well as Saturday and half of Sunday
the exhibit hall was open, and let me tell that it was a whose who in
amateur radio was there in the exhibit hall. All of the majors
(suppliers) were there. All of the up and coming were there and the
booths were absolutely filled throughout the entire day."
--
As to attendance, so far there are no official numbers, but if the Flea
Market was any indication, then the numbers had to be strong:
--
WB6NOA: "I knew it was going to be big when I saw the swap-meet going
on in the dead of dark on Saturday morning. Probably 2000 to 2400 and
they were all with smiles."
--
WB6NOA also reports on overflow attendance at popular digital radio
seminar tracks such as SDR, D-STAR, and DMR . West also says a Sunday
morning "Ham Radio 101 " track for brand new hams was a big help to get
new licensees on the air over the local BayNet repeater systems, and
other local open repeaters .
Perhaps the biggest surprise came with the announcement that Pacificon
2015 is moving a couple of miles away to the San Ramon Marriott in San
Ramon, California. Next years dates are October 16th through the 18th.
If you have a suggestion to help make next year's event even better,
let the planners know by e-mail to info (at) pacificon.org.
(ARNewsline, WB6NOA)
**
NEWSCAST CLOSE
With thanks to Alan Labs, AMSAT, the ARRL, CQ Magazine, the FCC, the
Ohio Penn DX Bulletin, 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 Skeeter
Nash, N5ASH, saying 73 and we thank you for listening.
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2014. All rights reserved.