AA7BQ
08-24-2007, 05:25 PM
The following is a Q-S-T. U-H-F repeaters face new challenges from Pave Paws radar, Germany comes to 500 Kilohertz, D-Star is the star of the Huntsville Hamfest and Grant Morine, W-4-G-H-M, receives the 2007 Young Ham of the Year Award and a cat tries some strange communications of its own, Find out the outcome of its curiosity on Amateur Radio Newsline™ report number 1567 coming your way right now.
HAM RADIO VS PAVE PAWS RADAR - ROUND 2
The saga of the government's Pave Paws radar system versus a number of UHF ham radio repeaters in Northern California and New England continues. This, as the ARRL Lab sends out a letter to those systems to bring them up to date on where interference mitigation now stands. Amateur Radio Newsline's Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, is here with some of the details made public by one repeater owner:
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The following is from a letter to an unnamed California repeater owner from ARRL Lab Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, posted to the Internet. It says that back on July 16th a teleconference was held among ARRL representatives, the staff of the US Air Force Space Command and civilian contractors from the Department of Defense that operate of the Pave Paws radar sites.
During the meeting Department of Defense representatives confirmed that specific interfering signals were measured on a number of frequencies used by the Pave Paws Radar system. The research was done using a calibrated antenna and receivers at both Pave Paws sites during August, 2006.
The Air Force stated that its concerns about interference are based on these actual measurements. Also, factors such as tower shielding or other antenna patterns have been fully taken into account. In other words, the claims of interference from UHF repeaters operating near the two Pave Paws sites is real. Also that it is based on solid data and good engineering practice. -- end quote.
So what's to be done to eliminate the problem? According to Hare's letter to the repeater owner, to work towards resolving this with his repeater, the ARRL Lab recommends that he take the following steps,. Again in part we quote:
In some cases, it may be possible to reduce power. The reduction in power from 50 watts to 5 watts, for example, is a reduction of 10 dB. In some cases, however, where tens of dB of power reduction is required, it simply is not practical to do that much power reduction to that extent.
Power reduction can also be combined with a change in antenna pattern. If the antenna used on your repeater is omnidirectional, installing a directional antenna with a null in the direction of the Pave Paws Radar site should further reduce the signal transmitted in the direction of the radar system.
In cases where significant attenuation by use of nulls is required -- more than 10 to 15 dB, for example -- it will be necessary to "aim" that null carefully. One way to do this could be to listen to the radar signal, using a receiver with an S meter, and adjust the orientation of the antenna until the received radar signal is at its minimum value.
You may be able to relocate the repeater, either significantly farther away, or perhaps lower in elevation, if you can take advantage of terrain shielding in the direction of the Pave Paws Radar and still get reasonable coverage for the repeater. Terrain shielding can help, but that, too, has its limits. -- end quote.
W1RFI continues by stating that there is a practical limit to how much interference mitigation can be accomplished. While there is no limit to how far power can be reduced, at some point the repeater becomes unusable. In some cases, especially those where significant mitigation is being required, the only practical solution may be to shut the repeater down, or locate it significantly farther away, or in a location where significant terrain shielding can further reduce the signal at the Pave Paws radar site.
For the repeater owner operators of the affected systems and their users, none of this is very good news.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, in Los Angeles.
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The situation currently involves 15 repeaters in an area of less than 100 miles of Otis Air Force Base near Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and more than 100 repeaters within some 140 miles of Beale Air Force Base in California.
And FM voice repeaters might not be the only ones eventually affected. Department of Defense officials indicated to Hare that there could be other sources of interference identified in the future including other amateur operations in the 70cm band. However, for now they are only working only with the original list of repeaters provided to them last March. (QRZ.com, VHF Reflector, others)
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RESCUE RADIO: HAMS STEP IN AS WICKED WEATHER HITS
Ham radio has been working side by side with first responders from the Caribbean to Mexico to the U-S mid-West. This as Mother Nature shows that she is still in charge of the rain, the wind and the skies.
First to America's heartland heavy rains have sent rivers spilling over their banks, flooding towns and stranding thousands from Minnesota to Ohio. As the wicked weather moved in, hams across the effected region went on alert. As waters rose, some ham radio communications units were called up.
According to a report posted to QRZ.com, early on, Winona County Wisconsin ARES and RACES was looking for spotters to help them with their flash flooding reports. Also, a Red Cross shelter had been activated at St. Mary's college as part of the county were being evacuated. The hams involved in both operations stayed on duty all night without any breaks.
In Ohio, Governor Ted Strickland termed the situation a major disaster. He said that in one county alone more than 700 houses were severely damaged or destroyed by the raging overflows. Hams there are also heavily involved in relief efforts as well.
Across the Caribbean and into Mexico the story is Hurricane Dean. The storm first raked Martinique, St Lucia, Dominica, and other islands. It then hit Jamaica:
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"I copy 81 MPH winds in a North-Wst direction from Kington from John Williams. Is that a gust or is that a sustained wind?"
"From what I understand, that is a sustained wind. KA4IYK."
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Using both over the air radio and the Voice over I-P Hurricane Net, hams passed along vital environmental reports to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Thats where station WX4NHC had been activated. Radio amateurs also became a lifeline to some islands as cellular telephone service was all but obliterated as wire-line communications and electrical power was literally blown away.
Dean then made its way across the Gulf of Mexico slamming into the Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula as a Category 5 storm. Thankfully, Dean made landfall in a less heavily populated area than originally predicted. Still, winds in excess of 120 miles an hour were reported in Corozal. And across the region most phone service and electrical power was knocked out. During the height of natures rampage, much of the communications into Belize and surrounding areas was using ham radio circuits.
As we go to air, Dean has become a scattered tropical depression. Forecasters say that its remnants could bring some flash flooding to desert areas of the great American south-west. (ARNresline™, Audio provided by KD1CY)
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BPL UPDATE: RSGB OPPOSES BPL SCHEME
Turning to news on the Broadband Over Powerline front, the Radio Society of Great Britain is supporting International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 efforts to stop proposals, whereby Broadband over Powerline systems could operate within the High Frequency broadcast bands. This, using a technique called dynamic notching. The R-S-G-B support has been to echo IARU's detailed technical objections; the response can be seen from the link on the RSGB web site. (GB2RS)
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THE BPL FIGHT: DIREC-TV IN BPL WEB ACCESS DEAL WITH CURRENT GROUP
Some better news from this side of the Atlantic. That’s where United States satellite television provider DirecTV is going into the Broadband Over Powerline business, but there is very little concern that the system they will be using will cause interference to ham radio or any other service. This is because Direc TV is partnering with the Current Group to offer subscribers high-speed Internet and voice services carried by over electric power lines. And the Current Group has a good track record when it comes to protecting over the air reception from the kind of interference caused by other B-P-L systems.
According to the CGC Communicator, it contacted the ARRL and was told that Current Technologies is the company that has already deployed B-P-L to about 60,000 homes in Cincinatti, Ohio and is in the process of building out a deployment in the greater Dallas area as well. The ARRL told CGC that these deployments have proceeded without major interference problems for ham operators.
The ARRL told the CGC Communicator that Current has been an early leader in carefully choosing its design to avoid interference to Amateur Radio. Their equipment does not operate below 30 MHz on overhead lines and all on premise wiring uses HomePlug technology which notches out the ham bands.
Direc TV says that its service could start as early as the end of 2007. To date the ARRL says that it has no interference reports involving either Current or HomePlug equipment. And that’s very good news for hams in the Dallas - Fort Worth Texas area where the Direc TV BPL rollout will begin. (CGC)
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BREAK 1
From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the Muncie Area Amateur Radio Club net in Muncie Indiana in the memory of David Doirion, WA1MKE/9
(5 sec pause here)
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THE SOCIAL SCENE: HUNTSVILLE HAMFEST / ARRL NATIONAL A BIG SUCCESS
Take a warm weekend in the South. Add in some 5000 hams eager to see one another. Provide the latest Amateur Radio gear to play with. Add in some of the nations top speakers and baste with the gigantic ARRL expo. What it all adds up to is the combined Huntsville Hamfest and 2007 ARRL National Convention. And according to Heil Sound's Chip Margelli, K7JA, this has got to be one of the best Huntsville Hamfests ever:
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Margelli: "I have to say that the show has been very exciting so far. I was coming down the stairs in the lobby just as the doors were opening. There was a crowd of people like I have not seen in years. (They were) all the way out to the front door and completely loaded the lobby. People were just storming into the exhibit area and it looks very exciting. People are having a great time."
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And having a great time they are says ARRL Alabama Section Manager Greg Sarratt, W4OZK. He termed this years Huntsville Hamfet as being among the very best:
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Sarratt: "Oh, this hamfest is by far the best. Its just o much fun this weekend. So many people here. So many activities. Its wonderful."
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And wonderful is not an overstatement as far as the manufacturer displaying their wares were concerned. Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV, of Vertex Standard says that Huntsville 2007 was one of the very best:
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Motschenbacher: "I'd rate it on a scale of 1 to 10 at least a 9. The organizers did a great job. And on a national level and counting all shows, this one is probably in the top 4, I would say."
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Motschenbacher 's words were echoed by just about every manufacturers representative and vendor. And according to this years Huntsville Hamfest emcee Doug Childs, K-4-D-I-G, the best may be yet to come:
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Childs: "Im hoping that everyone goes home this year and tells everyone what a great time they had and that brings more out-of-towners here because that what makes it so much fun to talk to these distant contacts (in person) that you do not normally get to see unless you go traveling all over the place."
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And some hams we spoke to did travel long distances. A number came from as far off as Europe and Asia. Some were delegates to the Global Amateur Radio Communications Conference that was held in tandem with the Huntsville Hamfest. But others were just there to share the sights and sounds of one of the friendliest ham radio shows found anywhere on the globe. Southern ham radio hospitality, at its very best. (ARNewsline™)
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THE SOCIAL TECHNOLOGY SCENE: D-STAR IS THE STAR IN HUNTSVILLE
Every convention needs a star attraction, but in the case of the Huntsville Hamfest, the star was not a person but rather an emerging mode of communications. Its called D-Star and Alabama is likely the D-Star capital of the world. The area sports more D-Star users and D-Star repeaters than just about anywhere else in the country so its not really surprising that this emerging replacement for FM would take center stage at the Huntsville Hanfest. Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, says it all came about as the result of improvements in the regions ham radio emergency communications capability:
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Sarratt: "We've had a statewide analog link for many years like many states do. And we have lost a few sites so we are looking at D-Star as addubf to and enhancing that system. And once we started promoting it, it really caught on like wildfire and were covering the state pretty much now."
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Because of this, more and more hams in Alabama are going the D-Star route. So in planning the hamfest a decision was made to devote a lot of forum time and some after hours gatherings to the new mode. Again, Greg Sarratt, W-4-O-Zed-K:
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Sarratt: "We had standing room only in our 'Introduction to D-Star (forum). Probably 150 people. Last night after the hamfest (closed) we had a D-Star users group meeting and reception. Same thing: We had an overflow capacity and we actually asked the hotel to move the retractable wall away to give us more space and more seats. They gladly did that adding another 120 to 150 people at the reception."
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So will D-Star eventually supersede analog F-M as the mode of choice for VHF and UHF repeater operation nationwide? Maybe it will, but not right away. At present there are only about 60 D-Star repeaters on the air as opposed to the 3000 or more operating analog F-M. And while there are those who will always want to be the first to try something new, it appears that for the immediate future a lot of eyes and ears are on Alabama to see where that states D-Star trail leads. (ARNewsline™)
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THE SOCIAL SCENE: W4GHM RECEIVES YHOTY AWARD AT HUNTSVILLE
Another aspect of the Huntsville Hamfest is that it’s the unofficial home of our own amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year Award ceremony. Since about 1993 its been where most of the winners were presented with their award and this year was Grant Morine, W4GHM. Mark Abramovich, NT3V, has more:
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It was a proud moment for all as our Newsline editor, Bill Pasternak, brought Grant up to the stage for the award presentation.
"Most, though not all, most of the winners have one or two things in common: They're either members of the Scouts or they come from a family of educators. In this case, Grant is a Scout and he's been involved in Scouting virtually all his life from what I understand.
"He is singled out for one specific project that he undertook which was the design and fabrication of antennas, stand-by antennas to help an emergency operations organization in his home state. But, his other accomplishment which is just equally as important is that of having spent a lot of time helping other youngsters - you're only 18 now, you're a youngster, 17, you're one of the young ones. Grant has brought a number of kids into ham radio, kids, young adults who are starting their own ham radio careers."
For his part, Grant gave the credit to others for his achievement.
"I would like to thank anyone who helped me with my Eagle project which is what helped me get this award - all those people back at home who helped me, especially my mentor, all the Scouts who helped me to do my Eagle project. I'm really grateful for all of that. I just came back from a week of space camp and that was part of the prize and that was amazing.
"And, I'd like to thank CQ Magazine and Yaseu for the nice equipment they gave me and also Newsline for the plaques and the award. I had a wonderful time here and I'm looking forward to having more fun as a ham. Thanks very much."
Grant, from all of us on the committee, congratulations, once again!
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mark Abramowicz, NT3V, chairman of the Young Ham of the Year award committee.
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Our sincere thanks to our corporate underwriters Vertex Standard and CQ Magazine. Also to Charlie Emmerson, N4OKL, and the team that puts on the Huntsville Hamfest for welcoming us back, year after year after year. We truly thank you all for your hospitality and your support of the Young Ham of the Year Award program. (ARNewsline™)
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RESCUE RADIO: MARYLAND HAMS ASSIST IN ROAD RESCUE
Two Maryland ham radio operators recently helped bring speedy assistance to the scene of a two-car collision near northern Stafford County. According to the Fredricksburg Free Lance Star on-line,
During a heavy rainstorm on July 27, Siegfried Gates, KG4UCM was driving south on State Route 612 ialong the western edge of Quantico Marine Corps Base. At 6:30 p.m. he came across two cars that had plunged into the southbound ditch. Other vehicles had stopped to see if they could assist.
Gates asked if anyone had called 911 and he was told there was no cell signal in the area. So KG4UCM used his 2 meter radio to contact Camden Bullock, N2CLB, who in turn used his cellular phone to call the local emergency response number. He was connected to the Prince William County dispatcher. Within minutes the Stafford emergency unit arrived and the victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
T.J. Pittman ,N4SJX, is secretary of the Stafford Amateur Radio Association. He told the newspaper that this story brings great credit to the two ham radio operators, and also to the police dispatchers and the medical teams who responded to the aid of our citizens during this time of need. (eHam.net, Fredricksburg Free Lance, K0OV)
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RESCUE RADIO: NM AMATEUR RADIO CRUCIAL IN RESCUING ELDERLY WOMAN
Amateur Radio was crucial in summoning help for an elderly New Mexico woman after repeated attempts to contact 911 services by landline and cellular telephone failed.
On August 12th , a thunderstorm knocked out parts of Cibola county's telephone service. About 5:50 in the afternoon, Jonathan Pickens', KD5PHG, received a phone call for his wife, Pam. She told him that a resident of the El Morro Ranches had discovered an elderly neighbor lying semi-conscious on the floor of her home.
The couple rushed to the home of the woman. It turns out that the woman was eighty-six years-old. She had been on the floor for at least two days and was suffering from an apparent stroke and broken hip. She had been unable to yell for help or move to reach a phone. Pam, having medical training as a first responder, began providing assistance while neighbors tried to summon help.
Another El Morro resident was finally able to reach the Cibola County Sheriff and notify them of the situation. But the Sheriff's office was unable to contact area ambulance services because their local phone service had also failed.
KD5PHG realized the situation required an ambulance or possible life flight. With local landline and cell phones useless, Jonathan used his mobile radio to contact the Cibola County Amateur Radio Emergency Service on the Zuni 2 meter repeater.
Dana and Kathy Farmer, WA5SOX and KB5QGH, responded to the call for help from Vanderwagen, New Mexico. They were able to contact the Gallup Metro dispatch who sent the Vanderwagon Fire Department and the Pine Hill Clinic ambulance. The elderly woman was eventually taken to the Gallup medical center for further evaluation. Shes likely alive thanks to the quick response of her ham radio neighbors and their ability to communicate with all phone service knocked out. (K5CEC)
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BREAK 2
This is ham radio news for today’s radio amateur. From the United States of America, 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)
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RADIO EXPERIMENTS: GERMANY IN 500 KHZ EXPERIMENT
Five experimental German stations are now on the air in the 600 Meter Band. While most of the operators are German hams, the experiment is not classified as Amateur Radio because there is no 500 KHz or 600 meter ham radio allocation in the Germany.
Rather they are considered as being experimental stations that operate under special permission and use the special D I prefix. All stations are allowed to transmit only on 505 point 1 kHz with a bandwidth not exceeding 100 Hertz. They are also limited to an effective radiated power no greater than 9 watts.
All operators welcome QSL cards. Send them to the addresses that they give you on the air. (Southgate)
Quote[/b] ]Correction 2007-08-26:
Five experimental German stations are now on the air in the 600 Meter Band. While most of the operators are German hams, the experiment is not classified as Amateur Radio because there is no 500 KHz or 600 meter ham radio allocation in the Germany.
Rather they are considered as being experimental stations that operate under special permission and use the special DI prefix. All stations are allowed to transmit only on 505.1 kHz with a bandwidth not exceeding 100 Hertz. They are also limited to an effective radiated power no greater than 9 watts.
All operators welcome QSL cards. Send them to the addresses that they give you on the air. (Southgate)
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NAMES IN THE NEWS: ARRL SECTION MANAGER WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Some names in the news. First up in the only contested ARRL Section Manager race this summer, Bill Hillendahl, KH6GJV, was re-elected as the S-M for San Francisco. He received 237 votes and his opponent, Warren "TR" Reese, WB6TMY, received 134 votes. Election ballots were counted Tuesday, August 21, 2007 at ARRL Headquarters. Hillendahl, of Santa Rosa, California, begins his third two-year term of office on October 1st . .
All other ARRL Section Managers running for re-election and who did not face opposition and were declared re-elected. This includes Jeff Ryan, K0RM, of Colorado; Mark Tharp, KB7HDX, in Eastern Washington; Susan Swiderski, AF4FO, in Georgia; Phineas Icenbice (PRON ICE IN BICE), W6BF, of Los Angeles; Ray Taylor, N5NAV, down in South Texas and Ann Rinehart, KA8ZGY, of West Virginia.
Ron Murdock, W6KJ, who already had been declared elected as the new Sacramento California Valley Section Manager as of October 1, began his term a little early on July 2nd . Murdock was appointed to fill in for Casey McPartland, W7IB, who stepped down because of a planned move out of the section. (ARRL)
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NAMES IN THE NEWS: CONGRATS TO KC6LXQ
A word of congratulations to television reporter Tony Valdez, KC6LXQ, on his recognition by the Los Angeles Police Department for his public service work on its behalf. KC6LXQ was honored on Tuesday, August 21st for his volunteerism in producing and hosting a new video presentation for that law enforcement agency.
Tony Valdez is a career reporter for the Fox owned KTTV and host of his own public affairs program "Midday Sunday" that airs on that station. He also profiles criminal suspects and missing persons in an ongoing news segment called L.A.’s Most Wanted. To date, L.A.’s Most Wanted has resulted in the arrest and surrender of more than 100 suspects since its inception back in early 1992. KC6LXQ is also known within the ham radio community as an occasional contributor to these weekly Amateur Radio Newsline reports. (ARNewsline™)
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NAMES IN THE NEWS: CLAY FREINWALD, K7CR RECEIVES RADIO WORLD AWARD
And kudos to our longtime friend Clay Freinwald, K7CR. Clay has been named to receive the 2007 Radio World Excellence in Engineering Award from the editors of Radio World.
The announcement was made by Editor in Chief Paul J. McLane. He says that the recipients of the award represent the highest ideals of the U.S. radio broadcast engineering profession and reflect those ideals through contributions to the industry.
Clay Freinwald is an RF systems engineer for Entercom in Seattle, Washington, and vice president of the Society of Broadcast Engineers. He is recognized for his work to improve the state of emergency alerting systems in the United States and broadcasters’ involvement in the Emergency Alert System, as well as for his accomplishments as a corporate technical executive.
K7CR is also well known in the ham radio world for his longtime involvement in frequency coordination matters. He was one of the founders of the Western Washingtom Amateur Relay Association.
The publication bestowing the honor, Radio World, is a highly respected specialty newspaper for radio managers and engineers. (RW)
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THE SOCIAL SCENE: HANDIHAMS AT 40
And this summers Handi Ham Minnesota Radio Camp will also be a celebration of 40 years of the Courage Handiham System. And to commemorate this milestone, camp stations W0ZSW and W0EQO will be on the air making anniversary contacts. Operation will be on 40 and 20 meters using C-W and SSB. If you work either of these stations between Friday August 24th and Tuesday the 28th , QSL with a self addressed stamped envelope to Avery Finn, K0HLA, 3915 Golden Valley Rd, Golden Valley, Minnesota, 55422 (Hamdi Hams, N7HVF)
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RADIO SAFETY: KOREAN STUDY TIES AM TOWERS TO LEUKEMIA
A new study conducted in South Korea suggests children who live close to an AM radio transmission tower may have an elevated risk of leukemia. According to Radio World, researchers found that children who lived within 2 kilometers of an AM radio transmitter were twice as likely to develop lymphocytic leukemia as children who lived more than 20 kilometers away.
The study included 1,928 children with leukemia, 956 with brain cancer and 3,082 healthy children. The researchers took measurements of electric and magnetic fields surrounding AM transmission towers in various areas of South Korea. They then used a mathematical model to estimate residents’ exposure to radiation from the towers.
The findings were published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. (RW)
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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: MODERN DAY FANTASTIC VOYAGE
Shades of the 1960's science fiction classic Fantastic Voyage. A news medical telemetry capsule that when swallowed travels through the digestive system becomes a sort of mini transponder has won federal approval. The wireless device, about the size of a large vitamin pill, journeys along the gastrointestinal tract collecting data and transmitting it to a receiver worn on the patient's belt or around the neck.
Doctors like the telemetry capsule because it can be given at the office and is reliable and noninvasive. They say that it is a way to diagnose an uncomfortable stomach condition and other digestive track problems on a real time basis. The Food and Drug Administration approved the device on July 19th following clinical trials that wrapped up in November 2006.
Manufactured by a company called Smart Pill, each of these micro transponders will sell for about $500 each. And for those of you not familiar with the 1966 movie Fantastic Voyage, its plot involves a diplomat who is nearly assassinated. In order to save him, a submarine and its crew are shrunken to microscopic size and injected into his blood stream. Their job is to burn away a blood clot before the patient expires. For now, the Smart Pill is likely as close to that scenario as medical science is going to get. (Press Release)
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WORLDBEAT - SWEDEN: NORDIC HF CONFERENCE
The latest Nordic High Frequency Conference was held August 14th to the 17th . The 3 day program covers Very Low Frequency, Low Frequency as well as High Frequency operations.
The conference was initially planned for a limited audience of Nordic countries now. It has since gone international with contributions of papers, exhibits and participants from around the globe.
The Nordic conferences on H-F communications began back in 1986 in Sweden. Since then the event has been held every 3 years at Faro Island off Sweden's south-eastern coast. More about the Nordic HF Conference is on-line at www.nordichf.org/ (Southgate)
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BEACON NEWS: NEW 6 METER BEACON IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
A new 6 meter propagation beacon has come to 505.060 MHz in the Czech Republic. According to OK2BVG the OK0EMW experimental beacon is in operation from Grid Square J N 88 K S running 1 watt out to an inverted L antenna. It uses a home built transmitter and identifies in Morse at 6 words per minute. QSN reports go by e-mail to lubomir.bobalik@ rtv5.cz (VHF Reflector)
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DX
In D-X, a DXpedition to the Republic of Equatorial Guinea will take place between October 5th and the 14th . Operators will be KH7Y, EA5BRE, EA5YN and EA5BYP. The team will operate with two stations and will sign 3C7Y. Activity will be on all bands and modes SSB, CW and RTTY. QSL via EA5BYP.
Look for several stations to be active between September 7th and October 20th to celebrate the World Rugby Association Championship in France and the U.K. Four different levels and awards will be available. Details about the awards are available on line at www dot ref-union dot org
And G3RWL, will be active from Barbados as 8P6DR between September 27th and October 14th. He plans to be active in the CQ WW RTTY DX Contest on September 29th and 30th . QSL direct to G3RWL.
Also plan for W7EJ active from Morocco as CN2R starting around October 19t. He also plans to be active in the CQ World Wide DX SSB Contest on October 27th and 28th as a Single-Operator Single-Band 160 meter entry. QSL via W7EJ.
Lastly, DF8HS, will activate Samso Island for the Danish Islands Award from August 26th to September 8th . He will be operating all bands using SSB, PSK-31 and RTTY. QSL to DF8HS.
(Above from various DX news sources)
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THAT FINAL ITEM: CAT USES TECHNOLOGY ON COMPOSER
And finally this week, a truly different kind of communications. That between feline and man. That’s feline as in cat or in this case kitten. Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, grabs for some catnip to tell this one:
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To tell the story we must wander across the Atlantic pond to Merry old England. That’s where the creator of the musical CATS has had his latest work destroyed by one of his own feline friends. Specifically by a kitten named Otto who was a bit to curious about a computer built into an electronic piano.
London's Daily Mail reports that famed composer Andrew Lloyd Webber's new kitten managed to obliterate the music he had penned for the upcoming sequel to his famed The Phantom of the Opera. This, after the six-month-old cat somehow climbed into the frame of the composers digital piano and then managed to erase the audio files on its built-in computer and hard drive.
The new musical that Sir Andrew is writing is titled the Phantom in Manhattan. It is based on a novel of the same name.
Andrew Lloyd Webber told the London paper that he was at work trying to write some more new music when Otto got into the grand piano. The cat then jumped onto the computer and the entire score for the new Phantom was lost. According to news reports Otto the kitten was unhurt.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Evi Simons, in New York.
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The composer says that kitten did all the damage all in one fell swoop. We are wondering what message Otto the kittie was trying to deliver to Sir Andrew. (Published news reports)
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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@arnewsline.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™, P.O. Box 660937, Arcadia, California 91066.
For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors desk, I’m Don Wilbanks, AE5DW< saying 73 and we thank you for listening.
Amateur Radio Newsline™ is Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
HAM RADIO VS PAVE PAWS RADAR - ROUND 2
The saga of the government's Pave Paws radar system versus a number of UHF ham radio repeaters in Northern California and New England continues. This, as the ARRL Lab sends out a letter to those systems to bring them up to date on where interference mitigation now stands. Amateur Radio Newsline's Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, is here with some of the details made public by one repeater owner:
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The following is from a letter to an unnamed California repeater owner from ARRL Lab Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, posted to the Internet. It says that back on July 16th a teleconference was held among ARRL representatives, the staff of the US Air Force Space Command and civilian contractors from the Department of Defense that operate of the Pave Paws radar sites.
During the meeting Department of Defense representatives confirmed that specific interfering signals were measured on a number of frequencies used by the Pave Paws Radar system. The research was done using a calibrated antenna and receivers at both Pave Paws sites during August, 2006.
The Air Force stated that its concerns about interference are based on these actual measurements. Also, factors such as tower shielding or other antenna patterns have been fully taken into account. In other words, the claims of interference from UHF repeaters operating near the two Pave Paws sites is real. Also that it is based on solid data and good engineering practice. -- end quote.
So what's to be done to eliminate the problem? According to Hare's letter to the repeater owner, to work towards resolving this with his repeater, the ARRL Lab recommends that he take the following steps,. Again in part we quote:
In some cases, it may be possible to reduce power. The reduction in power from 50 watts to 5 watts, for example, is a reduction of 10 dB. In some cases, however, where tens of dB of power reduction is required, it simply is not practical to do that much power reduction to that extent.
Power reduction can also be combined with a change in antenna pattern. If the antenna used on your repeater is omnidirectional, installing a directional antenna with a null in the direction of the Pave Paws Radar site should further reduce the signal transmitted in the direction of the radar system.
In cases where significant attenuation by use of nulls is required -- more than 10 to 15 dB, for example -- it will be necessary to "aim" that null carefully. One way to do this could be to listen to the radar signal, using a receiver with an S meter, and adjust the orientation of the antenna until the received radar signal is at its minimum value.
You may be able to relocate the repeater, either significantly farther away, or perhaps lower in elevation, if you can take advantage of terrain shielding in the direction of the Pave Paws Radar and still get reasonable coverage for the repeater. Terrain shielding can help, but that, too, has its limits. -- end quote.
W1RFI continues by stating that there is a practical limit to how much interference mitigation can be accomplished. While there is no limit to how far power can be reduced, at some point the repeater becomes unusable. In some cases, especially those where significant mitigation is being required, the only practical solution may be to shut the repeater down, or locate it significantly farther away, or in a location where significant terrain shielding can further reduce the signal at the Pave Paws radar site.
For the repeater owner operators of the affected systems and their users, none of this is very good news.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, in Los Angeles.
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The situation currently involves 15 repeaters in an area of less than 100 miles of Otis Air Force Base near Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and more than 100 repeaters within some 140 miles of Beale Air Force Base in California.
And FM voice repeaters might not be the only ones eventually affected. Department of Defense officials indicated to Hare that there could be other sources of interference identified in the future including other amateur operations in the 70cm band. However, for now they are only working only with the original list of repeaters provided to them last March. (QRZ.com, VHF Reflector, others)
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RESCUE RADIO: HAMS STEP IN AS WICKED WEATHER HITS
Ham radio has been working side by side with first responders from the Caribbean to Mexico to the U-S mid-West. This as Mother Nature shows that she is still in charge of the rain, the wind and the skies.
First to America's heartland heavy rains have sent rivers spilling over their banks, flooding towns and stranding thousands from Minnesota to Ohio. As the wicked weather moved in, hams across the effected region went on alert. As waters rose, some ham radio communications units were called up.
According to a report posted to QRZ.com, early on, Winona County Wisconsin ARES and RACES was looking for spotters to help them with their flash flooding reports. Also, a Red Cross shelter had been activated at St. Mary's college as part of the county were being evacuated. The hams involved in both operations stayed on duty all night without any breaks.
In Ohio, Governor Ted Strickland termed the situation a major disaster. He said that in one county alone more than 700 houses were severely damaged or destroyed by the raging overflows. Hams there are also heavily involved in relief efforts as well.
Across the Caribbean and into Mexico the story is Hurricane Dean. The storm first raked Martinique, St Lucia, Dominica, and other islands. It then hit Jamaica:
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"I copy 81 MPH winds in a North-Wst direction from Kington from John Williams. Is that a gust or is that a sustained wind?"
"From what I understand, that is a sustained wind. KA4IYK."
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Using both over the air radio and the Voice over I-P Hurricane Net, hams passed along vital environmental reports to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Thats where station WX4NHC had been activated. Radio amateurs also became a lifeline to some islands as cellular telephone service was all but obliterated as wire-line communications and electrical power was literally blown away.
Dean then made its way across the Gulf of Mexico slamming into the Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula as a Category 5 storm. Thankfully, Dean made landfall in a less heavily populated area than originally predicted. Still, winds in excess of 120 miles an hour were reported in Corozal. And across the region most phone service and electrical power was knocked out. During the height of natures rampage, much of the communications into Belize and surrounding areas was using ham radio circuits.
As we go to air, Dean has become a scattered tropical depression. Forecasters say that its remnants could bring some flash flooding to desert areas of the great American south-west. (ARNresline™, Audio provided by KD1CY)
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BPL UPDATE: RSGB OPPOSES BPL SCHEME
Turning to news on the Broadband Over Powerline front, the Radio Society of Great Britain is supporting International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 efforts to stop proposals, whereby Broadband over Powerline systems could operate within the High Frequency broadcast bands. This, using a technique called dynamic notching. The R-S-G-B support has been to echo IARU's detailed technical objections; the response can be seen from the link on the RSGB web site. (GB2RS)
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THE BPL FIGHT: DIREC-TV IN BPL WEB ACCESS DEAL WITH CURRENT GROUP
Some better news from this side of the Atlantic. That’s where United States satellite television provider DirecTV is going into the Broadband Over Powerline business, but there is very little concern that the system they will be using will cause interference to ham radio or any other service. This is because Direc TV is partnering with the Current Group to offer subscribers high-speed Internet and voice services carried by over electric power lines. And the Current Group has a good track record when it comes to protecting over the air reception from the kind of interference caused by other B-P-L systems.
According to the CGC Communicator, it contacted the ARRL and was told that Current Technologies is the company that has already deployed B-P-L to about 60,000 homes in Cincinatti, Ohio and is in the process of building out a deployment in the greater Dallas area as well. The ARRL told CGC that these deployments have proceeded without major interference problems for ham operators.
The ARRL told the CGC Communicator that Current has been an early leader in carefully choosing its design to avoid interference to Amateur Radio. Their equipment does not operate below 30 MHz on overhead lines and all on premise wiring uses HomePlug technology which notches out the ham bands.
Direc TV says that its service could start as early as the end of 2007. To date the ARRL says that it has no interference reports involving either Current or HomePlug equipment. And that’s very good news for hams in the Dallas - Fort Worth Texas area where the Direc TV BPL rollout will begin. (CGC)
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BREAK 1
From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the Muncie Area Amateur Radio Club net in Muncie Indiana in the memory of David Doirion, WA1MKE/9
(5 sec pause here)
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THE SOCIAL SCENE: HUNTSVILLE HAMFEST / ARRL NATIONAL A BIG SUCCESS
Take a warm weekend in the South. Add in some 5000 hams eager to see one another. Provide the latest Amateur Radio gear to play with. Add in some of the nations top speakers and baste with the gigantic ARRL expo. What it all adds up to is the combined Huntsville Hamfest and 2007 ARRL National Convention. And according to Heil Sound's Chip Margelli, K7JA, this has got to be one of the best Huntsville Hamfests ever:
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Margelli: "I have to say that the show has been very exciting so far. I was coming down the stairs in the lobby just as the doors were opening. There was a crowd of people like I have not seen in years. (They were) all the way out to the front door and completely loaded the lobby. People were just storming into the exhibit area and it looks very exciting. People are having a great time."
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And having a great time they are says ARRL Alabama Section Manager Greg Sarratt, W4OZK. He termed this years Huntsville Hamfet as being among the very best:
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Sarratt: "Oh, this hamfest is by far the best. Its just o much fun this weekend. So many people here. So many activities. Its wonderful."
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And wonderful is not an overstatement as far as the manufacturer displaying their wares were concerned. Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV, of Vertex Standard says that Huntsville 2007 was one of the very best:
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Motschenbacher: "I'd rate it on a scale of 1 to 10 at least a 9. The organizers did a great job. And on a national level and counting all shows, this one is probably in the top 4, I would say."
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Motschenbacher 's words were echoed by just about every manufacturers representative and vendor. And according to this years Huntsville Hamfest emcee Doug Childs, K-4-D-I-G, the best may be yet to come:
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Childs: "Im hoping that everyone goes home this year and tells everyone what a great time they had and that brings more out-of-towners here because that what makes it so much fun to talk to these distant contacts (in person) that you do not normally get to see unless you go traveling all over the place."
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And some hams we spoke to did travel long distances. A number came from as far off as Europe and Asia. Some were delegates to the Global Amateur Radio Communications Conference that was held in tandem with the Huntsville Hamfest. But others were just there to share the sights and sounds of one of the friendliest ham radio shows found anywhere on the globe. Southern ham radio hospitality, at its very best. (ARNewsline™)
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THE SOCIAL TECHNOLOGY SCENE: D-STAR IS THE STAR IN HUNTSVILLE
Every convention needs a star attraction, but in the case of the Huntsville Hamfest, the star was not a person but rather an emerging mode of communications. Its called D-Star and Alabama is likely the D-Star capital of the world. The area sports more D-Star users and D-Star repeaters than just about anywhere else in the country so its not really surprising that this emerging replacement for FM would take center stage at the Huntsville Hanfest. Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, says it all came about as the result of improvements in the regions ham radio emergency communications capability:
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Sarratt: "We've had a statewide analog link for many years like many states do. And we have lost a few sites so we are looking at D-Star as addubf to and enhancing that system. And once we started promoting it, it really caught on like wildfire and were covering the state pretty much now."
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Because of this, more and more hams in Alabama are going the D-Star route. So in planning the hamfest a decision was made to devote a lot of forum time and some after hours gatherings to the new mode. Again, Greg Sarratt, W-4-O-Zed-K:
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Sarratt: "We had standing room only in our 'Introduction to D-Star (forum). Probably 150 people. Last night after the hamfest (closed) we had a D-Star users group meeting and reception. Same thing: We had an overflow capacity and we actually asked the hotel to move the retractable wall away to give us more space and more seats. They gladly did that adding another 120 to 150 people at the reception."
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So will D-Star eventually supersede analog F-M as the mode of choice for VHF and UHF repeater operation nationwide? Maybe it will, but not right away. At present there are only about 60 D-Star repeaters on the air as opposed to the 3000 or more operating analog F-M. And while there are those who will always want to be the first to try something new, it appears that for the immediate future a lot of eyes and ears are on Alabama to see where that states D-Star trail leads. (ARNewsline™)
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THE SOCIAL SCENE: W4GHM RECEIVES YHOTY AWARD AT HUNTSVILLE
Another aspect of the Huntsville Hamfest is that it’s the unofficial home of our own amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year Award ceremony. Since about 1993 its been where most of the winners were presented with their award and this year was Grant Morine, W4GHM. Mark Abramovich, NT3V, has more:
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It was a proud moment for all as our Newsline editor, Bill Pasternak, brought Grant up to the stage for the award presentation.
"Most, though not all, most of the winners have one or two things in common: They're either members of the Scouts or they come from a family of educators. In this case, Grant is a Scout and he's been involved in Scouting virtually all his life from what I understand.
"He is singled out for one specific project that he undertook which was the design and fabrication of antennas, stand-by antennas to help an emergency operations organization in his home state. But, his other accomplishment which is just equally as important is that of having spent a lot of time helping other youngsters - you're only 18 now, you're a youngster, 17, you're one of the young ones. Grant has brought a number of kids into ham radio, kids, young adults who are starting their own ham radio careers."
For his part, Grant gave the credit to others for his achievement.
"I would like to thank anyone who helped me with my Eagle project which is what helped me get this award - all those people back at home who helped me, especially my mentor, all the Scouts who helped me to do my Eagle project. I'm really grateful for all of that. I just came back from a week of space camp and that was part of the prize and that was amazing.
"And, I'd like to thank CQ Magazine and Yaseu for the nice equipment they gave me and also Newsline for the plaques and the award. I had a wonderful time here and I'm looking forward to having more fun as a ham. Thanks very much."
Grant, from all of us on the committee, congratulations, once again!
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mark Abramowicz, NT3V, chairman of the Young Ham of the Year award committee.
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Our sincere thanks to our corporate underwriters Vertex Standard and CQ Magazine. Also to Charlie Emmerson, N4OKL, and the team that puts on the Huntsville Hamfest for welcoming us back, year after year after year. We truly thank you all for your hospitality and your support of the Young Ham of the Year Award program. (ARNewsline™)
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RESCUE RADIO: MARYLAND HAMS ASSIST IN ROAD RESCUE
Two Maryland ham radio operators recently helped bring speedy assistance to the scene of a two-car collision near northern Stafford County. According to the Fredricksburg Free Lance Star on-line,
During a heavy rainstorm on July 27, Siegfried Gates, KG4UCM was driving south on State Route 612 ialong the western edge of Quantico Marine Corps Base. At 6:30 p.m. he came across two cars that had plunged into the southbound ditch. Other vehicles had stopped to see if they could assist.
Gates asked if anyone had called 911 and he was told there was no cell signal in the area. So KG4UCM used his 2 meter radio to contact Camden Bullock, N2CLB, who in turn used his cellular phone to call the local emergency response number. He was connected to the Prince William County dispatcher. Within minutes the Stafford emergency unit arrived and the victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
T.J. Pittman ,N4SJX, is secretary of the Stafford Amateur Radio Association. He told the newspaper that this story brings great credit to the two ham radio operators, and also to the police dispatchers and the medical teams who responded to the aid of our citizens during this time of need. (eHam.net, Fredricksburg Free Lance, K0OV)
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RESCUE RADIO: NM AMATEUR RADIO CRUCIAL IN RESCUING ELDERLY WOMAN
Amateur Radio was crucial in summoning help for an elderly New Mexico woman after repeated attempts to contact 911 services by landline and cellular telephone failed.
On August 12th , a thunderstorm knocked out parts of Cibola county's telephone service. About 5:50 in the afternoon, Jonathan Pickens', KD5PHG, received a phone call for his wife, Pam. She told him that a resident of the El Morro Ranches had discovered an elderly neighbor lying semi-conscious on the floor of her home.
The couple rushed to the home of the woman. It turns out that the woman was eighty-six years-old. She had been on the floor for at least two days and was suffering from an apparent stroke and broken hip. She had been unable to yell for help or move to reach a phone. Pam, having medical training as a first responder, began providing assistance while neighbors tried to summon help.
Another El Morro resident was finally able to reach the Cibola County Sheriff and notify them of the situation. But the Sheriff's office was unable to contact area ambulance services because their local phone service had also failed.
KD5PHG realized the situation required an ambulance or possible life flight. With local landline and cell phones useless, Jonathan used his mobile radio to contact the Cibola County Amateur Radio Emergency Service on the Zuni 2 meter repeater.
Dana and Kathy Farmer, WA5SOX and KB5QGH, responded to the call for help from Vanderwagen, New Mexico. They were able to contact the Gallup Metro dispatch who sent the Vanderwagon Fire Department and the Pine Hill Clinic ambulance. The elderly woman was eventually taken to the Gallup medical center for further evaluation. Shes likely alive thanks to the quick response of her ham radio neighbors and their ability to communicate with all phone service knocked out. (K5CEC)
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BREAK 2
This is ham radio news for today’s radio amateur. From the United States of America, 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)
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RADIO EXPERIMENTS: GERMANY IN 500 KHZ EXPERIMENT
Five experimental German stations are now on the air in the 600 Meter Band. While most of the operators are German hams, the experiment is not classified as Amateur Radio because there is no 500 KHz or 600 meter ham radio allocation in the Germany.
Rather they are considered as being experimental stations that operate under special permission and use the special D I prefix. All stations are allowed to transmit only on 505 point 1 kHz with a bandwidth not exceeding 100 Hertz. They are also limited to an effective radiated power no greater than 9 watts.
All operators welcome QSL cards. Send them to the addresses that they give you on the air. (Southgate)
Quote[/b] ]Correction 2007-08-26:
Five experimental German stations are now on the air in the 600 Meter Band. While most of the operators are German hams, the experiment is not classified as Amateur Radio because there is no 500 KHz or 600 meter ham radio allocation in the Germany.
Rather they are considered as being experimental stations that operate under special permission and use the special DI prefix. All stations are allowed to transmit only on 505.1 kHz with a bandwidth not exceeding 100 Hertz. They are also limited to an effective radiated power no greater than 9 watts.
All operators welcome QSL cards. Send them to the addresses that they give you on the air. (Southgate)
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NAMES IN THE NEWS: ARRL SECTION MANAGER WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Some names in the news. First up in the only contested ARRL Section Manager race this summer, Bill Hillendahl, KH6GJV, was re-elected as the S-M for San Francisco. He received 237 votes and his opponent, Warren "TR" Reese, WB6TMY, received 134 votes. Election ballots were counted Tuesday, August 21, 2007 at ARRL Headquarters. Hillendahl, of Santa Rosa, California, begins his third two-year term of office on October 1st . .
All other ARRL Section Managers running for re-election and who did not face opposition and were declared re-elected. This includes Jeff Ryan, K0RM, of Colorado; Mark Tharp, KB7HDX, in Eastern Washington; Susan Swiderski, AF4FO, in Georgia; Phineas Icenbice (PRON ICE IN BICE), W6BF, of Los Angeles; Ray Taylor, N5NAV, down in South Texas and Ann Rinehart, KA8ZGY, of West Virginia.
Ron Murdock, W6KJ, who already had been declared elected as the new Sacramento California Valley Section Manager as of October 1, began his term a little early on July 2nd . Murdock was appointed to fill in for Casey McPartland, W7IB, who stepped down because of a planned move out of the section. (ARRL)
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NAMES IN THE NEWS: CONGRATS TO KC6LXQ
A word of congratulations to television reporter Tony Valdez, KC6LXQ, on his recognition by the Los Angeles Police Department for his public service work on its behalf. KC6LXQ was honored on Tuesday, August 21st for his volunteerism in producing and hosting a new video presentation for that law enforcement agency.
Tony Valdez is a career reporter for the Fox owned KTTV and host of his own public affairs program "Midday Sunday" that airs on that station. He also profiles criminal suspects and missing persons in an ongoing news segment called L.A.’s Most Wanted. To date, L.A.’s Most Wanted has resulted in the arrest and surrender of more than 100 suspects since its inception back in early 1992. KC6LXQ is also known within the ham radio community as an occasional contributor to these weekly Amateur Radio Newsline reports. (ARNewsline™)
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NAMES IN THE NEWS: CLAY FREINWALD, K7CR RECEIVES RADIO WORLD AWARD
And kudos to our longtime friend Clay Freinwald, K7CR. Clay has been named to receive the 2007 Radio World Excellence in Engineering Award from the editors of Radio World.
The announcement was made by Editor in Chief Paul J. McLane. He says that the recipients of the award represent the highest ideals of the U.S. radio broadcast engineering profession and reflect those ideals through contributions to the industry.
Clay Freinwald is an RF systems engineer for Entercom in Seattle, Washington, and vice president of the Society of Broadcast Engineers. He is recognized for his work to improve the state of emergency alerting systems in the United States and broadcasters’ involvement in the Emergency Alert System, as well as for his accomplishments as a corporate technical executive.
K7CR is also well known in the ham radio world for his longtime involvement in frequency coordination matters. He was one of the founders of the Western Washingtom Amateur Relay Association.
The publication bestowing the honor, Radio World, is a highly respected specialty newspaper for radio managers and engineers. (RW)
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THE SOCIAL SCENE: HANDIHAMS AT 40
And this summers Handi Ham Minnesota Radio Camp will also be a celebration of 40 years of the Courage Handiham System. And to commemorate this milestone, camp stations W0ZSW and W0EQO will be on the air making anniversary contacts. Operation will be on 40 and 20 meters using C-W and SSB. If you work either of these stations between Friday August 24th and Tuesday the 28th , QSL with a self addressed stamped envelope to Avery Finn, K0HLA, 3915 Golden Valley Rd, Golden Valley, Minnesota, 55422 (Hamdi Hams, N7HVF)
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RADIO SAFETY: KOREAN STUDY TIES AM TOWERS TO LEUKEMIA
A new study conducted in South Korea suggests children who live close to an AM radio transmission tower may have an elevated risk of leukemia. According to Radio World, researchers found that children who lived within 2 kilometers of an AM radio transmitter were twice as likely to develop lymphocytic leukemia as children who lived more than 20 kilometers away.
The study included 1,928 children with leukemia, 956 with brain cancer and 3,082 healthy children. The researchers took measurements of electric and magnetic fields surrounding AM transmission towers in various areas of South Korea. They then used a mathematical model to estimate residents’ exposure to radiation from the towers.
The findings were published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. (RW)
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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: MODERN DAY FANTASTIC VOYAGE
Shades of the 1960's science fiction classic Fantastic Voyage. A news medical telemetry capsule that when swallowed travels through the digestive system becomes a sort of mini transponder has won federal approval. The wireless device, about the size of a large vitamin pill, journeys along the gastrointestinal tract collecting data and transmitting it to a receiver worn on the patient's belt or around the neck.
Doctors like the telemetry capsule because it can be given at the office and is reliable and noninvasive. They say that it is a way to diagnose an uncomfortable stomach condition and other digestive track problems on a real time basis. The Food and Drug Administration approved the device on July 19th following clinical trials that wrapped up in November 2006.
Manufactured by a company called Smart Pill, each of these micro transponders will sell for about $500 each. And for those of you not familiar with the 1966 movie Fantastic Voyage, its plot involves a diplomat who is nearly assassinated. In order to save him, a submarine and its crew are shrunken to microscopic size and injected into his blood stream. Their job is to burn away a blood clot before the patient expires. For now, the Smart Pill is likely as close to that scenario as medical science is going to get. (Press Release)
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WORLDBEAT - SWEDEN: NORDIC HF CONFERENCE
The latest Nordic High Frequency Conference was held August 14th to the 17th . The 3 day program covers Very Low Frequency, Low Frequency as well as High Frequency operations.
The conference was initially planned for a limited audience of Nordic countries now. It has since gone international with contributions of papers, exhibits and participants from around the globe.
The Nordic conferences on H-F communications began back in 1986 in Sweden. Since then the event has been held every 3 years at Faro Island off Sweden's south-eastern coast. More about the Nordic HF Conference is on-line at www.nordichf.org/ (Southgate)
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BEACON NEWS: NEW 6 METER BEACON IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
A new 6 meter propagation beacon has come to 505.060 MHz in the Czech Republic. According to OK2BVG the OK0EMW experimental beacon is in operation from Grid Square J N 88 K S running 1 watt out to an inverted L antenna. It uses a home built transmitter and identifies in Morse at 6 words per minute. QSN reports go by e-mail to lubomir.bobalik@ rtv5.cz (VHF Reflector)
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DX
In D-X, a DXpedition to the Republic of Equatorial Guinea will take place between October 5th and the 14th . Operators will be KH7Y, EA5BRE, EA5YN and EA5BYP. The team will operate with two stations and will sign 3C7Y. Activity will be on all bands and modes SSB, CW and RTTY. QSL via EA5BYP.
Look for several stations to be active between September 7th and October 20th to celebrate the World Rugby Association Championship in France and the U.K. Four different levels and awards will be available. Details about the awards are available on line at www dot ref-union dot org
And G3RWL, will be active from Barbados as 8P6DR between September 27th and October 14th. He plans to be active in the CQ WW RTTY DX Contest on September 29th and 30th . QSL direct to G3RWL.
Also plan for W7EJ active from Morocco as CN2R starting around October 19t. He also plans to be active in the CQ World Wide DX SSB Contest on October 27th and 28th as a Single-Operator Single-Band 160 meter entry. QSL via W7EJ.
Lastly, DF8HS, will activate Samso Island for the Danish Islands Award from August 26th to September 8th . He will be operating all bands using SSB, PSK-31 and RTTY. QSL to DF8HS.
(Above from various DX news sources)
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THAT FINAL ITEM: CAT USES TECHNOLOGY ON COMPOSER
And finally this week, a truly different kind of communications. That between feline and man. That’s feline as in cat or in this case kitten. Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, grabs for some catnip to tell this one:
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To tell the story we must wander across the Atlantic pond to Merry old England. That’s where the creator of the musical CATS has had his latest work destroyed by one of his own feline friends. Specifically by a kitten named Otto who was a bit to curious about a computer built into an electronic piano.
London's Daily Mail reports that famed composer Andrew Lloyd Webber's new kitten managed to obliterate the music he had penned for the upcoming sequel to his famed The Phantom of the Opera. This, after the six-month-old cat somehow climbed into the frame of the composers digital piano and then managed to erase the audio files on its built-in computer and hard drive.
The new musical that Sir Andrew is writing is titled the Phantom in Manhattan. It is based on a novel of the same name.
Andrew Lloyd Webber told the London paper that he was at work trying to write some more new music when Otto got into the grand piano. The cat then jumped onto the computer and the entire score for the new Phantom was lost. According to news reports Otto the kitten was unhurt.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Evi Simons, in New York.
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The composer says that kitten did all the damage all in one fell swoop. We are wondering what message Otto the kittie was trying to deliver to Sir Andrew. (Published news reports)
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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@arnewsline.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™, P.O. Box 660937, Arcadia, California 91066.
For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors desk, I’m Don Wilbanks, AE5DW< saying 73 and we thank you for listening.
Amateur Radio Newsline™ is Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.