Amateur Radio Newsline™ Report 1928 – July, 25 2014

Amateur Radio Newsline™ Report 1928 – July, 25 2014

Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1928 with a release date of July 25 2014 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. FEMA and the ARRL announce a new Memorandum of Agreement; The International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 Executive Committee meets in Connecticut; several 2 meter channels in the UK being used for the Commonwealth Games; Australian launched ham radio balloon reaches South America; WA1ZMS named to receive the first Triennial Brendan Medal and the last big Collins shortwave transmitter saved from the scrap heap. All this and more on Amateur Radio Newsline™ report number 1928 coming your way right now.


(Billboard Cart Here)


**

RESCUE RADIO: FEMA AND ARRL ANNOUNCE NEW COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT

The ARRL and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have announced a new Memorandum of Agreement. One that is destined to enhance cooperation between the League and FEMA in the area of disaster communication. Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, is in the Newsroom with the details:

--

Calling radio is one of the most resilient communications technologies we have, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, KK4INZ, penned his name to a Memorandum of Agreement with the American Radio Relay League. This to further mutual cooperation in times of disaster and preparing for such emergencies.

The new agreement will allow FEMA and the ARRL to work together to provide resources, services and personnel to fortify the relief agency’s capacity in certain areas. These include emergency communications, disaster preparedness along with response and recovery assistance. It will also task the two with jointly raising public awareness about the use of Amateur Radio as a public safety resource.

The agreement also outlines the ways in which the two organizations will cooperate to carry out their individual responsibilities with respect to disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery operations. This, in the event of a natural or man-made disaster.

The signing ceremony took place on July 18^th at the ARRL’s Centenary Convention in Hartford, Connecticut, with League President Kay Craigie, N3KN, signing the document for the League. This agreement takes the United States Amateur Radio service yet another step forward in becoming a vital communications resource when disaster strikes and especially in those instances when all other means of communications fail.

And to quote FEMA Administrator Fugate: “Amateur Radio is taking that hobby and turning it into saving lives.”

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, in Los Angeles.

--

After FEMA Administrator Fugate’s talk, League President Craigie presented him with the ARRL Medal of Honor. (ARRL)

**

RADIO POLITICS: IARU R-II EXEC COMMITTEE MEETS IN HARTFORD CT

The annual Executive Committee meeting of the International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 was held in Hartford, Connecticut on July 15 and 16 just. This, just prior to the start of the ARRL Centennial Convention.

At that gathering all annual reports were reviewed along with the situation of each member society. Future plans were also discussed, and there were comments about the situation of amateur radio, especially in region 2.

According to a news release, all those present were very satisfied with the results of the gathering and confirmed their commitment to continue working for the benefit of their respective member societies and of amateur radio. (IARU-R2)

**

RADIO POLITICS: EURAO HOLDS ANNUAL ASSEMBLY IN GERMANY

The European Radio Amateurs Organization held its 2014 annual assembly at the recent Ham Radio gathering in Friedrichshafen, Germany. At the gathering, were delegates from Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UAE, United Kingdom, USA and, of course the host country Germany. The session is described as having been a friendly international workshop where several new projects were discussed. Information on these is expected to be released in the near future. (EURAO release)

**

SPECTRUM SHARING: 144 MHZ CHANNELS TO BE USED FOR THE UK COMMONWEALTH GAMES

The Radio Society of Great Britain says that that four 25 kHz bandwidth channels in the 2 meter band between 144.0 and 144.1 MHz are being used at the Commonwealth Games that began on July 22nd and will conclude on August 4th. This following negotiations between the United Kingdom’s national amateur radio society and telecommunications Ofcom.

Usage of this spectrum by the Commonwealth Games will be limited the vicinity of Glasgow, Scotland games venues and will be limited to handheld equipment operating on a maximum of 5 watts of Effective Radiated Power. Ofcom emphasizes that use of Primary Amateur spectrum is only for the specified time period and does not constitute a long term change of usage.

In making the announcement, Ofcom said that it was aware of the very short notice to the United Kingdom’s ham radio community. Therefore the authorization for use of this spectrum is on a non-interference, non-protection basis. That said, hams in the Glasgow area are requested to avoid these frequencies until 4th August. (RSGB, Ofcom, Southgate)

**

RADIO RULES: IRELANDS COMREG 5 YEAR AMATEUR RADIO LICENCE NOTIFICATION PROCESS WILL REQUIRE E-MAIL

In June 2009, Ireland's telecommunications regulator ComReg, introduced a new Amateur Station Licensing system. Under those rules station licenses are granted for the lifetime of the licensee with a condition that he or she check in with ComReg every five years to confirm whether the details of the license are correct. Now, ComReg has begun notifying licensees who have held their ham tickets for 5 years that their license detail confirmation is required and informing them how to comply with this license condition.

Correspondence to hams will be issued approximately 2 months before the anniversary of the of the license issue date. Those with a registered e-mail address will be notified that way while hams who have no registered e-mail will get theirs by postal mail.

The notifications will provide detailed instructions to each license holder on how to make their returns which must be done via ComReg’s e-licensing website. As such this will require all hams in Ireland to gain web access to provide ComReg with a valid e-mail address. (IRTS)

**

HAM RADIO NEAR SPACE: VK HAM RADIO FLOATER BALLOON REACHES BRAZIL

A small Australian high-altitude floater balloon signing the call VK3YT-8 reached South America and is now believed headed further east. Amateur Radio Newsline’s Stephan Kinford, N8WB, reports:

--

The pico balloon was the idea of Andy Nguyen, VK3YT. Along with his support team, VK3YT launched the tiny balloon carrying amateur radio tracking gear from central Victoria state in Australia on Sunday, July 13th.

The balloon traveled eastward across the Pacific Ocean eventually reaching the South American coastline. It did not land, but continued its trek East. According to its last copied APRS data it appeared to be at an altitude of about 29,000 feet and some 50 miles north of Brasilia.

The belief is that the floater balloon left the Brazilian coastal line on the morning July 22nd and is continuing to fly eastward. Where it will finally come to rest is at this time unknown but some low-altitude floater balloons have been shown to have an almost unlimited range.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Stephen Kinford, N8WB, reporting.

--

Floater balloons are usually those silverized party balloons that hams equip with micropower APRS beacons that are either battery or solar powered. Those interested in this project can get the latest information by putting the call VK3YT-8 into the APRS.FI tracking website. (VK3PC)

**

DX UP FRONT: ANGUILLA FROM JULY 19 TO AUGUST 3

In DX up-front, word that K3TRM, will be operational as VP2ERM from Anguilla through August 3rd. Activity will be on the High Frequency bands plus 6 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY. Real-time logging will be available on ClubLog. QSL by direct or bureau to his home callsign. Electronic QSL’s via Oh QRS on ClubLog and Logbook to the World. Additional information will be available at www.k3trm.com and on Twitter @k3trm. (OPDX)

**

DX UP FRONT: DIEGO GARCIA TWICE IN 2014 BY VQ9XR

N7XR is planning to be operational as VQ9XR from Diego Garcia at least twice this year. Right now his planned operations are for 3 weeks in August followed up by a 1 week trip in October or November. On both his activity will be focused on CW and RTTY. QSL via NN1N, direct or electronically using Logbook to the World only. (OPDX)

**

BREAK 1

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the Three Rivers Amateur Radio Club repeater serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

(5 sec pause here)


**

ENFORCEMENT: FCC ISSUES TWO PROPOSED FINES FOR ALLEGED 20 METER INTERFERENCE

Two hams have been issued of Notices of Apparent Liability to Monetary Forfeiture. This, for alleged interference to other amateur service communications in the 20 meter band.

On July 22^nd the FCC notified Michael Guernsey, KZ8O, of Parchment, Michigan, that it was proposing to fine him $22,000 after agents monitored transmissions from his station for approximately 40 minutes on March 7, 2014. During that time the FCC says that the agents heard him transmit a pre-recorded song and other noises on the frequency of 14.313 MHz which interfered with the communications of other radio amateurs.

Also on July 22^nd the regulatory agency issued an $11,500 Notice of Apparent Liability to Brian Crow, K3VR, of North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. In this case the FCC says that this past March 14^th that its agents spent three hours monitoring transmissions purportedly emanating from K3VR’s station. At that time the agents claim to have heard the station transmit slow-scan television signals as well as a recorded voice transmission of another amateur station.

KZ8O and K3VR were each given the customary 30 days from the date the Notices of Apparent Liability were issued to pay the proposed fines or to file written statements seeking reduction or cancellation of the forfeitures.

In both cases the FCC says that its agents used radio direction-finding techniques to locate the sources of the transmissions. (FCC)

**

RADIO FRIENDS: DXCC MANAGER BILL MORE NC1L INJURED IN AUTO ACCIDENT

Bill Kennamer, K5FUV, reports via the Daily DX bulletin that ARRL DXCC Manager Bill Moore, NC1L, was seriously injured in an automobile accident about two weeks ago. His neck was broken, leaving him paralyzed from his upper body down, with limited movement of his arms. Kennamer says that NC1L’s recovery will be difficult and slow, and is not expected to be total.

According to K5FUV, Bill would like to hear from his friends in the ham radio community. He is currently in the Mount Sinai Rehab Hospital in Hartford, but cards and get well wishes should be sent to his home address at 92 Reservoir Rd, Newington, Connecticut, 06111.

Bernie Mc Clenney, W3UR, who is the editor of the Daily DX says that he knows that Bill and the family would greatly appreciate your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. (Daily DX, Southgate)

**

RESCUE RADIO: THREE HAMS AID IN INJURED HIKERS RESCUE

Three ham radio operators have been cited with aiding in the rescue of a man injured on a Colorado backcountry hiking trail.

According to news reports, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office said ham radio operator Bill Eberle, AB0MY, was hiking on the Fourth of July Trail in Boulder County on Monday, July 21st when he found a man who had been fallen and was hurt. Eberele contacted Ryan Fredrick, KD0TSZ, in Colorado Springs, who then called 911 dispatchers in Boulder County to relay the message. Meantime, Scott Whitehead, KA0QPT, with the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group was able to contact Eberele and confirm the location of the hiker and his injuries.

Dispatchers quickly sent rescuers from the Fire Protection District, Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, an ambulance and the Boulder County Sheriff Office to help. The rescuers found the injured man and brought him safely out. Deputies involved in the emergency callout noted that the ham radio operators were a huge benefit to the rescuers. (DailyCamera.com, other published news reports)

**

RADIO RULES: FCC APPROVES WIFI SCHOOL EXPANSION

Schools across the nation are set to receive billions in federal dollars to bring wi fi to more classrooms. This as the Federal Communications Commission on Friday, July 11th approved a new plan that will spend $2 billion over a two year period to bring increased wireless Internet capabilities to schools. More is on the web at tinyurl.com/In-school-broadband (Published reports)

**

RADIO READING: JULY/AUGUST SATMAGAZINE AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD

The July/August 2014 issue of the free professional publication Sat Magazine features stories TechDemoSat, UKube-1 with its FUNcube-2 boards and DX-1. Also included is the publication OSCAR News produced quarterly by AMSAT-UK. The publication is available for download in PDF format at tinyurl.com/july-2014-satmag (Southgate)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: RCA TO PRESENT SPECIAL EMCOMM SESSION AT APCO NEW ORLEANS

The Radio Club of America is sponsoring a special event during the upcoming APCO Convention and Trade Show. The Use of Amateur Radio and Digital Technologies During the 2013 Colorado Floods session will take place on Tuesday, August 5th from 7:00 to 9:00 in Meeting Room R Z06 of New Orleans Convention Center in Louisiana. The keynote Speaker is Douglas Sharp, K2AD, who serves as the Director of Engineering at Oceus Networks, Inc.. Sharp is also the current chair of the Colorado Council of Amateur Radio Clubs. More information and a reservation form in PDF format is on the web at tinyurl.com/rca-apco-2014 (RCA)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: THE WORLD ATV QSO PARTY AUGUST 29 – 30

The 4th annual World Digital ATV QSO Party will be held on August 29th and 30th. The event will have anchors in England, the United States and Australia. This will be a show and tell format that uses a combination of direct inputs for those within range of interconnected ATV repeaters and other contributions via Skype. The entire session will be streamed by the British Amateur Television Club. (VK3PC)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS: WA1ZMS AWARDED FIRST TEIENNIAL BRENDAN MEDAL

Some names in the news. The Brendan Awards Committee has named Brian Justin, WA1ZMS, to receive the first Triennial Brendan Medal. This, for his work on setting up and maintaining his 2 meter trans-Atlantic beacon system. The medal was to be presented to Justin by Irish Radio Transmitting Society President Séamus McCague, EI8BP, during the recent ARRL Centennial Convention in Hartford, Connecticut. (IRTS)

**

NAMES IN THE NEW: ARRL CHIEF DEVELOPMENT MARY HOBART OFFICER TO RETIRE

ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, has announced her retirement, effective July 31st. Hobart has served the League for the past thirteen years and was the moving force behind the creation of The Diamond Club, The Diamond Terrace, The Maxim Society, the Second Century Campaign, and numerous other initiatives. This includes being one of the founders of the successful Teachers Institutes for Wireless Technology.

According to the ARRL Letter, during Hurricane Katrina, Hobart almost single handedly created the Ham Aid Program that provides new gear to amateurs who have lost their equipment in disasters. And in his tribute to K1MMH in the August issue of QST Magazine, ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B, said that because of her efforts and those of her staff, she has raised millions of dollars for the ARRL and, ultimately, for the benefit of Amateur Radio.
(ARRL)

**

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)

**

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: RING IN DEVELOPMENT AT MIT WILL HELP THE BLIND TO READ

When we think of communications usually the words radio or broadband tend to come into our mind. But for those who are blind, getting access to the printed word makes communications take on a more far reaching meaning. Amateur Radio Newsline’s Cheryl Lasek, K9BIK, has the details of a new development that holds a lot of promise in this area:

--

Over the years several devices have been devised to assist the blind to read text. The problem is that most have been fairly large or they require some form of scanner coupled to a computer. Now comes word of a totally new and wearable unit developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab promises far more flexibility to those who cannot see.

The device, which is still in its prototype stage, is being called the Finger Reader. A tiny camera at the tip of the wearers’ finger converts text into audio. The ring scanner also has the ability to track when the user’s finger goes off the line of text with alert that vibrates the ring.

A market-ready version of the Finger Reader is still quite some time off, and there is no price point set on it yet. But the researchers believe it could be made available at a reasonable cost to consumers when it does eventually go on sale.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline. I’m Cheryl Lasek, K9BIK, in Zion, Illinois.

--

Our thanks to Hap Holly, KC9RP, of the Radio Amateur Information Network for this information.
(KC9RP, RAIN)

**

HAM RADIO TECHNOLOGY: FIRST TRANSATLANTIC DECODE OF THE OPERA BEACON ON 6 METERS

A 6 meter beacon operating using a digital format has been heard over a 3664 mile path. On Monday, July 21st David Gaytko, WD4KPD, located in Washington, North Carolina, was able to hear and decode the beacon transmission from Graham Brown, G0NBD, at a signal strength of -18 dB. The transmitting station used the Opera mode Oh P with a 60 second transmit time pre-set for the 6 meter band. (Southgate)

**

WORLDBEAT: JAPAN DX 2014 AUGUST 23 IN TOKYO

In news from around the world, the 2014 Japan DX Meeting will be held on Saturday, August 23rd, in Tokyo at the Time 24 building near the city’s Telecom Center. Sessions will include information on the FT5ZM operation by LA6VM, the 4U1ITU expedition by OM1AM and at least one other prominent speaker. The gathering will end with a DX Dinner Party and Lottery. More information is available at tinyurl.com/japan-dx-2014 (JDXM-2014)

**

WORLDBEAT: HAMFEST INDIA 2014 NOVEMBER 8 – 9

If you might be planning a trip to India this fall then be aware that Hamfest India 2014 will be held November 8th and 9th in the city of Hyderabad. This years gathering will focus on the topics of antennas, DXing, operating and homebrewing with a number of interesting sessions hosted by both experts in each field. For more information as well as online registrations take your web browser to www.hamfestindia.in (VU3RSB)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE: AMSAT FOX-1C LAUNCH OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCED

AMSAT has announced a launch opportunity for the Fox-1C cubesat in the third quarter of 2015. To accomplish this, AMSAT has teamed with Spaceflight Inc. for integration and launch into a sun-synchronous orbit using Spaceflight's SHERPA launch and deployment system.

Fox-1C will carry an FM repeater system for use by radio hams and to gain reports from listeners worldwide. Further details on the satellite and launch will be made available as soon more information is released. (AMSAT)

**


HAM RADIO IN SPACE: VUSAT VO-52 GOES QRT

After close to a decade of operation, India’s VUSat OSCAR-52 has gone silent. Launched to orbit in 2005, the micro bird was slated to last only one year but surprised designers and controllers by operating more than nine years on-orbit. In making the announcement the Indian Space Research Organization said that most likely the demise of VO-52 was caused by the complete failure of the satellites lithium-ion batteries. (ISRO)

**

ON THE AIR: ROMANIAN WEB SITE SPECIAL EVENT

On the air, keep a lookout for special event station YR10RRO to be active from now through August 3rd. This to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Romanian ham radio web site Radioamator.ro. Hams making contact with YR10RRO and accumulating a certain number of points will be eligible to claim a special award. Full information is at tinyurl.com/romanian-web-contest (OPDX, Southgate)

**

DX

In DX, listen out for 5H1NE from Zanzibar Island , Tanzania through August 6th. Activity will be holiday style on the HF bands using SSB only. QSL via IK2DUW.

ZL1MGA is now active as YJ0MG from Espiritu Santo Island Vanutu but the length of his stay is not known. So far his operations have mainly between on 20 meters SSB. QSL via his home callsign.

DL7VOA will be active stroke eye 5 from Tuscany, Italy, between August 11th and the 21st. This will be a holiday style operation mainly during the evening and night hours on 40 through 10 meters. QSL via DL7VOA either direct or via the bureau.

OZ0J will be active stroke KH0 from Saipan's Island Rental Shack between August 26th and September 2nd. Operations will be on all possible bands between 80 and 6 meters using CW, SSB and the Digital modes. All QSOs will be uploaded to ClubLog once a day depending on the Internet connection. QSL OZ0 either direct or via the bureau.

JH1NBN will be active as C21BN from Nauru between July 27th and August 16th. Operations will be on 80 through 6 meters SSB using simple antennas with 100 watts. QSL via his home callsign.

Lastly, members of the Royal Omani Amateur Radio Society will once again be active as A43MI from Masirah Island between August 7th through the 11th. Operations will be on the High Frequency bands using CW, SSB and the Digital modes. QSL via A47RS, either direct or via the bureau.

(This weeks DX information courtesy of the Ohio-Penn DX Newsletter)

**

THAT FINAL ITEM: LARGEST COLLINS RADIO AM SHORTWAVE TRANSMITTER SAVED FROM EXTINCTION

And finally this week, a historic radio transmitter has been saved from the scrap-heap thanks to three organizations who worked diligently to preserve it. Amateur Radio Newsline’s Skeeter Nash, N5ASH, has the story with a happy ending:

--

The announced transfer of the Voice of America broadcasting station in Delano California to the General Services Administration for disposal had potentially sealed the fate of the last compete Collins Model 821A-1 250,000 watt High Frequency Autotune transmitters in the world.

Meantime the Collins Collectors Association and the Antique Wireless Association had formalized an alliance named the Collins Radio Heritage Group. Hearing of the potential loss of the transmitter the latter working in cooperation with members of the Arthur A. Collins Legacy Association began campaigning to save some of the significant historical artifacts related to the Delano Voice of America transmitter site.

In December of 2013 a proposal was submitted to the Voice of America and the Government Services Administration to recover, preserve and display the transmitter and the studio control console from the Delano site. This past May the proposal was approved and recovery began. The effort was recently completed with the transmitter, studio board and other associated remote gear being removed and shipped to the Antique Wireless Association Museum in Bloomfield New York where they will be displayed.

Im Skeetrer Nash, N5ASH,

--

A future vision of the groups involved in saving the transmitter include coordinated displays in both Bloomfield, New York and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with live streaming video and audio connecting both locations.

(Press release)

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE

With thanks to Alan Labs, AMSAT, the ARRL, CQ Magazine, the FCC, the Ohio Penn DX Bulletin, Radio Netherlands, 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 Hal Rogers, K8CMD, saying 73 and we thank you for listening.

Amateur Radio Newsline™ is Copyright 2014. All rights reserved.

 

Short notice???

Commonwealth Games venues are decided with the same timeframe as the Olympics, 7 years ahead. Ofcom had plenty of notice and more than enough time to make an announcement after the Olympics finished.

 

between 144.000 to 144.100 MHz is not used much even in US, because it is CW only band. I suppose advantage of 144 MHz or 430 MHz is that they can use inexpensive radio less than $50 , often as low as $30. those inexpensive radio should be just fine for short term use.