Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1933 – August 29 2014

Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1933 – August 29 2014

Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1933 with a release date of August 29 2014 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

A ham radio floater balloon makes two trips around the world; an IARU Region One official says 23 centimeters is in jeopardy; Moldavia joins the CEPT universal licensing system; International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend sets a new record and a Morse sprint will honor the memory of the late Nancy Kott, WZ8C. Find out the details are on Amateur Radio Newsline™ report number 1933 coming your way right now.


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HAM HAPPENINGS: HAM BALLOON CIRCUMNAVIGATRES EARTH

British radio amateur Leo Bodnar, M0XER, recently launched several solar powered balloons that have managed to circumnavigate the globe. The most interesting of these appears to be B 64 as we hear from Amateur Radio Newsline’s Heather Embee, KB3TZD:

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B-64 carrying an 11 gram transmitter payload, was launched from Silverstone in the UK on July 12th and it's still flying. It completed its first circumnavigation of the Northern Hemisphere on July 31 and its second complete trip on or about August 21^st. When last reported it was on is third round the world trip over northern Russia heading towed the Arctic Circle at an altitude of about 40,000 feet above mean sea level.

B-64 transmits 10 milliwatt signal on 434.500 MHz signing M0XER dash 4 and using the data modes Contestia 64/1000 and APRS. In designing the balloons payload, Bodnar has utilized some clever techniques including the storage of up to 5 days of positions when the balloon is out of radio contact. It later transmits a log file of its previous locations in the comments field of the APRS packet when ground acquisition is re-established. This enables a fairly complete path to be built up.

Like all od Bodnar’s floaters, B-64 is a plastic foil party balloon that flies between 25,000 and 45,000 feet as carried by winds aloft. When looked at on an APRS tracking map if you see only a straight line on the track it means that it is currently out of radio contact.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, Im Heather Embee, KB3TZD.

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Bodnars' other balloons still aloft are designated as B-63 and B-66. The paths of all of them in flight over the past 6 weeks can be seen at spacenear.us/tracker/flyb.php (Southgate, others)

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HAM RADIO IN SPACE: IARU – R1 TO DISCUSS PODSSIBLE LOSS OF 23 CM BAND

A dire prediction the imminent loss by amateur radio of the 23 centimeter band has been issued by an official International Amateur Radio Union Region One. The warning along with suggested action was authored by Michael Kastelic, OE1MCU, who is the Chair of the IARU Region One VHF UHF and Microwave Committee.

In his paper, OE1MCU writes that the latest reports he has received make it seem to him that radio amateurs will lose the 23 centimeter band in the near future. He does not offer any specific date for this to happen but he does note that the current amateur 23 centimeter allocation includes a key Amateur Satellite Service uplink band at 1260 to 1270 MHz which is now being shared as a downlink for the new European Galileo Global Positioning System.

OE1MCU goes on to note that in his opinion, if the loss of 23 centimeters happens that a proposal for a new amateur radio allocation such as 1300 to 1310 MHz should be added to the agenda of the 2018 World Radio Conference. This so that amateurs still have spectrum to utilize near the current 23 centimeter allocation in which to operate.

A short excerpt from his paper to be presented at the upcoming International Amateur Radio Union Region One conference slated for September 21st to the 27th in can be found at amsat-uk.org/tag/iaru. (IARU-R1, AMSAT-UK)

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RADIO IN SPACE: ANOMALIES DETECTED IN ORBITS OF 2 GALILEO SATELLITES LAUNCHED THIS WEEK

Meantime what might be at least a minor setback for the European Galileo G-P-S system has been reported by European Space Agency. This after two of the satellites recently launched for the system have shown an anomaly in their orbits the implications of which for the overall mission have yet to be determined.

Arianespace which was responsible for launch and the orbital injection of the satellites acknowledged that complementary observations gathered after the separation of the two birds from the Soyuz launch vehicle have highlighted a discrepancy between targeted and actual orbital height for the Galileo satellites. An Arianespace spokesperson later said that the satellites are in an orbit lower than was planned.

Meantime, the European Space Agency said that both satellites are safely in orbit and are being controlled from its operations center in Germany. Also that further information on their status will be made available after the preliminary analysis of the situation is completed.

Since it was approved back in 1998, the European Commission has invested the equivalent of some $17 billion United States dollars in the Galileo program. Since then it has suffered years of delays due to political and industrial disagreements. (Published News Reports)

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RESTRUCTURING: MOLDOVA HAS JOINED CEPT LICENSING

International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 reports that Moldova has signed the pan-European CEPT Novice and Class 1 amateur radio license agreement.

The CEPT Radio Amateur License Class 1 corresponds to the United States Extra and United Kingdom's Advanced and Full licenses. The CEPT Novice License is closely compatible to the Unites States General and United Kingdom Intermediate license.

There is also a CEPT entry class license which equate to the United States Technician and United Kingdom Foundation class, however Moldavia is not joining in that entry level system at this time.

CEPT which is an English acronym for the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administration which was established in 1959. Among its duties is the administration of a universal licensing system that permits radio amateurs in a given member nation to receive reciprocal operating privileges in that of other member nations. (IARU-R1)

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EMERGING HAM TECHNOLOGY: THE VK6IRO TRANS INDIAN OCEAN BEACON PROJECT

A trans-Indian Ocean 2 meter Chirp modulated beacon is now in its planning stage. Chirp is a spread spectrum technique that uses its entire allocated bandwidth to broadcast a signal making it robust to band noise.

The VK6RIO beacon transmitter will be located in Perth, Australia with the receive site in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Its purpose will be to detect possible openings on 144 MHz via Troposphereic Ducting across the Indian Ocean, which has never been accomplished before. The use of Chirp means that the receive site will be able to detect a signal at up to minus 50 decibels below the actual band noise floor.

Right now, the Australia to South Africa path is considered the greatest terrestrial challenge for VHF radio amateurs, and is even more difficult than such a contact using moon bounce techniques. (SARL)

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DX UP FRONT: K5LBU ANNOUNCES CGANGE OF PLANS

In DX up front, Charles Frost, K5LBU, has announced that the planned trip to Mozambique with WB6OJB has been canceled. This, due to medical problems with the latter. Instead, K5LBU will be going to Botswana in early September and is looking for additional operators for a 4 to 7 day trip. If you are interested, contact him ASAP via E-mail at 3da0cf (at) gmail (dot) com. (OPDX)

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DX UP FRONT: LUXEMBOURG SEPTEMBER 10 THROUGH 17

Also, PA3EWP, PA1AW, PA9JO and PB5X will be active stroke LX from Luxembourg from September 10th through the 17th. Operations will be on 80 through 10 meters with four stations using all modes. QSL via PA1AW. (OPDX)

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DX UP FRONT: ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS IN NOVEMBER

And down the calendar a bit more comes word that W4VKU will be leading a team of ten operators to the Andaman Islands and Nicobar Islands in November. The callsign for both activations will be VU4KV. QSL’s go via W4VKU. (OPDX)

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BREAK 1

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the Ski Country Amateur Radio Club repeater serving Vail Colorado.

(5 sec pause here)

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ENFORCEMENT: FCC PROPOSES $14000 FINE TO CB OPERATOR WHO REFUSED STATION INSPECTION

The FCC has proposed a $14,000 fine against Tommie Salter of Jacksonville, Florida. This for apparently refusing to allow an inspection of his Citizen Band radio station by Commission personnel. Amateur Radio Newsline’s Stephan Kinford, N8WB, has the details:

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According to its August 22^nd release the FCC says that Tommie Salter has a history of causing interference to his neighbor’s home electronic equipment. On March 17, 2004, the Enforcement Bureau’s Tampa Office issued him a Notice of Violation for failing to allow an agent inspection of his CB station in response to interference complaints. After receiving further interference complaints, the Tampa Office restricted Salter’s hours of operation three times from 2004 to 2006. And in 2004 he was assessed a forfeiture for operating a non-certificated CB transmitter during his restricted hours.

Fast forward to this past March 21^st. In response to a new complaint of interference to a neighbor’s home electronic equipment, agents from the Tampa Office monitored radio transmissions on 27.245 MHz in the 11 meter Citizens Band. They also used radio direction finding techniques to locate the source of the signals to Salter’s residence.

At that point the agents knocked on the front door and identified themselves to him as Commission personnel. They then told Salter about the interference complaint and asked if they could inspect his CB radio station. But Salter denied the agents’ request.

The agents then verbally warned Salter that refusing to allow an inspection of his CB radio station violated the Communications Act and the FCC’s Rules. As such his refusal could result in a forfeiture action. But Salter again denied the agents request.

Now, as a result of this refusal the FCC has issued a $14,000 Notice of Apparent Liability to Salter which is double the base amount of $7000. In doing so the regulatory agency notes that Salters’ actions demonstrate a deliberate disregard for the Commission’s authority and its rules and thus warranting a significantly increased penalty over the base amount.

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

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As is usual in cases such as this, Tommie Salter was given the customary 30 calendar says from the FCC release to pay the full amount or to file a written statement seeking reduction or cancellation of the proposed fine. (FCC)

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RADIO LAW: CALIFORNIA PASSES NEW CELLPHONE ANTI-THEFT LAW

California Governor Jerry Brown signed new legislation that requires that all smart phones destined for sale in the Golden state sold after July 1, 2015 to contain a remotely controllable anti-theft security feature. One that could be used to render these devices inoperable if lost or stolen.

This technology already exists but up to now phone owners must choose it. The new California law will require it to be a default standard on all new phones but owners will be able to turn of the feature if they choose to do so. (Published News Reports)

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PUBLIC SERVICE: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR JIMMY FUND WALK

Hams are needed to assist in this years Jimmy Fund Walk slated for Sunday, September 21st in Boston, Massachusetts. Assignments usually run from 5 AM to 7 PM Eastern Daylight Time, but there are some half day morning openings as well. All communications is on 2 meter FM so a good antenna for an HT with extra batteries are required for the First Aid Station assignments. A mobile antenna is needed for use on transport buses. For more information or to volunteer please contact Steve Schwarm by e-mal to w3eve (at) arrl (dot) net and put the words Jimmy Fund in the subject line. More is on line at jimmyfundwalk.org (W3EVE)

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PUBLIC SERVICE: MASSACHUSETTS RIDE TO DEFEAT ALS

Still with public service events in Massachusetts, we have all seen the video’s of people around the world taking the ice bucket challenge to increase awareness and raise funds for research into finding a cure for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis better known by the acronym ALS. But this is not the only way that awareness of this killer disease is being brought to the attention of the public.

Ham radio is also doing its part and one of the groups involved is the Worcester Emergency Communications Team. It is in the process of soliciting radio amateurs to help with communications for the Annual Ride to Defeat ALS that will be held in the city of Wayland, Massachusetts on Sunday September 28th.

If you wish to volunteer or have any questions please contact Rob Capizzio via e-mail at rob (at) kc2ema (dot) net. More information about the event is available at tinyurl.com/als-bike-ride.
(KG1H)

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NEW GEAR: ICOM PREVIEW 50TH ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION IC-7850

Icom has displayed a pre-release version of what is calling a very special High Frequency and 6 meter radio in celebration of the company’s 50^th anniversary. Designated as the IC-7850, the radio is based on Icom’s IC-7800 but incorporates several circuitry improvements as well as special styling.

Icom says that the IC-7850 will be produced early in 2015 but in very limited numbers. You can download a brochure on this 50th anniversary Icom radio in PDF format at tinyurl.com/new-ic-7850. A short video of the IC-7850 recorded at the Tokyo Hamfaire is on line at tinyurl.com/icom-anniversary-radio (Southgate, others)

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NEW GEAR: YAESU FT-991 KW/50/144/430 MHz TRANSCEIVER

Yaesu has announced the introduction of a new High Frequency, VHF and UHF base station transceiver dubbed the model FT-991. This new transceiver is capable of operating SSB, CW, AM, FM, Packet as well as the company’s exclusive System Fusion C4FM Digital Voice mode.

The FT-991 is not yet listed on the Yaesu English language website nor has any pricing been announced. However specifications are available at several independent sites on the World Wide Web including nicktoday.com. You can see a short video of this new transceiver on YouTube at tinyurl.com/n462ksn. (Southgate, others)

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RADIO ENTERTAINMENT: VK9MT MELLISH REEF VIDEOS POSTED

Four short videos have been posted on the VK9MT Mellish Reef Web page on the recent DXpedition to that remote location. Titles of the videos are "Mellish Reef 2014 Collage," "Sailing to Mellish Reef,” "VK9MT Setup" and "VK9MT Setup Short Form". Each runs less than 10 minutes and can be found at Videos can be found at tinyurl.com/mellish-2014-video. (OPDX)

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HAM RAPPENINGS: ILLW 2014 SETS SOME NEW RECORDS

The just concluded 2014 International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend saw 541 registrations from 56 countries making for some new records in the annual event.

According to Jim Linton, VK3PC, some 20 per cent of all registrations were first-time activations. New countries for the event included Barbados and Kuwait.

Linton says that it was an outstanding year for the United States which has with 91 activations. This, exceeded the previous an all time high of 80 it achieved back in 2011.

Some first-time portable operations of former maritime navigation structures came from several countries that in all numbered more than 100.

Linton says that already 30 registrations are listed for next years International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend that will be held on August 15 and 16 of 2015. More about this year’s event is on the web at illw.net (VK3PC)

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NAMES IN THE NEWS: COMMISSIONER PAI AT UPCOMMING NAB RADIO SHOW

National Association of Broadcasters president Gordon Smith will engage in a one-on-one chat with FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai. This, the annual Radio Luncheon at the upcoming joint 2014 NAB and Radio Advertising Bureau gathering slated for September 10th to the 12th in Indianapolis. Indiana.

Commissioner Pai has been very outspoken on just about every aspect of broadcasting and telecommunications since his appointment back in 2012. He and Smith are expected to discuss communications policy and how it affects free, local radio broadcasting. (TalkMedia)

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NAMES IN THE NEWS: WZ8C MEMORIAL CW SPRINT

The North American QRP CW Club and FISTS are jointly sponsoring a special Morse sprint on September 3, from 0000 to 0300 UTC. This, in memory of the late CW advocate Nancy Kott, WZ8C.

WZ8C was the leader of the FISTS CW Club in North America as well as being past editor of WorldRadio and WorldRadio Online magazines. She was also a 2014 inductee into the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame in recognition of her work in promoting Morse code.

This sprint is part of month-long operating challenge that is also being done in Nancy Kott’s memory. Complete details about the exchange, log submission, etc. can be found at tinyurl.com/remembering-wz8c. (CQ)

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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)

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CHANGING OF THE GUARD: ASTRONAUT STEVE NAGEL N5RAW - SK

The changing of the guard in Amateur Radio continues. This, with the sad news that NASA astronaut Steven Nagel, N5RAW, who flew four space shuttle missions, died Thursday August 21^st.

Nagel became a NASA astronaut in August 1979. He first flew as a mission specialist on STS-51G, which launched on June 17, 1985. In 1991 as Commander on flight STS-37 he was among the all ham radio crew where he was joined by astronauts Ken Cameron, KB5AWP; Linda Godwin, N5RAX, Jay Apt, N5QWL, and Jerry Ross the former N5SCW.

During this mission, the crew aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis deployed the Gamma Ray Observatory for the purpose of exploring gamma ray sources throughout the universe. They also conducted the first scheduled spacewalk in more than 5 and a half years as well the first unscheduled spacewalk to free a stuck antenna on Gamma Ray Observatory. Some of the crew members spent many of their free hours using the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment 2 meter ham radio station to talk with youngsters in schools around the world. That flight was chronicled in the joint ARRL and AMSAT video Ham Radio in Space.

Nagel’s last flight was as commander of STS-55 that carried the German D-2 Spacelab. With that mission’s completion Nagel had logged a total of 723 hours in space. He then assumed a position with the Astronaut Office from which he retired in March of 1995 to become the of deputy director for the Operations Development, Safety, Reliability, and Quality Assurance Office.

In September 1996, Nagel transferred to the Aircraft Operations Division where he performed duties as a research pilot, chief of aviation safety and deputy division chief. He retired from NASA on May 31, 2011.

Nagel is survived by his wife, Linda, and his two daughters, Lauren and Whitney. At the time of his passing Nagel was age 67. (NASA, published news reports)

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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: ELECTRON’S QUANTUM BEHAVIOR RECORDED BY LASERS

Researchers say they've come up with a way to record and control behavior of a single electron at the quantum mechanical level which they say could bring quantum computing and information processing one step closer. Hal Rogers, K8CMD, reports:

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The team headed by University of Chicago scientists focused on the quantum mechanical property of electrons knows as spin. They report using ultra fast pulses of laser light to control the quantum state of electrons contained inside nano scale defects located in a diamond. They then observed changes in that electron over a period of time.

The researchers say that this all operates in a manner similar to the way conventional computers hold bits of data. Those being a binary 1 or 0 in an electron’s charge state. In a quantum-based computer spin states of individual electrons would represent a quantum representation of that same bit.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Hal Rogers, K8CMD.

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You can read the entire story of this new discovery on the web at tinyurl.com/laser-quantum-experiment (TechTimes.com)

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HAM RADIO IN SPACE: ASSISTANCE NEEDED IN TRACKING NEW GREEK HAMSAT

The Cyprus Amateur Radio Society is asking all radio amateurs to support the work of the Lambdasat program which is in the process of readying the first Greek ham radio satellite for operation. This through what it calls the establishment of the necessary infrastructure for reception and relaying of the micro satellites signals back to the controllers on Earth for scientific analysis.

Lambdasat, was launched on Sunday, July 13th from the Wallops Island launch facility and was received at the International Space Station about three days later. The satellite remained stored at the International Space Station for scheduled deployment on Tuesday, August 26th. It is expected to remain in orbit from 9 to 11 months. More details about the project and how to assist is on the web at tinyurl.com/first-greek-hamsat (CARS)

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PROPAGATION STUDY: NEW 222 MHZ BEACON ON THE AIR FROM GRID EN52

A new 222 MHz beacon has come on the air from Clinton, Wisconsin. Located in Grid Square E N 52 the beacon operates on 222.058 MHz signing N9HF running about 3 ½ watts from a vintage Midland 13-509 transceiver into a single horizontally polarized halo antenna. The N9HF beacon went on the air at 0001 GMT on August 23rd. Reception reports go to n9hfontheair (at) gmail (dot) com (VHF Reflector, W9JJ)

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DX

In DX word that G3ZEM will be operating stroke 4 W from a water's edge location of Timor Leste between October 8^th and the 20th. Activity will be on 160 through 10 meters primarily on CW. There will be a focus towards the lower frequency bands if conditions are favorable. QSL via M0URX. VE3LYC and KD1CT will attempt to operate from Matthew Island from September 4^th to the 7th. They will maintain one station on the air around the clock, operating on all bands from 40 through 10 meters using CW and SSB. QSL via VE3LYC, direct or by the Bureau. HA0HW will be on the air from Thassos Island as SW8WW between September 12^th and the 22^nd. He will operate mainly CW, with some SSB and RTTY on the HF bands and on 6 meters. QSL via his home callsign, direct or via the HA Bureau. Keep an ear open for K7TRB who will be active from Rwanda as 9X0VA until October. Bands and modes of this operation were not announced. QSL via his home callsign. K9EL will once again be operational stroke FS from St. Martin between November 20th and December 2nd. Activity will be on 160 through 6 meters. QSL via his home callsign. Lastly, ZS1ANF, RD3MX and UA1PAW will be active as RI1ANR from the Novo Runway Airbase in Antarctica between November 2014 and March 2015. Their operation will be on 160 through 10 meters using CW and SSB. QSL via RK1PWA. (This weeks DX news courtesy of OPDX) ** THAT FINAL ITEM: MAKE SURE YOUR DEVICES ARE CHARGED

And finally this week, if you are planning a trip by air to the United States you will want to make certain that the batteries in any electronic device you plan to carry with you are charged and ready to demonstrate to the TSA as we hear from Amateur Radio Newsline’s Cheryl Lasek, K9BIK:

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The TSA recently published an announcement stating that passengers boarding flights to the United States from certain overseas airports will need to prove that all electronic devices they plan to take with them on board a flight can be powered up.

Part of the text of the announcement says that the Secretary of Homeland Security has directed TSA to implement enhanced security measures at certain overseas airports with direct flights to the United States.

It says that as the traveling public knows, all electronic devices are screened by security officers. During the security examination, officers may also ask that owners power up some devices, including cell phones. Powerless devices will not be permitted onboard the aircraft. The traveler may also undergo additional screening.

The announcement goes on to say that the TSA will continue to adjust security measures to ensure that travelers are guaranteed the highest levels of aviation security conducted as conveniently as possible.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Cheryl Lasek, K9BIK, reporting.

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As many hams who travel internationally carry an HT in addition to cellphones, laptops and the like, it will be important to be able to demonstrate to the TSA that devices that work off internal batteries can indeed be powered up. More is on-line at the link provided in this weeks printed Amateur Radio Newsline report. More is on line at http://techcrunch.com/2014/07/06/ch...ock-dead-devices-at-some-airports/?ncid=twitt
(TSA, Published news reports)

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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 Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB, saying 73 and we thank you for listening.

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