Amateur Radio Newsline™ Report 1941 – October 24 2014

Amateur Radio Newsline™ Report 1941 – October 24 2014

Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1941 with a release date of October 24th 2014 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams in the Philippines to assist in Manila crime watch; the Sun unleashes an X class flare on October 22; China launches a ham radio payload to circle the moon; CQ issues a revised policy statement in regard to Crimea in contest scoring; the Veterans Administrations announces plans for its own High Frequency radio network; Russia plans to launch newly designed smart mini satellites and how to collect cosmic rays on a smart phone. Find out the details on Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1941 coming your way right now.


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WORLDBEAT: HAMS TO BE AMONG VOLUNTEERS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR CROMINAL ACTIVITY IN MANILA

Ham radio operators will soon be among several groups of volunteer radio operators on the lookout for criminal activities in the city of Manila in the Philippines. Amateur Radio Newsline’s Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF has the details:

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The Department of the Interior and Local Government has requested that volunteers from a number of communication groups use their radios to report from areas subject to a high incidence of theft and robberies.

Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II and the National Capital Region Police chief recently ‎met with various communications groups as part of an anti criminal activity campaign. This included representatives from the Philippine Amateur Radio Association, React Philippines and several other volunteer radio communication organizations. Discussions centered on areas where the radio equipped volunteer observers would be deployed as well as their responsibilities.

For them to be easily recognized by those in need of assistance the radio equipped volunteers will wear red berets and red vests. On observing criminal activities or receiving a complaint the radio operators would notify one of a number of command centers. The command centers will in turn relay the complaints to the police stations for officers to be dispatched.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government and the radio communication groups will sign the Memorandum of Agreement in November. Roxas acknowledged that the collaboration was prompted by the lack of police deployed to patrol in high crime areas. He added that if this pilot project is successful in the metro Manila area it would also be expanded to other geographic regions.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, in Nelson, New Zealand.

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The complete story of this crime fighting initiative in Manila is on the web at tinyurl.com/anti-crime-drive (inquirer.net)

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PROPAGATION: X CLASS FLARE CAUSES RADIO OUTAGE

If the ham bands seemed to suddenly disappear from your radio on October 22^nd, you can blame it on the sun. According to a report posted to Facebook by Thomas David Hood, NW7US, a strong, level X 1 point 7, sunspot x-ray flare was produced by active sunspot region AR 2192 peaking at 14:28 UTC. This caused an R3-level radio blackout on the sunlit side of the Earth, during the flare event.

NW7US said that if a Coronal Mass Ejection or CME was released, it is likely heading toward Earth and would arrive in anywhere from two and four days. Hood, who writes the propagation column in CQ Magazine notes that if that occurs, it would result in Aurora along with degradation of shortwave radio propagation. You can follow Hood’s solar activity reports at facebook.com/spacewx.hfradio. Updates are also available at spaceweather.com (NW7US via Facebook)

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HAM RADIO IN SPACE: HAM RADIO PAYLOAD ON ITS WAY TO CIRCLE THE MOON

China has launched its robotic moon circling mission that carries a ham radio payload. The main purpose of this flight is to test of re-entry technology for the country's future lunar sample-return mission. Complete details on the role of amateur radio can be found beginning on page 14 of the mission outline at tinyurl.com/lux-space-moon. The file is in PDF format. A wed-based report on the actual launch provided by NASA is at www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/10/china-lunar-sample-return-test-mission (LUX Space, NASA)

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RESTRUCTURING: CEPT TO CONSIDER REGION 1 ALLOCATION ON 4 METERS

A proposal has been adopted to modify the European Common Frequency Allocation table to assign 69.9 to 70.5 MHz in the 4 meter band on a secondary basis to the Amateur Service.

International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 and five IARU Region 1 countries submitted the proposal at a meeting of the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations or CEPT. This when its Frequency Management Working Group met October 6th through the 10^th in France.

At this time more than two dozen governments that comprise members of International Telecommunications Union Region One have adopted the CEPT agreement that permits amateur radio operators the use of part or all of the 4 meter band. Others have taken wait and see position looking to the CEPT and the ITU for final guidance on this matter.

Efforts to place a request for an allocation at 70 MHz in the region one on the CEPT future action table have been underway since the mid-1990’s. From here the matter will work its way through the organization for ongoing consideration and possible future action. (IARU-R1, Southgate)

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WORLDBEAT: UK 146 – 137 MHZ NOTICES OF VARIATION NOW AVAILABLE VIA RSGB WEBSITE

United Kingdom holders of that nation’s Full license class can now apply for Notices of Variation to gain temporary access to use the 146 MHz to 147 MHz band.

As reported last week, British telecommunications regulator Ofcom had published a Statement that included an intention to release an additional megahertz of 2 meter spectrum to radio amateurs on a temporary basis but UK hams wanting to use the spectrum would require a Notice of Variation.

Now comes word that applications for the Notices of Variations can be made via the RSGB website from the end of October. These Notices of Variation currently being issued have an expiration date of October 31, 2015. What type of activity will take place in this added temporary spectrum is at airtime unknown. (RSGB)

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RADIOSPORTS: CQ MAGAZINE REVISES POLICY ON CRIMEA IN CQ SPONSORED CONTESTS

CQ Magazine says that it has reconsidered an earlier decision regarding contact credit made with stations in the Crimea. This after receiving requests from contesters world-wide.

On September 17th, CQ announced that logs will not be accepted for any CQ contest from stations in Crimea operating with Russian-issued call signs. Also, contacts made by others with those stations will be removed from contestants' logs without penalty and that no contact or multiplier credits will be given.

This brought on some highly heated debate both on the air as well as in web-based discussion groups. Now, in its October 21st response to requests from a large number of contesters around the world, CQ has reconsidered its decision.

As CQ Publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA, explained, a large portion of the contesting community felt that CQ was unfairly denying our fellow amateurs in Crimea of the opportunity to fully participate in our contests. Ross went on to say that since the country list for CQ contests is based on a combination of the Worked All Europe and ARRL DXCC lists, and the ARRL has already adopted a policy regarding Crimean stations in its award and contest programs, CQ will amend its policy to be consistent with the ARRL's DXCC policy.

With this latest decision the listings of Crimean stations submitting logs for CQ contests will be based on the call sign under which they have operated. If they used Russian-issued calls in the contest, they will be listed under Russia. If they used Ukrainian-issued calls in the contest, they will be listed under Ukraine.

According to Ross, this change reflects not only the desire of many contesters around the world, but also of a large majority of members of the CQ World Wide DX Contest Committee. (CQ)

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DX UP FRONT: ZD9 TRISTAN DA CUNHA OPERATION CANCELLED.

In DX up front, the Italian DXpedition Team has announced that its ZD9TT DXpedition to Tristan Da Cuna originally planned for September 2014, but later postponed until September 2015 due to transportation issues, has now been canceled. The group also says that it will no longer advertise its plans in advance and that it regrets that this decision might affect the plans of other teams. However, it feels compelled to adopt this policy due to the course of events. (OPDX)

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DX UP FRONT: CHRISTMAS ISLAND THROUGH OCTOBER 31

A team of operators from Poland should be active as VK9XSP from Christmas Island through October 31st. Operation will be on 160 through 6 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY with two to three stations on the air 24 hours a day. Special attention is being paid to the lower bands and to areas where Christmas Island is the most difficult to work. QSL’s go via SP6EQZ. (OPDX)

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DX UP FRONT: DXCC APPROVED FOR E30FB ERITREA

The ARRL has announced that last the September 17^th to the 22^nd E30FB from Eritrea sponsored by the Foundation for Global Children has been approved for DXCC credit. This was the operation by JH1AJT reported on extensively in past Amateur Radio Newsline reports. (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 Pacific Maritime Net serving the needs of the sailing community in the Pacific Ocean.

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RESCUE RADIO: VETERANS ADMINISTRATIONS ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR ALE BASED HF RADIO NETWORK

The Department of Veterans Affairs is looking to establish its own High Frequency radio network to link up medical facilities in case of an emergency that damages or destroys other normal lines of communications. Amateur Radio Newsline’s Stephan Kinford, N8WB, has more:

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NextGov.com has reported on a plan by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Strategic Acquisition Center to award a five year firm fixed price Indefinite Delivery and Indefinite Quantity contract for the creation of a new high frequency radio network for its exclusive use. The contract will include equipment, installation, testing, certification, warranty and training to guarantee that the network will be a fully functional turnkey and resilient emergency communications system.

As outlined, this HF Network shall be made up of a yet to be determined number of 400 watt backbone stations. These will work in tandem to receive and automatically relay communications 125 watt fixed and mobile stations located at approximately 200 Veterans Health Administration facilities.

This High Frequency Network would operate somewhere in the 3 to 30 MHz spectrum though no exact frequencies have been mentioned. As outlined it would provide emergency two-way radio communication, along with an interconnect to the existing public switched telephone network as well as cellular and Internet Protocol telephone networks. This would allow for radio-to-telephone communication and Automatic Link Establishment better known in ham radio circles as ALE. The Veterans Administration plans to issue a formal request for proposals by October 31st.

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

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An in-depth look at this proposal including a ham radio aspect in its planning is on the web at tinyurl.com/VA-HF-network (NextGov.com, Southgate)

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RADIO LAW: ARRL EXEC COMMITTEE POLICY STATEMENT ON AR MOBILE OPERATION

The ARRL Executive Committee has adopted an updated Policy Statement on amateur radio mobile operation. While agreeing that driver inattention is a leading cause of auto accidents and that concern over driver distraction "is not unreasonable," the policy cites Amateur Radio's 70-year history of two-way mobile operation as evidence that such radio use does not contribute to driver inattention.

The policy statement goes on to point out that Amateur Radio operation differs from cell phone communication in part because the device need not be held to the face to listen. Also, no text messaging is involved and mobile ham operators only need to pick up a microphone to make brief and infrequent transmissions.

Prompting the policy update is the 2012 federal law titled "Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century" or MAP-21. This is a statute that requires states to enact and enforce laws that prohibit texting through a personal wireless communications device while driving in order to qualify for federal grants to support a state's program.

Many states already have statutes in place that restrict the use of cell phones and other communication devices to a greater or lesser degree, and several already exempt Amateur Radio. The ARRL is urging states or localities to adopt motor vehicle codes that narrowly define the class of regulated devices, in order to specifically exclude Amateur Radio from their jurisdiction.

The complete ARRL position on this issue can be found at arrl.org/mobile-amateur-radio-policy.

(ARRL)

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RESCUE RADIO: FCC ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT WITH INDUSTRY CANADA FOR CROSS-BORDER PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS

A new pack will permit cross border hand-held radio communications between the United States and Canada between those involved in public safety issues in both nations.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and Industry Canada Senior Assistant Deputy Minister Kelly Gillis have signed an agreement allowing public safety officials who cross the U.S.-Canada border to use their hand-held radios in either country. The agreement called a Statement of Intent between the FCC and Industry Canada expands roaming privileges originally granted to public safety officials in a 1952 Treaty.

The big difference is that the new Statement of Intent allows public safety officials to operate hand-held radios in the other country whereas the 1952 agreement only contemplated the cross-border operation of radios installed in public safety vehicles. The Statement of Intent also eliminates the need for the host country to issue permits to public safety officials crossing the border provided the radios used by such officials are licensed in their country of origin. (FCC)

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ENFORCEMENT: FCC AFFIRMS $24000 FINE FOR INTERFEREING WITH SHOPING CENTER RADIO SYSYEM

The FCC has denied a Petition for Reconsideration filed by Kevin W. Bondy and at the same time has affirmed a forfeiture of $24,000 against him. This, for engaging in unlicensed operation, intentionally interfering with licensed radio operations, and refusing to allow an FCC inspection of his radio equipment.

Back in 2009 the FCC received a complaint about interference to the operations and security frequency for a shopping center in Thousand Oaks, California. The security manager told the Enforcement Bureau someone was interfering with the center’s 461.375 MHz and 466.375 MHz frequencies after which the FCC traced the interference to Bondy.

According to the FCC, Bondy admitted he was trying to force the shopping center off its frequencies by transmitting NOAA Weather Radio on their radio channels. The agency said Bondy also refused to allow an inspection of his transmitting equipment and eventually issued the $24,000 Notice of Apparent Liability to him.

Bondy did file an appeal but on October 14^th the FCC ruled that it was procedurally defective because it was filed to late. It then upheld and affirmed the fine and gave Bondy fifteen calendar days to pay the amount in full or to contact the agency to arrange a time payment schedule.
(FCC)

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ENFORCEMENT: FCC AFFIRMS $20000 FINE TO UNLICENSED FLORIDA BROADCASTER

The FCC has affirmed a penalty of $20,000 against Marc-Nus Charles for operating an unlicensed radio station in Pompano Beach, Florida.

This past June 2nd , the Enforcement Bureau’s Miami Office issued a Notice of Apparent
Liability for Forfeiture to Charles for his alleged operating an unlicensed radio transmitter on the frequency 92.5 MHz in Pompano Beach.

Before issuing the proposed fine the regulatory agency had warned Charles in writing that such operations are illegal. When the stations broadcasts continued the FCC proceeded to issue the $20,000 Notice of Apparent Liability but Charles did not filed a response to the proposed fine.

In affirming the fine the FCC stated on October 16th that the fact the Charles ignoring the agency’s warnings demonstrated a deliberate disregard for the Commission’s authority and its rules, warranting a significant penalty. As such, and based on the information before it, the FCC affirmed the $20,000 forfeiture and gave Charles the thirty calendar days to pay in full. (FCC)

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NAMES IN THE NEWS: JEAN L. KIDDOO JOINS FCC WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS BUREAU AS DEPUTY BUREAU CHIEF

Some names in the news. The FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau has announced that Jean L. Kiddoo has been named as its Deputy Bureau Chief.

Ms. Kiddoo is a graduate of Colgate University and earned her law degree from the Catholic University of America. For more than 30 years she has represented telecommunications, media and technology companies before federal agencies, courts and state regulatory commissions.

She is a longtime member of the Federal Communications Bar Association and served as its President from 1999 to 2000. (FCC)

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NAMES IN THE NEWS: KELLY KLAAS, K7SU, TO RETIRE FROM TOWNSQUARE MEDIA

Longtime Twin Falls, Idaho, broadcaster Kelly Klaas, K7SU, will retire at the end of the year from Townsquare Media. This, after more than 45 years on the air.

Klaas began his radio career as a Top 40 Disk Jockey in 1969 at station KEEP which is today known as KEZJ. He ascended through various positions, including News Director and Program Director, but most enjoyed hosting and delivering the news.

Klaas is the recipient of numerous awards from the Idaho State Broadcasters Association including Newscaster of the Year, Best Farm Broadcast of the Year and several Best Commercial Production of the Year. He also served as a station Chief Engineer and was essential in integrating new stations into the existing operations.

On retiring, K7SU plans to spend more time with his grandchildren, operating his amateur radio station and woodworking shop. He also expects to pursue his interest in photography. More about his career and interest in ham radio is at www.K7SU.com (All Access Media, magicvalley.com)

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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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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: OFCOM EXPERIMENTS WITH NEW BROADBAND SYSTEM IN UK

United Kingdom telecommunications regulator Ofcom is in the middle of trials of what it calls an innovative new wireless technology as we hear from WIA reporter VK2LAW:

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Ofcom is progressing plans for the introduction of new wireless technology in the UK – the first country in Europe likely to do so.

Both public and private organizations are taking part in trials, testing a variety of innovative applications, using spectrum temporarily licensed by Ofcom.

With trials already taking place across the country, Ofcom is working with Google and ZSL London Zoo. These are the latest organizations to launch a TV ‘white space’ trial, using the technology to stream live footage of animals to YouTube.

There are seven trials currently running across the UK, testing a variety of applications, including: live wireless video streaming, next generation Wi-Fi, sensor networks for flood defense, and broadband in remote locations.

I’m VK2LAW.

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How long this trial period will last and when the results will be made available to the public is unknown at this time. (WIA News)

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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: COLLECTING COSMIC RAYS ON A SMARTPHONE

Scientists at two campuses of University of California are looking to get voluntary public support in their efforts to measure and track what they term as the unimaginable number of cosmic ray particles that bombard the Earth every second of the day. And all anyone needs to participate in this research is a smart-phone with a camera and the researchers’ new Cosmic Rays Found in Smartphones or CRAYFIS app.

According to a news release, the app works by recording and tracking every time one of these particles hits a smart-phone camera’s sensor. This effectively turns the device into a pocket based detector, computer and data recorder. By creating the app and making it available to the general public, the scientists believe that they can remotely gather data and build a larger database than they could ever possibly compile on their own.

Right now what’s being called the CRAYFIS group is letting people sign up for beta versions of the app that’s available for both Android and iOS platforms in an attempt to gather a sufficient number of volunteers. They say that the challenge is to create a willing user base within a dense enough area to gather all the required data.

The complete proposal which includes graphical representations of the research is available at the Cornell University Library in several formats at www.arxiv.org/abs/1410.2895 (petapixel.com)

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WORLDBEAT: NEW SCHEDULE FOR SARL AMATEUR RADIO TODAY BROADCAST

The South African Radio league has announced a new broadcast schedule for its program Amateur Radio Today. As of October 26th the Sunday morning transmission will take place at 10:00 central African time will be transmitted on 7 dot 205 and 17 dot 760 MHz. The Monday transmission will be at 18:30 Central African Time on 4 dot 895 MHz.

As many broadcasters around the world make their frequency change on October 26th, reception reports on the various frequencies from around the world will be appreciated. Please send reports to artoday (at) sarl (dot) org (dot) za. (SARL)

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WORLDBEAT: HAM RADIO FOR YOUNGSTERS URGED IN WEST BENGAL

India’s ZeeNews reports that members of the West Bengal Amateur Radio Club recently met with the governor of West Bengal. This, in the hope of making headway to popularize the hobby among the youth in that area.

In the interview with the newspaper, VU2MQT who took part in the meeting noted that basic equipment to get started in amateur radio is very simple, inexpensive and user-friendly. He also noted that the process is easy enough for children to understand. Because of this the best way to begin is to introduce ham radio into West Bengal school curriculum.

The article is titled Ham Radio Can Counter Dark Side of Social Networking. It can be found in the English language at tinyurl.com/west-Bengal-ham-radio (ZeeNews.com)

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HAM RADIO IN SPACE: 2ND ANNUAL AFRICA CUBESAT WORKSHOP

Radio amateurs from around the world are invited to attend the second annual International Africa CubeSat workshop to be held in the city of Cape Town on November 3rd and 4th. The venue is the Bellville Campus of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Registration is free. More information is at www.sarl.org.za (SARL)

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HAM RADIO IN SPACE: CALL FOR PROPOSED ARISS EDUCATIONAL CONTACTS COSES DECEMBER 15, 2014

The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station or ARISS program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations. These to host an amateur radio contact with a crew member on board the International Space Station next year.

ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between May 1st and December 31st, 2015. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, planners would like organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and that can integrate the contact into a well developed education plan. Crew scheduling and International Space Station orbit parameters will determine the exact contact dates.

The deadline to submit a proposal is this December 15th. Interested parties can find more information about the program at www.ariss.org. A contact proposal form is at tinyurl.com/ariss-contact-2015. (ARISS)

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DX

In DX, DG1BH is reported to be operating stroke 5B from Cyprus and will be there through November 9^th. Activity will be QRP holiday style using a FT-817 on 20 meters on PSK and some SSB. QSL via his home callsign, direct or by the Bureau.

DL1WH will be operating stroke P from Pellworm Island until October 28th. Activity is holiday style and mainly CW. QSL via his home callsign, either direct or by the bureau.

KL7SB will be active from Raratonga as E51RAT between late November and early December. He will operate only as time permits but is definite for November 29^th and 30^th. QSL via NI5DX.

KK6BT will be operational as TX5W from Raivavae Island in the Austral Islands group
between January 5^th and the 11th of 2015. His operation will be on 40 through 10 meters including 17 and 12 meter bands, operating exclusively SSB. His primary objective is
to work as many amateurs in Central and Northern Europe as possible. QSL information will follow shortly.

Lastly, a multi-national team of operators from Belgium, The Netherlands and Greece will be active likely using the call EP6T from Kish Island in January 2015. Reportedly, it took nearly 3 years of negotiations and a reconnaissance trip by ON4HIL, to Tehran which finally resulted in obtaining a legal license to operate with a team of ten people for fourteens days. The group plans to have at least four stations on the air around the clock for at least 10 days. Activity will be on 160 through 10 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY. More information will as well as a Web page for this DXpedition will be available in the near future.

(This weeks DX news brought to you courtesy of the Ohio-Penn DX Newsletter)

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RADIO IN SPACE: RUSSIAN SMART MINI-SATELLITES TO GO INTO ORBIT IN 2016

And finally this week, the first group of Russian smart mini-satellites should be launched into orbit in 2016. Amateur Radio Newsline’s Heather Embee, KB3TZD tells us about these new and very intelligent mini birds:

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A number of Russian universities and space industry companies are expected to create a specialized aerospace association. One which will work on creating software to control groups of mini-satellites and improve their ability to interact with one another.

Mikhail Sonkin is the Deputy Governor of Russia's Tomsk Region. He announced that association members will include the Tomsk Polytechnic University and the Tomsk State University. Also, that in addition to the smart mini-satellites both will also be working on developing new materials for the space industry as well as on establishing communication networks in remote areas.

Last month, Sergey Psakhie who is the Chairman of the Presidium of the Tomsk Scientific Center announced that Russian scientists were planning to create unique mini-satellites capable of group interaction. The satellites will be similar to the CubeSats that were developed in the United States, but would be able to self-educate and repair each other without leaving the Earth's orbit. This is quite a step forward in miniature satellite design.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Heather Embee, KB3TZD, reporting.

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Sonkin is made the announcement at the recent Open Innovations Forum in Moscow. (ANS via RIA Novosti and Space Daily)

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NEWSCAST CLOSE

With thanks to Alan Labs, AMSAT, the ARRL, CQ Magazine, the FCC, the Ohio Penn DX Bulletin, Rain, the RSGB, the South African Radio League, the Southgate News, TwiT-TV, Australia's WIA News and you our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. Our e-mail address is newsline (at) arnewsline (dot) org. More information is available at Amateur Radio Newsline's only official website located at www.arnewsline.org. You can also write to us or support us at Amateur Radio Newsline, 28197 Robin Avenue, Santa Clarita California, 91350..

For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors’ desk, I’m Jim Davis, W2JKD, saying 73 and we thank you for listening.

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