Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1970 July 31 2015 Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1970 with a release date of Friday, July 31, 2015 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. The FCC gets tough to the tune of $22,000. British amateurs test for their American licenses. In Arizona, hams join Pima County?s emergency response team. One satellite scores big on Field Day. And a British special event station prevails despite poor propagation. All this and more in Amateur Radio Newsline report 1970 coming your way right now. (Billboard Cart Here and Intro) Here is this week?s news with Don Wilbanks AE5DW and Skeeter Nash N5ASH. We open with a news roundup from the FCC: RADIO REGULATION: TWO FCC CRACKDOWNS In amateur radio, interference has a price, and in the case of repeat offender Michael Guernsey of Michigan, it?s a hefty one. The FCC has hit Guernsey, license KZ80 (formerly ND8V), with a $22,000 fine for intentionally causing interference with amateur communications and for his failure to identify on the air. Guernsey, who has a publicly documented history of offenses and violations dating back for more than 10 years, had first been given an FCC warning a year ago that he faced a fine of this magnitude. On July 2014, the agency issued a Notice of Apparent Liability, proposing the fine in light of Guernsey?s long and contentious history, which at one point also included a nine-month license suspension. At the time of the notice, Guernsey denied he had created the interference, suggesting that another, nearby radio amateur was the source. The FCC, however, said it had positively ruled that possibility out after monitoring his station. Last week?s Forfeiture Order recapped Guernsey?s violations, citing ?the deliberate playing of music on top of the transmissions of other amateur operators? adding that he employed ?various animal noises to prevent the communications of other stations with whom he had a longstanding and well-documented dispute.? Guernsey has 30 days to pay up ? or arrange for an installment plan. Another ham ? this time in Georgia ? has also landed in a tangle with the FCC on charges he repeatedly failed to identify himself and to acknowledge earlier FCC warnings. The FCC said that despite having documented charges against David Tolassi, W4BHV, by monitoring and recording his operations, the amateur has denied that he failed to identify himself on the air. The agency said Tolassi had shown ?deliberate disregard? for earlier warnings. The FCC has proposed fining Tolassi $1,000. These latest agency actions were made public a week after the FCC announced it would be closing 11 of its 24 Enforcement Bureau field offices for reasons of efficiency and economy. (ARRL, QRZNOW, FCC) UPDATE: DATE SET TO END VANITY FEE The regulatory fee to apply for a vanity call sign becomes history on Sept. 3. The FCC had announced last May it planned to retire the fee to reduce related administrative costs but did not say, at the time, when the fee would disappear. The agency now says that beginning Sept. 3, amateurs filing a vanity application will no longer have to pay. The FCC said the revenue it would otherwise collect from this and other regulatory fees ?will be proportionally assessed on other wireless fee categories.? The agency has a congressional mandate to collect an estimated $340 million in fees from all services in fiscal 2015 The vanity call sign?s present fee of $21.40 had been increased by the FCC from $16.10 in 2014, making it the largest hike in years. (ARRL) RADIO RECIPROCITY For hams, this may be the closest they?ll get to having dual citizenship: British amateurs are getting the opportunity next month to take the American license exam being offered at Lyne Village Hall in Surrey, England. ARRL Volunteer Examiners will offer the test on Aug. 27, charging the customary fee of 15 U.S. dollars ? which comes out to be approximately 1 pound sterling in the UK. Advocates in Britain are encouraging amateurs to go for it, since an American license would enable them to get on the air in the United States should they find themselves visiting and with access to radio equipment. The exam is being made possible through a reciprocal license offer between the U.S. and Britain?s Office of Communications. Registration deadline is Aug. 13. Applicants are being directed to Gene Reynolds, M0ZRG, N2ZTX. (Southgate Amateur Radio News, Russ Roberts/KH6JRM blog) PIMA COUNTY GETS PREPARED In Pima County, Arizona, first responders have adopted a reliable backup for when their emergency communications network fails. Not surprisingly, it?s ham radio. Amateur Radio Newsline's Skeeter Nash, N5ASH, has the story: [Skeeter?s interview with Pima County EOC official] (Pima County, Arizona) IRELAND?S NODE FOR NEWS The opportunity for more international QSOs via EchoLink just grew by one more gateway, thanks to the Avondhu Radio Club in Ireland. Club members have announced that their new node, based in Watergrasshill, County Cork, has become operational, under the call sign EI7WHG. Hams looking for access to the repeater should key in EchoLink node number 395897. Locally, the repeater is at 430.075 MHz, with a 67Hz tone. (IRISH RADIO TRANSMITTER SOCIETY) DEVELOPING NATIONS GET GRANTS Three amateur radio projects have been announced as the newest recipients of supporting grants from the Yasme Foundation, the California-based not-for-profit which assists such projects in developing countries. They are: The Organizing Committee of the 2018 World Radio Team Championship, for fees associated with special call sign stations; the Reverse Beacon Network, to enable equipment to be bought to establish a node in Ethiopia at club station ET3AA; and in Liberia, a representative of the Voodoo Contest Group for materials to train future licensees. Yasme, named for the boat of pioneering DXPeditioner Danny Weil, a Silent Key, works to advance development of amateur radio around the world. For more information about the foundation, visit www.yasme.org (YASME FOUNDATION) BREAK Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world. We are being relayed by the volunteer services of the following radio amateur: (5 second pause) CASSIOPE FIELD DAY RESULT More than a month after Field Day, the excitement continues over that big event?s results -- only this time the scores have nothing to do with points and multipliers. The success, in this case, belongs to the Canadian-built CASSIOPE Satellite and the international group of researchers working with it. A radio receiver instrument on board the satellite was able to pick up, decode, and listen in on, numerous Field Day stations tramsitting CW on 80 and 40 meters, according to researchers. The radio receiver instrument, known as the Enhanced Polar Outflow Probe, or ePOP, measured the outflow of plasma from the ionosphere into near-Earth geospace. Most of the 23 stations the on-board instrument picked up and decoded were in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana ? with most of them on 40 meters. Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, a graduate researcher from Virginia Tech, said the experiment opens the door to design more tests of this kind. (ARRL, Russ Roberts/KH6JRM blog) STUDENTS BREAK FOR LAUNCH Six Colorado students, working in cooperation with their school's amateur radio program, can honestly say they had a blast - or rather, a blastoff - earlier this month. The youngsters created an Automatic Packet Reporting System beacon that was sent into space on July 18 aboard a 25-foot United Launch Alliance rocket in Pueblo, Colorado. The students from the STEM School and Adademy in Highlands Ranch designed and built the payload with the help of Academy instructor Jeff Dunker and the students? mentors at Ball Aerospace and United Launch Alliance. Transmissions from the 2-meter, 2-pound payload allow those on the receiving end to determine speed, elevation and GPS data while the rocket flies at 10,000 feet. The APRS uses the school?s AB0BX repeater on the national APRS frequency. "It's like fox hunting with radios," said Byron Paul Veal of the Rocky Mountain Division of the APRL. "We find triangulations that are emitted by a frequency when it launches." Students will also be able to locate the ultimate landing spot by receiving longitude and latitude via GPS. While in flight, however, the rocket and that special payload will provide high adventure -- in every sense of the word. (Centennial Citizen, ARRL Rocky Mountain Division) ALL?S FAIR IN RADIO AND WAR In amateur radio, as in war, poor conditions don?t bring the action to a grinding halt. And so it was with Special Event Station ON1418WOD, which faced off against uncooperative propagation on Sunday, July 19, as its crew in Great Britain proceeded with their planned commemoration of those who died in World War I. The portable station kept its spirits, and its signal, up and contacted what it called ?a large number? of stations against the odds. Their next battle strategy: to prepare for next year?s event and hope the bands do the same. (SOUTHGATE AMATEUR RADIO NEWS, Russ Roberts/KH6JRM blog) RADIO RESEARCH: HAARP GETS A TRANSFER HAARP, the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, is going to college. The ionospheric research facility is set to move from the hands of the U.S. Air Force to join the University of Alaska-Fairbanks on Aug. 11. The Gakona, Alaska facility was spared from shutdown and demolition last year by the military?s agreement to delay that plan. And now it is about to become part of the university?s Geophysical Institute, under a agreement between the school and the Air Force. The news is especially heartening to the ARRL, whose CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, had praised HAARP?s research for its value to amateur radio operators in a letter earlier this year to Chuck Hagel, then Secretary of Defense. ?Most of our 164,000 members employ ionospheric propagation of HF radio signals for their communications and technical investigations,? Sumner wrote. ?Ionospheric research,? he continued, ?therefore has great significance and importance to us.? University researcher Chris Fallen, KL3WX, was among those from the amateur community advocating for the facility. He has told ARRL that HAARP, which has 180 radio antennas, has ?unique relevance to hams.? He said, however, that the facility has been relatively idle since June of last year and it wasn?t likely research would resume there until next spring. (ALASKA DISPATCH NEWS, ARRL) IN DX: During the upcoming International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend, Aug. 14 through 16, look for members of the RADIO CLUB URUGUAYO operating as special event call sign CW1R from Punta del Este Lighthouse. They?ll be on 80-10 meters using CW, SSB and the Digital modes with at least two stations on the air. QSLs are via the Bureau or direct to: Radio Club Uruguayo, P.O.Box 37, 11000, Montevideo, URUGUAY, SOUTH AMERICA (w/self-addressed envelope and 1 new IRC or 2 green stamps). The Nikola Tesla birthday celebrations aren?t through yet. Members of the Radio Club Nikola Tesla, E74BYZ, are continuing their activity honoring the radio pioneer through Aug. 10 from Banja Luka. QSL direct via E77E or E7 QSL Bureau. Also via e-QSL. The anniversary of Tesla?s birthday was July 10. Kenji JA4GXS, will once again be active as JA4GXS/4 from Kasado Island in Yamaguchi Prefecture between August 22-23rd. Activity will be on 40/20/17/15/6 meters using CW and SSB. QSL via JA4GXS, direct or by the Bureau. Henning, OZ1BII, will once again be active as ZF2EE from George Town, Cayman Islands (NA-016), between August 7-9th. Find Henning on 160 through 10 meters, on mainly CW using an Elecraft K3 w/100w into Cushcraft R6 vertical and a 110 ft Long Wire. It will be a busy time for Henning, who also plans to be in the Worked All European DX CW Contest as Single-Op/All- Band/Low-power entry from the ZF1A clubstation. He plans to work non-EU stations before and after the contest. QSL via OZ1BII, by the Bureau or LoTW. For more details and updates, visit: www.oz1bii.dk Rene, DL2JRM, will be active as OY/DL2JRM from the Faroe Islands (EU-018) between August 7 and 10th. Activity will be on 80-10 meters using mostly CW. QSL via DL2JRM, by the Bureau or direct. (OHIO-PENN DX NEWSLETTER) FROM MISSILES TO A MISSION And finally, we consider Missouri?s Signal Hill. The appropriately named Signal Hill in that state?s city of Pacific, has gone from being a Cold War cornerstone to emerging as a digital radio frontier. The site will be home to a new 56-foot tower and 23-foot antenna being installed by the Pacific Meramec Valley Amateur Radio Club for its new D-Star repeater. Pacific city administrator Harold Selby, who pushed for installation of the digital repeater, is licensed ham KA?WXX and vice president of the club. The amateur club was created only a year ago, with help from the city, as part of Pacific?s emergency management strategy, which calls for area hams to take an active role in disaster communications. The 873-foot-high Signal Hill, the highest point in that region of Missouri, has achieved an even higher profile now with its new public service role. During the Cold War, the hill had been home to Nike signals when those missiles were stored at the nearby Hercules base. Now Signal Hill will become a base in its own right ? this time, for peaceful communications that could help save lives and ensure public safety. (Pacific Meramec Amateur Radio Club, The Missourian) NEWSCAST CLOSE With thanks to Alan Labs, Alaska Dispatch News, AMSAT, the ARRL, CQ Magazine, DXWorld, Hap Holly and the Rain Report, the Missourian newspaper; the Ohio-Penn DX Newsletter, the Pacific Meramec Amateur Radio Club, Pima County, Arizona; Russ Roberts/KH6JRM, Southgate Amateur Radio News, TWiT TV, QRZNOW, and you our listeners, that?s all from the Amateur radio Newsline. Our email address for news tips and comments is arnewslinetips@gmail.com, and our original email address, newsline@arnewsline is back up as well. 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, CA 91350. For now, I?m Don Wilbanks AE5DW with Skeeter Nash N5ASH, Caryn Eve Murray, KD2GUT, at the news desk in New York, and our news team worldwild saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2015. All rights reserved.
@KB7TBT Looks like there are still some problems with the encoding of the newsletter here on QRZ. There are a lot of question marks where punctuation should be...just an FYI.
If the dollar had sunk that low when I lived in Europe I couldn't have afforded all the good German beer I drank. You are correct, one dollar U.S would be about 75 pence in GBP. Or conversely, one GBP would be about $1.50 USD.
Who cares about how many people the fcc busts .. do hams really get off on reading about who is getting busted every week for real? no wonder no one talks on the bands anymore.
so, if brits can get u.s. licenses, can americans get u.k. licenses? who is giving the u.k. tests here in "the colonies"? why? i guess why not?
Get ready for all the kooks to come out of the woodwork once you mention HAARP. I've had people tell me it's to control the weather, start earthquakes, or fry "enemies" of one sort or another. When I've tried to explain what it does I'm branded either a dupe or "in on it" and that the shutdown is just "what they want us to believe." Oh well, technical literacy was never all that high in this country.
Don't know if anyone is offering them here, but I've met one American who got a UK licence (sic) there. With an Extra you can get a temporary licence there too. Here's some info I ran across, linked to the ARRL page on operating abroad: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/ra/publication/ra_info/ra247.htm
