RadioBanter - Moderated

rec.radio.amateur.moderated Posting Guidelines

rec.radio.amateur.moderated Admin — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 06:00:02 GMT

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Archive-name: radio/ham-radio/moderated/guidelines
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Changes followed by "|".

Welcome to rec.radio.amateur.moderated! This is a moderated newsgroup
for amateur radio operators and other people having an interest in the
Amateur Radio Service, as defined by national regulations and
international treaties. Following are the posting guidelines for this
newsgroup.

This message includes the following sections:

1. Topics and posting policies from the rec.radio.amateur.moderated Charter
2. Additional posting guidelines
2.1 Netiquette guidelines
2.2 Posting form requirements
2.3 Guidelines on signature (.sig) files
2.4 Guidelines on excessive quoting
2.5 Guidelines on pointers to outside sources
2.6 Guidelines regarding questioning someone's suitability to hold
an amateur radio license
2.7 Guidelines regarding name-calling
2.8 Guidelines regarding civility
2.9 Guidelines regarding anonymity and pseudonyms |
2.10 Other unacceptable topics |

----------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Topics and posting policies from the rec.radio.amateur.moderated Charter

rec.radio.amateur.moderated is an inclusive on-line community of amateur
radio operators and other people having an interest in the Amateur Radio
Service. Participants are invited to engage in open discussion of
amateur radio issues and exchange information about participating in the
hobby/service, in an atmosphere of civility, friendship, and fun.

Acceptable topics include but, are not necessarily limited to, questions
and discussions about amateur radio licensing, regulations, tips on
various aspects of setting up an amateur radio station, and sharing
operating experiences and insights.

Unacceptable posts include, but are not limited to, buy/sell/trade
posts, posts that are off-topic to the Amateur Radio Service, posts
promoting or defending unlawful activities, etc.

Frequently-Asked-Questions lists and other information/bulletin/
announcement postings may be crossposted to rec.radio.info, rec.answers,
and news.answers only with prior approval of the moderators of those
newsgroups. In all such cases, an appropriate "Followup-To" header,
containing only rec.radio.amateur.moderated, will be added by the
moderators if one is not already provided.

After a 30-day public discussion and feedback period to gauge reader
opinions in March of 2009:

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.r...d337db35f23326

the rec.radio.amateur.moderated Moderation Team had decided to consider
amending its charter, and permit limited simultaneous crossposting to
rec.radio.amateur.moderated and one other unmoderated
amateur-radio-related discussion newsgroup. After a successful trial
period (90 days, through early July 2009), we decided to adopt this
change permanently.

Approved rec.radio.amateur.* newsgroups are those that are currently
listed in the latest version of the "List of Big Eight Newsgroups" which
is crossposted monthly to news.announce.newgroups, news.groups, and
news.lists.misc.

Approved alt.radio.amateur.* and alt.ham-radio.* newsgroups are those
that have been created consistent with the suggestions in "So You Want
to Create an Alt Newsgroup" at:

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/alt-creation-guide/

Approved regional hierarchy newsgroups are those that contain either
"radio.amateur" or "ham-radio" in their names, including
uk.radio.amateur and aus.radio.amateur.misc.

We will make every reasonable effort to keep our list of approved
newsgroups up-to-date. In case we have overlooked any, and a submission
is rejected in error as a result, the rejected submitter can E-mail us
at our administrative contact address (in the signature at the bottom of
this article, and the default Reply-To for the rejection message)
requesting that it be added, and that the article be approved. We may
still choose to reject articles crossposted to any alt.* newsgroup with
an inappropriate name, including obscene language, embedded
name-calling, or encouragement of unlawful conduct.

Posters are encouraged to state their own views and share their
experiences, but to refrain from making assumptions about the
motivations of other newsgroup participants. Posters are expected to
maintain a basic tone of civility. Prohibited uncivil discourse
includes, but is not limited to, name calling.

Posts containing unsolicited advice questioning the right, worthiness,
suitability and/or readiness of any individual (or members of any group)
to be an amateur radio operator are unacceptable in this newsgroup. If
an individual chooses to post asking for advice on when or whether to
obtain an amateur radio license, or to participate in any type of lawful
activity in the Amateur Radio Service, respondents should be careful to
address their comments only to the original poster and not explicitly
generalize to others in similar situations.

Similarly, posts that arbitrarily declare certain classes of amateur
radio licenses, or certain members of national amateur radio societies
(e.g., American Radio Relay League, Radio Amateurs of Canada, Radio
Society of Great Britain, Wireless Institute of Australia, etc.), to be
more or less worthy than others, are not permitted. Posts that politely
encourage individuals to join their local amateur radio society, or to
upgrade to higher classes of amateur radio license in order to enjoy
greater operating privileges, are permitted, however. Posts that
contain reasoned, civil, and fact-based discussion of the activities and
internal politics of national amateur radio societies are also
permitted.

Buy/Sell/Trade and Commercial Policy:

Posts containing offers to buy, sell, or trade are not permitted on
rec.radio.amateur.moderated. The rec.radio.swap newsgroup was created
for this purpose, and should be used instead. All such articles will be
rejected by the moderators with the advice to re-post to that newsgroup.

This policy also prohibits links to, and discussions of, specific
auctions. Posts on the subject of how ham operators can help newcomers
to find good deals, or about the need to visit flea markets and look
around locally before turning to auction sites, are acceptable, but not
complaints about a single auction or auction site.

Postings that are entirely advertisements or other public relations
campaigns will not be permitted. Relatively unbiased announcements or
reviews of new amateur radio-related products or services may be
permitted at the discretion of the moderators. Such posters are asked
to disclose their financial or professional interest, if any, in such
products or services.

Mentions of small amounts of free items, including both parts and
equipment, for giveaway will be permitted on an occasional basis from
casual, non-commercial owners, and at the discretion of the moderators.
The items should be free except for reasonable direct costs such as
shipping, must be directly amateur-radio-related, must be in serviceable
condition, and be practical to ship to a distant recipient. This is
intended as a common-sense exception to our ban on forsale postings,
provided that it doesn't overwhelm the basic character of our discussion
newsgroup with classified ads or requests to haul off scrap or junk in
salvage condition.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

2. Additional Posting Guidelines

2.1 Netiquette guidelines

Participants who are new to Usenet should familiarize themselves with
the "netiquette" of Usenet as well as the particular posting guidelines
for this group. Several useful posts for "newbies" can be found on the
newsgroup news.announce.newusers or on the WWW at:

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/by-newsgrou....newusers.html

Particularly helpful articles are:
Welcome to Usenet!
Rules for posting to Usenet
Hints on writing style for Usenet
A Primer on How to Work With the Usenet Community
Emily Postnews Answers Your Questions on Netiquette
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Usenet

Because rec.radio.amateur.moderated is a Usenet newsgroup, there are
implied or derived guidelines for participation that are drawn from the
above articles about overall Usenet culture and tradition. Two of these
implied or derived guidelines are encapsulated in two basic rules that
our moderation team uses to initially determine whether an article is
appropriate for our newsgroup. They are restated explicitly here for
clarification:

Basic Rule #1: The article must be on-topic for amateur radio. A
rule-of-thumb that our moderation team applies is whether the article
mentions amateur radio, ham radio, some synonym for amateur or ham
radio, some technique or practice of amateur or ham radio including
closely related technical topics such as antennas or portable power, or
regulatory politics that directly affect amateur radio. This
rule-of-thumb is also applied to determine if an article in a thread has
drifted too far off-topic. For example, articles that have drifted into
general rants or monologues will probably be returned with a polite
request to rewrite to include a reasonable amateur radio connection or
angle.

Basic Rule #2: The article must not have excessive spelling, grammar, or
logical argument errors affecting readability and understandability.
The moderation team understands that clear, understandable, technical or
expository writing is a skill that can only be perfected through a
lifetime of focused training and practice. Because the moderation team
does not want to hold submitters to a standard higher than what it can
achieve itself, nor disrupt the newsgroup and discourage submitters by
playing spelling or grammar police, it will only return for rewrite any
article that cannot be reasonably understood by multiple moderators.

If it is necessary to return any article for a rewrite because the
moderators have determined that it does not meet Basic Rule #1 or #2,
please accept this constructive feedback in the manner in which it is
intended. The moderation team offers its assistance to help rewrite any
submitted article into a form that preserves its original intent and
meaning, but is also on-topic, as well as readable and understandable by
others.

2.2 Posting form requirements

Any article that falls into any of the following categories will be
automatically rejected:

A) Articles that contain original text of more than 75 characters
per line
B) Crossposted articles to newsgroups not included in these
Guidelines
C) Articles that contain more than 400 lines
D) Encoded binary files (except PGP and other short digital
signatures)
E) Attachments to posts
F) Articles containing obscene language
G) Articles from individuals who have been suspended or banned
from the newsgroup

2.3 Guidelines on signature (.sig) files

Many people close each article they write with a few lines of common
text. This may be a cute quip or quote, or may include information
about their family, contact information, or disclaimers required by
their employer, for example.

Signature files used on rec.radio.amateur.moderated posting must be no
longer than 8 lines.

The content of a poster's signature need not be relevant to amateur
radio, but it must not violate any of the other posting guidelines.
(For example, name-calling that would not be acceptable in the body of a
message is also unacceptable in a signature.) Posters may include
Uniform Resource Locators (URL's) and business addresses in signature
files, provided they comply with all the other guidelines regarding
signatures.

2.4 Guidelines on excessive quoting

Posts more than 20 lines long that also have more than 75% quoted text
will be carefully reviewed by a moderator to determine if that degree of
quoting is warranted. Posts with excessive quoted text may be rejected.

Posters must show a reasonable effort to trim the post they are replying
to and to include just enough material to establish context. "Me too!"
posts are discouraged, and, when posted, must edit the quoted material
significantly.

2.5 Guidelines on pointers to outside sources

Unsolicited announcements and pointers to web sites that are strictly
advertisements or other public relations campaigns are not permitted.
However, a pointer to a website or other external source of information
is permitted and encouraged in cases where it is relevant to an existing
thread, with appropriate context being given in the post. A URL with no
information about what a user should expect to find there will be
rejected. A pointer to information that is off-charter for
rec.radio.amateur.moderated will be rejected, as will a pointer which
itself does not meet the rec.radio.amateur.moderated guidelines (such as
a URL containing embedded name-calling).

Moderators are not responsible for verifying the contents of any
external information source.

2.6 Guidelines regarding questioning someone's suitability hold an
amateur radio license

Identifiable groups and individuals may not be asked/told/etc. not to
obtain an amateur radio license, or to only obtain certain classes of
amateur radio license. It is not permissible to make statements that a
person or members of a specific group "should" not, or should not be
allowed to, become an amateur radio operator.

Solicited advice of this type is permissible; however, posters must be
careful not to explicitly generalize to others who are in some way
"like" the poster asking the question. Stick to the individual asking
for advice.

It is acceptable to discuss verified violations, documented in criminal
convictions or other government enforcement actions, by a person or
members of a specific group.

2.7 Guidelines regarding name-calling

Nastiness addressed at a person is considered name-calling. Criticizing
a person's *actions* is not, provided that it is done in a civil manner.

Attacks on an action which by their very nature include an accusation
against the person's character are not acceptable. For example,
"That's a lie" implies an intentional prevarication, and is considered
name-calling. Acceptable ways of questioning the truth of a poster's
statement include the more tactful "I don't think that's true," "I
believe you are mistaken because..." or even simply "That's not true."
"That's not true and you know it" crosses back over into name-calling,
however.

2.8 Guidelines regarding civility

By charter, posters are expected to maintain a civil tone in all their
postings. The guidelines on name-calling cover part of that
requirement, but not all of it.

In general, posters are expected to consider the reputations of other
participants, and refrain from making unnecessary accusations or
assumptions about the motivations of others. A good rule of thumb is to
phrase your comments as your opinion -- "I think..." "It seems to me
that..." "This makes me wonder whether..." etc...

Posters are expected to make factual claims, to debate topics openly and
in good faith, and to accept honest criticism, all without provocation
or prevarication. At least one professional organization, the Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), has recognized that such
fair dealings are necessary components of ethical conduct, and has
incorporated them into its Code of Ethics:

http://www.ieee.org/about/corporate/...ance/p7-8.html

Though the Amateur Radio Service is not a professional endeavor, the
moderators strongly feel that the IEEE Code of Ethics is also a
worthwhile set of guiding principles for participants in the
rec.radio.amateur.moderated newsgroup.

Posters are not required to support the American Radio Relay League
(ARRL). However, they are expected to adhere to the spirit of the other
parts of the ARRL's "Amateur's Code":

http://web.archive.org/web/201001310...org/acode.html

2.9 Guidelines regarding anonymity and pseudonyms |

Contributors to rec.radio.amateur.moderated are encouraged to use their |
real names and/or amateur radio callsigns. This not only creates a |
greater sense of community in the newsgroup, it also lends credibility |
to posters' opinions. However, as a pragmatic concession to the |
realities of the present-day Internet, and consistent with the practices |
of other moderated newsgroups, pseudonyms and unroutable E-mail address |
are permitted with some restrictions. |

We ask that the From: lines of submitted articles not misrepresent your |
identity, not be changed often, and not match a user or domain name |
other than your own (spoofing). Please also realize that if you use an |
unroutable E-mail address, you will not be able to receive |
acknowledgment or rejection messages for your submitted articles. |

2.10 Other unacceptable topics |

Participants are reminded that the charter also prohibits posts
promoting or defending unlawful operating practices.

Posts may discuss whether operating practices are unlawful, or engage in
reasoned debate over why certain operating practices should or should
not be unlawful. Posts may discuss enforcement actions, such as by the
Federal Communications Commission in the United States or similar
government agencies in other countries, and evidence gathered by parties
such as Official Observers in support of complaints about unlawful
operation.

Discussions of what practices constitute unlawful operation in the
Amateur Radio Service should be limited to *factual* descriptions of the
laws in various jurisdictions. Posters' *opinions* as to what practices
they consider unlawful are not permitted. In particular, posters are
cautioned not to extrapolate their country's laws and regulations to
those in other parts of the world, as they may be quite different.

Posts that entirely concern themselves with other radio services or
hobbies, such as Citizen's Band, General Mobile Radio Service/Family
Radio Service, and Scanner or Shortwave Listening, are considered
off-topic to the rec.radio.amateur.moderated newsgroup. Newsgroups such
as rec.radio.cb, rec.radio.scanner, and/or rec.radio.shortwave may be
more appropriate venues for such posts.

Posts that attempt to publicly criticize moderators or moderation
decisions in the newsgroup itself are also not permitted, as stated in
our original newsgroup charter. Please direct any such critical
feedback to our administrative contact address at the bottom of this
article, where it will be carefully considered by an appeals team of
moderators. This team is distinct from the initial team of moderators
that approves or disapproves article submissions, and thus can provide
independent oversight of moderation decisions.

Similarly, if you see an obviously inappropriate article in our
newsgroup, please assume that it was a mistake or a direct forgery. The
moderation team makes every effort to protect the newsgroup from such
incidents, but they do happen, albeit rarely. You may also submit
feedback to the same address regarding such articles in our newsgroup,
but it is likely that our monitoring software and procedures have
already detected it, and we are actively handling the problem. Please
resist "piling on" with followups to the newsgroup when these incidents
occur, so that we don't have to reject such articles.

Due to Usenet newsgroup access being eliminated at many ISP's, including
MSN, AOL, RoadRunner, Time Warner, Verizon, Comcast, and Cox, we
receive many article submissions asking about free or low-cost
alternatives for accessing Usenet newsgroups such as ours. We initially
permitted this topic in light of the significant impact to many of our
readers due to this loss of access through their ISP's. However, this
subject is arguably off-topic for our newsgroup, is better answered by
other sources, and better discussed in other venues. Because of this,
we will no longer approve submissions that request or suggest where to
obtain access to Usenet newsgroups. For more information about this
topic, please consult the following:

- The last approved thread of discussion about this topic on our
newsgroup from October 2008:

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.r...cee92de293f615

- A list of News Service Providers maintained by the Big-8 Management
Board:

http://www.big-8.org/wiki/News_Service_Providers |

- A list of Public News Servers at the Open Directory Project:

http://www.dmoz.org/Computers/Usenet..._News_Servers/

- An article with links and reader suggestions at Broadband Reports:

http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/96318

- Google Groups:

http://groups.google.com

The rec.radio.amateur.moderated Moderation Team does not endorse or
recommend any particular News Service Provider (NSP). We encourage our
readers to choose the free or subscription service that best meets their
own personal needs based on their own evaluation of the available
alternatives.

Please direct any comments, questions, or criticisms about this article
to .

(Adapted, with permission, from the misc.kids.moderated Posting Guidelines.)

July 2013 QST Digital Edition

ARRL Web site — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 13:39:44 GMT

***July 2013 /QST/ Digital Edition - Now Available* July Digital QST

Go to this link and start reading: July 2013 /QST/
.

*Inside this Issue ...*

* Put a miniature SSTV camera to work with a PIC interface
* Give your old transceiver a facelift with an LED display
* See High Speed Multimedia in action in Texas
* Firsthand accounts from radio amateurs who served at the Boston
Marathon
* Build the "real" Q-Pole antenna
* ... and much more!

*Enjoy Content You Won't Find in the Print Edition*

* Watch video overviews of the MFJ-9982, Palstar AT2K and AT2KD
antenna tuners.

Every issue of /QST/ is filled with the news and features you need to
keep active in Amateur Radio. Enjoy this issue!

App Store
Download the */QST/ App* for Apple mobile device users. The app is free
in Apple's App Store
. Users with
Android devices should use the enhanced web version
of /QST/ which is
optimized to automatically recognize Android phones, tablets and e-book
readers.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*What is a digital edition?*
The digital edition of /QST/ is an electronic form of the journal. All
ARRL members have access to the digital edition of /QST/...a way to read
and interact with the current issue of /QST/ anytime, anywhere. Each
issue includes unique, digital-edition-only content such as video, audio
features and extra content. Members can also access the digital archive
for access to previous issues.

*How do I access the digital edition?*
/QST/ can be read online or downloaded onto some devices. Members must
have a valid ARRL website login to access this benefit. You can always
find a link to the current digital edition and archives at
www.arrl.org/qst . Apple iOS device users
(iPhone, iPad and iPod touch) can also access the digital edition from a
dedicated QST app. The app is free in Apple's App Store
.
To login or register, go to www.arrl.org/myarrl
.
Forgot password? Go to www.arrl.org/forgot-password
to reset your password.
Not a member? Join today and get access
to the current digital edition, now.
Need help? Visit the digital edition help page
for frequently asked questions.
Need more help? Contact Member Services by telephone 860-594-0200 or
888-277-5289 (US only) or email
>.

*Go Green! Go Digital-Only. *
You can choose to opt-out* of the mailed, print edition of /QST/ at any
time. Complete our online opt-out form
. Due to the lead
time required to prepare /QST/ for mailing, you may receive one last
printed issue. * Disclaimer: Choosing to opt-out of the print edition of
/QST/ is voluntary and will not result in a refund or reduction of ARRL
membership dues. Any savings will be used to extend the ARRL's reach in
the areas of public service, education, advocacy, technology and membership.

*About this email*
You are subscribed to receive monthly notification of the digital
edition of /QST/. If you have an ARRL website user account, you can
manage all of your e-mail preferences at www.arrl.org/myarrl
.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Logo
Address
225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111-1494 USA
www.arrl.org

Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1870 - June 14 2013

William M. Pasternak — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:16:57 GMT

Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1870 - June 14 2013

Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1870 with a release date of June
14 2013 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The International amateur Radio Union gets
ready for WRC 2015; a busy agenda for GAREC in Zurich; more and more
over the horizon radar invades the upper High Frequency bands; a
petition to extend Technician class privileges on 10 meters is filed
with the FCC and some strange communications from the insect world.
Find out the details are on Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) report number
1870 coming your way right now.

(Billboard Cart Here)

**

RADIO LAW: IARU STUDY IN PREPARATION FOR WRC 2015

The International Amateur Radio Union, also known as the IARU is
setting its sights on the upcoming 2015 World Radiocommunication
Conference. In a recent teleconference, the IARU Administrative
Council authorized the distribution of a paper which sets forth a
number of agenda items that will be considered during the gathering.
Amateur Radio Newsline's Heather Embee, KB3TZD, has more:

--

There are a number of agenda items that impact amateur radio and
amateur-satellite services. These include Agenda Item 1.1 which is to
consider additional spectrum allocations to the mobile service on a
primary basis and identification of additional frequency bands for
International Mobile Telecommunications and related regulatory
provisions. This is to facilitate the development of terrestrial
mobile broadband applications, in accordance with Resolution 233 passed
at WRC 12.

Agenda Item 1.4 is to consider possible new allocation to the amateur
service on a secondary basis within the band 5250 to 5450 Kilohertz.
Agenda Item 1.6.1 will look at possible additional primary allocations
to the fixed-satellite service of 250 MHz in the range between 10 GHz
and 17 GHz in ITU Region 1. Item 1.18 will consider a primary
allocation to the radiolocation service for automotive applications in
the 77.5 to 78.0 Gigahertz GHz frequency band.

Lastly, Agenda Item 9.1.8 will consider the regulatory aspects for
nano-satellites and Pico-satellites as required by Resolution 757
passed at WRC 12. This calls for the results of studies of the
procedures for notifying space networks that presently apply such tiny
birds to be reported to WRC 15.

Because of the possible implications of these studies for the amateur
radio and amateur-satellite services, the IARU is following their
progress very attentively.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, Im Heather Embee, KB3TZD, in Berwick,
Pennsylvania.

--

All IARU member societies are being encouraged to meet with their
respective telecommunication authorities to discuss the WRC 15 Agenda
Items and to gain support for the IARU positions. (RAC, VE3YV,
VE2MBS/VE2QQ)

**

RESCUE RADIO: BUSY AGENDA AT GAREC 2013 IN ZURICH

The delegates and guests at the Global Amateur Radio Emergency
Communication or GAREC 2013 Conference will have a busy agenda later
this month. This as they share ideas and learn the approach being
taken in different parts of the world.

GAREC 2013 will discuss the true objectives, dissemination of disaster
information at an international level, how to have hams prepared,
trained and involved, and convince authorities about amateur radio
emergency communication.

Stefan Streif HB9TTQ is an organizer of GAREC 2013. He advises that
one topic on the agenda is whether amateur radio has an emergency
communications role in Europe. This is because the authorities believe
their infrastructure is so good and its technical level so high, that a
disaster could not affect communications over a wide area.

This years Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communication Conference will
be held June 25th to the 27th in Zurich, Switzerland. More information
can be found at www.garec2013.ch. (VK3PC)

**

RADIO LAW: SOUTH AFRICA FIVE-YEAR LICENSE STILL LEAVES QUESTIONS

The South African Radio League says that it is still receiving
questions about the five year license issue with telecommunications
regulator the Independent Communications Authroity of South Africa also
known as ICASA.

The South African Radio League says that a detailed explanation of the
new rule was received from ICASA. According to that regulatory body if
a South African radio amateur paid for 5 years and has advised ICASA
accordingly, the problem will be sorted out. This even if a ham in
that nation has received a license for only this year.

ICASA says that the process may take several more weeks and it is not
necessary to call or contact them at this time.

Meantime the South African Radio League has placed the matter on the
Agenda of the next liaison meeting with the telecommunications
regulator. That conclave is scheduled for mid-June. (SARL)

**

INTRUDER WATCH: LOTS OF OTH RADAR ON THE UPPER HF BANDS|

The latest Amateur Radio Union Monitoring System Region 1 newsletter
reports a United Kingdom military station identified as STANAG 4285
station has been heard on the 20 meter band. Reports are that the
station which is believed to be in Norwich, England has been on
14.236.8 Megahertz. What action taken to get it to move is unknown

Also in the newsletter DGZ0JBJ reported during May no less than 11 Over
The Horizon or OTH radar systems have been heard on 20 meters, with 30
on 10 meters and an almost unbelievable 65 of these radar devices heard
and logged on the 15 meter band. The newsletter says that these
figures do not include the numerous frequency jumping Iranian Over The
Horizon radars in that nation.

You can read the entire monitoring service intruder report on the web
at tinyurl.com/hamband-intruder-alert. It's a real eye opener for
those who are new to HF and not quite certain of the source of the
noise that may be causing harmful interference to a QSO. (IARUMS-R1)

**

RESCUE RADIO: KEEPING HURRICANE NET FREQUENCIES CLEAR

The Atlantic hurricane season officially started on 1st June and many
predictions indicate an above average number of storms this year. And
as amateur radio continues to play a significant role in the gathering
and distribution of information for the weather and emergency services
each year hams in other IARU Regions are being reminded that the same
frequencies may be in use by nets in North and Central America to track
and deal with the consequences of these severe weather events. As
such, it is possible for Region 1 or Region 3 amateur stations to cause
unintentional QRM to these nets. Because of this, hams world-wide are
being asked to please listen carefully if operating near these
frequencies. A full list of which nets are operating on various
frequencies can be found on line at www.iaru-r1.org (IARU)

**

RESCUE RADIO: ARES RESPONDS TO COLORADO WILDFIRES

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service in Colorado is providing
communication support for personnel on the Black Forest and the Royal
Gorge Fires currently burning in the Southern part of that state.
Operators have been assigned to shelters, Emergency Operations
Centers's, and other locations as needed.

The Automatic Packet Reporting System or APRS is being used and
constantly updated with current data showing the locations of the
fires, shelters, evacuation zones, and road closures. You can find the
APRS data on APRS.fi and OPENAPRS.net. More in future Amateur Radio
Newsline reports. (Colorado ARES via Facebook)

**

BREAK 1

>From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline,
heard on bulletin stations around the world including the Woodchuck
Amateur Radio Club repeater serving Cleveland Ohio.

(5 sec pause here)

**

RESTRUCTURING: TOLEDO MOBILE RADIO ASSN SEEKS FM PRIVILEGES FOR TECHS
ON 10 METERS

The Toledo Mobile Radio Association has filed a Petition for Rule
Making with the FCC asking for increased voice privileges for
Technician Class license holders in the 10 meter band. In its request
the group is asking that Technician class privileges to include 29.520
MHz to 29.700 MHz which covers the gentlemen's agreement repeater
subband on 10 meters.

Tony Everhardt, N8WAC, is with the clubs Technical Committee. He tells
Amateur Radio Newsliine that the petition was the result of the club
considering the installation of a 10 meter repeater:

--

N8WAC: "During the talks of a 10 meter repeater I suggested that if we
put up a 10 meter repeater just the General class and higher can use
that which doesn't benefit the Technicians. This was a few months ago
and the more I thought about it the less it made sense that they
(Technicians) do not have FM privileges. They can talk world wide from
28.300 to 28.500 MHz but they are not able to use the FM portion of the
band."
--

So Everhardt brought the matter up to the clubs Technical Committee and
the concept of Tech's on 10 meter FM was warmly received:

--
N8WAC: "I brought up to the Technical Committee the suggestion of
filing a Petition and the Technical Committee was all for it. So the
Committee brought it up to the membership at the monthly meeting and it
was a unanimous decision to file the petition."
--

In its rule making request the Toledo Mobile Radio Association argues
that the current FCC rule that limits both Novice and Technician Class
operators to 28.000 MHz to 28.500 MHz is not in keeping with the
reality of today. It notes that with linking of various repeaters, the
Internet Radio Linking Project and Echolink it feels that Section
97.301 (e) which allows the Technician class license privileges on the
10 meter band only from 28.000 MHz to 28.500 MHz is outdated.

The bottom line of the Toledo Mobile Radio Association rule making
request is that its time to bring Technician voice privileges on 10
meters up to date. Also to bring them in line with the technology and
the reality of ham radio in the 21st century. (Toledo Mobile Radio
Association)

**

LAW: HAM MURDERED IN CALIFORNIA SHOOTING SPREE

A ham has been killed in what authorities are calling a homicide spree
by a Los Angeles area resident. The incident began with a report of
shots fired at Santa Monica home shortly before noon on June 7th.
Officers arrived to find the house on fire and two people later
identified as the shooter's father and brother dead of gunshot wounds
inside. One of those murdered was Samir Zawahri, N6KXL.

The shooter, who police say was wearing what appeared to be a ballistic
jacket, then shot a woman passing by in a car and carjacked another
woman at gunpoint. He directed her to drive to the college campus,
having her stop so he could shoot along the way. He fired on a city
bus where three women were left with minor injuries. Authorities say
that the gunman also fired on police cars, bystanders and pedestrians.

>From there, he demanded to be taken to Santa Monica College. In a
faculty parking lot he fired on two people in a red Ford Explorer that
crashed through a block wall. Police say that the driver was killed
and a passenger was in critical condition after undergoing surgery UCLA
Medical Center. He then shot a woman outside the college library
before entering and attempting to shoot students there. Police said
the rampage lasted about 10 minutes and ended when the shooter, who had
been firing a semiautomatic rifle, was shot and killed on the campus.

Authorities have not officially named the gunman but law enforcement
sources in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles have since identified him
as 23 year old John Zawahri, the son of Samir Zawahri, N6KXL. (AC6C,
KG6FBM, K6FCC, published news reports)

**

RADIO LAW: ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION VS. PERSONAL AUDIO LLC

A follow-up to last weeks story regarding Patent Trolls. Here's Don
Wilbanks, AE5DW:

--

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has also decided to do something
about Patent Trolls that are making life miserable for some Podcasters.
This in a campaign being called Help Save Podcasting.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is soliciting donations and
searching for prior proof of patent rights also known as prior art that
would derail the lawsuit brought by a group called Personal Audio LLC.
The Foundation says that the groups attorneys claim they own certain
patents that govern podcasts and they want money for use of podcasting
technology. They have filed lawsuits against some podcasters and now
have moved against larger broadcasting corporations, CBS and NBC.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation says that it is also partnering with
the Cyberlaw Clinic at Harvard to investigate legal avenues. More is
on-line at tinyurl.com/save-podcasting-campaign.

I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW.

--

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is an international non-profit
digital rights group based here in the United States. Among other
things it provides funds for legal defense in court and defends
individuals and new technologies from what it considers baseless or
misdirected legal threats. You can read more about the Electronic
Frontier Foundation at www.eff.org. (EFF, RW)

**

ENFORCEMENT: OMAHA NB. CITATION FOR SALES OF UNAUTHORIZED DEVICES

According to the ARRL, the FCC has cited an Omaha, Nebraska based
online retailer for marketing unauthorized RF devices. These include 10
and 12 meter amplifiers capable of several thousand watts output in
violation of FCC rules.

An FCC Citation dated June 6 orders the Enterprise Group Inc., doing
business as ePowerAmps, to immediately stop advertising, marketing and
selling all unauthorized radio frequency devices. These include
modified CB radios and non-certified external radio frequency
amplifiers for use in the 10 to 12 meter bands.

The FCC warned the Enterprise Group Inc. that continuing to engage in
such conduct could subject the retailer to substantial fines and
seizure of equipment. You can read more on-line at
tinyurl.com/Omaha-amp-citation. (FCC, ARRL)

**

BROADCAST BUSINESS: DIALECTRIC CLOSING LEAVES VA STATIONS WITHOUT A
PRIMARY ANTENNA

The decision by SPX Communication Technology to close its Dielectric
broadcast, TV, radio and wireless operation on June 29th is already
having an impact on television viewers in one city.

The Richmond Virginia Daily Progress reports that the antenna array
that serves public station WCVW and commercial stations WRIC and WRLH
suffered weather-related damage this past winter. Dialectric was
supposed to do the final repair this summer but with SPX decision to
close its Dialectric operations at the end of tthis month it appears as
if the company will not be around to do the job.

Workers did put up a temporary antenna as a result of damage that
happened to on March 6th. Because the temporary installation has a
shorter range than the original one, some viewers of the three stations
have been unable to receive over-the-air broadcasts since the
weather-caused damage occurred. (RW, Daily Progress)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: CROWD FUNDING SAVES TESLA MUSEUM

Some good news for those working to maintain the history of
communications. This with word that the famed Tesla Laboratory on New
York's Long Island has been saved and is now in the hands of the
non-profit organization that has been trying to purchase it for the
past eighteen years.

It all came about because of the dedication of famed cartoonist Matthew
Inman, who is the creator of "The Oatmeal." Inman was able to raise
$1,370,461 by crowd-funding to set up a permanent museum honoring the
great scientist.

The purchase price of the former Nikola Tesla laboratory was $850,000.
The remainder of the funds raised by the campaign will be used to clean
up and to begin renovations of the property.

Although the actual science center is going to take a lot more time to
finance and build, in the interim those involved in the project are
planning on having a celebration of sorts in Shoreham, New York,
hopefully sometime this summer. That event will focus on science,
technology, and innovation. You can read the entire story on-line at
tinyurl.com/tesla-museum-saved. (Southgate, other published news
reports)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: W9ZL TO CELEBRATE AIRVENTURE 2013

The Fox Cities Amateur Radio Club will once again be operating special
a event station in celebration of this years EAA Airventure Convention
and Fly-In gathering in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Listen out for W9ZL from
July 31st through August 4th on 7.250, 14.250 and 50.150 MHz operating
only SSB. If you work them, QSL with a large Self Addressed Stamped
Envelope to the Fox Cities Amateur Radio Club AirVenture, PO Box 2346,
Appleton Wisconsin 54912. More about the EAA Airventure gathering is
on line at www.airventure.org. (AB9AH)

**

HAM HAPPENINGS: DAYTON HAMVENTION REPORTS SLIGHT RISE IN ATTENDANCE

According to an announcement posted to the Dayton Hamvention website,
the official attendance figure for this years gathering was 24,542.
This is a very modest increase of 59 attendees over last years 24,483,
but is a major increase over 2007 when only 19,750 showed up.

The all time high took place in 1994. That's when the Dayton Daily
News reported that some 35,000 walked through the gates at the Hara
Arena for that years Hamvention. (Dayton Hamvention, Dayton Daily News)

**

BREAK 2

This is ham radio news for today's radio amateur. From the United
States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline with links to the
world from our only official website at www.arnewsline.org and being
relayed by the volunteer services of the following radio amateur:

(5 sec pause here)

**

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: STRANGE COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE INSECT WORLD

Now here's one for the books. It happened recently when a 75 year
woman in a southwestern German town called police at 3 a.m.. Her
complaint was that she couldn't sleep because her doorbell was always
ringing.

Police officers dispatched to investigate the cause quickly tracked
down the culprit. It wasn't some form pf poltergeist or other strange
phenomena. Rather ants had constructed a large nest next to the
doorbell. In fact, the tiny creatures had built such a large home that
the nest pressed the doorbells switching contacts together. That in
turn kept ringing the bell.

Officers silenced the intermittently ringing doorbell by removing the
nest with a knife. Likely much to the dismay of the ants who had spent
the time to build it there. (Published news reports)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE: PASS PREDICTIONS LINK BACK AT AMSAT WEBSITE

The AMSAT Online Satellite Pass Predictions webpage is back on AMSAT's
website. This as the result of a team effort by N1DID, KB1LQC, KB1LQD
and W2GPS. You can find it on-line at www dot amsat dot org under the
Pass Predictions link. (K1MP)

**

CONTEST CORNER: RULES CHANGES FOR THE 2013 CQ WORLD WIDE VHF CONTEST

Some new rules are coming to the CQ World Wide VHF Contest. The 2013
rules reflect changes in the log submission deadline and the
publication date that have been implemented by the magazine.

In order to be considered for an award, your log must be received by
the robot or postmarked no later than 23:59 UTC on August 4th. Logs
received after that date will still be listed in the results but will
not be eligible for an award. Extensions may be granted by the director
for a valid reason if you contact that person before the deadline.

The 2013 CQ World-Wide VHF Contest starts at 1800 UTC ob Saturday July
20th and concludes at 2100 UTC on Sunday July 21st, A detailed set of
rules can be found beginning on page 56 of the June 2013 issue of CQ
Magazine. (CQ)

***

PROPAGATION: NEW 144 MHZ UK TO US BEACON TAKES TO THE AIR

A new Trans-Atlantic propagation beacon has come on the air from the
United Kingdom beaming West over the Atlantic Ocean.

The GB3WGI Transatlantic 144 MHz amateur radio beacon went live at 1600
GMT on June 4th. This in time for the peak of the 2013 Sporadic E
season.

GB3WGI runs 100 Watts Effective Radiated Power using both CW and JT65b
modes on 144.487 MHz. It is located in the West of Northern Ireland in
grid square IO64bl and its primary mission is to provide an early
warning of 144MHz Transatlantic propagation on the Europe to USA path.
This as a way of complimenting the existing 144MHz Transatlantic beacon
network in the United States that provides alerts when a USA to Europe
path is open.

Most current 144 MHz European transatlantic beacons are located much
further to the South and/or East in locations like Cornwall in the U-K,
in France and the Azores. By contrast, the GB3WGI beacon has a clear
sea takeoff to the eastern seaboard of the United States giving it a
distinct advantage of being heard when the 2 meter band is open across
the great Atlantic pond. (G4BAO)

**

PROPAGATION: 6 METER BEACON NOW COVERS ALL OF SOUTH AFRICA

The ZS2X Six Meter VHF beacon now covering most of South Africa. This
after its two-element Yagi was turned north by Tim Joubert, ZS2X. The
25 watt beacon transmits FSK modulation on 50.007 MHz near Port
Elizabeth. This produces some very strong radio bursts on the daylight
meteor shower Arietids that is currently active until July 2nd and is
the most intense daylight meteor shower of the year. The beacon beacon
can also indicate country-wide Tropospheric Ducting as well as Tropo
Scatter propagation on 50 MHz in the early mornings as well as aircraft
scatter along their flight paths. (SARL)

**

PROPAGATION: C6AFP 6 METER BEACON TEMPORARILY OFF THE AIR

Steve Rutledge, N4JQQ, reports via the VHF Reflector that the C6AFP six
meter propagation beacon that operates on 50.040 from grid-square FL16
is temporarily off the air. Steve says that the beacon system which is
located at Abaco, Green Turtle Cay in the Bahamas, developed a
significant chirp that his friend, C6AGN, could not pin down the source
of the problem. So the beacon has been shipped to the United States
for repair.

N4JQQ notes that at the time of its temporary removal for repair that
the beacon was still operating on the six meter Ringo that John Walker,
WZ8D, took down there at least 20 years ago. Steve says that this
antenna has been through many serious hurricanes, has not fallen over
and still has no tuning issues. He calls that "certainly amazing."

N4JQQ says that he hopes to get it fixed quickly and get it back as
soon as possible. He adds that he will advise when the C6AFP beacon is
back on the air or at least headed in that direction. (N4JQQ)

**

DX

In DX, word that ZS6RJ will be on a one man DXpedition to Botswana as
A25RJ starting June 15th. Activity will focus on 80 through 10 meters,
CW. QSL direct to his home address or electronically using Logbook of
the World. There is no bureau service for Botswana.

JH1NBN will be on the air from Bhutan as A52W through June 19th.
Activity will be limited to his spare time because he is there once
again on a business trip. He will operate SSB with 100 watts into wire
antennas. QSL via JH1NBN direct.

K9HZ is on the bands as J68HZ from his villa on St. Lucia operating 160
through 6 meters on CW, SSB and RTTY. He will be there until June 22nd
with a special emphasis on 160 and 80 meters operations. QSL via his
home callsign.

EA4GBA, will be operational as C91GBA from Mozambique from June 27th
through December 15th. Activity will be on all H F bands using SSB with
100 watts into a dipole. QSL direct via EA4GBA. QSL cards will be
answered once he arrives back in Spain early 2014.

IW2NEF will be operational as 5R8NE from Nosy-Be Island between July
16th to the 30th. Activity will be on 40 through 10 meters using SSB.
QSL via IK2DUW.

Lastly, five operators will be on the air from November 12th to the
27th using the callsign N8A from the southeast coast of Tutuila Island.
Activity will be on 160 through 10 meters, with a significant effort on
160. QSL this one via ZL3CW.

(Above from various DX news sources)

**

THAT FINAL ITEM: A RATHER SPECIAL LIGHTHOUSE

And finally this week, word that over 200 lighthouses and lightships
will be taking part in this years International Lighthouse and
Lightship weekend. Amateur Radio Newsline's Skeeter Nash, N5ASH, tells
us that number 200 is very special:

--

"The honor of being the 200th registrant for this years International
Lighthouse and Lhtship weekend goes to the Whitby High Light in
England. Built in 1858, the Whitby High Light helped ships avoid the
Whitby Rock on the Noerh Yorkshire coast. Its well known as the place
that Captain James Cook became a seaman before leading his epic voyages
of discovery.

"The special event call GB2WHL will be operated from the lighthouse by
the Denby Dale Radio Club. A special QSL is available on request.

"So far there are registrations from 29 countries. To read the
guidelines for the International Lighthouse ans Lightship Weekend
slated for August 17th and 18th; or to register a lighthouse, lightship
or maritime beacon on line, please visit illw.net.

"Im Skeeter Nash, N5ASH"

--

This years International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend takes place
on August 17th and 18th and is sponsored by the Ayr Amateur Radio Group
in Scotland. Again the URL for more information or registration is
simply illw.net. (ILLW, VK3PC)

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE

With thanks to Alan Labs, AMSAT, the ARRL, the CGC Communicator, CQ
Magazine, the FCC, the Ohio Penn DX Bulletin, Radio Netherlands, Rain,
the RSGB, the Southgate News, TWiT-TV and Australia's WIA News, that's
all from the Amateur Radio Newsline(tm). Our e-mail address is
newsline (at) arnewsline (dot) org. More information is available at
Amateur Radio Newsline's(tm) only official website located at
www.arnewsline.org. You can also write to us or support us at Amateur
Radio Newsline(tm), 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.

Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2013. All rights reserved.

Antenna sharing project

Foxs Mercantile — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 17:23:15 GMT

Back around 2007, with the radio shop in Los Angeles, I wanted
to make a antenna distribution system. So one antenna could
"source" multiple radios. having an antenna to test radios being
repaired on the bench and showing off radios up in the front to
customers.

I built a small amplifier to do that with. Didn't work. Got
distracted and went onto other things that took priority.

Around January, I decided to have another go at it. Found out
why it didn't work and wet about fixing it. Turns out it NEVER
would have worked at all. Sigh, always something.

Then sitting in the bathroom, re-reading a 4-5 year QST magazine
I stumbled across a nice "antenna multi-coupler" project. Except
that the parts used were already obsolete.

So I came up with a substitute and surprisingly that worked quite
well.

Now I need an antenna that works across a broad spectrum. From
broadcast band (0.54 to 1.7 MHz) and up through 30 MHz.

Enter the whole terminate folded dipole project up on the roof.

It's finally up and assembled. All 122 feet of it. And it seems to
work amazingly well over the entire range.

Technically, I have accomplished my goal.

But of course, it _would_ be nice if I could use this antenna for
transmitting as well since I'm am licensed to do so. So that's
where the extra "flailing around" comes in.

I have ordered some commercial parts for less than it would
have cost me to fabricate them myself. Those should be here
Friday or next Monday. I'm hoping that solves the transmit
issue.

But as I said, the original goal has been met. Quite well.

Jeff-1.0
wa6fwi