Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1647 - March 6 2009

Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1647 with a release date of Friday,
March 6th, 2009 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A California jury condemns another of the Hawkes'
murderers to death; the killer of a ham couple in Nebraska gets life with
no parole; a ham convicted of molesting a child looses his license, a new
rescue information service is announced by Holland's leading broadcaster
and a ham radio space tourist prepares for his second trip to the
ISS. Find out who on Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) report number 1647, coming
your way right now.



**

THE HAWKES CASE: THIRD CONSPIRATOR WILL FACE DEATH PENALTY

John Fitzgerald Kennedy will be put to death for his part in the murders at
sea of Thomas and Jackie Hawks, KD7VWJ and KD7VWK. Bruce Tennant, K6PZW.
Reports:

--

The same jury that convicted John Fitzgerald Kennedy last week of two
counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances in the killings
took only 7 hours to decide that the 43 year old former gang member should
be condemned to death. This, for his part in the gruesome Hawkes killings
at sea in November of 2004.

Kennedy is the third defendant to stand trial for the double murders at
sea, which occurred somewhere off the coast of California. 29 year old
Skylar Deleon, of Long Beach, California, the plotter, recruited Kennedy at
the last minute to help to subdue Thomas Hawkes aboard the boat. He was
convicted last year and is awaiting a sentence of death on March
20. Jennifer Henderson, Deleon's former wife, was convicted in 2006 for
her role and was has been sentenced to life without parole.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy, who prosecuted all three, said
that the murder conspiracy would not have succeeded had it not been for
Kennedy. Murphy described Kennedy a muscular street gang member with an
extensive criminal background. By the time he was 40, Kennedy had
accumulated 21 arrests for such charges as battery, theft, drugs and
attempted murder. In March 2005, he was arrested and charged with
murdering the Hawkes for financial gain.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, in Los Angeles.

--

Superior Court Judge Frank F. Fasel scheduled Kennedy's official sentencing
for March 27th. No Orange County judge has ever reversed a jury's death
verdict at sentencing. (Published news reports)

**

ENFORCEMENT: MURDERER OF TWO NEBRASKA HAMS SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON

The man who murdered two Nebraska hams last summer will never again see
freedom. This, as Brandon Crago is sentenced to two terms of life in
prison without the possibility of parole for the killings of Steve Baily,
N0US and his wife Carolyn, N0LAL, in their rural Lincoln home on August
10th 2008.

The crime was discovered when a neighbor dropped by to let the Baily's know
that their dogs were loose. When he reached the Baily's house he found
Steve Baily's body outside beneath a blanket. Carolyn Baily was on the
floor inside a broken front storm door. Each had been shot twice and their
home ransacked.

Investigators found a spent shotgun shell at the crime scene. Crago's
shotgun was found later in a Lincoln trash bin. Lab tests showed that the
gun had Crago's and Carolyn Baily's DNA on it. Tests also showed that
Crago's shoes had Steve Baily's blood on them.

Last month Crago pleaded no contest to all charges against him. District
Judge Jodi Nelson has now sentenced him to the two life terms which, under
Nebraska state law, was the only sentence possible in this case.

Chief Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Joe Kelly said that his office
didn't seek the death penalty because of the uncertainty surrounding
executions in the state.

One of the victims' daughters, Jennifer Baily, was in the courtroom to
hear
Judge Nelson hand down the sentence. (Lincoln Journal Star, K0NEB)

**

RADIO MISTAKE: THAT'S NOT A BOMB IT'S AN ANTENNA

Still in Nebraska, a sad yet funny story out of Omaha. That's where Police
and a Bomb Squad have blown up a trap from a ham radio antenna because
nobody could figure out what it was.

It all happened on Thursday, February 26th. That's when both agencies
were
called out following the discovery by a cleaning crew of a device that they
thought looked like a PVC pipe bomb.

The house in question belonged to Bob Rennolet, W0AEX. There had been an
electrical fire in the house 2 weeks ago and he had hired the clean-up crew
but it had no idea as to what it had found. So, rather than take chances,
the Bomb Squad decided to blow it up. That's when they realized it was
not
a bomb but a piece of W0AEX's ham radio gear.

Ironically, W0AEX lives next door to a fire station, so they didn't have
far to go to put out the fire or blow up the trap. (K0NEB, W0HXL)

**

ENFORCEMENT: FCC REVOKES LICENSE OF CONVICTED CHILD MOLESTER

The FCC has revoked the amateur radio license of an Indiana ham who was
convicted several years ago of molesting a child. Amateur Radio
Newsline's Mark Abramovich, NT3V, has the details:

--

Lonnie Keeney, KB9RFO, will have to surrender his ham license after the FCC
ruled "he lacks the requisite character and qualifications to be and remain
a commission licensee."

Kris Anne Monteith, the FCC's chief of the Enforcement Bureau, issued the
ruling after a more than two-year process that started with a compaint
filed in 2006.

The FCC investigated and found Kenney pleaded guilty in December 2002 to
inappropriate contact with a 5-year-old.

He was sentenced to six years in prison. Because of his conviction, Kenney
is required to register as a sex offender and must register his address
with law enforcement.

He was also barred from any contact with youth during a period of probation
which ended last May.

In her order filed with the commission, Monteith said the character of a
licensee is one of the factors the commission considers in determining
whether a person should be granted an operating license.

She noted the commission has applied such character standards developed for
broadcasters to applicants and licensees of the Amateur Radio Service.

Monteith said since Keeney acknowledged his conviction and continues to be
supervised by law enforcement as a sex offender, his license should be
revoked.

The revocation order was adopted Feb. 25.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mark Abramowicz, NT3V, in Philadelphia.

--

Keeney's license revocation is effective on the 40th day after release of
the revocation order, unless he files a Petition for Reconsideration. He
also has the option of filing an Application for Review within thirty 30
days. If he does either, the effective date of the revocation order will
be suspended pending further order of the Commission. (FCC)

**

BREAK 1

From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline,
heard on bulletin stations around the world including the WA4TEN repeater
serving Knoxville, Tennessee.

(5 sec pause here)


**

WORLDBEAT: RNW ESTABLISHES RESCUE RADIO INFO SERVICE

In case of an international disaster, a shortwave broadcaster in Holland
will be there to bring you the latest news and information. Randy Ross,
KI4ZJI, has the rest of the story:

--

Radio Netherlands Worldwide has a new international disaster information
system set to launch this spring. Using a combination of special
broadcasts, a separate Web site and mobile phone alerts, the international
service will report on events and provide complete information for any
Dutch victims and their relatives.

A specially trained Radio Netherlands team will answer questions via phone,
radio, the Internet and the Dutch BVN television network. It will cover
incidents such as natural disasters, social conflicts or any terrorist
attacks that may occur. The news and information stream will be kept up to
date from minute to minute.

Editor-in-Chief Rik Rensen is in charge of the project. He says that the
disaster team is Radio Netherland's response to the urgent requests for
help and information we received during recent violence in Mumbai and the
lengthy airport strike in Bangkok.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm, Randy Ross, KI4ZJI, in Shelby, North
Carolina.

--

This new service from Radio Netherlands will be in addition to their many
other international broadcasts. (Media Network)

**

BREAKING DX NEWS: THE K5D TEAM SAYS THANK YOU

The recent Desecheo Island K5D DXpedition netted a grand total of 115,783
QSO's. According to co-leaders Bob Alperin, K4UEE, and Glenn Johnson,
W0GJ, it means that the DXpedition ranks seventh for all-time for the total
number of QSO's, and first for the most 30 Meter contacts.

In recent times, Desecheo Island was the number two most-wanted contact in
Asia, and number three most-wanted in Europe. Alperin and Johnson say that
40% of the K5D contacts were with those two continents, making it an
important goal that was achieved.

The team leaders say that a special K5D QSL card is in the final stages of
design and will be available in the next few weeks. In the meantime, QSLs
go directly to N2OO and are also being accepted on-line.

Alberin and Johnson add that the Desecheo 2009 team wants to thank everyone
for working them and helping to make this DXpedition such a success. The
K5D operation ran from February 12th to the 26th. (K5D release)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE: CHARLES SIMONYI, KE7KDP HEADS BACK TO THE ISS

Software pioneer Charles Simonyi, KE7KDP, is to make a return trip to the
International Space Station. If all goes as planned, Simonyi is expected
to blast off for the ISS later this month on board the Soyuz TMA-14 crew
change and re-supply flight.

In early 2006, Simonyi expressed interest in becoming a space tourist and
signed agreements with the space tourism company, Space Adventures, Ltd.,
for a ten-day mission to the International Space Station. He launched on
April 7, 2007on board Soyuz TMA-10, sharing a ride with two Russian
cosmonauts to the International Space Station.

During his last stay on the ISS, Simonyi made numerous ham radio contacts
with kids in schools world wide. Most were made using his United States
KE7KDP callsign but Simonyi used his Hungarian call of HA5SIK when he
contacted 25 radio amateurs in that nation on April 12th.

He returned aboard the Soyuz TMA-9 in April 21st. In October 2008, he
booked a second trip to the ISS through Space Adventures that's about to
take him back to the ISS, with liftoff slated for March 26th at 11:48
Moscow time. (ARNewsline(tm) from published reports)

**

HAM RADIO ON THE NET: RADIO ARCALA CONTEST

A ham radio station that exists primarily on the Internet has launched a
story writing contest to get more kids interested in the hobby. Jeramy
Boot, G4NJH, is in Nottingham, UK, with mo

--

The Arcala radio station, OH8X, is believed to be the first-ever amateur
radio station to be active in a Virtual World on the Internet in the hope
of attracting more young people to the hobby.

Millions of computer-minded youngsters gather there daily. They have
launched a competition asking amateurs to imagine themselves as an 18 year
old enthusiastic radio amateur. Then, in 250 words or less,
describe the excitement of being an amateur to other young people and say
why they should join amateur radio. The writing should be either in English
or Spanish.

Please submit your paper by e-mail no later than 15 March to
oh8xatsraldotfi for English papers or yv5amhatiaru-r2dotorg for
Spanish ones.

The papers will be reviewed by a panel of well known international radio
amateurs. The three best papers will receive plaques and the winning text
will be made available to amateur radio publications and in the Virtual
Reality world.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeramy Boot, G4NJG

--

Full details are on line at www.radioarcala.com. (RSGB, Radio Arcala)

**

RADIO ACCIDENTS: SOUTH CAROLINA TOWER FELLED

High winds from the winter storm may have toppled a broadcast tower in
Spartanburg, South Carolina. According to news reports, the felled tower
belonged to CBS affiliate WSPA and was located atop Hogback Mountain near
Spartanburg. It collapsed on Sunday afternoon, March 1st as a major winter
storm was passing through the area. Nobody was injured in the mishap and
WSPA remained in operation by streaming its programming on-line. It's not
known if any local ham radio repeaters were located on the WSPA
tower. (WCSC On-Line)

**

ON THE NET: A COMPUTER WORM CALLED DOWNADUP

A computer worm called Downadup, continues to spread after infecting
millions of corporate computers and servers. Don Carlson, KQ6FM, is here
with the details on this one:

--

Considered to be the most severe outbreak in years, about 1.2 million
networks were contaminated as of January 23rd. This, according to the
Helsinki- based Internet security software maker F-Secure.

That's up from less than a million on January 20th. According to
F-Secure the worm, also know as Conficker, infects computers and servers
running the Microsoft Windows operating system. It can then block users
from accessing their accounts, also spreads through portable storage
devices.

F-Secure posted a warning about the virus on its Web site on January 7th.
The strain is different from other outbreaks because it mainly affects
corporate networks rather than consumer's home systems.

I'm Don Carlson, KQ6FM, in Reno.

--

More on the Downadup worm can be found on the websites of most security
software companies such as F-Secure, McAfee, E-Trust and numerous others.
(Published reports)

**

ON THE AIR: PRACTICE MORSE ON 2 METER FM

If you live in the Kansas City area and want to practice CW, take your
radio to 2 meter FM. Specifically to the Kansas City 145.37 repeater for
the Independence CW over FM Net. The net meets at 1900 Central Standard
Time every Monday night. Anyone with an interest in Morse and who owns a CW
practice oscillator is more than welcome to participate. (KC0WTS)

**

NAMES IN THE NEW: GENACHOWSKI NOMINATED TO HEAD FCC

Some names in the news. President Barack Obama has nominated Julius
Genachowski as Chairman of the FCC. A lawyer by training, the 46 year old
Genachowski was the architect of the new President's hugely successful
drive to use the Internet to raise funds for the primary and general
election campaigns. Genachowski also pushed the idea of using wireless as a
way to connect with supporters

Julius Genachowski, who attended Harvard with President Obama is also a
venture capitalist with long ties to Silicon Valley. He spent eight years
at IAC InterActive and was a law clerk for two Supreme Court justices. He
later served as chief counsel to former FCC chairman Reed Hundt. His
appointment has to be approved by the Senate. (FCC)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS: NEW APPOINTMENTS AT RAC

The Radio Amateurs of Canada Board of Directors has appointed Sue Cooke,
VE3SUH, as Vice President for Field Services. Cook will hold this position
for the remainder of a two-year term which ends December 31st or until a
permanent replacement is appointed, whichever comes first.

Former Vice President for Field Services Bob Cooke, VE3BDB, resigned from
that post to accept appointment as the Radio Amateurs of Canada
President. Both appointments were made at a Board meeting on February
24th. (RAC)

**

THE SOCIAL SCENE: INTERNATIONAL DX CONVENTION IN CALIFORNIA IN APRIL

Turning to the social calendar, the annual International DX Convention in
Visalia, California, will be held April 17th to the 19th. 2009 marks the
60th anniversary of this event with some added attractions this year
include a Contest Academy sponsored by the Northern California Contest Club
and a report on the Radio Arcala Project by OH2BH and OH8NC. This years
special guest and banquet speaker is retired Navy Vice Admiral J. Scott
Redd K0DQ. For complete program information, take your web browser to
www.dxconvention.org (Via e-mail)

**

THE SOCIAL SCENE: RADIOFEST MONTEREY MARCH 7 AND 8

Radiofest Monterey Bay 2009 runs March 7th to the 8th at Moose Lodge in Del
Rey Oaks, California. Look for displays by Elecraft, Ham Radio Outlet and
several other top names. Talk-in is on the K6LY 146.97 repeater using a
94.8 tone plus machines on 220 and 440. More information is on line at
www.radiofest.org. (Via e-mail)

**

THE SOCIAL SCENE: CHARLOTTE NC HAMFEST MARCH 14 - 15

The 2008 Charlotte North Carolina Hamfest is slated for March 14th and 15th
at the Cabarrus Arena & Events Center in Concord. Talk-in will be provided
on 146.655MHz repeater with backup on 146.94 machine. More information is
www.w4bfb.org/hamfest2009/hamfest.html (Via e-mail)

**

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)

**

CHANGING OF THE GUARD: DON ELLIOT HEALD - THE VOICE OF WWV - SK

The recorded voice of Time and Frequency Station WWV has fallen
silent. This with word that announcer Don Elliot Heald, of Atlanta,
Georgia, who gave WWV its human touch passed away on Thursday, February
19th.

Known in the broadcast world as Don Elliot, Heald had distinguished career
that ranged from work at Atlanta Georgia's WSB to his automated and
internationally heard WWV broadcasts on shortwave. He was also the voice
of the Audichron telephone dial-in Time-Weather-Temperature service and of
the Protestant Hour radio show for over 40 years. For nearly five decades
Heald narrated the televised Christmas Eve service from Atlanta's Episcopal
Cathedral of St. Philip, where he served as a vestryman, junior warden and
senior warden.

Heald was originally from Massachusetts, but came to Atlanta via Lakeland,
Florida. He was a graduate of the University of Florida at Gainesville and
began his broadcast career after graduation when he accepted a position at
WRUF where remained for three years. In Atlanta he spent much of his spare
time devoted to public service work with charities and civic clubs.

A Service of Celebration of Don Elliot Heald's life took place on Tuesday
February 24th at the Cathedral of St. Philip. He is survived by his wife
Sara Farmer Heald of Atlanta, GA; sons and daughters-in- law David and
Deborah of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, Tom and Evelyn Heald and Frank and
Mary Heald of Atlanta. Don Elliot Heald was 86. (Various sources via AE6DW)

**

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: MELT ICE WITH VARIABLE RESISTANCE WIRE

A new way to keep ice off your antenna and transmission lines is on the
horizon. This thanks to a group of New England researchers and a
businessman with a vision. Newsline's Jeff Clark, K8JAC, tells us about
this new technology that might some day keep your antenna from falling down
in an ice storm:

--

Dartmouth engineering professor and entrepreneur Victor Petrenko and his
colleagues at Ice Engineering in Lebanon, New Hampshire, have invented a
way to cheaply and effectively keep ice off power lines.

The new proprietary technology is called a variable resistance cable
de-icing system. With only minor cable modifications plus some
off-the-shelf electronics, the system switches the electrical resistance of
a standard power line from low to high. The high resistance automatically
creates heat to melt ice build-up or keep it from forming in the first
place.

Ice Engineering plans to install and test a full-scale system prototype on
a section of power line in Russia, in late January. The company is also
currently negotiating full-scale installations of in other regions of
Russia and in China.

--

No word yet as to if and when a personal version of this new technology
will be available to the ham in the ice cold street. (Science OnLine)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE: NEW CERTIFICATE FOR OPERATING VO-52

Still with ham radio space related news, VU3TYG has announced that AMSAT
India will issue a certificate to radio amateurs who establish two-way
contact through the VO-52 ham radio satellite between now and May 5th. The
first fifty certificates will be sponsored and includes postage. After the
50 certificates have been issued a fee will apply. Please send your QSL
card containing the details of your QSO on VO-52 to AMSAT India
(Regd.), No. 201, 2nd Main Road, Mahalakshmi Layout, Bangalore 560086
India. Make sure to include the mailing address where you would like to
have the certificate sent to VU3TYG)

**

WORLDBEAT: GERMAN AMTOR MAILBOX TO MOVE FREQUENCIES

Turning to news from around the world word that the Germany-based
DA5TOR AMTOR mailbox will move its 40 meter access frequencies on March
29th. This, in order to comply with the new worldwide 40 Meter
bandplan. The new frequencies are 7.047, 7.049 and 7.051 MHz with the new
activity center for AMTOR in Europe will be 7.042 MHz for direct
connections. All frequencies and technical details of the mailbox can be
found on line art www.amtor.de. (RSGB)

**

WORLDBEAT: RSGB NEGOCIATES 500 kHz NOV EXTENSION

The Radio Society of Great Britain has negotiated extensions to 500 kHz
Notices of Variation that permit UK amateurs to utilize that
spectrum. Following proposals from the RSGB, Ofcom has extended existing
permits for 501 to 504 kHz until February 28th 2010. The RSGB says that
letters are being set to all Notices of Variation holders. The extension
of the Notices of Variation also authorizes an Effective Radiated Power of
up to 10 Watts. (GB2RS)

**

DX

In DX, word that AA7JV and HA7RY will be active from Mellish Reef as VK9GMW
in what they call another low-key DXpedition between March 22nd and April
6th. The operation will have a strong low-band focus. QSL via HA7RY
direct, by the Bureau or using Logbook to the World. And please note that
the dates of this operation are approximate and subject to change with
little notice.

A group of 10 operators will be on the air April 12th to April 17th from
the Western Sahara using S04R callsign. Operation will take place on 10 to
160 Meters using SSB, CW and some digital modes. The QSL manager will be
EA5RM. EA5BZ will be the pilot station and additional info is already
available at www.dxfriends.com.

F5TGR will be active as stroke FG from Guadeloupe March 14th to the
28th. Look for him on 40 through 10 Meters using CW and SSB. QSL via F5TGR.

F5UOW, will be active from Boucan Canot near St. Gilles les Bains between
March 8th to the 22nd operating holiday style mostly CW on 20 Meters. QSL
via his home callsign.

Look for W5JON portable J 6 from Saint Lucia from March 1st through
11th. He will be on 160 through 6 Meters using SSB from Marigot
Bay. Antennas are dipoles on the HF bands and a Yagi for 50 Mhz. QSL via
W5JON.

PF4T will be active from the Maldives as 8Q7TB from between June 8th to the
25th. Listen for him on 40 and 20 meters using SSB. QSL via PF4T.

(Above from various DX news sources)

**

THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD: KATY WILLIAMS, KI6FJQ, AGE 19 - S.K.

With this weeks final words, here's our producer Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF:

--

Every now and then a story truly touches a reporter's soul and so it is
with this one. We are sad to report the passing of Katherine E. Williams,
KI6FJQ, of Salinas, California. What separates the death of this ham
operator from others that we have reported over the years is that Katy --
as she was known by her friends -- was only age 19. She was also the
daughter of one of the unofficial members of our Amateur Radio Newsline
family, Scott Avery, WA6LIE.

In a note from Scott we learned that Katy died at about 4 p.m. Pacific time
on Tuesday, February 24th from complications with pneumonia. Scott tells
us that this might have been the result of staph infection contracted from
a visit to a dentist.

Scott tells us that Katy got interested in becoming a ham after he let her
say hello to an astronaut on-orbit during a space to ground contact. Scott
says that Katy thought it was neat to talk to astronauts and cosmonauts. He
told her that she could do it on her own by getting her ham ticket.

So Katy studied hard and finally got her license and the call KI6FJQ. And
eventually she did get to talk to someone in space when she hooked up with
Charles Simonyi, KE7KDP. That's when Simonyi was a space tourist visiting
the ISS. She also attended many radio events with Scott and thought it was
all "kinda cool."

Scott tells us that Katy had plans to major in medicine as a career. She
had a boy friend and truly enjoyed life. Scott describes Katy as a vibrant
young teen with her life ahead of her.

Katy Williams is survived by her dad, her mother Mary, KG6LGS, and three
brothers and sisters. And no matter how old the rest of us get, Katy
Williams, KI6FJQ, will always be age 19. It is to her memory and her young
spirit of amateur radio that we dedicate this week's newscast.

--

Our condolences go out to Scott Avery, WA6LIE, and his family on their
loss. (ARNewsline(tm) from information supplied by WA6LIE)

**

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 and Australia's WIA News, that's all from the
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm). Our e-mail address is
newslineatarnewslinedotorg. 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), P.O. Box
660937, Arcadia, California 91066.

A reminder that the nominating period for the 2009 Amateur Radio Newsline
Young Ham of the Year Award is now open. Complete details are on our
website at www.arnewsline.org Just scroll down to the words "2009 YHOTY
Nominations Now Open" and click for more information and an official
nominating form.

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

Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.