Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1759 - April 29 2011
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1759 - April 29 2011
Now, Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1759 with a release date of Friday, April 29, 2011 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a Q-S-T. The FCC will host a live emergency communications planning session and you can be there on the World Wide Web. Also, two senators ask Congress to protect the Global Positioning System from a proposed new terrestrial broadband system, information surfaces on what may have caused the failure of ARISSat One to operate from the I-S-S and we tell you how to send your name and callsign to Mars. Find out the details are on Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) report number 1759 coming your way right now. (Billboard Cart Here) ** RESCUE RADIO: HAM RADIO RESPONDS TO TORNADO OUTBREAK Massive tornadoes cut a streak of destruction across the Southern tier of the United States on Wednesday, April 27th. The twisters killed at least 250 people in six states and destroyed countless homes and businesses in their wake. Alabama's state emergency management agency said it had confirmed 162 deaths, while there were 33 in Mississippi, 33 in Tennessee, 14 in Georgia, eight in Virginia and one in Kentucky. In many areas all normal means of communications was lost. Two of Alabama's major cities were among the places devastated by the deadliest twister outbreak in nearly 40 years. Police and other first responder radio systems fell silent when winds in excess of 120 miles per hour ripped antennas off buildings and felled towers. But the storms did not silence ham radio. As we go to air, a group of hams is reportedly assisting in restoring emergency communications in the city of Tuscaloosa where the entire emergency communications system was wiped out by a tornado. It was only through reports filed by radio amateurs that first responders began to learn the magnitude of the devastation to that city. Meantime in Pell City about 30 miles east of Birmingham, the Emergency Operations Center lost all of its antennas to high winds. Amateur Radio operators from ARES were dispatched to that E-O-C where at last report they were still providing communications support to the storm ravaged area. Similar scenarios were being played out in Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and North Carolina as severe weather hit those areas as well. A spokesman for the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma said it received 137 tornado reports into Wednesday night. An expert at the center said it appears some of the tornadoes were as wide as a mile and likely packed a wallop that only 1 in 100 storms ever reach. It will be days, however, before scientists make an official determination. We will have more on the role played by ham radio in next weeks Amateur Radio Newsline report. I'm Don Carlson, KQ6FM. Jim. (Various news sources) ** RESCUE RADIO: FCC TO WEBCAST LIVE EMCOMM PREPAREDNESS SEMINAR An important Emergency Communications planning meeting is being held by the FCC and you can sit in vicariously. Amateur Radio Newsline's Burt Hicks is here with all of the details: -- The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission will host an Earthquake Communications Preparedness Forum on Tuesday, May 3rd from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. In its announcement the FCC noted that catastrophic natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes are large-scale emergencies that may affect substantial portions of the public. They can also have a significant impact on critical national infrastructure, including communications networks and services. The FCC goes on to say that this forum will consider the preparations that should be made in advance of an earthquake and how to develop and implement national communications policies and emergency procedures to respond to an earthquake's potential impact on communications networks and services. The forum will also highlight those practices that best prepare the public and the communications sector for a catastrophic earthquake. The venue for this gathering is the Commission Meeting Room at FCC Headquarters in Washington, D.C.. This workshop will be open to the public; however, seating and registration will be limited. But if you cannot be there in person - and its very unlikely most hams involved in emergency preparedness can -- audio and video coverage of the meeting will be broadcast live with open captioning over the Internet from the FCC's web page at www.fcc.gov/live. The FCC's web cast is free to the public, and unlike being there in person, it does not require you to pre-registrar. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Burt Hicks, in Los Angeles. -- Again the URL is www.fcc.gov/live. If you miss it live, the forum will eventually be available for replay at beta.fcc.gov/videos. More is on-line at tinyurl.com/3av7m9o (FCC) ** RADIO POLITICS: SENATORS ASK CONGRESS TO PROTECT GPS FROM INTERFERENCE BY LIGHTSQUARED PROPOSED HIGH SPEED NETWORK Senators Pat Roberts of Kansas and Ben Nelson from Nebraska have sent an open letter to colleagues asking them to join together in asking the FCC to take all necessary steps to protect the Global Positioning System. This from any harmful effects of the FCC International Bureau's grant of a conditional waiver allowing LightSquared Corporation to build tens of thousands of high power broadband ground stations which some claim could cause widespread interference to the Global Positioning System. LightSquared is building a state-of-the-art open wireless broadband network in spectrum directly adjacent to that in which the Global Positioning System operates. Experts seem divided on the impact such a system will have on GPS operations. Some claim that terrestrial interference could render GPS useless while others claim it will be minimal or not exist at all. In their letter, Roberts and Nelson noted that the full Commission must be involved in this effort to fully protect the Global Positioning System. As such that it must require that LightSquared objectively demonstrate non-interference to GPS signals as a condition prior to operation of the company's proposed wireless broadband service. The letter from the two Senators also stated that anything less than this is an unacceptable risk to public safety. It described how vital GPS is for public safety, national defense and the nation's economic recovery. The document ends with a request for members of Congress to join Senators Roberts and Nelson in requesting that the FCC make certain that GPS is not compromised in any way. (TV Technology) ** HAM RADIO IN SPACE: WHY THE ARISSAT ONE APRIL 12th DEMO FAILED The planned operation of ARISSat One from the International Space Station to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first manned spaceflight likely failed due to an uncharged battery. At least that's the impression one gets reading the latest report about the incident published by the AMSAT News Service. Amateur Radio Newsline's Norm Seeley, KI7UP, is here with the details: -- Lou McFadin, W5DID, is the ARISS US Hardware Manager. He says that a teleconference was recently held with the ARISSat team in Russia at which time the situation concerning the failed early April operation was described by them in this way. It seems that the The Russian space suit battery that was intended to be used on ARISSat was used during testing both on the ground and onboard ISS when it first arrived. When it was tested prior to the planned April 12th operation, it was discovered that the battery was low on charge. These space suit batteries are specified for only five cycles of charge. It was decided to not recharge the battery at this time in order to keep the number of cycles as low as possible in order to save the battery for the actual ARISSat One deployment mission that is currently scheduled for July 26th. McFadin added that they are still trying to get more information on the storage status and the battery health from the Russian team. He says that he and his people will keep everyone informed as they prepare for the eventual deployment of ARISSat One. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, Im Norm Seeley, KI7UP, in Scottsdale, Arizona. -- The abortive attempt to operate ARISSat One from on board the ISS would have commemorated the 50 years since Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first terrestrial being to venture into space. (ANS, W5DID) ** RESTRUCTURING: RUSSIA JOINS CEPT LICENSING Russia has become the latest nation to sign onto the pan-European CEPT licensing agreement. According to the IARU Region 1 website, the Russian State Radio Frequencies Commission decided on March 10th that the Russian Federation would join both the CEPT and ECC Recommendation. This makes it possible for every CEPT license holder to operate on the territory of the Russian Federation. There are a few caveats. Among them is that Russia will only permit such CEPT operation by a foreign station for a limit of three months, without any additional permission needed. Also, the call sign to be used in CEPT operations will be RA followed by the foreign hams personal call letters. (IARU Region 1) ** BREAK 1 From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the W9QVE repeater of the Argonne Amateur Radio Club serving Elmhurst, Illinois. (5 sec pause here) ** BREAKING NEWS: HAM RADIO OPERATOR ONE OF NINE AMERICANS MURDERED IN KABUL Some sad news to report. Word that James McLaughlin, WA2EWE who also held the call T6AF, was one of the nine Americans that lost their lives in a shooting at Kabul airport on Wednesday, April 27th. According to Voice of America reporter and fellow amateur Steve Herman, W7VOA/T6AD, all were killed when an Afghan military pilot opened fire in an operations room of the Afghan Air Corps. Reporting from Seoul, Korea, where he is chief of the Voice of America bureau, Herman said McLaughlin, who was also his friend as well as being a career U.S. military officer working as a contractor training Afghan pilots. According to Steve Herman, he first met Jim McLaughlinin August, 2009, when they were the only two radio amateurs operating from Kabul. Herman said that McLaughlin had put together a fine radio shack in his quarters. He said that it was obvious from spending time with McLaughlin that ham radio was an important morale booster and pastime. As such, T6AF usually spent a couple of hours a day on the air. So far this April, fourteen Americans have been killed by members of the Afghan military. An Afghan officer on the compound identified the shooter of McLaughlin and the others as one Ahmad Gul. According to Steve Herman, this attack was the worst single episode of an Afghan turning against his coalition partners. (W7VOA, other published reports) ** WORLDBEAT: RSGB DECIDES NOT TO LIVE STREAM ITS AGM THIS YEAR The Radio Society of Great Britain's Annual General Meeting on Saturday, May 14th will not be streamed live to the Internet this year. For the past several years the British Amateur Television Club and the RSGB have cooperated in making this event available world-wide. But an RSGB statement published on the British Amateur Television Club's website, the organization says that while the club has once again offered to do it again this year that the RSGB has decided to decline. While no specific reason was given for the sudden cancellation there's speculation that it has something to do with the recent resignation of the Society's former General Manager Peter Kirby who the RSGB's says left its employ after the discovery of what national society termed as financial irregularities on his part. The statement goes on to say that RSGB has considered its position and has reluctantly reached the decision that this year it would not be prudent to go ahead with live streaming. In its own statement, the British Amateur Television Club says that it has accepted the Society's position on this but hopes to be able to offer the Society the facility again in 2012. More is on-line at batc dot tv. (Southgate) ** ENFORCEMENT NEEDED: SCAMMERS TRYING TO RIP OFF HAMS WITH BOGUS E-MAILS The Radio Society of Great Britain is reporting on a ham radio version on an old Internet scam. This as it advises its members to be on the look-out for bogus e-mails purporting to be from other radio amateurs and asking for financial help. The scam works this way. An e-mail, purporting to be from a well known amateur and signed with that ham's first name, claims that they have been mugged in some foreign city. It says that the ham has lost his passport and money in the attack. I then requests financial support to get the amateur out of difficulties and back home. The RSGB says that several different prominent callsigns have been used by the scammers. And unless the perpetrators are caught, its likely only a matter of time before this scam goes world-wide including here in the United States. (GB2RS) ** RADIO LAW: FEMA TO REQUIRE MANDATORY EAS TRAINING FEMA will require that emergency alert originators take training before accessing its Integrated Public Alert and Warning System to deliver next generation Emergency Alert System warnings using the Common Alerting or CAP Protocol. At least that is how EAS consultant and broadcast engineer Gary Timm characterized remarks by Damon Penn, assistant administrator for National Continuity Programs at FEMA, at the recent National Association of Broadcasters Convention held in Las Vegas. In blog updates at www.awareforum.org, Timm writes as part of a series on EAS that the FEMA Emergency Management Institute will conduct the mandatory training in the same manner as other National Incident Management System courses that first responders must complete. (RW) ** RESTRUCTURING: BROADCASTERS VS THE WHITE HOUSE CLASH OVER SPECTRUM The broadcast community is saying no to a White House demand that they give up some of their spectrum to create more broadband frequencies for mobile phones and the like. Jeff Clark, K8JAC, is here with the details: -- It could soon be an open war of words between the Obama administration and the over-the-air broadcast community over who is going to keep the current broadcast spectrum and what purpose it will be used for. This as the deadline dot com website reports that National Association Of Broadcasters chief Gordon Smith told station owners at the organization's annual convention in Las Vegas that the trade group is in full battle mode. This, to protect the broadcast spectrum it now has from being reallocated to broadband wireless. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has already promised that no broadcaster will be forced to offer up spectrum for auction. Genachowski says that those who do will know exactly what the deal is before relinquishing any rights. But even that position is at odds to some degree with that of the White House which wants TV stations to give up some of their spectrum so it can be redeployed to offer Internet services. That's something that broadcasters are adamantly refusing to do even if the government offers some form of monetary compensation. Regardless of what Chairman Genachowski might say, the National Association of Broadcasters biggest concern is that the government might simply seize spectrum without a broadcaster's consent if they do not voluntarily surrender it. This is a possible scenario if broadcasters do not comply willingly which at this point in time appears unlikely to happen. I'm Jeff Clark, K8JAC. -- And at the same convention, CBS chief Leslie Moonves echoed the NAB's position when he said that as long as the government's plan remains voluntary, we're fine with that. This is because we're not going to volunteer. You can read more about this situation on-line at tinyurl.com/3fyt5p4 (RW) ** PUBLIC SERVICE: SOUTHERN OHIO HAMS NEEDED FOR IRONTON PARADE The Southern Ohio Amateur Radio Association Amateur Radio Emergency Service is looking for additional operators to assist in communications for the Ironton Ohio Memorial Day Parade on May 30th. Amateurs will be used to call for help in case of an accident, to call for law enforcement or fire departments if needed, to help people find their parade division, to help parents find a lost child and a host of other situations. Any ham with a two-meter handheld transceiver who is interested in helping should contact Ken Massie by e-mail to hamwn8f (at) yahoo (dot) com. Between 25 and 30 operators are needed. So far 18 have signed up. (Ironton Tribune) ** HAM HAPPENINGS: LIVERMORE CA LARK SWAPMEET FOLDS The Livermore Amateur Radio Klub in northern California closed the doors on its famed LARK Swapfest. The sponsors blame declining attendance by both sellers and buyers, rising costs and the difficulty in recovering from the loss of the swap being held at Los Positas college among the reasons that led to this decision. Its announcement notes that it takes an enormous amount of work and resource to make these swaps successful. It says that as a club it has witnessed a steady decline in both revenue and manpower to make the swap a worthwhile venture. But all might not be lost. The announcement also notes that the club is looking at the possibility of a bi-annual event that may look more like a hamfest including a swap meet. For that reason it is keeping its Yahoo swap list alive. (W6OMF) ** HAM HAPPENINGS: AMATEUR RADIO AND SPACE DAY Dave Taylor, W8AAS, says that, The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum has invited AMSAT to organize displays and activities at Space Day to be held this Saturday, May 7th from 10:30 to 3:00 at the Air & Space Museum on the National Mall. ARISS is already slated to have various flight-type hardware on hand and also expects a radio contact with International Space Station. However Dave would like to hear from anyone who has other space-related amateur radio artifacts, posters, activities or anything else they'd like to display. Also needed volunteers who can staff the tables, help with setup and tear down, and various other tasks. To sign up contact Dave Taylor via e-mail to w8aas (at) amsat (dot) org (W8AAS, AMSAT) ** NAMES IN THE NEWS: A HAPPY 220 TO SAMUEL F. B. MORSE And a very happy 220th birthday to Samuel F. B. Morse, who introduced telegraph communications in the United States. Morse was born on April 27th 1791 in Charlestown, Massachusetts. On 24th of May 1844, he famously sent the message "What hath God wrought" by telegraph from Washington D.C to Baltimore, Maryland and there-by ushering in the electronic information age that has continued to grow and become the world-wide broadband systems of today. But the telegraph Morse code used in Morse's days differed in a number of respects from the International Morse code used in later times. A description of the differences can be found at tinyurl.com/4e9mxk (Southgate) ** 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: MAKING LEDS THE ALL PURPOSE ROOM LIGHT New technology may make Light Emitting Diodes practical boor everyday home and even hamshack Jim Damron, N8TMW, reports: -- Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, say they've figured out the cause of a problem that's made light-emitting diodes impractical for general lighting purposes. Chris Van de Walle is a professor in the Materials Department at the University of California at Santa Barbara. He heads the research group that carried out the work. They investigated a phenomenon referred to as the drop in efficiency that occurs in these LEDs when they're operating at the high powers required to illuminate a room. The cause of this decline has been the subject of considerable debate, but the U-C Santa Barbara researchers say they've figured out the mechanism responsible for the effect by performing quantum-mechanical calculations. Van de Walle says that identifying the root cause of the problem was an indispensable first step toward devising solutions. Im Jim Damnron, N8TMW. -- More is on-line at tinyurl.com/3ey7fuc (Science OnLine) ** HAM RADIO IN SPACE: AO-51 INTO ECLIPSE PERIOD - OPERATION LIMITED Amsat Oscar 51 has recently experienced a few shutdowns due to a low battery voltage trip. This is because of increasing eclipses now at 20 minuets per orbit and increasing, poor sun angles and a weak battery. The transmitter power is down to about 550 milliwatts and AO-51 is now using the 67 Hz P-L tone required mode in order to turn the transmitters off when not in use. The AO-51Command Team will continue adjusting various parameters, including transmitter power, trigger voltages, and the like in order to keep the battery temperatures reasonable. Keep in mind that the power management feature keeps the transmitters off during eclipses, so you can't bring it up even with a PL tone during those periods. (ANS) ** ON THE AIR: THE INTERNATIONAL POLICE ASSOCIATION HG15IPA On the air, keep an ear open for Hungarian special event station HG15IPA to be active through December 31st to celebrate the 15th anniversary jubilee callsign of the International Police Association. The station is expected to be on 160 through 10 meters using CW, SSB, RTTY, PSK31 and SSTV. For more information please visit www.qrz.com/db/hg3ipa or www.qrz.com/db/ha3jb on the World Wide Web. QSL via HA3JB. ** ON THE AIR: CELEBRATING THE BATTLE OF NASEBY The United Kingdom's Welland Valley Amateur Radio Society will operate special event station GB0BON on June 19th. This to commemorate the 366th anniversary of the Battle of Naseby which was the decisive battle of the English civil war. The Battle of Naseby took place on the June 14th 1645 in the small hamlet of Naseby just south of the town of Market Harborough. In June 2010 members of the Welland Valley Amateur Radio society decided to put a special event amateur radio station on air to commemorate the historic event. It was deemed such a success that they are doing it again this year as well. If you contact GB0BON please QSL to G4XEX at the address on qrz.com. (DX Today) ** RADIOSPORTS: THE 7TH HST CHAMPIONSHIP CUP OF NATIONS The 7th International High Speed Telegraphy championship Cup of Nations will take place in Mogilev, Belarus from July 7th to the 11th. This is a traditional event and at airtime planners report that several top high speed telegraphy teams have already confirmed their participation. For more information on this event please contact Andrei Bindasov by e-mail to andrew_eu7ki (at) hotmail (dot) com. (Southgate) ** DX In DX, PD9DX, ON8AK and ON5UR will be active as OJ0UR from Market Reef between August 13th and the 20th. Their operation will be on the HF bands using a Stepp-IR Big Vertical and a Stepp-IR 2 element beam. QSL via M0URX, direct, via the bureau, or electronically using Logbook of the World. Members of the Camb-Hams will be activating the Isle of Arran through May 8th. They will be operating as GS3PYE/P and GS6PYE/P. Operation will be on all bands from 160 through 2 meters, and on 70 cm on various ham radio satellites. WSL as directed by the operator that you contact. IZ3ESV, I2VGW and IZ2LSC will be active stroke HB0 from Lichtenstein between June 2nd and 5th. The trio is planning a micro-light and holiday-style operation using CW, SSB and RTTY. The main focus will be on the 30, 17 and 12 meters and the upper High Frequency bands depending on the propagation. They will also try 6 meters. QSL via their home callsigns. ON4LO will be active on 40 through 10 meter SSB as F slash ON4LO stroke P until June 4th. He plans to operate from a few lighthouses during his trip. QSL via his home callsign, direct or via the bureau. ** THAT FINAL ITEM: SEND YOUR NAME AND CALL TO MARS And finally this week, there may not be any ham radio station on the planet Mars, but there may soon be a lot of ham radio callsigns making their way across the surface of the red planet. Amateur Radio Newsline's Michael Grebert, KJ4ZZV, has the details: -- NASA is collecting names to be put on a microchip that'll be onboard the Mars Science Laboratory rover heading to Mars in the fall of 2011. Some Radio Amateurs have been adding their call sign to last name field. As well as having your call sign traveling around the Martian surface you also get a electronic commemorative certificate to print out. The rover has an unusual connection with radio. As previously reported here on Amateur Radio Newsline, this second generation robber has special indentations on its wheels that will spell out the initials JPL in Morse as it travels around Mars. And for the few of you who might not be aware. JPL stands for Jet Propulsion Laboratory located in Pasadena, California, which is the NASA branch that builds of the rovers. You can add your name and call on the Mars microchip at tinyurl.com/marsham. From what we are hearing, a whole bunch of hams already have. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Michael Grebert, KJ4ZZV, reporting from Music City, Nashville, Tennessee. -- Again the URL to add your name and call to the microchip headed to Mars is tinyurl.com/marsham. More on the Mars Science Laboratory project can be found at mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. (NASA) ** 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 W-I-A News, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline(tm). Our e-mail address is . More information is available at Amateur Radio Newsline's(tm) only official website located at www (dot) arnewsline (dot) org. You can also write to us or support us at Amateur Radio Newsline(tm), 28197 Robin Avenue, Santa Clarita California, 91350 And a reminder that the nominating period for the year 2011 Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year Award is now open. Created by Newsline back in 1986, this award is offered to recognize one young United States or Canadian radio amateur age 18 or younger for his or her contributions to society through Amateur Radio. As in years past, the 2011 recipient will receive an expense paid trip to the Huntsville Hamfest in Huntsville Alabama courtesy of Vertex-Standard Corporation which produces Yaesu brand amateur radio gear. Vertex-Standard will also present this years winner with a special ham radio related gift. CQ Magazine will again treat the recipient to a week at Spacecamp-Huntsville. We at Amateur Radio Newsline will present the winner with a plaque honoring his or her achievements. All nominations and materials required by the official rules must be received by ARNewsline before June 30, 2011. A downloadable nominating form is at our website at www.arnewsline.org. A nominating form can also be obtained by sending a request along with a self addressed stamped envelope to the Young Ham of the Year Award in care of Amateur Radio Newsline, Inc. 28197 Robin Avenue, Santa Clarita California 91350. Again, the cutoff date for this year's Young Ham of the Year Award nominations is June 30th. We ask you to do your part by nominating a young ham who has done something special related to ham radio. The nomination form is at www.arnewsline.org For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors desk, I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, saying 73 and we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2011. All rights reserved. |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|