Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1729 - October 1 2010

Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1729 with a release date of
Friday, October 1 2010 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a Q-S-T. The FCC comes to the aid of a ham who is
being bothered by is neighbors consumer electronic products, a scout
troop is rescued after a call for help by ham radio and the United
States takes some top prizes in the now concluded World Championship of
Amateur Radio Direction Finding games. Find out the details on
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) report number 1729 coming your way right
now.


(Billboard Cart Here)

**

ENFORCEMENT: FCC COMES TO AID OF HAM SUFFERING INTERFERENCE

The Federal Communications Commission has come to the aid of a ham
radio operator who has been suffering interference believed to be
coming from a neighbor's home. Amateur Radio Newsline's Norm
Seeley, KI7UP, is here with the details::

--

In its September 3rd letter to the unidentified homeowner, FCC's
Special Counsel Laura Smith wrote that the agency had received a
complaint that an electrical device, possibly a faulty doorbell
transformer, apparently located on the homeowners property may be
causing harmful radio interference to a near-by ham radio operators
station.

In her letter, Smith noted that the agency's rules state that if the
interference is caused by faulty consumer equipment the FCC has the
responsibility to require that such problems be rectified within a
reasonable time. She noted that under FCC rules, certain types of
equipment are classified as "unintentional radiators." These are
devices that generate radio frequency energy but do not intentionally
radiate it. Some common examples include computers, radio receivers
and television sets. She went on to note that some of these devices
are imported and do not comply with Commission certification standards,
and thereby result in interference to other radio services.

Smith continued by telling the homeowner that if the source of the
interference is an unintentional radiator and if the device has FCC
approval, that it should have a silver FCC label on the unit showing a
certification number. But writes Smith, even an approved device can
only be operated legally if it is not causing harmful interference to a
licensed radio service.

Smith notes that the ham who filed the complaint has attempted
unsuccessfully to resolve this problem and as a result the matter has
been referred to her office. She goes on to warn the homeowner that
while the Commission has confidence that most people are able to
resolve these issues voluntarily, it wants to make the homeowner aware
that this unresolved problem may be a violation of the agency's rules
and could result in a monetary forfeiture or fine for each occurrence.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Norm Seeley, KI7UP, reporting from
Scottsdale, Arizona

--

Smith then gave the homeowner the customary 30 days to advise her
office as to what steps have been taken to correct this interference
problem. The entire letter to the homeowner is on-line at
http://www.fcc.gov/eb/AmateurActions...9_21_5201.html
(FCC)

**

RESCUE RADIO: HAM RADIO COORDINATES ARIZONA SCOUT RESCUE Authorities
say a Phoenix Arizona Boy Scout troop had been rescued near the city of
Prescott. This after radioing for help via amateur radio. The Yavapai
County Sheriff's Office says one troop became stranded in the Pine
Mountain Wilderness. The scouts were reportedly close to running out of
drinking water and one scout had fallen ill when they radioed for help.
According to a newspaper account, one troop leader was able to relay
G-P-S coordinates to a Prescott resident received the troop's call for
assistance on his ham radio station. He in turn notified county
authorities. The scouts were rescued by a state Department of Public
Safety helicopter on Saturday night, September 25th. Authorities say
the scouts and the their leaders were all in good condition and did not
require medical attention. The scouting troop included two adults and
six children under the age of 15. They were in the mountains with
other scout teams, learning to use signal mirrors in case of an
emergency and climb different peaks to signal one another. But in the
end it was ham radio rather than mirrors that lead to their rescue. Due
to the ages of those involved, no names or call signs were included in
news stories on this Arizona mountain rescue. (Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com, KOLD-TV)

**

RADIO POLITICS: DXCC AND THE DISSOLUTION OF THE NETHERLANDS ANTILLIES

Turning to the geo-political scene, when the Netherlands Antilles is
dissolved on October 10th, it will have a major impact on amateur radio
in general and the ARRL's DXCC awards program in particular. Now, in a
statement released by the ARRL, the League says that to clarify the
administrative process by which the anticipated changes to the two
existing Netherlands Antilles DXCC entities will be made, the ARRL
Awards Committee has determined the following policies.

First, at 0400 UTC on October 10th, the two current Netherlands
Antilles DXCC entities will be deleted. At the exact same time,
operation from the islands of Curacao, Bonaire, Sint Maarten, Saba and
St Eustatius will count for a yet-to-be-determined number of new
entities. This, under the DXCC List Rule 1 for Criteria and Political
Entities, and/or Geographic Rule 2. The latter deals with Separation
of Entities. When the Awards Committee determines what Rule 1 or Rule 2
actions apply in each case, it will announce the final disposition of
the entities on the DXCC list.

Finally, the DXCC desk says that it will not accept confirmations for
these new entities until after January 1st, 2011. (ARRL, various DX
newsletters)

**

RADIO LAW: HEMPSTEAD NY ALL BUT BANS NEW CELLPHONE TOWERS A town in
suburban New York has imposed restrictions on the placement of new
cellular telephone towers that are said to be among the toughest in the
United States. The town of Hempstead, just east of New York City on
Long Island, is a notable example on a list of municipalities
tightening rules on where cell phone companies can place antennas.
Despite a 1996 federal law prohibiting municipalities from considering
health issues in approving locations for cellular antennas, a group of
mothers concerned about what they consider risky cell towers outside
their children's schools successfully lobbied the town of Hempstead.
The town board claims that it adhered to FCC regulations to not
consider possible health effects by instead describing the vote as a
quality of life issue. The ordinance passed unanimously by the
Hempstead town board prohibits wireless companies from installing
equipment closer than 1,500 feet to homes, day care centers, schools
and houses of worship, unless they submit compelling evidence that
there is an absolute need. The town has also hired Richard Comi of the
Center for Municipal Solutions as a consultant to review applications
of cellular companies seeking to install new antennas or towers. Comi's
company advises municipalities in 32 states on cellular tower
regulations. A spokesman for one cellular provider told the press that
ther new Hempstead ordenance effectively bans new cellular site
construction in that township. Some observers believe that the
cellular industry will have no choice other than to challenge the
legality of this new Hempstead law through the Federal courts.
And while there is no mention of any other radio service being impacted
by the Hempstead ordinace there arre no exemptions either.
(LINewswire, KB6NU, WV9QZB)

**

BREAK 1

From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline,
heard on bulletin stations around the world including the WB9AET
repeater serving Chicago Illinois.

(5 sec pause here)


**
RADIOSPORTS: THE WORLD T-HUNT CHAMPIONSHIP

A group of transmitter hunters from the USA is returning from Croatia
with some medals for their efforts. Newsline's Joe Moell, K0OV has the
full report.

--

The world championship of Amateur Radio Direction Finding, also called
ARDF and radio-orienteering, has just concluded. It took place in
beautiful forests near the Adriatic Sea coast of Croatia. According to
rules of the International Amateur Radio Union, competitors had to find
up to five transmitters on courses that were up to 4 miles
point-to-point. They had maps and compasses, but the transmitters
weren't marked on the map, of course. 386 radio-orienteers from 32
countries took part, including 14 from the USA. Our team's ages ages
ranged from 25 to 68.

On the first of two competition days, Karla Leach KC7BLA of Bozeman,
Montana and Ruth Bromer WB4QZG of Raleigh, North Carolina took silver
medals in the team competition for women over age 60 on the 80-meter
band. They didn't actually team up on the course -- that's not
allowed. Everyone must find the transmitters individually, with no
help. But their combined scores were second only to the Russian
team's, and that's how team winners are determined. It's an excellent
showing, because the Russians and other east Europeans such as
Ukrainians and Czechs have been doing this for fifty years and have
help from the government and the military. On the other hand, this is
only USA's 7th trip to the World Championships.

On the second competition day, George Neal KF6YKN captured a bronze
medal in the category for men ages 50 through 59 on 80 meters.
This is George's second medal for the USA -- he got one two years ago
at the World Championships in Korea.

Team USA members earned their positions by being the best at the USA
national championships last year in Boston and this spring near
Cincinnati. Watch for the announcement of next year's national
championships, which I will be making soon. Meanwhile, you can read
more about the team and see photos of them in action at
www.homingin.com. That's HOMINGIN, as one word.

From southern California this is Joe Moell, K0OV for Amateur Radio
Newline.

--

Our congratulations to the winners and all who took part in this
international T-Hunting event. (K0OV, ARNewsline(tm))

**

RADIO LOSS: HAM STATION APPARENTLY CAUGHT IN COLORADO FIRE

What may have been a large contest or DX station appears to have been
lost in a fire burning last week in Colorado. Those watching the
Weather Channel report to have seen video footage of a house burning.
As the camera on board the news helicopter widened its shot there were
three towers and antennas clearly visible on the property. At airtime,
there's been no conclusive identity as to whom the house and the towers
belonged to. (Various sources)

**

RADIO LAW: FCC APPROVES USE OF WHITE SPACES FOR LONG RANGE WIFI

The Federal Communications Commission has approved the use of
unlicensed broadcast spectrum known as "white spaces" that the agency
hopes will amount to longer-range Wi-Fi-like connections for mobile
devices. In a unanimous vote on Thursday, September 23rd, the
five-member FCC said the unused spectrum between TV stations will be
used for such mobile broadband services in the hope of providing
improved service to consumers on the go.

Technology companies including Google and Microsoft had advocated the
concept while it was generally opposed by broadcasters and
entertainment venues. The latter had had hoped for the same spectrum
for wireless microphones displaced from other bands. Instead, the
Commission reserved two vacant UHF channels for wireless microphones
and other low power auxiliary service devices in all areas of the
country. (CGC, PostTech.com)

**
COMMUNICATIONS SCAMS: THE MALWARE SCAM DOWN UNDER

A computer scam involving criminals targeting random computer users has
been discovered in Australia, but could easily spread world-wide.
Graham Kemp, VK4BB, of the WIA News has the story about how these
swindlers work:

-

The scam involves a victim receiving a phone call from a person
purporting to represent well known computer company, most commonly
Microsoft or a company contracted by Microsoft telling the person they
have a problem with their computer. The caller outlines the victim's
computer is infected with a virus that has been brought to the
company's attention -often via the Microsoft fault reporting process.

The caller then offers to assist the victim and will "fix the problem"
by directing them to a website where the caller remotely takes over the
victim's computer. The representative then shows the victim the
"issues" with their computer and suggests they pay a fee to have the
problem fixed or need to purchase software to prevent this from
happening in the future.

This is all just a scam. Microsoft has confirmed they are not
cold-calling members of the community regarding viruses, computer
problems or any other issue.

Quite simply, these offenders are just looking to trick you into giving
them money," Detective Superintendent Brian Hay of the Queensland Crime
Operations Command's Fraud and Corporate Crime Group said.

Giving someone you don't know remote access to your computer is
basically the same as handing your credit card details over to them.
With this access, an offender can easily search your computer for
banking or personal details or quite easily load Malware or Trojan
software onto your computer.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, of the WIA news
reporting frim Ausrralia.

-

The bottom line: No matter where you are in the world, if you get a
call from anyone telling you that your computer has a virus or some
other problem with it, just tell them to get lost and hang up the
phone. And if such a warning comes in the form of an e-mail,
never under any circumstances click on a provided link. Instead,
simply delete the message. You, your computer and your wallet will be
happy that you did. (WIA News)

**

RADIO HAPPENINGS: NOT A LOT OF CELLPHONE FM RADIO USE

The National Association of Broadcasters has found that very few
cellular handsets that have FM radio chips in them have activated the
feature. In a study commissioned by NAB's Fastroad technology advocacy
program and conducted by Insight Research, the trade group wanted to
know how many cell phones with activated FM radio chips were sold in
the U.S. in 2008 and 2009. NAB also wanted an estimate of the
prospects for FM enabled cell phones and other hand-held devices in the
future.

In its findings, Insight Research estimates that in 2008, 6% of the
handsets sold in the U.S. were FM-enabled. This increased to about
9.5% in 2009. A previous NAB study looked at the market in 2007 and
estimated that 8% of wireless devices shipped had an FM radio chip
installed, though not necessarily activated.

Though several manufacturers have integrated FM into their cell phones,
the only way to know for sure the percent of handsets with an installed
FM chip would be to match each handset with its associated chipset.
That would require reverse engineering of all handsets on the market in
2008 and 2009. According to Insight; that was beyond the scope of
this study. (RW)

**

RESCUE RADIO: HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT BRINGS RACES TO COUNTY DISPATCH
CENTER A Home Land Security grant is making it possible for the Ionia
County Michigan Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services to acquire new
equipment and move in to an office located at the County Central
Dispatch Center. Roger Packard, KD8KLUI, is the RACES and Amateur Radio
Emergency Services Emergency Coordinator for Ionia County. He says that
this new gear gives his group the capability to talk locally, within
the state and quite literally around the world. According to the Ionia
Centinal Standard, equipment began arriving last week. It adds that
the Ionia County Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services is getting the
gear un-boxed and ready for operation. The newspaper added that
with the amateur radio groups and emergency service organizations in
Ionia County working together, it allows for more information to be
gathered, and this in turn helps to keep the area safe. (Ionia
Centinal Standard)

**
RADIO BUSINESS: HEIL SOUND INAUGURATES LIVE CHAT SUPPORT LINK Heil
Sound now has Live Chat support available. Typical on-line hours are
8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific USA Time.

Amateur Radio Newsline talked with Chip Margelli, K7JA, who is the Vice
President of Amateur Radio Sales and Marketing for Heil Sound shortly
after the service came on-line He says that Heil Sound is very
pleased to be able to provide this new service to its dealers and
customers:

--

K7JA: "Its been really great. This morning in fact, when the service
first came up we received inquiries from Canada, from France and from
the UK. And it was really gratifying to - number one that people were
able to pick up on it that quickly and secondly that we were able to
help somebody so that they would not have to make an overseas phone
call in the case of the folks from Europe."

--

Chip says that there is a Live Chat link that is located at www dot
heilsound dot com stroke amateur. Just click on it and the link will
take you directly to the company's support line. (Heil Sound)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS: RAC ELECTION RESULTS

Radio Amateurs of Canada has announced the re-election of several of
its Directors for another two year term beginning on January 1st, 2011.
Elected are William Gipps, VE7ISV and VE7XS as the Radio Amateurs of
Canada Director for British Columbia and the Yukon; Derek Hay, VE4HAY
as Director for Midwest; Bill Unger, VE3XT, as the Director for
Ontario North East and Everett Price, VO1DK who will serve as Director
for Atlantic. All ran unopposed eliminating the need for a balloted
election. (VO1PRB)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS: AA2TX REPLACES N6GHZ ON AMSAT BOD A big surprise on
the AMSAT Board of Directors. This with the announcement that Bill
Ress, N6GHZ, has tendered his resignation from the Board effective
September 20th. In his letter of resignation Ress noted that his
business demands are leaving him with very little extra time to
properly serve as a member of the AMSAT Board. In accordance with
AMSAT By-Laws, Tony Monteiro, AA2TX as First Alternate will immediately
assume the position of Director until the next Board election in 2011.
Monteiro also serves as AMSAT's Vice President of Engineering. (WA4SCA)

**
NAMES IN THE NEWS: K3LR NAMED TO RECEIVE RCA 2010 BARRY GOLDWATER
AMATEUR RADIO AWARD

And the Radio Club of America has announced that Tim Duffy, K3LR, will
be the recipient of its Barry Goldwater Amateur Radio Award. The
Goldwater Award is given to an RCA member in recognition of a long
record of service to the public through the use of Amateur Radio. Duffy
joins Richard G. Somers, W6NSV, who, as reported last week has been
named to receive the Radio Club of America's Special Recognition Award.
Both Duffy and Sommers will receive their honors at the organizations
101st annual Awards Banquet to be held November 19th in New York City.
Duffy will also be inducted as an RCA Fellow this year. (RCA)

**
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)

**

THE CONTEST CORNER: PA QSO PARTY OCT 9 - 10

From the contest corner comes word that the 2010 Pennsylvania QSO Party
is literally right around the corner. Amateur Radio Newsline's Mark
Abramovich, N-T-3-V is here with the details:

-

They call it "the friendly party" because operators here in
Pennsylvania are helpful on the bands in letting others work rare
stations and counties, even if they happen to be holding the frequency.

Michael Coslo, N3LI, vice president of the Nittany Amateur Radio Club
and manager of the PA QSO Party, says he's expecting lots of activity
for the contest the weekend of Oct. 9 and 10.

Coslo says for those who have worked the PA party in the past, there is
one significant change in the scoring.

"We got rid of the 1.5 point QSOs for CW. We've changed that to 2
points for each CW QSO," Coslo says.

It used to be only 80-meter CW QSOs were valued at 2 points. Coslo says
the change was recommended and made because it will make it easier to
log and compile the final score sheets.

Coslo says there will also be a special event station on the air worth
200 points for each contact.

"The Skyview Radio Society will be operating under K3MJW and they are
celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, which is a large part of
why we had them do that," Coslo says. "And, they also are recovering
very nicely from disaster that hit them last year in October when they
had some early snowfalls which took a lot of their antennas out."

Coslo says the club is based in Westmoreland County in western
Pennsylvania, but also is planning to send out some stations to rare
counties nearby.

So, if you've never worked a state QSO party, this is one worth trying
out.

Hope to hear you on the air.

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

-

For more on this fun event just take your web browser to
www.tinyurl.com/paqso (NT3V)

**

RADIO IN SPACE: THE NEW SOLAR SAIL PROJECT

Turning to radio news from space, word that the Planetary Society is
building a spacecraft that will sail on sunlight alone and hopes to
have it completed by the end of 2010. The new solar sail project,
boosted by a one-million-dollar anonymous donation, is the beginning of
an innovative program that will eventually launch three separate
spacecraft over the course of several years.

The program starts with LightSail-1, which will demonstrate that
sunlight can propel a spacecraft in Earth orbit. LightSail 2 and 3,
more ambitious and aim to reach farther into space.

Sailing on light pressure from lasers rather than sunlight is the only
known technology that might carry out practical interstellar flight,
helping pave our way to the stars. The project also has many practical
applications that include

The solar sail propulsion is simple in concept. Light photons bounce
onto a mirror-like aluminized Mylar sail. As each photon hits, its
momentum is transmitted to the spacecraft. Photons have no mass but
lots of energy, so a solar sail space probe requires no onboard fuel.
The force acts continuously, meaning a solar sail can eventually reach
speeds five to ten times greater than any chemical rocket.

Some of the objects of the new solar sail project include monitoring
the Sun for solar storms, providing stable Earth observation platforms,
and exploring our solar system without carrying heavy propellants.

For more information on this fascinating project take your web browser
to www.tinyurl.com/solarsailing (Planetary Society, VK7TL)

**

ON THE AIR: ROYAL NAVAL AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY CELEBRATES 50 YEARS

On the air, word that the Royal Naval Amateur Radio Society is
celebrating its 50th anniversary this year with the special event
callsign GB50RN on the air through October 9th. The station will
operate on CW and SSB on 80 through 10 meters and on FM locally on the
2 meter and 70 cm bands. A special Anniversary Award is available to
listeners and licensed amateurs who hear or contact Royal Naval
Amateur Radio Society members and the special event station during the
remainder of 2010. Full details can be found on the society website at
www.rnars.org.uk. (GB2RS, Southgate)

**

DX

In DX, K8ND and W9VA will be the first team to arrive at Signal Point
Station on Curacao between October 10th and 18th, just before the
October 10th date of dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles to operate
stroke PJ2. The callsign PJ2T will be used after 0400 UTC on October
10th, when Curacao becomes an autonomous country within the Kingdom of
the Netherlands. QSL via reach operators home callsign.

KM0O will be operational stroke 9M6 from East Malaysia between November
26th and the 30th. His main activity will be the CQWW DX CW Contest on
November 27th and 28th as a Single-Operator All Band entry. QSL to
KM0O via his information on QRZ.com or electronically using Logbook of
the world.

AA5UK will be operational portable EA6 from Ibiza in the Baleric
Islands from October 16th to the 27th. His activity will be holiday
style on 160 through 10 meters using mostly SSB and various Digital
modes. Also, look for satellite operation on various birds. QSL to his
home call direct, via the bureau or electronically using either Logbook
of the World or eQSL.

DG5MMW will be active as stroke 3B8 from Mauritius Island between
November 1st and the 6th. His operation will likely be holiday style
on the HF bands. QSL to his home call direct or via the bureau. And
for those of you who have been asking for a definition of the term
holiday style, it means the operator is likely on vacation and will not
plan an y specific hour of the day or day of the week to take to the
air.

Lastly, N3QQ plans to activate two rare locations within the next few
weeks. His plans are to travel to Enewetak Atoll on October 9th. He
will likely operate from Enewetak between October 12th to the 15th and
then travel to Ujelang Atoll which has never been on the air. He plans
to activate that rock from October 16th to the 19th. His requested
callsigns are 73RRC for Ujelang Island and V73QQ for Enewetak Island.
N3QQ adds that plans on this one are subject to change with little or
no notice. Again, QSL as directed on the air.

(Above from vartious DX news sources)

**

THAT FINAL ITEM: COMMUNICATIONS WITH DANCE

And finally this week, we are all familiar with the use of RF to
communicate with one another using two-way radios, but have you ever
thought that it can also play a part in the creative process in
developing dance? Well Sonia Cillari, who is an artist in residence at
the Steim Studio for Electro Instrumental Music in Amsterdam, has.

Working with a team of engineers and software programmers, Cillari is
using electronics, radio frequency energy and computer control to
develop a new performance based on her own thoughts, feelings and
ideas, coupled with the latest in radio technology:

--

Sonia Cillari: "I use technology because it permits me to create the
illusion. So usually I do not start from technology investigating
technology. That is the contrary. So usually I make my own technical
devices because they are for the aim of reaching that specific
research."

--

Sonia Cillari is only one of a growing number of dancers and other
artists around the world who are integrating the world of electronics
and communications into what they create.

And less we forget, our sincere thanks to Marlon Barrios Solano and
Dance-Tech Net for making the sound clip of Sonia Cillari available to
us. For those interested in the arts, more on Dance-Tech Net can be
found on-line at www.dance-tech.net. (Dance-Tech.net, ARNewsline(tm))

**

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 Newsline
(at) arnewsline (dot) org. More information is available at Amateur
Radio Newsline'sT 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

Please do not forget that in association with the Newark Amateur Radio
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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 2010. All rights reserved.