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Amateur Radio Newslineâ„¢ Report 1402 Â* June 25, 2004
Amateur Radio Newslineâ„¢ Report 1402 Â* June 25, 2004
The following is an advisory and not necessarily for air. Ladies and gentlemen, Amateur Radio Newslines' Support Fund Administrator, Andy Jarema, N6TCQ: -- This is Andy Jarema, N6TCQ, Newsline Support Fund Administrator, getting caught up with our supporters. In the month of September of last year we heard from Benton Bonney, W4PE of Orlando; monthly contributor Joseph Bartzi, Jr., KC8DKF of Columbus, OH; the St. Charles, MO ARC, WB0HSI; monthly contributor William Walters, WA2IBM, of San Jose; monthly contributor Scott Hensley of the Area Communications Team, also in San Jose and the Anchorage ARC. Of special mention was support received in memory of the late Roy Neal, K6DUE, by the Brackett family of Cerritos, CA. Our thanks to Sharyn, Jim, KE6FVN, David, KE6OPK, and Lynn, WA6HBS. Thank you to everyone, and we promise to do our best to continue to earn your care and support. A reminder that Newsline is a 501c 3 California non-profit corporation. FCC regulations prohibit us from telling you exactly how to support us, but that information is on our website at www.arnewsline.org. That address will be repeated at the end of the newscast. I'm Andy Jarema, N6TCQ. -- Thank you Andy. Now, Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1402 with a release date of Friday, June 25 2004 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a Q-S-T. Changes coming to ham radio in New Zealand and maybe to the 40 meter band here in the United States. Find out the details on Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1402 coming your way right now. (Billboard Cart Here) ** RESTRUCTURING: A NEW HAM RADIO IN ZED-L Big changes appear to be in store for ham radio in New Zealand. This, as the current licensing system is replaced by one test and one class of ham radio operator. ,Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, is in Auckland where its all taking place: -- Here's the bottom line. Our current New Zealand Amateur Radio licensing system is being renovated. We now have only one class of ham radio license in Zed-L called the General Amateur Radio License. This is just one of many changes coming to ham radio down-under as New Zealand radio amateurs discover the full outcome of their regulatory authority's review of the Amateur Radio service. It's all good! The changes started on June 17th when a new revised Schedule attached to the Zed-L license came into effect. A Schedule here in New Zealand is kind of like a new set of rules. That's the first step. Other changes will take effect over the next 18 months or more. Many long standing problems are being eliminated and some of the changes are believed to be world firsts. Under the new structure there will be only one grade of Amateur operator license in New Zealand. That's the General Radio License that I mentioned earlier. One license means only one test needs to be administered. A newly-licensed amateur will have immediate access to all amateur bands below 5 MHz and to all amateur bands above 25 MHz. After getting experience over 3 months and with at least 50 contacts logged, access is then permitted to all amateur radio bands. All existing Limited Amateur licensees automatically became General Amateur licensees on June 17th irrespective of what is written on their existing licenses. There being only one license grade, callsigns will no longer indicate a class. There is already an established procedure to request a change of callsign if a licensee so wishes. All amateur bands remain the same but a newly-extended Low Frequency band 130 to 190 kHz is being listed for the first time as an amateur allocation. The permitted maximum transmitter power output for an amateur station on all bands is 500 watts P-E-P. With only one figure, the maximum power level in New Zealand is now mode-independent. How about visitors to New Zealand? Touring hams holding a current amateur certificate of competency, authorization, or license issued by another administration, may operate an amateur station in New Zealand under a General User Radio License for visitors. A licensed visitor will be granted similar privileges to a New Zealand resident station for a period not exceeding 90 days. The present country-to- country reciprocal license agreements will disappear in time as more countries directly recognize the licenses issued by other administrations. This will make cross-border travel by radio amateurs a lot easier than it is today. There are now minimum rules and restrictions for Amateur Radio in New Zealand and the future is positive. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, reporting from Auckland. -- With one license exam, one license grade, and with new and simplified procedures, New Zealand telecommunications regulators say that they have positioned that nations Amateur Radio Service for an exciting future. (ARNewsline(tm), ZL2BHF, Q-News) ** RESTRUCTURING: FCC RELEASES NPRM ON 40-METER CHANGES The FCC says pending changes in the 40-meter amateur band as a result of the 2003 World Radiocommunication Conference will improve spectrum efficiency. It said so in a rule making notice dealing with the 40 meter band. Norm Seeley, KI7UP, has the latest: -- The ARRL Letter reports that this remark came in an FCC Notice of Proposed Rule Making in ET Docket 04-139. This is an inquiry that seeks public comments on proposed rule changes to complete domestic implementation of various World Radiocommunication Conference allocation decisions made in 2003. Among them the future of the Amateur Service 40 meter allocation. The regulatory agency says that it anticipates that administrations in I-T-U Regions 1 and 3 will, in the near future, authorize phone emissions in the 7 point 150 to 7 point 200 MHz band segment. The FCC notes that the ARRL has requested that the United States frequency segment for phone emissions be expanded to 7 point 125 to 7 point 300 MHz. The FCC says that authorizing voice operations in this band segment would permit same-frequency US-to-DX contacts, resulting in increased spectrum efficiency. The N-P-R-M also addresses the deployment of Earth Exploration Satellite Service-Active spacecraft in the 70-cm band. The Commission says that this operation should not cause harmful interference to, nor claim protection from, any other services allocated in the band in the United States. This includes the Amateur Satellite service as well as any others. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, Norm Seeley, KI7UP, in Scottsdale, Arizona. -- Comments in the proceeding are due July 16, with reply by August 2. Interested parties may view the entire NPRM, file comments and view comments filed in ET Docket 04-139 via the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System at www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/ (ARRL) ** RESTRUCTURING: NO VANITY CALLS IN THE UK RIGHT NOW Vanity callsigns 'are unlikely to be introduced in the United Kingdom before March of 2006. This, according to the Radio Society of Great Britain which says that for the last three years it has been in discussion with licensing authorities over the introduction of such a program for U-K amateurs. The latest word is that telecommunications regulators have informed the RSGB that due to software issues it is unlikely that vanity callsigns can be introduced before March 2006. In other words, the waiting goes on. (RSGB) ** More news in a moment, but right now its time for you to identify your station. Linda Reader, N-7-H-V-F, if you please: "From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the W7FP repeater serving Salt Lake City, Utah." (5 sec pause here) ** THE BPL FIGHT: ARRL JOINS IOWA HAM IN BPL INTERFERENCE STRUGGLE The ARRL has joined in the fight on behalf of Iowa amateur and ARRL member. This, following complaints from Jim Spencer, W0SR, of Cedar Rapids, that he has suffered severe Broadband Over Powerline interference for more than two months. According to the ARRL Letter, a formal complaint to FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief David H. Solomon calls on the Commission to order Alliant Energy's B-P-L field trial system to shut down. It also demands that the agency fine the utility $10,000 for violating the Communications Act of 1934 and FCC's Part 15 rules. Alleging that the ongoing interference is both harmful and willful to one or more licensed radio station the ARRL asked Solomon to intervene on an emergency basis. ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, who signed the letter of complaint, said Alliant Energy has been aware since March 30th. Thats the date it installed Amperion BPL equipment in Spencer's neighborhood and the interference began. (ARRL) ** ENFORCEMENT: EX-KG6IRO FINED $10000 FOR UNLICENSED OPERATION A man who challenged the FCC and the southern California ham radio community has been fined $10,000. Amateur Radio Newsline's Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, has the latest on a person who the F-C-C has told to stay off the air: -- The FCC has issued a $10,000 Notice of Apparent Liability to Monetary Forfeiture -- that's a fancy way of saying a fine -- to Jack Gerritsen, the at least temporarily former KG6IRO. This, for operating a radio station in the Amateur Radio Service without the authorization from the FCC to do so. In a June 15th letter to the Bell, California, former licensee, the regulatory agency notes his past record of non compliance with, among other things, its orders to keep off the air. It also notes his previous conviction for interfering with police radio communications in 2000 and the November 14, 2001 decision by the FCC to set aside his ham radio ticket based on complaints about the operation of his stations. Kit also raises questions regarding his qualifications to be a Commission licensee in light of his 1999 arrest and 2000 conviction on the police radio jamming charges. At the time of the license set aside Gerritsen was warned that he has no authority to operate radio transmitting equipment. That doing so would be considered to be a violation of Section 301 of the Communications Act and could subject him to monetary penalties or imprisonment. But on December 9th 2001, the Bell, California Police Department notified the FCC that it had received complaints against Gerritsen for making radio transmissions. On December 28th of 2001 the FCC's Los Angeles Office issued a warning letter to Gerritsen for unlicensed operation, and basically told him to get off the air. On January 2, 2002 Gerritsen replied and asserted that the set aide of his license was improper. On January 29th, the Bell Police and the California Highway Patrol arrested Gerritsen on a probation violation charge. On May 7th of 2002 he was found guilty of the parole violation and sentenced. Soon after his release on July 28th of 2003 the FCC began getting complaints of unauthorized transmissions over local Los Angeles area amateur, business band and public safety repeaters. The complaints alleged that the person making the transmissions identified using the call letters KG6IRO. An investigation was launched. This lead to an agent positively identifying Gerritsen on November 6, 2003 as a person holding a transceiver while the investigator recorded the radio transmissions he was making. The investigation continued with the FCC identifying Gerritsen as the interference source on November 7th 2003 and on February 9th of this year. Now, based on what the FCC cites as conclusive evidence it has levied the $10,000 fine against Gerritsen for willful and repeated violations of Section 301. As usual, Gerritsen was given the customary 30 days to pay up or to file an appeal. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, in Los Angeles. -- Word is that Gerritsen has responded to the FCC with a demand that the agency rescind the fine. He reportedly claims that his license granted on November 14th 2001 has not been terminated, revoked or in any way modified to prevent him from being on the air. (FCC) ** ENFORCEMENT: THE FCC ENFORCEMENT LOG Gerritsen is not the only ham radio enforcement story making news this week. With more, heres the FCC's Daryl Duckworth, NN0W: -- DO NOT READ: Audio report only. Hear it in the newscast at www.arnewsline.org -- More ham radio enforcement news in upcoming Amateur Radio Newsline reports. -- ENFORCEMENT VICTORVILLE CA PIRATE STILL ON THE AIR A pirate broadcaster in Victorville, California, is still operating full time on AM 660 and FM 91.3. This, in defiance of FCC actions to shut it down. Back on March 31st, the FCC issued a $20,000 fine to alleged station owner Stanley Mark Mayo. This, for willful and repeated violation of Section 301 of the Act for operating radio transmitting equipment without the required Commission authorization. None the less, the stations remain on the air leading to speculation that another level of enforcement action might be taken. One that could lead to seizure of the broadcast equipment and jailing of those who put the stations on the air. For a look at the Commission's action on these stations, see http://www.fcc.gov/eb/FieldNotices/2...-246123A1.html (CGC, others) ** RESCUE RADIO: A 100 WATT TRAVELERS INFORMATION STATION AT LAX The FCC has granted a request by the managers of Los Angeles International Airport for a ten fold power increase to their Travelers Radio Information Radio service. On December 4, 2002, managers filed the application that asked to increase power from 10 to 100 watts. The reason for the increase was to facilitate the airport's efforts to provide emergency communications to the traveling public in the event of a terrorist attack. The FCC has now granted the 100 watt request, due, it says, to the circumstances involved. More on this story is on-line http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_publi...-03-3843A1.doc (CGC) ** THE SOCIAL SCENE: NEBRASKA IN JULY Turning to the ham radio social scene, Nerbraska's Pioneer Amateur Radio Club will hold its flea market on Sunday, June 11th. The venue is the St. Charles Parish Center in North Bend. For more information e-mail (E-mail) ** THE SOCIAL SCENE: MARYLAND IN JULY And the BRATS Hamfest and Computer Fest will take place July 25th at the Timonium Fairgrounds in Timonium, Maryland. This is one of the biggies that features more than 500 outdoor flea market spaces, hundreds of indoor vendors, free ham radio exams and much more. There is lots of information on this one on-line. You will find it in cyberspace at www.bratsatv.org (Press release) ** HAM RADIO AND THE 2004 OLYMPICS: THE ATHENS 2004 AWARD Athens 2004 Olympic Games Awards will available for all radio amateurs and short-wave listeners who make or log a requisite number of contacts with stations in Greece. This, during the period of the 15th of May until the 30th of September. Special prefixes J4, SX and SY count 10 points each, normal SV stations count 5 points each and the Radio Amateur Association of Greece's HQ station SZ1SV counts 50 points. A total of 250 points is required for the Bronze Award, 350 for the Silver and 500 points for the Gold Award. The address for applications is RAAG Award Manager, PO Box 3564, 102 10 Athens, Greece, or see the RAAG web site: www.araag.org/award2004.html (RSGB) ** 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) ** AN ARNEWSLINE FOLLOW-UP: MILITARY APPRECIATION DAY A follow-up to a story we ran several weeks ago. Thanks to the efforts of several amateur radio operators in Ft. Wayne, Indiana a message of hope and appreciation was sent via the airwaves to our military personnel around the world. Newsline's Jack Parker W8ISH has the details: --- It's official. By proclamation, May 29th, is officially Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The event was organized to honor and show appreciation to those that serve and have served in the military and related auxiliary groups. Planning for the event started last spring and quickly grew into a nationwide effort as organizer Emery McClendon KB9IBW spread the word to amateurs and MARS operators in the US and around the world. The key to success centered on what Amateur Radio could do to let our Military members know that people supported them. Unlike written letters, amateur radio allowed Americans, in their own voice and words, tell the troops how much they care. To get lots of public input, event organizers searched for a special event location. The Fort Wayne Wizards baseball team got into the game by offering up a spot at their stadium and a home game crowd. The effort grew momentum when radio volunteers from three Allen county amateur radio groups joined the ranks to spread the good word. The amateurs ran three Echolink stations, IRLP, and two HF stations along with PSK31. The event scored local media coverage from newspapers, radio and network TV stations. Indiana Governor Joe Kernan, a former Vietnam POW and Indiana's senior Senator Dick Lugar both sent proclamations. They were just two of several proclamations read in a special ceremony before the first pitch of the baseball game. Many of the 65-hundred fans on hand, took advantage of the amateur radio connection to express their support to the military stationed around the world. Reporting for Amateur Radio Newsline, this is Jack Parker W8ISH -- The Fort Wayne hams say their mission was a success. They now plan to make Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day an annual event. (ARNewsline(tm), KB9IBW) ** HAM RADIO ON THE INTERNET: THE AOL RADIO COMMUNICATIONS FORUM If you use America Online to get your e-mail and have never explored the Radio Communications forum pages, then you are missing half the fun. Almost since the day AoL took to Internet, the Radio Communications Forum has been a part of the service, and its not just limited to ham radio operators either. No matter what you radio hobby interest, there is probably a board for you. C-B. Scanners. You name it. There's a place for you. So the next time you sign on and hear the famous words -- "you've got mail" -- type in the keywords radio communications and join the other radio hobbyists around the world who make this area of AoL their cyberspace home." (ARNewsline(tm)) ** HAM RADIO IN SPACE: AN ORBITAL FIELD DAY Ham radio space travelers Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, and Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, may participate in Field Day from the International Space Station if time permits. ISS Ham Radio Project Engineer Ken Ransom, N5VHO, sent Field Day operating instructions and pass times to the ISS support team at Johnson Space Center. If they were on, Fincke should have been operating as NA1SS. Padalka would likely have signed RS0ISS. Both stations would be classified as 1 Alpha operations. (ARISS) ** HAM RADIO IN SPACE: ITS A GIRL And less we forget, a word of congratulations to Astronaut Mike Fincke and his wife Renita on the birth of their second child. Tarali Fincke was born on Friday June 18th with KE5AIT himself making the announcement from the orbiting I-S-S. (N1ORC) ** THE EDUCATION FILE: THE 2004 TAPR - ARRL DCC On the educational agenda, the 2004 TAPR and ARRL Digital Communications Conference will be held September 10th to the 12. The venue is the Airport Holiday Inn in Des Moines, Iowa and the planners say that are now accepting papers for the conference proceedings. You do not have to be present at the conference to have your paper included in the proceedings. Submissions are due before August 10th. Send them to Maty Weinberg at ARRL Headquarters, 225 Main Street, Newington, Connercticut. The zipcode is 06111 and you will find more conference information on the web at www.tapr.org/dcc (TAPR) ** WORLDBEAT - INDIA: A NEW HAM RADIO INITIATIVE In world news. India's national Amateur Radio society says that it plans to conduct various programs to promote Amateur Radio as part of a disaster mitigation program in many venues across that country. Many local radio amateurs and clubs across India plan to back this National Institute of Amateur Radio initiative and also take part in this program. (NIAR via Q-NEWS) ** WORLDBEAT - SCOTLAND: RSGB DISTRICT NAME CHANGES And some major changes to the two Radio Society of Great Britain Scottish Regions have been announced. Region 1, previously known as Scotland West and the Western Isles, becomes Scotland South and the Western Isles Region 2, previously known as Scotland East and the Highlands becomes Scotland North and the Northern Isles. As a result of these changes, two new RSGB districts will be added to Region 1. These are District 15 to be called Lothians and District 16, the Borders. The Deputy Regional Manager for District 15 is Dave Stockton, GM4ZNX. (GB2RS) ** DX In D-X, word that IZ3EFL is currently active as S79DF from the Seychelles. Look for him during his evening hours on 20 meters SSB. He expects to remain there for quite some time so QSL as directed on the air. (GB2RS) And PA5M is now in Sudan and will be active in his spare time as ST2DX. He will be there for about one month. QSL is via PA7FM. (GB2RS) ** THAT FINAL ITEM: D-DAY AND HAM RADIO - NEW ORLEANS STYLE And finally this week, the story of ham radio helping to celebrate a national holiday, southern style. It took place in New Orleans and Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, is there with the rest of the story: -- The weekend of June 5th and 6th the Jefferson Amateur Radio Club, based in Metairie, Louisiana operated W5D, a special event station to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the D-Day invasion at the National D-Day Museum located in downtown New Orleans. Event co-chairman Keith Barnes, W5KB reports that by all measures it was a rousing success. Just over 600 contacts were made and the station display was very well received by visitors and Veterans alike. The hams manning the booth didn't miss many opportunities to talk up amateur radio. The display, prominently located in the main entrance hall just past the front door, featured a large collection of World War II vintage military radio gear. Among the visitors to the station were former New Orleans Archbishop Philip Hannan, himself a World War II vet and member of the 82nd Airborne. The Archbishop actually jumped with the 82nd on D-Day. Also stopping by was Louisiana governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco. She even sat at the radio and made a contact. Both Archbishop Hannan and Governor Blanco signed the commemorative poster along with World War II veteran radio operators and World War II veteran hams. The poster will be made into the commemorative certificate for those stations making contact with W5D. For more information on the special event, along with pictures of the station and vintage radio display, take your web browser to the Jefferson Amateur Radio Club's website at www.w5gad.org. To find out more about the National D-Day Museum visit www.ddaymuseum.org. From New Orleans, I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW for the Amateur Radio Newsline. -- credit: JARC -- -- A job well done by the Jefferson Amateur Radio Club in New Orleans. (AE5DW) ** 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 and Australia's Q-News, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline(tm). Our e-mail address is newsline @arnewsline.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), P.O. Box 660937, Arcadia, California 91066. A final reminder that the nominating period for the 2004 Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year Award closes at midnight Eastern time this Wednesday, June 30th. If you have not yet nominated a youngster this is your last chance to do so for this years judging. This Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year Award is open to any FCC licensed young radio amateur age 18 or younger residing in the contiguous 48 states and who has made a significant contribution to the community, the nation or ham radio though the United States Amateur Radio Service. More information and a downloadable on-line nominating form is at our website. That's in cyberspace at www.arnewsline.org. Again, the cutoff for nominations this year is midnight on June 30th. For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors desk, I'm Jeff Clark, K8JAC, saying 73 and we thank you for listening." Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2004. All rights reserved. Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arnewsline/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: |
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