Amateur Radio Newslineâ„¢ Report 1405 - July 16, 2004


Here's a brief message from Amateur Radio Newsline's Support Fund
Administrator Andy Jarema, N6TCQ:


"The following is an advisory. This is Andy Jarema, N6TCQ, Newsline
Support Fund Administrator.
We'd like to thank everyone who helped us during our campaign in
June, and we'll have the on-air
thank-yous in the next week or so. Don't forget that the Young Ham
of the Year Award is coming
up in the next few weeks, so try to note our support address at the
end of the newscast, as we're
not out of the woods, yet.


And now, as every week, the latest breaking news of Amateur Radio
follows"


Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1405 with a release date of
Friday, July 16, 2004 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a Q-S-T.


The ARRL board of directors discuss BPL and other hot issues, it's
still a go with ECHO and a
satellite TV company makes a costly move. The details are coming up
on Amateur Radio Newsline
report number 1405 coming your way right now.



**


BPL AMONG HOT TOPICS FOR JULY ARRL BOARD SESSION


The American Radio Relay League's board of directors sits down for a
weekend of critical meetings.
Amateur Radio Newsline's Mark Abramowicz NT3V has the preview...


--


Broadband Over Powerline internet access is one of the hottest
topics on the ARRL board agenda.
It is likely BPL has been the subject of committee meetings leading
up to the weekend board sessions.


Dealing with BPL issues is priority No. 1 for ARRL President Jim
Haynie WB5JBP. Haynie tells Amateur
Radio Newsline in a recent interview, he expects the Federal
Communications Commission will act soon
on the matter. While it's difficult to put a timetable on how soon,
Haynie tells us he wouldn't be
surprised to see the panel come out with a decision before the
presidential election.


President Bush is solidly behind BPL as part of his broadband-
technology initiative - this despite
Haynie and the ARRL's plea for him to reconsider. Democratic
challenger John Kerry's campaign
position speaks of a variety of technologies for broadband but does
not directly mention BPL.


Haynie concedes the way the political winds are blowing, some form
of BPL activity is likely to
be approved.


But the 64-thousand-dollar questions a How much and where?


With the National Telecommunications and Information Administration
already raising red flags about
interference, and a BPL industry spokesman throwing verbal missiles
at the amateur community, Haynie
tells us here at Amateur Radio Newsline he's hoping some FCC
commissioners might re-examine their
BPL positions.


Haynie calls the recent suspension of the Alliant Energy BPL project
in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, an
important step. And, Haynie says, he suspects the electric utility
industry will have to consider
any fallout and who could be next to answer an interference
complaint at the FCC.


As to complaints, Haynie says the ARRL will be especially vigilant
if BPL becomes a reality. He says
the organization will be before the FCC to press interference issues
with those who are cause them.


And, he has told Amateur Radio Newsline, he will also press the FCC
to fully empower those charged
with enforcement issues in the agency to go after BPL providers who
fail to resolve any interference
complaints.


Among the other items on the board agenda, the status of amateur
license restructuring which includes
provisions for a "no-code" HF license for entry-level hams.


The July board meeting also is where the announcement of the winner
of the Hiram Percy Maxim award
comes along with host of other ARRL awards.

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


--


Check next week's Newsline for a report on the ARRL board happenings.


(ARRL, NT3V)


**


HAMSATS: ECHO TESTS CONTINUE


Testing of the newest ham radio satellite, ECHO, continues and all
is, as they say in the space biz…
nominal. The remainder of this week is expected to be spent loading
some new code, testing the S
downlink and the UHF B transmitter. Note that the S downlink, when
in digital mode, will always be
at 38.4 kilobits or higher. It is not capable of 9.6 kilobits due
to limitations involved in making
it work properly at speeds up to 76.8 kilobits. AMSAT is pleased so
far with the strength of the
2.45W S downlink. At times the UHF A transmitter will be off or at
very low power. They will also
be testing transmitters at higher data rates. Listeners should not
be surprised or alarmed if the
UHF A transmitter is not on or if they are unable to copy it at 9.6k
during some orbits.


The Command Team is carefully checking off the tests and
measurements that are part of the commissioning
process. They ask everyone to be patient. And again, AO-51 is not
yet open for use. Any transmissions
aimed at AO-51 by other than command stations will slow down the
process and delay the day when it is
open for all to use.


The coloradosatellite.com/echo web site was off line for a few hours
last weekend due to a data center
move. Stations who want to upload telemetry should find it on line
now.


(WD0E, AMSAT)


**


SPACE: ARISS SCHOOL CONTACT LIST UPDATED


While we're on the subject of ham radio in space, the list of
Amateur Radio on the International
Space Station, or ARISS, school contacts has been updated. To check
if a school in your area is on
the list or to find out how to schedule a contact at your school
please visit www.amsat.org or
http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov. There is no "www" in that last URL. Of
course, these addresses will
be in the print edition of this week's Amateur Radio Newsline report.


(ARISS)

**
Break 1


From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations
around the world including the Los Angeles Unified School Amateur
Radio Association Network serving
the students in Los Angeles, California.


(5 sec pause here)



**


RADIO LAW: MDS & ITFS SPECTRUM RECHANNELIZED - MDS BECOMES BRS


Big changes are coming to the Multipoint Distribution Service and
the Instructional Television Fixed
Service. These are better known by the acronyms M-D-S and I-T-F-S.


As part of its ongoing effort to promote the deployment of wireless
broadband services, the FCC has
adopted a Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
dramatically changing the rules
governing MDS and ITFS operations in the 2500-2690 MHz band.


For starters, the Order renames the M-D-S service the Broadband
Radio Service or B-R-S. It does
however maintain the I-T-F-S label for Instructional Television
Fixed Service licenses and operations.
The newly rechannelized I-T-F-S slash B-R-S band will group high and
low power operations together
in spectrum chunks. This, the agency says, will make low power two-
way data communications possible
in some parts of the band.


Finally, to make all this happen the band will soon become 5 MHz
larger. This, as restructuring of
other services in the adjacent electromagnetic spectrum permits the
FCC to extend the low end of
this band down to 2495 Mhz. (CGC)


**


RADIO LAW: FCC CLARIFIES ITS ROLE REGARDING INTERFERENCE AND
CUSTOMER EQUIPMENT


The FCC has clarified its role regarding interference issues,
consumer antennas and Part 15 unlicensed
equipment. Regarding antennas, we all know that consumers have the
right to install and operate -
on property they control - antennas for over-the-air broadcast,
terrestrial and satellite reception.
Now the regulatory agency has added license-free Wi-Fi antennas of
one meter or less to the list of
what may be installed. The same one meter size limit also applies
to antennas used in conjunction
with fixed wireless services that are licensed by the FCC.


In the area of radio frequency interference or R-F-I, the FCC says
that it and it alone holds exclusive
jurisdiction over the regulation and resolution of R-F-I issues. It
adds that regulation of R-F-I
phenomena shall be imposed only by the Commission noting that both
the FCC and the federal courts
have overturned attempts by third parties to regulate RFI matters.
This, in light of the FCC's
exclusive authority in this area.


To read more go to:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_publi...-04-1844A1.doc
(CGC)


**


ENFORCEMENT: CATV LEAK RESULTS IN $6400 FINE


A cable TV system in Cornersville, Tennessee has been fined for
excessive signal leakage in the
aircraft communications band. Small Town Communications Partners
has been ordered to pay $6,400
for excessive leakage on 121.2625 MHz.


At that frequency a maximum leakage of 20 microvolts per meter at a
distance of at least three
meters from a CATV cable is allowed. The FCC says that the measured
leaks in this case ranged
from 255 microvolts per meter to 2080 microvolts per meter.


The Commission notes that excessive cable TV leakage can interfere
with a wide variety of communications.
This can include emergency services, aviation, and Amateur Radio.


More is on-line at
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_publi...-04-1751A1.doc
(CGC)


**


ENFORCEMENT: DIREC-TV FINED FOR UNAUTHORIZED SATELLITE MOVE


The Commission has proposed an $87,500 fine against DIRECTV, Inc.
This for repositioning its
DIRECTV 3 satellite without FCC authorization.


DIRECTV had filed a request with the FCC for special temporary
authority to relocate the DIRECTV 3
bird, but admits that its employees began repositioning the
satellite the next day, without waiting
for Commission approval.


In setting the amount of the fine, the FCC noted that strict
adherence to the rules governing
modification of satellite authorizations is critical to minimizing
the risk of collisions between
satellites. (CGC)


**


FCC INTRODUCES NEW EXHIBIT ON HISTORY OF THE INTERNET



The FCC has introduced the third in a series of exhibits on the
history of various communications
technologies. The latest presentation focuses on the history of the
Internet, including the
communication technologies used to access the World Wide Web. More
is on line at
www.fcc.gov/omd/history (CGC)


**


ON THE AIR: THE .275 YOUTH GROUP NET


Timothy Little, W-8-L-B-O has announced the start-up of a new 40
meter 275 Youth Group.
According to his posting on the Q-R-Zed dot com super site, this is
an informal ragchew group
that meets every Saturday at 9:00 P.M. Eastern time on 7 point 275
MHz, +/- 10 KHz.


Little says that the main purpose of the net is to promote the use
of HF by younger hams so that
they can get to know one another. The net also tries to help them
perfect their operating skills
including Morse code operation and D-Xing.


Anyone young or young at heart is invited to take part. More
information about this net is on
line at www.275youthgroup.4t.com )QRZ.com)


**


THE SOCIAL SCENE: NORTHERN ALABAMA DX BANQUET


The North Alabama DX Club has announced that its annual DX Banquet
will be held in conjunction
with this year's Huntsville, Alabama hamfest on August 21st. The
guest speaker will be Jess
Lewis, K-R-4-O-J, from the T-33-C 2004 Banaba Island DXpedition.
Tickets are $25 each and available
from the NADXC in care of Vic Holland, 219 Cedar Pond Drive,
Madison, Alabama 35757-7633. For
additional information phone 256-721-9106 or E-mail .
(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: ASCII DEVELOPER NOW S.K.


Bob Bemer, a computer pioneer who published warnings of the Y2K
problem in the early 1970s and
helped invent a widely used coding system, has died. This,
following a battle with cancer.

While not a radio amateur, Bemer played a major role in how the
world's computers operate and,
indirectly, in how hams communicate today. He began his career in
1949 working at companies including
Rand, IBM, and Honeywell. He also helped develop the ASCII coding
system that is used to represent
letters, numbers and other characters in the data world. He also
contributed the escape key and the
backslash to the computer language.


Bemer first published warnings of the Y2K computer problem in 1971
and again in 1979. He also made
several public appearances to discuss the issue in the years leading
up to the millennium.


Bob Bemer died Tuesday, June 22nd at his home some 120 miles west of
Dallas, Texas. He was 84. (Published news reports)


**


EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: FEW KNOW ABOUT DIGITAL TV


The General Accounting Office says that more than 80 percent of
Americans are either unaware or only
"somewhat aware" of the transition to digital television signals.
But federal officials have
expressed shock and indignation at the survey results.


Congress plans to sell the analog spectrum that will become
available when TV stations convert from
analog to digital. Lawmakers are counting on the money to help
balance the budget. However, the
digital transition may be years away unless more consumers start
buying digital TV sets and most
are not willing to pay the additional cost. (TechBriefs)


**


EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: CELL PHONE "WAITING LOT" IN OPERATION AT
LINDBERGH FIELD


Following the lead of several other busy airports around the nation,
officials at San Diego's
Lindbergh Field have opened a convenient "cell phone waiting lot."
This is a place where drivers
can park for up to an hour while awaiting phone calls from arriving
passengers. Airport managers
hope that the new lot will cut down on the congestion caused by
vehicles circling the airport loop,
waiting to pick up passengers. More is on-line at
http://tinyurl.com/yplws (CGC)


**


ON THE AIR: 6 METERS ACROSS THE ATLANTIC POND


It's looking like it could be a big DX season for hams and SWLs on
both sides of the Atlantic.
GB2RS reports that during a Sporadic E opening on June 19th a path
opened from Europe to North
America. The Maximum Usable Frequency rose at least as high as the
FM broadcast band. A North
American station was received on and recorded at 88.5 MHz between
13:10 and 13:30 UTC. During
the event, trans-Atlantic television carriers were also received on
55.25, 61.25, 67.25 and
83.25 Mhz. (VHF reflector)


**


50 & ABOVE: 144 MHZ QSO DATA WANTED


If you've made any long distance 2-meter contacts in excess of 1,600
miles, or 2,600 kilometers,
Volker, DF5AI wants to know the details of your contacts. He's
interested in the frequency, the
UTC time & date, and particularly the grid square locator. He's
also quite intrigued in double-hop
sporadic E skip. He can be contacted via his website. It's in
cyberspace at www.df5ai.net (VHF Reflector)



**



WORLDBEAT - ISRAEL: NEW SIX METER BEACON IN ISRAEL


4X4SIX is the new 6 meter Israeli beacon operating on 50.080 MHz.
4X6ON and 4Z5AY built the
station which announces its call sign on CW around the clock. The
beacon is located in grid
square KM72JB running 5 watts out to a J-Pole antenna. (Hagal)


**


DX


In D-X, the Ohio Penn D-X Newsletter reports that DL3PS and VE3ZIK
will be active on 40-6 meters
from Bilice, Croatia through July 31st. The call signs being used
are 9A slash VE3ZIK and 9A slash
DL3PS. While VE3ZIK is one of the Web Administrators for the
www.contesting.com info website, there
will be no QSL information there until August 3rd.


Meantime word that D-H-9-Y-A-T will be active portable CU7 from the
Azores. Listen for him from
August 3rd to the 20th. Activity will be on 40, 20 and 15 meters
QRP on CW. QSL this operation
via the bureau. (Various DX sources)


**


THAT FINAL ITEM: MUSEUM SHIPS CASTING FOR CONTACTS


And finally this week, dozens of ships from around the world
get "radio-active" July 17th and 18th
for the annual Museum Ships Weekend Event. Amateur Radio Newsline's
Mark Abramowicz, NT3V is back
with us and he checks in on preparations being made about the U.S.S.
New Jersey....


--


Dave Burgess, WA2TVS, is chief engineer for the Battleship New
Jersey Amateur Radio Station aboard
the New Jersey. Look for NJ2BB (New Jersey 2 Big Battleship) to be
very active during the event.


Burgess says the weekend was the brainchild of the USS Salem Radio
Club, K1USN, in Salem, Mass.
He says it actually started in 1997 as a way to get museum ships at
dry-docks around the world to
get on the air by way of amateur radio.


Burgess says it's the New Jersey's third year taking part.


"Last year, the number grew to about 87 or 88," Burgess says. "Right
now I think the pre-registration
right now is about 77. But seems like there's always a half a dozen
or so right at the last minute
that get their act together and get on the air."


Burgess says the event gives radio operators around the world a
chance to contact a variety of these
special ships and their volunteer crews.


"One is just to have fun and a reason to get the ships on the air,"
Burgess says. "Of course, whoever
is in charge of taking care of the ship gets some PR out of it, we
hope.


"They have an opportunity for the public to see amateur radio which
is new to a lot of people. But to
advertise the ships worldwide. I never knew there were so many ships
out there. Just museum ships that
is. It's amazing how many there are out there and what their
diversity is."


Burgess says there are tugboats, river boats, submarines and even a
midget German submarine left over
from World War II. All are part of the museum ship flotilla.


He says there's no contest exchange involved in this one. Ship
operators get on the air and look to
contact land-based stations as well as other museum ships. It's a
chance, Burgess says, to showcase
a ship and its history. And, of course, there's an exchange of QSL
cards and you can be guaranteed
some pretty impressive history and photos of the ship you contact.


For the New Jersey's part, Burgess says he's planning an active
weekend with operations through the
evening of July 18th.

"We'll be on all HF bands, probably concentrating on 20 (meters),
but we have capabilities (with the)
ship's antennas to do 160 through 10 meters," Burgess says. "We'll
be on all modes. This year we'll
be introducing true, green-key operation for teletype. We'll be
using the ship's old mechanical teletype
machines to get on the air."


Look for NJ2BB, Burgess says, for a memorable QSO and QSL.


For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mark Abramowicz, NT3V, in
Camden, New Jersey, the home of the
Battleship New Jersey.


--


Thanks Mark. This sounds like a great opportunity to collect some
very interesting "wall paper" for
the ol' shack.


**


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.


For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editor's desk, I'm Don
Wilbanks, AE5DW saying 73 and we
thank you for listening." Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright
2004. All rights reserved.








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