Amateur Radio Newslineâ„¢ Report 1401 Â* June 18, 2004



Now, Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1401 with a release date of
Friday, June 18 2004 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a Q-S-T. A new ham-sat is made ready for launch and
the B-P-L struggle continues. Find out the details on Amateur Radio
Newsline report number 1401 coming your way right now.



(Billboard Cart Here)

**


HAM RADIO IN SPACE: ECHO PREPARED FOR LAUNCH


The soon to be launched ECHO ham radio satellite has arrived safely
at the launch complex in Russia and is being made ready for launch.
This, according to Chuck Green, N0ADI, who is traveling with the bird
to the launch facility. Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, is here with mo


--


According to Green, once he and the team arrived at the launch site,
the satellite shipping containers were opened and placed in the clean
room. ECHO was taken out of it's shipping case and set up for
completion. The bottom antennas were then installed.. So was the
bottom solar panel, magnets, and corner reflectors.


ECHO was then powered on and the team successfully communicated with
it over a hard wire connection from a computer. The four two meter
receivers and the two 70 cm transmitters were all successfully
tested. And that's good news for everyone waiting for the new
hamsat
to take its ride into space.


For the Amateur Radio Newsline, Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, in Los
Angeles.


--


Currently the planned launch period for ECHO is four weeks beginning
June 28th. Once in orbit the command teams will be working together
to assure everything is working OK and get ECHO into its
initial 'normal' modes as quickly as possible. After that it will be
open to the users in the ham radio community. (AMSAT)


**


THE BPL FIGHT: AN UPDATE ON WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE USA


The fight to keep Broadband Over Powerlines from going nationwide
continues. Amateur Radio Newsline's Mark Abramowicz, NT3V, is
here
with the latest:


--


With summer now here, expect the Broadband over Power Line Internet
access issue to heat up - especially as more people get a chance to
look over the latest filing from the National Telecommunications and
Information Administration.


The federal agency, which advises the White House on
telecommunications policies and oversees radio spectrum used by
government agencies, weighed in with more BPL comments in a June 4
filing with the Federal Communications Commission.


And the American Radio Relay League and others who've analyzed the
comments say it's clear the political considerations are
overshadowing the engineering data which raises many questions about
the viability of BPL.


In its filing with the FCC, the N-T-I-A's policy makers now call BPL
a win-win situation for all and make what some call an outlandish
claim - that deployment of the technology could actually lead to
reduction, that's right, reduction of power line noise.


Now, the engineering types who've been studying the BPL and doing all
kinds of test measurements are really scratching their heads trying
to make sense out of that. The N-T-I-A filing also contains this
comforting assertion for BPL opponents. It says that the current
power line system is responsible for even greater local interference
risks than what BPL would bring.


And, it says, B-P-L operators would implement procedures to eliminate
any harmful interference.


The stack of complaints about BPL test sites and assertions by a
lawyer representing one of the large utilities testing the technology
might lead some to question that reassurance.


A source tells Amateur Radio Newsline the FCC has failed to "properly
direct" BPL complaints to the appropriate FCC regulatory office for
action. And, the source says, commissioners questioned about that
haven't offered any explanation.


And a lawyer who has commented in writing to the FCC about some of
the BPL complaints his utility company received claimed there was no
basis for them, essentially saying the amateur radio operators making
them don't know what they're talking about.


One thing the NTIA did suggest in its filing is the exclusion of
certain bands and frequencies in specific geographical areas to
protect critical government systems.


Does that suggest an agency confident BPL won't be an interference
source?


The American Radio Relay League and others who've been vocal in this
fight suggest otherwise.


They say BPL is far from a done deal and they're hopeful that the
FCC's extension of reply comments to June 22 will net some helpful
information. And, they say, they're not giving up or going away
quietly.


In the meantime, there is a sense BPL is on a fast-track at the FCC
where the majority of the commissioners view it as an engine to help
stimulate the economy.


Could the FCC act on the BPL issue before the November election?


Anything is possible. And some close to the BPL debate say if the
Bush administration believes it will generate a much-need bump in the
public opinions polls or at the ballot box...well, you get the idea.


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


--


Mark will continue to monitor the B-P-L situation and report back in
future Amateur Radio Newsline reports. (ARRL, CQ, Repeater Journal,
Published news reports, others)


**


THE BPL FIGHT: AUSTRALIA REACTS TO THE BPL CHALLENGE


The United States is not the only place planning to introduce this
controversial Internet access technology. Proposals for Power Line
Communications or Broadband over Power Lines in Australia have become
a concern many spectrum users down-under. This includes the Wireless
Institute of Australia which is that nations Amateur Radio national
society. From Brisbane, Q-News Graham Kemp, VK4BB, reports:


--


WIA President, Michael Owen, VK3KI has said that the WIA's position
in relation to B-P-L is that it supports increasing broadband access
and broadband competitiveness in Australia, but in a way that does
not cause interference to legitimate users of the High Frequency
spectrum. The WIA supports the development by the ACA of policies
for BPL that protect existing users.

The WIA believes that one of the problems associated with B-P-L is
that trials on a limited basis are not good indicators, and that the
full effects of a problematic technology will not be seen with such
trials. The WIA considers that B-P-L will not really serve the
community's long run needs because of its limited bandwidth. A deep
fibber network is to be preferred to using long runs of power lines.

The WIA has appointed a team to deal with this issue. WIA President
has appointed Phil Wait, VK2DKN the director responsible for
developing and advocating the WIA's position in relation to BPL. He
has asked Owen Duffy, VK1OD Barry White, VK2AAB and David Wardlaw,
VK3ADW to assist Phil, as the WIA's BPL Team.

--


A report on a recent small trial of B-P-L in the city of Hobart to
some 4 houses and 2 floors of one building is on the WIA website. (Q-
News)


**


Break 1


From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline,
heard on bulletin stations around the world including the VE9BSQ
repeater serving St. John, New Brunswick, Canada.


(5 sec pause here)



**


RADIO RULES: COMMISSION ADOPTS SPECTRUM SHARING PLAN FOR L AND S BAND


The Federal Communications Commission adopted a spectrum sharing plan
for low earth orbit satellite systems in the 1.6 GHz and 2.4 GHz
bands. The so-called Big Leo birds. And here's how it will work


In the 1.6 GHz or "L-band," mobile-satellite service
operators with
satellite systems that utilize code division multiple access and time
division multiple access technologies will share 3.1 megahertz of
spectrum at 1618.25 to 1621.35 MHz. At "S-band," the
Commission
allocated the 2495 to 2500 MHz band to fixed and mobile except
aeronautical mobile services, in order to provide additional spectrum
and to accommodate the relocation of Multipoint Distribution Service
channels 1 and 2.


The commission says that its new spectrum sharing plan will further
the agency's goal of efficient frequency utilization by
increasing
the number of providers offering services to consumers over the same
spectrum. It will promote the deployment of more innovative services
to consumers. (FCC)


**


ENFORCEMENT: COUNTY HAS DONE NOTHING WRONG


The FCC says that a complaint that a county is using ham radio for
its routine business is without merit. The agency's Daryl
Duckworth,
NN0W, is here with mo


--


Duckworth: "A complaint concerning Bell County Communications
Center
and club license W5BEC was dismissed. There is no showing that this
station is operated by anyone other than amateurs, nor is there a
showing that it is there a showing that it is used or intended to be
used for routine county business."


--


W5BEC is the club station license issued to the Bell County Emergency
Operations Center in Belton, Texas. Its also the call sign of a wide
area two meter repeater that covers much of central Texas. (FCC,
RAIN)


**


ENFORCEMENT: STAY OFF 10 METERS


Meantime, the FCC's crackdown on 10 meter unlicensed intruders
continues. This time the agency acts in a New Jersey case. Again,
the FCC's Daryl Duckworth, NN0W:


--


Duckworth: Auto Elite Transportation of Morristown, New Jersey, has
been sent a warning notice about a vehicle of theirs; truck number
2113, as being the source of unlicensed radio transmissions on 28.085
Mhz."


--


Auto Elite was warned that continued unlicensed operation of radio
transmitting equipment without is a violation of Section 301 of the
Communications Act. That it could subject the operator to fine or
imprisonment, as well as seizure of any non-certified radio
transmitting equipment. Monetary forfeitures for this kind of
violation normally ranges from $7,500 to $10,000. (FCC, RAIN)


**


ENFORCEMENT: SAN DIEGO'S 96.9 MHZ PIRATE REACTIVATES


According to a news bulletin from Chris Carmichael appearing in the
CGC Communicator, San Diego's 96.9 MHz pirate is back on the air.
Chris says that there is no news on the location of the transmitter,
but he believes that will only take the Commission a short time to
figure out. (CGC)


**


ENFORCEMENT: SPAMMER GOES TO JAIL


A New York state man who sent out millions of "spam" e-mails has been
sentenced to three and a half to seven years in prison. This
according to a May 27th news release from that states Attorney
General's office which said that Howard Carmack, known as
the "Buffalo Spammer," received the maximum sentence for 14 counts of
identity theft and forgery.


A spokesman for New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said that
Carmack sent out hundreds of millions of bulk e-mail messages. That
he flooded inboxes and saddled Internet providers with millions of
dollars in costs. But it was his use of stolen identities and forged
addresses that caused action by state prosecutors. New York has no
state laws specifically dealing with spam. Carmack was found guilty
of violating state forgery and identity-theft laws in April.


Internet provider EarthLink Inc. won a $16.5 million judgment against
Carmack last year, and EarthLink officials testified in the criminal
trial as well. (Published news reports)


**


EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: EARTHLINK VS. PHISHERS


Meantime, EarthLink claims that it has developed a program to fight
phony websites like this,. The sites, called phishers are those
designed to deceive e-mail users into providing personal information
such as passwords and credit card or Social Security numbers.


Phisher sites pronounced "fishers" but with a leading
"p" are called
that because they "fish" for personal information that can be used in
identity theft. They work by telling an Internet user via e-mail
that there is a problem with the service-provider account and
providing directions to a Web site for clarification. The link takes
the user to a hoax Web site that may be a perfect copy of a real page
used by Earthlink, eBay or another legitimate business. That is where
the user is deceived into providing personal information.


EarthLink's anti-phisher program will rely on a list of known
fraudulent sites. When a subscriber responds to the e-mail message,
he will be linked instead to a special Web page that warns the e-mail
is a fraud. The site also will provide a chance to report the hoax
attempt.


EarthLink says that it receives about 40,000 telephone calls or e-
mails each month from subscribers who have received one of the
fraudulent e-mails. (Earthlink)


**


HAM RADIO BUSINESS: A SEARCHABLE CQ MAGAZINE ARCHIVE


Finding an article or an advertisement in a back issue of CQ Magazine
is about to become only a mouse click away. This, as CQ
Communications and Buckmaster Publishing announce plans to create a
searchable on-line archive of CQ magazines back issues.


Buckmaster, which produces the Hamcall CD has for decades filmed
issues of CQ onto microfiche for use by researchers and hobbyists.
Buckmaster also provides advanced scanning and searching technology
for on-line posting of documents for major corporations. Now this
same technology will be applied to back issues of
CQ.


As currently envisioned, searches will be free, while access to
reading and printing specific pages will require a subscription at a
nominal fee. Eventually Buckmaster plans to have every issue of CQ
available dating back to the magazine's first issue in January 1945.


A beta test version covering CQ from 1990 to 2002 is already on-
line. The archive may be accessed at http://hamcall.net/cgi-
bin/cqcgi. (CQ)


**


WITH ARNEWSLINE: YHOTY NOMINATIONS CLOSE JUNE 30TH


And a reminder that the nominating period for the 2004 Amateur Radio
Newsline Young Ham of the Year Award closes midnight on Wednesday,
June 30th. If you are planning to nominate a youngster for this
years award or, if you want to update a previous years nomination --
and have not yet done so -- you have only about two weeks left to
do so.


The Young Ham of the Year Award program is open to any FCC licensed
young radio amateur age 18 or younger residing in the contiguous 48
states. He or she must have 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. The award presentation takes place in August at the Huntsville
Hamfest in Alabama. (ARNewsline(tm))


**


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: INSTANT MESSAGING EXPANDING WORLDWIDE


Wonder where some of your ham radio buddies are these days? Maybe
they are now using Instant messaging instead of 2 meter FM. Norm
Seeley, KI7UP, has mo


--


According to Tech Web News, Instant Message use is growing steadily
among corporate workers who use free services from companies like
America Online, Microsoft, and Yahoo to send quick text messages to
coworkers, family, and friends. And by 2008 closer to 80 percent of
corporations worldwide are expected to use either public or private
Instant Messaging networks.


A recent study by The Radicati Group says that by 2008 the number of
Instant Message users worldwide is expected to reach 670 million.
Business wise, this equates to revenues in the $413 million range.


Even so, the percentage of people using public networks and private
networks is expected to remain the same. That's at 88 percent
public and 12 percent private, respectively. The reason: Its hard
to get people to pay for what someone else is giving away for free.


For the Amateur Radio Newsline, Norm Seeley, KI7UP, reporting.


--


Ham radio groups are also turning to Instant Messaging. According to
Internet postings, it comes in handy when there is a net to be held
and propagation goes away. (TechWeb Online)


**


HAM INTERNET NEWS: THE VHF REFLECTOR BACK ON LINE

And speaking about instant messaging, or almost instant messaging,
news that the VHF Reflector is back on line. This, according to Bob
Vaughan, KC6SXC, who oversees the systems operation.


In a posting, Vaughn explained that the W6YX server that hosts the
VHF Reflector suffered a disk failure and was off line for the past
month. Vaughn says that the team has now recovered the data from the
failed disk and has put the system and the Reflector back on-line.
(VHF Reflector)


**


ON THE AIR: KY REPEATER NEEDS A NEW HOME


The Repeater Journal reports that the Danville, Kentucky, 146 point
655 WD4DZC repeater is looking for a new site. According to trustee
George Griebe, WQ4Z, the tower supporting the systems antenna is to
be taken down and will not be replaced.


Griebe says that the Wilderness Road Amateur Radio club which
sponsors the repeater plans to keep it on the air from a temporary
location with reduced coverage. Meantime the club is continuing its
search for a suitable, high level, wide coverage permanent site.
(Repeater Journal)


**


THE SOCIAL SCENE: OHIO IN JULY


Turning to the ham radio social circuit, the 7th annual OH-KY-IN
hamfest is slated for the July 24th at the Diamond Oaks Career
Development Center in Cincinnati Ohio. The event will feature
commercial vendors, a flea market and much more. Information is on
line at www.ohkyin.org or by e-mail to . (OH-KY-IN)


**


THE SOCIAL SCENE: COLORADO IN JULY


And the Northern Colorado Amateur Radio Club will hold its 2004
Superfest at the Budweiser Events Center in the Larimer County
Fairgrounds on July 17th. Talk-in is on the 145.115 Mhz repeater
with a 100 hertz tone access. For information on this one contact
Willis Whatley, WA5RVL, at his Callbook address. (E-mail)


**


INTERNATIONAL - GREECE: HAM RADIO AT THE SUMMER OLYMPICS


Some more good news for foreign radio amateurs visiting Greece for
the Summer Olympic Games. From the August 1st through September 15th
hams from CEPT signatory nations will be permitted to operate in
Greece without the need to submit any papers for a license. They
will also be allowed to use the special prefix J42004. Meantime,
Greek radio amateurs can use the special prefixes SX2004 or SY2004
through the 15th of November in celebration of the games. (GB2RS)


**


DX


In D-X, word that MM0AFJ will be on the air from the Island of
Harris. This, from the 27th of June until the 2nd of July, mainly
in the mornings on 80 to 10 meters CW and SSB. There may be some
activity on 160 meters in the evenings. Requests for skeds should be
sent via e-mail to . QSL direct to MM0AFJ at his
Callbook address. (RSGB)


Also, IK4RUX reports he will operate portable IF9 on HF SSB from
Favignana between the 19th and the 26th of June. Side trips to other
islands in the Egadis group as well as some lighthouse operations are
also possible. QSL to the operators home call or via the bureau.
(RSGB)



**


THAT FINAL ITEM: HAM RADIO HONORS THE MEMORY OF PRESIDENT RONALD
REAGAN


And finally this week, ham radio finds a way to honor the memory
former President Ronald Reagan. Here's Bruce Tennant, K6PZW with
the
rest of the story:


--


Two suburban Los Angeles area radio clubs are joing forces to honor
the memory former President Ronald Wilson Reagan. This, by operating
Field Day in his honor from the Reagan Library in Simi Valley,
California.


According to Peter Heins, N6ZE, the two groups joing forces to honor
the late United States president are the Ventura County Amateur Radio
Society and the Conejo Valley Amateur Radio Club. The Ventura County
group has operated Field Day before from the Reagan Library. This
year, the Conejo Valley club will be joining with them for the first
time.


Heins says that 2004 is the fourth year a special event will have
been held at the Reagan Library using the special N-6-R call sign.
The previous three were dedicated to all members of the former first
family. This years Field Day operation will be specific in its
remembrance of President Reagan who died of Alzheimer's disease
on
June 5th at age 93.


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


--


Field Day 2004 is the weekend of June 26th and 27th. Visitors to the
Reagan Library will be able to listen in on amateur radio
communication, talk to amateur radio stations located in other
countries, and find out more about obtaining an FCC Amateur Radio
License of their very own.


Also, the complete Field Day rules are on-line at the ARRL website.
Its in cyberspace at www.arrl.org (N6ZE)



**


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 .
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.


Again, the cutoff for submitting nominations for this years Young Ham
of the Year Award is midnight on June 30th. The award presentation
takes place in August at the Huntsville. Full details are on our
website at www.arnewsline.org


Also, don't forget Field Day the weekend of June 26th and 27th.
We'll see you on the air.


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 2004. All rights reserved.









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