Amateur Radio Newsline" Report 1603 - May 2, 2008

The following is a closed circuit advisory and not necessarily for air.
With a report on Amateur Radio Newsline's finances, heres Andy Jarema, N6TCQ:

--

OK, you all know why I am here. Its spring and all the bills from last
winter have been mounting up. And, as usual, there is really not very much
left in the treasury to pay them. Eventually they have got to get paid or
these news reports will cease. That time is now.

So we ask that you take a few moments to send a donation to the Amateur
Radio Newsline support fund so that we can keep these newscasts coming your
way. Making a contribution is only a mouse click away if you have Pay Pal.
Just go to www.arnewsline.org and click on the button at the top of the
page marked "Make Donation." Or you can send in a donation to the Amateur
Radio Newsline Support Fund, Post Office Box 660937, Arcadia California,
91066.

Whichever way you choose, the all volunteer crew at the Amateur Radio
Newsline will be eternally grateful and these newscasts will be here for you..

Once again thats the Amateur Radio Newsline Support Fund, Post Office Box
660937, Arcadia California, 91066. Or by Pay Pal at www.arnewsline.org

For the Support Fund, Im Andy Jarema, N6TCQ.

--

That ends the closed circuit. Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1603
with a release date of Friday, May 2nd, 2008 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a Q-S-T. Earthquakes swarm Nevada, an appeals court says
the ARRL is right and the FCC is wrong on BPL, the DARC returns to Dayton
and the results of Newsline's survey on the possible effect of high gas
prices on possible hamfest attendance. All this and more on Amateur Radio
Newsline" report number 1603 coming your way right now.



(Billboard Cart Here)

**

RESCUE RADIO: QUAKE STORM HITS THE RENO NEVADA AREA

The area in and around Reno, Nevada, was caught by surprise on Thursday,
April 24th. Thats when a magnitude 5 quake hit just before 4 p.m. Mountain
Daylight Time.

The U.S. Geological Survey reports that the quake was centered 4 miles
west-northwest of Reno. It was followed by a swarm of aftershocks that have
rattled nerves and put hams across the region on alert. Amateur Radio
Newsline's Don Carlson, KQ6FM, is in Reno with the latest:

--



My wife and I were awakened to the tune of "Shake, Rattle & Roll" as sung
by Mother Nature here in Reno. The areas west side near Mogul has been
shaking continually with a swarm of small temblors since February 28.

The US Geological survey reported the largest quake at 5.0 struck Friday
night April 25 just before Midnight. As Section Emergency Coordinator, I
went straight to the radio where we opened an informal net locally. Reports
started coming in from all over the area, seems that we woke up almost
every ham in town!

With varying intensity, Glenn Thomas, WB6W checked in having felt it as far
south as Minden, south of Carson City.

Joe Wolf, WA6RKN, who lived less than 2 miles from the epicenter told us of
just about everything on his bookshelves hitting the deck, had a nervous
wife and 3 unhappy ferrets, but that his house was in tact!

Then on Monday, a magnitude 4.2 tremor shook the city, followed by numerous
aftershocks. No injuries have been reported from the latest in this bizarre
two-month swarm of earthquakes.

Scientists say this is unusual because the tremors seem to be getting
stronger, instead of weaker. Meanwhile amateur radio ARES members stand
ready should a major earthquake strike the area.

Washoe County Emergency Coordinator Bob Miller, WA6MTY told me:

--

Audio only - hear it in the mp3 version of this newscast at www.arnewsline.org

--

But it is good to note that we have a great team of well-trained amateurs
on hand should the call come in to help.

In the Shakey-est Little City in the World, Reno Nevada, Im Don Carlson for
the Amateur radio newsline.



--

The U.S. Geological Survey says that aftershocks could continue for some
time. Hams involved in emergency communications in the vicinity of Reno say
that they are prepared. Ironically, the Emcommwest ham radio emergency
communications convention takes place at the Circus Circus Hotel in Reno
May 2nd through the 4th. Needless to say the Reno quake storm will be a hot
topic of discussion at this years event. (ARNewsline")

**

RESCUE RADIO: HAMS TO BE ON FCC EAS PANEL

A follow up to last weeks story on the upcoming E-A-S summit slated for
Washington D.C. It now appears as if there will se several hams taking
part, They include Panelists Mark Manuelian, KE1AR, of CBS radio, Clay
Freinwald, K7CR, of Entercom; and Art Botterell, KD6O, who is the manager
of the community warning system for Contra Costa County Sheriffs Office in
California.

There will be two discussion groups. The first panel on that day will focus
on the state of EAS, especially system breakdowns in the "daisy chain" as
well as ways to improve testing protocols. Anther panel will focus on
next-generation technologies and explore what policies and protocols should
be implemented to ensure compatibility between implementation of the Common
Alert Protocol and state government operations. Both discussions will focus
on what states need to do to ensure that state, county and local emergency
response systems are functional. (RW)

**

RADIO LAW: APPEALS COURT SIDES WITH ARRL IN BPL ISSUE

In case you have not yet heard the news, the US Court of Appeals for the
District of Columbia Circuit has sided with the ARRL in its Petition for
Review of the FCC's Orders adopting rules governing Broadband over
Powerline or BPL systems. The Court agreed with the ARRL on two major
points and remanded the rules to the Commission.

Writing for the three-member panel were Circuit Judges Rogers, Tatel and
Kavanaugh, Judge Rogers summarized their position by saying that the
Commission failed to satisfy the notice and comment requirements of the
Administrative Procedure Act by redacting studies on which it relied in
promulgating the rule. Also that it failed to provide a reasoned
explanation for its choice of the extrapolation factor for measuring Access
BPL emissions. The term redacting means to edit or make changes to.

The Court was not persuaded by the ARRL's arguments on two other points, on
which it found that the Commission had acted within its discretion. But the
two key points on which the League has won force the FCC to either look
again at their rules for the implementation of Access B-P-L or take this
court decision into appeal. (ARRL)

**

RADIO LAW: FCC TO PRE ANNOUNCE MEETING VOTE AGENDA

The FCC will begin posting topics to be voted on at its monthly open
meeting three weeks in advance. The Communications Act mandates that the
commission meet at least monthly. Up until now, the agency has been issuing
a notice of its agenda one week before a monthly meeting. The FCC said it
would still issue that notice and now also list items slated for a vote on
its Web site.

Some commissioners and industry observers had complained of a murky voting
process, and a congressional committee has begun a review of the FCCs
processes. According to Chairman Kevin Martin, the idea is to make the
agencys processes more visible. (RW)

**

RADIO LAW: FCC SAYS NO TO COMMERCIAL HAM FREQ USE REQUEST

The FCC has told Utah-based Miller Motorsports Park that it cannot use
frequencies in the 70 centimeter ham band for business purposes. Miller had
requested the use of frequencies in the 448 MHz ham band at 4 watts output.
This, for use by 100 mobile for a race event scheduled for May 26th to June
1st.

The application by Miller said that the radios would be used for security,
medical and maintenance for the entire event. It claimed that this
communications network was vital to the life and safety of the spectators
and drivers of this race. It even went so far as to imply that the National
Telecommunications and Information Agency had approved the use of thesew
448 MHz channels.

But on Thursday, April 24, ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, filed an
Informal Objection with the FCC regarding a pending application. One day
after filing the objection, the FCC agreed with the ARRL, saying that due
to the possibility of interference to Amateur operators and also the race
teams utilizing the proposed frequencies, it felt that it was not in the
public interest to grant the Miller Motorsports Park's request. The FCC
also advised Miller Motorsports that if it wished to pursue other
frequencies, that it should coordinate with the National Telecommunications
and Information Administration and the American Radio Relay League.
(QRZ.com, ARRL, others)

**

BREAK 1

From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline,
heard on bulletin stations around the world including the KD6PCC repeater
serving the city of Fontana, California.

(5 sec pause here)



**

WITH NEWSLINE: PLEASE RE-FILE YOUR 2008 YHOTY NOMINATION

Attention anyone who may have filed a nomination for a youngster for this
years Young Ham of the Year Award. If you used the on-line form we did not
get it. Nor do we yet know the reason why although we are pretty sure that
its software related. Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, tells us what went wrong and
how you can get around the problem:

--

When the new www.yhoty.org website came on line late last year the software
to deliver completed forms to us was working fine. In February we opened
the nominations for the 2008 award but none came in. Thats not unusual
since many folks wait until the last minute to file. Kind of like April
15th when taxes are due.

In fact it was on or at least near April 15th that we began receiving
thank-you notes for nominations that should have gone to the sender.
Instead they were being e-mailed to the Newsline office but the nominating
forms were simply disappearing into cyberspace.

We notified the webmaster of yhoty.org -- Kevin Boudreaux , N5XMH -- and
he's working to try to rectify it. In the meantime he suggests that anyone
who filed a nomination in past weeks do so again, but not using the on-line
form which likely will be off-line by the time you hear this report.

Instead, download and print out the paper form, fill it out and send it to
us at the address on the bottom of the page. Or, if you have a scanner,
convert it to a file and e-mail it to us at newsline at ix dot netcom dot com.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause but we want to be certain
that every youngster nominated gets his or her application seen by the
judging committee.

So once again. Do not use the on-line nominating form. Download and print
out the paper form at www.yhoty.org, fill it out and send it to us at the
address on the bottom of the page. Or, convert it to a file and e-mail it
to us at newsline at ix dot netcom dot com.

And, as we said earlier -- to those who have already filed using the
on-line form, please re-file your nomination again -- on paper or by
e-mail. Your original filing was lost in cyberspace by the software glitch
and was never received.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Paternak, WA6ITF, in Los Angeles.

--

As is always the case, this years nominating period for the Newsline Young
Ham of the Year Award ends at midnight Eastern time on May 30 with this
years winner to be announced by late June or early July. (ARNewsline")

**



ENFORCEMENT: ANTIQUE RADIO COLLECTOR RECONSIDERATION PETITION DENIED

The FCC has issued a Memorandum Opinion and Order denying a Petition for
Reconsideration1 filed by Richard Mann doing business as The Antique Radio
Collector. This, seeking reconsideration of a $7000 Forfeiture Order issued
by the Spectrum Enforcement Division of the Enforcement Bureau on November
27, 2007.

In its Notice of Apparent Liability the FCC had claimed that the Antique
Radio Collector had violated the FCC's rules regarding the marketing of
uncertified A-M radio transmitters as far back as 2006. Specifically the S
S TRAN model AMT3000.

As previously reported, in its response the Antique Radio Collector claimed
that these were really not fully assembled but rather kits that he had put
together by Mann at his residence. As such it was not aware of the need for
a Commission issued certification authorizing a fully assembled AMT3000 AM
transmitter.

But in deny the appeal the FCC says that even transmitters built from kits
must be certified before being sold commercially. It says that as a result
of its reconsideration of the facts that it finds that neither cancellation
nor reduction of the forfeiture is warranted and that the $7000 Forfeiture
Order should be affirmed.

The Antique Radio Collector was given the customary 30 days from the April
28th date of issuance of the order to pay or to file a further appeal. (FCC)

**

ENFORCEMENT: FCC FINES BROADCASTER FOR FAILURE TO REDUCE POWER AT DUSK

A licensed broadcaster from Meridian, Mississippi, has been fined $1500.
Frank Rackley, Jr. the licensee of Station WNBN-AM was handed the
forfeiture for operation of the station from an unauthorized location and
operation at a power level in excess of that authorized by the license.

WNBN-AMs station authorization requires it to reduce power from 2.5kW to
330 watts at local sunset time. During the month of January, the local
sunset time was 5:15 p.m.. Andon January 14th, an agent from the New
Orleans Office monitored station WNBN-AMs signal from 4:45 until 6:00 p.m.
and did not observe any change in transmitter power. A few days later, on
January 16th agents determined the station was broadcasting from
coordinates other than which the station had registered with the FCC.

On February 22nd the New Orleans FCC Office issued a Notice of Apparent
Liability for Forfeiture to Frank Rackley Jr.in the amount of $8,000.
Rackley submitted a response to the NAL requesting a reduction of the
proposed forfeiture. As a result of its review the FCC concluded that a
reduction of the proposed forfeiture to $1,500 is warranted, based on
demonstrated inability to pay.

Rackley and WNBN A.M. were given the usual 30 daysfrom the April 24th
release of the Report amd Order to pay or to file a further appeal. (FCC)

**

ENFORCEMENT: HAM SENTENCED TO 23 MONTHS ON CHILD PORNOGRAPHY POSSESSION CHARGE

A ham has been sentenced to prison time on federal child pornography
charges. Sentencing of Kevin Alfred Strom, WB4AIO, took place on Monday,
April 21st in Charlottesville Virginia's U.S. District Court. According to
the WVIR Television news website, Strom earlier plead guilty to possessing
child pornography on his computer.

The judge hearing the case sentenced Strom to 23 months in prison less
credit for time already served plus 15 years supervised probation. The WVIR
report indicates Strom could be out of prison by years end.

More on this story is on-line
http://www.nbc29.com/Global/story.asp?S=8202320&nav=menu496_2http://www.nbc29.com/Global/story.as...&nav=menu496_2
and at
http://www.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/crime/article/white_nationalist_sentenced_in_child_porn_case/20639/shttp://www.dailyprogress.com/cdp/new...n_case/20639/s
) (WVIR TV, Charlottesville Daily Progres)

**

ON THE WEB: THE SOUNDS OF VLF

The sounds of Very Low Frequency radio can now be heard live on the web.
This with word that a collection of live natural radio streams of the VLF
band from around the world is available at several websites. Here's a few
seconds from a web based receiver in Sheffield in the U-K:

--

Actual web audio

--



The entire list of Very Low Frequency web accessible receivers is far to
long to include here. You will find more in this weeks printed Amateur
Radio Newsline report. (Via e-mail)

**

HAM RADIO ON THE WEB: WWW.NH7C.COM OFFERING FREE HAM CLASSIFIEDS

Two weeks ago the ARRL announced that it was dropping its ham radio
classified ads from its website. Now, cones the Amateur Radio Social
Network that says it welcomes those wanting to post such ads on its
NH7C.com cyberspace home.

The Amateur Radio Social Network says that it created NH7C.com with the
user in mind and sports many of the latest features available. The latest
addition is classified ads that are free as is membership in the group itself

But NH7C.com is not the only site looking for your classified ads. Another
is hamads.com also known as www dot qth dot com . That site has been
offering free ham radio related classified ads for several years. (KC5FM)

**

HAM BUSINESS: N5WEB BUYS FORCE 12 ANTENNAS

Mark Hooper, N5WEB is the new owner of Force 12, Inc. antennas and towers.
He will be manufacturing the product line in Bridgeport, Texas which is
located near the Dallas Fort Worth area.

Introducing himself on the Force 12 website, Hooper says that he built his
first radio from a schematic at the age of 10. He received his Novice
license and built is own transmitter at the age of 15. Hooper ays that it
was these interests that ultimately led him to a career in electronics as
an engineer, much of it supporting manufacturing operations for both large
and small companies.

Hooper says that he is looking forward to using his expertise and 20 plus
years experience in manufacturing to build the best antenna products on the
market. He says that he and his staff look forward to hearing from you.
That it is their goal to provide excellent customer service and support for
your antenna needs in the coming years.

Hooper says to call or e mail and let us know how we can best be of
service. Contact information is on the Force 12 website at
/www.force12inc.com (Force 12 Release)

**

BREAK 2

This is ham radio news for todays 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 SOCIAL SCENE: DARC RETURNING TO DAYTON

After several years of absence the Germany's national ham radio society,
the Deutscher Amateur Radio Club will again be at the Dayton Hamvention.

Better known world-wide simply as the DARC, the Deutscher Amateur Radio
Club will be represented at Hamvention by Joerg Jaehrig, DJ3HW, who is its
IARU Liaison Officer. Also on hand to answer questions regarding ham radio
in Germany will be Dennis Haertig, DL7RBI, who is the D-A-R-C Secretary of
International Affairs. The two will be bringing with them a 15 minute video
presentation titled "60 years of WAE Award" that will be presented in the
ARRL sponsored movie room.

Information on the participation in Hamvention by the Deutscher Amateur
Radio Club in German can be found on-line at www.darc.de. More on what's
planned for this years Dayton gathering is on line at the Hamvention
website. Its in cyberspace at www.hamvention.org

(DARC)

**

NEWSLINE SURVEY RESULTS: GAS PRICES VS. POSSIBLE HAMFEST ATTENDENCE

As the spring and summer ham radio convention season approaches, we have
the results of our month-long on-line survey that asks how high the price
of a gallon of gas has to go before you decide not to go. And there were
some surprises.

We structured the response table starting at $3.75 a gallon which was just
below the maximum cost anywhere when the survey began and increased it in
25 cent increments all the way up to $5 a gallon. The latter being a figure
nobody thought possible a month ago, but one now being bandied about by
some involved in petroleum futures.

That aside, what dd our listeners say? A clear majority, some 42 percent
put their limit at the $3.75 a gallon point. But a surprising 23.6 percent
said that they would be willing to spring for $5 a gallon to spend hamfest
time with their buddies and friends. 18 percent said that $4 a gallon was
all that they were willing to spend while the rest was spread out from
$3.35 to $3.75.

So how will these numbers translate into actual hamfest attendance? Well
only the next two to three months of watching the gate numbers will tell
for sure. But Emcommwest in Reno this weekend and the upcoming Dayton
Hamvention in Ohio on May 16, 17, and 18 should both be good indicators of
how much of an impact high fuel prices are having on your personal ham
radio convention presence this year. (ARNewsline")

**

D-STAR CORNER: SAN DIEGOI D-STAR NET RECORDING NOW AVAILABLE

The audio recording of the D-Star San Diego Group Tuesday Night Tech Net is
back. The D-Star San Diego Tuesday Night Tech Net allows D-Star owners and
operators a roundtable forum at which to exchange ideas and information
regarding the D-Star mode of operation. With the rapid advancement and all
the changes taking place in the D-Star realm, this net proves to be quite
informative and enjoyable for all who participate. If you are interested in
hearing the recording, visit
http://n6six.podbean.com/http://n6six.podbean.com
http://n6six.podbean.com/ or
http://n6six-hamshack.50megs.com/custom_1.htmlhttp://n6six-hamshack.50megs.com/custom_1.html
.. (N6SIX)

**

WORLDBEAT - JAPAN: HAMS GET EXPANDED 80 METER PRIVELEGES

Some good news for hams in Japan. As of Monday April 28th, Radio Amateurs
in that nation have been given access to additional frequencies in the 80
meter band oa a co-primary shared basis. As a result of this action,
Japanese amateurs are now allowed to operate 3599 to 3612 kHz, 3 680 to
3687 kHz, 3702 to 3716 kHz, 3745 to 3747 kHz and 3754 to 3770 kHz. This is
in addition to all subbands that they were previously allowed to use.
Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications made a public
announcement that the domestic Table of Frequency Allocations and the
Japanese Amateur Bandplan had been amended to reflect this change. (Southgate)

**

WORLDBEAT - BRUNEI: ON THE AIR ONCE AGAIN

The Brunei Darussalam Amateur Radio Association has announced that it will
be back on air. At a recent press conference held at R-A-C Technologies the
groups president announced that the association, which has been inactive
for six years, will be holding its reactivation ceremony on Sunday, May 4th
at the h National Stadium. Amateur Radio in Brunei really got started in
the late 1970's by a number of local hams who formed the Askar Muda radio
club. In 1999, the 27th SEANET Convention was successfully held in Brunei.
(Borneo Bulletin On-Line)

**

ON THE AIR: MUSEUM SHIPS WEEKEND

On the air, the 2008 Museum Ships Event will be sponsored by The Battleship
New Jersey Amateur Radio Station will take place during the period of on
June 7th from 0001 to 2359z on June 8th. Ships wishing to participate
should send a note to with the name of ship, callsign,
location, QSL information and contact information for person responsible.
During this event there is participation of naval ships, lightships,
steamships, research vessels and merchant ships. A list of participating
ships is available at www.nj2bb.org (Press release)

**

DX

In D-X. listen out for Croatian special event station 9A08P which will be
active through December 31st. This operation is to celebrate the City of
Djurdjevac using all bands and modes. A special QSL card will be issued
with the complete story on it. All QSO's will be confirmed automatically
via the bureau.

And OZ1TL, is expected to be active from Bhutan as A52TL during his stay to
attend some of the inauguration ceremonies of the nations new king.
Activity will be mainly on CW on most bands including 160, 80 and 40
meters. QSL via his home callsign.

Lastly, for those of you who operate 50 MHz and above, word that HB9HLM,
will be active as CN2DX from grid IM63BM in Monaco between July 26th and
August 8th. He will have 100 watts on 6 meters and 500 watts on 2. A pair
of 7 elements yagi's will be the 2 meter antenna, QSL via EA7FTR.

(Above from various DX news sources)

**

THAT FINAL ITEM: AN SDR RECEIVER ON THE WWW

And finally this week, a kind of rhetorical question. What does a web based
software defined radio sound like and what will it do? Well here's part of
the answer. Take a listen:

--

Actual web audio

--



Thats audio from the latest web-based software defined or S-D-R radio
located at the University of Twente's amateur radio club in the
Netherlands. The system allows visitors to tune over parts of either the 40
or 80 meter bands. When we tuned in 80 was dead but there was activity on 40:

--

Actual web audio

--



What makes this system different from other web-based receivers is, that
thanks to the use of Software-Defined Radio technology, this receiver can
be tuned simultaneously by multiple users. And when tuning around a band,
you can either enter a frequency directly, or click-drag on the frequency
scale. Bandwidth can also be controlled, either by the button options, or
by click-dragging on the passband edges of the frequency scale. Listen again:

--

Actual web audio

--

The web page also features a log book, a list of connected users and a chat
facility. Additional bands are planned for the future. Its all available to
experiment with on line at http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/

(Southgate)

**

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". Our e-mail address is .
More information is available at Amateur Radio Newsline's" only official
website located at www.arnewsline.org. You can also write to us or support
us at Amateur Radio Newsline", P.O. Box 660937, Arcadia, California 91066.

Before we go we want to remind you that the nominating period for the 2008
Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year is now open. Any licensed
radio amateur age 18 or younger residing in the United States or Canada is
eligible for the award. Full details and both a downloadable nominating
form is in cyberspace at www dot YHOTY dot org.

For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors desk, Im Jim Damron,
N8TMW, saying 73 and we thank you for listening.

Amateur Radio Newsline" is Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.