Sorry this is late buut I was in Huntsville for the Hamfest and no way
to update this mailing list. This will happen from time to time if I
travel as this list is only maintaineds on my computer. If you do not
see it posted to you direct, its always availabke for download at
www.arnewsline.org. Always check there for the latest newscast. -- de
BillP. / WA6ITF

deBill P.

Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1723 - August 20 2010

Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1723 with a release date of
Friday, August 20 2010 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a Q-S-T. Hams in Pakistan lead relief efforts in the
wake of monsoon flooding, a cooling system failure on the International
Space Station has impacted ARISS operations, unlicensed consumer
devices come to the 70 centimeter repeater input subband in New Zealand
and researchers say to be careful using green lasers. Find out why on
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) report number 1723 coming your way right
now.


(Billboard Cart Here)

**

RESCUE RADIO: PAKISTANI HAMS IN HUMINATERIAN FLOOD RELIEF EFFORT

The Pakistan Amateur Radio Society in association with Islamabad Jeep
Club and Pakistan Academy of Family Physicians are leading a
humanitarian relief effort in the wake of massive flooding in that
nation. Amateur Radio Newsline's Burt Hicks, is here with the details:

--

Monsoon rains have hit Pakistan the past few weeks followed by disastrous
floods the likes of which have not been seen in some regions for the last
eight decades. Communications is at a premium with cellular and wire line
telephone service out as a result of the storms. Restoration of cellular
service and landlines phones could take months.

In order to address the communication outage, the Pakistan Amateur Radio
Society better known as PARS, working in association with Islamabad Jeep
Club and Pakistan Academy of Family Physicians. Together they have begun a
series of relief activities by providing communications as well as food,
tents and medical support to the flood effected areas.

PARS and the Islamabad Jeep Club have so far dispatched five relief
teams. One is catering to the communications needs of northern cities by
linking Islamabad with Peshawar, Nowshera and Charsadda. The other would
connect the central Pakistani cities of Sargodha, Lahore and Faisalabad and
Multan. The other three are assigned to emergency supply preparation and
delivery to those in outlying areas.

PARS has already installed 2 meter repeater at one emergency location but
its signal is fairly weak in the areas where its most needed. Plans are to
relay it into remote regions using a cross-band linked system if equipment
can be found or donated to make it happen. This says PARS would result in
effective communication through the use hand-helds rather then reliance on
base stations where electric mains service is spotty and intermittent.

If you have any spare gear that can be used in this relief effort, you can
contact PARS president Nasir Khan AP2NK by e-mail to ap2nk dot nasir at
gmail dot com.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Burt Hicks in Los Angeles.
--

These floods have impacted millions of Pakistanis who need help from the
international community. More on this aspect of the story is on-line at
tinyurl.com/36nqfzv (PARS, W7VOA)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE: ISS COLLING SYSTEM AFFECTS ARISS CONTACTS

A cooling system failure on the International Space Station has impacted
ARISS operations. On August 11th, NASA astronauts successfully completed
the second of three to four space walks in an effort to replace a faulty
ammonia pump module on the International Space Station's truss. One that
has forced cutbacks in other word abroad the orbiting outpost including
time that astronaut hams are spending on the air.

Since July 31st the space station has been operating at half its usual
cooling capacity utilizing the one remaining cooling pump. This forces the
astronauts to power down equipment to prevent overheating on the ISS.

As this newscast is prepared, it has already taken almost 16 hours space
walks or E-V-A's for astronauts to remove and replace the failed cooling
pump in an effort to bring the ISS back to full capacity. As a result,
ARISS ham radio operations which include both voice and packet have been
given a low priority until the problem is resolved.

Back at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, Space Station Program
Manager Michael Suffredini says that a third space walk was planned to
install the replacement and a fourth likely will be needed to put the
defective pump into its storage place. These may have taken place by the
time this newscast goes to air.

Attempts are being made to carry out scheduled ARISS contacts, but with the
understanding that they may be cancelled at the last minute.

(NASA NEWS, ARISS, ANS, VOA)

**

RADIO RULES: NZ MED CREATES 70 CM REPEATER INTERFERENCE

The New Zealand Ministry of Economic Development has relaxed the
conditions of use of unlicensed Short Range Devices in a key ham
band. Amateur Radio Newsline's Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, is in Auckland with
the latest:

--

The new conditions or rules were put in place without any consultation with
our national society the NZART. They permit the use of walkie-talkies,
wireless headphones, wireless audio senders and other such consumer gear in
the input band of most of nations 70 centimeter amateur repeaters.

The previous rules had permitted the same 433.05 to 434.79 MHz frequency
range but with an output power limited to 25 milliwatts and restricted the
use to Telemetry and Tele-control modes that had far shorter
transmissions. The new devices now given access to 433.05 to 434.79 MHz
typically have very annoying, long duration transmissions causing
significant interference to licensed amateur radio operations.

It should be noted that all of the New Zealand National System repeaters
use input frequencies above 434.79 MHz and are not affected by the
change. Those owned and operated by individual Kiwi hams operating with
input channels below 434.79 MHz are the ones suffering from access by these
consumer electronic devices.

From down-under in Auckland, New Zealand, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF,
reporting for the Amateur Radio Newsline.

--

As if this were not enough, there is also a new allocation in New Zealand
from 3.640 to 4.040 MHz for Auditory Aids. These hold the potential to
interfere with amateur signals in the amateur 75 and 80 meter
bands. (Adapted from NZART News)

**

PROPAGATION: HERE COMES THE SUN

Some good news on the propagation front. Better days may be on their way.

Researchers at Boston University's Center for Space Physics have announced
they have what they term as sub-visual evidence that a new cycle of solar
wind activity around Earth is finally starting. This based on observations
of recent appearances of aurora near the North Pole accompanied by dimmer
glows well south of that.

What has fascinated space scientists in recent years is the delayed onset
of such effects this time around. Typically, the Sun has an activity cycle
of about 11 years, with flares, C-M-E's and ejection of electrically
charged particles called the Solar Wind. These cause changes in the
Earth's magnetic field or magnetosphere that produce luminous auroral
emissions in the northern most latitudes high in the Earth's atmosphere.

Such effects are subdued during so-called solar minimum years such as the
case in 1996 to 1997. They are also very prominent in solar maximum years
as they were in 2001 to 2002.

According to this cycle, called Cycle 24, a new wave of solar activity had
been expected to start last year but the Sun remained dormant. This had
some solar observers predicting that we might be headed for a historic
solar minimum. Now the Boston group says there are finally signs of the new
cycle 24 appearing and you can read more about it at
tinyurl.com/34bk2pp. (World Science Net)

**

BREAK 1

From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline,
heard on bulletin stations around the world including the Three Rivers
Amateur Radio Club repeater serving Philadelphia Pennsylvania

(5 sec pause here)


**

RADIO SAFETY: UNIDENTIFIED MAN FALLS FRIM HAM TOWER

The Southwest Riverside News Network reports that a man who may be an
amateur radio operator was taken to a hospital after he fell about 25 feet
off a ham radio transmitting tower in Ocean Beach, California on August
8th. According to a police report., the unidentified man hit his back and
head when he fell around 3:30 p.m.. Officer Jane Jacobsen said the man was
breathing when officers and paramedics arrived but the extent of his
injuries were not immediately known. The news story did not say if the
person who fell was the towers owner or someone hired to work on
it. (Riverside Net News)

**

PUBLIC SERVICE: BICYCLE TOUR OF NJ NEEDS MORE HAMS

The Newark Amateur Radio Society in New Jersey says that it needs at least
33 additional volunteer ham radio operators to provide communications for
the upcoming Bicycle Tour of Newark. The event takes place on Saturday,
September 18th running from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM Eastern U-S time. In case
of rain, a back-up date of Saturday, September 25th has been set.

The Bicycle Tour of Newark is comprised of both 5 mile and a 25-mile
courses. The staging area for the event is downtown Newark and there will
be a designated parking area for those who bring vehicles. Public
transportation is by New Jersey Transit trains from New York's Pennsylvania
Station.

If you have the day free and wish to volunteer please contact Leon Grauer,
N0TAZ by re-mail to n0taz (at) NewarkAmateurRadio (dot) com. (QRZ)

**

RESCUE RADIO: BROADCAST STATIONS ENCOURAGED TO JOIN DIRS

The FCC Media Bureau is encouraging broadcasters to register and
participate in its Disaster Information Reporting System or
DIRS. According to Doug Lung writing TV Technology Magazine, registered
users input data on the status of their broadcast facilities,
communications links, generator fuel and other items. They also provide
emergency contact information the FCC can use to contact them to assist
with disaster recovery and assistance from the FCC's federal partners.

Lung notes that updates are easy to do using the DIRS website, but he
encourages stations with group management or sister stations outside the
disaster area to consider having someone outside listed as a D-I-R-S
participant. This, so the engineer within the disaster area doesn't have
to struggle to find a working Internet connection. Rather the engineer at
the affected station can quickly update that person, who could then update
the DIRS website and handle inquiries. (RW)

**

COMMUNICATIONS LAW: FCC GREEN-LIGHTS CERTAIN MOBILE-ONLY TV RECEIVERS

The FCC has conditionally approved a request from Dell Computer, LG
Electronics USA and Hauppauge Computer Works. This, to permit the
importation and sale in the United States of television receivers designed
for mobile use that exclude analog and, in some cases, standard non-mobile
digital reception capability.

In granting the joint request the FCC said that it concludes that a waiver
is in the public interest. This is because it would facilitate the
introduction of television receivers with Mobile DTV tuners that are
designed to be used in motion.

But the regulatory agency did add one proviso to the grant. It is
requiring the three companies to clearly disclose to consumers that a
specific device does not have the capability to receive analog signals,
and, where applicable, standard non-mobile digital signals. (FCC, CGC)

**

FUTURECOMM: BROADBAND ADOPTION FALLING IN USA

Adoption of broadband by citizens of the United States has slowed
dramatically this year, and a majority believes that making high-speed
Internet access affordable should not be a major government
priority. This, according to a study by the Pew Research Center's
Internet & American Life Project.

The research found that two-thirds of Americans currently use broadband at
home, a number that's statistically the same as a similar Pew study
conducted the same time in 2009. The research firm last year found 63% of
Americans were broadband adopters.

The study also found that the majority of Americans did not believe
high-speed Internet access to everyone in the United States should be a top
priority for the federal government. Fully 53% of Americans said
affordable broadband access should not be attempted by government or was
simply not too important of a priority. More is on-line at
tinyurl.com/24dqcmb (Information Week OnLine)


**

RADIO BUSINESS: SANGEAN SIDESTEPS PORTABLE HD RADIO INTRO

Radio World reports that Sangean now says it is not planning to introduce a
portable HD Radio that was to have included analog AM in the U.S. this
year. Responding to a question from the newsletter, a Sangean spokesman
said the company decided not to go ahead with production of the DT-600
HD. The Sangeen representative could not say why but did add that Amazon
dot com is not accepting pre-orders for the unit.

IBiquity had a prototype of the unit in its booth at winter Consumer
Electronics Show and also at the spring National Association of
Broadcasters shows both held earlier this year in Las Vegas. The
multicast-capable unit was also designed to support program associated data
services and feature iTunes tagging via a USB port. (RW)

**

RADIO BOOKS: NEW AM RADIIO LOG FROM THE NATIONAL RADIO CLUB

And this one for SWL's or hams who enjoy medium wave DXing. Word from
Wayne Heinen, N0POH, that the new 31st edition of the National Radio
Club's AM Radio Log is hot off the press and ready to be shipped.

The AM Radio Log is a source for information on AM Radio Stations in the
United States and Canada. The latest edition contains 278 pages of data
and cross references, and 18 pages of instructions in 8-1/2" x 11" size,
3-hole punched, U.S. loose leaf format. This publication fits nicely into a
1" three-ring binder and for the visually handicapped the print may be read
by most standard O C R systems.

According to Heinen. there have been nearly 10,000 updates since last
year's 30th Edition of the log. Additional reference lists include call
letters of FM simulcasts, listings of regional groups of stations in the
groups section, and a cross reference of those stations that are licensed
to use In Band On Channel digital audio.

To find out more or to order a copy of you very own, simply take your web
browser to www.nrcdxas.org.
(W8HDU)

**

THE SOCIAL SCENE: RESERVATIONS UP AT RSGB CONVENTION

Turning to the ham radio social scene, word from the United Kingdom that
the early bird savings available for the RSGB Convention bookings have been
extended until September 1st. The Radio Society of Great Britain says
that while reservations are up on last year but this is no problem as the
Horwood House near Milton Keynes is a larger venue.

The RSGB Convention takes place between the 8th and 10th of October. There
will be a wide variety of talks and lectures over the weekend as well as
displays and demonstrations of the latest gear. More information on this
UK ham radio show is on-line at www.rsgb.org.uk/rsgbconvention. (RSGB)

**

THE SOCIAL SCENE: FIRST NORTH CORK RALLY SEPTEMBER 19

If you are planning to be in Ireland this fall you might want to attend the
first ever North Cork Radio Group Rally and Electronics Fair at the Blarney
Golf Resort, Tower on Sunday September 19th. Doors open to the public at
11.30 a.m. local time and the rally will run until about 5pm. Among the
equipment dealers on hand will be South East Communications, Long
Communications and JBT Trading. Further details about this event is on
line at www.northcorkradiogroup.com. And for those of you not aware the
term rally is the same as we call a hamfest on this side of the great
Atlantic pond. (IRTS News)

**

NAMES IN THE NEWS: CHARLIE HELLMAN, W2RP, ON THE AIR AT AGE 100

And a word of congratulations to Charlie Hellman, W2RP, of Hastings On
Hudson, New York. This on having hit the grand old age of 100.

Alan Brennglass, K2ACB, says over eHam dot net that he recently spoke to
Charlie on the air. At that time he learned that W2RP got his first
license in 1925 at age 15.

In honor of reaching this milestone of life, his family threw a nice party
for him and the QCWA sent him a beautiful plaque for this honor. Charlie
told K2ACB that he had been inactive on the High Frequency bands for
several months but is now back on the, especially on 20 meters. (K2ACB,
eHam)

**

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)

**

COMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH: SOME FIREFLIES DO GLOW TO MATE

For decades, scientists have speculated about why some fireflies exhibit
synchronous flashing in which large groups produce rhythmic, repeated
flashes in unison. At times enough to light up an entire forest at
once. Now, the first experiments on the function of this phenomenon
suggest that synchronous flashing preserves female fireflies' recognition
of suitable mates.

To reach this conclusion, researchers collected females of the synchronous
species from the Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. In the
laboratory, they exposed the females to groups of light-emitting diodes
meant to mimic male fireflies. Each individual LED produced the
species-specific pattern of flashes for type of fly but the experimenters
varied the degree to which the flashes were in synch with one another.

Their conclusion is that Fireflies which are actually a type of beetle
produce bioluminescence as a mating tool. One in which males display a
species-specific pattern of flashes while cruising" through the air looking
for females. These patterns consist of one or more flashes followed by a
characteristic pause, during which female fireflies, perched on leaves or
branches, will produce a single response flash if they spot a suitable male.

Of the roughly 2,000 species of fireflies around the world, scientists
estimate that only about 1 percent synchronize their flashes over large
areas. The results of this novel communications item was reported in the
July 9 issue of Science. (Adapted from Science Daily)

**

INTRUDER WATCH: 6 METER QRM LINKED TO EAST EUROPE TV

Talk about a strange and unwanted 6 meter beacon. The IARU Region 1
Monitoring System reports on a humming noise in the 50 MHz band that sounds
like a defective power supply. Its most often heard during Sporadic-E
openings and turn out to be carriers from East-European TV transmitters.

Wolfgang Hadel, DK2OM, was the one who actually found the carrier. Using a
Wavecom 61 monitor DK2OM also located the related audio portion of the
transmissions in wideband FM 5 MHz higher in frequency. (IARUMS)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE: PACESAT PROJECT ANNOUNCED IN TIWAN

Yet another new ham radio satellite is on the drawing boards. A team from
the Taiwan Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Department of
Electrical Engineering at the National Cheng Kung University has announced
a CubeSat development project named Platform for Attitude Control
Experiment or PACEsat for short. This cubesat will feature three-axis
stabilization utilizing a miniature momentum wheel and magnetic
coils. Attitude determination will use a three-axis magnetometer, a
three-axis gyro, and coarse sun sensors. Temperature sensors will monitor
the thermal environment inside the satellite.

The new bird is designed for a 600 km near-circular orbit with a 98 degree
inclination. Mission lifetime is planned to be 2 months. Frequencies
discussed in the satellite design documentation include 145 MHz for uplink
and downlink communication and 433 MHz CW and AX.25.

Technical details on PACEsat can be found on-line at tinyurl.com/2evtd7a
(ANS)

**

HAM RADIO IN SPACE: SA AMSAT CUBESAT PROJECT REMAINS NAMELESS

A planned South African ham radio satellite is still in search of a
name. The South Africa AMSAT committee has reviewed all the names proposed
for its new CubeSat project but found none of those proposed suitable for
the project. As a result, the committee decided to hold the naming of the
project until the payloads have been finalized.

The committee has however narrowed down the options for a satellite payload
to one of two. The first is centered around a payload that would promote
satellite use by radio amateurs in South Africa and the second is a project
of a scientific nature that would also have appeal to the education
sector. A decision on both a name and a final mission purpose will be made
at a later date. (SARL)

**

QSL CORNER: HOW TO QSL CYPRESS DX STATIONS

The QSL Bureau of the Cyprus Amateur Radio Society says that it is
receiving large numbers of QSLs that cannot be delivered to the intended
recipient. This is because that station has a QSL manager outside Cyprus.

According to 5B4AHJ who is the society's QSL Bureau Manager, the problem is
threefold. Those generating the QSLs are not bothering to check to see if
the station has a manager. And, even if a manager's call is written on the
QSL, many QSL Bureaus are still sending the QSL to Cyprus. Lastlt. QSLs
for calls 5B DXcalls are being sent to Cyprus when either they should be
sent to the operators QSL manager, or in the absence of a manager, they
should be sent to the bureau for the home call.

5B4AHJ says that he has produced a list of stations with foreign managers
for Cypress stations. It's on line at tinyurl.com/cypruscalls. (OPDX)

**

DX

In DX, word that VK6LC will be will be operational as XV2LC through
September 10th from Ho Chi Minh City and as XV4LC from the Mekong
Delta. Listen out for him primarily on CW with some SSB. QSL via VK6LC.

IZ4AKS will be active stroke 3B9 from Rodriguez Island from August 28th
through September 4th. His operation will be holiday style on 40 through
10 meters SSB with the possibly of some RTTY and CW as well. QSL direct
only to IZ4AKS at his Callbook address.

IK2NCJ will be active as D4C from Sao Vicente Island near Cape Verde until
August 26th. QSL either via CT1ESV to the bureau, or direct to IZ4DPV or
electronically using Logbook of the World.

GJ7DNI will be driving across France in a 1959 Commer camper van and will
be working holiday style on the 40 and 80m bands between through August
30th. He will be running only 100 watts so you will have to listen out
carefully for hi. If you do make contact please QSL as directed on the air.

Lastly, the "Buddies in the Caribbean" DXpedition group which specializes
in 100 watt or less radios and the Buddipole portable antenna systems will
be back on the Island of St. Lucia from December 8th to the 13th. The
group says that it wants to demonstrate what it terms as "Ultralite
DXpeditioning" from the islands magnificent "vista" locations. This, by
operating a field portable battery-only radio with back-packable and
lightweight antennas from St. Lucia's beaches or scenic mountain
tops.. There will also be three villa stations in operation on 160 on 10
meters using CW, SSB, and RTTY. QSL via Logbook of the World, eQSL, or
mail to the individual operator's home call sign with a self addressed
stamped envelope.

(Above from various DX news sources)

**

THAT FINAL ITEM: GREEN LASERS CAN BE AN EYE HAZARD

And finally this week, green laser pointers have become a popular consumer
item by delivering light that's brighter to the eye than red lasers. But
stories have been circulating on the Web about the potential hazards of
some inexpensive models. Now, a team led by physicist Charles Clark at the
National Institute of Standards and Technology has put some numbers to the
problem. Amateur Radio Newsline's Jim Davis has mo

--

Late last year, the research team from the National Institute of Standards
and Technology purchased three low cost green laser pointers advertised to
have a standard power output of 10 milliwatts. Scientific measurements
showed that one unit emitted dim green light but delivered infrared levels
of nearly 20 milliwatts. That's a level said to be powerful enough to
cause retinal damage to an individual before he or she is aware of the
invisible light. The National Institute of Standards and Technology
researchers repeated the tests with several other laser pointers and found
similarly intense infrared emissions in some but not all units.

So why the disparity? The researchers believe that the problem stems from
inadequate procedures in manufacturing quality assurance. They note that
inside a green laser pointer, infrared light from a semiconductor diode
laser pumps infrared light at a wavelength of 808 nanometers into a special
transparent crystal lens causing a conversion to even deeper in the
infrared, at 1064 nanometers. This light then passes through another
crystal of potassium titanyl phosphate which emits light of half the
wavelength at 532 nanometers which is the familiar color of the green laser
pointer.

But say the researchers, if the crystal is misaligned, little of the 1064
nanometer energy is converted into green light, and most of it comes out as
infrared. Excess infrared leakage can also occur if the coatings at both
ends of the crystal that act as mirrors for the infrared laser light are
too thin.

The NIST team says this problem could be solved by incorporating an
inexpensive infrared filter at the end of the laser, which could reduce
infrared emissions by 100 to 1000 times depending on quality and cost.
Although these filters exist in modern digital cameras and more expensive
green laser pointers, they often are left out of the inexpensive models.

The bottom line. The research team says to never point a laser pointer at
anyone for any reason.

Im Jim Davis, W2JKD.

--

The researchers that conducted this project are all members of the Joint
Quantum Institute. This is , a collaboration between the National
Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Maryland.
(Science OnLine)

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE

With thanks to Alan Labs, AMSAT, the ARRL, the CGC Communicator, CQ
Magazine, the FCC, the Ohio Penn DX Bulletin, Radio Netherlands, Rain, the
RSGB, the Southgate News and Australia's W-I-A News, that's all from the
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm). Our e-mail address is
. 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), 28197 Robin
Avenue, Santa Clarita, California, 91350

Before we go, just a reminder that Saturday and Sunday, August 21st and
22nd is the 2010 Huntsville Hamfest at the Von Braun Center in downtown
Huntsvills. Several Newsline staffers including our producer Bill
Pasternak, WA6ITF and this reporter will be there to present the 2010 Young
Ham of the Year Award to Cody Anderson, KI4FUV. The presentation will take
place at around 2 P,M. on Saturday on the front podium of the main exhibit
hall. If you are at the Huntsville Hamfest, please join us in honoring
this fine young man for his contributions to our great hobby.

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 2010. All rights reserved.