Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1279 – February 15, 2002<p>Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1279 with a release date of <br />Friday, February 15th, 2002 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. <br /> <br />The following is a Q-S-T.<p>Ham radio helps in the face of a California wildfire and an appeals court says<br />that pirate broadcasters cannot be banned from getting FCC licenses. These<br />stories are first on Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1279 coming your war<br />right now.<p><br />(Billboard Cart Here) <br /> <p>**<p>RESCUE RADIO: HAMS AID AT FALLBROOK CA. FIRE<p>Ham radio was on the scene as a wind-whipped fire raced through the remote<br />north-western portion of Fallbrook California on Sunday February 10th. Sixteen<br />homes were destroyed along with one sheriff's vehicle and two fire trucks. <br />Among the houses that suffered damage was that of Grammy winner Rita Coolidge. <br />An estimate 2600 acres were burned as this report is being prepared. Amateur<br />Radio Newsline’s Norm Seeley, KI7UP, has the details:<p>--<br />According to Bob Gonsett, W6VR, Amateur radio operators were more than ready<br />when the emergency the emergency hit. And so was their local repeater system:<p>--<br />W6VR: “We have two repeater systems that are tied together on Red Mountain<br />that serve Fallbrook and Fallbrook is fortunately a hotbed of Amateur Radio<br />activity. Lots of logistics communications took place in support of Red Cross<br />activities, animal evacuations, people evacuations and it was a very, very busy<br />repeater system which, incidentally, is backed up by emergency power.”<p>--<p>Gonsett, who is editor of the CGC Communicator broadcast industry newsletter<br />says that hams were posted at key points in the community. This included the<br />fire department, the sheriffs department, the hospital and the evacuation<br />centers. Some hams provided mobile communications for animal rescue<br />operations. Others, who specialize in evacuation matters and health and<br />welfare traffic worked in conjunction with the American Red Cross to provide<br />support. W6VR says that it was just about a textbook ham radio communications<br />effort for both people and equipment.<p>--<br />W6VR: “Their performance was outstanding in every respect. The repeaters<br />worked flawlessly. There was no jamming. The greater community pulled<br />together on this one.”<br />--<p>Volunteers came from across the region. Bill and Wayne Dewey, WD6AHW and<br />WD6AHX, served as the Net Control operators. A father and son team, the<br />Dewey’s spent hours directing all radio communications on the Fallbrook<br />Amateur Radio Club's repeaters. Another ham volunteer was Jess Mauk, KD6YEI,<br />of San Diego. He manned a RACES van sent in from San Diego County. In all<br />close to thirty radio amateurs served in the first wave of volunteer<br />communicators. Gonsett says that hams were there because they wanted to help:<p>--<br />W6VR: “It was really heartwarming to find such an outpouring of devotion<br />from the ham community in people coming up here and making their presence known<br />and contributing as they could. They were all useful and the community leaders<br />thanked us repeatedly for our roles.”<br />--<p>Most communications took place over the Fallbrook Amateur Radio Club’s dual<br />redundancy repeater system This is actually two separate machines designed and<br />built by Chris Durso, AA4CD. One outputs on 146.175 MHz and the other on<br />445.600 MHz. Both carry the same audio. In time of emergency anyone with a<br />scanner radio in the Fallbrook and Temecula California area can tune to either<br />frequency and hear all of the ham radio communications.<p>For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Norm Seeley, KI7UP.<p>--<p>One last note. According to Gonsett, one of the luckiest hams on Earth has to<br />be Joel Brown, KE6FHS. Brown is the president of the Fallbrook Amateur Radio<br />Club. His home survived the wildfire. Sadly, his immediate neighbor’s'<br />house burned to the ground. (ARNewsline(tm), W6VR)<p>**<p>RADIO LAW: COURT THROWS OUR PIRATE RADIO LICENSING BAN<p>Just because a person one operated a pirate radio station is not enough reason<br />for the FCC to ban him from ever getting a broadcasting permit. So says a<br />Washington D.C. Federal Appeals court. Amateur Radio Newsline’s Paul<br />Courson, WA3VJB, reports from the nations capitol:<p>--<p>The government is not allowed to use your past as a bootleg radio operator to<br />block you from holding a legitimate broadcast license, according to a ruling<br />from a federal appeals court February 8th.<p>But any victory might be short-lived for onetime pirate operators wanting to<br />turn legit. <p>The case out of Washington DC involved Greg Ruggiero, a onetime bootleg radio<br />station operator around New York. He challenged an FCC rule that bans those<br />found guilty of pirate broadcasting from ever holding a license, or being<br />formally associated with the recently-created low-power radio station service,<br />an industry that has become known as FM microbroadcasting.<p>The appeals court agreed with Ruggiero's claim such a ban is unconstitutional<br />as the law is now written. But the court also left open the possibility<br />Congress could write a more narrow law in line with the First and Fifth<br />Amendments. Part of the argument centered on a protest philosophy held by many<br />unauthorized microbroadcasters, who see their bootleg ops as civil<br />disobedience.<p>The appeals court, siding with the former bootlegger, said there was some<br />evidence Congress, in writing the ban into broadcast law, meant to punish those<br />with a protest message, without really improving future compliance with the<br />law. They called it viewpoint discrimination, and said ... not allowed.<p>Communications law experts are mixed whether the ruling has implications beyond<br />FM low-power broadcast licensing, including whether FCC can use violations in<br />one service to administer broader punishment.<p>Traditionally, the FCC has kept open the option of revoking other licenses held<br />by a violator, beyond the service where the violation took place. For example,<br />someone in violation on the ham bands might have his commercial radiotelephone<br />license pulled as well.<p>In Washington, Paul Courson, WA3VJB, reporting for the Amateur Radio Newsline. <p>--<p>And what might this decision mean to Amateur Radio? Especially those cases<br />where ham licenses are challenged based on character issues. According to<br />retired ARRL President George Wilson, W4OYI, probably very little. George,<br />who is also an attorney, says that despite the ruling, the FCC still has the<br />authority on a case by case basis to deny a license to a pirate broadcaster.<br />They can also still designate for hearing the license of any station who breaks<br />the law or violates government rules. (Published news reports)<p>**<p>RADIO LAW: FOIA BECOMING MORE DIFFICULT<p>Hams fighting the FCC over enforcement and other issues are finding it a lot<br />more difficult to obtain government records under the Freedom of Information<br />Act. This is because of an administration policy change made a month after the<br />September 11th terrorist attacks. That’s when Attorney General John Ashcroft<br />directed all agency leaders to be more cautious in releasing records. <p>Over the years, some hams who have been tagged with violations by the FCC have<br />tried to use the federal Freedom of Information Act to try to get a line on<br />their accusers. Most of the time the government refuses unless the person<br />making the request can show good reason for the information to be released. <p>While not of a national security nature, none the less, bureaus like the FCC<br />will most likely be heading the words of Attorney General John Ashcroft who<br />says that agencies must carefully consider things including the effectiveness<br />of law enforcement before releasing any documents. Ashcroft says that agencies<br />that legitimately turn down requests made under the Freedom of Information Act<br />will have the backing of the Justice Department in doing so. (Published news<br />reports)<p>**<p>RAIN PROMO: HOW MANY HAMS ARE THERE IN THE USA?<p>I’m Greg Sperling, KB9DBC. <p>Just how many hams are there in the United States? <p>As you heard last week here on Amateur Radio Newsline, the picture is not a<br />rosy one. You can hear Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, interview with W5YI publisher<br />and VEC Fred Maia this week on the RAIN Report. It is accessible in both<br />Windows Media and RealAudio at www.rainreport.com and for the technologically<br />challenged by telephone at 847-827-7246. (RAIN)<p>**<p>Break 1<p>From the United States of America, we are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on<br />bulletin stations around the world including the Three Rivers Amateur Radio<br />Club repeater serving Philadelphia Pennsylvania.<p><br />(5 sec pause here)<p>**<p>ENFORCEMENT: LOS ANGELES AREA PAROLED RADIO OPERATOR RE-ASSERTED FOR<br />PROBATION VIOLATION<p>A Bell California man on parole for jamming police communications is now being<br />held without bail for violating his probation and allegedly making death<br />threats on the 2 meter band. Amateur Radio Newsline’s Bruce Tennant, K6PZW,<br />has the details.<p>--<br />You may remember that back on November 14, 2001, the FCC set aside an Amateur<br />Service license and the call sign KG6IRO that it had issued to one Jack<br />Gerritson. That grant was made only a few days earlier on November 8th. The<br />Commission took action after it received information that Gerritsen had been<br />arrested in 1999 and convicted in 2000 for interference to the Los Angeles<br />Police Department radio system. <p>Gerritsen was out on parole after serving one year of a five year prison term<br />on that conviction. On January 29, Los Angeles FCC agents participated in the<br />pre-dawn re-arrest of Gerritsen after authorities received complaints of death<br />threats allegedly made by him on several Amateur frequencies. <p>As Gerritsen was on parole in the earlier case, a no-bail search and arrest<br />warrant was served. This is because the terms of his probation banned him from<br />possessing any kind of radio transmitting equipment. <p>But at the time he was taken into custody Gerritsen reportedly had over twenty<br />radios at his premises. Of these the FCC says that eight were capable of<br />operating on frequencies in the Amateur, Marine, Land Mobile and Public Safety<br />bands. The FCC says that Gerritsen even had a Marine radio with batteries<br />connected to it, and a length of antenna line running outside his residence<br />hidden in a closet.<p>For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, in Los Angeles.<p>--<p>The FCC says that after they set aside Gerritsen license that he continued<br />operating and causing deliberate interference to numerous Amateur radio<br />repeaters in the Los Angeles area. It acted on these complaints. Now<br />Gerritsen may spend the next four years in jail. (FCC release, other sources)<p>**<p>ENFORCEMENT: FCC ORDERS POWER COMPANY TO HELP A HAM<p>The FCC has told an Alabama power utility that it has to clear up interference<br />it is causing to a local ham radio operator. Amateur Radio Newsline’s David<br />Black KB4KCH, has the latest from our South East Bureau in Birmingham:<p>--<p>For more than two and a half years, Dan Jeswald, W4NTI, says his ham radio<br />communications have been hampered by a pesky problem: interference. Jeswald<br />moved to Anniston, Alabama, in June, 1999. It wasn't long after that, he says,<br />that he began experiencing interference on numerous high frequency bands. He<br />says 6 meters became unusable because of popping sounds and other interference<br />Jeswald says sometimes rates full scale on his equipment. He says the noise is<br />worst during cold weather and sometimes goes on for days.<p>Jeswald suspected a faulty transformer or other power company equipment. He<br />says he contacted Alabama Power. Jeswald says the power company responded and<br />began working on the problem. But in midstream before the problems were<br />eliminated, Jeswald says there was a change of people he dealt with at the<br />power company. Jeswald says his efforts to get help with the problem since<br />then<br />have gone nowhere.<p>With few options left, Jeswald contacted the ARRL, which put him in touch with<br />the FCC. On January 30th, Special Counsel Riley Hollingsworth sent a letter to<br />Alabama Power's Chief Executive Officer. In the letter, Hollingsworth advises<br />the utility about Commission rules governing equipment that generates<br />unintended interference. And he informs the company of its responsibility to<br />fix the problem, or possibly face fines if a violation is found.<p>A call to the power company seeking comment was not returned. Meanwhile, Dan<br />Jeswald just hopes the airwaves clear up--and soon. <p>From Birmingham, Alabama, David Black, KB4KCH, for the Amateur Radio Newsline.<p>--<p>Alabama Power was given thirty days to advise W4NTI as to what steps it was<br />taking to solve the interference. (FCC release)<p>**<p>THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD: WAYNE WILLIAMS, K4MOB - S.K.<p>A radio amateur who dedicated almost a quarter of a century editing a ham radio<br />magazine has crossed over to the other side of the Ethereal Abyss. This with<br />word that Wayne Williams K4MOB, editor of the SouthEastern Repeater Association<br />magazine "The SERA Repeater Journal" has passed away.<p>According to Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, Williams died at home early Tuesday morning,<br />February 12th of complications from cancer. He was 65 years old. <p>Pearce says that Williams passion in Amateur Radio was FM and repeaters. He<br />became active in SERA's predecessor, the Carolinas-Virginia Repeater<br />Association, in the early 70's. This, at a time when two meter FM was just<br />beginning to gain in popularity. <p>In 1977 Williams became the editor for the group's magazine, the <br />Repeater Journal. The Journal was already a respectable size 44 page booklet,<br />with regional advertising from local dealers and hamfests. But over the next<br />23 years, K4MOB built it into a quarterly magazine featuring full-color covers<br />and both national and regional advertising.<p>--<br />Gary Pearce KN4AQ: “Through the Repeater Journal and through the<br />coordination body Wayne helped to provide the infrastructure that we enjoy<br />today on VHF and UHF FM. Repeaters that we can operate with a minimum of<br />interference and maximum of range and quality of enjoyment.”<br />-- <p>In parallel with his SERA activity, K4MOB also established Williams Radio. He<br />started the business by amassing a huge inventory of crystals. In that<br />pre-synthesizer era, two meter FM radios required a pair of crystals for each<br />frequency used. Other crystal sources made hams wait days or weeks for delivery<br />but Williams Radio was one of the few instant sources of crystals for almost<br />every frequency, and for almost every radio. Later, the business added<br />accessories and several lines of radios. It was a family affair, with Williams<br />wife, brother and sons pitching in at hamfests across the region. K4MOB<br />retired from Williams Radio in 1997.<p>Wayne Williams, K4MOB, is survived by his wife Gerry KB4SER, and two sons,<br />Wayne Jr. and Chris. A third son, Greg, passed away in 2000. Pierce says that<br />Wayne Williams was a very special man in ham radio. All that knew him say that<br />he will be missed. (KN4AQ)<p>**<p>AWARDS: THE VITA WIRELESS SAMARITAN AWARDS<p>The Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association along with the<br />Cellular Telecommunications industry Association’s Wireless Foundation have<br />honored the winners of the 2001 VITA Wireless Samaritan Awards and the 2001<br />Wireless Industry Achievement Awards. Among the recipients are average<br />citizens from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Texas and South Dakota, who had the<br />presence of mind to turn to their cellular telephones in emergency situations.<br />The VITA Wireless Samaritan Awards are given annually to individuals from all<br />50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. (CTIA Release)<p>**<p>AWARDS: HAMAWARDS.COM <p>Hamawards.com is a new website that is currently under development. According<br />to Anthony Farmer, KB3HGY, the mission of hamawards.com is to provide<br />centralized on-line information regarding all awards that an Amateur Radio<br />Operator can receive. The site is currently being developed. More information<br />is at www.hamawards.com. (News release)<p>**<p>BREAK 2<p>Here when you need us 52 weeks a year. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, with<br />links to the world from our only official website at www.arnewsline.org.<p>(5 sec pause here)<p>**<p>HAM RADIO AT THE WINTER OLYMPICS: ANOTHER COMMEMORATIVE STATION<p>Yet another commemorative station is taking to the airwaves form near the site<br />of the 2002 Winter Olympics. Linda Reeder, N7HVF, reports from Salt Lake City<br />Utah.<p>--<br />Linda Reeder, N7HVF: “It will start on Friday February 22nd at 5 PM to the<br />24th. Our station call will be K7O on 80 through 10 meters. If you want a QSL<br />send an self addressed stamped envelope to Mark Richardson, W7HPW, 11361 South<br />5825 West Payson Utah 84651-3622”<br />--<p>Again the call sign to listen for is K7O and QSL’s with a SASE go to Mark<br />Richardson, W7HPW, 11361 South 5825 West Payson Utah 84651-3622 (ARNewsline<br />(tm), N7HVF)<p>**<p>CONVENTIONS: HAMVENTION 2002 BANQUET MASTER OF CEREMONIES NAMED<br />The Master of Ceremonies for the 2002 Dayton Hamvention Banquet will be Carl<br />Nichols, N8WFQ. Nichols is the Chief Meteorologist for WDTN channel 2 News in<br />Dayton. This is a forth return performance for Nichols who served as Hamvention<br />banquet Master of Ceremonies since 1998. (DARA)<p>**<p>CONVENTIONS: WIA IN MELBOURNE IN MAY<p>The 2002 Federal Convention and Annual General Meeting of the Wireless<br />Institute of Australia is now slated for the city of Melbourne on the 17th,<br />18th and 19th of May. Among the many subjects to be discussed at the meeting<br />will be a possible restructuring of the WIA and the possibility of a Foundation<br />class license similar to that recently introduced in the U-K. (WIA)<p>** <br />HAM RADIO IN SPACE: HAMS ASKED TO HELP NANOSAT PROJECT<p>Ham radio is being asked to provide technical support for an upcoming satellite<br />project. Jeramy Boot, G4NJH, says it is a bird called Nanosat:<p>--<p>John Heath, G7HIA, the Secretary of the National Space Centre Amateur Radio<br />Society, reports that Bristol University is asking the world-wide amateur radio<br />community to assist with data capture from their forthcoming Nano Satellite<br />Project. <p>Hand-launched from the Space Shuttle during a space walk, the 6.5-kilogram<br />satellite will send data that can be decoded with software available free from<br />their web site. The software is not yet written because the university wants to<br />give amateurs the chance to have input into how they would like the data<br />stream: 1200 baud AX25 packet, 9K6 packet, Bell 202, or Soundcard etc. More<br />information and an on-line survey form is available on the web at<br />www.handsat.co.uk<p>Jeramy Boot, G4NJH<p>--<p>If you missed that website address you can find it in the print edition of this<br />weeks amateur Radio Newsline report. (GB2RS)<p>**<p>INTERNATIONAL - ENGLAND: QUEEN ELIZABETH’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY<p>Thanks to the efforts of the Radio Society of Great Britain, UK Amateur Radio<br />operators will be taking part in a very special celebration. On Wednesday the<br />6th of February, England’s Queen Elizabeth marked the 50th anniversary of her<br />accession to the royal throne. The Queen's Golden Jubilee will be celebrated<br />next June, and the RSGB has negotiated the use of a special prefix for the<br />celebration. Starting June 1st and continuing through the 30th, UK hams will<br />be permitted use of the 'GQ' prefix to help commemorate the event. (GB2RS)<p>**<p>DX<p>In DX, E20NGF says over the Internet that there is now a new Worked All<br />Thailand Provinces award. There are currently 76 in Thailand and this<br />particular awards requires that you contact and confirm each one. And while<br />E20NGF calls it a great challenge to all award chasers, he also notes that its<br />not all that difficult to log 20 provinces these days with more than 1000 Thai<br />hams already on H-F. Check the various DX and awards websites for full<br />information. (RSGB)<p>**<p>THAT FINAL ITEM: THE NEW ZEALAND AREC AWARD<p>And finally this week, New Zealand’s team of Amateur Radio Emergency<br />Communications volunteers has received an important award. Its a special honor<br />in recognition of their providing support of Search and Rescue efforts<br />down-under. Amateur Radio Newslines Jim Meachen ZL2BHF in Auckland has more:<p>--<p>The inaugural presentation of the New Zealand National Search and Rescue Award<br />for the year 2001 was made to AREC at a ceremony held in Wellington earlier<br />this month. <p>The Award recognizing AREC’s outstanding performance and contribution to<br />search and rescue in New Zealand was made by Marion Hobbs MP on behalf of the<br />Government Minister of Transport. In presenting the Awards Marion Hobbs said<br />of AREC:<p>--<br />Sound Here<br />--<p>Brian Purdie ZL2ADL the National Director of Amateur Radio Emergency<br />Communications accepted the Award on behalf of the AREC team and thanked the<br />New Zealand National Search and Rescue Committee for the award.<br /> <br />--<br />Sound Here<br />--<p>The National Director of New Zealand’s Amateur Radio Emergency<br />Communications Brian Purdie ZL2ADL. Further detail of the award ceremony with<br />photographs can be found on the NZART web site at www.nzart.org.nz.<p>From Auckland New Zealand, I’m Jim Meachen ZL2BHF for Newsline.<p>--<p>By the way, ZL2BHF says that he will be a flying in from Kiwi Land to take<br />part in this years Amateur Radio Newsline sponsored live Ham Radio Town Hall<br />meeting. It takes place at the 2002 Dayton Hamvention at 1 p.m. Eastern time<br />on Saturday, May 18th. (ZL2BHF)<p>**<p>NEWSCAST CLOSE<p>With thanks to Alan Labs, Amateur News Weekly, AMSAT, the ARRL, the CGC<br />Communicator, CQ Magazine, the FCC, the Ohio Penn DX Bulletin, Radio<br />Netherlands, Rain, the RSGB and Australia's Q-News, that's all from the Amateur<br />Radio Newsline(tm). Our e-mail address is newsline @arnewsline.org. More<br />information is available at Amateur Radio Newsline's(tm) only official website<br />located at www.arnewsline.org. You can also write to us or support us at <br />Amateur Radio Newsline(tm), P.O. Box 660937, Arcadia, California 91066. <p>Before we go, we want to mention that the nominating period for the 2002<br />amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year is now open. No significant<br />changes from last year. Nominees must be 18 or younger. Full rules and an<br />application is on our website at www.arnewsline.org.<p>For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors desk, I'm ______________<br />saying 73, and we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is<br />Copyright 2002. All rights reserved.