Amateur Radio Newsline™ Report 1322 – December 13, 2002<br /><br />Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1322 with a release date of Friday,<br />December 13, 2002 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. <br /> <br />The following is a Q-S-T. Ham radio responds as a winter blizzard sweeps the<br />Carolinas and the FCC asks a V-E team to explain. Find out what on Amateur<br />Radio Newsline report number 1322 coming your way right now.<br /><br />(Billboard Cart Here) <br /> <br />**<br />RESCUE RADIO: HAMS RESPOND TO CAROLINA BLIZZARD<br /><br />Weathecasters described it as a clash of titans. A large cold mass of air from<br />the North collided with a warm wet airmass from the Gulf of Mexico. The result<br />was blizzard-like conditions in many areas of the Mid-West and along the<br />Eastern Seaboard. <br /><br />It all happened late Wednesday December 4th and all day on Thursday December 5<br />th. Hardest hit was North Carolina. Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, lived through the<br />storm in Raleigh and has this first hand report:<br /><br />--<br /><br />The storm began moving across North Carolina as snow and sleet on Wednesday<br />afternoon, and turned to ice overnight. With temperatures hovering just below<br />freezing, a half-inch or more of ice coated trees and power lines. Power<br />failed to several million homes across a wide belt in the center of the state. <br />Telephone service had fewer outright failures, but both wired and cellular<br />service was sluggish due to the high volume of calls.<br /><br />The amateur radio story began Wednesday afternoon, as SKYWARN spotters <br />tracked the storm for the National Weather Service. As night fell and power<br />failed, the Red Cross and county emergency management's began opening shelters<br />to give people a warm place to stay. Amateurs in several dozen counties<br />staffed EOCs, shelters and Red Cross offices to assure continued<br />communications. There was no statewide communications emergency, but ARES<br />operators kept watch on the statewide ARES HF nets, and the state EOC in <br />Raleigh remained on the air.<br /><br />On Friday, with millions of people heading into the second night without <br />power out and temperatures predicted to dip to 18 degrees, North Carolina<br />Governor Mike Easley declared a state of emergency and decided to send the<br />National Guard out to do house-to-house canvassing in 22 counties, to make sure<br />people without phones, radio and TV knew there were shelters available.<br /><br />The communications plan for the Guard units was to use cell phones to call <br />into the State EOC and make their reports. North Carolina Emergency <br />Management asked if Amateur Radio could provide a backup if the cell phones<br />didn't come through. But, they couldn't pin down when or where amateurs might<br />be needed.<br /><br />John Guerriero, KG4HDT, the Emergency Coordinator assigned to cover the State<br />EOC, arranged for the Tarheel net -- NC's statewide ARES -- Net to operate all<br />day Saturday. He announced on Friday's nets that operators may be needed at<br />any time in the 22 counties covered. He was especially interested in hams with<br />HF mobile capability.<br /><br />Operators from many of the affected counties maintained watch Saturday, and <br />Guerriero demonstrated the HF and VHF Amateur Radio operation to the National<br />Guard coordinator at the EOC. Ultimately, however, the hams received no<br />requests for Amateur Radio communication.<br /><br />One county did work directly with the Guard. In Alamance County, ARES<br />operators who already on duty providing communications between the EOC, the <br />Red Cross and shelters offered to accompany the Guard, but were told that<br />civilians could not ride in military vehicles. Instead, the county provided<br />VHF radios left over from a recent move to 800 MHz, and the Amateurs at the EOC<br />acted as dispatchers. Alamance County EC Dwayne Ayers, N4MIO, reported that<br />this arrangement wasn't nearly as good as the coverage the hams could have<br />provided, but it was all the Guard would accept.<br /><br />ARES operation in some counties continued through Monday, though with much<br />power restored and shelters closing, most Amateur Radio activity secured by<br />Tuesday.<br /><br />For the Amateur Radio Newsline, this is Gary Pearce KN4AQ in Raleigh, North <br />Carolina.<br /><br />--<br /><br />As we go to air almost everyone in North Carolina have had their power<br />restored. And the hams of North Carolina are standing by -- just in case<br />Mother Nature has more winter storms up her sleeve. (KN4AQ, ARNewsline(tm))<br /><br />**<br /><br />HAM RAIO IN SPACE: ARISS MEETS IN WASHINGTON<br /><br />It may have been snowing outside, but that did not stop ham radio delegations<br />from descending on the Washinton D-C area for the Winter 2002 meeting to plan<br />the future of ARISS and manned ham radio on board the International Space<br />Station. Roy Neal, K6DUE, was there and filed back this report:<br /><br />--<br /><br />THE DELEGATES AND REPRESENTATIVES OF ARISS…AMATEUR RADIO ON THE<br />INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION... MET AT THE GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER, NEAR THE<br />NATION’S CAPITOL.THEY DECIDED THAT 2 THOUSAND AND TWO WAS A GOOD YEAR FOR THE<br />SPACE STATION. IT GREW RAPIDLY AND IS WORKING WELL. THE SAME IS TRUE OF<br />ARISS. <br /><br />THERE WERE MANY EXCELLENT CONTACTS WITH SCHOOLS ALL OVER THE WORLD, INCLUDING<br />EUROPE, SOUTH AFRICA AND JAPAN. GROUND STATIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA, AUSTRALIA AND<br />HAWAII WORKED VERY WELL IN MAKING THOSE CONTACTS .<br /><br />PACKET HAS BEEN BROUGHT ON LINE AND SEVERAL THOUSAND VERY <br />SATISFIED USERS ARE MAKING THE MOST OF IT. <br /><br />FOUR EXTERNAL ANTENNAS WERE INSTALLED LAST YEAR. A <br />MONUMENTAL ACHIEVEMENT THAT GAVE ARISS THE CAPABILITY OF <br />OPERATING ALMOST ANY FREQUENCY FROM 20 METERS UP INTO THE <br />GIGAHERTZ RANGE.<br /><br />AMONG ITS PROBLEMS, THE SPACE STATION HAS A CREW OF ONLY <br />THREE ASTRONAUTS AND COSMONAUTS., INSTEAD OF SEVEN AS <br />ORIGINALLY PLANNED. THAT SEVERELY LIMITS OPERATING TIME FOR AMATEUR RADIO. <br />THE ARISS DELEGATES WERE TOLD THAT THE INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS HOPE TO INCREASE<br />CREW SIZE IN THE NEAR FUTURE. HOPEFULLY A LOT MORE AIR TIME WILL BE <br />AVAILABLE.<br /> <br />HAM RADIO ON THE SPACE STATION PLANS FOR THE NEXT PHASE CALL FOR EXPANSION TO<br />70 CENTIMETER OPERATION AND A SECOND STATION ON THE AIR. THIS WOULD OPEN THE<br />DOOR TO FULL DUPLEX OPERATION. AT A FUTURE DATE IT MIGHT EVEN ALLOW STUDENTS<br />TO RECEIVE PICTURES ON 70 CM WHILE TALKING ON 2 METERS!<br /><br />WORK WILL CONTINUE, TESTING SLOW SCAN TELEVISION AND SPACE <br />CAM HARDWARE, HOPEFUL OF GETTING BOTH THESE PROJECTS ON THE AIR PERHAPS BY<br />THIS TIME NEXT YEAR.<br /><br />MANY OTHER EXCITING, ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS WERE <br />DISCUSSED. THEY WILL BE REPORTED HERE ON NEWSLINE DURING THE COMING YEAR AS<br />THE ARISS TEAM CONTINUES BUILDING ITS HAM RADIO STATION IN ORBIT.<br /><br />ROY NEAL, K6DUE, FOR AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE<br /><br />--<br /><br />Thanks Roy. (K6DUEE, ARNewsline(tm))<br /><br />**<br /><br />HAM RADIO IN SPACE: RS-20 IN ORBIT<br /><br />Russia has a new ham satellite in space. Well, kind of.<br />According to the AMSAT News Service, the new ham radio bird is actually an<br />Amateur Radio telemetry beacon operating as a secondary payload of a new<br />Russian navigational and scientific satellite. It was launched on November<br />28th, is at an altitude of 720 kilometers and circles the Earth every 99<br />minutes. Its beacons can be heard transmitting telemetary on 145.828 and<br />435.319 MHz. The new satellite has been officially named RS-20. (AMSAT NA)<br /><br />**<br /><br />SPECTRUM ISSUES: 40 METER REALLIGNMENT DISCUSSED<br />The just-ended preparatory meeting for next years World Radiocommunication<br />Conference heard five ways to fix the problems plaguing 40 meter. It also<br />heard a sixth presentatoion that would essentially leave things as they are. <br />Amateur Radio Newsline's Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, has more:<br /><br />--<br />Without going into minute detail, the five concepts differ markedly from one<br />anotgher. League Executive Vice President Dave Sumner, K1ZZ, says in the ARRL<br />Letter that all five options do represent improvements for Amateurs operatng in<br />the 40 meter band, although two fall short of fulfilling the 300-kHz worldwide<br />requirement.<br /><br />The International Amateur Radio Union is on record as supporting a 300-kHz<br />worldwide amateur allocation in the vicinity of 7 MHz. Sumner says that<br />achieving this will require the fixed and mobile services to make room for<br />broadcasters and for the broadcasters to change their operating frequencies. <br /><br />The five proposed methods for change include a variety of transition schedules<br />to ease the impact on these other services. Even with this Dave Sumner says<br />that there is no guarantee that proposals will be limited to the six methods<br />described in the report.<br /><br />For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, in Los Angeles.<br /><br />--<br /><br />More on this story is on the web at www.arrl.org (ARRL)<br /><br />**<br /><br />Break 1<br /><br />From the United States of America, we are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on<br />bulletin stations around the world including the W4VRB repeater serving warm<br />Vero Beach Florida.<br /><br />(5 sec pause here)<br /><br />**<br /><br />ENFORCEMENT: VE'S ASKED TO ANSWER STRANGE PASSING GRADE<br /><br />The FCC's Enforcement Bureau has begun an audit an ARRL VEC sponsored test<br />session held in Pelham Georgia on June 10th 2000. Letters have been sent to<br />the three V-E's who supervised the test. They ask some key questions:<br /><br />--<br />Duckworth" “The bureau seeks information as to how a candidate who has<br />seriously failed seven tests passed the Pelham test with a perfect score on<br />Element 2 and only one wrong answer on Element 3.”<br /><br />--<br /><br />The reason for the suspicion? Again the FCC's Daryl Duckworth, NN0W:<br /><br />--<br />Duckworth: “The candidate got a license but was recalled for testing. He<br />did not appear and his license was canceled.”<br /><br />--<br /><br />The three V-E's were given an appropriate amount of time to respond. In the<br />meantime the FCC has also recommended to the ARRL VEC that it not not accept<br />their services while the matter is under review. (FCC, RAIN)<br /><br />**<br /><br />ENFORCEMENT: FCC SUGGESTS THAT FIVE VE'S ARE OUT<br /><br />Meantime, the FCC has closed the books on its audit of a pair of ARRL sponsored<br />ham radio exams in Cookville Tennessee. The sessions were held back on<br />December 14th 1999 and March 11th, 2000. And as the FCC's Daryl Duckworth,<br />NN0W, tells us, the Enforcement Bureau has recommended that five Volunteer<br />Examiners not be used again:<br /><br />--<br />Duckworth: “It recommended that the services of five V-E's be no longer<br />accepted because they knew or should have known that one of the test candidates<br />was related to a V-E. Also, the location of one of the test sessions was not<br />revealed in the documentation sent to the ARRL.”<br />--<br /><br />A final decision on the future of the five V-E's is now in the hands of the<br />ARRL VEC. (FCC, RAIN)<br /><br />**<br /><br />HAM RADIO TESTING: NEW TECHNICIAN CLASS QUESTIONS NOW AVAILABLE<br /><br />Scotty Neustadter, W4WW, says that the new question pool for Technician class<br />exams is out. Neustadter heads the Question Pool Committee of the National<br />Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators. And, in an e-mail, W4WW says<br />that the committee has released a revised and expanded Amateur Technician class<br />question pool into the public domain. <br /><br />The new question pool becomes effective July 1, 2003. It must be used for all<br />Technician written examinations given on or after that date. The complete set<br />of questions can be downloaded in text or Portable Document File format from <br />www.arrl.org/arrlvec/pools.html. You will need a free Adobe Acrobat reader<br />program to view and print the P-D-F version. It can be downloaded at<br />www.adobe.com. (W4WW)<br /><br />**<br /><br />ENFORCEMENT: FCC EXPECTED TO OK MITNICK RENEWAL<br /><br />The FCC is expected to approve the license renewal of former computer hacker<br />Kevin Mitnick, N6NHG, if it has not done so already. The W5YI Report says that<br />an Administrative Law Judge says that Mitnick has paid his debt to society and<br />has been adaquitey rehabilitated to where he now holds the requisite character<br />requirements to continue as an FCC license holder.<br /><br />In rendering his decision the Judge added that Mitnick has been using his radio<br />gear since his release from prison and it is significant that there have been<br />no complaints filed regarding his radio operations. Also, that Mitnick's post<br />prison conduct demonstrates that his rehabilitation can be relied upon to deal<br />honestly with the Commission and to comply with all rules and regulations.<br /><br />Mitnick's ham radio license renewal had been on hold based on his conviction<br />for computer hacking which the FCC alluded brought with it questions regarding<br />his fitness to remain a Commission licensee. (W5YI, ARNewsline(tm))<br /><br />**<br /><br />ENFORCEMENT: FCC RE-LICENSES HERB SCHOENBOHM<br /><br />The former KV4FZ is back on the air but not under that call sign. Herb<br />Schoenbohm who used tohold that call sign showed up on the air during last<br />weekends 160 metrer D-X contest sporting the call NP2MJ. <br /><br />FCC records show that Schoenbohm’s new call was issued to him on December<br />7th. The action to grant a new ham license comes about two months after an FCC<br />Administrative Law Judge ruled that he now holds the requisite requirements to<br />again become a Commission license holder. <br /><br />Two years ago Schoenohm was forced off the air after the FCC refused to renew<br />his ham ticket based on an earlier fraud conviction and the U.S. Supreme Court<br />refused to hear his license renewal appeal. Its not known if Schoenbohm will<br />apply for his old KV4FZ call under the vanity progam -- or -- if the FCC would<br />grant such a request. (Numerous listener reports)<br /><br />**<br /><br />ENFORCEMENT: VK CB'ERS IN TROUBLE<br /><br />Still with enforcement news, word from down-under that a pair of Australian C-B<br />operators are in trouble with communications regulators. VK7HG-O reports that<br />the two U-H-F C-B operators have been charged with breaches Australia's<br />Radiocommunications Act for operating where they were not supposed to be.<br /><br />On November 22nd, the two C-Bers were talking on the input channel to an<br />emergency repeater. They refused to relinquish the frequency and would not<br />move away. They were tracked from the town of Reinna to Richmond and back to<br />Honbart by a ham radio direction finding team and the Australian Communications<br />Authority. The regulatory agancy has already spoken with the two V-K Citizens<br />Radio operators and is reportedly considering further action. (Q-News)<br /><br />**<br /><br />RADIO POLITICS: HAM ELECTED MAYOR OF CALIFORNIA CITY<br /><br />The New Mayor of Agoura Hills California is a ham. Jeff Reinhardt, AA6JR was<br />sworn in as the city's new leader on December 3rd. He says his theme for 2003<br />is “The Year of Discovery.” <br /><br />Reinhardt, a public relations specialist, is best known nationally as he author<br />of his “Magic in the Sky” column at appears regularly in C-Q Magazine. He<br />will be starting a new quarterly column on mobiling also for C-Q. <br /><br />Among those attending the swearing-in ceremony were Reinhardt's wife Melissa<br />KD6BIT, daughter Jessica KD6ARA and son Steven K6SJR. Also present were Jim<br />Fortney K6IYK, Doug Wynn WY6NN and a number of other local Southern California<br />hams.<br /><br />2003 marks the 20th year of cityhood for Agoura Hills but only the first time a<br />licensed radio amateur has sat in the Mayor's seat. (WY6NN)<br /><br />**<br /><br />CONFERENCES: THE SOUTHEASTERN VHF SOCIETY<br /><br />Turning to conventions and hamfests, a first call is out for papers to be<br />presented at the 2003 Southeastern VHF Society Conference. This gathering is<br />slated for Huntsville, Alabama, on April 25 and 26. The deadline for submitting<br />papers to Dick Hanson, K5AND, is March 11. Dick's e-mail address is<br />k5and@adelphia.net. Contact him directly with any questions. (VHF Reflector)<br /><br />**<br /><br />HAM RADIO MEMORIBILIA: COLLINS REPRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE ON-LINE<br /><br />Collins reproduction items, including a new antenna switch unit are now being<br />marketed by the Collins Radio Association. This, through its Collins Radio<br />Center location, near Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Items can be picked up in<br />person at the center or shipped via U-P-S. More information on what's<br />available is in cyberspace at www.collinsra.com. (Press release)<br /><br />**<br /><br />BREAK 2<br /><br />This is ham radio news for today’s radio amateur. From the United States of<br />America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline with links to the world from our<br />only official website at www.arnewsline.org and being relayed by the volunteer<br />services of the following radio amateur:<br /><br />(5 sec pause here)<br /><br />**<br /><br />RADIO LAW: NEW STUDY SAYS MOBILE PHONES CAUSE ACCIDENTS<br /><br />Researchers say increased cell phone use has led to more crashes caused by<br />drivers on the phone. According to a December 2nd news report, researchers at<br />Harvard's Center for Risk Analysis, drawing on previous research involving cell<br />phones and government figures for auto accidents, say there is a growing public<br />health risk from the reliance on cell phones in cars. <br /><br />Data on the number of crashes caused by cell phones is incomplete but it<br />suggested that drivers talking on their phones are responsible for about 6<br />percent of U.S. auto accidents each year. Translated into a human toll it<br />means that an estimated 2,600 people are killed and another 330,000 are<br />injured.<br /><br />Researchers say that the figure was reached using current cell phone usage<br />estimates to update a 1997 study. That study looked at phone records of<br />Canadian drivers involved in crashes to see if they were making calls at the<br />time.<br /><br />The number of cell phone subscribers has grown from 94 million in 2000 to more<br />than 128 million today. Opponents of banning mobile phone usage by drivers say<br />that the benefit of car calls outweigh the possible dangers that they may pose.<br />(Published reports)<br /><br />**<br /><br />EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: EMERGENCY RADIO CAN INTERFERE WITH PACEMAKERS<br /><br />If you wear a pacemaker or know someone who does, listen up. A new emergency<br />radio system could affect you. Q-News Graham Kemp, VK4BB, has the details:<br /><br />--<br />United Kingdom and setting the pace –makers: New Scientist 23 November<br />carry an article warning that TETRA, the two-way radio system being adopted by<br />many of the worlds emergency services can interfere with the operation of<br />medical devices like heart-pacemakers.<br /><br />TETRA operates at 400 megs and uses pulse-rates of 17.6 Hz. Rex VK4LR<br />suggests that anyone playing with PCM at VHF or even HF should be very careful<br />in case someone nearby suddenly has unanticipated ticker problems!<br />-- The TETRA system is a European developed standard that being adopted by emergency services in 50 countries. In addition to Europe, TETRA radios are in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Great Britains' Devices Agency found that TETRA radios can upset heart pacemakers, confuse defibrillators, and stop ventilators from working. (Q-News) ** INTRUDER WATCH: AIR ACTS ON INTERFERENCE TO 10 MHZ A shortwave broadcaster has acted to eliminate interference to a ham band. Following a report that All India Radio was radiating spurious signals from it's 9.950 Mhz channel the broadcaster has taken the offending transmitter off the air. All India Radio's Deputy Director said that the company decided to suspend the transmission on November 21st to investigate the cause of spurious emissions. The unwanted spurs were being heard in 50 kHz increments and included 10.1 and 10.150 MHz . (Q-News) ** INTERNATIONAL - KENYA: NEW US-KENYA RECIP AGREEMENT According to ZS6AKV, Kenya has new reciprocal licensing agreement between it and the United States. Under it, U-S citizens with F-C-C issued licenses may apply for and be granted Kenyan licenses. ZS6AKV notes that it has taken the IARU close to ten years to achieve this agreement. The application form to operate in Kenya can be downloaded a www.cck.go.ke. (SARL) ** INTERNATIONAL – UK: NEW UK-THAILAND RECIP AGREEMENT The United Kingdom's Radiocommunications Agency has signed a reciprocal licensing agreement with Thailand. Visitors to Thailand may apply for a Thai license with an H-S-Zero prefix and long-term residents of Thailand receive a full Thai callsign. (RSGB) ** DX In D-X, HG4I reports that he will be on from Hungary between the 20th of December and 12th January with the special event call sign H-G-Zero 3-H-N-Y. This call celebrates the new year with the numerals Zero 3 representing 2003 and the H-N-Y suffix is abbreviation of phrase Happy New Year. Look for him on all of the H-F bands running CW, RTTY, BPSK, SSB, and FM on 29 MHz.. QSL directly with a self addressed stamped envelope to HG4I at the call book address. (HG4I) ** THAT FINAL ITEM: THE PAPER SAID WHAT? And finally this week, an update to a simple story that has now taken a rather bizarre twist. As in -- a reporter made part of it up and nobody caught it. Fred Vobbe, W8HDU, is back with the rest of the story: -- Last week we at Amateur Radio Newsline brought you an item about a call by the Partnership for Public Warning to create a national wireless emergency alert system. One that could send warnings to citizens via their pagers, mobile phones or computer screens. It sounds like a good idea, only thats not what P-P-W had in mind when it released a report based on a workshop that the group conducted last June. You see, one of the worlds largest news services picked up the story and put it out on the wires. Several news organizations including many newspapers picked up wire service story and ran their own versions of it. We were sent a number of copies by our own listeners that appeared in their local papers. And who ever questions a newspaper article? Well in this case we all should have. Richard Rudman, W6TIA, is a Director of the Partnership for Public Warning. He ways that when his organization learned of the story its Press Relations Director contacted the news agency. Rudman says they admitted to P-P-W that their reporter made up the lead sentence about using pagers to contact the public. And as a result, the news agency actually issued a very rare retraction, but many news organizations that ran the original story did not pick up the corrected release. For the record, Rudman says that the Partnership for Public Warning does not endorse any one vendor or technology over another. Its goal is to promote what it terms as a level playing field. One where all warning marketplace players can be more certain of rules and standards. This says W6TIA will permit them to develop on a level playing field which does not now exist. It will also promote development of common warning terminology to better serve the publics need. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Fred Vobbe, W8HDU. -- That full report of last June's P-P-W workshop was released on November 25th. You can read it on-line at www.ppw.us.org. (PPW via W6TIA, W6VR) ** NEWSCAST CLOSE With thanks to Alan Labs, Amateur News Weekly, AMSAT, the ARRL, the CGC Communicator, CQ Magazine, the FCC, the Ohio Penn DX Bulletin, Radio Netherlands, Rain, the RSGB and Australia's Q-News, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline(tm). Our e-mail address is newsline @arnewsline.org. More information is available at Amateur Radio Newsline's(tm) only official website located at www.arnewsline.org. You can also write to us or support us at Amateur Radio Newsline(tm), P.O. Box 660937, Arcadia, California 91066. Before we go this note. We have been advised that last weeks story on the Canals of Venus credited to Q-News actually originated in Bob Gonsett's CGC Communicator. There was no credit line in the Q-News audio report and we thought it was theirs. Turns out it was actually written by Bob Gonsett, W6VR. For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors desk, I’m Mert Garlick, N6AWE, saying 73 and we thank you for listening." Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2002. All rights reserved.