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| HAM_TECH | Amateur(HAM) Radio TECHnical Conference | 157 messages |
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| Message 36 of 157 |
| Roy Witt to Y'all |
| Amateur Radio NewslineT Report 1891 - No |
| 08 Nov 13 10:48:44 |
Amateur Radio NewslineT Report 1891 - November 8 2013 Please note that this is an extended Amateur Radio Newsline and includes three breaks. Thank you. Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1891 with a release date of November 8th 2013 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. AMSAT North America celebrates 30 years of manned ham radio in space; all hams in New Zealand will soon have access to 6 meters; Oregon's Office of Emergency Management says it needs more ham radio volunteers and the FCC acts to stop abuse of EAS alert tones. All this and more on Amateur Radio NewslineT report number 1891 coming your way right now. ** HAM RADIO IN SPACE: AMSAT CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF MANNED HAM RADIO IN SPACE The weekend of November 1st to the 3rd was very special for AMSAT North America. Not only was it the organizations 31st Space Symposium and Annual Meeting, but also a very special celebration of a giant step by ham radio as it crossed into the final frontier. Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, has the rest of the story: -- The weekend gathering in Houston, Texas, marked AMSAT's celebration of the 30th anniversary of amateur radio involvement in human space flight. It also told the story of its evolution into a successful program on board the International Space Station which is known as today as ARISS. But to tell the story we must step back three decades. It was in November of 1982 when then Astronaut Owen Garriott, W5LFL became the first ham radio operator to use amateur radio to communicate from a spacecraft in Earth orbit. It was also the first time that anyone on mother Earth who held a ham radio license got to speak with an astronaut on-orbit. As such it was an event that changed the face of ham radio forever. If you weren't there, this is what that first QSO from space sounded like: -- Actual 1st QSO between W5LFL on the space shuttle Columbia and WA1JFN in Frenchtown, Montana from the video "Amateur Radio's Newest Frontier." (Note QSO was time compressed.) -- That was shuttle flight STS-9. From that initial contact evolved the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment or SAREX program with its 25 space to schoolroom contacts. That later grew into today's ARISS: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station. And in an interview on NASA television, AMSAT's Vice President for Human Spaceflight Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, told NASA Public Affairs Officer Kelly Humphries just how far the program has come since the ARISS ham station took to the air: -- KA3HDO: "In 1996 we started the ARISS program; Amateur Radio on the International Space Station and that program has been going very well on the space station. We turned on the radio system two weeks after Bill McArthur and Sergi Krikalev got into the module on Space Station and we have been operating since on all 37 expeditions at this point." -- According to Bauer, using ARISS as a way to educate is very important to everyone involved: -- KA3HDO: "It's all about education. It's to get students interested in STEM careers; science, technology, engineering and math. We go beyond just inspiring into engaging the students and educating the students. Ultimately that's our goals and objectives of the program." -- These days there are about 100 ARISS school contacts made world-wide every year. There are also the experiments with Packet Radio, Fast Scan and Slow Scan television plus the casual operations from orbit by some licensed crew members. When added together you come away with a ham radio in space program that cannot be duplicated by any other all volunteer radio service. And now at age 30, manned ham radio in space is not only alive and vital, but through ARISS, it's going strong. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, in the newsroom in Los Angeles. -- Another part of the celebration was a panel presentation hosted by KA3HDO and included discussions with retired NASA Astronaut's Owen Garriott, W5LFL, and Bill McArthur, KC5ACR. And less we forget, you can see and hear the complete interview with Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, and NASA's Kelly Humphries on the web. It's at tinyurl.com/thirty-years-in-space. (ARNewsline archive, NASA, AMSAT-NA, ANS) ** RADIO IN SPACE: INDIA LAUNCHES ITS FIRST MARS PROBE India's first-ever mission to Mars launched into space on Tuesday, November 5th. India's Mars Orbiter Mission rocketed into space at 09:08 GMT from the Indian Space Research Organization's Space Centre. If all goes as planned it will arrive at the red planet on September 24, 2014, making India the fourth country to successfully deliver a spacecraft to orbit Mars. (Space) ** RESTRUCTURING: CLOSING OF CHANNEL 1 TV BRINGS 6 METERS TO ALL NEW ZEALAND HAMS With the imminent departure of television transmission from New Zealand TV channel 1, hams throughout that nation will have access to the lower Megahertz of 6 meters as we hear from Amateur Radio Newsline's Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF: -- The last Channel 1 Television transmitter in New Zealand is due to close down at the end of November. And now telecommunications regulator Radio Spectrum Management has announced that as of December 6th that hams throughout the nation will have access from 50 to 51 MHz without needing to apply for a permit. The actual allocation which is called a management right under which the channel 1 television transmitters operated does not expire until August 2015. Therefore 50 to 51 MHz can not appear on the Amateur General User Radio License until after this date. To get around this, Radio Spectrum Management is putting in place a footnote called license No 4122. It simply says that those who hold a New Zealand General Amateur Operators Certificate of Competency and a callsign issued pursuant to the Radiocommunications Regulations of 2001 may operate an amateur radio station under this new grant. The power limit will be 1 kilowatt to bring it into line with the power on the nations General User Radio License for Amateur Operators. When the actual Management Right expires on August 30th of 2015, 50 to 51 MHz will be added to the New Zealand General User Radio License for Amateur Operators. For the Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, down-under in Nelson, New Zealand. -- This long sought after change comes just in time for the annual New Zealand VHF/UHF and Super High Frequency Field Day Contest slated for December 7th and 8th, local time. (NZART) ** RESCUE RADIO: OREGON OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SEEKING MORE AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS A recent simulated emergency test in Oregon has pointed out a need for more ham radio communications volunteers in that state. The scenario of the event centered around the simulated hacking on the electric power grid that in turn cut off both telephone and internet access. As such the test planners had identified amateur radio as the fallback method of communication. While the exercise was considered a success, it also pointed out one of the current vulnerabilities. That being a lack of qualified amateur radio operators east of the Cascade Mountain range. While the state has about 700 licensed volunteer ham radio operators to help run the emergency communications system, most are in Western Oregon. Morrow, Grant and Jefferson counties have no volunteers. Other counties have as few as 1. So the bottom line is that more emergency communications trained amateur radio volunteers are needed in the eastern part of the state. More on this story is at tinyurl.com/oregon-needs-emcomm-hams. (OPB) ** DX UP FRONT: MYANMAR NOVEMBER 15 TO THE 26 Some breaking DX news. Word that JH1AJT and an international group of 10 other operators will be on air from Myanmar from November 15th to the 26th. This will be the third and final operation for 2013 from X-Z land. As we go to air the proposed call sign is X-Zed-1-J and plans are to set up three to four stations, running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 160 through 10 meters. Modes will likely be CW, SSB and RTTY with QSL's preferably going via OQRS. (XZ1J Team) ** DX UP FRONT: YEMEN AND AFGHANISTAN OPERATIONS APPROVED FOR DXCC CREDIT And word from ARRL Awards Branch Manager Bill Moore NC1L, that several operations have been approved for DXCC credit. These are Yemen 2013 using the call 7-Oh-2-A and the 2012 and 2013 operations from Afghanistan as T-6-M-H. Also approved has been the current T-6-S-M Afghanistan operation that began on August 14, 2012. If anyone had this contact rejected in a recent submission, please send an e-mail to bmoore (at) arrl (dot) org to be placed on the list for an update to your record. Please be sure to note the submission date to help expedite the search for any given QSO. And we will have more DX news for you near the end of this weeks newscast. (ARRL, OPDX) ** ENFORCEMENT: FCC SAYS FLUORESCENT LIGHTING JAMMING CELLPHONE SITE The FCC has issued a violation notice to a Texas business because it's new lighting is interfering with a cellular telephone site. Skeeter Nash is near Houston with more: -- It doesn't happen very often but the FCC has issued an official Citation and Order for violation of Section 15.5(b) of the Commission's regulations governing what are called Incidental Radiators. In this case the recipient is Ronald Bethany doing business as Perfect Cuts Salon in San Antonio, Texas, who is being cited for operating incidental radiators and causing harmful interference to a cellular telephone system. This past July 24th the FCC's Houston Office used direction finding techniques to locate the source of an unknown transmissions on 705 MHz to the Perfect Cuts Salon. The agent confirmed that the interfering signal was coming from the overhead fluorescent lighting in the salon. The agent then interviewed Bethany who is the owner of the salon. He reportedly stated that representatives of AT&T had conducted on and off testing of the lighting in the salon and confirmed that the interior fluorescent fixtures were the source of interference to a cell site located next door. Bethany further stated that he had unsuccessfully asked General Electric, the manufacturer of the fluorescent lighting, to replace the lighting. The FCC says that Bethany would not cooperate, so the agent from the Houston Office was unable to conduct his own on/off testing of the lighting in the salon. The agent verbally warned Bethany that he must repair or replace the lighting fixtures to resolve the interference. On July 31, the agent spoke by telephone with Bethany, who stated that the lighting was not causing him any problems and that he saw no reason to repair or replace them unless he was paid to do so. The agent reiterated to Bethany that he must resolve the interference or be in violation of the FCC's rules. As of the October 25th release date of the Citation AT&T continues to report receiving interference at its cell site next door to Mr. Bethany's salon. Now, based on the evidence it has on hand the FCC has found that Ronald Bethany is in violation Of Section 15.5(b) of its Rules by operating incidental radiators and causing harmful interference. It has directed him to cease operation of the incidental radiators immediately. Or in simpler terms, it basically told him to turn off the lights until the interference can be resolved. From near Houstron Texas, I'm Skeeter Nash, N5ASH. -- Bethany and Perfect Cuts were given the normal time to respond and take corrective measures or face further enforcement action. (FCC) ** ENFORCEMENT: FCC ACTS TO STOP USE OF FALSE EMERGENCY ALERT SOUNDS Responding to a growing number of consumer complaints that TV and radio commercials are misusing the Emergency Alert System or E-A-S sounds the FCC's Enforcement Bureau has taken action to stop the practice immediately. This is according to Robert H. Ratcliffe who is the Acting Chief of the FCC's Enforcement Bureau. In a press statement, Ratcliffe said that it is inexcusable to trivialize the sounds specifically used to notify viewers of the dangers of an incoming tornado or to alert them to be on the lookout for a kidnapped child, merely to advertise a talk show or a clothing store. This activity not only undermines the very purpose of a unique set of emergency alert signals, but is a clear violation of the law. Caught by FCC Enforcement is Turner Broadcasting. It has been issued a $25,000 Notice of Apparent Liability for using simulated E-A-S tones to promote its Conan O'Brian Show. The FCC also reached a resolution with MMK License LLC which owns WNKY - DT in Bowling Green, Kentucky. In that case the complaint alleged misuse of a simulated EAS Attention Signal in an advertisement for "The Fan Wear and More Store." Settling that case cost MMK a $39,000 voluntary contribution to the U.S. Treasury in the form of a Consent Decree. The Enforcement Bureau has also issued an advisory to address growing concern about the misuse of these sounds to capture audience attention during advertisements and at other times when there is no emergency or scheduled E-A-S test. The warning reemphasizes the wide-ranging and long-standing ban on such abuses and the potential for sanctions in the case of violations. More on this E-A-S enforcement action is on the web in PDF format at tinyurl.com/dont-misuse-eas-tones. (FCC) ** ENFORCEMENT: ALASKA CB OPERATOR FINED $500 FOR USING LINEAR AMP The FCC has fined Glenn S. Yamada, of Kenai, Alaska, $500 for what the agency terms as his willful and repeated operation of a non certificated Class D CB transmitter and a linear amplifier. This in direct violation of its Part 95 Citizens Radio Service rules. On July 18, 2012, the Enforcement Bureau's Anchorage Resident Agent Office issued a Notice of Apparent Liability in the amount of $12,500 to Yamada for operating a non-certificated CB transmitter with a radio frequency linear amplifier which voided his authority to operate his CB station. In response to that notice, Yamada did not deny the violations, but stated that he had not intend to violate the Communications Act or the FCC Rules and that he is unable to pay that high an amount. He also provided the necessary documentation to prove his claim. In issuing its final ruling on October 30th, the FCC said that based on financial documents Yamada provided that it found there is sufficient basis to reduce the fine to $500. And as is customary, it gave Yamada 30 days to pay the amount in full or to arrange making full payment over time under an installment plan. If he fails to do one or the other the case can be turned over to the Department of Justice for further enforcement action. The complete text of the Forfeiture Order is on the web in P-D-F format at tinyurl.com/alaska-cb-fine (FCC) ** ENFORCEMENT: FCC UPHOLDS FINE AGAINST CONSUMER TRANSMITTER MANUFACTURER The FCC affirmed an earlier decision to fine Hong Kong based Richfield Electronics $18,000 for marketing wireless radio gear in the United States that does not comply with its technical and labeling requirements. Richfield received FCC certification for its 106.7 to 107.9 Whole House FM Transmitter in 2002, but later modified it to improve sound quality. The modification made it noncompliant with the FCC's rules. The Enforcement Bureau originally proposed the penalty in 2009. In its response to the proposed fine, Richfield told the FCC it didn't know exactly how many of the noncompliant devices the company had shipped to the United States, but conceded it had shipped at least 2,500 transmitters that had the modified antenna. The FCC believes the number of noncompliant devices made and sold was significantly higher than Richfield acknowledges. Richfield asked for the fine to be cancelled, alleging that TAW asked Richfield to make the devices based on that company's designs and therefore TAW and not Richfield was responsible for violating the FCC's rules. However the commission says Richfield did manufacturer and market unauthorized FM transmitters in the U.S. Richfield also asked for the fine to be cancelled because it was unfamiliar with the FCC's labeling requirements. The FCC says lack of knowledge of its rules does not let a company off the hook and the agency upheld the fine. (FCC) ** RADIO LAW: FCC RELEASES AM REVITALIZATION PROPOSAL The FCC has released its AM revitalization proposal as a Notice of Proposed Rule Making in MB Docket 13-249. Its contents include an exclusive FM translator filing window for AM stations, changes in community of license coverage standards, the end of the so called AM "ratchet rule," wider implementation of modulation-dependent carrier level control standards, and changes in AM antenna efficiency standards. Amateur Radio Newsline's Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, has the details: -- The FCC revitalization plan has many facets. The proposed translator filing window would allow AM stations one chance at a single FM translator within the stations AM daytime signal coverage contour. It would be permanently linked to the AM so that it may only be sold or transferred with the underlying AM license and not by itself. The change in community of license coverage would reduce the requirement from 100% daytime and 80% nightime to 50% daytime and night coverage within the 60 dBu contour. This is the same as it is for noncommercial educational FM stations. The proposal would also do away with the so-called "ratchet rule." This is the nighttime skywave protection requirement that result in new stations or those moving their transmitter sites having to reduce power or go directional and thereby reducing their nighttime coverage. It would also alter the minimum efficiency standard for AM antennas by reducing the existing minimum effective field strength values. The notice also opens the door for new proposals to help AM stations that include the use of modulation dependent carrier level control. This is a system similar to the old controlled carrier AM techniques used by hams back in the 1950's and 1960's. It's a system where carrier level increases with modulation level, but now on a far more technically advanced level than was available in the old days of ham radio. Experiments have shown a significant reduction in energy costs with no loss in intelligibility or area of coverage using this modulation technique. The bottom line appears to be that the FCC wants AM radio to grow and prosper. The only question is whether these proposed changes are enough to make that happen, For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, in Los Angeles. -- Comments on MB Docket 13-249 are due 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, with replies due 90 days after publication. You can read the entire proposal on-line at tinyurl.com/fcc-am-redo (FCC, RW, others) ** NAMES IN THE NEWS: NEW FCC CHAIR WHEELER NAMES HIS STAFF Newly confirmed FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has announced several staff and other appointments. Ruth Milkman will be his chief of staff. She is currently Chief of the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and has worked as special counsel to the chairman for innovation in government. She's former deputy chief of the International and Common Carrier Bureaus and was senior legal advisor to Chairman Reed Hundt. Philip Verveer has been named senior counselor to the Chairman. He is former United States coordinator for international communications and information policy at the State Department, and practiced communications and antitrust law for 35 years. At the FCC he was chief of the Cable Television Bureau, the Broadcast Bureau and the Common Carrier Bureau. Gigi B. Sohn joins as Wheeler's special counsel for external affairs. Since 2001 she has been president and CEO of Public Knowledge, an "open Internet" advocacy organization. More recently co-chair of the board of directors of the Broadband Internet Technical Advisory Group. Diane Cornell was named the chairman's special counsel. She was Vice President for government affairs at Inmarsat and also the Vice President of regulatory policy at CTIA, The Wireless Association. Her FCC background includes working as a legal advisor to three commissioners, chief of staff of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and division chief in the International and Common Carrier Bureaus. Others include Daniel Alvarezwho was named a legal advisor to the chairman, Deborah Ridley who was named confidential assistant to the chairman, and Sagar Doshi as special assistant. Also named to the commission staff are Jon Sallet will serve as interim director of the Technology Transitions Policy Task Force and will become acting general counsel when General Counsel Sean Lev departs in the near future. Jon Wilkins was named acting managing director and advisor to the chairman for management with Roger Sherman becomes acting chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. It is the latter that oversees matters affecting Amateur Radio at the FCC. (FCC Press release) ** HAMES IN THE NEWS: W3BE FILLS QCWA DIRECTOR VACANCY The Quarter Century Wireless Association's Board of Directors has announced the appointment of John Johnston, W3BE, to fill the Director vacancy of Val Erwin, W5PUT. Johnston has been licensed for 59 years and resides in Derwood, Maryland He is a Life Member of the QCWA, and a member of QCWA Chapters 20, 91, 45 and 222. Johnston is a past QCWA Director, Vice-President and President. He is also the contributing editor of 'The Rules & Regs Digest' for the QCWA Journal. In his professional career, W3BE served for 26 years with the Federal Communications Commission carrying out regulatory duties with the Office of Engineering and with the series of bureaus administering the private radio services. Some of the positions he held included Deputy Chief of the Spectrum Management Task Force and Chief of the Amateur and Citizens Division. Johnston also authors the Rules and Regs column for Worldradio Online magazine. (QCWA) ** NAMES IN THE NEWS: ART BELL DEPARTS FROM SIRIUS/XM RADIO Art Bell, W6OBB, who only recently returned to broadcasting, has departed from Sirius/XM Satellite radio after only about a month and a half on the air. According to a posting on his website credited to siriusbuzz.com, his reasons for leaving boiled down to three main items: First is a claim that the SiriusXM's web player is notoriously unreliable, causing a loss of subscribers and a degraded listening experience for those who remain listening online. Second is that for a "caller driven" show, the caller pool is just too small and lastly that international listeners have no legitimate way to hear the show. According to siriusbuzz.com, Bell will continue his show on the web. As of late on November 6th he was already testing at http://live.artbell.com:8303/stream. For more information simply go to artbell.com/art-leaves-siriusxm. At the very end of the posting is a link to the siriusbuzz.com news article. (artbell.com, siriusbuzz.com, Huffington Post) ** HAM RADIO IN SPACE: SSTV FROM THE ISS UB4UAD reports that the Slow Scan Television experiment on the International Space Station was active on 145.8 MHz FM on October 28th and 29th. He also says that on October 31st that SSTV images were to be transmitted from the ISS showing photographs of the life and work of the first Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. SSTV pictures received by Pete Sipple, M0PSX can be seen at tinyurl.com/iss-oct-2013-sstv (UB4AUD, Southgate) ** HAM RADIO IN SPACE: INTERFERENCE TO THE AMATEUR-SATELLITE SERVICE IN THAILAND E22ICQ has posted a video on YouTube that shows the problem of interference to the Amateur Satellite Service allocations taking place in Thailand. Terrestrial users are making signals from the ham radio satellites into tiny heterodynes or signals that are totally inaudible. Take a listen: -- Actual terrestrial signals interfering with weak satellite signals. -- The video shows that terrestrial usage of frequencies reserved for the Amateur Satellite communications such as 145.800 to 146.000 MHz can result in the satellite transmissions being totally blocked and rendered useless. You can see and hear the E-22-I-C-Q recording and spectrum display photos of the interference at tinyurl.com/sat-qrm-in-thailand. (Southgate) ** EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: NEW TINY PACEMAKER DEVELOPED THAT REQUIRES NO WIRING A miniaturized wireless pacemaker that can be inserted into the body without invasive surgery has been given approval for use in the European Union. Amateur Radio Newsline's Heather Embee, KB3TZD, reports: -- Developed in the United States by the company Nanostim, the tiny device is less than 10% of the size of a conventional pacemaker, uses a built-in battery and is designed to be implanted intravenously directly in the heart. Conventional pacemakers require a patient be subject to a surgical procedure so that a pocket can be created in the body to house the pacemaker and associated wiring. Such wires are regarded as the component of pacemakers most likely to fail. By contrast the Nanostim pacemaker is inserted via a catheter inserted through a vein leading to the heart. It has a built-in battery that is expected to last between nine and thirteen years. Eliminating the need for wires lowers the risk of infection or malfunction and means that patients are not restricted in the amount of activity they do, the firm behind the device claims. Currently more than four million people around the world have some sort of cardiac rhythm device with an additional 700,000 people getting one each year. The new pacemaker design has yet to receive full United States Food and Drug Administration approval. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm, Heather Embee, KB3TZD, in Berwick, Pennsylvania. -- More on this story is on the web at tinyurl.com/wireless-pacemaker. (BBC) ** EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: INTEL GALILEO BOARD SOON AVAILABLE Intel's Galileo open-source computer can now be ordered and is scheduled to ship at the end of November. Online retailer Mouser Electronics is the first to take orders for the board. The Galileo computer is an unenclosed circuit board that's a little larger than a credit card, and uses Intel's extremely low-power Quark processor. Though higher priced, the Intel board is being called a competitor to the popular Raspberry Pi open-source PC. Both are targeted at the community of makers and hackers who design computing devices ranging from robots and health monitors to home media centers and PC's. Galileo is also expected to become a welcome addition in ham radio development circles as well. (Southgate) ** ON THE AIR: ARECIBO OBSERVATORY ON-THE-AIR THIS SUNDAY NOVEMBER 10. If you are hearing this before Sunday, November 10th, then listen out on 20 meters for station KP4AO. This as part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. The operation will be on the air from 1300 until 2000 UTC around 14.250 Mhz. A commemorative certificate will be available for those who make contacts with KP4AO. QSL to Arecibo Observatory Radio Club, HC03, PO Box 53995, Arecibo, Puerto Rico, 00612. The special event is sponsored by the Caribbean Amateur Radio Group and the Arecibo Observatory Radio Club. (WP3GW) ** DX In DX, JF1OCQ will be active as 5W7X from Apia, which is the capital of Samoa, between November 7th and the 14th. Operations will be on 160 through 6 meters using CW and SSB. QSL via JF1OCQ, either direct or by the bureau. E-mail requests for Bureau QSLs can be sent to jf1ocq (at) arrl (dot) net F4FET will be active stroke as 3A from Monaco on November 11th and 12th. His operation will be on 40through 10 meters using SSB. QSL via his home callsign, direct or via the bureau. IK7JWX has informed the Ohio Penn DX Newsletter that his DXpedition to the Island of Zanzibar scheduled for April of 2014 is has been cancelled. The reasons given are technical and logistical constraints. members of the DX Friends will be on the air from an Andres Island as 5J0R until November 10th. Activity was slated for 160 through 6 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL via EA5RM direct. More is on the web at dxfriends dot com/SanAndres2013 EA4ATI says that he will be in Kenya for a couple more years and will be active stroke 5Z4. He is using a Cobwebb antenna with a small amplifier and is active on 30/20/17/15/10 meters. His QSL Manager is EA4YK. JA8BMK will be operational as 9N7BM from Kathmandu and Nagalkot in Nepal between November 8th and the 28th. Activity will be holiday style on all HF bands and he says that he will try to work the United States on 160 and 80 meters if vertical antennas can be put up. QSL via JA8BMK, direct or via the bureau. Lastly, 8P9IU, 8P9TA and 8P9BJ will be on the air from Barbados between December 9th and the 16th. Their main activity will be the ARRL 10 meter Contest on December 14th and 15th using the call 8P8T. Prior to the contest, operators will be using their own callsigns. QSL via KI1U. (Above from various DX news sources) ** THAT FINAL ITEM: IN FLIGHT BAN ON USE OF HAM GEAR TO CONTINUE And finally this week, in the not to distant future airline passengers may not have to turn off all electronic devices prior to takeoff and landing in a commercial jetliner, but anything that has the capability of radiating any RF power will still fall under the current ban. That includes any form of ham radio gear as we hear from Amateur Radio Newsline's Stephen Kinford, N8WB: -- Under a new set of new FAA guidelines passengers on domestic U.S. flights will be permitted to read, work and listen to music from gate to gate. But they still will not be permitted to talk on their cellphones, directly browse the Internet or use any form of two-way radio through the flight. Internet connectivity will only be permitted on aircraft equipped to provide such a service, usually at a fee. For ham radio operators it means the ban on the use of a hand-helds or other gear operating on any band will continue just as the rules are now. Currently airline passengers are required to turn off their smartphones, laptops, and other devices once a plane's door closes. They're not supposed to use them again until the planes reach 10,000 feet and the captain gives the go-ahead. Passengers are then supposed to turn their devices off again as the plane descends through 10,000 feet to land and not restart them until it is on the ground or at the arrival gate. Under the new guidelines, airlines whose planes are properly shielded from electronic interference may allow passengers to use the devices during takeoffs, landings and taxiing. The FAA says that most new airliners and other planes that have been modified so that passengers can use airline supplied WiFi at higher altitudes are expected to meet the criteria. However to use electronics that normally radiate an RF signal, that feature must be disabled unless instructed otherwise on aircraft with airline supplied WiFi connectivity. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Stephen Kinfo --- D'Bridge 3.92 * Origin: Lone-Star Hub - Gulf Coast Distribution - USA (1:387/22) |
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