Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1747 - February 4 2011   
      
   Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1747 with a release date of Friday,   
   February 4, 2011 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.   
      
   The following is a Q-S-T.  The mass media claims ham radio is part of the   
   uprising in Egypt but is it?  Also ARISSAT-1 is now safely on the   
   International Space Station, Australian hams keep emergency channels open for   
   Cyclone Yasi and lots of action from    
      
      
   (Billboard Cart Here)   
      
   **   
      
   RADIO AND POLITICS:  HAM RADIO AND THE EGYPT UPRISING   
      
   The mass media claims that ham radio has been an information channel out of   
   Egypt during the uprising against President Hosni Mubarak, while others are   
   not so sure.  But the media still seems to be jumping in without any way to   
   confirm its stories on ham    
      
   --   
      
   Once you spend the time to vette all these stories of ham radio involvement in   
   Egypt you realize not a one of them can be true.   
      
   First off, most reports are credited to unspecified hams or websites around   
   the world.  Not one callsign or name has been attached to any report so that   
   it can be verified.   
      
   Second, if there were Egyptian hams on the air, it would be their neighbor   
   hams in Israel and the world's "Big Gun DX Super-Stations," rather than Joe   
   Ham with his dipole and 100 watt transceiver hearing them.  But to date nobody   
   has heard one word from a   
      
   As we said, all reports so far have been rumors, most coming from websites   
   sympathetic to the Egyptian people who are demonstrating.  And some do claim   
   that unnamed hams in their group have heard reports transmitted in Morse code   
   of conditions in Cairo an   
      
   But lets take this a step further.  If you bother to look up a listing of hams   
   licensed by the Egyptian government, the total is only about two dozen.    
   Someone may claim a Morse message posted on a website sympathetic to the   
   plight of the Egyptian people    
      
   Of coarse for the moment we freely admit that this is all conjecture, but ask   
   yourself this.  If there were valid ham radio stations on the air from Cairo   
   or anywhere in Egypt, who would be the ones hearing them?  The answer as we   
   said is the hams next do   
      
   For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Norm Seeley, reporting what little is   
   known from Scottsdale, Arizona.   
      
   --   
      
   One problem with ham radio is that most people who know how to use it in Egypt   
   were probably trained by the military and may be opposed to the protests.    
   Others may be wary of transmitting because they are worried about who might be   
   listening.   
      
   The bottom line:  It won't be until this uprising is over that we might find   
   out if ham radio really played any part in the information flow out of Egypt.    
   That is, if we ever really do, find out.   
      
   (Various sources)   
      
   **   
      
   HAM RADIO IN SPACE:  ARISSAT-1 NOW ON THE ISS   
      
   ARISSAT-1 is now safely on board the International Space Station and is being   
   made ready for deployment.   
      
   The new ham radio bird made its trip to the I-S-S on-board a Russian Soyuz-U   
   rocket carrying a Progress cargo vehicle that was launched from the Baikonur   
   Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.  The Progress main cargo was fuel, oxygen, food and   
   other supplies for the    
      
   ARISSAT-1 is scheduled to be hand-launched during a spacewalk on February   
   16th.  It features a new software-defined transponder that will allow   
   simultaneous FM, CW and BPSK transmissions on 2 meters.  It also carries a   
   traditional Mode U/V transponder tha   
      
   More information on ARISSAT-1 is available at the AMSAT North America   
   website.  It's in cyberspace at tinyurl.com/78nmh.  (ANS, ARISSAT)   
      
   **   
      
   RESCUE RADIO:  AUSTRALIAN HAMS READY FOR CYCLONE YASI   
      
   Australian hams have been keeping in touch via High Frequency radio and   
   keeping a vital link alive during the passage of one of the more fierce and   
   expansive tropical cyclones to hit the North East coast of Australia in recent   
   times.  Amateur Radio Newsli   
      
   --   
      
   Severe tropical cyclone Yasi, named by the Regional Specialist Meteorological   
   Center at Nadi, Fiji, tracked from its breeding ground east of Vanuatu to make   
   landfall on Australias far North Queensland Coast, during late Wednesday,   
   February 2nd.   
      
   According to a report from Gavin Reibelt, VK4ZZ, in Townsville, North   
   Queensland, the storm system was so vast that it affected communities along a   
   900 kilometer stretch of coast from Cooktown to Mackay and 500 kilometers   
   inland to the cities of Croydon,    
      
   A storm surge forecast of between 3 and 5 meters along with high seas forced   
   the evacuation of many coastal facilities such as nursing homes, caravan parks   
   and low lying residential areas.   
      
   VK4ZZ says that a massive effort on Tuesday February 1st was undertaken at   
   construction sites, business areas, government centres, tourist facilities and   
   farms to secure everything to prevent the incidence of flying debris during   
   the onset of hurricane fo   
      
   Schools in most areas affected were closed on Wednesday and Thursday, with   
   only those not damaged by the passage of Yasi scheduled to reopen on Friday.   
      
   VK4ZZ says that while making sure that their families and houses were safe,   
   radio amateurs within the warning area and across the country kept in touch   
   via HF Radio.  They kept a listening watch on Queensland WICEN frequency of   
   7.075 MHz and regular conta   
      
   A number of Radio Amateurs who are members of the Australian Defense Force   
   have been involved with flood relief operations during the previous weeks.    
   VK4ZZ says that they are now assisting with the relief effort following the   
   passage of tropical cyclone    
      
   For the Amateur Radio Newsline, Im Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, in Los Angeles.   
      
   --   
      
   Radio Amateurs living in the disaster area are now picking up the pieces,   
   getting their stations back up and running as the cyclone season in Northern   
   Australia is not over until the end of April and there might be another call   
   to action during the months   
      
   **   
      
   RESCUED RADIO RELIC:  ANTIQUE RADIO FOUND IN VK FLOOD DEBRIS   
      
   Still from down-under, Radio 4BC in Brisbane along with The Toowoomba   
   Chronicle say that among the tones of flood debris, Lockyer Valley resident   
   Howard Reck thinks he has stumbled across someone's family heirloom.   Three   
   days after the region was hit by   
      
   peaking on 4BC he explained how it looked like one of those big units seen in   
   the Mash TV show, but has a Polish name engraved at same stage on the rear of   
   the metal cabinet.   
   If you are the item's rightful owner, and can provide information about its   
   special markings, contact Chronicle reporter Anthea Gleeson by e-mail to   
   anthea (dot) Gleeson (at) thechronicle (dot) com (dot) au.   
      
   **   
      
   RESCUE RADIO:  HAM RADIO VS. THE SHOWS OF 2011   
      
   --   
   AUDIO:  CHIPPING ICE   
   --   
      
   That's the sound of one Amateur Radio Operator trying to clear a path on his   
   driveway so he can head down to the local Emergency Operations Center.  Hams   
   from Texas to New England were put on alert this week as a massive winter   
   storm swept across the coun   
      
   Amateur radio operators reported bent antenna elements and high S-W-R  from   
   the thick ice coating as they began to report local storm damage to various   
   Emergency Operations Centers.   
      
   In Chicago, hours after the snow stopped falling traffic ground to a halt.    
   The iconic Lake Shore drive had over 200 cars, trucks and buses stuck and   
   abandoned.   
      
   Across central Indiana and western Ohio a think layer of ice covered roads and   
   sidewalks making travel almost impossible.  Most schools and business were   
   closed as State Emergency Management Officials asked residents to "just stay   
   home".   
      
   By the weekend,  temperatures continued to drop and most people found it   
   impossible to chip or scrape they way clear of the think icy build up.   
      
   --   
   Audio:  Scraping   
   --   
      
   Winter weary residents are just hoping for an early spring.   
      
   Reporting for Amateur Radio Newsline,  this is Jack Parker, W8ISH.   
      
   **   
      
   BREAK 1   
      
   From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on   
   bulletin stations around the world including the N6KRV repeater of the Sequoia   
   Amateur Radio Group of Lake Isabella, California.   
      
   (5 sec pause here)   
      
      
   **   
      
   RESCUE RADIO:  FCC TAKES ANOTHER STEP TOWARD NATIONWIDE INTEROPERABLE RADIO   
   SYSTEM   
      
   The Federal Communications Commission has adopted a Third Report and Order and   
   Fourth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that it says will significantly   
   advance communications interoperability for our Nation's first responders.     
   Amateur Radio Newsline   
      
   --   
      
   The rules adopted and those proposed in the January 25th Order and Fourth   
   Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking support the build out of robust,   
   dedicated and secure mobile broadband networks specifically for rescue radio   
   service.  The FCC says that these   
      
   The Order and Fourth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking requires all 700   
   MHz public safety mobile broadband networks to use a common air interface   
   called Long Term Evolution or LTE.  This to support roaming and interoperable   
   communications,  The NPRM s   
      
   The FCC says that its action builds on the technical requirements that state   
   and local 700 MHz broadband waiver recipients are already subject to in the   
   early buildout of their regional public safety broadband networks.   
      
   The Fourth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeks public comment on,   
   among other things the architectural vision of the network;  the effectiveness   
   of open standards; interconnectivity between networks; network robustness and   
   resiliency along with se   
      
   For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mark Abramowicz, NT3V, in Philadelphia.   
      
   --   
      
   More on this one as a downloadable Word file is at tinyurl.com/i   
   teroperableradio   
   (FCC, CGC)   
      
   **   
      
   RESCUE RADIO:  FCC SEEKS COMMENTS ON ARIEL COMMUNICATIONS ARCHITECTURES   
      
   The FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau is seeking comment   
   regarding the creation of low-altitude aerial telecommunications   
   architectures.   Ones that are accessible, reliable, resilient, cost-effective   
   and secure.  They also have to be syste   
      
   Specifically being looked at are such aerial telecommunications architectures   
   such as unmanned aerial vehicles or balloon mounted or unmounted systems.    
   These are believed to be communications platforms that can be rapidly deployed   
   to an area within the f   
      
   This inquiry has been designated as PS Docket No. 11-15.  Interested parties   
   may file comments to it on or before February 28th.  More details on PS Docket   
   No. 11-15 is on-line also as a downloadable Word file at tinyurl.com/4agoxg2   
      
   (FCC, CGC)   
      
   **   
      
   ENFORCEMENT:  UNLICENSED CALIFORNIA BROADCASTER WARNED OFF THE AIR BY FCC   
      
   The Los Angeles Office of the Federal Communications Commission has issued a   
   Notice of Unlicensed Operation to Robert Gwynne of Covina, California.  This,   
   after confirming that an unlicensed broadcast radio station on 107.9 MHz was   
   allegedly operating fro   
      
   According to the FCC, its records show that no license was issued for   
   operation of a broadcast station at this location on 107.9 MHz in Covina,   
   California.  Based on this the regulatory agency told Gwynne in its January   
   12th notification that this unlicen   
      
   The FCC also warned Gwynne that the operation of radio transmitting   
   equipment    without a valid radio station authorization constitutes a   
   violation of the Federal law.  As such it could subject the operator of an   
   illegal station to severe penalties, incl   
      
   **   
      
   ENFORCEMENT:  FCC CITES COMPANY OVER SALE OF CELLPHONE JAMMERS   
      
   The FCC has issued an Official Citation to DeadlyDeal.com.  This based on   
   allegations that between August 25, 2008 and January 16, 2010 the company   
   offered for sale a cellular telephone jamming device called the Blocker.   
      
   While DeadlyDeal.com says that it no longer offers these devices to its   
   clientel, the FCC states that even the manufacturing or importation of such   
   units to United States shores is a direct violation of its rules.  This is   
   because jamming devices cannot b   
      
   In its communication the FCC warns DeadlyDeal.com that if after receipt of the   
   Citation that should the company violate the Communications Act or the FCC's   
   Rules that the regulatory agency can impose monetary forfeitures of up to   
   $16,000 for each such vio   
      
   Deadly Deal was given 30 days following the Janyary 26th date of the Citations   
   release to respond either through a personal interview at the closest FCC   
   office, or by filing a written statement with the agency.   
      
   **   
      
   RADIO ON THE WEB:  WWW.RADIOSHACKCATALOGS.COM   
      
   Want to spend some time strolling vicariously through the history of the   
   electronics retailing?  Now you can thanks to a website called R   
   dioShackCatalogs.com.   
      
   The site contains catalogs for the company that date all the way back to   
   1939.  Each one is animated in a way that a click of your mouse lets you turn   
   the pages or zoom in to see that special part ofd item that evokes a memory of   
   days gone by.  The site a   
      
   Whether or not you are a fan of Radio Shack you will likely get a thrill of   
   this trip back in time.  You will find it at www.RadioShackCatalogs.com on the   
   World Wide Web.  (K3MSB)   
      
   **   
      
   NAMES IN THE NEWS:  RADIO RECORD OF 2317 KM ON 2.4 GHZ ACROSS THE TASMAN SEA   
      
   A new distance record has been set between Steve Hayman, ZL1TPH, and Adrian   
   Pollock,  VK4OX.  This for the first trans-Tasman Sea contact on 13   
   Centimeters over a path of 2317 Kilometers.  That's 1439 miles on a band   
   considered totally line of sight.   
      
   ZL1TPH lives in Orewa, New Zealand.  He was running 80 to 100 watts at the   
   feed of a 1 meter dish.  VK4OX was in Bald Knob, Queensland, Australia pushing   
   only about 20 watts to the feed of a 24 dBi Gridpack antenna about 9 meters   
   off the ground.   
      
   Only a few years ago a contact such as this would likely not have been   
   possible.  Today's technology has made it so.  (ZL4PLM via ZL2BHF)   
      
   **   
      
   NAMES IN THE NEWS:  W2UDT NAMED ARRL HUDSON DIV VICE DIRECTOR   
      
   ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, has appointed William Hudzik, W2UDT, of   
   Gillette, New Jersey, to serve as Vice Director of the League's Hudson   
   Division for the remainder of the current term that expires January 1, 2013.   
      
   Hudzik is a Senior Engineering Aide and Project Manager for Morris County, New   
   Jersey.  His wife Maryann is Morris County Superior Court judge.   
      
   Hudzik fills the vacancy created when Frank Fallon, N2FF, retired from the   
   ARRL Board of Directors after more than 14 years of service.  As reported last   
   week, ARRL Hudson Division Vice Director, Joyce Birmingham, KA2ANF, assumed   
   the Director position whe   
      
   **   
      
   NAMES IN THE NEWS:  741 QSL CARDS SO FAR TO CELEBRATE W0GFQ 100TH BIRTHDAY -   
   MORE WANTED   
      
   And Quarter Century Wireless Association President Bob Roske, N0UF, reports   
   that as of February 2nd, the request to have hams worldwide send 100th   
   birthday greeting QSL cards to World Radio Labs founder Leo Meyerson, W0GFQ,   
   has so far brought 741 response   
      
   **   
      
   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 followi   
      
   (5 sec pause here)   
      
   **   
      
   EMERGING TECHNOLOGY:  VIDEO DNA MAY PUT AN END TO MOVIE PIRACY   
      
   Video pirates beware.  A new system called Video DNA may land you behind   
   prison bars.  Amateur Radio Newsline's Frank Haas, KB4T, has more:   
      
   --   
      
   Three Israeli researchers have come up with what they believe to be a sure   
   fire way to end video piracy.  Dr. Alex Bronstein working with his twin   
   brother Michael and Israeli researcher Proffessor Ron Kimmel, has developed a   
   way of treating video footage    
      
   Dr. Bronstein who is with of Tel Aviv University's Department of Electrical   
   Engineering says that it is not only members of the animal and plant kingdom   
   that can have DNA.  He says if a DNA test can identify and catch criminals,   
   his group believes that a    
      
   As video does not have a real genetic code like members of the animal kingdom,   
   Dr. Bronstein and his team created a DNA equivalent that can be applied to   
   video files. The result is a unique DNA fingerprint for each individual movie   
   anywhere on the planet.   
      
   I'm Frank Haas, KB4T.   
      
   --   
      
   If the entertainment industry adopts this new video DNA codeing, it could mean   
   that a lot of video pirate could eventually be looking at the world from the   
   other side of prison bars.  (adapted from Science Daily)   
      
   **   
      
   EMERGING TECHNOLOGY:  SMARTER ID TAGS THAT USE LESS ENERGY   
      
   Researcher Bjorn Nilsson's research has developed a system that makes RFID   
   tagging technology even more effective and more energy efficient.  Nillson has   
   come up with a new protocol or rules for communication between readers and   
   tags that use less energy    
      
   Today's active tags have been relatively limited since they have been   
   energy-consuming and expensive to produce.  There has long been a demand for   
   more energy efficient tags with a longer lifespan.  There's also the quirk   
   that if multiple tags pass a read   
      
   The next step is to develop an active tag with a single circuit and Nilsson is   
   already working on this. Together with his colleague Emil Nilsson at Halmstad   
   University, he is running a project where Bj=F6rn's job is to see to it that   
   readers and tags comm   
      
   RFID tags are found on numerous items in a great number of different areas   
   where someone wants to trace, identify, and store information.  Its believed   
   that industries such as logistics, transportation, and animal husbandry can be   
   made considerably more e   
      
   **   
      
   EMERGING TECHNOLOGY:  THE VALUE OF SCIENCE IN THE PUBLIC RYE   
      
   Still with emerging technology, most US citizens value the nation's scientific   
   achievements, but unlike most scientists, they often pick and choose which   
   scientific findings they agree with.  This, according to a recent survey   
   conducted by the famed Pew R   
      
   The center conducted the wide-ranging telephone survey in collaboration with   
   the American Association for the Advancement of Science.  The research   
   included responses from 2,533 scientists in the American Association for the   
   Advancement of Science, and 2,   
      
   Among the findings it was noted that while nearly 9 out of 10 scientists   
   accept the idea of evolution by natural selection, only a third of the public   
   does.  And while 84 percent of scientists say the Earth is getting warmer   
   because of human activity, les   
      
   According to the survey, most scientists and the public agree it is   
   appropriate for scientists to take part in political debate over issues such   
   as stem cell research.  And even Americans who disagree with scientific   
   conclusions think highly of scientists   
      
   **   
      
   RADIO IN SPACE:  THE NEW LONG WAVELEGNTH ARRAY   
      
   Whats being termed as an innovative new radio telescope array is now under   
   construction in central New Mexico.  One that will eventually harness the   
   power of more than 13,000 antennas and provide a fresh eye to the sky.   
      
   This antenna farm will form what is being called the Long Wavelength Array.    
   This is a radio telescope designed to survey the sky from horizon to horizon   
   over a wide range of frequencies in the High Frequency spectrum from 20 to 80   
   MHz.   
      
   The first station in the Long Wavelength Array, with 256 antennas, is   
   scheduled to start surveying the sky by this summer.  When complete, the   
   entire system will consist of 53 station locations, with a total of 13,000   
   antennas strategically placed in an a   
      
   The overall receiving system is expected to provide sensitive, high-resolution   
   images of a region of the sky hundreds of times larger than that of a full   
   moon.   Investigators believe that these images could reveal radio signals   
   coming from planets outsid   
      
   The University of New Mexico is the lead researcher in this project,.  NASA's   
   Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California is providing the advanced   
   digital electronic systems, which represent a major component of the   
   observatory.  (Adapted from Spac   
      
   **   
      
   ON THE AIR:  W4H CELEBRATES THE 6th ANNUAL GREAT HAMFEST OF THE NORTH   
      
   On the air, members of the Caribbean Amateur Radio Group have activated the   
   special event call W4H and will be on the air with it through February 11th.    
   This, as part of the 6th Great Hamfest of the North, which was to be held on   
   Sunday, February 6th at    
      
   **   
      
   DX   
      
   In DX, KA1YMX stroke 8 P will be active from Barbados while on vacation   
   between February 26th and March 5th.  His operation will be on CW and SSB   
   using an Elecraft K 2. No other details are available. QSL via his home   
   callsign.   
      
   G3RWF will be active as 5X1NH from Fort Portal in western Uganda between   
   February 20th and April 14th.  He prefers to operate CW but plans to also be   
   on the Digital modes with some SSB on all bands except 160 meters QSL via his   
   home callsign or electronic   
      
   Finally, PE1KL and PA2LS will be operational as 9G5LK near the village of   
   Ampenyi, Ghana between April 28th and May 6th. Their activity will be on 80   
   through 10 meters using SSB, PSK31 and RTTY.   QSL via PA2LS.   
      
   (Above from various DX news sources)   
      
   **   
      
   THAT FINAL ITEM:  SPAM BROADBAND MESSAGE BLOWS UP SUICIDE TERRORIST   
      
   And finally this week, proof positive that spam e-mail to a cellular telephone   
   can be deadly.  This is especially true if you happen to be a negligent   
   terrorist with little knowledge of radio.  Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill   
   Pasternak, WA6ITF, is in our Ne   
      
   --   
      
   What Russia's security calls a "Black Widow" suicide bomber who was apparently   
   planning a terrorist attack in central Moscow on New Year's Eve was killed   
   before she could blow herself up.  This after an unexpected text message set   
   off her bomb too early.   
   The unnamed woman is thought to have been part of the same group that recently   
   struck Moscow's Domodedovo airport.  She apparently intended to detonate a   
   suicide belt in a busy area near Red Square on New Year's Eve in an attack   
   that could have killed hun   
   According to the UK newspaper the Telegraph, the woman was at her Moscow safe   
   house at the time getting ready with two accomplices.  Both of them survived   
   and were seen fleeing the scene.   
   The newspaper says that Islamist terrorists in Russia often use cheap unused   
   wireless mobile phones as detonators.  The phones are usually kept switched   
   off until the very last minute.  But in this case, Russian security sources   
   believe the terrorists wer   
   For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, in the Newsroom in   
   Los Angeles.   
   --   
   According to the newspaper, Russian security sources believe the new year's   
   eve bomber and the airport bombers may have been members of a suicide squad   
   trained in al-Qaeda strongholds in Pakistan and sent to the Russian capital   
   last December to target the   
      
   **   
      
   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   
      
   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 2011.  All rights reserved.   
      
      
   ***   
      
   As a service to the HAM Radio Community and HAM Radio Operators all around   
   the world, this Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) message has been gated and posted   
   to the Fidonet LS_ARRL echo by Waldo's Place USA, 1:3634/12. We hope you   
   enjoyed it!   
      
   Please address all comments and questions to the ARNewsline editor as   
   described in this posting. If you have any specific questions concerning   
   the actual posting of this message service, you may address them to   
   hamfdn -at- wpusa.dynip.com. Thank you.   
      
   -73-   
      
      
    * Origin: (1:3634/12)