Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1801 - February 17 2012   
      
   Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1801 with a release date of February   
   17th, 2012 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.   
      
   The following is a QST. WRC 2012 ends and ham radio get a new 600 meter   
   allocation. Also, the 2 Gigahertz band comes under attack in Sweden; ham   
   radio gets an exclusion from a proposed Illinois distracted driving law; a   
   high altitude ham radio balloon heading from Texas to China disappears over   
   the Gulf of Mexico and spray on antennas become a reality. All this and   
   more on Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) report number 1801 coming your way right   
   now.   
      
      
   (Billboard Cart Here)   
      
      
   **   
      
   RADIO LAW: WRC 2012 ENDS - THE OUTCOME FOR HAM RADIO   
      
   The 2012 World Radiocommunications Conference, better known as WRC 12 has   
   come to a close. Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, is in the Newsroom with some good   
   news for ham radio:   
      
   --   
      
   At its Plenary meeting held on February 14th, the World Radiocommunication   
   Conference approved a new secondary frequency allocation to the Amateur   
   Radio Service from 472 to 479 kHz. Having passed its First and Second   
   Readings it is normally a formality that this change be included in the   
   conferences Final Acts when the gathering concludes and the Table of   
   Frequency Allocations would then be amended accordingly.   
      
   As a secondary user, amateur radio shares 472 to 479 kHz with the Maritime   
   Mobile Service which is the primary user in all three ITU Regions and with   
   the Aeronautical Radionavigation Service which is a Secondary user except as   
   noted in the following footnotes:   
      
   One footnote reads that a number of countries will identify their intent to   
   elevate the status of their Aeronautical Radionavigation Service to Primary   
   as a step in ensuring protection from secondary users.   
      
   Also there is a footnote that says that the power which radio amateurs may   
   use in 472 to 479 kHz will be limited to 5 watts effective radiated except   
   for amateur stations within 800 km of the borders of a number of countries.   
   These are principally Russia, many of the former Soviet bloc nations and the   
   Arab states. For those affected amateurs the power output limit will be 1   
   watt.   
      
   It is, of course, up to individual administrations to authorize use of the   
   band by their amateurs. How long it will before the band is available to   
   hams in the United States? That's up to the bureaucrats in Washington D.C..   
   At this point that is unknown.   
      
   For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, in the Newsroom   
   in Los Angeles.   
      
   --   
      
   The new band at 600 meters will represent the return of amateurs to the   
   medium waves. This is an area of spectrum that hams have not had access to   
   since the earliest days of radio regulation. More on WRC 12 in future   
   Amateur Radio Newsline reports. (RAC)   
      
   **   
      
   RESTRUCTURING: SSA SAYS HAM RADIO AND BROADBAND CAN SHARE 13 CM   
      
   The 13 centimeter ham band is under threat of reallocation in Sweden. This   
   as that nations Telecommunications regulator the Department of Post and   
   Telecommunications has suggested that the 2300 to 2450 MHz spectrum be   
   transferred for use by broadband systems. Amateur Radio Newsline's Heather   
   Butera-Howell, KB3TZD, is here with the details:   
      
   --   
      
   As part of the rule making process the Swedish national amateur radio   
   society, the SSA, has submitted it's response to Sweden's telecommunications   
   regulator on this matter. In it, the SSA argues that the nations amateur   
   service should remain in the 2.3 GHz band and if needed share this spectrum   
   with any other users.   
      
   SSA notes that wideband digital systems are becoming less sensitive to   
   narrowband signals. This it says improves the possibilities for such a form   
   of band sharing arrangement.   
      
   Among its position points the SSA believes that communication with amateur   
   satellites in the band from 2400 to 2450 MHz should continue to be   
   permitted.   
      
   The SSA is also requesting a meeting with the Department of Post and   
   Telecommunications to discuss the technological basis for continuing the   
   amateur service in the this band.   
      
   For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Heather Butera-Howell, KB3TZD, near   
   Pittsburg, PA.   
      
   --   
      
   More on the amateur radio response to the proposed reallocation translated   
   into Google English is on-line at tnyurl.com/SSA2300MHzResponse (Southgate,   
   SSA)   
      
      
   **   
      
   RADIO SCIENCE: COMMUNICATIONS LOST WITH BLT-28 TEXAS TO CHINA HAM RADIO   
   BALLOON   
      
   Communications with a high altitude amateur radio floating balloon that was   
   launched from Texas with a final goal of reaching Nanjing China has been   
   lost. BLT-28 transmitting callsign KT5TK-11 on APRS was lost at 00:50 hours   
   UTC on February 12th. This was only 3 hours after the balloon was lofted   
   skyward from Katy, Texas, just west of the city of Houston.   
      
   Signals were lost when the balloon was passing through the 45,700 feet over   
   the Gulf of Mexico about 110 miles south of Holly Beach, Louisiana. This   
   was possibly the coldest part of the journey to that time with the last   
   telemetry reporting a temperature of -50 degrees Celsius.   
      
   There is some speculation that the lack of signals from the balloon may have   
   been caused by the batteries freezing up. There is some hope that a   
   so-called watchdog circuit will keep the electronics package alive until the   
   batteries have rejuvenated, if they ever do.   
      
   There was some hope that BLT-28 may have actually crossed the Atlantic Ocean   
   sometime Monday morning, February 13th, but that has yet to be confirmed   
   either visually or by a resumption of electronic tracking. If the APRS   
   transponder does return to life, it should be transmitting on 144.800 MHz   
   and will eventually appear on various world wide APRS tracking websites such   
   as aprs.fi.   
      
   BLT-28 was the latest in a long series of high altitude ham radio balloon   
   launches sponsored South Texas Balloon Launch Team. Their website is in   
   cyberspace at www.w5acm.net. (ARNewsline(tm), Southgate, WB5ITT)   
      
   **   
      
   RADIO LAW: ILLINOIS DISTRACTED DRIVING LAW WONT AFFECT HAM RADIO   
      
   Amateur radio as well as 11 Meter CB and several other services have won a   
   complete exemption from a proposed Illinois state law aimed at curtailing   
   the activities of distracted drivers on that states roads and streets.   
   Amateur Radio Newsline's Matthew Chambers, NR0Q, has this follow-up report:   
      
      
   --   
      
   There were actually two proposed measures before the Illinois state   
   legislature aimed at accomplishing the same thing. As originally written,   
   both House Bill 3972 introduced by Representative John D'Amico and House   
   Bill 3970 by Representative Karen May would have banned the use of all   
   electronic communication devices with a very few limited exceptions. These   
   were the use of two-way radio by law-enforcement and operators of emergency   
   vehicles; cellphones used in a hands-free or voice-activated mode or in   
   parked vehicles. And that was it.   
      
   Now, after consultation with representatives of the Illinois ham radio   
   community, Representative D'Amico has amended his proposal to exclude   
   numerous types of two-way radio based communications from his measure.   
   This, while leaving the original intent of the proposed law aimed which is   
   primarily aimed at curtailing texting or using a hand-held cellular   
   telephone while the vehicle is in motion.   
      
   Item 7 of the Amended D'Amico measure is the part that's important to the ham   
   radio community. It states that a driver using two-way or citizens band   
   radio services or two-way mobile radio transmitter or receivers for   
   licensees of the Federal Communications Commission in the Amateur Radio   
   Service are exempt from the proposed law. And that's good news for anyone   
   with radio gear in their car driving in or through the state of Illinois.   
      
   For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Matthew Chambers, NR0Q, reporting.   
      
   --   
      
   While this still leaves House Bill 3970 by Representative Karen May as active   
   as originally written, it's believed that this measure will shortly be   
   amended to follow the House Bill 3970, if this has not taken place already.   
   (ARNewsline(tm), others)   
      
   **   
      
   BREAKING DX NEWS: LONG AWAITED VK0HI HEARD ISLAND OPERATION CANCELLED   
      
   Jim Linton, VK3PC, reports that Chris Dimitrijevic, VK3FY, has announced the   
   permanent cancellation of the 2013 VK0HI Heard Island DXpedition. Linton   
   notes that VK3FY was also the team leader of the cancelled DX0DX Spratly   
   Islands DXpedition. VK3PC was serving as the Publicist for the Heard Island   
   2013 DXpedition. More DX information later on in this weeks Amateur Radio   
   Newsline report. (VK3PC)   
      
   **   
      
   BREAK 1   
      
      
   ***   
      
   As a Service to the HAM Radio Community and Ham Operators all around the   
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   Thank you and good day!   
      
   -73-   
      
      
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