Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1746 - January 28 2011
William M. Pasternak
Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1746 with a release date of
Friday, January 28, 2011 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. A Georgia ham radio group receives praise for
its rescue radio work during a snowstorm, an amateur radio emergency
response unit in Alaska looses its communications trailer to Mother
Nature, Brazil's military praises ham radio for its response to a flood
and mudslide disaster, a new bill is introduce in the Senate to create
an inter-operable firstr response broadband network and is the future
of ham radio in brainwave station control. Find out the details on
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) report number 1746 coming your way right
now.
(Billboard Cart Here)
**
RESCUE RADIO: GEORGIA ARES GROUP PRAISED FOR STORM RESPONSE
A quick response by hams in Georgia during a recent snowstorm has
brought words of praise from civic leaders. Amateur Radio Newsline's
Norm Seeley, KI7UP, is here with the details:
--
Local emergency workers in Cherockee County Georgia who received a
major assist from a group of volunteer ham radio operators during the
snowstorm that covered the region are singing their praises of the
radio amateurs in the area. The group receiving the accolades is the
Cherokee Amateur Radio Emergency Service. This is a 40 member SKYWARN
organization made up of volunteers who share severe weather and
emergency information with the Cherokee County Emergency Operations
Center when called upon to do so.
According to Robby Westbrook, director of the Cherokee Sheriff's Office
Division of Emergency Management, the ham radio group is an invaluable
resource during the severe weather. Westbrook said that the hams began
radioing in reports when the storm first started. That helped us to
know where to deploy our resources.
County Commissioner Jim Hubbard works closely with the amateur radio
group. He said its members were a big help in the storm's first 30
hours. Hubbard noted that the group provided the Emergency Operations
Center with a good overview of how hard the region was getting hit.
Jim Millsap, WB4NWS, of Woodstock, Georgia is the Emergency Coordinator
for Cherokee County ARES. He told a local newspaper the group's
mission is to support Westbrook and the Emergency Operations Center
staff any time a disaster happens. He added that when the ice storm
suddenly hit Cherokee last month at rush hour, the group was able to
provide information about dangerous areas on the roads. It also served
the same role during the floods of 2009.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Norm Seeley, KI7UP, watching this
one from Scottsdale, Arizona
--
More about the Amateur Radio Emergency Service club is on line at
www.Cherokee-ares.org
(Cherokee Tribune)
**
RESCUE RADIO: ALASKA CLUB LOOSES EMCOMM TRAILER TO MOTHER NATURE
A windstorm has destroyed a mobile ham radio emergency communications
trailer in Alaska. According to a posting on Q-R-Zed dot com by
District Emergency Coordinator Don Bush, KL7JFT, the Matanuska Amateur
Radio Association lost its vehicle in the wind storm on January 12th.
Bush says that the trailer was originally purchased with a grant from
the Anchorage Amateur Radio Club along with donations received from
various members and organizations in Alaska. Not having any insurance
on it, Bush says that the club does not know it can replace it. He
adds that this is a big loss for a small club that is very active in
the community in helping with all kinds of events. He also says that
the trailer was the only backup communications for the Borough
Emergency Services if conventional communications is lost.
A fund has been set up to try to raise funds to replace the destroyed
vehicle. Itds on-line ay www dot kl7jfu dot com. (KL7JFT, QRZ.com)
**
RESCUE RADIO: COMMERCIAL RADIO AUSTRALIA NOW OFFICIAL INFO PROVIDER
A broadcast service down-under has become the latest provider of
emergency alert information. Graham Kemp, VK4BB, of the WIA News has
more:
--
Chief executive officer of Commercial Radio Australia, Joan Warner has
welcomed the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the New
South Wales Government, making commercial radio stations official
providers of emergency services information.
Ms. Warner said the NSW memorandum of understanding follows a similar
arrangement with the Victorian, South Australian and Queensland
Governments. The industry has argued for some time for commercial
radio to be included and promoted as an official provider of
information in emergencies, along with the ABC.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Grahm Kemp, VK4BB, of the WIA News
in Australia.
--
This new agreement makes it easier to alert the public in times of
emergencies. (WIA News)
**
RESCUE RADIO: BRAZILIAN MILITARY PRAISES HAMS IN WAKE OF MASSIVE
FLOODS
Civil Defense forces in Brazil have praised the efforts of a local
group of amateur radio enthusiasts. This after the hams helped them
co-ordinate the rescue efforts in the first hours after the landslides
brought on by flooding.
According to a report on the BBC News website, Lt Col Roberto Robadey
said that without the help from the Brazilian ham community that his
command couldn't have done anything in those first two days.
Robadey said that the ham radio operators took their gear to key points
to provide a communication link between rescue groups. Since them, the
Brazilian Air Force said it was installing a communication centre in
Itaipava, so people could make phone calls and access data in their
attempts to track down missing relatives.
About 100 soldiers have also been deployed to the Cuiaba valley, which
has been cut off since the heaviest downpours in 44 years tore through
the mountainous area near Rio de Janeiro. Officials say at least 600
people are known to have died in the floods.
The full BBC story on this ham radio first responder effort in Brazil
is on-line at Read the full BBC News story at tinyurl.com/BrazilRescue
**
HAM RADIO IN SPACE: NANOSAIL-D HEARD BY HAMS IN HUNTSVILLE
Some good news on the health of the NanoSail-D spacecraft. The Marshall
Amateur Radio Club WA4NZD in Huntsville, Alabama, has confiirmed
ejection and activation of the NanoSail-D sub-satellite.
The WA4NZD team of Stanley Simms, N4PMF, and Alan Sieg, WB5RMG, along
with NanoSail-D Principal Investigator Dean Alhorn were listening on
437.275 MHz FM at the club station on Wednesday, January 19th. That's
when the NanoSail-D beacon was heard and subsequently decoded.
The only communication from the NanoSail-D vehicle is via ham radio
with 1200 baud FM AX.25 beacon packets. Controllers are asking for
telemetry reception reports from all over the world to help track the
bird. They say that the solar sail was to deploy after three days, but
the battery may last longer than that.
This loaf-of-bread sized spacecraft was carried to orbit late last year
on an Air Force rocket as part of NASA's FastSat project. It has now
become the first successful deployment of a satellite, launched from a
satellite already in orbit.
NanoSail-D is expected stay in low-Earth orbit between 70 and 120 days,
depending on atmospheric conditions. The satellite is expected to
eventually de-orbit itself and re-enter the earth's atmosphere. More
information on this project is on-line at wa4nzd.wordpress.com.
(WA4ZND Release)
**
HAM RADIO IN SPACE: ARISSAT 1 SET FOR TRIP TO THE ISS
The ARISSat-1 space craft is mounted in the Progress vehicle at
Baikonur and the hatch sealed.
Progress flight 41P is scheduled to lift off on Friday, January 28th.
Due to the newly announced launch date of shuttle flight STS-133, the
space walk to deploy ARISSat-1 has been moved up to February 16th.
A NASA press release describes the plans for ARISSat-1 in an article
about planned Russian EVAs from the ISS is available at
tinyurl.com/6kceotn.
NASA TV has already run a program featuring ARISSat-1. Watch for repeat
playback in coming days. And we will have more ham radio space related
news later on in this weeks Amateur Radio Newsline report.
(ANS, NASA, WA4SXM)
**
BREAK 1
>From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline,
heard on bulletin stations around the world including the KD1RJ
repeater serving Fairfield, Connecticut
(5 sec pause here)
**
RADIO POLITICS: ARRL HOLDS ANNUAL BOD MEETING
The ARRL Board of Directors held its 2011 Annual Meeting January on
21st and 22nd in Windsor, Connecticut. At the meeting, the Board set
its new legislative objectives for the 112th Congress, re-elected the
ARRL Executive Committee, bestowed various technical and service awards
and approved the organization's financial plan for 2011. It also set
timelines for the ongoing consideration of digital periodicals and
more.
A detailed look at all the Board's actions, including the official
minutes from the meeting, will be available in the near future. Keep
an eye on the front news page at www dot arrl dot org for the latest
updates.
(ARRL)
**
RADIO LAW: ROCKEFELLER REINTRODUCES INTEROPERABLE RADIO BILL TO SENATE
Senate Commerce Chairman Jay Rockefeller, of West Virginia has
reintroduced legislation that would re-allocate a chunk of spectrum to
public safety officials. This, for the creation of a national
broadband interoperable network.
Rockefeller said the bill mirrors the measure he offered last Congress.
One that would re-allocate the so-called D-block of spectrum to public
safety officials instead of auctioning it off to commercial bidders as
the Federal Communications Commission has proposed.
Rockefeller noted that with the upcoming 10th anniversary of the
September 11, 2001, al-Quida terrorist attacks on the Uniuted States,
Congress needs to takes the steps necessary to implement a
recommendation by the commission that investigated those attacks. That
being to create a national broadband interoperable public safety
network. He said that such a network is needed to assist first
responders to better communicate during emergencies.
As you are likely aware, the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade
Center in New York City and on the Pentgon highlighted the problems
first responders had in trying to communicate with each other during
emergencies. With each responding service using a different radio
system, communications between them was almost impossible. At the
World Trade Center it fell to ham radio to provide the only inter
operable communications for the first several days.
**
RADIO LAW: VERIZON SUES THE FCC OVER NET NEUTRALITY DECISION
Ham radio could have a vested interest in the outcome of Verizon
Communications challenge to the Federal Communications Commission's
controversial net neutrality order. This as the telecommunications
giant becomes what likely will be the first of company's to try to stop
the agency from requiring Internet companies to treat all Web traffic
equally. Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, is in the newsroom with more:
--
A legal challenge from one or more of the nations telecommunications
and broadband providers to the recent FCC order mandating Net
Neutrality was widely expected. This after the FCC has said it thinks
Congress enabled it to pursue its Net Neutrality rules under several
interpretations of telecommunications laws.
In simple terms, Net Neutrality means that service providers must treat
all traffic on their networks equally and cannot speed up or slow down
consumer access to any web destination based on network usage of that
customer. It also effectively bans tiered service where heavy Internet
users could be charged more than those who only use the net
occasionally. The FCC's Net Neutrality rules are supported by consumer
groups and Web giants such as Google and Facebook.
The Verizon appeal is the first step that will begin a chain of legal
maneuvering that will initiate a lawsuit that will be heard in the same
court that last year struck down the FCC's earlier attempt at enforcing
Net Neutrality rules. Verizon and other providers claim that it is they
and they alone who have the right to determine the business model that
they operate under.
Another challenge to the FCC's Net Neutrality decision is likely to
come from the Republican lead House Energy and Commerce Committee. It
has already announced that undoing Net Neutrality through a resolution
of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act is a top priority.
However, that effort is likely to stall in the Democraratic controlled
Senate.
What this might eventually mean to ham radio is simple. More and more
communications technologies are being developed where interlinking of
signals and control of remote stations forces the need for more and
more bandwidth. Some on a full time basis. If Net Neutrality is
overturned and if service providers decide to place some of these high
bandwidth ham radio operations in the category of heavy use it could
slow down these applications to a crawl or make them financially
impossible for the average ham to continue.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF in the
Newsroom in Los Angeles.
--
In its filing Verizon argues that the FCC does not have the legal
authority to mandate how Internet service providers treat content on
their networks. For its part, the FCC says that its mandate is to
oversee all aspects of telecommunications in the United States.
(Published News Reports)
**
HAM HAPPENINGS: COMMEMORATING THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HOLYLAND
CONTEST
The Israel Amateur Radio Club has announced that it will be sponsoring
a special 3 month on the air activity. This, to commemorate the
Holyland Contest's 20th anniversary.
Operation begins on February 1st and runs through April 30th. Two
stations will be on CW, SSB and the Digital modes using the special
callsigns 4X20HC and 4Z20HC. All QSL's go via 4Z4TL. For more details
about the Holyland Contest take your web browser to
tinyurl.com/holylandoperation and holylandoperation is spelled as one
word.
**
HAM HAPPENINGS: 2011 SARL NATIONAL CONVENTION APRIL 15 - 16
The South African Radio League's 2011 National Convention will have two
clubs as its host. The show which is slated for April 15th and 16th in
the city of Vaal will be jointly sponsored by the Sasolburg and Vaal
Triangle Amateur Radio Clubs.
The two organizations say that they are aiming to make the convention
the biggest get-together of South African radio amateurs in years.
Among the attractions is a Saturday afternoon visit to the Bloemendal
medium wave radio broadcast station near the city of Meyerton. That's
where attendees can experience first hand what a 500 kilowatt
transmitter is capable of doing. More on all aspects of this event is
on line at www dot qsl dot net slash zs4srk. (South African Radio
League)
**
HAM HAPPENINGS: BLACKROCK CASTLE OBSERVATORY IRELAND FEB 19 - 20
And Ireland's North Cork Radio Group will be active the call EI1NC/P on
February 19th and 20th. This from the Blackrock Castle Observatory
which is a 16th century Castle located 4km from the heart of Cork city
on the banks of the river Lee. The Castle has seen many uses in its
long history and now houses a cutting edge of space and observation
post. More informatyion on the Castle is available at www dot bco dot
ie. The North Cork Radio Groups website is at www dot eilnc dot com.
And less we forget, the operation from Blackrock Castle will run from
and 10:00 to 17:00 hours UTC on both days. (Press Release)
**
HAM HAPPENINGS: ANNUAL GATHERING AT M2 ANTENNA SYSTEMS
Closer to home, the 13th annual ham radio gathering at M2 Antenna
Systems is now set for Saturday, March 19th at the M2 factory in
Fresno, California. Exact plans for this year's event will be revealed
shortly. Keep an eye on www dot m2inc dot com for the latest details.
(W6OMF)
**
NAMES IN THE NEWS: FRANK FALLON, N2FF RETIRES AS ARRL HUDSON DIRECTOR
Some names in the news. First up is Frank Fallon, N2FF, who announced
his decision to retire from the position of ARRL Hudson Division
Director at the conclusion of the League's first Board of Directors
meeting of 2011. In announcing his decision to step aside after more
than 14 years on the job, Fallon said that at age 72 he thinks it's
time to cut down on night driving and to turn things over to his
Division's Vice Director Joyce Birmingham, KA2ANF and let her have her
turn in the front seat at Board meetings.
Under the ARRL's rules of succession, when a Director retires or can no
longer serve for other reasons, the Division's Vice Director fills that
position. In this case its' Joyce Birminham, who has been an active
radio amateur for more than 30 years.
Birmingham began her ARRL career in 2000, when Fallon asked her to be
an Assistant Director in the Hudson Division. This, after her husband
Andy, WB2RQX, became a Silent Key. In 2003, she was elected ARRL Hudson
Division Vice Director; she was re-elected for two more terms, in 2006
and 2009. Birmingham also serves as the District 2 Chairperson of the
Young Ladies' Radio League and as the President of the East Coast DX
Association. (ARRL)
**
HAM RADIO ON THE WEB: NEW 60 METER BLOG
And the Southgate news reports that Peter Ourednik, OK1RP, in the Czech
Republic, now runs a blog covering the 60 meter or 5 MHz band. It
features information on DX operation and related news for the band. You
can read it on-line at 60mband.blogspot.com. (Southgate)
**
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 following radio amateur:
(5 sec pause here)
**
HAM RADIO TECHNOLOGY: A BIG LEAP FOR CODEC 2
Codec 2 may not be ready for prime time, but its getting close. Take a
listen.
--
Codec 2 audio: Hear it by downloading the MP3 version of this weeks
newscast at www.arnewsline.org.
--
That was just a snippet of a long conversation between Bruce Robertson,
VE9QRP, in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada holding forth with Paul
Saville, ZL3IN, in Christchurch, New Zealand using Codec2.
For those unaware, Codec 2 is an open source alternative to both D-Star
and P25 that's being developed by a group of volunteers all around the
world. The idea behind Codec 2 is to provide a single, free,
software-based digital voice encode and decode system that would not
require any proprietary firmware as is found in most other current
digital voice systems. And as you can hear, even in this Internet-only
QSO being held by two hams half a world apart, the quality is quite
extraordinary. Likely on a par with all the systems available to hams
today. Listen as ZL3IN describes his current career to VE9QRP:
--
Codec 2 audio: Hear it by downloading the MP3 version of this weeks
newscast at www.arnewsline.org.
--
More about Codec 2 is on-line at Codec2 dot org. The complete QSO
between VE9QRP and ZL3IN is at tinyurl.com/codec2video. (Southgate)
**
HAM RADIO IN SPACE: NASA ADDS ONE MORE SHUTTLE MISSION
NASA has officially added another space shuttle launch to its schedule
and the final one for the fleet.
The space agency has set a target launch date of June 28th for shuttle
Atlantis and started preparations for the 135th and last shuttle
flight. The four-member crew will take up supplies to the
International Space Station and return a faulty pump that has stumped
engineers.
With the addition of STS-135 there are now three missions left before
NASA retires its shuttle fleet this year. Shuttle Discovery's last
mission is slated for February 24th nand the final flight of the
Endeavour will take place in April.
The final flight of Atlantis will be commanded by Christopher Ferguson,
KG4JCQ. The rest of the crew is composed of astronaut researchers and
includes Douglas Hurley, Rex Walheim, and Sandra Magnus, KE5FYE. (NASA)
**
RADIO IN SPACE: SMARTPHONE BASED SATELLITE BEING DEVELOPED IN THE UK
Researchers at England's University of Surrey and Surrey Satellite
Technology Limited are building a satellite containing a smartphone
payload that will be launched into orbit around the Earth later this
year.
Called STRaND-1, the name is an acronym for the Surrey Training,
Research and Nanosatellite Demonstrator. The tiny bird is being
developed by the Surrey team to demonstrate the advanced capabilities
of a satellite built quickly using advanced commercial off-the-shelf
components.
STRaND-1's lead researcher is Dr. Chris Bridges. He explained that a
smartphone made an ideal satellite payload because these devices pack
lots of components such as sensors, video cameras, GPS systems and
Wi-Fi radios that are technologically advanced but a fraction of the
size, weight and cost of components used in existing satellite systems.
Also, because many smartphones run on free operating systems that this
could lead online software developers to create applications that could
feasibly be utilized on later satellites.
A smartphone avionics suite is one of many technological advances
packed into this 4 kg nanosatellite. To precisely point and maneuver,
the satellite also incorporates advanced guidance, navigation and
control systems including miniature reaction wheels. It also contains
a GPS receiver, as well as innovative pulse plasma thrusters to propel
it through space.
If this experiment is successful, it could give new meaning to the line
from the science fiction film for E-T to phone home. (Southgate)
**
DX
In DX, the Microlite Penguins DXpedition Team will be active as VP8ORK
from the South Orkney Islands Antarctica, from January 27th to February
8th. The South Orkney Islands one of the world's most wanted DXCC
entities. Operation will be CW, SSB and RTTY on 160 through 10 meters.
QSL direct only to Garry Hammond, VE3XN, 5 McLaren Avenue, Listowel,
Ontario, Canada, postal code N4W 3K1. For more information please
visit the teams website at www dot vp8o dot com.
IK1PMR and PA3LEO are now operational portable EA8 from the CXanary
Islands. They will be there until March 8th but their activity on the
air will be holiday style on 160 through 6 meters. QSL via PA3LEO or
Logbook of the World.
Lastly, F5LBG is now active portable FM from Martinique running only 5
watts QRP on 10 point 106, 14 point 060 and 18 dot 096 MHz. He will
be thre until February 3rd operating holiday style. Listen out for him
daily around 1000 UTC and 1800 UTC. QSL via F5LBG, direct or by the
Bureau.
(Above from various DX News souraces.)
**
THAT FINAL ITEM: BRAINWAVE CONTROL IS COMING
And finally this week, get ready to control your, TV set, your stereo
and maybe even your ham radio station with only your mind. That's what
you may be able to do with brain waves if the technology developed by a
company called PLX Devices proves out. No its' not science fiction as
we hear in this report:
--
According to its website, the XWave from PXL Devices is the first
consumer product priced under $100 which can sense and detect human
brainwaves, interpret them and connect it to everyday technology.
PLX Devices founder and CEO is Paul Lowchareonkul. He recently told
the U.K. Daily Mail that it was only a matter of time before products
like the XWave entered the mainstream. Lowchareonkul says that the
human brain is the most powerful, complex thing in the universe, and
for the first time, we're able to harness its amazing power and connect
it to everyday technology.
Lowchareonkul says that with the development of 3rd party applications
or apps, the potential for innovation is limitless. At the moment, PLX
is only offering apps that interact with the XWave for Apple mobile
devices like the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. There are four apps
currently available that interact with the XWave. These include a
basic set-up app; an app that allows you to upload your song list and
sync your brainwaves with any song in your library; a "Tug of Mind" app
and a meditation app. In the future, PLX says on its website that you
will be able to control and float objects in video games by simply
thinking about it, or train your mind to focus and relax on command.
And if you do get one and are able to develop an app to control your
ham station with your brain, please be sure to let us know so that we
can pass it along to what will then become a truly mew world of amateur
radio.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, Im Bruce Tennant, K6PZW. In Los
Angeles.
--
>From pictures on-line, the XWave device itself looks almost like an
ordinary headset for telephone operator. The PLX website claims that
XWave is perfectly safe because it only listens to brainwaves and does
not transmit or send out any signals. That's a good thing for many
reasons including there being no need to add more QRM to our already
overcrowd bands.
More on this rather interesting device is on-line at
www.plxwave.com/info.html. (Daily Mail, Mobilehack.com, others)
**
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 WIA News, that's all from
the Amateur Radio Newsline(tm). Our e-mail address is Newsline (at)
arnewsline (dot) 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),
28197 Robin Avenue, Santa Clarita California, 91350
For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors desk, I'm Frank
Haas, KB4T, saying 73 from Holly Hill, Florida, and we thank you for
listening.
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.