Post by David (N4DLT) on Oct 30, 2009 11:59:38 GMT -5
The following is a Q-S-T. Sweden says no to radio pollution from B-P-L, a new South African ham satellite gets is Oscar designation, three hams file a petition to make all emergency communications legal and the biggest yearly ham radio public service event takes place in New York City a few hours after this weeks newscast goes to air. Find out the details on Amateur Radio Newsline™ report number 1681 coming your way right now.
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THE BPL WAR: A BIG WIN IN SWEDEN
We begin this week with news that one European nation is saying no to interference caused by Broadband over Powerline Internet access. Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, is in the studio with more:
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Telecommunications regulators in Sweden have withdrawn certain Broadband over Powerline or Powerline Transmission Internet access equipment from the public marketplace. A recent C-E-P-T Electronic Communications Committee report notes that the Swedish regulator ordered the sale of such gear to cease because some BPL gear pollutes the radio spectrum.
Mention of the Swedish action in withdrawing the equipment appears in the Report from the Working Group Spectrum Engineering Bordeaux, 07 11 September 2009. It gives the reasons behind the decision to impose these latest anti RF interference standards on BPL service in that nation.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, in the newsroom in Los Angeles.
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You can read the report in its entirety at www.ero.dk/37D6714E-27DF-42D7...183?frames=no& (Southgate)
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NEWSLINE FOLLOW-UP: MORE ON THE C6APR TRAGEDY
The contesting world is still in shock at the tragic news that four members of the C6APR team perished when their light aircraft crashed soon after take-off in South Carolina the pre dawn hours of Wednesday, October 21st.
Killed when the twin engine Piper Aztec PA-23 plummeted to the ground shortly after takeoff from Summerville Airport in South Carolina were the pilot Peter Radding W2GJ, along with passengers Ed Steeble, K3IXD, Randy Hargenrader K4QO and Dallas Carter W3PP.
According to news reports, Radding had been flying for over 40 years and Hargenrader was also a licensed pilot. All four were on their way Crooked Island in the Bahamas by way of Ft. Pearce, Florida, to operate the CQ World Wide DX Contest when the accident occurred. Crooked Island is a location used on seven previous occasions by the team since 2006.
The National Transportation Safety Board in Washington D.C., is the lead investigating agency. NTSB investigator Shawn Etcher said the plane banked to the left after takeoff. He said that judging by marks found on trees near the wreckage, it appears the plane climbed to an altitude of at least 90 feet before crashing. The crash scene was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.
Sixty-six year old Stella Bazzle lives about a half-mile from the crash site. She is quoted as saying that the plane's engines didn't sound right as it passed near her house. She described it as a roaring and grinding sound. Bazzle, then heard what sounded like two explosions, with the first one bigger than the second.
The wreckage was to have been transported to Atlanta, Georgia, for closer examination. Typically, it takes the N-T-S-B between 12 and 18 months to determine the cause of a crash, but a preliminary report is expected out shortly. (Summerville Journal, Charleston Press, others)
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HAM RADIO IN SPACE: SUMBANDILLASAT DESIGNATED AS SO-67
The recently launched South African SumbandilaSat has now been designated as SO-67. AMSAT's OSCAR Number Coordinator Bill Tynan, W3XO, made the designation shortly after receiving an e-mail from the secretary South Africa AMSAT requesting that an OSCAR number be allocated to the new ham radio bird. .
As previously reported, the amateur radio payload on Sumbandillasat was developed by South Africa AMSAT and incorporated by the University of Stellenbosch into the main payload. The ham radio payload was officially coordinated through the IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel with an uplink of 145.880 MHz and a downlink of 435.350 MHz.
Late word is that the F-M transponder on SumbandilaSat will be activated for the first time over North America on Saturday October 24 at 19:52 UTC. In this mode Sunbandillasat will uplink on 145.875 MHz and downlink on 435.345 MHz. A CTCSS tone of 233.6 Hz is needed to access this F-M repeater in the sky. (ANS)
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HAM RADIO IN SPACE: AMSAT REVEALS ITS NEXT GEN CUBESAT
AMSAT will work with a university student engineering team to develop the NextGen Cubesat. Program Manager, Alex Harvilchuck, N3NP, introduced this new program at the recent AMSAT Symposium. That’s where he also revealed the program goals. These include an initial analysis of ARISSat-1, analysis of the lessons learned from the renamed SuitSat 2 project and other prior spacecraft. This, to create a building block architecture for future satellites. N3NP says that NextGen will feature an open, modular, evolutionary, and documented design based on this analysis. More on this new bird is at the AMSAT website at www.amsat.org. (ANS)
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BREAK 1
From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the N5IUF repeater serving Dallas, Texas.
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RADIO LAW: GROUP PROPOSES REVISING 97:111 TO PERMIT UNRESTRICTED HAM RADIO EMCOMM
Meantime, a small group of hams has petitioned the FCC to add a new section to Part 97:111 of the Amateur Service rules. The Amateur Radio Policy Committee has filed a request to the regulatory agency to add a sub-part6 t that rule to permit any ham to participate in emergency training drills, whether or not he or she is in the employ of an entity taking pat in the exercise.
The wording that the group is proposing would permit transmissions necessary for disaster relief or emergency response, including training exercises, planning, drills or tests without regard to whether the amateur operator has related employment. This, where the transmissions are for the exclusive use of amateur radio operators for non-commercial purposes.
The request is signed by three prominent radio amateurs. They are Tom Blackwell, N5GAR, of Dallas, Texas; David Coursey, N5FDL, from Tracy, California, and ham radio educator Gordon West, WB6NOA, of Costa Mesa, California. They say that their petition is presented in what they term as Section 97 point 1 of the FCC rules. 97 point 1 defines FCC licensed amateur operators as part of a voluntary non-commercial communications service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.
The petition was accepted by the FCC on October 15th, but so far it has not been assigned a rule making number nor has it been released for public comment. (QRZ.com, others)
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RESCUE RADIO: NEW ADVANCES IN EMCOMM FEATURED ON THE BBC
Recent developments in emergency broadband communications is the topic of a BBC interview with Mike Outmesguine KG6NHH. Outmesguine is the president and founder of TransStellar, Inc., a successful technology services company with an emphasis on wireless mobility and energy information systems.
The BBC news item says that KG6NHH has demonstrated an easy way to produce what it calls a "Network Relief Kit." This is described as an ultra portable method of connecting to the internet from almost any location in the world.
The system works by contacting one of three satellites orbiting the earth to get an internet connection. The receiver can then be plugged in, using ethernet cables, to a standard router, VoIP phone or similar devices.
The BBC says that In 2003-2004 the equipment cost some $40,000 . but these days the whole kit, Now, thanks to advances in technology the entire kit can be carried in a back-pack with its cost down to around $3,000 including the solar panel. Connectivity is said to be fast enough to watch videos on YouTube.
You can read the full BBC report at news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8318156.stm The BBC Digital Planet radio interview with Mike Outmesguine, KG6NHH, is at www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004l2hz (BBC)
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RESCUE RADIO: FEMA SELECTS NEXT GENERATION EAS TESING LAB
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has selected a site for a lab to test new Emergency Alert System equipment. This as the next step to assure that the equipment fully complies with the new Common Alerting Protocol or CAP system that is still being developed.
FEMA has awarded Eastern Kentucky University a contract to test the next generation of EAS equipment to make sure it conforms with the CAP protocol developed by the Integrated Public Alert and Warning or IPAWS System. Making equipment available that can receive a Common Alerting Protocol message is the first of several objectives that must be accomplished before FEMA adopts the system. (FEMA)
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PUBLIC SERVICE: DELTA ARC TO SUPPORT MERMPHIS ST. JUDE MARATHON
The Memphis based Delta Amateur Radio Club will be providing communications support to the upcoming St. Jude Marathon. This December 5th event is sponsored by St. Jude children’s' hospital. More information on the marathon is on-line at www.stjudemarathon.org. Information on the club is at www.deltaclub.org. (NF5B)
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ENFORCEMENT: BANK OF AMERICA VS. THE FCC
It’s the FCC versus one of the nations largest banking institutions in a dispute over a satellite earth station. Fred Vobbe, W8HDU, has the details:
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Even those at the very top can hear the word no from the FCC. Take the giant Bank of America which has been told that it has to apply for a new permit to operate an Earth station because it accidentally let its old license expire.
The story goes like this. On September 10, 2009, Bank of America filed a petition to request reinstatement of its earth station license for call sign E990192, which had expired this past July 20th. Bank of America states that the oversight was inadvertent and due to a new monitoring and maintenance contract. Bank of America further explained that the new contractor has put this earth station into its database to ensure timely renewal filings in the future.
But in its October 9th denial, the FCC said that under its rules a petition for reinstatement of an expired license will be considered only if the petition is filed within 30 days of the license expiration date. It said that Bank of America did not file its petition within this time frame, nor did it ask for a waiver of this rule. So based on this it has denied Bank of America’s request for re-instatement of authority for earth station call sign E990192. It also said that if Bank of America seeks regular authority to operate this earth station, it must file an application for a new license for this station.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Fred Vobbe, W8HDU.
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In rendering its decision the FCC did say that the bank can file for a Special Temporary Authority to operate the station that the agency indicates that it will be granted. (FCC)
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NEWSLINE FOLLOW-UP: AMAZON PAYS $150,000 TO SETTLE KINDLE SUIT
Amazon has agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a tort action filed by 17 year old Justin Gawronski. He's the Michigan teen who sued the online retailer after George Orwell's novels "1984" and "Animal Farm" along with his homework were deleted from his Kindle electronic book.
The Orwell novels had been added to the online retailer's site by a company that did not have the rights to sell them. In mid-July, with no notice to customers about the error, Amazon remotely deleted the e-books. Gawronski was adversely affected when the deletion also partially destroyed his homework.
The money, after going to the law firm representing the teen, will be donated to charity. Gawronski had already been compensated for the loss with a $30 gift certificate. (Published news reports)
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RADIO RESEARCH: OLD LOGS NEEDED T STUDY THE ERLY 20TH CENTURY
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin and Miami University of Ohio are seeking copies of amateur station logs from 1913 through 1927. This, in hopes they may offer insights into the relationship between individuals' work and leisure activities, technology, and their social networks of he era.
Phil Kim is an Assistant Professor at the Wisconsin School of Business. He notes that diaries, letters, QSL cards and station logs can contain valuable insights into the link between an individual's occupation, hobbies and friends.
Kim notes that early in amateur radio history, thousands of ham radio enthusiasts were licensed by the government to comply with the Radio Act of 1912. At that time and due to newly enacted rules, that those early hams began to more carefully document the new communications era.
In an effort to uncover new information about approaches to work and leisure time and the development of social networks, Kim and other researchers are comparing early ham licensing records from the Department of Commerce with detailed information in amateur operators' station logs. If you happen to have an old ham station log from that period that you would like to see included in the study, please contact Steve Johnston, WD8DAS, via e-mail to johnson at wpr dot net. (WD8DAS, QCWA)
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RADIO EDUCATION: THE COLLEGE AMATEUR RADIO CLUB ASSOCIATION
If you are in college or are preparing to attend, then the new College Amateur Radio Club Association may interest you. The web based organization is described as an attempt to create a community of college students, faculty, and alumni in order to unite the college clubs. According to Bryce Salmi, KB1LQC, the hope is promote amateur radio to college students through which collaborative innovations in technology can be made, and college clubs will retain a more stable membership. The groups home is located in cyberspace at www.collegearc.com (KB1LQC)
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NAMES IN THE NEWS: KB2GSD PERSONAL PAPERS GO TO HIS COLLEGE
The estate of the late Water Cronkite, KB2GSD, has made public. The retired CBS newsman has bequeathed his college alma mater what amounts to a treasure trove of papers and memorabilia chronicling his career.
Cronklite dropped out of the University of Texas at Austin in 1935 as a junior. Instead, he decided to pursue a career in the news business but the broadcasting legend never abandoned his Texas-based educational roots.
According to his last will and testament now on file at Manhattan Surrogate’s Court, KB2GSD bequeathed his personal papers to the university. This is really a process that actually started before his death on July 17 but will now end with the release of materials he had held onto at his office and homes in Manhattan and on Martha’s Vineyard.
After becoming a television anchor, Cronkite returned often to campus as a lecturer and lent his announcing skills to the university as the narrator of ads that are still used at athletic events and to promote Longhorn accomplishments. (Published reports)
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NAMES IN THE NEWS: TAPR ELECTS NEW OFFICERS
Tucson Amateur Packet Radio has elected Steve Bible, N7HPR, as it new President. Other leadership positions include Scott Cowling, WA2DFI, as Vice President; Tom Holmes, N8ZM, as Treasurer; and Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, as Secretary. TAPR also recently elected three new members to their Board of Directors. They are Scott Cowling, WA2DFI; John Koster, W9DDD, and Mark Thompson, WB9QZB.
The election results were made public at the recent ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference in Chicago, Illinois. At the gathering the TAPR Board of Directors of selected named Dr David Toth, VE3GYQ, as President Emeritus of the group. Dr. Toth served as TAPR President from 2005 to 2009 and as a member of the Board from 1987 through 1993 and 2004 to the present. (TAPR)
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NAMES IN THE NEWS: DL3OAP NEW CHAIR OF DARC EXECUTIVE BOARD
Some names in the news. First over to Germany where Dr. Walter Schlink, DL3OAP has been elected as Chairman of the Deutscher Amateur Radio Club’s Executive Board. He succeeds Jochen Hindrichs, DL9KCX. Hindrichs had served as Chairman since May, 2001, but decided not to run for anther term.
Also elected to the Executive Board are Steffen Schöppe, DL7ATE, Dr. Jürgen Sturhahn, DL8LE, Martin Köhler, DL1DCT, and Mitch Wolfson, DJ0QN. Wolfson who is originally from Los Angels California held the call WA6GSN. He still holds a U.S. license and the call K7DX. He's also believed to be the first non German ever elected to this post in the DARC.
The meeting where the election took place was n the city of Bad Lippspringe and took place on October on 24th. (Southgate)
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NAMES IN THE NEWS: VE4HAY RE-ELERCTED RAC MIDWEST DIRECTOR
And congratulations to Derek Hay, VE4HAY, of Winnipeg who has been re-elected as the Midwest Region Director of Radio Amateurs of Canada. Hey ran unopposed and was declared re-elected on September 16th. (RAC)
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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:
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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: COMMUNICATIONS IN A SHRIMPS EYE
From the technology page comes the story of the remarkable eyes of a marine crustacean could inspire the next generation of DVD, CD players and possibly telecommunications gear. This, according to a new study from the University of Bristol published in Nature Photonics. Amateur Radio Newsline's Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, has the rest of this fascinating story of communications under the sea:
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The mantis shrimps used in the study are found on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and have the most complex vision systems known to science. They can see in twelve colors while humans see in only three. Also, it can distinguish between different forms of polarized light.
Special light-sensitive cells in mantis shrimp eyes act as quarter wave plates which can rotate the plane of the polarization of a light wave as it travels through it. This capability makes it possible for mantis shrimps to convert linearly polarized light to circularly polarized light and vice versa.
Manmade quarter-wave plates perform this essential function in CD and DVD players and in circular polarizing filters for cameras. However, these artificial devices only tend to work well for one color of light while the natural mechanism in the mantis shrimp's eyes works almost perfectly across the whole visible spectrum from near-ultra violet to infra-red.
Dr. Nicholas Roberts is the lead author of the Nature Photonics paper. He says that the work of his team reveals for the first time the unique design and mechanism of the quarter-wave plate in the mantis shrimp's eye. He describes it as exceptional and out performing anything we humans have so far been able to create.
Exactly why the mantis shrimp needs such exquisite sensitivity to circularly polarized light isn't clear. However, polarization vision is used by animals for secret communication that avoids the attention of other animals, especially predators. It could also assist in the finding and catching of prey by improving the clarity of images underwater. If this mechanism in the mantis shrimp provides an evolutionary advantage, it could help scientists create better optical devices in the future using liquid crystals that have been chemically engineered to mimic the properties of the cells in the mantis shrimp's eye.
This would not be the first time humans have looked to the natural world for new ideas. In another bit of research the lobster's compound eye recently inspired the design of an X-ray detector for an astronomical telescope.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, looking at communications technology in the briny deep.
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This new research into the amazing vision capabilities of the mantis shrimp and how it might one day improve communications in the human world was conducted at the University of Bristol's School of Biological Sciences in collaboration with colleagues the University of Queensland in Australia. (Adapted from Science OnLine)
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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: MOBILE AND HANDHELD DTV STANDARD IS APPROVED
A fast-track effort by broadcasters, transmission vendors and consumer electronics manufacturers to create a technical standard for transmitting digital TV signals to cellular telephones and other mobile devices has come to fruition. This, with the Advanced Television Systems Committee announcing that it has approved a ATSC Mobile Digital television Standard.
The Advanced Television Systems Committee says that the mobile standard formally known as A/153 and also received overwhelming support in balloting by its full membership tallied at midnight on October 15th. The formal approval of the standard, which has been circulating in preliminary form since last November, should pave the way for mobile DTV receivers to hit retail shelves next year.
Development of the standard officially began in May 2007, when the Advanced Television Systems Committee released a request for proposals for a standard for the mobile and hand held telecasting system. It has progressed at record setting pace since then. (RW)
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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: ON-STAR USES RADIO TO END PURSUIT
For the first time since it was created, the On-Star highway safety system pioneered by General Motors has been used to bring an end to a high speed pursuit. Amateur Radio Newsline's Norm Seeley, KI7UP, has the details:
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It all took place about two weeks ago when the victim identified as Jose Ruiz, of Lindsay, California, was sitting in his Tahoe in a lighted parking lot about 3 a.m.. This, while his cousin was talking on a cell phone in the passenger seat. Out of the corner of his eye, Ruiz says that he saw a man walking toward him. The man then allegedly pointed a sawed-off shotgun at Ruiz and ordered both men to get out of the Tahoe and empty their pockets. Ruiz's cousin at first refused, but Ruiz told him to obey, knowing that OnStar could find the stolen truck with the built-in global positioning system.
The cousin relented and the man sped off in the truck. Ruiz then ran toward a nearby pay telephone to call police. As luck would have it he spotted a sheriff's deputy on her break who in turn notified the Visalia police. Officers quickly contacted OnStar and got Ruiz's permission to find the vehicle.
Police spotted it a few miles away. As officers made a U-turn to pursue it, the Tahoe sped off at a high speed. At about the same time, police dispatchers told the pursuing officers that OnStar was about to disable the stolen vehicle by radio command. It did, the Tahoe rolled to a halt, and the robber was quickly captured without any injuries except maybe to the alleged robbers pride.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Norm Seeley, KI7UP, in Scottsdale, Arizona.
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The bottom line. Technology may soon make it very unattractive to try to steal a car if the thief knows that there is a 1 in 2 chance that he will be caught by radio remote control. (Future Technology)
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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: BOSE INTRODUCES WIRELESS STREAMING AUDIO SPEAKER
Audio equipment maker Bose has introduced its new SoundLink wireless music system. This is a one-piece portable speaker system that allows users to play streaming audio from their computer wirelessly in and around the home.
The new SoundLink system was designed as a simple solution for people who listen to sound stored on their computer, but do not necessarily want to be at their computer to hear it. No software or Wi-Fi connection is required. Just plug the included USB key into the computer, select the sound from any Internet source and the audio will stream to the SoundLink system via a long-range wireless link that works through most walls and floors.
The included infrared remote control operates the power and volume. It c an also send transport control commands to most applications, allowing users to skip tracks or play/pause from a distance. More information about this novel product is on-line at www.Bose.com (New Product News)
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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: FLO TV TO BE AVAILABLE BY CHRISTMAS
A new form of television will soon be at arms reach. Jim Davis, W2JKD, has the details:
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Coming in time for Christmas is a wireless handheld TV that will have its own dedicated network. The new FLO TV Personal Television, or PTV, is a live mobile TV service from Qualcomm that is used for AT&T Mobile Television and Verizon's V-Cast.
The PTV will sell for $250, and subscriptions begin at $9 a month. FLO TV isn't saying yet what content it has lined up, but the AT&T and V-Cast products have 15 channels apiece, including CBS Mobile, CNBC, Comedy Central, ESPN Mobile, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, MTV and Nickelodeon.
Plans call for DVR functionality down the road. The big question is just how many people will be willing to pay for a service that supplies programs to a miniscule 2 or 3 inch screen.
Im Jim Davis, W2JKD
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The answer as to weather we will some day see a world of humans walking aimlessly down a street with their eyes glued to a tiny screen will be interesting to watch out for. And if it does catch on, then we do mean to watch out! (TV Tech)
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WORLDBEAT: RADIO SWEDEN TO STOP QSL'ING LISTENER REPORTS
Radio Sweden says that it is discontinuing mailing QSL cards to listeners in response to reception reports. Also, the station will be discontinuing mass mailouts of its program schedules.
According to Media Network, with the start of the new transmission period on October 25th, Radio Sweden will only be publishing its broadcast schedule on the World-Wide-Web. Radio Sweden says that this is a logical consequence of the increasing importance of the Internet as a broadcast platform and because it has stopped broadcasting its own programs in the Swedish language.
The only exception is when the station receives a specific request for a printed version of its schedules Listeners can contact Swedish Radio’s Listener Service department with these requests. (Media Network)
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HAM HAPPENINGS: ARECEBO OBSERVATORY ON NOVEMBER 1st
And while this is kind of short notice, word that the second activation of station KP4AQ located at the Arecibo Observatory Radio Club will take place on Sunday Novmber 1st. This, to commemorate 46 years of operations of still the single largest radio telescope antenna in the world. The operation will also commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Arecibo Message, which was sent on November 16, 1974,in binary code and transmitted to the globular star cluster M13. Its purpose was for if it to be received by intelligent life and to let them know about our existence. The special event will run from 1300 to 2000 UTC on 20 meters SSB. More information about the Arecibo Message is in cyberspace at at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arecibo_message ( E-mail)
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HAM HAPPENINGS: NORTH AMERICAN SUMMITS ON THE AIR
This North American Summits on the Air or SOTA activation day is Saturday, November 14th. To celebrate, the four North American Summits on the Air associations are planning a multi-hilltop activation spanning the North American continent. Portable, mountain top stations will be operating from the VE2, W1, W2, and W6 call areas. The operators will be using the extensive spotting and alerting system devised by the SOTA organization. To join in the fun, please visit the www.sota.org.uk to get the latest details. (KI6J)
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BREAK 3
Running a bit long this week because there's so much news to report, 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)
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DX
In DX, KL7JR reports that plans are underway for the activation of Jacquot Island before and during ARRL's December 11th to the 13th Ten Meter Contest. Listen out for VY1RST to concentrate on 10 meters for the contest and 14.260 for non-contest activities. QSL via KL7JR at his callbook address.
And ZS6TAF, who works in Maputo Mozambique from time to time will be operate mobile using the callsign C91BA. He has a Yaesu 857D and Watson mobile antenna for 80 through 6 meters. QSL via his home callsign.
A team of operators will be on the air from Arturo Prat-Greenwich Island in the South Shetland archipelago between January 10th to the 24th of 2010. Their callsign will be XR9JA. Activity will be on 160-6 meters using CW, SSB,PSK31 and the AO-51 ham radio satellite. QSL via CE5JA.
CT1DRB, is active as T6AG from Afghanistan for the next 6 months. His operation will be CW only.. QSL via EA3GHZ
direct.
Lastly, N1EMC and N1IW and will be active as T30KI and T30IW, respectively, from Western Kiribati. This, between November 10th and the 16th. Activity will be on H-F plus 6 meters as conditions permit using SSB and CW. QSL via N1EMC.
(Above from various DX news sources)
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THAT FINAL ITEM: PUBLIC SERVICE - HAM RADIO - AND THE ING NYC MARATHON
And finally, its once again time for the biggest annual ham radio public service event found anywhere in the world. The New York City Marathon began in 1970 with 127 runners, a budget of $1,000 and a small group of ARES operators who tried to provide communications. Today, the I-N-G sponsored race has grown to the status of World Class Marathon with over 38,000 runners, two million spectators and a corps of over 400 ham radio volunteers holding it all together.
This years New York City Marathon takes place on Sunday, November 1st. In planning for marathon day there is a coordinated effort between the New York Road Runners and several New York City agencies. While each agency has its own dedicated communications system, no two have the ability to talk to one another. Enter ham radio.
Since 1976, Steve Mendelsohn, W2ML, has been the volunteer Director of Communications for the New York City Marathon. He says that the hams are the only ones who can communicate with everyone involved:
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Steve Mendelsohn, W2ML: And the reason we can communicate with everyone involved is not because of the iron, its not because of the radios -- its because of our skills. As technology has advanced and we have brought in the use of cellphones and the usew of the Nextel system and trunked radio, time and again, matrathon organizers frpm the original Fred Lebow through his successor Alan Steinfeld, W2TN, to todays New York City Marathon Director Mary Wittenberg all say the same thing: '…you can by any amount of radios with any amount of money, but all the money in the world won't buy the skills the ham radio community has.' "
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Mendelsohn’s words have long been echoed by Paul Ortolano, who is the events director for the New York Road Runners. In a 2007 interview, Ortolano told the Hofstra Chronicle newspaper that amateur radio operators are the key source of communications for the marathon. He said that the marathon cannot happen each year without the dedication of the ham radio community. Ortolano called them the eyes and ears of the event and Mendelsohn is quick to agree:
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Steve Mendelsohn, W2ML: "The New York Road Runners cannot put staff out there nor can the New York Police put the quantity of staff that we use with over 400 ham rafio operators providing eyes -- walking quarter mile segments of the course, patrolling for fallen runners. We have the the hardware. We have the expertise and the New York City Marathon has long said very, very good things about our operation."
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In addition to his volunteer work with the NYC Marathon, Steve Mendelsohn, W2ML, is a senior engineer at the ABC Television Network in New York. He is the recipient of a Technical Emmy for his part in ABC's special turn of the century telecast titled "2000: Millennium Around the World." Ansd to top it off in 1990 he was named Hamvention Radio Amateur of the Year for his development of the ham radio commubnications network that keeps the New York Cfity Marathon on track. He became involved with the marathon when its founder, the late Fred Lebow came to a Tri-State Repeater Council meeting looking for an amateur radio expert. Steve said that he didn’t exactly volunteer. Rather he was volunteered by the other hams at the repeater coordinators gathering:
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Steve Mendelsohn, W2ML: "In point of fact, I listened to the late Fred Lebow talk about shutting down the city, running a huge number of people -- I think the original number was about 1300 -- through the steeets of the city -- and I turned to the then president of TSARC and I said that this man is out of his mind. I then excused myself to go to the mens room. When I came back the first thing that struck me was listening to Fred talk about how excited he was to work with us and the fact that amateur radio was going to provide a very, very important safety point for the New York City Marathon. I casually sat down, turned to the president and said '…who would volunteer for something luike this?' He smiled and said '…the onee that was out of the room.' And to this day I have never volunteered."
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Since then, W2ML has been the New York Marathon Director of Communications. Under his aegis, the ham radio communications network for the eventhas grown in size to become the largest all volunteer ham radio communications group found anywhere:
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Steve Mendelsohn, W2ML: "We are very fortunate to have a lot of people who really enjoy doing public service. This year we will hasve over 400 hams -- I think we are up to 406 or 407 at this with the two volunteers we got tonight. They come in from Massdachusettes, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio amd we even have a gentleman who comes in from Denver. K2AD comes in from the Denver Marathon to provide a hand.
"Most of us, while we all celebrate ham radio and what it can do for the running public. In fact we have bcome a very close knit family to the point where there is a group from Columbus, Ohio, that actually rents an RV as part of a three-day weekend, and they drive to New York. They then go into Manhattan and enjoy the city on Friday and Saturday and Sunday morning they do the marathon. Then they drive back to Ohio and that’s their idea of a vacation."
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W2ML is responsible for more than just recruiting ham radio operators. He has to know how to strategically place them in vital positions along the course. Some of these include the start and finish lines, the water trucks, the medical stations, and of coarse the checkpoints throughout the race path.
This year Mendelsohn expects to have volunteer operators from nine different states. Many of these are the same volunteer ham radio operators that placed their own lives on the line to assist following the attack of the World Trade Center in 2001. That act of terrorism also destroyed the ability for police, fire and rescue workers to communicate in lower Manhattan. Jumping in immediately as communications first responders were the regions ham radio operators. They volunteered their time and radio gear as substitute communications for police, fire and other emergency agencies responding to the disaster area. The hams also served at numerous shelters and at temporary rescue stations as the only available communications. In the process earned the respect ad admiration of city, state and federal level government officials.
Since then many have been back to offering communications for the annual race through the streets of the Big Apple, but because of the lessons that they have learned over the years in service to the New York City Marathon, these hams are prepared to face just about any emergency that might come their way. (ARNewsline™)
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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™. Our e-mail address is newsline@arnewsline.org. More information is available at Amateur Radio Newsline's™ only official website located at www.arnewsline.org. You can also write to us or support us at Amateur Radio Newsline™, P.O. Box 660937, Arcadia, California 91066.
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™ is Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
__________________
Fred Lloyd, AA7BQ
Publisher, QRZ.COM
aa7bq@qrz.com
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THE BPL WAR: A BIG WIN IN SWEDEN
We begin this week with news that one European nation is saying no to interference caused by Broadband over Powerline Internet access. Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, is in the studio with more:
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Telecommunications regulators in Sweden have withdrawn certain Broadband over Powerline or Powerline Transmission Internet access equipment from the public marketplace. A recent C-E-P-T Electronic Communications Committee report notes that the Swedish regulator ordered the sale of such gear to cease because some BPL gear pollutes the radio spectrum.
Mention of the Swedish action in withdrawing the equipment appears in the Report from the Working Group Spectrum Engineering Bordeaux, 07 11 September 2009. It gives the reasons behind the decision to impose these latest anti RF interference standards on BPL service in that nation.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, in the newsroom in Los Angeles.
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You can read the report in its entirety at www.ero.dk/37D6714E-27DF-42D7...183?frames=no& (Southgate)
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NEWSLINE FOLLOW-UP: MORE ON THE C6APR TRAGEDY
The contesting world is still in shock at the tragic news that four members of the C6APR team perished when their light aircraft crashed soon after take-off in South Carolina the pre dawn hours of Wednesday, October 21st.
Killed when the twin engine Piper Aztec PA-23 plummeted to the ground shortly after takeoff from Summerville Airport in South Carolina were the pilot Peter Radding W2GJ, along with passengers Ed Steeble, K3IXD, Randy Hargenrader K4QO and Dallas Carter W3PP.
According to news reports, Radding had been flying for over 40 years and Hargenrader was also a licensed pilot. All four were on their way Crooked Island in the Bahamas by way of Ft. Pearce, Florida, to operate the CQ World Wide DX Contest when the accident occurred. Crooked Island is a location used on seven previous occasions by the team since 2006.
The National Transportation Safety Board in Washington D.C., is the lead investigating agency. NTSB investigator Shawn Etcher said the plane banked to the left after takeoff. He said that judging by marks found on trees near the wreckage, it appears the plane climbed to an altitude of at least 90 feet before crashing. The crash scene was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.
Sixty-six year old Stella Bazzle lives about a half-mile from the crash site. She is quoted as saying that the plane's engines didn't sound right as it passed near her house. She described it as a roaring and grinding sound. Bazzle, then heard what sounded like two explosions, with the first one bigger than the second.
The wreckage was to have been transported to Atlanta, Georgia, for closer examination. Typically, it takes the N-T-S-B between 12 and 18 months to determine the cause of a crash, but a preliminary report is expected out shortly. (Summerville Journal, Charleston Press, others)
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HAM RADIO IN SPACE: SUMBANDILLASAT DESIGNATED AS SO-67
The recently launched South African SumbandilaSat has now been designated as SO-67. AMSAT's OSCAR Number Coordinator Bill Tynan, W3XO, made the designation shortly after receiving an e-mail from the secretary South Africa AMSAT requesting that an OSCAR number be allocated to the new ham radio bird. .
As previously reported, the amateur radio payload on Sumbandillasat was developed by South Africa AMSAT and incorporated by the University of Stellenbosch into the main payload. The ham radio payload was officially coordinated through the IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel with an uplink of 145.880 MHz and a downlink of 435.350 MHz.
Late word is that the F-M transponder on SumbandilaSat will be activated for the first time over North America on Saturday October 24 at 19:52 UTC. In this mode Sunbandillasat will uplink on 145.875 MHz and downlink on 435.345 MHz. A CTCSS tone of 233.6 Hz is needed to access this F-M repeater in the sky. (ANS)
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HAM RADIO IN SPACE: AMSAT REVEALS ITS NEXT GEN CUBESAT
AMSAT will work with a university student engineering team to develop the NextGen Cubesat. Program Manager, Alex Harvilchuck, N3NP, introduced this new program at the recent AMSAT Symposium. That’s where he also revealed the program goals. These include an initial analysis of ARISSat-1, analysis of the lessons learned from the renamed SuitSat 2 project and other prior spacecraft. This, to create a building block architecture for future satellites. N3NP says that NextGen will feature an open, modular, evolutionary, and documented design based on this analysis. More on this new bird is at the AMSAT website at www.amsat.org. (ANS)
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BREAK 1
From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the N5IUF repeater serving Dallas, Texas.
(5 sec pause here)
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RADIO LAW: GROUP PROPOSES REVISING 97:111 TO PERMIT UNRESTRICTED HAM RADIO EMCOMM
Meantime, a small group of hams has petitioned the FCC to add a new section to Part 97:111 of the Amateur Service rules. The Amateur Radio Policy Committee has filed a request to the regulatory agency to add a sub-part6 t that rule to permit any ham to participate in emergency training drills, whether or not he or she is in the employ of an entity taking pat in the exercise.
The wording that the group is proposing would permit transmissions necessary for disaster relief or emergency response, including training exercises, planning, drills or tests without regard to whether the amateur operator has related employment. This, where the transmissions are for the exclusive use of amateur radio operators for non-commercial purposes.
The request is signed by three prominent radio amateurs. They are Tom Blackwell, N5GAR, of Dallas, Texas; David Coursey, N5FDL, from Tracy, California, and ham radio educator Gordon West, WB6NOA, of Costa Mesa, California. They say that their petition is presented in what they term as Section 97 point 1 of the FCC rules. 97 point 1 defines FCC licensed amateur operators as part of a voluntary non-commercial communications service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.
The petition was accepted by the FCC on October 15th, but so far it has not been assigned a rule making number nor has it been released for public comment. (QRZ.com, others)
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RESCUE RADIO: NEW ADVANCES IN EMCOMM FEATURED ON THE BBC
Recent developments in emergency broadband communications is the topic of a BBC interview with Mike Outmesguine KG6NHH. Outmesguine is the president and founder of TransStellar, Inc., a successful technology services company with an emphasis on wireless mobility and energy information systems.
The BBC news item says that KG6NHH has demonstrated an easy way to produce what it calls a "Network Relief Kit." This is described as an ultra portable method of connecting to the internet from almost any location in the world.
The system works by contacting one of three satellites orbiting the earth to get an internet connection. The receiver can then be plugged in, using ethernet cables, to a standard router, VoIP phone or similar devices.
The BBC says that In 2003-2004 the equipment cost some $40,000 . but these days the whole kit, Now, thanks to advances in technology the entire kit can be carried in a back-pack with its cost down to around $3,000 including the solar panel. Connectivity is said to be fast enough to watch videos on YouTube.
You can read the full BBC report at news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8318156.stm The BBC Digital Planet radio interview with Mike Outmesguine, KG6NHH, is at www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004l2hz (BBC)
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RESCUE RADIO: FEMA SELECTS NEXT GENERATION EAS TESING LAB
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has selected a site for a lab to test new Emergency Alert System equipment. This as the next step to assure that the equipment fully complies with the new Common Alerting Protocol or CAP system that is still being developed.
FEMA has awarded Eastern Kentucky University a contract to test the next generation of EAS equipment to make sure it conforms with the CAP protocol developed by the Integrated Public Alert and Warning or IPAWS System. Making equipment available that can receive a Common Alerting Protocol message is the first of several objectives that must be accomplished before FEMA adopts the system. (FEMA)
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PUBLIC SERVICE: DELTA ARC TO SUPPORT MERMPHIS ST. JUDE MARATHON
The Memphis based Delta Amateur Radio Club will be providing communications support to the upcoming St. Jude Marathon. This December 5th event is sponsored by St. Jude children’s' hospital. More information on the marathon is on-line at www.stjudemarathon.org. Information on the club is at www.deltaclub.org. (NF5B)
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ENFORCEMENT: BANK OF AMERICA VS. THE FCC
It’s the FCC versus one of the nations largest banking institutions in a dispute over a satellite earth station. Fred Vobbe, W8HDU, has the details:
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Even those at the very top can hear the word no from the FCC. Take the giant Bank of America which has been told that it has to apply for a new permit to operate an Earth station because it accidentally let its old license expire.
The story goes like this. On September 10, 2009, Bank of America filed a petition to request reinstatement of its earth station license for call sign E990192, which had expired this past July 20th. Bank of America states that the oversight was inadvertent and due to a new monitoring and maintenance contract. Bank of America further explained that the new contractor has put this earth station into its database to ensure timely renewal filings in the future.
But in its October 9th denial, the FCC said that under its rules a petition for reinstatement of an expired license will be considered only if the petition is filed within 30 days of the license expiration date. It said that Bank of America did not file its petition within this time frame, nor did it ask for a waiver of this rule. So based on this it has denied Bank of America’s request for re-instatement of authority for earth station call sign E990192. It also said that if Bank of America seeks regular authority to operate this earth station, it must file an application for a new license for this station.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Fred Vobbe, W8HDU.
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In rendering its decision the FCC did say that the bank can file for a Special Temporary Authority to operate the station that the agency indicates that it will be granted. (FCC)
**
NEWSLINE FOLLOW-UP: AMAZON PAYS $150,000 TO SETTLE KINDLE SUIT
Amazon has agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a tort action filed by 17 year old Justin Gawronski. He's the Michigan teen who sued the online retailer after George Orwell's novels "1984" and "Animal Farm" along with his homework were deleted from his Kindle electronic book.
The Orwell novels had been added to the online retailer's site by a company that did not have the rights to sell them. In mid-July, with no notice to customers about the error, Amazon remotely deleted the e-books. Gawronski was adversely affected when the deletion also partially destroyed his homework.
The money, after going to the law firm representing the teen, will be donated to charity. Gawronski had already been compensated for the loss with a $30 gift certificate. (Published news reports)
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RADIO RESEARCH: OLD LOGS NEEDED T STUDY THE ERLY 20TH CENTURY
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin and Miami University of Ohio are seeking copies of amateur station logs from 1913 through 1927. This, in hopes they may offer insights into the relationship between individuals' work and leisure activities, technology, and their social networks of he era.
Phil Kim is an Assistant Professor at the Wisconsin School of Business. He notes that diaries, letters, QSL cards and station logs can contain valuable insights into the link between an individual's occupation, hobbies and friends.
Kim notes that early in amateur radio history, thousands of ham radio enthusiasts were licensed by the government to comply with the Radio Act of 1912. At that time and due to newly enacted rules, that those early hams began to more carefully document the new communications era.
In an effort to uncover new information about approaches to work and leisure time and the development of social networks, Kim and other researchers are comparing early ham licensing records from the Department of Commerce with detailed information in amateur operators' station logs. If you happen to have an old ham station log from that period that you would like to see included in the study, please contact Steve Johnston, WD8DAS, via e-mail to johnson at wpr dot net. (WD8DAS, QCWA)
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RADIO EDUCATION: THE COLLEGE AMATEUR RADIO CLUB ASSOCIATION
If you are in college or are preparing to attend, then the new College Amateur Radio Club Association may interest you. The web based organization is described as an attempt to create a community of college students, faculty, and alumni in order to unite the college clubs. According to Bryce Salmi, KB1LQC, the hope is promote amateur radio to college students through which collaborative innovations in technology can be made, and college clubs will retain a more stable membership. The groups home is located in cyberspace at www.collegearc.com (KB1LQC)
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NAMES IN THE NEWS: KB2GSD PERSONAL PAPERS GO TO HIS COLLEGE
The estate of the late Water Cronkite, KB2GSD, has made public. The retired CBS newsman has bequeathed his college alma mater what amounts to a treasure trove of papers and memorabilia chronicling his career.
Cronklite dropped out of the University of Texas at Austin in 1935 as a junior. Instead, he decided to pursue a career in the news business but the broadcasting legend never abandoned his Texas-based educational roots.
According to his last will and testament now on file at Manhattan Surrogate’s Court, KB2GSD bequeathed his personal papers to the university. This is really a process that actually started before his death on July 17 but will now end with the release of materials he had held onto at his office and homes in Manhattan and on Martha’s Vineyard.
After becoming a television anchor, Cronkite returned often to campus as a lecturer and lent his announcing skills to the university as the narrator of ads that are still used at athletic events and to promote Longhorn accomplishments. (Published reports)
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NAMES IN THE NEWS: TAPR ELECTS NEW OFFICERS
Tucson Amateur Packet Radio has elected Steve Bible, N7HPR, as it new President. Other leadership positions include Scott Cowling, WA2DFI, as Vice President; Tom Holmes, N8ZM, as Treasurer; and Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, as Secretary. TAPR also recently elected three new members to their Board of Directors. They are Scott Cowling, WA2DFI; John Koster, W9DDD, and Mark Thompson, WB9QZB.
The election results were made public at the recent ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference in Chicago, Illinois. At the gathering the TAPR Board of Directors of selected named Dr David Toth, VE3GYQ, as President Emeritus of the group. Dr. Toth served as TAPR President from 2005 to 2009 and as a member of the Board from 1987 through 1993 and 2004 to the present. (TAPR)
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NAMES IN THE NEWS: DL3OAP NEW CHAIR OF DARC EXECUTIVE BOARD
Some names in the news. First over to Germany where Dr. Walter Schlink, DL3OAP has been elected as Chairman of the Deutscher Amateur Radio Club’s Executive Board. He succeeds Jochen Hindrichs, DL9KCX. Hindrichs had served as Chairman since May, 2001, but decided not to run for anther term.
Also elected to the Executive Board are Steffen Schöppe, DL7ATE, Dr. Jürgen Sturhahn, DL8LE, Martin Köhler, DL1DCT, and Mitch Wolfson, DJ0QN. Wolfson who is originally from Los Angels California held the call WA6GSN. He still holds a U.S. license and the call K7DX. He's also believed to be the first non German ever elected to this post in the DARC.
The meeting where the election took place was n the city of Bad Lippspringe and took place on October on 24th. (Southgate)
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NAMES IN THE NEWS: VE4HAY RE-ELERCTED RAC MIDWEST DIRECTOR
And congratulations to Derek Hay, VE4HAY, of Winnipeg who has been re-elected as the Midwest Region Director of Radio Amateurs of Canada. Hey ran unopposed and was declared re-elected on September 16th. (RAC)
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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)
**
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: COMMUNICATIONS IN A SHRIMPS EYE
From the technology page comes the story of the remarkable eyes of a marine crustacean could inspire the next generation of DVD, CD players and possibly telecommunications gear. This, according to a new study from the University of Bristol published in Nature Photonics. Amateur Radio Newsline's Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, has the rest of this fascinating story of communications under the sea:
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The mantis shrimps used in the study are found on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and have the most complex vision systems known to science. They can see in twelve colors while humans see in only three. Also, it can distinguish between different forms of polarized light.
Special light-sensitive cells in mantis shrimp eyes act as quarter wave plates which can rotate the plane of the polarization of a light wave as it travels through it. This capability makes it possible for mantis shrimps to convert linearly polarized light to circularly polarized light and vice versa.
Manmade quarter-wave plates perform this essential function in CD and DVD players and in circular polarizing filters for cameras. However, these artificial devices only tend to work well for one color of light while the natural mechanism in the mantis shrimp's eyes works almost perfectly across the whole visible spectrum from near-ultra violet to infra-red.
Dr. Nicholas Roberts is the lead author of the Nature Photonics paper. He says that the work of his team reveals for the first time the unique design and mechanism of the quarter-wave plate in the mantis shrimp's eye. He describes it as exceptional and out performing anything we humans have so far been able to create.
Exactly why the mantis shrimp needs such exquisite sensitivity to circularly polarized light isn't clear. However, polarization vision is used by animals for secret communication that avoids the attention of other animals, especially predators. It could also assist in the finding and catching of prey by improving the clarity of images underwater. If this mechanism in the mantis shrimp provides an evolutionary advantage, it could help scientists create better optical devices in the future using liquid crystals that have been chemically engineered to mimic the properties of the cells in the mantis shrimp's eye.
This would not be the first time humans have looked to the natural world for new ideas. In another bit of research the lobster's compound eye recently inspired the design of an X-ray detector for an astronomical telescope.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, looking at communications technology in the briny deep.
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This new research into the amazing vision capabilities of the mantis shrimp and how it might one day improve communications in the human world was conducted at the University of Bristol's School of Biological Sciences in collaboration with colleagues the University of Queensland in Australia. (Adapted from Science OnLine)
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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: MOBILE AND HANDHELD DTV STANDARD IS APPROVED
A fast-track effort by broadcasters, transmission vendors and consumer electronics manufacturers to create a technical standard for transmitting digital TV signals to cellular telephones and other mobile devices has come to fruition. This, with the Advanced Television Systems Committee announcing that it has approved a ATSC Mobile Digital television Standard.
The Advanced Television Systems Committee says that the mobile standard formally known as A/153 and also received overwhelming support in balloting by its full membership tallied at midnight on October 15th. The formal approval of the standard, which has been circulating in preliminary form since last November, should pave the way for mobile DTV receivers to hit retail shelves next year.
Development of the standard officially began in May 2007, when the Advanced Television Systems Committee released a request for proposals for a standard for the mobile and hand held telecasting system. It has progressed at record setting pace since then. (RW)
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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: ON-STAR USES RADIO TO END PURSUIT
For the first time since it was created, the On-Star highway safety system pioneered by General Motors has been used to bring an end to a high speed pursuit. Amateur Radio Newsline's Norm Seeley, KI7UP, has the details:
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It all took place about two weeks ago when the victim identified as Jose Ruiz, of Lindsay, California, was sitting in his Tahoe in a lighted parking lot about 3 a.m.. This, while his cousin was talking on a cell phone in the passenger seat. Out of the corner of his eye, Ruiz says that he saw a man walking toward him. The man then allegedly pointed a sawed-off shotgun at Ruiz and ordered both men to get out of the Tahoe and empty their pockets. Ruiz's cousin at first refused, but Ruiz told him to obey, knowing that OnStar could find the stolen truck with the built-in global positioning system.
The cousin relented and the man sped off in the truck. Ruiz then ran toward a nearby pay telephone to call police. As luck would have it he spotted a sheriff's deputy on her break who in turn notified the Visalia police. Officers quickly contacted OnStar and got Ruiz's permission to find the vehicle.
Police spotted it a few miles away. As officers made a U-turn to pursue it, the Tahoe sped off at a high speed. At about the same time, police dispatchers told the pursuing officers that OnStar was about to disable the stolen vehicle by radio command. It did, the Tahoe rolled to a halt, and the robber was quickly captured without any injuries except maybe to the alleged robbers pride.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Norm Seeley, KI7UP, in Scottsdale, Arizona.
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The bottom line. Technology may soon make it very unattractive to try to steal a car if the thief knows that there is a 1 in 2 chance that he will be caught by radio remote control. (Future Technology)
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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: BOSE INTRODUCES WIRELESS STREAMING AUDIO SPEAKER
Audio equipment maker Bose has introduced its new SoundLink wireless music system. This is a one-piece portable speaker system that allows users to play streaming audio from their computer wirelessly in and around the home.
The new SoundLink system was designed as a simple solution for people who listen to sound stored on their computer, but do not necessarily want to be at their computer to hear it. No software or Wi-Fi connection is required. Just plug the included USB key into the computer, select the sound from any Internet source and the audio will stream to the SoundLink system via a long-range wireless link that works through most walls and floors.
The included infrared remote control operates the power and volume. It c an also send transport control commands to most applications, allowing users to skip tracks or play/pause from a distance. More information about this novel product is on-line at www.Bose.com (New Product News)
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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: FLO TV TO BE AVAILABLE BY CHRISTMAS
A new form of television will soon be at arms reach. Jim Davis, W2JKD, has the details:
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Coming in time for Christmas is a wireless handheld TV that will have its own dedicated network. The new FLO TV Personal Television, or PTV, is a live mobile TV service from Qualcomm that is used for AT&T Mobile Television and Verizon's V-Cast.
The PTV will sell for $250, and subscriptions begin at $9 a month. FLO TV isn't saying yet what content it has lined up, but the AT&T and V-Cast products have 15 channels apiece, including CBS Mobile, CNBC, Comedy Central, ESPN Mobile, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, MTV and Nickelodeon.
Plans call for DVR functionality down the road. The big question is just how many people will be willing to pay for a service that supplies programs to a miniscule 2 or 3 inch screen.
Im Jim Davis, W2JKD
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The answer as to weather we will some day see a world of humans walking aimlessly down a street with their eyes glued to a tiny screen will be interesting to watch out for. And if it does catch on, then we do mean to watch out! (TV Tech)
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WORLDBEAT: RADIO SWEDEN TO STOP QSL'ING LISTENER REPORTS
Radio Sweden says that it is discontinuing mailing QSL cards to listeners in response to reception reports. Also, the station will be discontinuing mass mailouts of its program schedules.
According to Media Network, with the start of the new transmission period on October 25th, Radio Sweden will only be publishing its broadcast schedule on the World-Wide-Web. Radio Sweden says that this is a logical consequence of the increasing importance of the Internet as a broadcast platform and because it has stopped broadcasting its own programs in the Swedish language.
The only exception is when the station receives a specific request for a printed version of its schedules Listeners can contact Swedish Radio’s Listener Service department with these requests. (Media Network)
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HAM HAPPENINGS: ARECEBO OBSERVATORY ON NOVEMBER 1st
And while this is kind of short notice, word that the second activation of station KP4AQ located at the Arecibo Observatory Radio Club will take place on Sunday Novmber 1st. This, to commemorate 46 years of operations of still the single largest radio telescope antenna in the world. The operation will also commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Arecibo Message, which was sent on November 16, 1974,in binary code and transmitted to the globular star cluster M13. Its purpose was for if it to be received by intelligent life and to let them know about our existence. The special event will run from 1300 to 2000 UTC on 20 meters SSB. More information about the Arecibo Message is in cyberspace at at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arecibo_message ( E-mail)
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HAM HAPPENINGS: NORTH AMERICAN SUMMITS ON THE AIR
This North American Summits on the Air or SOTA activation day is Saturday, November 14th. To celebrate, the four North American Summits on the Air associations are planning a multi-hilltop activation spanning the North American continent. Portable, mountain top stations will be operating from the VE2, W1, W2, and W6 call areas. The operators will be using the extensive spotting and alerting system devised by the SOTA organization. To join in the fun, please visit the www.sota.org.uk to get the latest details. (KI6J)
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BREAK 3
Running a bit long this week because there's so much news to report, 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)
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DX
In DX, KL7JR reports that plans are underway for the activation of Jacquot Island before and during ARRL's December 11th to the 13th Ten Meter Contest. Listen out for VY1RST to concentrate on 10 meters for the contest and 14.260 for non-contest activities. QSL via KL7JR at his callbook address.
And ZS6TAF, who works in Maputo Mozambique from time to time will be operate mobile using the callsign C91BA. He has a Yaesu 857D and Watson mobile antenna for 80 through 6 meters. QSL via his home callsign.
A team of operators will be on the air from Arturo Prat-Greenwich Island in the South Shetland archipelago between January 10th to the 24th of 2010. Their callsign will be XR9JA. Activity will be on 160-6 meters using CW, SSB,PSK31 and the AO-51 ham radio satellite. QSL via CE5JA.
CT1DRB, is active as T6AG from Afghanistan for the next 6 months. His operation will be CW only.. QSL via EA3GHZ
direct.
Lastly, N1EMC and N1IW and will be active as T30KI and T30IW, respectively, from Western Kiribati. This, between November 10th and the 16th. Activity will be on H-F plus 6 meters as conditions permit using SSB and CW. QSL via N1EMC.
(Above from various DX news sources)
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THAT FINAL ITEM: PUBLIC SERVICE - HAM RADIO - AND THE ING NYC MARATHON
And finally, its once again time for the biggest annual ham radio public service event found anywhere in the world. The New York City Marathon began in 1970 with 127 runners, a budget of $1,000 and a small group of ARES operators who tried to provide communications. Today, the I-N-G sponsored race has grown to the status of World Class Marathon with over 38,000 runners, two million spectators and a corps of over 400 ham radio volunteers holding it all together.
This years New York City Marathon takes place on Sunday, November 1st. In planning for marathon day there is a coordinated effort between the New York Road Runners and several New York City agencies. While each agency has its own dedicated communications system, no two have the ability to talk to one another. Enter ham radio.
Since 1976, Steve Mendelsohn, W2ML, has been the volunteer Director of Communications for the New York City Marathon. He says that the hams are the only ones who can communicate with everyone involved:
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Steve Mendelsohn, W2ML: And the reason we can communicate with everyone involved is not because of the iron, its not because of the radios -- its because of our skills. As technology has advanced and we have brought in the use of cellphones and the usew of the Nextel system and trunked radio, time and again, matrathon organizers frpm the original Fred Lebow through his successor Alan Steinfeld, W2TN, to todays New York City Marathon Director Mary Wittenberg all say the same thing: '…you can by any amount of radios with any amount of money, but all the money in the world won't buy the skills the ham radio community has.' "
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Mendelsohn’s words have long been echoed by Paul Ortolano, who is the events director for the New York Road Runners. In a 2007 interview, Ortolano told the Hofstra Chronicle newspaper that amateur radio operators are the key source of communications for the marathon. He said that the marathon cannot happen each year without the dedication of the ham radio community. Ortolano called them the eyes and ears of the event and Mendelsohn is quick to agree:
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Steve Mendelsohn, W2ML: "The New York Road Runners cannot put staff out there nor can the New York Police put the quantity of staff that we use with over 400 ham rafio operators providing eyes -- walking quarter mile segments of the course, patrolling for fallen runners. We have the the hardware. We have the expertise and the New York City Marathon has long said very, very good things about our operation."
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In addition to his volunteer work with the NYC Marathon, Steve Mendelsohn, W2ML, is a senior engineer at the ABC Television Network in New York. He is the recipient of a Technical Emmy for his part in ABC's special turn of the century telecast titled "2000: Millennium Around the World." Ansd to top it off in 1990 he was named Hamvention Radio Amateur of the Year for his development of the ham radio commubnications network that keeps the New York Cfity Marathon on track. He became involved with the marathon when its founder, the late Fred Lebow came to a Tri-State Repeater Council meeting looking for an amateur radio expert. Steve said that he didn’t exactly volunteer. Rather he was volunteered by the other hams at the repeater coordinators gathering:
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Steve Mendelsohn, W2ML: "In point of fact, I listened to the late Fred Lebow talk about shutting down the city, running a huge number of people -- I think the original number was about 1300 -- through the steeets of the city -- and I turned to the then president of TSARC and I said that this man is out of his mind. I then excused myself to go to the mens room. When I came back the first thing that struck me was listening to Fred talk about how excited he was to work with us and the fact that amateur radio was going to provide a very, very important safety point for the New York City Marathon. I casually sat down, turned to the president and said '…who would volunteer for something luike this?' He smiled and said '…the onee that was out of the room.' And to this day I have never volunteered."
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Since then, W2ML has been the New York Marathon Director of Communications. Under his aegis, the ham radio communications network for the eventhas grown in size to become the largest all volunteer ham radio communications group found anywhere:
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Steve Mendelsohn, W2ML: "We are very fortunate to have a lot of people who really enjoy doing public service. This year we will hasve over 400 hams -- I think we are up to 406 or 407 at this with the two volunteers we got tonight. They come in from Massdachusettes, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio amd we even have a gentleman who comes in from Denver. K2AD comes in from the Denver Marathon to provide a hand.
"Most of us, while we all celebrate ham radio and what it can do for the running public. In fact we have bcome a very close knit family to the point where there is a group from Columbus, Ohio, that actually rents an RV as part of a three-day weekend, and they drive to New York. They then go into Manhattan and enjoy the city on Friday and Saturday and Sunday morning they do the marathon. Then they drive back to Ohio and that’s their idea of a vacation."
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W2ML is responsible for more than just recruiting ham radio operators. He has to know how to strategically place them in vital positions along the course. Some of these include the start and finish lines, the water trucks, the medical stations, and of coarse the checkpoints throughout the race path.
This year Mendelsohn expects to have volunteer operators from nine different states. Many of these are the same volunteer ham radio operators that placed their own lives on the line to assist following the attack of the World Trade Center in 2001. That act of terrorism also destroyed the ability for police, fire and rescue workers to communicate in lower Manhattan. Jumping in immediately as communications first responders were the regions ham radio operators. They volunteered their time and radio gear as substitute communications for police, fire and other emergency agencies responding to the disaster area. The hams also served at numerous shelters and at temporary rescue stations as the only available communications. In the process earned the respect ad admiration of city, state and federal level government officials.
Since then many have been back to offering communications for the annual race through the streets of the Big Apple, but because of the lessons that they have learned over the years in service to the New York City Marathon, these hams are prepared to face just about any emergency that might come their way. (ARNewsline™)
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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™. Our e-mail address is newsline@arnewsline.org. More information is available at Amateur Radio Newsline's™ only official website located at www.arnewsline.org. You can also write to us or support us at Amateur Radio Newsline™, P.O. Box 660937, Arcadia, California 91066.
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™ is Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
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Fred Lloyd, AA7BQ
Publisher, QRZ.COM
aa7bq@qrz.com