Amateur Radio NewslineT Report 1817 - June 8 2012 Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1817 with a release date of June 8, 2012 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a Q-S-T. A famed German DXer is arrested in Greece but nobody seems to know why, including Greece. Also, medical wireless network to operate adjacent to ham radio satellites on 13 centimeters; Malaysia says emergency agencies should embrace amateur radio and a primer on International lighthouse and lightship weekend. Find out the details are on Amateur Radio NewslineT report number 1817 coming your way right now. (Billboard Cart Here) ** RADIO LAW: FAMED GERMAN DX'ER DJ6SI ARRESTED IN GREECE In what has to be one of the strangest international legal issues involving a ham radio operator, famed German DXpedition leader Baldur Drobnica, DJ6SI, has been arrested in Greece. But in a strange turn of events he was permitted to return to Germany if he promised that he would come back to Greece for trial. Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, is in the newsroom trying to sort it all out: -- Let me start by saying that it is very hard to know what has really taken place because most of the news sources are foreign language ham radio blogs and other news reports that have been electronically translated into English. Also, as we go to air there comes a purported statement in German from the person in the center of the controversy, DXer Baldur Drobnika, DJ6SI. It was posted to QRZ.com by YO4PX after being translated by DK5KF. As that is the latest information, lets start there and then take a look at the rest of the story as it seemed to unfold. The statement credited to DJ6SI reads as follows: "June 3rd, 2012, 20:46 (UTC 2) Dear Michael, I wasn't charged with espionage. As a reason of my arrest it was stated that: 1. I performed radio traffic without the approval of the Greek authorities; 2. I owned transmitting equipment which enabled the reception of other frequencies; To the accusation was later added an other point: I hindered the visualization of the content of my notebook. I would like to ask you to eliminate the information that I was arrested for espionage, or to replace it with my statement. Vy 73 Baldur DJ6SI" Now, the back story: According to news reports, 75 year old Baldur Drobnica, DJ6SI was on holiday on the Greek island of Kos. That's where he was reportedly taken into custody for the crime of espionage which was quickly reduced to operating amateur radio equipment. This, even though both Greece and Drobnika's home country of Germany are both signatories to the CEPT pan-European Amateur Radio licensing agreement. Even so, Greek news reports appear to indicate DJ6SI was actually arrested under a 1929 Greek law covering illegal operation of radio telegraph equipment even though the CEPT agreement would likely superscede the older law. According to Greek ham radio blogs the accusation of espionage was based on a complaint that he was "producing strange noises" with his computer. Those strange noises turned out to be CW and RTTY. This was corroborated by many who notice reports of his operation on Internet-based DX spotting clusters. Quite quickly the espionage charge appeared to disappear and the reduced charge under the 1929 law implemented. And in a strange turn of events, DJ6SI was permitted to return to Germany but he was told that he must return to Greece to stand trial on June 7th. That hearing is likely taking place as this newscast goes to air. But as several Greek hams have pointed out, DJ6SI would have not been permitted to leave the country if there were any real case or even a suspicion that he was engaged in spying activities. And one Greek ham radio blog took the matter a lot further. The Radio Amateur Association of Greece issued an angry statement defending DJ6SI. It claims that the responsibility for the entire matter should be placed on the to the shoulders of the officer that ignored laws and regulations, arrested DJ6SI and led him to court. They also place blame on the prosecutor who they say was quick to suggest his conviction based on a law passed in 1927, in the year 2012. The hams also point out that radio amateurs have been complaining for years to the responsible Ministry that public services and institutions and particularly police have not been informed properly about ham radio. The association says that it's the governments duty to inform all relevant authorities about amateur radio and its operations. Obviously. This story is far from over. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, in the Newsroom in Los Angeles. -- You can read the Aegea News report in Google English at tinyurl.com/DJ6SI-Aegea-News. An article by Greek amateurs protesting Drobnika's arrest is at www.radiofono.gr/node/3251 (SV5YR, DK5KF, YO4PX, RadioInfo.gr, QRZ.com, others) ** RESCUE RADIO: MALAYSIA SAYS EMERGENCY AGENCIES SHOULD WORK WITH HAMS Emergency Agencies in Malaysia should work with Radio Amateurs. So says that nations Information Department director-general Ibrahim Abd Rahman. Director-general Rahman has been quoted in the Straits Times newspaper as saying that integration between the two should be encouraged as it helped the agencies to build good rapport and teamwork spirit. Rahman said that agencies like the Fire and Rescue Department, Civil Defense, police, the Malaysian Red Crescent Society, hospitals, the Royal Malaysian Air Force and the Department of Civil Aviation should work together with amateur radio operators. He notes that hams could be the key to communicate with people in distress and, therefore, a collaboration between government agencies and amateur radio users should be intensified. You can read the entire story of Malaysia's new emergency response proposal to include ham radio in its emergency communications system on-line at tinyurl.com/malaysian- emcomm. (Straits Times) ** RESTRUCTURING: NEW BANDS MADE AVAILABLE IN POLAND Some new spectrum for hams in Poland. Pawe3 Zakrzewski, SP7TEV, reports via the I-A-R-U Region One website that the Regulation of the Council of Ministers from April 3rd and published in the Journal of Laws of the Republic of Poland on May 17th has made available several new bands. These include 70.1 to 70.3 MHz on a secondary basis with a power limit of 20 watts. Also available to radio amateurs will be 2.400 to 2.450 Gigahertz without causing interference to the other services in line with the article number 5 of the ITU Radio Regulations. Lastly is 3.400 to 3.410 Gigahertz on a secondary basis, with no more than 20 watts effective radiated power. The changes to Poland's National Table of Allocation of the Radio Frequency Spectrum will come into effect on June 1st. (IARU R-1) ** RESTRUCTURING: BAND COVERAGE CHANGES IN DENMARK The Danish regulator the ERST has announced the availability for of 5250 to 5450 kHz and 472 to 479 kHz and an expansion to 70 MHz to that nation's amateur radio service. Effective this past June 1st, the pilot program at 5 MHz ceased. It was replaced by the new permanent allocation of 5250 to 5450 kHz. This spectrum can be used by that nation's A certificate holders at a power level of up to 1000 watts and B certificate holders at up to 100 watts out using all modulation types. Previously issued trial licenses are valid until their expiration date. Additionally ERST announced an expansion of 70 MHz which will become 69.9375 to 70.0625 MHz, 70.0875 to 70.1125 MHz and 70.1625 to 70.5125 MHz. No changes were implemented to the current modes and power levels for this band. Lastly, Denmark will also open a new amateur radio band at from 472 to 479 kHz as of January 1, 2013. (ERST) ** RESTRUCTURING: NEW LOW FREQUENCY BAND IN MONACO The telecommunications regulator of the Principality of Monaco has allocated the band segment of 472 to 479 kHz to its amateur service. This is on a secondary status basis and limited to a maximum power of one watt effective radiated power. (GB2RS) ** RESTRUCTURING: SA AGREEMENT FOR HAM RADIO AT YOUTH DAY EVENT The South African Radio League has signed an agreement with telecommunications regulator the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa that will allow unlicensed persons to operate an amateur radio station under the supervision of a licensed radio amateur. This without the need to register as an educational station. The agreement comes in time for implementation for the June 16th South Africa Youth Day event. Both SARL and ICASA look at this agreement as a further incentive to set up a demonstration station, involve more young people in the youth day sprint and show the average man in the street how great amateur radio is. (SARL) ** BREAK 1 From the United States of America, We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the W4GR repeater serving Sumter, South Carolina. (5 sec pause here) ** RESTRUCTURING: MED ELECTRONICS TO OPERATE ADJACENT TO HAMSATS 13 CM Medical electronics will soon be operational adjacent to ham radio in the 13 centimeter band. Amateur Radio Newsline's Cheryl Lasek, K9BIK, has more: -- The ARRL and AMSAT are reporting on a First Report and Order and a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking released by the FCC on May 24. In it the regulatory agency decided to expand the Part 95 Personal Radio Service rules to allow medical devices to operate on a secondary basis in the spectrum from 2360 to 2400 MHz. The new allocation came in a Report and Order on ET docket 08-59 and is specific for Medical Body Area Networks. These provide a way for health care facilities to monitor their patients without confining them to wired hookups. The use of these frequencies will be on a secondary basis. This means that Medical Body Area Networks stations will not be allowed to cause interference to, and must accept interference from, any primary services using the spectrum. This includes amateur radio which operate on a terrestrial primary basis in the 2390 to 2395 and 2395 to 2400 MHz bands. International amateur satellite operations are allocated between 2400 to 2450 MHz, which is adjacent to the new medical devices shared spectrum. For the amateur Radio newsline, I'm Cheryl Lasek, K9BIK, in Zion, Illinois. -- The assignment of this new medical service to the to the shared 13 centimeter band was not much of a surprise to those who have been following the communications politics taking pace in Washington of late. (ARRL, ANS) ** RADIO PLANNING: ARRL BOD APPROVES NEW 9CM BANDPLAN The ARRL Board of Directors has unanimously voted to approve a news 9 centimeter band plan. This, as presented to it by the League's UHF and Microwave Band Plan Committee. In its findings, the committee recognized that local conditions or needs may necessitate deviations from a band plan. Also that regional frequency coordinating bodies may recommend alternatives for use in their respective regions. Several interesting notes about the new bandplan include an advisory that weak signal terrestrial legacy users should be encouraged to move to 3400.3 to 3401.0 MHz, as time and resources permit. Also that broadband segments may be used for any combination of high-speed data, amateur television and other high-bandwidth activities. Division into channels and or separation of uses within these segments may be done regionally, based on need and usage. The new plan also notes that per I-T-U Radio Regulation 5.149 that in some regions these band segments are also used for Radio Astronomy. As such, amateur radio use of these frequencies should be first coordinated with the National Science Foundation. Earlier this year, the committee asked radio amateurs for comments on a proposed 9 cm band plan. At that time it explained that the purpose of these band plans is to share information about how the amateur spectrum is being used and to suggest compatible frequency ranges for various types of application. (ARRL) ** RADIO LAW: FCC DENIES CALL IDENTIFICATION CHANGE REQUEST The FCC has again denied a rule making petition from Glen Zook, K9STH, of Richardson, Texas. One that requested that Section 97.119(a) of the Commission's Rules be amended to include an exception to the station identification rule. Accorsding to the FCC, Section 97.119(a) provides that an amateur station must transmit its assigned call sign on its transmitting channel at the end of each communication, and at least every 10 minutes during a communication. In his petition Zook asserted that the requirement that a station transmit its assigned call sign at the end of each communication is routinely violated by amateur operators. The FCC says that Zook proposed to address this by adding to Section 97.119(a) which was an exception formerly contained in the Commission's regulations pertaining to the Amateur Radio Service. Specifically, K9STH requested that the rule be amended to provide that if an amateur station transmits its call sign during its first transmission, the call sign need not be transmitted at the end of the communications if the total communication is less than three minutes. Zook referred to this as the "3-minute rule." In denying Zook's request the FCC noted that his proposal to reinstate the "3-minute rule" was dismissed twice in the last five years. It says that his latest petition sets forth no new facts or changed circumstances warranting further consideration of the proposal. As such, the FCC concludes that the current petition is repetitive and as such it is being dismissed. (FCC) ** FCC NEWS: SEAN LEV NAMED NEW FCC GENERAL COUNSEL Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski has announced that Sean Lev, currently Deputy General Counsel and Special Advisor to the Chairman, will become FCC General Counsel. This after Austin Schlick announced his decision to step down as the agency's General Counsel, effective mid-June. According to his bio, Lev came to the FCC from the Department of Energy, where he served as the Acting General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel for Environment and Nuclear Programs. Before joining the D-O-E in June 2009, Lev was a partner at Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel, where his practice focused on telecommunications, administrative law, and appellate and general litigation. (FCC) ** HAM HAPPENINGS: HAM RADIO AT THE 2012 MENSA ANNUAL CONVENTION The 2012 Mensa Annual Gathering and National Convention will be held July 4th through the 8th in Reno, Nevada. During the gathering, the on-line Mensa amateur radio special interest group will be sponsoring the Special Events Station N-7-M. According to Bil Munsil, K1ATV, of Mesa, Arizona, there will be field day-type operation from the parking structure on top of the Silver Legacy resort. There also may be a 2 meter station and possibly an amateur fast scan ATV station in the lobby of the Reno Ballroom. More about the Mensa convention is on-line at www.ag.us.mensa.org. (K1ATV) ** HAM HAPPENINGS: FOX CITIES ARC TO COMMEMORATE AIRVENTURE 2012 Jon Oldenburg. AB9AH, tells Newsline that the Fox Cities Amateur Radio club will once again be hosting a special event amateur radio station at the EAA Airvenute 2012. This from July 25th to the 29th. Station W9ZL will operate each day from 1500 to 0000 UTC from the Airventure venue in Oshkosh Wisconsin. Stations will be active on 7.250 and 14.250 MHz SSB. Also on 52.550 MHz FM. For a commemorative please QSL with a large self addressed stamped envelope to FCARC AirVenture 2011, PO Box 2346, Appleton Wisconsin, 54912. According to AB9AH this will be the 19th year that the Fox Cities club will be hosting this commemorative Airventure station event. (AB9AH) ** HAMVENTION 2012: OFFICIAL FIGURE SAYS OVER 24000 ATTENDED THIS YEAR The numbers are out and they show conclusively that attendance at the Dayton Hamvention is on the rise. Amateur Radio Newsline's Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, has more: -- The official attendance of Hamvention 2012 reached 24,483. This good news was announced by 2012 Hamvention General Chairman Mike Kalter, W8CI, at the Dayton Amateur Radio Association meeting Friday night, June 1st. According to Kalter, this was an increase over last year. He attributed it in part to the excellent weather during Hamvention weekend. W8CI also noted that many vendors reported excellent sales during the three days of Hamvention. Also that many restaurants, hotels and motels also reported increased sales. This contributing to an estimated $10 million economic impact for the region. For the first time this year, a $3 Dayton Attractions Tour Shuttle ran from Hara's main entrance Friday and Saturday. Stops included the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, Wright Dunbar Interpretive Center, the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park and Carillon Park. In his address to the club, Kalter said that Hamvention would not be possible without the 500 plus volunteers who manage every aspect of the event. For those not aware, the Dayton Hamvention is the largest amateur radio gathering in the world and one of the largest events of its type operated entirely by volunteers. Planning is already beginning for the 62nd Hamvention which will be held at Hara Arena May 17, 18 and 19, 2013. We plan to be there and hope that you will be too. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Don Wilbanks AE5DW, in southern Mississippi. -- And one side note. Not to be forgotten was a high altitude balloon launch that was again part of Hamvention activities. The two-hour flight reached an altitude over 87,000 feet and landed in a pasture approximately eight miles southwest of the Hara Arena launch point. Ironically, the pasture was owned by a ham, Donald Fourman, AB8OS. (DARA) ** 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) ** THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD: VHF/UHF EXPERT EUGENE ZIMMERMANN, W3ZZ - SK We seem to say it more and more of late, but the changing of the guard in amateur radio continues with word of the passing of VHF and UHF expert Eugene Zimmerman, W3ZZ. Zimmermann, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, passed away on Sunday, June 3rd, was likely best known in ham radio circles as the author of the popular QST column "The World Above 50 MHz" that he wrote from 2002 to 2011. He also served on the ARRL Contest Advisory Committee, edited the VHF contesting column for CQ Contest magazine during its five- year lifespan and was director of the CQ VHF Contest from 2000 through 2002. First licensed in 1956, Zimmerman earned the coveted VUCC award on 50, 144, 222, 432, 903 and 1296 MHz, as well as DXCC, Worked All States and Worked All Continents on 6 meters. He also logged several national Top-10 finishes in the ARRL November Sweepstakes as well as a second-place North American finish in the CQ World Wide CW Contest operating from VP2MDD. W3ZZ also placed in the Top 10 several times in the ARRL VHF QSO Parties and in the ARRL VHF Sweepstakes. Zimmerman was an ARRL Life member. He earned a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Maryland in 1968. He began his professional career at the National Institutes of Health where he spent a year as a technician studying respiratory viruses. This experience sparked an interest in virology and conquering the common cold. After this, he conducted early research at National Institutes of Health, studying the relationship between retroviruses and cancer, the use of the simian model for studying leukemia and the use of interferon as an immune system modulator. In 1976, he joined the National Institutes of Health Grants Associate Program, which groomed promising scientists for careers in managing N-I-H research programs. Zimmerman was then recruited to be the Scientific Review Administrator of the Allergy and Immunology Study Section of the Immunological Sciences Integrated Review Group, where he evaluated research proposals to provide funds for research in immunology. Eugene Zimmerman, W3ZZ, was a member of the Delmarva VHF and Microwave Society, the Grid Pirates Contest Group, a Past President of the Potomac Valley Radio Club and an honorary member of the Connecticut Wireless Association. As we go to air memorial services had not yet been announced. At the time of his passing Gene Zimmermann, W3ZZ, was age 71. (ARRL) ** WORLDBEAT: 2012 OLYMPIC TORCH RELAY TRACKED ON APRS The 2012 Olympic Torch Relay route is being tracked on the APRS.fi web site. To see it go to http://aprs.fi/ and enter Torch2012 in the Track Callsign field. Also information on the Worked All Britain Follow the Torch Award is on-line at www.worked-all-britain.co.uk. (GB2RS) ** WORLDBEAT: SPECIAL CENTENIARY CALL FOR WIA 2012 is the Centenary of the Wireless Institute of Australia being established in the State of Queensland. The special Centenary callsign, VK-100-WIQ, was activated on June 1st and will be active through July 31st by way of the W-I-A affiliated radio clubs in Queensland. There is also a Centenary QSL card and a Centenary award available. Details can be found at www.wia.org.au. (WIA) ** HAM RADIO IN SPACE: LISTEN TO HORYU-2 ON THE WWW YO8SSQ and YO8TLC have made available a web based receiver to enable listeners to hear the new HORYU-2 amateur radio satellite. This when the new bird is within range of Romania. The WebSDR receiver is located at the Astronomical Observatory Department of the University in Suceava. That in grid locator KN 37 at a height of 350 meters above sea level. The hardware consists of two SDR receivers which are fed into 48 kHz sound cards on an AMD Sempron 2600+ computer running Vector Linux. The web page displays a track showing the current position of HORYU-2. It also provides coverage of the 3.65 to 3.710 MHz portion of the 80 band. You can listen to the HORYU-2 and 80 meter WebSDR receivers at tinyurl.com/sdr-sat-receiver (HORYU-2 TEAM) ** DX In DX Word from the ARRL that 2012 XX9E operation from Macao has been approved for DXCC credit. If you worked that operation you can submit it for DXCC. On the air, ON8ZZ, ON3JA and ON3NT will be active as MU stroke OT9Z from Guernsey between July 16th to the 20th. During their stay on Guernsey, they plan to activate Herm Island on the 17th, Sark Island on the 18th and Alderny Island on the 19th. The group will then head south to be active from Chausey Island between July 27th and the 29th using the call F/OT9Z from . QSL all operations via OT9Z. OE4JHW reports that he will do a suitcase DXpedition to Kuredu Island between September 2nd and the 4th. More details including the QSL route will be forthcoming in the near future. AC8G who was planning a 6 night stay in Grenada for the CQ WW SSB Contest, October 27th and 28th, has announced that the airline that was to transport him has cancelled his flight. Other dates offered were not acceptable, so he has terminated his plans the operation. DL9WVM, will once again be active portable A6 from Dubai through June 30th. . His activity will be on 80 through 10 meters. QSL via Logbook of the World or via his home callsign, direct or by the bureau. DL2RMC is also on the air slash A6 from Abu Dhabi which started around May 29th. He will be there for 3 weeks depending on his job in United Arab Emerites. QSL as directed on the air. Lastly N0TG has announced a 2013 operation to Sint Maarten between March 15th to the 23rd. He states that he has the facility arranged, as well as tickets, and all other aspects required so you can look for N0TG, AA4VK and N1SNB to sign slant PJ during that operation. Activity will probably be on all bands and modes. QSL's all three callsigns will go via N0TG. (Above from various DX news sources) ** THAT FINAL ITEM: A PRIMER ON ILLW And finally a bit of ham radio history on International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend. From down-under here's Felix Scerri, VK4FUQ: -- The 15th annual International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend in August has inspired many to register early with 32 countries and nearly 250 registered already. Although this is just over half of the countries normally attracted by the event it is slightly ahead of expectations with ten weeks to go. The weekend increases the public awareness of lighthouses and lightships and their need for them to be preserved, promotes amateur radio and fosters international goodwill. The event was started mainly by late Mike Dalrymple GM4SUC and the Ayr Amateur Radio Group in 1995 as the Northern Lighthouse Activity Weekend with stations at Scottish lighthouses. It quickly went international. The third weekend in August coincides with the worldwide lighthouse open day organized by the Association of Lighthouse Keepers that sees public access to many of the featured lighthouses. During the weekend a group or individual sets up an amateur station at or adjacent to a lighthouse, lightship or marine beacon that is listed. To register, complete a short online form, read the event rules and have lots of fun. You will see complete statistics on past events, reports from previous years and ILLW are on Facebook too. -- This year's International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend is slated for August 18th and 19th and runs 48 hours. If you have access to a lighthouse or lightship you want to activate, you can register for the event on-line at www.illw.org. (WIA News) ** 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, TWIT.TV, the Southgate News and Australia's W-I-A News, that's all from the Amateur Radio NewslineT. Our e-mail address is newsline(at) arnewsline (dot) org. More information is available at Amateur Radio Newsline'sT only official website located at www.arnewsline.org. You can also write to us or support us at Amateur Radio NewslineT, 28197 Robin Avenue, Santa Clarita California, 91350 For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors desk, I'm Skeeter Nash, N5ASH, saying 73 and we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio NewslineT is Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.