Amateur Radio NewslineT Report 1845 - December 21 2012 Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1845 with a release date of December 21, 2012 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. New Zealand approves a Digital amateur radio repeater to test compatibility with other radio services; the United States says no to a new I-T-U treaty to govern the Internet; the Dutch military wont give up 915 MHz for unlicensed short range devices; and a new eye on the sky down-under will warn of solar eruptions. Find out the details are on Amateur Radio NewslineT report number 1845 coming your way right now. (Billboard Cart Here) ** RADIO COMPATIBILITY: NEW ZEALAND ATV REPEATER TO TEST COMPATABILITY WITH COMMERCIAL BROADCASTING In what may be a first anywhere world-wide, a New Zealand amateur radio service digital ATV repeater has been given a chance to test its compatibility with commercial broadcasters. Amateur Radio Newsline's Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, reports from down-under: -- New Zealand Radio Spectrum Management or RSM has granted the first Digital Amateur TV License to NZART Branch 74, the Wellington VHF Group, for use at its main station located on Mount Belmont, in Wellington. The main features of License 236831 are: Digital TV Channel 25 (DTV25); 502 MHz to 510 MHz; DVB-T format; 7.7 MHz emission bandwidth; 100 Watts mean effective isotropic radiated power and horizontal polarization The license is valid for an initial period of 6 months, from 1st January 2013 to 30th June 2013. The license permits DATV transmissions for the purpose of testing compatibility with services on the adjacent frequencies and requires the production of a comprehensive report to RSM. The DTV25 channel is, in effect, the guard band between Communications services below 502 MHz and Digital TV Broadcasts above 510 MHz (DTV26 and above). It is hoped that these tests will, once again, demonstrate the engineering capabilities of Radio Amateurs and lead the way to the granting of DATV licenses throughout New Zealand. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, in Nelson, New Zealand. -- If the test proves successful it holds the potential of opening up a new concept in channel sharing between amateur radio and other telecommunications services. (ZL2BHF) ** RADIO LAW: FOLLOW-UP - US SAYS NO TO DUBAI INTERNET TREATY A follow-up to last weeks story regarding that confrontational meeting in Dubai to discuss the future of the Internet. As the gathering drew to a close the United States joined 20 other counties in refusing to sign a treaty that they say will harm Internet freedom. The final proposal was forged at an international communications conference that ended Friday, December 14th. A major problem of the treaty produced by the 193 nation International Telecommunications Union was its endorsement of greater control over the Internet by governments. United States Ambassador Terry Kramer said that rejecting the treaty was an obvious direction for the U.S. delegation to take. He told the media that there were too many concerns that were problematic for the nation. AS reported last week, one issue troubling the United States is language extending the treaty to Internet Service Providers and private network operators, as well as governments. The United States believes this would invite greater government control of the Internet. The same is true of provisions in the treaty to fight cybercrime. According to the U.S. delegation the broad powers designed to increase network security could too easily be abused by governments. The chair of the World Conference on International Communications is Mohamed Nasser Al-Ghanim. He disagreed with the dissenting countries noting that their concerns are addressed in the text. Al-Ghanim said that special provisions were written into the treaty to say that content is excluded and that he Internet will continue to express freedom of thought as it has. If the Dubai conference showed anything, it's that a major schism exists between the developed nations and much of the ITU over Internet issues. Some believe this could result in a second, more strictly regulated Internet emerging, although experts acknowledge that would be difficult to actually create. The final version of the treaty goes into effect in 2015, but without the signatures of many of the Internet super powers, its effect is likely to be minimal at best. (Various Internet news sources) ** RESTERUCTURING: DUTCH MILITARY STILL INSIST ON 915 MHZ With almost 42 CEPT nations reporting that 915 to 921 MHz is empty, or emptying, it is hoped the band will soon be made available for Short Range Devices or SRD's. An article by Bill Ray in UK newspaper The Register implies that the Dutch military appear to be just about the only obstacle to 915 to 921 MHz being available for Short Range Devices use on a world-wide basis. To date there has been no globally available license exempt spectrum for Short Range Devices available between 42 MHz and 2.4 GHz. In some countries such as the United Kingdom, spectrum at 433 to 435 MHz has been used as a stopgap move. However this has caused considerable interference to other existing licensed services. (UK Register, Southgate) ** RADIO FROM SPACE: NORTH KOREA SATELLITE ATTAINS ORBIT BUT NOBODY HAS HEARD IT TRANSMIT North Korea appears to have successfully launched a satellite into space through the use of its Unha 3 satellite launcher, but may have lost control over the bird soon after it attained orbit. As reported by several news outlets, according to U.S. officials, the satellite which was launched by North Korea on Wednesday, December 12th is now believed to tumbling out of control in an uncontrolled orbit and nobody is quite sure what the spacecraft's purpose or capabilities are. North Korea lofted the spacecraft on the long-range rocket from its Sohae Satellite Launch Station on the nation's northwest coast. The launch was detected by United States missile warning systems. NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said the Unha-3 rocket's first stage fell into the Yellow Sea, while the second stage fell into the Philippine Sea. It went on to state that the missile deployed an object that appeared to achieve orbit. According to the ITU the North Koreans have so far not specified the type or format of the data or video transmissions it plans to make through the satellite although said it expects the transmissions to continue for up to 2 years. Currently the only claim from North Korea is that the bird is transmitting music on either 470 or 479 MHz but so far no monitoring stations have reported hearing this new bird or its sound. Similar claims were made in 1998 for another North Korean orbital launch attempt that is believed to have failed. (Space.com and various news sources) ** HAM RADIO NEAR SPACE: END OF THE WORLD TRANSATLANTIC HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOON PREMATURELY BURSTS The transatlantic crossing attempt by an amateur radio balloon carrying an 18 MHz PSK beacon ended over the coast of Mississippi when the balloon prematurely burst. The ham radio balloon called BLT-32 carried a PSK 31 transmitter on 18.100 MHz. It was due to be launched late Saturday, December 15th from near Sugarland, Texas with its destination aimed at Europe. According to reports it only made it a few hundred miles. The South Texas Balloon Launch Team had joined the N0D End of the World Special Event with the launch its high altitude 'floater' balloon with hope of it reaching Europe before the End of the World took place as described in one Mayan calendar. And in keeping with the theme of the event the beacons and APRS tracker on the balloon were to use the N0D call sign. N0D meaning Now Zero-Days. And it was a case of Now Zero-Days for this ham radio balloon flight. As reported last week a similar ham radio floater balloon launched by a group in Northern California dis make it across both the United States and the Atlantic Ocean before descending in Morocco. (Southgate) ** ENFORCEMENT: UK REGULATOR OFCOM SUPPORTS INVALIDATED EXAM The United Kingdom's Radio Communications Foundation or RCF has announced that telecommunications regulator Ofcom has supported its decision to disallow an amateur radio examination in Northern Ireland. According to a statement on the RCF, the Ofcom findings were that there is no hard evidence of wrong doing by the club or candidates but nevertheless the examination results were considered unsafe. Also that the suspension of the club concerned from running examinations was appropriate in the circumstances but it is now free to resume this activity. The Radio Communications Foundation has offered a free re test to both of the candidates whose exam was invalidated. (Southgate) ** BREAK 1 Wishing you a truly great holiday season, from the United States of America, we are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the W4CN repeater of the Western Radio Transmitting Society serving Louisville, Kentucky. (5 sec pause here) ** ENFORCEMENT: FCC AFFIRMS $16000 FINE FOR OUT OF BAND OPERATION Back in the USA, the FCC has affirmed a $16,000 fine issued to a radio amateur for his alleged operating on a frequency reserved for government use only. We have the details in this report: -- Recipient of the monetary forfeiture order is Joaquim Barbosa, N2KBJ, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, whom the FCC says operated a transmitter on the frequency 296.550 MHz without Commission authorization. In his own defense Barbosa who holds an Extra class license, filed a response to the original Notice of Apparent Liability. In it he admitted to operating a radio transceiver on the frequency 296.550 MHz but contended that that cancellation or a substantial reduction of the then proposed $20,000 forfeiture is warranted nonetheless for several reasons. First that he reasonably believed that he had authority to operate on the frequency 296.550 MHz. Second, that his constitutional rights had been violated. Third that the unlicensed operation did not cause harm or interference. Forth that the forfeiture amount is not supported by case precedent and lastly that there are other factors such as his cooperation with the investigation, inability to pay, and prior history of overall compliance with the rules. But the FCC bought only one of Barbosa's arguments. In issuing its final order it agreed that a reduction of the forfeiture amount was warranted based on its review of the record and finding that Barbosa, prior to this investigation, has a history of overall compliance with the Commission's rules. So after consideration of the entire record including Barbosa's response to the initial Notice of Apparent Liability that it was going to knock $4000 of the now affirmed fine and reduce it to the $16000 level. For the amateur radio Newsline I'm Heather Embee, KB3TZD, near Berwick, Pennsylvania. -- As this is now an affirmed fine, Barbosa was given only until close of business on December 31st to pay it or the case may be referred to the U.S. Department of Justice for enforcement of the forfeiture pursuant to Section 504(a) of the Communications Act. (FCC) ** ENFORCEMENT: FCC REDUCES FINE ISSUED TO NY UNLICENSED BROADCASTER The FCC has issued a Memorandum Opinion and Order that in part grants and in part denies a Petition for Reconsideration filed by Dexter Blake of Mt. Vernon, New York. This in regard to a $10,000 Forfeiture Order issued to him for willfully and repeatedly operating an unlicensed radio broadcast station. On March 3, 2009, the Enforcement Bureau's New York Office issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture in the amount of $10,000 to Blake for operating an unlicensed broadcast station on the frequency 101.5 MHz in Mount Vernon, New York. Blake did not file a response to the proposed fine. As a result on July 22, 2010, the Enforcement Bureau issued a Forfeiture Order affirming the findings in the Notice of Apparent Liability and assessing the $10,000 forfeiture. That apparently got Blake's attention after which he filed his petition for reconsideration. In it, Blake admits to having operated the unlicensed station, but claims that cancellation is warranted because the individual from whom he received the equipment did not advise him that he needed an FCC license. In addition, he requested a reduction or cancellation of the forfeiture based on his inability to pay. Now, after what it calls a careful review the FCC issued its decision on December 13th. In it, the agency said that although Blake concedes operating an unlicensed radio station that it is a violation of Section of the 301 of the Communications Act. Therefore it declines to cancel the forfeiture on this basis. However it does agree with Blake that the $10,000 amount would constitute a financial hardship and as such has lowered the fine to $1700. Blake was given 30 days to pay the reduced fine or the case may be referred to the U.S. Department of Justice for further enforcement. (FCC) ** RADIO LAW: FCC SAYS HAWAIIAN CABLE OPS MUST CARRY KLEI TV The FCC says that two cable television stations in Hawaii must carry a particular station even though neither wants to. Amateur Radio Newsline's Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, has the rest of the story: -- The FCC has denied a request by Oceanic Time Warner Cable and Hawaiian Telcom Services Company asking that they not carry KLEI TV on their respective systems. The station, under new ownership since 2011, asked for carriage, but the operators said no so KLEI then filed a must-carry complaint. In part, the FCC agreed with the cable operators that the station could not argue historical carriage as neither had been carrying the station before it was bought in 2011. That's when the new owners sought carriage or that it was delivering an over-the-air signal to any of the communities it sought cable carriage in. Those are two of the four tests for cable TV carriage. But in this case the FCC took a different view. It said the absence of those two points was not sufficient to deny the station's request. The agency said that the unique characteristics of the Hawaiian market and KLEI's strong lineup of local programming of relevance to the inhabitants of Hawaii County and to all Hawaiians. Also that it's foreign language programming targeted at special groups and residents, persuaded it to grant the carriage complaint. Hawaiian Telcom Services Company had said that if it carried KLEI, it should not have to carry it on channel 6 in Honolulu. This is because it was already carrying station KBFD there. The FCC rejected that request as well. I t pointed out that it has clarified very recently that a digital station, generally speaking, is entitled to be carried on its former analog channel number. In this case KLEI was channel 6 and KBFD was 32. I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW. -- At airtime its not known if either the Hawaiian Telcom Services Company or Oceanic Time Warner Cable plan to file an appeal. (FCC. B&C) ** THE BPL-PLT WAR: DARC TO HOLD STRATEGY MEETING ON DANGERS OF PLC / PLT This note to our listeners in Germany. On Saturday, January 12, 2013 the Deutscher Amateur Radio Club will be sponsoring a one-day workshop dealing with the possible hazards to amateur radio from electromagnetic Powerline Transmission more commonly known in Europe as in-home P-L-T. The workshop slated for the DARC headquarters in Baunatal will cover all aspects of powerline Internet transmission and its likely effects on amateur radio operations. All DARC members wishing to attend are welcome. Interested parties are asked to pre-register by contacting Renate Stackebrandt by e-mail to r.stackebrandt (at) darc (dot) de. More is on line at tinyurl.com/GermanyDARC. (DARC, Southgate) ** HAM EDUCATION: W5KUB.COM TO CARRY D-STAT LIVE NETCAST Tom Medlin, W5KUB, tells us that all systems a go for the next live W5KUB.COM worldwide Internet broadcast. On December 29th at1500 UTC Tom will be presenting the D-Star Live netcast that will feature many experts on the mode as a part of the show. Using Tom's interactive website you will be able to ask questions, and be a part of this program. Tom says that updates are available via his Facebook web page. Just join Facebook and then use the search task bar to locate the W5KUB Group page. Then just click to join. (W5KUB) ** THE SOCIAL SCENE: SUPERSTITION HAMFEST RESCHEDULED TO FEBRUARY 19 Arizona's postponed Superstition Hamfest will now take place on Saturday, February 9th at Mesa Community College off of highway 60 in western Mesa, Arizona. The Superstition Amateur Radio Club, sponsor of the event that usually takes place in December says that it appreciates everyone's patience and once again apologizes for the inconvenience the rescheduling has caused. For more information please take your web browser to tinyurl.com/superstion-hamfest. An updated information sheet may be downloaded from the site in PDF form. (WB7C) ** RADIO HAPPENINGS: SAQ VLF TRANSMISSION CHRISTMAS EVE There will be a transmission from Sweden's famed Alexanderson 200 kilowatt Very Low Frequency alternator on Christmas Eve. The transmitter will be tuned up from around 07:30 UTC with the message itself transmitted on 17.2 kHz at exactly 08:00 UTC on Monday, December 24th. The Alexanderson alternator is located at the Grimeton Radio SAQ transmitter site. If you copy the message you are asked to send QSN reports via e-mail to info (at) alexander (dot) n (dot) se. You can also mail reports via the S M bureau. More information on the Alexanderson alternator is on-line at www.alexander.n.se. (Southgate) ** RADIO HAPPENINGS: CRICKET CAM COMING DOWN-UNDER FOX Sports reportedly will take broadcasting of cricket competition in Australia to a new level this summer. This with pictures to be broadcast from micro size cameras installed in helmets worn by batsmen and wicket keepers. According to the WIA News, the equipment consists of a High Definition visor-mounted camera and transmitter with batteries on the rear strap. The additional weight on the helmet is only 250 grams, or about the weight of a bar of soap. The can be fitted to any player's helmet during the game. Fox Sports believes it will be the first camera attached to a player during a Cricket match at this level. The technology is to be officially introduced in the Big Bash Twenty tournament. For those unfamiliar with Cricket, it is a baseball like game played between two teams of 11 players. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and limit the runs scored by the batting team. The game is most popular in Australia, England, the Indian sub-continent, the West Indies and Southern Africa. (WIA News) ** 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: RADIO PIONEER RAY BRIEM, N6FFT - S.K. We seem to be using the words of the changing of the guard more often these days, and once again they seem most apropos. This with the word of the passing of broadcasting legend Ray Briem, N6FFT as we hear from Amateur Radio Newsline's Bruce Tennant, K6PZW: -- Anyone born or raised in the great American Southwest in the last half century likely knows the name Ray Briem. For some 30 of those years Briem who held the Amateur Service call letters N6FFT was called the host who owned overnight talk radio on Los Angeles station KABC A.M.. Born Leland R. Briem in Ogden, Utah, in 1930, Ray Briem first took to the radio airwaves at the age of fifteen. On August 14th, 1945 he was asked by a station manager to substitute for a staff announcer and with that his days in radio were off and running. The highlight of Ray Briems career was when he came to KABC in 1967 where he held court over the nighttime hours until 1994. While he loved big band music and interviewed hundreds of celebrities his mainstay was talking with and to his listeners. And when he got involved in shortwave listening and then ham radio, several nights each year were devoted to talking about both of these topics. Frequent guests on those special shows included the late Lenore Jensen, W6NAZ, her husband Bob, W6VGQ and Lloyd Sigmon, W6LQ, who created the traffic alert system named in his honor known as the Sigalert. After retiring from KABC, Ray Briem did a brief afternoon talk show on KIEV-AM. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in 2008 was honored for his contributions to broadcast radio by the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters organization. On a personal note, unlike some celebrities with call signs, Ray was more than a name in an amateur radio database. He was often heard on the local ham radio airwaves and I myself had many contacts great with him through the Catalina Island repeater. As always, be it speaking to hundreds of thousands over KABC, or in a one on one contact via ham radio Ray Briem, N6FFT, was a true gentleman and a friendly voice in the night that will be missed. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, Im Bruce Tennant. K6PZW, in Los Angeles. -- For a truly beautiful retrospective about Ray Briem, N6FFT, and his career we suggest that you read the article by fellow broadcaster Doug McIntire that appeared in the Los Angeles Daily News. You can find it at tinyurl.com/la-daily- news-briem. (ARNewslineT; K6PZW, published news reports) ** RADIO FROM SPACE: NEW HUGE TELESCOPE TO WARN OF SOLAR STORMS Astronomers say a new eye on the sky in Western Australia's remote outback could potentially save the world billions of dollars. This by warning of a pending cosmic catastrophe. The International Center for Radio Astronomy Research in Perth reports that the new Murchison Widefield Array radio telescope will give a dramatically improved view of the sun. This in turn should provide an early warning of explosive solar storms that can damage to communication satellites, electric power grids and GPS navigation systems. In addition to its solar observations, the Murchison Widefield Array will offer scientists an unprecedented view of the entire history of the universe, including how the very first stars and galaxies formed. (WIA) ** WORLDBEAT: ZIMBABWE THREATENS TO JAM SHORTWAVE BROADCASTS The South African nation of Zimbabwe thinks it should jam shortwave broadcasts from outside that nation's borders. Newzimbabwe.com reports that at a recent Zanu PF party conference it was proposed to jam the signals of foreign- based radio stations such as Voiceof America's Studio 7, Radio Voice of the People and South West Radio Africa that ruling party officials accuse of pushing a Western-backed regime change agenda in Zimbabwe. But critics say such a move would deny the majority of people access to important alternative sources of information to make informed decisions. They argue that President Robert Mugabe's party wants to continue its domination of the airwaves in order to maintain the status quo. But Zanu PF officials maintain these radio stations are breaking the Zimbabwe law and should be jammed. More is on-line at tinyurl.com/zimbabwe-jamming-threats. (Newzimbabwe) ** ON THE AIR: NEW SUPER LOW POWER 80 METER BEACON FROM ITALY On the air, keep an ear open on 80 meters for a new QRP level propagation signal. The Irish Radio Transmitting Society reports that a new European low power beacon is transmitting on 3574.5 Kilohertz using only 300 milliwatts. The callsign is IZ3NYT with diagrams and pictures at iz3nyt.altervista.org/gallery. Text is in the Italian language. QSN reports go to IZ3NYT using eQSL or direct. (IRTS) ** ON THE AIR: TC9SAM IN MEMORIAM OF THE ALLAHEKBER MARTYRS If you contacted special event station TC9SAM between December 20th and the 24th you are being asked to QSL direct only. TC9SAM was to operate at the Turkish Scouting and Guiding Federation's National Conciousness Camp-In held in memoriam to the Allahuekber martyrs. The memorial is a traditional winter march to Allahuekber peak in eastern Turkey held in memory of the 60,000 patriots who were frozen to death while trying to reach the occupied Kars city in December of 1914. In accordance with the camp program operations of TC9SAM were mainly on 80 and 40 meter SSB. (TA1HZ) ** DX In DX, members of the Lufthansa Amateur Radio Club Frankfurt will be on the air from Vietnam from February 15th to the 26th. They will operate as XV2DLH and will be active on all of the High Frequency bands. QSL's go via DK8ZZ. JR1IZM who also holds the call V31IZ will be operational as 7P8ZM from Lesotho through January of 2013. He will be active on all of the High Frequency bands. QSL via JO1CRA F6ITD will be on the air stroke FG from Guadeloupe and two islands between next February 1st and March 25th. He will be using SSB and the Digital modes during his stay. Logs will be uploaded to both ClubLog and Logbook of the World. QSL via his home call either direct or via the bureau. GM3YTS, GM4FDM, GM0GAV and GM3POI will be operational as T2GM from Tuvalu between March 12th and the 23rd with their activity will be focused on Europe. The group now has a Web page available at t2gm.org. QSL via GM4FDM. K1GI will be active stroke VP9 from Bermuda between December 29th and January 2nd. Operations will be on 160 through 10 meters using CW, SSB and the digital modes. QSL via JG2BRI, direct or electronically using Logbook of the World. No bureau cards will be accepted. Lastly, AA9A will again be active from Antigua between February 11th and the 20th using a new callsign V24A. Operations should be on 160 through 10 meters using CW, SSB and possibly RTTY. QSL via his home callsign either direct or using the bureau. ** THAT FINAL ITEM: CUBESAT DESIGNER INTERVIEWED ON SWEDISH RADIO And finally this week, a Swedish radio show recently featured an interview with Hojun Song, DS1SBO, about his O-S- S-I CubeSat. The broadcast took place on Monday, November 26th and dealt with the Maker and Hacker movement that continues to take the world of home construction by storm. This included the item on DS1SBO, and the CubeSat that is to launch in April of 2013. Here Song discusses his philosophy in developing the OSSI bird: -- DS1SBO: ".The point of my project is to freeing all of the technologies that is used in the satellite." -- The entire program can be downloaded as an MP3 file at inyurl.com/ossi-cubesat-interview. While Song speaks in English the rest of the show is entirely in Swedish. The interview with DB1SBO begins at about 1 minute and 20 seconds into the show. (Southgate, audio clip from sverigesradio.se) ** 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, TWiT-TV 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, wishing you a very Merry Christmas from all of us at the Amateur Radio Newsline. 73 and as always, and we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio NewslineT is Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.