 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||
|
|
 Previous: FCC Bumps Back Privileges of Six Amateurs Following Exam Session Audit |  Next: West Virginia Amateurs Help State Deal with Flooding |
May 8, 2002
(In alphabetical order: )
 [Ken Seals, K6KT, Photo] |
California amateur recognized for 75 years of ARRL membership: ARRL member Sam Johnson, W6BS, of Escondido, California, recently received a certificate recognizing his 75 years of League membership. On hand for the presentation were (L-R) ARRL Southwestern Division Director Art Goddard, W6XD; Southwestern Division Vice Director Tuck Miller, NZ6T; Johnson, and ARRL Vice President Fried Heyn, WA6WZO, a past Southwestern Division Director.
DX
operation approved for DXCC credit: Supporting documentation for the OJ0U (Market Reef) DXpedition has been
received and reviewed. The ARRL DXCC Desk has announced that QSL cards for this
operation now are being accepted for DXCC credit. Applicants may contact DXCC
to update their records or include OJ0U cards with their next submission. For
more information, contact ARRL
Century Clubs Manager Bill Moore, NC1L, dxcc@arrl.org; 860-594-0234; fax 860-594-0259.
French picosats launched: Two IDEFIX AMSAT-France picosats have been launched successfully by Ariane 4 Flight 151. The battery-powered payloads remain attached to the third stage of the Ariane launcher at some 800 km altitude and should begin transmitting around May 13. Voice messages and 400 bps telemetry data will be transmitted on 145.840 and 435.270 MHz. For more information and updates, visit the AMSAT-France Web site.--Jean-Louis Rault, F6AGR/AMSAT-France
Ham radio could have role in Phenomenon sequel: Amateur Radio is poised to hit the big screen yet again in a movie tentatively titled Phenomenon II. Phenomenon debuted in 1996 and featured John Travolta and his ham operator friend Forrest Whitaker. In one scene, Travolta's character appears to be able to copy RTTY transmissions by ear. For the original Phenomenon movie, ARRL provided several props for the ham radio shack. The sequel is still in the very early stages of development. A researcher working on checking facts in the script contacted ARRL to ask if operators actually used the term "CQ" when initiating contacts. She also told ARRL Media Relations Manager Jennifer Hagy, N1TDY, that the possibility exists for the creation of a television series based on the Phenomenon movies. Hagy offered further assistance if needed. No further details were immediately available.
James Sherwood "Woody" Charlton, K5GOE, SK: Woody Charlton, K5GOE, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, died April 29. He was 60. A University of Arkansas electrical engineering professor, Charlton was the long-time faculty advisor for the university's ham radio club--W5YM--the first and only collegiate radio club to obtain DXCC Honor Roll status. An ARRL member, Charlton had been a ham since age 13. He had earned 5BDXCC and was on the DXCC Honor Roll himself. ARRL Arkansas Section Manager Bob Ideker, WB5VUH, credited Charlton's efforts at W5YM for raising the status of Amateur Radio in the state. Charlton also inspired student hams as a visiting professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the 1998-99 school year. "I will personally miss Woody and am very sorry to hear of his passing," said Tim Cailloux, W4EGT, who was president of Georgia Tech's W4AQL during Charlton's visit. Charlton's family is establishing the Woody Charlton Scholarship Fund for students who are ham radio operators and who plan to major in electrical engineering. Memorial contributions are invited care of the Bank of Fayetteville, 1 S Block, Fayetteville, AR 72701.
Migrating RV TV amplifiers bringing interference with them: As many recreational vehicle owners make their seasonal trek northward, unintentional radio interference may be hitchhiking. As reported in February 2001, certain amplified TV antennas have been found to produce interference in the 400-500 MHz range that could cause problems for Public Safety and Amateur Radio systems. Winegard has been replacing its offending Sensar antenna units at no cost. See the Winegard Web site for details. The FCC's Dave Galosky in the Office of Engineering and Technology says Winegard estimates there still may be thousands of defective units in the field. These types of antennas are popular with RV and camper owners, making the interference source highly mobile. Boat and RV owners using these antennas may experience interference to onboard systems, such as GPS. According to the FCC, similar antennas from three other manufacturers also produce interference. The RadioShack RS 1624--made by TDP Electronics--transmits a spurious emission at 468 MHz and at its first overtone, 936 MHz. The Shakespeare Seawatch 2050 antenna and an unspecified antenna model made by RCA/Thompson also have been reported to generate similar interference, the FCC says.
New Hampshire youngsters launch ham radio balloons: Three ham radio-equipped balloons were launched Saturday, May 4, from the grounds of the Hosstraders hamfest in Hopkinton, New Hampshire. High winds and a problem with impure helium caused cancellation of planned May 3 launches. The mass launch was sponsored by the Coordinated Algebra & Physics Simulated Satellite (CAPSAT) project at Timberlane Regional High School in Plaistow, New Hampshire. Balloon BRAVO reached a maximum altitude of 10,000 meters--approximately 3000 meters more than estimated--and made it as far as Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The package was turned in to the ranger station at the Cape Cod National Seashore Park, and district ranger Andy Fisher contacted Timberlane to report, "We think we have something of yours that fell out of the sky." Balloon BRAVO had reached a maximum altitude of 10,000 meters, some 3000 meters higher than estimated.
 |  |
Up, up and away! The CAPSAT Balloon BRAVO team launches its balloon from New Hampshire. The balloon was recovered later on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. [Bob Schetgen, KU7G, Photo] | |
Balloon CHARLIE "popped" prematurely at about 5000 meters and was retrieved some 15 miles away. Balloon DELTA was believed to have come down near Topsfield, Massachusetts, and has not been recovered. CAPSAT had planned to launch six balloons, all APRS-equipped, two with ATV aboard and two others with crossband repeaters. CAPSAT is a project that involves high school students in high-altitude ballooning, remote control systems, science, math, technology and Amateur Radio. The CAPSAT mentors are Louis Broad, N1RCA, and Lorainne Mascioli, N1YVQ.
 P5/4L4FN QSL manager Bruce Paige, KK5DO, mails some 4500 QSL cards. |
P5/4L4FN back in North Korea; QSLs are in the mail: Ed Giorgadze, P5/4L4FN, reports that he is back in Pyongyang, North Korea, after a short recreational trip to other parts of Asia. And he returns with good news: He now has an Ameritron AL-80A linear amp, donated by Martti Laine, OH2BH; Bernie McClenny, W3UR; and Al Baker, W5IZ. Giorgadze expressed is gratitude to the trio as well as to Jari Wirzenius, OH2BVE, and his staff at the Nokia office in Beijing, who made a special effort to clear the unit through complicated customs procedures in China. He says he's already fired up the amp and obtained the expected result. "So the unit works well and generates lot more RF power from the skylines of Pyongyang," he said in a posting to QSL manager Bruce Paige, KK5DO. "Now I am ready for more P5 QSOs, are you?" Meanwhile, Paige reports that he mailed some 4500 P5/4L4FN cards on May 4, representing replies to all cards he's received to date. "From now on, all cards received will be processed on the day received and mailed the next day, so there won't be a long delay in receipt of the much-sought-after card," he added. The Daily DX reports some European stations already have their cards in hand.
Panama amateurs recover lost bands: Amateurs in Panama (HP) again have access to 30 meters as well as to most UHF bands they'd lost two years ago. The restrictions resulted from a revised National Plan of Frequency Allocations put into place in March 2000 by the Public Services Regulatory Entity--Panama's FCC. Enrique Preciado, HP1IBF, credited restoration of the bands to the tenacious efforts of the Radio Club of Panama (HP1RCP) and of many individual amateurs in the Central American nation. Preciada said that after lengthy discussions, debates and public hearings, Panama's amateurs convinced authorities to reconsider the value of amateur activity to the community--as well as the importance of having Panama's regulations conform to international conventions and agreements that it had already signed. Only one was not restored to amateur use--33 cm (902-028 MHz). The other bands restored included amateur allocations at 1.2 GHz and higher. "We learned a lesson that we radio amateurs ought to use our space in the spectrum, care for and protect it very jealously, if we want our hobby to survive," Preciado told ARRL.--Jon Siverling, WB3ERA/ARRL
Peruvian amateurs celebrate World Telecommunications Day with special prefix: The International Telecommunication Union celebrates May 17 as World Telecommunications Day. To mark this event, amateurs in Peru will use the special prefix OC from May 13 to May 19. The Radio Club of Peru (Radio Club Peruano) will operate special event station OC4O during that week on all bands. Visit the Radio Club of Peru Web site.--The Daily DX
Radio offender gets prison time: Californian Jack Gerritson, who briefly held the amateur call sign KG6IRO, was sentenced this week to three years in prison--with credit for good behavior, work time and time already served--as a result of parole violations. Last November 14, Gerritson's ham ticket--granted less than a week earlier--was set aside after the FCC received information that Gerritson had been arrested and convicted in 1999 for radio interference to the Los Angeles Police Department and that he was out on parole after serving one year of a five-year term. The FCC says Gerritson continued operating and causing deliberate interference to numerous Amateur Radio repeaters in the Los Angeles area. On January 29, Los Angeles FCC agents participated in a pre-dawn arrest of Gerritson, in response to complaints of death threats Gerritson was alleged to have made on 2 meters. A no-bail search and arrest warrant was served on Gerritson for violating the terms of his parole, which prohibited him from possessing radio-transmitting equipment. At the time of arrest, Gerritson reportedly had more than 20 radios in his possession--eight of which were capable of operating on frequencies in Amateur Service, Marine, Land Mobile and Public Safety bands. The FCC says Gerritson had a Marine radio hidden in a closet connected to batteries and a length of antenna wire that ran outside.--FCC
VK9ML releases DXpedition stats: The VK9ML Mellish Reef DXpedition team reported the following statistics: Total 50,950; CW, 26,246; Phone, 23,188; RTTY, 1,516.--The Daily DX
Vote on QST Cover Plaque Award: The winner of the QST Cover Plaque Award for April was James C. Garland, W8ZR, for his article "The EZ-Tuner." Congratulations, Jim! The winner of the QST Cover Plaque award--given to the author of the best article in each issue--is determined by a vote of ARRL members. Voting takes place each month on the Cover Plaque Poll Web page. As soon as your copy arrives, cast a ballot for your favorite article in the May 2002 issue of QST. Voting ends May 31.
W2H commemorated Hindenburg disaster: Special event station W2H was on the air to mark the 65th anniversary of the German airship Hindenburg disaster. The hydrogen-filled lighter-than-air craft caught fire as it was landing May 6, 1937, at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in NJ, claiming 36 lives. At more than 800 feet in length, the Hindenburg was the largest aircraft ever to fly; it and the Graf Zeppelin pioneered transatlantic air service. Special-event call sign trustee Bob Reed, W2CE, says a small gravel area remains intact as part of the reference marker for the disaster site. Operators were on the air from the site May 5-7--24 hours before and after the anniversary of actual event at 7:25 PM on May 6. Some 800 contacts were logged. QSLs go to Bob Reed, W2CE, 1991 Route 37 West, Toms River, New Jersey 08757. More information about the Hindenburg is available on the Navy Lakehurst Historical Society Web
WRTC
2002 offering limited-edition candleholder: The World Radiosport Team Championship--WRTC 2002--is offering a
limited-edition crystal commemorative candleholder as part of its fund-raising
effort. Designed by Timo Sarpaneva of Finland, the nine-inch-tall holders
bearing the WRTC 2002 logo are being offered to amateurs attending Dayton
Hamvention May 17-19, but may be ordered in advance. Only 30 will be available
as collectors' items for $100 each. To reserve one in advance of Dayton
Hamvention and to support WRTC 2002, contact Martti Laine, OH2BH, oh2bh@sral.fi or Jeff Briggs, K1ZM, k1zm@aol.com. The commemorative candleholders
will be available for pickup at The Daily DX booth (520) or at The DX
Publications booth (313) at Dayton Hamvention. July 9-16, 52 teams of
contesters from around the world will travel to Finland to compete on and off
the air. Competing teams will sign OJ1-OJ8 prefixes. Complete information is
available on the WRTC 2002 Web site.
| Previous: FCC Bumps Back Privileges of Six Amateurs Following Exam Session Audit | Next: West Virginia Amateurs Help State Deal with Flooding |
