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 Previous: IARU Team on the Job as WRC-03 Opens in Geneva |  Next: President Haynie Testifies on Behalf of Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act |
Jun 11, 2003
(In alphabetical order: )
AO-40
expected to be visible to North America by Field Day: The AO-40 satellite is expected to return to a
favorable alignment (ALON/ALAT = 0/0) on or about June 20 and can remain there
until October, ground controller Stacey Mills, W4SM, reports. Mills says that a
typical passband schedule for ALON/ALAT = 0/0 is MA 40 to 210, which he said
should hold for the start of Field Day, June 28, when AO-40 will be visible to
all of North America, assuming it makes it back to 0/0 by June 20. "We should
at least be close to that value by then," Mills said, "although the perigee
eclipses are making it slow going to advance ALON." Mills said another cycle of
attitude changes will have to start in the fall.--Stacey Mills, W4SM, via AMSAT News
Service
 Arkansas Gov Mike Huckabee (left) presents the Amateur Radio Week proclamation to Arkansas SM Dennis Schaefer, W5RZ. [Bob Ideker, WB5VUH, Photo] |
Arkansas proclaims Amateur Radio Week:
As 17 hams from at least 10 Arkansas Amateur Radio clubs looked on, Arkansas
Gov Mike Huckabee presented a proclamation on June 10 designating June 23-30 as
Amateur Radio Week. The governor's proclamation cites the state's amateurs for
demonstrating their value to the public by providing free emergency
communication to state and local government, for being on the alert for disasters
and emergencies and for exercising their emergency communications skills during
the annual ARRL Field Day June 28-29. The proclamation urges the state's
citizens "to pay appropriate tribute and respect" to Arkansas' approximately
7000 Amateur Radio operators and "to recognize their importance." ARRL Arkansas
Section Manager Dennis Schaefer, W5RZ, accepted the proclamation on behalf of
Arkansas' amateurs. Schaefer also urged all amateurs participating in this
year's Field Day to exercise safety precautions, especially while setting up
and taking down their FD stations.
 Dan Bursch, KD5PNU, aboard the ISS in 2002 as part of the Expedition 4 |
Astronaut visits ARISS contact school in person: Astronaut Dan Bursch, KD5PNU, recently visited Hambright Elementary School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In May 2002, as a member of the International Space Station Expedition 4 crew, Bursch--with assistance on the ground from the Southern Pennsylvania Amateur Radio Club (SPARC)--spoke with youngsters at Hambright during an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station school group contact. During the QSO with Hambright--which marked the Expedition 4 crew's last ARISS US school group contact--Bursch, a father of two youngsters, tackled such questions as "Can you still blow bubbles with gum in space?" and "If you open a soda, will it fizz?" On June 6, Bursch visited Hambright Elementary in the flesh to meet with club members and students. "We had the students read their same questions, and Dan Bursch answered each again and gave a more definitive answer--there were no time limits this time," said SPARC member James "Yogi" Bear, WB3FQY, who got Bursch to autograph his QSL card. Bear had served as control operator during the May 2002 QSO.
California RACES team wins award for excellence: The Huntington Beach, California, Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) a team has received an award for excellence in disaster preparedness from the Orange County chapter of the American Red Cross. The award recognizes companies and organizations for their superior emergency preparedness plans. The Huntington Beach RACES team works under the aegis of the Huntington Beach Fire Department. An award ceremony was held June 4 during the Orange County Red Cross' 19th annual Disaster Preparedness Academy at California State University--Fullerton. The Huntington Beach RACES group's emergency preparedness plan--incorporated into the city's emergency operations plan--includes contingency plans and procedures in the event of a public safety radio system failure. Huntington Beach Fire Department Emergency Services Coordinator Glorria Morrison, KE6ATG, called the RACES team "a model emergency response Amateur Radio group with outstanding leaders and membership." Last year, she said, RACES members volunteered thousands of hours to better prepare the community for emergencies. The plan and manual were created originally by Mel Goldberg, N6MEL. RACES members train for City emergencies on a regular basis and provide support for community events such as the annual Huntington Beach Fourth of July Parade, marathons and fund-raising activities. More information about the Huntington Beach RACES organization is available on its Web site.--Wayne Yoshida, KH6WZ
Contest date changes: The Troy Amateur Radio Association (TARA) has announced a change in date for the initial running of its Grid Dip Contest to avoid a conflict with the Russian RTTY Contest. The new date for the Grid Dip Contest will be Saturday, August 2. For more information, visit TARA's Four Seasons Contesting Web page.--Karen Smith, KB2UUC/TARA
 This chart, from the Web site of Mark Downing, WM7D, depicts the decline in sunspot numbers and flux from June 8, 2002, to June 8, 2003. |
Declining QSL volume reflects decaying conditions: ARRL Outgoing QSL Service Manager Martin Cook, N1FOC, can't be certain, but he's ready to blame the downswing in the solar cycle for a marked decline in the number of QSL cards his bureau has handled so far this year. "I hope it's not going to be a trend of this cycle," said Cook, whose operation last year mailed out 1,963,165 cards from ARRL members to DX stations--an approximately 1.6 percent jump over 2001. So far this year, the trend is going the other way, with just 681,400 cards shipped compared with 951,000 by the same time one year ago. "This is a significant decrease in cards coming in from members for processing," said Cook, who manages the Outgoing QSL Service with assistance from Heather Dzamba.
DXCC approves SO5X operation: The DXCC Desk has approved the SO5X Western Sahara DXpedition of April 15-21, 2003, for DXCC credit. For more information, contact ARRL DXCC Manager Bill Moore, NC1L.
 ZBARC members examine the the portable APRS hardware package that Martin Berkofsky, KC3RE, has been using to help others track his Tulsa to Chicago CelebrateLifeRun. (L-R) Jim Glasscock, W0FF, Dan Williams, KC0PRW, Berkofsky, Randy Sulltrop, KB0BKQ, Bob Masson, KB0JDY, and Bob Goza, W0BOB. [Pauline Masson/Washington Missourian (Pacific section) Photo] |
Ham-pianist marathoner gets help from Missouri club: Concert pianist Martin Berkofsky, KC3RE, got some help from members of the Zero Beaters Amateur Radio Club (WA0FYA) when his CelebrateLifeRun from Tulsa to Chicago took him through Washington, Missouri, on June 4. A cancer survivor and an ARRL member from Northern Virginia, Berkofsky set out April 9--his 60th birthday--on an 860-mile jog to celebrate his recovery from cancer and to raise money for research into the disease. He's now just beyond the halfway point in his journey. As Berkofsky got closer to the metropolitan area, he found that road noise drowned out his hand-held amateur transceiver and his cell phone. Craig Brune, N0MFD, modified a headset--with a cushion around the earpiece--to cancel road noise and enable Berkofsky to keep talking with fellow hams while on the move. During the June 4 ZBARC club meeting, Berkofsky recapped the first half of his cross-country trek. Berkofsky reports he will resume running June 14 following a benefit concert in St Louis June 12 at Webster University's Moore Auditorium (7:30 PM CDT). "I've been feeling fine," Berkofsky told ARRL, "and have managed to keep out of the really bad weather, only ducking for cover once, and once running with an umbrella." He reports that Brune also loaned him an extendable antenna for 2 meters, "so I should be able to have some contacts even from the Illinois corn fields," he added.
Hudson, Atlantic Directors pulling out all stops on New York antenna bill: ARRL Hudson Division Director Frank Fallon, N2FF, and Atlantic Division Director Bernie Fuller, N3EFN, are calling on New York ARRL members to help get the state's Amateur Radio antenna bills enacted this legislative session. "The final session of the New York State Assembly for the year 2003 will be Thursday, June 19," Fallon and Fuller said in a joint statement. "We have only days left to get our antenna bills passed. We need to pull out all the stops and press for passage of our bill now." In the Senate, Fallon and Fuller say, the bill, S63, needs to be "put on the active list" on the Senate calendar and brought out for a vote. They're calling on New York hams to ask three senators to put the bill on the active list: Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, 909 Legislative Office Bldg, Albany, NY 12247; 518-455-3191, fax 518-455-2448; Sen Dale Volker, 427 Capitol Bldg, Albany, NY 12247 518-455-3471, fax 518-455-6949; and Sen Hugh Farley, 412 Legislative Office Bldg, Albany, NY 12247, 518-455-2181, fax 518-455-2271. The Assembly bill, A2662, has cleared the Local Governments and Ways and Means committees and now needs to be reported out of the Rules Committee headed by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Legislative Office Bldg 932, Albany, NY 12247, 518-455-3791, fax 518-455-5467. The New York bills go beyond simply incorporating PRB-1 into state law. They would prohibit municipalities from passing laws or ordinances to "restrict antenna support structure height to less than 95 feet above ground level or restrict the number of antenna support structures." For more information and sample letters for lawmakers, visit the Hudson Division Web site.
 Jim Voss fixes himself a meal during his 2001 tour of duty aboard the International Space Station. [NASA Photo] |
ISS Expedition 2 crew member headed for academic career: Jim Voss--a member of the ISS Expedition 2 crew that also included astronaut Susan Helms, KC7NHZ, and cosmonaut Yury Usachev, UW3FU--is headed for a new career. Until recently the deputy for flight operations in the Space Station Program Mission Integration and Operations Office at Johnson Space Center (JSC), Voss has accepted the position of associate dean for external affairs in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at Alabama's Auburn University--his alma mater. A retired US Army colonel, Voss is one of NASA's most experienced astronaut managers and a veteran of five shuttle flights in addition to his 163 days aboard the ISS, when, although not a ham, he took part in several Amateur Radio on the International Space Station school group contacts. "Jim has served as an integral part of the astronaut and human space flight program for more than 18 years," said NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe. "His contributions to human space flight are numerous, but even more important, his professionalism and demeanor have served as positive examples for the astronaut corps." Voss received his bachelor's in aerospace engineering from Auburn in 1972. He will assume his duties at Auburn in the fall. For more information about Voss, visit NASA's Human Spaceflight Web site or see his official NASA biography.
 Luciano and Geena Schipelliti operate K1D during Kid's Day in January 2002. |
K1D to be on the air for Kid's Day: Special event station K1D will be on the air June 21 for ARRL Kid's Day. Peter Schipelliti, W1DAD, and his wife Jeanne, K1MOM, will be on the air as K1D prior to Kid's Day to promote the event. Their youngsters Geena, 8, and Luciano, 6, also will be on the air for Kid's Day. "Any noises in the background will be Francesca Rose--22 months," Peter Schipelliti said.
 A close look reveals a 10-meter dipole running from cabin to tail that CW4 Ronald Smith, AEM1JD, used to transmit MARS messages from Iraq during Operation Desert Storm a decade ago. Now in Germany, Smith remains a MARS member. |
MARS operations begin in Iraq; more operators sought: The Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) is poised to start the flow of messages between troops in Iraq and Kuwait and their families and friends back home. The first MARS licenses have been issued to soldier stations in Iraq and Kuwait, and a broad range of frequencies has been assigned for MARS use. MARS also is operational in Afghanistan. Daniel Wolff, assistant affiliate MARS coordinator for Europe, Africa and Southwest Asia, reports that four soldier licenses had been issued as of June 1 but he hopes there will be many more as active hostilities wind down. These new operations will open up MARSgram and phone patch communications for troops stationed beyond the reach of e-mail and cell phones. Just about every company-size unit overseas has high frequency radio equipment in house--or, more likely, "in tent." While preparedness to provide emergency or contingency communications backup now occupies first place, handling "morale and welfare traffic" is another role MARS members still can play. The only drawback is the shortage of stations to receive it. MARSgrams are being handled at least one-way. Those addressed to Iraq or Kuwait are transmitted by radio to the nearest MARS gateway station, then refiled into the Military Postal System for delivery. This shaves days or weeks off the time it takes a message going by mail. Information on sending MARSgrams is available on the Army MARS Web site. Now that most hostile action has ceased, Wolff says, MARS should be among the organizations assuming a humanitarian and support role--if only there were more stations in the region. FCC-licensed amateurs may apply for an overseas MARS license much as they would in the US, except that some additional information is required. Commanding officers may also apply for a MARS station license for their units and are exempt from the FCC Amateur Radio license requirement, he explained. Full information and application forms are available to overseas applicants by e-mailing Wolff or for US amateurs by visiting the US Army MARS Web site.--Bill Sexton, N11N/AAA9PC
 Rob Roller, N7LV (right), accepts the Colorado Section Amateur Radio Operator of the Year award from Colorado Section Manager Jeff Ryan, K0RM. The presentation took place during the Rocky Mountain Division convention May 30-June 1 in Estes Park, Colorado. [Fredrick Kilmer, N7KOH, photo] |
N7LV named Colorado Section's Amateur Radio Operator of the Year: Rob Roller, N7LV, of Colorado Springs has been named the ARRL Colorado Section Amateur Radio Operator of the Year. In his role as Assistant Emergency Coordinator for Resource Management of Pikes Peak Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), Roller was primarily responsible for maintaining the staffing, scheduling and assignments for the Southern Command of last year's disastrous Hayman Fire. Roller is a member of El Paso County RACES and the Pikes Peak Radio Amateur Association. He also is chairman of the Pikes Peak FM Association, serves as an ARRL volunteer examiner and is webmaster for Colorado ARES.
Nevada club donates to The Big Project: In recognition of the ARRL and President Haynie's commitment to bring Amateur Radio to the youth of America, the Nellis Radio Amateur Club (NRAC) of Nevada voted to begin financial support of the ARRL Education and Technology Program-- "The Big Project." The club recently announced an initial donation of $150. President John Bigley, N7UR, said NRAC graduates a new class of Technician operators each year. "Our instructors accompany them to the test site to lend moral support, calm test-day jitters and provide companionship during what is sometimes a long nervous wait while the VE team tabulates their scores," he said. The club also offers an annual General-class course. Nets also conduct twice-weekly interactive code practice sessions on the club's KC7TMC 147.06 and 449.875 repeaters, Bigley said. NRAC is affiliated with Nellis Air Force Base. For more information, visit the NRAC Web site.
New Zealand study says cancer unrelated to cell phone launch: Cellular News reports that the Wellington School of Medicine in New Zealand found no increase in the incidence of cancerous tumors since cellular telephones were introduced to the country in 1987. The research, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, was based on data gathered from the New Zealand Cancer Registry between 1987 and 1998 on cancer in people between 20 and 69 years old. The study's objective was to determine whether the incidence of head and neck malignancies in New Zealand have varied since the introduction of cellular telephones in 1987. The report concluded that the incidence of head and neck malignancies had not changed significantly since the introduction of cellular telephones to New Zealand. The complete article is available on the Cellular News Web site.
 The FO-29 satellite. |
Problems reported with Fuji-OSCAR 20, 29 satellites: AMSAT reports apparent troubles with the two remaining linear transponder satellites outside of AO-40. Fuji-OSCAR 20 (FO-20)--uplink 145.90 to 146.00 MHz (CW/LSB); downlink 435.80 to 435.90 MHz (CW/USB); beacon 435.795 MHz--has been reported silent by numerous operators. Launched February 7, 1990, FO-20 is in mode JA continuously. FO-20 control station operators are said to believe that the under-voltage controller now is regulating the transponder. The controller monitors battery voltage and tries to protect the batteries from overdischarge. Meanwhile, AMSAT reports that the Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) FO-29 command station is carefully considering options to turn on the satellite's transmitter because it is not clear why FO-29 recently went silent. When the satellite has been on, reports have indicated it has a distorted signal. The command team seeks reception reports, so if you hear FO-29, report the time (UTC), location, signal strength to Masa, JN1GKZ, or to the AMSAT-BB. FO-29 was launched August 17, 1996. Mode JA uplink 145.90 to 146.00 MHz (CW/LSB); downlink 435.80 to 435.90 MHz (CW/USB); beacon 435.795 MHz. Digital Mode JD uplink 145.850, 145.870 and 145.910 MHz (FM); downlink 435.910 MHz (1200-baud BPSK or 9600-baud FSK). FO-29 also has a digitalker at 435.910 MHz.--AMSAT News Service
Ten-Tec
announces plans for 60-meter firmware upgrades: Ten-Tec has announced that it will have
5-MHz firmware upgrades in place for its Pegasus, Jupiter, Orion and Argonaut V
Amateur Radio transceivers posted to its firmware
update Web site prior to the midnight (12 AM local time) July 3, 2003,
opening date to allow these rigs to be used on 60 meters. Ten-Tec says that no
hardware modifications for 5 MHz capability are planned for older Ten-Tec
transceivers at this time. Visit the Ten-Tec Web site.
| Previous: IARU Team on the Job as WRC-03 Opens in Geneva | Next: President Haynie Testifies on Behalf of Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act |
