ARRL Approves ST0R Expedition; Changes E-Mail Address

The ARRL has announced that the ST0R DXpedition to the new country of South Sudan has been approved for DXCC credit. (QSLs from the expedition are also valid for the CQ DX Award.)

In addition, DXCC Manager Bill Moore, NC1L, announced that the general <dxcc@arrl.org> e-mail address is no longer in use. Instead, anyone with questions related to the ARRL's DX award is requested to go to <http://www.arrl.org/awards-branch-contacts> and follow the prompts to direct their e-mail to the proper person.

Also on the DXCC front, the RTTY DXCC award has been renamed the Digital DXCC award in recognition of the growing number of digital modes beyond traditional radioteletype.

QRM Detectives at Work

Three separate reports are in the news this month of hams helping to track down and resolve interference on the HF amateur bands. The first involved "swishing" sounds heard on the 60-meter (5 MHz) band, first assumed to be signals from the primary users of the band (hams have a secondary allocation there and must accept interference from primary users). However, a joint effort by ARRL Official Observers and researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey determined that the signals actually were coming from Coastal Ocean Dynamics Applications Radar (CODAR) systems and did not belong on 60 meters. CODAR is an HF radar system used by researchers to study ocean waves and currents. According to the ARRL Letter, the effort led to a frequency change by CODAR, ending the QRM on 60 meters.

In a follow-up action on the west coast, what appeared to be CODAR activity that was causing interference on the 12-meter band was tracked down and the local ARRL OO Coordinator helped resolve the issue.

Finally, Newsline reports that hams around the world worked together in a global hidden transmitter hunt to triangulate the location of the source of a stream of Morse code dits that was heard worldwide for more than a week. It seems that a station in northern California (whose name and call have not been released) accidentally pushed a keyboard against his keyer and unknowingly activated it. The signals stopped immediately after he was contacted by the ARRL.

FCC Considers Petition for Lifetime Exam Credit

The FCC is considering a petition by the Anchorage Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) to grant lifetime credit for exam elements passed in earning licenses that subsequently expired and were not renewed during the two-year grace period. According to Newsline, the petition asks that the FCC permit volunteer examiners to give former holders of Technician, General, Advanced, and Extra Class licenses appropriate element credit so that they can obtain new licenses without retaking the examinations. The Anchorage VEC says this is in the public interest because it would result in the immediate expansion of the pool of experienced operators who would be available in times of emergency. Currently, FCC rules permit lifetime credit for Element 3 (the General exam) only to holders of Technician licenses that expired prior to March 21, 1987. The comment period on the petition closed on August 19.

FCC Dismisses Petition to Bar All Felons from Ham Bands

The FCC has said no to a petition asking for a rules change to automatically bar all convicted felons from ever holding an amateur license. Newsline reports that the request was filed this past May by Bernard Parker, K5BP, of Dallas, Texas. In dismissing the petition, the FCC said such matters are dealt with on a case-by-case basis in order to take into account any mitigating factors or subsequent rehabilitation. It also said Parker had not provided a compelling argument for the Commission to revisit its current policy, especially since it already has an established process in effect for determining whether a felony conviction is grounds for denial of an amateur radio license.

September 2011 WorldRadio Online Posted Live On the Web

The September 2011 edition of WorldRadio Online magazine is live and posted on the Web. Many of your favorite columnists and special features are in this edition. And it's all free. Check it out at: http://www.WorldRadiomagazine.com/

Let’s Play 2: Pop’Comm and WRO Live Online Chats, August 7

You’re invited to join Editor Richard Fisher, KI6SN, for the Popular Communications and WorldRadio Online live online chats, each being held on Sunday, August 7.

The Pop’Comm chat will kick things off at 4 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (2000 UTC) on the Pop’Comm On the Web blog: < http://www.PopCommMagazine.blogspot.com >.

WorldRadio Online’s live Internet chat begins at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (0000 UTC) on the WorldRadio Online Blog at: < http://www.WorldRadioOnline.blogspot.com >.

To join in, simply visit the magazine’s website at chat time and click on the Cover It Live Box, which will link you right into the chat room. If you’d like a reminder about the chats, visit the websites now and register for an email heads-up.

The chats are friendly and casual. We hope to see you there.

JR8LWY Receives First Signals From ARISSat-1

According to a report from Southgate, the amateur radio satellite ARISSat-1 has been deployed from the ISS during EVA-29 on Wednesday, August 3 by Cosmonaut/ Flight Engineers Sergei Volkov and Alexander Samokutyaev.
First signals have been received by JR8LWY reporting copy of the telemetry beacon as the satellite passed over Japan.
Full operational capability of ARISSat-1/KEDR is still under evaluation pending performance evaluation of the UHF antenna.
Please submit your reception signal reports on amsat-bb and via the mission's email boxes on < http://www.amsat.org >.
AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, observed, "Welcome to a new era as AMSAT returns to space with ARISSat-1/KEDR.
I encourage all hams, SWLs, educators, and experimenters to enjoy the unique opportunity presented by this mission to learn about amateur radio in space, enhance and improve your station, and hone your operating skills as you try out all of this satellite's features."
Barry continues, "ARISSat-1/KEDR marks a new type of satellite  which has captured the attention of the national space agencies  around the world for the unique educational opportunity we have  been able to design, launch, and now operate. By designing an educational mission aligned with NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics goals amateur radio operators around the world can now enjoy a new satellite in orbit."

- TNX Southgate and AMSAT

ARISSat-1 Deployed After Delay

The ARISSat-1 amateur satellite was deployed by spacewalking cosmonauts today at approximately 1845 UTC, according to minute-by-minute postings by CQ VHF staff on the CQ VHF magazine Facebook page. The deployment was delayed for about three hours after the satellite was taken outside the International Space Station due to questions regarding one of its antennas. Ultimately the decision was made to toss it into space and put it in orbit! No word as of this posting as to whether the satellite is functioning independently. You may follow progress on the ARISSat-1 web page.

ARISSat-1 Deployment Set for Aug. 3 - to be shown live on NASA-TV

The following is from the AMSAT News Service:

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN

ANS-215

In this Special Bulletin:

* ARISSat-1/KEDR Deployment on August 3

ARISSat-1/KEDR is now ready for deployment from the International

Space Station during EVA 29 on August 3.

NASA TV will cover the EVA live starting at 1400 GMT on August 3.

1430: Hatch Open

1446: Egress ARISSat-1/KEDR and secure to airlock ladder

1452: Remove solar panel covers

1507: Translate to deploy site, activate PWR, TIMER1 and TIMER2

      switches, verify LEDs on, and deploy

WATCH: Internet streaming < http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html >

Read the NASA Press Release about EVA-29 and ARISSat-1/KEDR at:

< http://tinyurl.com/3hdn5k4 > (nasa.gov)

NASA describes the activities for EVA-29, of which our satellite will

be the first task, "The duo's [Cosmonaut/Flight Engineers Sergei Volkov

and Alexander Samokutyaev] first task will be to deploy a boxy, 57

pound satellite, called alternately ARISSat-1 and Radioskaf-V, which

is the prototype test flight of a proposed series of educational

satellites being developed in a partnership with the Radio Amateur

Satellite Corp. (AMSAT), the NASA Office of Education ISS National

Lab Project, the Amateur Radio on ISS (ARISS) working group and

RSC-Energia."

ARISSat-1/KEDR Project Manager, Gould Smith, WA4SXM said, "The satel-

lite is scheduled to be deployed from the ISS during EVA-29 on Wednes-

day August 3 around 1507Z. There is a 15 minute delay after the safety

switches are all thrown before the transmitter turns on. First signals

should be transmitted shortly after 1520Z."

The ARISSat-1/KEDR team is looking for stations to make early reception

reports (1520Z-1800Z) after the ARISSat-1/KEDR release. It looks like

southern South America, very southern South Africa, followed by south-

east Asia should be the first areas to receive the signals.

Please send your reception reports to the amsat-bb@amsat.org. Title

your email - ARISSat-1 reception report.

Alaska and the western US should get a good pass around 1620Z. The

eastern US will have to wait until around 0416Z on the 4th to hear

the satellite.

ARISSat-1/KEDR RECEPTION REPORT CERTIFICATES

--------------------------------------------

When you receive the downlink signal from ARISSat-1/KEDR you are

invited to send your report to the following e-mail boxes. You will

receive a PDF certificate by e-mail.

Students and school groups are especially welcome! We look forward

to your report!

Your report must contain the following information:

1) The signal you received:

   a) the secret word*,

   b) an SSTV image, or,

   c) telemetry data

2) Your name or group name

3) The date/time of reception

4) Your e-mail address of where to send your certificate. You will

   receive a PDF certificate via email.

Here are the e-mail boxes to send your reports:

Secret word* contest to: secretword@arissat1.org

SSTV image to:           sstvreport@arissat1.org

Telemetry data to:       tlmreport@arissat1.org

(either digital or voice report of the data you received)

Received BPSK telemetry and .CSV files should continue to be

sent to: telemetry@arissattlm.org.

* Those who do hear the secret word or call sign please do not put

  it out to the world. That would ruin the contest for those still

  waiting for their station to be in range.

You can find the details of the ARISSat-1/KEDR radio frequencies,

links to telemetry decoding software and mission details on-line at:

+ < http://www.amsat.org >

+ < http://arissat1.org >

ARISSat-1/KEDR can be accessed on these frequencies:

+ 145.950 MHz FM Downlink

+ 435 MHz - 145 MHz Linear Transponder

+ 145.919 MHz CW Beacon

+ 145.920 MHz SSB BPSK-1000 Telemetry

The latest telemetry can be seen LIVE on your computer or cell

phone at: < http://www.arissattlm.org/mobile >

TRACK STATUS on OSCAR STATUS PAGE

---------------------------------

David Carr, KD5QGR has added ARISSat-1/KEDR to the list of satel-

lites at the popular "Live OSCAR Satellite Status Page" at: 

< http://oscar.dcarr.org/ > You are invited to submit your reports

on this page.

[ANS thanks the ARISSat-1/KEDR Team for the above information]

[And CQ thanks the AMSAT News Service]

CQ VHF magazine editor receives Wilson award

Kent Britain, WA5VJB, presents the
Central States VHF Society's Wilson Award
to CQ VHF Editor Joe Lynch, N6CL.

    CQ VHF magazine editor Joe Lynch, N6CL, received the Central States VHF Society's Mel Wilson, W2BOC, Memorial Award at its annual banquet, July 30, 2011. The award was presented by Kent Britain, WA5VJB, the Society's Awards Manager (and Antennas Editor for CQ, CQ VHF and Popular Communications). The award is for continuous service and dedication towards promoting VHF and UHF amateur radio activity. Lynch has served 8-1/2 years as the magazine's editor and 20 years as CQ magazine's VHF editor, along with editing the Society's 2003 and 2005 Proceedings. Lynch is also the author of The VHF "How To" Book (currently out of print).        

    Two other major awards were also presented at the ceremony. The Chambers award for technical contributions to amateur radio went to Joe Taylor, K1JT, developer of the WSJT suite of weak-signal modes; and Gene Zimmerman, W3ZZ (recently retired QST VHF Editor and former CQ World Wide VHF Contest Director), was presented with the President's award for his lifetime contributions to the VHF and UHF community.

Kaitlyn Cole, KS3P, Named 2011 Young Ham of the Year

Kaitlyn Cole, KS3P
2011 Newsline Young Ham
of the Year

Eleven-year-old Kaitlyn Cole, KS3P, of Harvest, Alabama, has been chosen as Amateur Radio Newsline's 2011 Young Ham of the Year. Among other noteworthy achievements, Cole served as a Net Control Station during two weeks of emergency nets following the southeast tornado outbreak of April 27, 2011. The award presentation is scheduled to be made at the Huntsville Hamfest in August. CQ is a co-sponsor of the YHOTY program, providing winners with a free week at SpaceCamp. Kaitlyn is the 26th Newsline Young Ham of the Year, and the youngest to date.

South Sudan Update - Huge Pileups for ST0R

Huge pileups are reported for the ST0R DXpedition to South Sudan, the world's newest independent country. Online DX News site dxcoffee.com reports the group expects to be on the air through August 10 on all bands between 160 and 6 meters, operating mostly in CW, with occasional shifts to SSB and RTTY.

South Sudan Reported On the Air

The online DX magazine DXCoffee reports that an initial ham radio operation from South Sudan was on the air as of July 22, using the callsign ST0R and operating on 30 meters to start. (DXCoffee has recently started an English-language edition, in addition to its original Italian version. It's online at <http://www.dxcoffee.com/eng/>.)

The newly-established Republic of South Sudan is the latest addition to ham radio DX lists. It was added to both the ARRL's DXCC list and the CQ Countries list as of July 14, its admission date to the United Nations. Details will be in the September issue of CQ magazine.

Hams Killed, Injured in Antenna Accidents

One ham was killed and three others were injured recently in two widely-separated antenna accidents. Tim Anderson, K0OR, was killed and Tom Embree, NC0K, was seriously injured when a 110-foot tower they were helping to disassemble in Hot Springs, South Dakota, collapsed on them. According to the ARRL Letter and Newsline, all but the bottom 30-foot section had been taken down when the accident occurred on July 16. Both men were on the tower and fellow members of the Hot Springs Amateur Radio Club were beginning to release the guy wires when a gust of wind toppled the tower section.

In Texas, two hams taking down an inverted-vee antenna at the Wichita Amateur Radio Society's Field Day site received electric shocks after a strong wind gust blew a guy wire or the antenna's feedline into a power line. The ARRL Letter reports that both Danny Caldwell, AD5IP, and Mike Byrne, AE5CO, were taken to Parkland Hospital in Dallas for treatment and were later released. Club officials said all safety precautions were being observed.

Plea Bargain for Man Involved in Pirate Attack that Killed 3 Hams

A man from Yemen accepted a plea bargain in connection with a high-seas piracy attack this past February that left three US hams and another American dead. According to Newsline, 23-year-old Mounir Ali pled guilty to taking part in the armed hijacking of the yacht Quest off the coast of Oman. Ali had claimed that he and four other Yemenis were hijack victims themselves, but US prosecutors said he willingly joined the pirates in exchange for a share of any ransom money. They also said Ali was not directly involved in the shootings of the four Americans. Sentencing is scheduled for October 21.

End of Shuttle Program Marks End of Era in Ham Radio As Well

The landing of Atlantis in mid-July marked the end of the U.S. space shuttle program, but it also marked the end of a nearly-30-year association between ham radio and the shuttle program. The first ham radio operation from space was conducted aboard the shuttle Columbia in 1983 by then-Astronaut Owen Garriott, W5LFL. The ongoing tradition of ham radio contacts between astronauts in orbit and children at schools around the world began on the shuttle as SAREX, the Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment, which has since morphed into ARISS, Amateur Radio on the International Space Station.

On the topic of ARISS, the ARRL reports that four astronauts and astronaut candidates recently passed their ham radio license exams, and one astronaut upgraded from Technician to General.

Tentative Schedule Released for ARISSat-1

An on-board test of the ARISSat-1 satellite is tentatively scheduled for July 30-31, with a possible launch from the International Space Station on August 3, according to the AMSAT News Service. The launch is tied to the scheduling of a spacewalk, as the satellite is to be hand-launched by space station crew members during that spacewalk ... currently scheduled for August 3. The launch has already been delayed several times.

Space Weather Broadcasts to Continue on WWV/WWVH

In July, we reported that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) was planning to end its broadcasts of solar information on WWV and WWVH. It appears that user feedback was significant enough to persuade officials to change their minds. NOAA now says it "plans to continue this service for the foreseeable future," and that content updates are being made "as a result of the feedback process."

Two Summer Films Feature Amateur Radio

Amateur radio is prominently (if not accurately) portrayed in two of this summer's major movies, "Mr. Popper's Penguins" and "Super 8." The ARRL Letter reports that two of the main characters in "Mr. Popper's Penguins" communicate using what appears to be ham radio, but use handles instead of callsigns and the 15-meter frequency to which the radio is tuned (21.246 MHz) was not available as a voice frequency to US hams in the years in which the film is supposed to occur. In "Super 8," a ham tells of strange noises on his receiver and sheriff's deputies follow up by decoding the signals and learning vital information. Unfortunately, their "receiver" is a Heathkit Seneca VHF-1, which was actually a transmitter.

Hurricane Watch Looking for New Members

The Hurricane Watch Net is looking for new members who can "effectively communicate with Central America and the Caribbean, Mexico and South Texas on the 20-meter band," according to the ARRL. The net is also looking for more members who are bilingual, especially those fluent in both Spanish and English. The Hurricane Watch Net operates on 14.325 MHz when tropical storms or hurricanes are within reach of land. More information is available on the net's website at <www.hwn.org>.

ARRL Renews MoU with National Weather Service

The ARRL and the National Weather Service have updated and renewed their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), continuing a formalized relationship that extends back to 1986. Under the agreement, volunteers in the ARRL field organization are encouraged to contact NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologists and work with them to establish and maintain SKYWARN networks in which trained spotters observe and report weather conditions during storms.

RFI Workshop for Utilities

The ARRL recently hosted a two-day RF interference workshop for utility company employees. Four (yes, four -- ed.) people attended from different parts of the country. The ARRL Letter reports they were treated to a comprehensive mini-course on identifying, tracking and resolving RFI run by Mike Martin, K3RFI, owner of RFI Services, a company that is dedicated exclusively to RFI tracking and training. 

August 2011 Edition of WorldRadio Online Is Live on the Web

The August 2011 edition of WorldRadio Online magazine is live and posted on the Web. Many of your favorite columnists and special features are in this edition. And it's all free. Check it out at: http://www.WorldRadiomagazine.​com/

South Sudan Added to CQ DX Countries List

The Republic of South Sudan is the newest addition to the CQ DX Award Countries List, CQ DX Awards Manager Billy Williams, N4UF, announced today. It is #342. Verifications confirming contacts after July 14, 2011 (the date of its admission to the United Nations) are acceptable for credit. No award credit is available for southern Sudan contacts made during the 1980s and 90s.

The Republic of South Sudan
(Courtesy CIA World Factbook)

The new addition will be reflected in CQ DX Honor Roll totals to be compiled near the end of September. The July listings will not include the new addition and will be based on 341 active countries. (See paragraphs 21 through 24 on the CQ DX web page <http://home.earthlink.net/~bfwillia/page3.html>. Note in paragraph 24 that "the Award Manager will allow at least 30 days between the date of his announcement and any Honor Roll revisions that reflect the new maximum count.")

Verifications may be checked by a CQ Checkpoint or sent to the Award Manager. Include return postage or SASE with updates if you send cards or desire a reply. Updates are accepted only via postal mail.

The CQ DX Award Countries List contains 342 entities including Kosova. Endorsement stickers for 340 are not yet available. When stickers are available, an announcement will be posted on the CQ DX web page (see URL above). As of this time, the International Telecommunication Union has not yet issued a callsign prefix block for South Sudan.

For purposes of the CQ DX Field Award, most of South Sudan is in field KJ; small northern portions (above 10 degrees north latitude) are in field KK. More information on the CQ DX Field Award is available at <http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/cq_awards/cq_dx_awards/cq_dx_field_award/cq_dx_field_award.html> and at <http://home.earthlink.net/~bfwillia/gridfield.html#CQ DX FIELD AWARD RULES>.

In addition, South Sudan will count as a country (entity) multiplier for the CQ DX Marathon, the CQ World Wide DX Contest and any other CQ contests that use country multipliers.

ARISSat-1 Test Set for July 30-31; Depolyment Possible August 3

During the International ARISS teleconference July 14, Sergey Samburov, RV3DR, announced that the ARISSat battery will be charged late in July.
A test of the system will be conducted on the International Space Station from 1915 UTC on July 30 to about
1200-1400 UTC on July 31.
The standard ARISSat-1/KEDR 2-meter downlink band plan should be transmitted as well as the FM signal - also downlinked on 437.55 MHz.  More information as it becomes available.
"Today we are looking at an August 3 date for EVA 29 and the ARISSat-1/KEDR deployment. This is all subject to change," the release noted. "ANS thanks Gould Smith, WA4SXM, for this latest information." - AMSAT News Service

New SATERN Director Named

Retired SATERN National Director
Maj. Pat McPherson, WW9E
(Courtesy www.satern.org)

Salvation Army Major Richard Shirran, VE3NUZ, has been appointed as the new head of SATERN, the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network. He succeeds Major Pat McPherson, WW9E, who retires with the new appointment, 23 years and one day after the first SATERN net was held. The announcement was made by Colonel David Jeffrey, the National Chief Secretary of the Salvation Army.
 

McPherson applauded the choice, saying Shirran "has been a long time proponent of Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services and its SATERN component. He understands well the culture of amateur radio and The Salvation Army, and he has proven … expertise in every field of disaster endeavor."

Portuguese Edition of CQ to Debut in Brazil

A new Portuguese-language edition of CQ is due to be launched this August in Brazil. The new edition will be published by Radiohaus, a major Brazilian amateur radio dealer. It will be published bi-monthly and will contain a mix of articles translated from the U.S. edition and original material written specifically for the Brazilian ham audience. This is the same arrangement that CQ has with the publishers of its Spanish edition, CQ Radio Amateur.

Management Change for Arecibo Observatory

(Courtesy Arecibo Observatory)

Nature.com reports that Cornell University has lost its management contract for the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. The world's largest radiotelescope has been managed by Cornell since it opened in 1963, and has occasionally been used for amateur radio projects, including a moonbounce operation last year. The new managers will be a consortium of groups including SRI International, the Universities Space Research Association in Washington DC; and the Metropolitan University in Puerto Rico. It is not known how the new management will regard the amateur radio operations at the observatory.

FCC Chief Visits Hamvention®

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski (L)
was escorted around the Dayton
Hamvention® by 2011 show
chairman Mike Kalter, W8CI.
(Photo courtesy K0NEB)

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski made a surprise visit to the Dayton Hamvention® during an unplanned layover in Dayton. According to Hamvention officials, Genachowski was flying back to Washington on Friday, May 20, when his plane was diverted to Dayton because of severe weather in the Midwest. He was told he might have trouble finding a hotel room because of all the ham radio operators in town. After finding a room, he decided to visit the show on Saturday morning before returning to Washington. He spent about two hours at Hara Arena, talking with hams and checking out the equipment displays.

Astronaut Wheelock Praises Ham Radio at Dayton

A planned guest at this year's Dayton Hamvention® was Astronaut Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC -- a callsign he's never used! "I call that my gravity callsign," Wheelock told Newsline. "My real callsign is NA1SS from the space station ..." He said that ham radio provided a great way to relax and decompress as he and his crewmates worked to fix a pump failure that required three spacewalks to repair. Plus, he said, "(h)aving you guys as an emergency contact for us around the globe was a warm, warm feeling for me as a commander…"

Astronaut Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC
(NASA Photo)

New Access Rules for QRZ.com

Users of the QRZ.com callsign database must now be registered and sign in before getting access to any name or address data. Owner Fred Lloyd, AA7BQ, explained in a posting that routine access to the database was being slowed down by a growing number of automated systems trying to harvest massive amounts of data at one time. Registration is free; ham users may access a maximum of 150 callsigns/day (not including their own); non-ham users are limited to 25 lookups per day, and QRZ subscribers will continue to have unlimited access.

Progress, But No Changes Yet, in HR-607

Rep. Greg Walden, W7EQI (L), with House Speaker John Boehner.
The next step for HR-607 is in Walden's hands. (House of
Representatives photo)

A group of New York hams met in May with the sponsor of HR-607, the bill that would create a nationwide interoperable radio service for public safety officials, but at the cost of 420-440 MHz and 450-470 MHz. According to participants, Rep. Peter King (R-NY) promised to have the bill amended to remove the section that deals with auctioning off spectrum below 512 MHz, and staff members later confirmed that the Congressman had made that request to Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), who is chairman of the Subcommittee on Technology, Communications and the Internet (and W7EQI). The committee is now in charge of the bill. Reportedly, Walden agreed to have the section removed, but as this is written in late June, no action had yet been taken on amending the bill.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and John McCain (R-AZ) introduced a companion bill to HR-607 -- S-1040 -- that does not call for auctioning off any spectrum below 1675 MHz. However, it would require the FCC to not renew current public safety licenses below 512 MHz unless the licensee can show that:

(A) that migration to a different spectrum band will cause considerable economic hardship to the State or local government jurisdiction in which such licensee is located;

(B) migration to a different spectrum band would adversely impact the ability of the licensee to protect and serve the community in which such licensee is located; or

(C) there are an insufficient number of frequencies above the 700 MHz band to support the land-mobile communications needs of the licensee.

New HF Radar Proposal Could Impact Ham Bands

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) -- which regulates federal government spectrum usage and advises the president on telecommunications matters -- has proposed establishing oceanographic radar allocations at several HF frequency segments, including the 60-meter amateur band and immediately adjacent to the 20-meter ham band. According to the ARRL, the recommendation to propose these allocations at next year's World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-12) came as a surprise to those members of a U.S. WRC working group set up by the FCC - including an ARRL representative - that had proposed different sets of frequencies and concluded that sharing between these radars and amateurs would be difficult at best. Apparently, there has not yet been an explanation of why NTIA made these specific proposals or why it disregarded the working group's advice. More to come on this one…

Japan Drops All Amateur Code Tests

(Courtesy CIA World Factbook)

Back in the 1950s, Japan became the first country to issue an amateur license that did not require a Morse code exam, the so-called Class 4 license. However, it has continued to require code tests for the Class 1 and Class 2 licenses, even as most of the rest of the world has ended amateur code test requirements. Now, according to Newsline, effective October 1, Japan will no longer require code tests for any class of amateur license. Interestingly, on an issue about which so many hams have been so passionate for so many decades, a request for comments on the proposed rule change drew only 39 responses.

NWS Launches New Lightning Safety Program

(Courtesy NOAA)

"When thunder roars, go indoors!" is the slogan of a new lightning awareness and safety program launched by the National Weather Service. The community-based program is aimed at increasing awareness of lightning dangers out of doors, and will provide signs and other educational materials that communities can post or distribute. (For a first-hand report on a too-close-for-comfort outdoor lightning encounter, see KB1OGL's article, "A Striking Story," in the August issue of CQ.)

LightSquared Agrees to QSY to Protect GPS

A wireless broadband internet company that received a waiver from the FCC to set up operations on frequencies immediately adjacent to those used by the Global Positioning System (GPS) has agreed to start up its operations on a different band.

A GPS satellite (Courtesy US Air Force)

Both LightSquared and the FCC had been sharply criticized by aviators - especially private pilots who rely on GPS for precise navigation - as well as public safety officials, members of Congress, and the Federal Aviation Administration for inadequate testing to determine how much interference to GPS might result from having high-speed internet service right next door. The National Journal reported on June 20 that LightSquared had agreed to move its initial service to a different block of frequencies below the GPS band, "a solution which ensures that tens of millions of GPS users won't be affected by LightSquared's launch," according to the company's CEO.

RadioShack Wants Your Advice

RadioShack is trying to respond to the needs of a growing community of builders, both among hams and "maker" groups around the country. In a video on its blog page, the company is looking for input from builders on what types of parts they should stock to meet customers' needs. The video, as well as comment space, may be found at <http://blog.radioshack.com/post/2011/05/19/RadioShack-And-The-DIY-Community-You-Talked-Were-Listening.aspx>.

Cornell Students Seeking Ham Listeners

The Cornell-designed "Sprite" chip
satellite (courtesy Cornell U. news
release)

Students at Cornell University are involving ham radio and hams in a project designed to collect information about the atmosphere of Saturn. The AMSAT News Service reports that students at Cornell have developed fingernail-sized satellites designed to be sent to Saturn, where they will flutter down through its atmosphere, reporting on chemistry, radiation and particle impacts. The so-called "Sprites" transmit on the 902 MHz ham band. A group of them is now being tested on board the International Space Station, attached to a panel on the outside of the station. Hams are invited to listen for these very low-powered beacons. For more information, see <http://tinyurl.com/3fs5ks7> or <http://www.spacecraftresearch.com/blog>.

Ham Radio Rides West Point Balloon to Edge of Space

Cadets from the U.S. Military Academy's
Amateur Radio and Astronomy Clubs
Launch a Balloon Satellite in May.
(Photo by Mike Strasser, West Point
Public Affairs)

Cadets from the U.S. Military Academy's astronomy and amateur radio clubs used the last day of this year's spring semester to launch a "balloon satellite" to the upper reaches of Earth's atmosphere. Still and video cameras aboard the craft shot photos as it rose to an altitude of more than 85,000 feet and then descended. An Automatic Packet Radio System (APRS) transmitter allowed students to track the payload throughout the flight and to later recover it, the instruments "still cold from their journey to space," according to a West Point news release. The release also described the APRS system as "an ad hoc network of ham radio operators that run a nationwide communications utility as a public service." The launch also highlighted inter-service cooperation in the military, as the West Point group has been collaborating with the aeronautics department at the U.S. Air Force Academy and APRS was developed by Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, who teaches at the U.S. Naval Academy.

New Russian Prefixes on Air

New Russian Prefixes are on the air.
(Map courtesy CIA World Factbook)

Telecommunications authorities in the Russian Federation have made changes recently in the assignment of amateur radio callsign prefixes. The ARRL Letter reports that, among other things, calls with the numeral "2" are no longer limited to Kaliningradsk (now RA2 and UA2-UI2 with "F" or "K" as the first letter of the suffix), certain calls with "8" or "9" as the numeral may now be in European Russia, and new blocks of temporary callsigns have been designated for operations in Antarctica, Franz Josef Land and Malyj Visotskij Island.

July 2011 WorldRadio Online Magazine Now On the Web - FREE

The July 2011 edition of WorldRadio Online magazine is live and posted on the Web. Many of your favorite columnists and special features are in this edition. And it's all free. Click here to link directly to the WRO Welcome Page. Or check it out at: http://www.WorldRadiomagazine.com/

Pop'Comm Live Online Chat Session is Sunday, June 5

You're invited to join Popular Communications editor Richard Fisher, KI6SN, for the magazine's first-ever live online chat session.

It's Sunday, June 5 beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern time.

The session promises to be casual, friendly and lots of fun. We'll also be conducting some instant online polls.

Radio enthusiasts from everywhere are invited to join in.

To access the session, at chat time click on the Cover It Live box on the PopComm On the Web homepage:

< http://www.PopCommMagazine.blogspot.com/ >

You can sign-up there now for an email reminder, as well.