Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, Named CQ Contributing Editor
Succeeds Fred Maia, W5YI (Silent Key)
(Hicksville, NY) April 17, 2012 -- Retired FCC amateur radio enforcement chief Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, has been named a CQ magazine contributing editor, it was announced today by CQ Editor Rich Moseson, W2VU. Hollingsworth will succeed "Washington Readout" editor Fred Maia, W5YI, who recently became a Silent Key.
Hollingsworth, a ham since 1960 and a longtime FCC attorney, became a household name in amateur radio in 1998 when he was named Special Counsel for Amateur Radio in the Commission's newly-created Enforcement Bureau. His highly-visible enforcement actions were cheered by a vast majority of the amateur community after more than a decade during which FCC enforcement on the ham bands was virtually non-existent. Hollingsworth retired from the FCC in 2008, but has continued to be in demand as a speaker at hamfests and radio club meetings.
His new monthly column - to be titled "Riley's Ramblings" - will incorporate "Washington Readout's" coverage of legislative and administrative actions that affect amateur radio, as well as additional topics of importance and/or interest to CQ's readers, all related in the distinctive common-sense style that has made Riley a sought-after speaker. His first column will appear in the July, 2012, issue of CQ, and will explain why ongoing FCC enforcement actions since his retirement have been somewhat "under the radar."
"We are pleased and honored to have Riley joining our staff," said Moseson. "His stature in the amateur radio community is second-to-none, and his ability to explain sometimes-arcane legal and regulatory language in plain English fits right in with CQ's long-standing dedication to providing practical, useful information for our readers to help them get the most enjoyment possible out of the amateur radio hobby. I look forward to a long and fruitful relationship."
"I am delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to CQ and to amateur radio generally," noted Hollingsworth. "As a 13-year-old Novice in South Carolina nervously making my first contact with an overheated Johnson Challenger and a barely effective vertical, not in my wildest imagination did I think I would be writing for a ham radio magazine someday. I am very appreciative of this offer and I hope I can be a valuable asset to the magazine."
Hollingsworth holds a Master’s degree from the University of South Carolina, and a law degree from Wake Forest University. He lives in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Pat.
The man who helped scuttle plans to "phase out" the
use of Winlink 2000 by Army MARS is now in charge of the program. According to
Army MARS, Stephen G. Klinefelter, 61, is a retired Signal Corps colonel who is
now a civilian employee of the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command,
under which MARS operates. Late last year, the Pentagon announced that it would be
phasing out MARS's use of the Winlink 2000 messaging system due to security
concerns, despite the fact that it is widely used by many state and local
emergency management agencies with which MARS would be expected to work during
a disaster or major emergency. Klinefelter persuaded the army's Chief
Information Officer, Lt. Gen. Susan Lawrence that the resources of amateur
radio far outweighed any risk from enemy hackers. She ordered an exemption for
Army MARS.
The
FCC in early April requested comments from the public on amateur radio's role
in emergency communications and whether
private land use regulations impede hams' abilities to perform that role. The
request came about as a result of the inclusion in the law that extended
payroll tax cuts through 2012 of a section requiring the FCC to make a study of
those issues and report back to Congress in six months with recommendations. The Docket Number is DA 12-523. Comments are due by May 17. 
Any
digital mode that meets the technical restrictions of the new FCC rules for the
5 MHz band is now permitted. This, after the National Telecommunications and
Information Administration (NTIA), which controls primary access to the band,
indicated in a letter to the ARRL that it had no objection to any specific
modes, as long as they fall into the category of a 2K80J2D emission and have a
bandwidth of 2.8 kHz or less. The ARRL, relying on old NTIA advice (but the
most current in written form), had originally said the agency asked that only
PSK-31 and PACTOR-III be used on the band. With this clarification, any digital
mode meeting the above standards is permitted. For more details, see
<http://www.arrl.org/60-meter-faq>.
ARRL
members may now partially apply online for DXCC awards and endorsements.
According to the ARRL website, the new system, which debuted April 2, allows
users to use an online form to select cards that he/she would like to submit.
The list is then printed and taken, along with the QSL cards, to an ARRL card
checker or sent to League headquarters. It appears that the biggest change is
that the application fee (which is lower when using the online form) is
collected online by the ARRL, rather than having to go through the card
checker. More details are available at <http://bit.ly/HiO6Ke>.
The
number of applications for new amateur radio licenses in the first three months
of 2012 was 30% higher than for the same period last year, according to the
ARRL. There were over 7500 new FCC licenses issued between January 1 and March
31, 2012, according to the League, significantly outpacing the 5800 new
licenses issued in the first quarter of 2011. However, this is still below the
first-quarter total for 2010, which was just over 8200. Nonetheless, the ranks
of amateur radio licensees in the U.S. remains at an all-time high, with the
total now exceeding 704,000. ARRL/VEC Manager Maria Sommer, AB1FM, also noted
in the ARRL Letter that the number of license upgrades was also up this
year versus last year, although not so dramatically, rising 6% from 2011.
Technicians, Generals and Extras all are at all-time highs.
Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency announced plans in late March to launch five
satellites operating in the amateur bands … four of which are slated to be
launched from the International Space Station. One of the satellites, named
HORYU-2, was scheduled for a May 17 launch, so it may already be in orbit by
the time you read this. The others, according to Newsline, are slated for a
late July launch to the ISS, along with the JEM Small Satellite Orbital
Deployer, a device that will enable the launch of small satellites from the
station's robotic arm. The satellites scheduled for that launch include two built
in Japan - WE-WISH and FITSAT-1 - plus the TechEdSat from San Jose State
University in California and the F-1 satellite, built in Vietnam. Initial plans
call for all four to be launched from the JEM deployer in late September.
