Ham Radio Study Tucked into Payroll Tax Bill

Using classic legislative sleight-of-hand, sponsors of the ARRL-backed bills to mandate a study of "impediments to enhanced Amateur Radio Service communications" -- such as homeowner association antenna restrictions -- tucked the language away deep in the bill Congress passed in mid-February to retain current payroll tax cuts through the end of 2012. 

President Obama signs payroll tax cut extension bill, which
includes mandate that FCC study "impediments" to amateur
radio operation, such as CC&Rs, and make recommendations
on how to eliminate them. (White House photo)

The ARRL Letter reports that section 6414 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 directs the FCC, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, to study the "uses and capabilities" of amateur radio in emergencies and disaster relief and to identify "impediments to enhanced (amateur radio) communications, such as the effects of unreasonable or unnecessary private land use restrictions on residential antenna installations." 

The law, which was signed by President Obama on February 22, also requires the FCC to make recommendations "regarding the removal of such impediments" and to report back to Congress with its findings within six months.

A ham from Arizona is taking a different tack in attempting to get the FCC to pre-empt homeowner association antenna restrictions. Len Umina, W7CCE, has filed a petition claiming that the FCC's position that its limited pre-emption of state and local antenna laws does not extend to private land-use regulations violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. His petition has been designated as PRM12WT. As we went to press, it had not yet been posted for public comment.

FCC Denies Waiver Request on No-Test Relicensing

The FCC has said no to the Anchorage VEC's request for a temporary waiver to permit re-issuing of expired amateur licenses without the need for retaking a license exam while it considers the group's pending rulemaking petition to permit no-test relicensing on a permanent basis. According to Newsline, the Commission suggested that it was unlikely to approve the underlying petition, noting that its rules require all licensees to demonstrate their qualifications before receiving licenses, and that plenty of exam opportunities are available. However, it left the door open for possibly reaching a different conclusion when it decides on the petition in FCC Docket WT 11-130.

NASA to Launch Fox-1 Cubesat

AMSAT has had a big financial burden lifted from its shoulders with the acceptance of the planned Fox-1 satellite into NASA's "Educational Launch of NanoSat" program. 

The AMSAT News Service reports the space agency will pay the satellite's integration and launch costs, allowing AMSAT to put all of the money it raises for the project into designing and building the satellite itself. Actually, it need to build two satellites -- one to fly and one spare -- and notes that major donations are still needed, especially for the high-efficiency solar panels needed to provide the spacecraft with as much power as possible.

Vega Rocket Launches Nine Satellites

Launch of the European Space Agency's new Vega rocket.
(Courtesy ESA website)

The European Space Agency's new launch vehicle, the Vega, made its first operational launch in mid-Feburary, carrying into orbit eight student-built amateur radio satellites and the LARES Laser Relativity Satellite. 

The ARRL Letter reports that the ham-band satellites were built by students in six different countries and will transmit telemetry on VHF, UHF and microwave amateur bands. One, PW-Sat from Poland, includes a voice repeater which will listen on 70 centimeters and transmit on 2 meters.

Add Z8, Drop R1M

The Republic of South Sudan
Calls will now have Z8 prefixes
(Map courtesy CIA World Fact Book)

 South Sudan has finally been assigned a call sign block -- Z8A-Z8Z -- by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), according to the ARRL Letter. No word on why it took more than seven months since the country's independence before the call prefixes were assigned.

Heading north, the ARRL reports that Malyj Vysotskij Island, R1M, has been deleted from the DXCC list, effective February 17. This, the result of a new treaty between Finland and Russia that ends M-V Island's separate status. At press time, R1M remains on the Worked All Europe (WAE) list, so at least for now, it also remains on the CQ DX country list. Watch our web news page for updates.

Several Prominent Hams are Silent Keys

Several well-known names in amateur radio have joined the roster of Silent Keys.
 

Armond Noble, N6WR, founder and former publisher of WorldRadio magazine, passed away on February 1. We learned in early February that longtime CQ columnist Bill Welsh, W6DDB, died in November. He was CQ's Novice Editor from 1977 to 1997. (See full obits on Welsh and Noble below.)

On February 10, astronaut Janice Voss, KC5BTK, lost a battle with cancer.Dick Kirby, W0LCT/HB9BOA, passed away on January 26. Kirby was director of the ITU's Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) from 1974 until his retirement in 1995. And Bill Simons, W9BB, who designed the popular Shure 440 and 444 microphones, became a Silent Key in early January.

In addition, the CQ family has suffered a loss, with the mid-February passing of William Kehrwieder, husband of CQ Production Director and Business Manager Dottie Kehrwieder and father of Operations Manager Melissa Gilligan. Our condolences to the families of all.

Hams Active in Philippine Earthquake Relief - Emergency Net on 7.095 MHz

 A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck the central Philippines on Monday, February 6, killing at least 43 people. Many more are still missing. Hams are active in providing communications into and out of the quake zone.

According to Jim Linton, VK3PC, Chairman of the International Amateur Radio Union's Region 3 Disaster Communications Committee, emergency frequencies have been established on 144.740 and 7.095 MHz. He says the country's Ham Emergency Radio Operations (HEROs) group has established a command center on a Philippine Coast Guard search-and-rescue vessel and is forwarding traffic between the quake area and the cities of Cebu and Manila, the national capital. (Tnx Southgate Amateur Radio News)

Longtime CQ Columnist W6DDB Silent Key

We have just learned that longtime CQ Novice columnist Bill Welsh, W6DDB, became a Silent Key last November. He was 83. According to an obituary in the Antelope Valley (CA) Press, Welsh passed away on November 9 in Lancaster, California, his longtime home. He was CQ's Novice columnist for two decades, from 1977 to 1997.

Bill wrote on his QRZ.com bio page that he had been a commercial radio operator since 1944 and an amateur since 1949. Born in Boston in 1927, Bill was a veteran of the Merchant Marine in World War II. He ran amateur radio licensing courses for 50 years and had a rare talent for explaining technical material in easy-to-understand terms. Thousands of his readers considered him their mentor, even if they had never met him. However, much of Bill's time on the air was spent in the Novice bands, so many of his readers did get to meet him on the air. In addition to his CQ column, Welsh also wrote for QST, 73 and Ham Radio magazines. He also produced amateur radio training tapes for blind students, which were distributed through the Library of Congress. Even after the Novice license was discontinued, Bill continued to encourage new hams through his on-air activity and by offering a certificate for confirmed contacts with all ten U.S. call districts.(Tnx KR6C)

WorldRadio Founder Armond Noble, N6WR, Silent Key

            Armond Noble, N6WR, founder and publisher of WorldRadio magazine for 37 years, died February 1 in Sacramento, California after a short illness.

            Noble, publisher of Sacramento-based International Travel News magazine, was hospitalized about two months ago, according to Editor David Tykol, <http://www.intltravelnews.com/>.

            WorldRadio was published monthly from July 1971 until the end of 2008, when Noble sold the magazine to Hicksville, New York-based CQ Communications, Inc. With its February 2009 edition, it was renamed WorldRadio Online and became the first online-only major amateur radio publication.

            Noble had a long and distinguished career in communications. From 1953 to 1955 he served in the U.S. Army with a VHF radio relay unit. He went on to positions at commercial radio and TV stations around the United States, including: KTWO-TV and KATI in Casper, Wyoming; KOOK-TV, Billings, Montana; KTVB, Boise, Idaho; KERO-TV, Bakersfield, California, WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and KCRA Radio in Sacramento.

            During the Vietnam War, Noble was a reporter-photographer for TIME magazine and the Milwaukee Journal. He also served in the TIME-LIFE bureau in Sacramento.

Super Bowl Half-Time WRO-Pop'Comm Live Chat, Super Bowl Sunday, February 5

Join WorldRadio Online and Popular Communications magazine Editor Richard Fisher, KI6SN / KPC6PC, on Sunday, February 5 for the Super Bowl Half-Time WRO-Pop'Comm Live Internet Chat. It'll be a sprint!


As soon as the first half of the Giants-New England NFL Super Bowl ends, go to: 


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


Click on the Cover It Live box and you'll land right in the chat-o-sphere. Best of all, you won't miss a minute of the game. We'll shut 'er down with the kick-off of the second half.


Please join us for casual conversation about amateur radio and radio monitoring - and THE GAME, of course! We hope to see you there.

Pop'Comm Monitoring Station Registrations Top 700

The response to the launch of the Pop'Comm Monitoring Station program has been fantastic. Since its launch on January 1, 2012, we have issued more than 700 monitoring station ID signs and the applications keep coming. If you're interesting in registering your listening post, see the January 2012 Pop'Comm for details and visit: < http://www.PopCommMonitors.blogspot.com/ >.

ARRL to Permit Use of LoTW for CQ Awards

Applicants for CQ's WPX award will soon be able to use ARRL Logbook of the World (LoTW) credits in their applications, under an agreement between CQ and the ARRL announced on January 24. Previously, ARRL had prohibited the use of its LoTW system by any outside organization. The target date for starting WPX support on LoTW is April 1, 2012. Support for additional CQ awards will follow, although no timetable has been set. 

CQ Communications President and Publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA, said he is looking forward to making it easier for hams to apply for CQ awards. "We have had excellent results with electronic confirmation support from eQSL for several years," he said, "and I am glad that we are now able to begin expanding that convenience to those participants in our award programs who use Logbook of the World. We look forward to a smooth launch for WPX, and to the expansion of LoTW support to include the rest of our award programs as well."  Standard CQ award fees and ARRL LoTW credit fees will apply, and will be collected separately.

The complete announcement is posted below. 

ARRL Seeks Input on 60-Meter Band Plan

With the coming changes in FCC rules for 60 meters (which may have taken effect by the time you read this; but no date had been announced at press time), the ARRL is seeking input on a new 5-MHz band plan. Until now, only upper sideband had been permitted on the five specified channels in the band. The new rules will permit data, RTTY and CW as well as USB phone. They will also swap one channel for another and will increase maximum permitted power from 50 watts to 100 watts. With activity expected to increase after the new rules take effect, the ARRL Letter says the League is looking for user feedback on what modes and activities should be recommended for each of the band's five channels. Suggestions should be e-mailed to <hf-band-plan@arrl.org>.

Foundation for Amateur Radio Seeks Scholarship Applicants

Amateurs pursuing higher education may be eligible for one or more of the 50 scholarships administered by the Foundation for Amateur Radio (FAR). Awards range from $300 to $5000 and may give preference to students from certain geographic areas or in certain courses of study. The application deadline for most awards is April 15, although a few have a May 15 deadline. Details and downloadable applications may be found on the FAR website at <www.farweb.org>. You may also request an application package by sending a letter or QSL card to: FAR Scholarships, P.O. Box 911, Columbia, MD 21044-0911.

Ham Radio Embracing "DIY" Community

A multi-pronged effort is under way to promote greater cooperation and closer relations between hams and do-it-yourselfers, also known as "makers." While launched independently, these efforts dovetail with each other.

CQ is launching a new "Makers" column as of its March 2012 issue; the ARRL has released a "suite" of promotional materials aimed at introducing DIYers/makers to ham radio, according to the ARRL Letter, including a new video called "The DIY Magic of Amateur Radio." And the AMSAT News Service reports that Diane Bruce, VA3DB, has started a "ham radio-builder" e-mail list, on which members will be encouraged to contribute simple projects, with lots of photos and good instructions. Interested hams may sign up for the list at <http://diana.db.net/mailman/listinfo/hamradio-builder>.

Last BPL Company Using Ham Bands Shuts Down

The only remaining broadband over power lines (BPL) provider in the U.S. using frequencies that include amateur radio bands, has gone out of business. According to the ARRL Letter, IBEC - which had been the subject of ARRL interference complaints to the FCC - announced on its website that losses from last spring's tornadoes in Alabama had left it with "no other option than to close our doors and cease operations." The company had used BPL to provide internet service to rural areas.

ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, said that while the League regrets the loss of jobs resulting from IBEC's closure, "in the long run, the rural areas that IBEC was trying to serve will be better served by broadband technologies that are superior to BPL and do not pollute the radio spectrum." ARRL Lab Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, added, "Now that IBEC is out of the game, no other (BPL) system in the country uses the amateur bands in their deployments."

New French AMSAT Group Established

A group of satellite-active amateurs in France have formed AMSAT-Francophone to promote amateur satellite activities in all French-speaking countries. According to the group's website, it was formed by former members of AMSAT-France after that organization disbanded several months ago. The AMSAT News Service reports that its website may be accessed at <http://www.amsat-f.org/> (French version) or in "Google English" at <http://tinyurl.com/AMSAT-Francophone>.

Diamond DXCC Challenge

The ARRL is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its DX Century Club (DXCC) program with a special year-long activity throughout 2012. According to the ARRL Letter, the Diamond DXCC Challenge will provide a special certificate to amateurs who contact other hams in all of the 231 entities on the original 1937 DXCC list. Many of these countries no longer exist, have been divided into multiple countries or absorbed into larger countries. QSLs are not required. The program will use an Excel® spreadsheet, similar to that used by the CQ DX Marathon, on which participants may track and submit their entries. Complete details are available at <http://bit.ly/AneQzL>.

In a related story, the ARRL reports that traditional DXCC applications in 2011 rose by 57% over the number for 2010, most likely reflective of the overall improvement in DX conditions brought about by the rising sunspot cycle.

Texas Ham to Experiment With HF Spread-Spectrum

The FCC has given Special Temporary Authority (STA) and an experimental call sign to ham in Texas for the purpose of experimenting with spread-spectrum communications in the HF and low-VHF bands. Currently, amateurs are permitted to use S/S only at 222 MHz and above. "Newsline" reports that Philip Williams, KA1GMN, of Euless, Texas, has been given six months to experiment with using S/S on 160 through 2 meters, using signals no wider than 2.5 kHz and the experimental callsign WF9XJD. No word on who he'll be able to contact.

NASA Official Applauds ARISS Program

NASA Education
Director Susan White
(NASA Photo)

The head of NASA's Johnson Space Center Education Office says the space agency appreciates the efforts of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program and counts on it as one of its "outside resources" for NASA's Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) program. Susan White told the annual ARISS International meeting in late October that NASA "applauds the fine educational outcomes garnered by ARISS," according to the AMSAT News Service. She said NASA's educational focus for 2012 will be continuing to make the best use of its resources, including outside efforts such as ARISS, and professional development in promoting its STEM initiative.

Several Ham Satellites Scheduled for Summer Launch

From funcube.org.uk website

A Russian DNEPR rocket is scheduled to launch several amateur radio satellites into orbit this summer, including FUNcube-1, Triton-1 and Triton-2. 

The AMSAT News Service reports that FUNcube-1 is designed as an educational satellite, transmitting signals that can be easily received by schools and colleges, using a simple "ground station" that looks like a USB "dongle" that can be plugged into a computer. It is planned for a nearly sun-synchronous orbit for easy access planning.

The Triton satellites' primary payloads are radio science missions, but telemetry and scientific data will be transmitted on amateur frequencies, and after the satellites' three-month scientific missions end, they will be available for general amateur use.

Also scheduled for launch on the same flight, according to ANS, are "UKube-1, Delfi n3Xt (also carrying a linear amateur U/V … transponder), Trio-Cinema 1 & 2 and other spacecraft using frequencies in the amateur service." More information is available from AMSAT-UK at <http://www.uk.amsat.org/3434>.

SATERN Starts HF Digital Net

The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) has started an HF digital net in its southern territory, comprising the southeastern and mid-south states. According to an announcement from SATERN, the net meets daily at noon Central Time on 20 meters (14.065 MHz), using OLIVIA as its primary digital mode. Recommended software is FLDIGI/NBEMS (available for free download at <www.w1hkj.com/download.html>), as net control stations will be using features that are exclusive to that software.

ARRL, CQ, Sign Agreement to Provide Logbook of the World Support for CQ Awards

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 24, 2012

ARRL & CQ Sign Agreement to Provide
ARRL’s Logbook of The World Support for CQ’s Awards

(Hicksville, NY and Newington, CT - Jan. 24, 2012) – CQ Communications, Inc. (CQ) and ARRL – the national association for Amateur Radio, have signed an agreement to begin providing support for CQ-sponsored operating awards by the ARRL's Logbook of the World (LoTW) electronic confirmation system.. The agreement was announced jointly today by ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B, and CQ Communications President Richard Ross, K2MGA.

CQ's awards will be the first non-ARRL awards supported by LoTW and will be phased in, beginning with the CQ WPX award. Additional CQ awards will follow. The ARRL’s LoTW system, an interactive database recording contacts between radio amateurs was created in 2003  and has been adopted by 47,500 radio “hams” worldwide.  It already has records of 400 million contacts and grows weekly.  The target date for beginning LoTW support for WPX is April 1, 2012. Amateurs will be able to use LoTW logs to generate lists of confirmed contacts to be submitted for WPX credit. Standard LoTW credit fees and CQ award fees will apply.

ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, observed that this step gives radio amateurs throughout the world an inexpensive and convenient means of gaining credits toward CQ’s popular operating awards. “LoTW has significantly increased interest and participation in the ARRL’s DXCC, Worked All States and VUCC awards programs. We anticipate a similarly positive response to the addition of the CQ WPX award. Amateurs will be able to spend more time operating and less time chasing QSL cards.”

CQ President Richard Ross, K2MGA, said he is very pleased to be able to move forward with Logbook support for CQ awards. "We have had excellent results with electronic confirmations for several years," he said, "and I am glad that we are now able to begin expanding that convenience to those participants in our award programs who use Logbook of the World. We look forward to a smooth launch for WPX, and to the expansion of LoTW support to include the rest of our award programs as well."

ARRL (www.arrl.org) is the national association for Amateur Radio in the United States and publisher of its membership journal QST. CQ Communications, Inc. (www.cqcomm.com) is publisher of CQ Amateur Radio and several other magazines.  There are currently over 700,000 Amateur Radio licensees in the USA and approximately 2.5 million worldwide.

To learn more go to  <www.arrl.org/logbook-of-the-world>.

Major Solar Storm Hits Earth

GOES Solar X-Ray Image / Courtesy
NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center

The largest solar radiation storm since 2005 has struck the Earth, touching off radio blackouts, geomagnetic storms and aurora displays in upper latitudes. According to CQ Propagation Editor Tomas Hood, NW7US, a long-duration magnitude M8.7 (M9-class) X-ray flare erupted in NOAA Active Sunspot Region (AR) 1402 on January 23, peaking at 0359 UTC. This flare triggered a proton event, resulting in an S3 (Strong) Radiation (Proton) Storm and a Polar Cap Absorption (PCA) event over the polar regions.

This PCA event caused a complete radio blackout over high-latitude and polar regions. This results in any trans-polar radio paths to become as dead as a rock. This solar proton radiation storm is the strongest of the current solar cycle. 

In addition, NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center said plasma from an associated coronal mass ejection was expected to arrive on January 24, with storm conditions extending into the 25th.Watch for additional degradation of HF radio conditions and enhanced auroral conditions on VHF.

Thank you from CQ to WWROF and Contest Volunteers

CQ thanks the World Wide Radio Operators Foundation (WWROF) for its generous support of contesting through the donation of funds to help underwrite the cost of printing thousands of contest certificates earned in this year's CQ contests. 

In addition, the extraordinary efforts of CQ's world wide team of volunteers cannot go without mention.  We at CQ simply provide the name, the structure and the logistical support, but our wonderful volunteers do the heavy lifting year after year.  They make the magic happen!  Thank you all! 

WRO-Pop'Comm Live Internet Chat, Sunday, January 8

REMINDER: The WRO-Pop'Comm Live Online Chat is this evening (Sunday, January 8) at 8 p.m. Eastern time (0100 UTC Monday) on the WorldRadio Online website: <http://www.WorldRadioOnline.blogspot.com/>. Please stop by for the fun and casual conversation.

CQ Introduces "Maker" Column - Matt Stultz, KB3TAN, Named Column Editor

(Hicksville, NY January 5, 2012) -- CQ Amateur Radio magazine will introduce a quarterly "Maker" column, Editor Rich Moseson, W2VU, announced today. It will be written by Matt Stultz, KB3TAN, and will appear in the March, June, September and December issues of the magazine.

The "maker" movement is a growing do-it-yourself (DIY) phenomenon among mostly younger, tech-savvy individuals who enjoy hands-on tinkering and experimenting with electronics, crafts and similar projects. Many "makers" are not familiar with amateur radio, even though hams have been "makers" since the dawn of radio. It is the goal of this column to help build and strengthen bridges between the ham radio and "maker" communities.

Matt Stultz, KB3TAN, is the founder of "HackPittsburgh," a "hackerspace" or community workshop for makers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He has been a ham since 2009 and has integrated amateur radio into many of HackPittsburgh's activities. He recently moved to Rhode Island to begin a new job as a web developer for Makerbot Industries, which manufactures kits for building your own 3-D printer to create customized parts for projects.

Stultz's first column, titled "We Are Makers," will appear in the March issue of CQ. It provides a general introduction to the maker/hacker community for hams, as well as a description of a high-altitude balloon project that brought the two groups together in Pittsburgh. The March issue of CQ will be available, in print and online, by the beginning of March. CQ is the only major amateur radio magazine available in both print and digital form. 

www.cq-amateur-radio.com

Pop'Comm Launches Monitoring Station Program

Popular Communications magazine has launched the Pop'Comm Monitoring Station Program, reminiscent of the Popular Electronics WPE program dating to 50 years ago. If you're interested in learning about the program and for information on how to join, obtain a station ID sign and a Certificate of Registration, visit, please click here, or visit: <http://www.PopCommMonitors.blogspot.com/>.

Yaesu Reorganizes, Announces Entry to Digital Voice/Data Market

Yaesu amateur radio equipment is once again being manufactured independently after four years as a subsidiary of Motorola. In a December 27 letter to the amateur, aviation and marine radio communities, Vertex-Standard President and CEO Jun Hasegawa announced a reorganization -- effective January 1 -- in which Motorola would take full control of the company's land mobile radio (LMR) line, while Yaesu amateur gear and Standard-Horizon air and marine radios would be manufactured by a new company with an old name -- Yaesu Musen Co., Ltd. Hasegawa said the new company would be wholly owned by members of his family. There were no changes in personnel or offices of Yaesu USA, which is now the umbrella organization for Yaesu amateur equipment and Standard-Horizon marine and aircraft equipment sold in the U.S.

Meanwhile, Yaesu announced its plans to enter the digital voice and data segment of the amateur market, introducing a new PDF brochure on its website, titled "A Digital Communications Guide for Amateur Radio Operators." The brochure provides explanations of different digital voice and data encoding and transmission, and reveals that the company is planning to introduce a C4FM (4-level FSK) FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access) handheld and mobile rig into the amateur market in the first half of 2012. C4FM is not compatible with the GMSK data format used in D-STAR radios, so it is unlikely that the two types of radios will be able to talk to each other. The C4FM signal's bandwidth (12.5 kHz) is double that of the GMSK signal, and Yaesu says that provides it with a much better bit error rate. It says C4FM is the current standard used by APCO P25 radios in the US public safety community as well as for Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) devices popular in Europe and Asia. Yaesu's digital communications guide may be downloaded in PDF form at <http://bit.ly/tI86hj>.

ARISSat-1 Stops Transmitting

The AMSAT News Service reports that the ARISSat-1/KEDR satellite has stopped transmitting and has likely re-entered Earth's atmosphere. The last full telemetry transmission reported to the ARISSatTLM website was posted at 06:02:14 UTC as the satellite passed over Japan. Temperatures were reported as rising as atmospheric drag increased. ARISSat-1 was hand-launched from the International Space Station on August 3, 2011, and had no propulsion system to remain in orbit. For more info, go to <www.amsat.org>.

RAST HQ Station Destroyed by Flooding

Some of the damaged equipment at the Radio Amateur Society
of Thailand (RAST) headquarters station, HS0AC.
(Photo courtesy Swen, HS0ZFZ)

Last fall's massive flooding in Thailand, the country's worst in 60 years, counted among its victims HS0AC, the headquarters station of the Radio Amateur Society of Thailand (RAST). The station was underwater for nearly two months, according to well-known Thai contester Champ Muangamphun, E21EIC/KY1A. Additional photos of the devastation have been posted on the web at <http://www.qsl.net/rast>. 

RAST is seeking help from hams around the world in rebuilding its headquarters station. If you have spare equipment available, contact Finn/OZ1HET at <oz1het@yahoo.com> or <oz1het@gmail.com>. Monetary donations are also being accepted via PayPal. For details, contact <donate@rast.co.th>.

February: Five Years of Code-Free Licensing

February, 2012, will mark the fifth anniversary of the end of Morse code testing for all levels of FCC amateur radio licenses. The final code tests were administered on February 22, 2007 after being a part of U.S. license exams since the inception of amateur radio licensing nearly a century ago. Over the decades, code test speeds rose and fell with changing times. Code testing for the entry-level Technician Class was eliminated in 1991.

Since the end of code testing, the ranks of radio amateurs in the U.S. have increased by nearly 50,000 and many newer hams are learning CW even though it is no longer required. Detailed looks and commentary on the fate of Morse code in the five years since the end of code testing will be published in the February issues of CQ and WorldRadio Online magazines.

(Editor's note: If you don't know what the Morse code message above says, this is your opportunity to start learning!)

APRS Weather Balloon Smashes Distance Record

 

 

Payload (including APRS transmitter)
of the record-setting weather balloon CNSP-11.
(Courtesy California Near Space Project)

An amateur radio weather balloon launched by a group of hams in California on December 11 flew across the United States and the Atlantic Ocean before landing in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Algeria three days later. The balloon was carrying a ham radio APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) transmitter and was tracked by amateurs in North America and Europe as it made its record-smashing 6,236-mile journey. The flight nearly doubled the previous distance record of 3,361 miles. For complete details on the flight and the story behind it, see the "VHF-Plus" column in the February 2012 issue of CQ.

"End of Mission" for AO-51

Launch of AMSAT-Echo
(later AO-51) in 2004.
(AMSAT Photo)

As the 50th anniversary of the December 12, 1961 launch of OSCAR-1 approached in late November, controllers of AMSAT-OSCAR 51 announced that amateur satellite's "end of mission." AMSAT-NA Vice President of Operations Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, said, "It is with a heavy heart I report that AO-51 has ceased transmissions and is not responding to commands." AO-51 provided low-earth orbit satellite contacts for seven years before its batteries finally failed. The AMSAT News Service reports that the AO-51 command team will regularly attempt to communicate with the satellite over the coming months and years, in hopes that at least one of its batteries will come back to life.

AMSAT Seeks NASA Funding for Fox-1

The amateur satellite planned to replace AO-51 is called Fox-1, and in mid-November, AMSAT submitted the project for consideration in NASA's CubeSat Launch initiative, part of the space agency's educational programs. Educational components of the Fox-1 mission include incorporation in the ARRL's Teacher Institute seminars, according to the AMSAT News Service. 

Projects selected for the program will have their integration and launch costs paid by NASA, significantly easing the financial needs of the satellite builders.

AMSAT-DL Receives Signals From Mars Satellite

Artist's conception of Mars Science Laboratory in
operation on the red planet. (NASA/JPL CalTech photo)

Amateurs at the AMSAT-DL facility in Bochum, Germany, received telemetry signals from the NASA Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) satellite about seven hours after its recent launch. According to the AMSAT News Service, the satellite was more than 67,000 miles from Earth at the time of reception. This is believed to be the first reception of MSL signals outside of NASA's Deep Space Network. AMSAT-DL's Bochum facility is part of its work on the planned P5A amateur satellite to Mars mission.

Congress Considers Easing ITAR Restrictions

(Photo Courtesy Architect of the Capitol)

International cooperation on amateur satellite missions has become nearly impossible since the U.S. government's enactment of its International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or ITAR. The rules limit exchanges of technology between countries - even friendly countries - if that technology could possibly have military applications. Violators face stiff fines and possible jail terms. According to the AMSAT News Service, this rule has technically made AMSAT-NA a "munitions supplier," even though its satellite technology has always been strictly for civilian use.

Now, ANS reports that Congress is considering a bill -- H.R. 3288 -- which is aimed at easing ITAR restrictions on commercial satellite development and which, if passed, may once again permit amateur satellite groups around the world to collaborate on multinational ham radio satellite projects. More information, including bill tracking, is available at <http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpdbill=h112-3288>.

FCC Allows Implantable Medical Devices at 413-457 MHz

The FCC commissioners voted unanimously on November 30 to permit the use of implantable wireless medical devices that operate in spectrum between 413 and 457 MHz. This includes the entire 70-centimeter amateur band (420-450 MHz). These low-power devices, like amateur radio, will have a secondary allocation on the band (federal government radar is primary).
\

According to the ARRL Letter, Medical Micropower Networks will use multiple transmitters implanted in the body that will use electric currents to activate and monitor nerves and muscles in hopes of restoring mobility and function to people who have lost the use of limbs or organs. While there is little risk of interference to amateur radio from these ultra-low-power networks, there is concern that amateur transmitters may cause interference to these devices. The FCC is expected to issue a Report & Order specifying the new rules for these devices in the near future.

Ham Doctor Uses Radio Gear to Build New Cancer Surgery Tool

A surgeon at the University of Utah has used parts from a ham radio set to build a new tool for performing neurosurgical procedures. According to Southgate Amateur Radio News, Dr. Kim Manwaring, N7DFU, built the prototype in his basement, using parts from a ham rig and a tip made from a special alloy developed by a NASA engineer. The "FMwand" produces heat with no electricity and the special alloy heats and cools instantly, allowing the tool to be used for removing brain tumors or doing other neurosurgery that requires simultaneous cutting and cauterizing. Dr. Manwaring used the FMwand in three operations in December, including two spinal operations and one on a patient's brain. For more information, see <http://bit.ly/ub5xn4>.

Hams Asked to Help Run Down Satellite Batteries

Separation of the co-launched FASTRAC-1
and -2 satellites (Artist's conception).
Photo Courtesy University of Texas

It was kind of an unusual request -- we need your help to run down our batteries! The controllers of FASTRAC-1, a research satellite that is intended eventually to be opened for use by hams, noticed that one of its experiments was not booting up correctly. The only way to restart it is by rebooting everything, which can only happen if the battery voltages on board fall below a certain level. But the batteries have consistently held more charge than was needed for operations during the year-plus that the satellite has been in orbit.

So controllers decided to open the satellite for digipeating by hams, hoping that increased use -- especially over the weekend of December 10-11 -- would drain the batteries enough to prompt a reset. At press time in mid-December, there had been no word from controllers as to whether the maneuver worked. For updates, visit <http://fastrac.ae.utexas.edu/>.

WRO-Pop'Comm Live Internet Chat, Sunday, December 4

JOIN THE CHAT: Live combined WRO-Pop'Comm chat Sunday, December 4 with Editor Richard Fisher, KI6SN beginning @ 8 p.m. Eastern time (0100 UTC). To join in, at chat time, click here, or  visit: <http://www.WorldRadioOnline.blogspot.com>. Hope to see you there!