Ham Radio in Guitar World Cover Story

Rock superstar Joe Walsh, who is also WB6ACU, is featured on the cover of the May issue of Guitar World magazine. In the accompanying interview (timed to mesh with the June 5 release of his newest solo album, "Analog Man"), Walsh makes several references to amateur radio, including a discussion of how the technical knowledge he gained as a ham has helped him work with guitars and their sound. He also discusses introducing the prototype Talk Box to Bob Heil, K9EID, who went on to manufacture and market them to rock musicians.

FCC Seeking Comments on Impediments to Amateur Radio Communication

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.

The ARRL additionally asked hams to share their personal experiences with amateur radio emergency communications and with deed restrictions and so-called "CC&Rs." The League requested that input by April 25 so it could include the data in its FCC comments, which were due by May 17. The FCC's report to Congress is due by the end of August.

No Restrictions on Specific Data Modes on 60 Meters

NOTE: The following updates information published in the May issue of CQ and previously on this news page.

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 Introduces Online DXCC Applications

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>.

ARRL: Ham Ranks Keep Growing in Early 2012

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.

Pop'Comm Monitor Registration Program Tops 1000

Just a little more than three months after its introduction, the Popular Communications Monitoring Station registration program has signed up more than 1000 participants. The program, modeled after the old WPE and WDX registration programs of the 1960s and '70s, assigns callsign-like identifiers to active shortwave listeners and scanner monitors. The magazine plans to introduce awards as part of the program as well. For more information, or to register, visit <http://www.popcommmonitors.blogspot.com/>.

Google Introduces Morse Code E-Mail (on April 1)

Courtesy Google

In an April Fool gag most greatly appreciated by hams, Google on April 1 announced the introduction of "Gmail Tap," a combination of hardware and software to enable people to send e-mail messages via Morse code. The system would use special smartphones in which the usual keypad is replaced by two buttons … one for a dot, the other for a dash. No word, however, on whether you'd be able to plug in your paddles to send faster!

Japan Plans 5 Amateur Satellite Launches

The 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.

Multi-Cubesat Launcher Built by Naval Postgraduate School

Vidur Kaushish, a student at the Naval Postgraduate School,
works on the NPS CubeSat Launcher. (Courtesy NPS website)

Students at the Naval Postgraduate School have developed an auxiliary payload platform that will permit the launch of as many as 24 cubesats at a time. AMSAT News Service reports that the NPS CubeSat Launcher is designed to release satellites one at a time by opening spring-loaded doors at the desired orbital altitude. The first launch, slated to carry 11 cubesats, is planned for this August. More information is available at <http://tunyurl.com/CubeSat-NPSCuL>.

Editor's note: Success for either or both of these launchers (the NPSCuL and Japanese JEM projects) would open the door for greater availability of small satellite launches at much lower cost, since the costs would be shared among developers of the different satellites sharing the launch.

ANS Co-Editor Dee Interdonato, NB2F, Silent Key

The AMSAT News Service lost one of its two editors in April with the passing of Dominick "Dee" Interdonato, NB2F, at age 64. Dee was also "Mr. AMSAT" in the New York/New Jersey area, serving as the amateur satellite organization's regional representative at hamfests, club meetings and other events. Dee was a Vietnam veteran, and an amateur musician. He was retired from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, where he had been supervisor of the Radio Shop. The family asks that donations in his memory be made either to the Vietnam Veterans of America or to AMSAT.

Hams on 23 Centimeters Must Protect New FAA Radars

Amateurs using the 23-centimeter band (1240-1300 MHz) need to be aware of a new generation of radar systems being deployed by the Federal Aviation Administration that operate between 1240 and 1350 MHz. The ARRL Letter reminds hams that the amateur allocation on this band is secondary to radionavigation (radar) and certain types of satellites, and that those primary users must be protected from interference. The ARRL says it is in contact with FAA engineers to determine the areas in which accommodations may be required to protect the new Common Air Route Surveillance Radar system.

Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, Named CQ Columnist

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.

CQ Hall of Famer, Author, Bob Shrader, W6BNB, SK

Bob Shrader, a prolific author and 2004 inductee into the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame, has passed away, according to his son, Doug, KJ6TEJ. Bob wrote many articles for CQ magazine and is best known as author of the authoritative technical text, Electronic Communications. No details were immediately available. However, Bob's wife, Dorothy, has requested that people who knew him send her letters of remembrance in lieu of flowers. Her address is: 
 Dorothy Shrader, W6ECU
 11911 Barnett Valley Road
 Sebastopol, CA 95472.

-- Tnx N1EA

CQ Columnist Fred Maia, W5YI, Silent Key - Amateur Radio Examiner, Educator, Author was 76

CQ columnist Fred Maia, W5YI, a leading amateur radio journalist, educator and pioneer of volunteer examining, passed away on March 28 after a battle with cancer.

Maia, 76, published "The W5YI Report," dubbed "America's Oldest Ham Radio Newsletter," from 1978 to 2003, and has been a CQ contributing editor since 1985. His regulatory affairs column, first titled "Ticket Talk," then "Washington Readout," offered news and perspective on FCC and ITU (International Telecommunication Union) actions, and helped untold numbers of hams wend their way through often-confusing mazes of the volunteer examining and vanity call sign systems.

"Fred was one of those unusual people who was more focused on doing the job than he was on getting credit for doing it," noted CQ Publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA. "His 'job' was to help this hobby grow, and he succeeded admirably."

Maia was also a driving force in amateur and commercial radio licensing and education materials since late 1970. He was the first Volunteer Examiner Coordinator appointed by the Federal Communications Commission in 1984, and his W5YI-VEC group grew into the nation's second-largest VEC after the ARRL. Fred served as President of the W5YI-VEC until his retirement in October of 2000. In 1986, he founded The W5YI Group to develop, publish and sell amateur and commercial radio license study materials. Fred also formed National Radio Examiners to provide examination services as a Commercial Operator License Examination Manager (COLEM), and co-wrote a commercial radio licensing study manual with Gordon West, WB6NOA.

As a longtime member of the National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) and its Question Pool Committee (QPC), which develops and maintains the question pools for amateur radio license exams, Fred was deeply involved in many of the changes in amateur radio licensing over the past quarter century. This includes the phased elimination of Morse code requirements for amateur licenses and the current system of three license classes, Technician, General and Amateur Extra.

A resident of Arlington, Texas, Fred was a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Radio Operator’s School, and was first licensed as an amateur radio operator as a teenager in Rhode Island, where he grew up. He is survived by his wife, Doris, and two daughters. A memorial service was scheduled for 3:00pm, Saturday March 31, 2012, at Moore Funeral Home, 1219 North Davis Dr. ,Arlington, TX 76012.

CQ Contest Hall of Famer W1BIH Silent Key

John Thompson, W1BIH/PJ9JT (SK)
(Photo courtesy W1RM)

John Thompson, W1BIH/PJ9JT, became a Silent Key in March at age 97. A ham since 1931, Thompson was a contester and DXer for over 70 years, competing - and often winning - from either his home QTH in Connecticut or in Curacao.

He regularly hosted guest operators at his island home at Coral Cliffs, Curacao, which became one of the world's best-known and most successful contesting locations, despite an "antenna farm" that consisted only of a tribander and wire antennas.

On the DX side of the ham radio ledger, John had an astounding total of 390 countries confirmed. He was inducted into the CQ Contest Hall of Fame in 1994. (Tnx W1RM)

Update on Logbook of the World and CQ Awards

The April 1, 2012 target date for being able to apply ARRL Logbook of the World (LoTW) credits to the CQ WPX Award is being pushed back to mid-April.

According to the ARRL, this delay was made necessary by its decision to launch its new DXCC fee structure on April 2 and online DXCC applications on April 3. There have been no reported technical problems with the software needed to use LoTW for WPX, and beta testing of the system is planned for early April. Additional CQ awards will be added later, one at a time. We will provide further updates when more information is available.

Dayton 2012 Award Winners Announced

VU2MY
(Photo courtesy DARA)

The Dayton Amateur Radio Association has named S. Suri, VU2MY, as the 2012 winner of the Dayton Hamvention ® Radio Amateur of the Year award. Suri, of Hyderabad, India, is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of India's National Institute of Amateur Radio and has been responsible for amateur radio's role in responding to many natural disasters, most notably the 2004 tsunami that struck countries around the Indian Ocean. Suri is only the second non-US amateur to receive this honor from the association. The first was DXer and DXpeditioner Martti Laine, OH2BH, in 2000.

W1ZR
(Photo courtesy DARA)

This year's Technical Achievement award goes to the ARRL's Joel Hallas, W1ZR, of Westport, Connecticut. Hallas is a prolific author best known for his "The Doctor is In" column in QST.

WZ2V
(Photo courtesy DARA)

Dayton's 2012 Special Achievement award goes to Steven Betza, WZ2V, of Endicott, New York. He was recognized for his efforts to promote electronics engineering programs in college and high school, most notably his "Blue Horizon" project which set the world record for the highest amateur balloon flight and resulted in the licensing of 38 new hams.

Finally, this year's club award goes to Germany's national amateur radio association, the Deutscher Amateur Radio Club (DARC). All of the awards will be presented at the Dayton Hamvention® later this month.

ARRL Restructures DXCC Fees

(Courtesy ARRL website)

The ARRL has announced a new fee structure for its popular DX Century Club (DXCC) program. It establishes a single fee per application, although those will vary depending on whether they are submitted on paper, online or via Logbook of the World (LoTW). Some fees are now higher, others lower. The new fee structure takes effect on April 2. A full explanation is available online at <http://bit.ly/ysrIFb>; a PDF file containing a chart with all the different fees is at <http:bit.ly/GB5lat>.

ARRL Publishes Guidelines for New 60-Meter Privileges

New FCC rules granting amateurs additional mode and power privileges on the 5-MHz band, along with one frequency swap, took effect on March 5. The new rules are complicated, though, and the ARRL has published a guide to keeping legal on the band. A summary of the guidelines will appear in May CQ's "Washington Readout" column. ARRL members may also find a detailed explanation in the April issue of QST.

UPDATE: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has indicated that it has no objection to digital modes other than PSK-31 and PACTOR-3, as long as they comply with power and bandwidth limitations. This occurred after both April QST and May CQ went to press. Please see <http://bit.ly/H1nVWs> for more details.

"Man on a Mission" Movie to be on DVD

Richard Garriott, W5KWQ, has produced a documentary titled "Man on a Mission" which follows his quest to follow his father -- Owen Garriott, W5LFL -- into space and become the first second-generation American in space. The elder Garriott was the first radio amateur to operate from space, back in 1983. According to Newsline, the documentary is already available via video-on-demand, and a DVD version is expected to be released in May. More information is available on the First Run Features website at <http://bit.ly/wIa0oi>.

Brazil Bans Hams from PY0S

The St. Peter and St. Paul archipelago in the mid-Atlantic Ocean is now off-limits to amateur radio DXpeditions. The islands currently sit at #16 on DX Magazine's "most wanted" list. According to a report on Southgate Amateur Radio News, the government of Brazil, which owns the islands, issued the new restrictions in an announcement on the website of the country's Secretariat of the Interministerial Commission for Sea Resources (SERCIM). At press time, Brazil's national amateur radio association, as well as several Brazilian DX groups, were working with federal lawmakers to try to overturn the ruling.

"Ice Goat 1" on APRS

A buoy designed to monitor and report weather in the Arctic seas was deployed in March by students from the U.S. Naval Academy and is beaconing its location via APRS, the Automatic Packet Reporting System. According to the AMSAT News Service, the buoy was dubbed "Ice Goat 1" and was transported to an area Arctic ice off the coast of Point Barrow, Alaska, that was expected to melt in the spring. The scientific data will be transmitted back to the Naval Academy on an Iridium satellite link, but it will be transmitting position information via APRS on 145.825 MHz with hopes that its signals will be relayed to the worldwide APRS network by the digipeater aboard the International Space Station.

New "Topic Channels" on IRLP

IRLP, the Internet Radio Linking Project, has added a new dimension to the links it offers. In addition to linking individual repeaters around the world and providing "reflectors" that can bring together multiple repeaters, Newsline reports that IRLP has now added "topic channels." These are special-interest reflectors, each devoted to a different topic, from DXing to sports, food and politics. For more information, see <http://www.irlptopics.net/>.

Six Meters Comes to Senegal

(Map courtesy CIA World Factbook)

Hams in Senegal will soon have access to the six-meter band, just in time for the transatlantic DX that is often found on the band during solar cycle peaks. According to Newsline, the 50-51-MHz allocation will become effective when new international regulations approved at WRC-12 earlier this year become official -- probably around the beginning of 2013. Meanwhile, though, Southgate Amateur Radio News reports that authorities in Sengal have given approval for members of the Saly Amateur Radio Club in Mbour to operate their club station on six with the special callsign 6V7SIX. Club members will be monitoring the intercontinental calling frequency of 5.110 MHz as well as the French calling frequency at 50.210 MHz. As of now, 6V7SIX is the only Senegalese station authorized to operate on six meters.

Success for Cubesat's Science Mission

RAX-2 Range Time Intensity Plot
Showing Ionospheric Anomaly
(Courtesy U.Mich/RAX-2 website)

Controllers of RAX-2, the Radio Auroral Exoplorer 2 cubesat, report that the satellite's science mission has been a success, with the help of the amateur radio community. According to Southgate Amateur Radio News, the mission is to study the formation of a plasma anomaly that is known to cause scintillation of radio signals in UHF and higher frequency bands. Matt Bennett, KF6RTB, reported on March 9 that after three years in orbit, the satellite had finally detected the long-sought anomaly, using its space-based receiver to monitor signals from a high-powered radar transmitter in Alaska. More information is available at <http://rax.engin.umich.edu>.

Major solar flare March 7

The following is from Spaceweather.com:

SOLAR ACTIVITY: Big sunspot AR1429 has unleashed another major flare--an X5-class eruption on March 7th at 00:28 UT.   As a result of the blast, a radiation storm is underway and a CME will likely hit Earth's magnetic field in a day or so. Geomagnetic storms are already in progress at high latitudes due to earlier eruptions from the active sunspot.  Last night, auroras were spotted over several northern-tier US states including Michigan and Wisconsin.  Check http://spaceweather.com for updates and images.

Pop'Comm Live Online Chat Session This Evening, Sunday, March 4

The monthly Pop'Comm-WRO Live Online Chat is this evening, Sunday, March 4, @ 8 p.m. Eastern time (0100 UTC Monday). To take part, at chat time, click on the Cover It Live chat box at: < http://www.WorldRadioOnline.blogspot.com >. Hope to see you there.

Young Ham of the Year Nominations Due May 30

Nominations are open for the Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year Award. Nominees must be 18 or younger, licensed amateurs, residents of the US or Canada, and must have made significant contributions to their community, the nation or amateur radio. Nominations must be received by May 30. CQ is a co-sponsor of the Young Ham of the Year program. Complete details and nominating forms are online at <www.arnewsline.org/yhoty>.

200 Meters and Up!

For the first time in a century, amateur radio operators will soon be able to transmit on wavelengths higher than 200 meters (1500 kHz). The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has approved a new worldwide secondary allocation for amateur radio between 472 and 479 kHz (approximately 630 meters). The 7-kHz-wide band was approved at February's World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-12).

According to the ARRL, power is limited to one watt EIRP (effective isotropically radiated power), except that the limit may be increased to five watts in countries more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) from certain countries that want to give greater protection to the aeronautical radionavigation service, which is the band's primary user. These countries include Russia, Ukraine, China and several others, mostly in the Middle East and north Africa.

The new allocation will not take effect until it is published in the Radio Regulations, which the ARRL says will likely be no earlier than next January. In addition, in the U.S., FCC action will be necessary after the new international rule is in force. Hams in the United States have been restricted to wavelengths below 200 meters since the enactment of the Radio Act of 1912. 

CQ "Washington Readout" editor Fred Maia, W5YI, will have a detailed report on the new allocation in his column in the May issue of CQ.

New 60-Meter Rules in Effect as of March 5

The FCC's new rules for the 60-meter (5 MHz) band go into effect on March 5. There is one new frequency -- 5.357 MHz, replacing 5.368 MHz -- plus new modes and increased power. Operation in CW and certain digital modes will now be permitted (as well as USB voice) and the maximum power permitted on the band is increased to 100 watts ERP (relative to a dipole).

 

There's a chance that 60 meters may become a worldwide amateur allocation in a few years. The ARRL Letter reports that the delegates to the just-concluded World Radiocommunication Conference agreed to put the matter on the agenda for consideration at the next WRC in 2015.

K1JT Addresses WRC, Receives ITU Gold Medal

Nobel laureate and CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame member Dr. Joe Taylor, K1JT, was presented with a gold medal by the International Telecommunication Union after addressing attendees at WRC-12 in Geneva, Switzerland. Taylor, who shared the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering binary pulsars, has also made major contributions to amateur radio weak-signal communications. 

According to the ARRL Letter, he was invited by ITU Secretary General Dr. Hamadoun Touré, HB9EHT, to speak about his vision of the future of radiocommunications. Touré then presented him with the gold medal in recognition of his contributions to research in radiocommunications. 

(Watch and listen to K1JT's talk at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F028RKkLefI>, or click on photo above.)

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/ >.