The electronic publication of the Amateur Radio Newsline is distributed with the permission of Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, President and Editor of Newsline. The text version is edited from the original scripts and transcribed from the audio reports by Dale Cary, WD0AKO, and is first published in The Radio & Electronics Round Table on the Genie Online System. If you have any comment, suggestion, or news item you would like to submit, send them via E-Mail to 3241437@mcimail.com or B.PASTERNAK@genie.geis.com. You can contact Newsline at +1 805-296-7180. It is a combination answering and FAX machine, if you have a FAX to send, wait for the voice prompt and press your fax-send button. All other information and disclaimers are in the text header below. - - - - - NEWSLINE RADIO - CBBS EDITION #126 - POSTED 05/28/94 (***************************************************************) (* *) (* * * ***** * * **** * ***** * * ***** *) (* ** * * * * * * * ** * * *) (* * * * *** * ** * *** * * * * * *** *) (* * ** * * ** * * * * * ** * *) (* * * ***** * * **** ***** ***** * * ***** *) (* *) (* **** * **** ***** *** *) (* * * * * * * * * * *) (* **** ***** * * * * * *) (* * * * * * * * * * *) (* * * * * **** ***** *** *) (* *) (***************************************************************) The following is late news about Amateur Radio for Radio Amateurs as prepared from NEWSLINE RADIO scripts by the staff of the AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE, INC. -- formerly the WESTLINK RADIO NETWORK. For current information updates, please call Audio Version of Newsline ========================= Los Angeles............................ (213) 462-0008 Los Angeles (Instant Update Line)...... (805) 296-2407 Seattle................................ (206) 368-3969 Seattle................................ (206) 281-8455 Tacoma................................. (206) 927-7373 Louisville............................. (502) 894-8559 Dayton................................. (513) 275-9991 Chicago................................ (708) 289-0423 New York City.......................... (718) 353-2801 Melbourne, FL.......................... (407) 259-4479 Electronic Hardcopy Version of Newsline ======================================= GEnie (RTC Bulletin Board)............. m345;1 GEnie (File Library)................... m345;3 Dallas Remote Imaging BBS (DRIG)....... (214) 492-7573 In bulletin number 36 The Midwest Connection BBS............. (701) 239-2440 In bulletin number 6 of the ham radio conference Delphi................................. In the ham radio conference Internet............................... In the rec.radio.info newsgroup FTP: oak.oakland.edu, archive: pub/hamradio/docs/newsline Fidonet, RIME, Intellec, I-Link........ In the Ham Radio conferences on those networks For the latest breaking info call the Instant Update Line listed above. To provide information please call (805) 296-7180. This line answers automatically and will accept up to 30 minutes of material. Check with your local amateur radio club to see if NEWSLINE can be heard weekly on the air in your area. Articles may be reproduced if printed in their entirety and credit is given to AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE as being the source. For further information about the AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE, please write to us with an SASE at P.O. Box 463, Pasadena, CA 91102. Thank You NEWSLINE (**************************************************************** Some of the hams of NEWSLINE RADIO... WA6ITF WB6MQV WB6FDF K6DUE W6RCL N6AHU N6AWE N6TCQ K6PGX N6PNY KU8R N8DTN W9JUV KC9RP K9XI KB5KCH KC5UD KC0HF G8AUU WD0AKO DJ0QN and many others in the United States and around the globe!!! (**************************************************************** [876] Newsline report number 876 for release on Friday May 27 1994 to follow. The following is a QST Newsline is in grave financial trouble and the service could disappear at any time. Also, the Roanoke Phantom is sent to prison and an appeal will be filed in the Southern California repeater user banning case. These stories and more on Newsline report number 876 coming your way right now! (***** NEWSLINE BROKE This weeks top story is about Newsline itself. It comes in word from Dr. Norm Chalfin, K6PGX that Newsline is very close to being totally insolvent. Dr. Chalfin operates the Newsline Support Fund. This is the financial support operation that pays the bills incurred by Newsline in the preparation of these weekly newscasts. According to K6PGX, there have been few contributions this spring and that spells disaster for Newsline: "Well the situation is this. There has been fewer contributions than we have had in the past. In fact too few so that our telephone bills keep rising. While we are able to pay them at the moment, at any moment there is not enough." Dr. Norm Chalfin, K6PGX. For those of you not aware, it costs between $750 to $1000 a month to pay the telephone, electronic mail, equipment maintenance and other expenses which make these weekly newscasts possible. Also, everyone involved in Newsline is a volunteer. There is no paid staff and when you see a Newsline reporter at a ham convention that person is paying his or her own way. Donations to Newsline pay the bills and nothing else! Newsline does not receive any support from nor does it solicit any financial backing from any ham radio manufacturer, publisher or national society. In fact, almost since its inception Newsline has been 100% listener and staff supported. That way, nobody can ever say that a story reported on Newsline as in any way influenced by commercial sponsorship. It means that Newsline can remain 100% objective in its news coverage. But there is the reality. With no money to operate, Newsline could disappear at any time. We cannot tell you when because we don't know ourselves. Our plan right now is to keep going until the telephone company closes us down. Once that happens, we'll have to tear down the studio do the studio and liquidate the gear to pay off whomever we can. If that happens we won't be back. Even the revised part 97.113 does not let Newsline or any other organization -- not even your radio club -- from openly soliciting financial support on the air. But the bulletin station putting this newscast out over your repeater or high frequency station is aware of the gravity of the situation and what can be done to save Newsline. Talk to that person off the air. Alternatively, you can write for information with a self addressed stamped envelope to Dr. Norm Chalfin in care of Newsline at Post Office Box 463, Pasadena, CA 91102. Also this. Its been twelve years since we were last forced to report the possibility of the demise of Newsline. Alan Kaul, W6RCL wrote the story and reported it. The circumstances were virtually the same. Those listening back then heard and understood Alan's message. Because of that, you are hearing us this week. We hope Newsline will be here next week, but as of right now, we can't promise anything. (***** BOCOCK SENTENCED In other news, word that the Roanoke Phantom is in jail. Rodney E. Bocock of Roanoke, West Virginia has been sentenced to 10 months in prison and three years of supervised probation following his release from jail. He must also pay a $2000 fine. This after being convicted of being the self professed Roanoke Phantom who transmitted false air traffic control instructions. Bocock who is not a radio amateur was nailed last summer after a joint investigation that involved the FCC, the FAA, the FBI and the Allegheny County Sheriffs Department. In fact, FCC investigators from across the country were called in to assist in the investigation which is said to have involved more resources than any other in the agency's history. He was eventually convicted in federal court of endangering the safety of an aircraft in flight, issuing mis-information to pilots, sending out false distress calls and using indecent and profane language on the aviation frequencies. According to Richard M. Smith who heads up the FCC's Field Operations Bureau, the conviction and sentencing of Bocock should send a strong message to anyone else even thinking of committing such a crime. Don't do it says Smith unless you are ready to accept the punishment that comes with it. (***** NEW JERSEY FINE A New Jersey ham has paid a fine for interfering with a New York City repeater. John Lickun, N2MVZ, of Little Falls admitted that he was the source of interference to the W2SNM repeater located in mid-town Manhattan after being located by the New York City FCC Office last July. Lickun was originally issued a Notice of Apparent Liability to Monetary Forfeiture in the amount of $1000 but that was lowered to $250 after he apologized for his jamming of the system. (***** SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA APPEAL An appeal by Anthony Cardenas, WA6IGJ and Drew Feldman, N3KSO of a restraining order issued against them at the request of the Claremont Amateur Radio Club will proceed. This is the word passed to Newsline by a friend of the two Southern California hams who says that the appeal will be based on the ground that no civil court has any jurisdiction over matters of federally licensed communications. As previously reported, Cardenas and Feldman were told by an Orange County Superior court to not operate on the frequencies used by the Claremont repeaters and to stay away from all club members. The two were also ordered to pay both court costs and attorney fees as well. But Cardenas has been heard on the air talking about a similar case. He and the Westlink Report newsletter say a ham named Richard Boston, call sign K6AU, was litigated back in the early 1970's by a group knows as the Westcars Net. Either by cross complaint or his own litigation Boston eventually prevailed in court. Many hams with knowledge of legal precedents coming out of California believe that the Boston versus Westcars decision may be the precedent that overturns the finding in the matter of Clara versus Cardenas and Feldman. Newsline has attempted to contact K6AU but so far he has been unavailable for comment. (***** ILLINOIS BILL SUPPORTS PRB-1 House Bill 3730 has recently been introduced into the Illinois state legislature. If enacted, it would prohibit cities from enacting laws failing to conform to PRB-1. All radio amateurs in Illinois are encouraged to contact their state representatives, including Speaker of the House Michael J. Madigan. Ask them to vote yes on Illinois House Bill 3730. (***** AMSAT-UNITED KINGDOM COLLOQUIUM From overseas comes word that the ninth AMSAT-UK Colloquium will be held July 28th to the 31st at the University of Surrey in Guildford, in Surrey, England. This year's meeting will be divided into four primary topic areas. These are Spacecraft Engineering, Future Space Missions, Groundstation and Spacecraft Operations and Associated Amateur Space Activities. The Colloquium is the largest international gathering of amateur satellite enthusiasts and experts in the world. It has established a high standard of quality presentations on topics relevant to the amateur satellite community. Organizers of this year's event would welcome all contributions of program material covering the vast scope of the amateur satellite program as it exists in 1994. Presentation abstracts should be sent to: Doug Loughmiller, G0SYX, AMSAT-UK Colloquium Programme Chairman, University of Surrey, Centre for Satellite Engineering Research, Guildford, Surrey. The postal code is GU2 5XH in England. (***** PRATAS ON DXAC AGENDA The ARRL's DX Advisory Committee has announced that the question of new country status for Pratas Island is back on the DXAC agenda. According to the League, Dr. Bolon Lin, BV5AF, of the Chinese Taipei Amateur Radio League is now in contact with the DXAC. Dr. Lin is providing answers to committee questions. A vote on the question of DXCC is expected as soon as the committee investigation is complete. (***** ARANT 6 METERS And still with DX, if you were not among the tens of thousands who spent a rain soaked weekend at the 1994 Dayton Hamvention, you may have been very lucky to have been at your radio for a very special treat. This is, if you own a 6 meter radio like Ron Arant N4PHP. "I wasn't able to go, but I got in on a 6 meter band opening that you wouldn't believe. This is one of the best openings I have ever worked." Ron Arant, N4PHP. N4PHP says that he enjoys working 6 meters. He lives in Alabaster, Alabama not far from Birmingham. Ron did not make it to the Dayton Hamvention this year but he says that Hamvention weekend was a 6 meter bonanza for those who love the band: "All totaled, that week I made 45 contacts, 10 of which were from my car on FM simplex. I worked stations up into Canada." Ron Arant, N4PHP. Most of Ron's contacts were with stations well over a thousand miles away. He says that the Canadian repeater maintained a 40 over s-9 reading for well over 4 hours. "I had a great time. Once, this lasted Sunday night, I didn't go to bed like 1:00 AM. Working all these stations." Ron Arant, N4PHP. Ron Arant's advice to his fellow 6 meter DXers? If you can't make it to Dayton '95, turn on your 6 meter rig. (***** BBC RADIO 4 available in N.America For you satellite buffs, KB2EOQ reports via packet that the United Kingdom's domestic radio station BBC RADIO FOUR can now be heard on TVRO and cable via the World Radio Network. WRN is heard 24 hours per day on ASC 1, Transponder 23 at 6.20 MHz. WRN carries numerous programmes from a variety of international broadcasters including the BBC Radio Four. Also, the Canadian rock video station Much Music is now back on C-Band. Much Music got lost when one of the Canadian Anik satellites got zapped by a solar flare. KB2EOQ says that Much Music is now on Spacenet 4, Transponder 20. (***** DO NOT MODIFY Finally this word of warning to those of you who are listening to us on a Radio Shack HTX 202 model hand held or who owns one. Please, no matter what any other ham might tell you. No matter what you read on packet radio. No matter what might be published in a radio club or other newsletter. Please -- please do not try and perform any sort of extended frequency coverage modification to that radio. If you do, the only thing you will wind up with is a worthless piece of garbage that is totally beyond any economical repair. The simple fact of the matter is this, it is not possible to make an HTX 202 operate out of the ham bands. This is because the folks at Tandy Corporation designed it that way. Both in hardware and in software. Even if there were some way to get past the super narrow input filtering there is no way to make the synthesizer operate outside of the 2 meter ham band without obtaining the source code to the software that controls an HTX 202. Tandy considers that to be propriety information. They are not going to give it out to you or to anyone. One ham recently called to Tandy to check on the validity of a modification posted on packet. He says that he was told that a number of radios have been returned to factory inoperative and with lots of the surface mount parts missing. The missing components were traced to yet another phony modification posted on the back yard fence of Amateur Radio that we hams lovingly call packet. And no, Tandy Radio Shack will not exchange a modified radio even if its still under warrantee. In fact, any modification will completely void the warrantee and leave you holding a gray plastic box full of worthless junk. Once again, Tandy says that there is no modification available for the HTX 202 that allows operation outside the amateur band. If you attempt one you are almost 100% guaranteed of destroying your radio. So, if you must have a hand held that receives outside of the ham bands we suggest that you buy another brand. If you want one that offers truly superb 2 meter only performance in almost any RF environment then the HTX 202 is well worth considering. (***** And for this week, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. You can write to us at Post Office Box 463, Pasadena, CA 91102. (* * * Newsline Copyright 1994 all rights are reserved. * * *