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 #887 - POSTED 08/13/94 (***************************************************************) (* *) (* * * ***** * * **** * ***** * * ***** *) (* ** * * * * * * * ** * * *) (* * * * *** * ** * *** * * * * * *** *) (* * ** * * ** * * * * * ** * *) (* * * ***** * * **** ***** ***** * * ***** *) (* *) (* **** * **** ***** *** *) (* * * * * * * * * * *) (* **** ***** * * * * * *) (* * * * * * * * * * *) (* * * * * **** ***** *** *) (* *) (***************************************************************) 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!!! (**************************************************************** [887] (* * * * C L O S E D C I R C U I T A D V I S O R Y * * * * (* * (* The following is a closed circuit advisory and is not * (* for transmission over amateur radio. Repeat, not for * (* broadcast. This is just a reminder that the address for * (* the Newsline Support Fund is Newsline, in care of Dr. Norm * (* Chalfin, K6PGX, Post Office Box 463, Pasadena, CA 91102. * (* Again, and as always, we thank you. That ends the closed * (* circuit with Newsline report number 887 for release on * (* Friday, August 12, 1994 to follow. * (* * (* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The following is a QST Radio Shack says its time to replace the General Mobile Radio Service with a license free Family Radio system, the FCC goes full speed in regulatory enforcement and changes to ham radio in the United Kingdom. These stories and more on Newsline report number 887 to follow. (***** RADIO SHACK PROPOSES NEW RADIO SERVICE The Radio Shack Division of Tandy Corporation has filed a petition before the FCC to create a new, license free radio service in the old General Mobile Radio Service Band. The Family Radio Service as Tandy calls it, would use 16 channel, 500 milliwatt radios operating between 462 to 467 MHz. Tandy says that the current licensing requirement for GMRS operation an impediment. It says that the ultimate success of a new Family Radio Service hinges on it being unlicensed. The consumer electronics giant also asserts that replacing the General Mobile Radio Service with its unlicensed Family Radio Service will mean a significant saving to the government in administering the service. About two years ago, Radio Shack announced that it would be selling GMRS transceivers. The low power entry level units were crystalled on 462.7125 Mhz while the two channel version had an empty slot for the end user to choose a channel pair. At that time Tandy touted the radios as a step up from the 49 MHz kiddie talkies and the crowded 27 MHz Class D Citizens Radio band. But purchasers still have to obtain a GMRS license before using the units. Tandy Radio Shack now says its time to end the need for tight government control so that family units who need reliable short range communications can have it immediately, and a reasonable cost. As we go to press, the FCC has not yet issued any rule making designation to the Tandy Radio Shack Family Radio Service request. (***** MIAMI OFFICE CLOSES TWO PIRATE STATIONS Lots of enforcement news from the FCC this week. First, Engineers from the Miami FCC Field Operations Bureau Office have put a pair of pirate broadcast stations off the air. They learned about one of the stations when they responded to a complaint by a television viewer who claimed to be receiving interference to Channel 6 from a neighbor with an unlicensed radio station. The FCC investigators positively identified the pirate operator in Perrin, Florida, transmitting music on 88.3 MHz under an adopted call sign WBASS. In the course of monitoring this station, the FCC observed another broadcast on 91.9 MHz tracked to Homestead, Florida. This station, identified as WGBC, transmitted mostly Haitian religious music. Both stations were shut down. The FCC says that the operators of both stations will receive very heavy fines. (***** TAXI CAB COMPANY INTERFERES WITH THE FBI The Buffalo FCC office has cleared up a case of interference to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FCC was contacted by the local FBI which complained of interference to one of its VHF repeater stations. FCC monitoring picked up a signal. It consisted primarily of data transmissions only 10 kHz away from the input frequency of the FBI's station. Bearings taken by the FCC indicated the signal was coming from Canada. FCC engineers contacted the Canadian officials who determined that the only data transmissions of the type interfering with the FBI were being used by a Toronto cab company. The cab company was contacted and found to have a defective transmitter. There was no malicious intent. After repairs were made, the interference problem was solved. (***** FIRE DEPARTMENT ECHOES The San Francisco Office of the FCC literally took to the air to stop a strange interference problem to the Contra Costa Fire Department. The Fire Department complained that it was receiving interference in the form of a deliberately retransmitted echo on its low-band VHF channel from a station that was retransmitting their signal five seconds after it was made. Because of the severity of the disruption to safety-of-life communications, the FCC prepared what it calls an admonition statement. We won't go into the details of what was said but it was definitely effective. Soon after it was read on the air the interference stopped. Later, the local TV news heard of the problem and aired an interview with the FCC Regional Director who explained what was done and why. (***** INTERFERENCE TO VESSELS IN LA AREA Further south, the Los Angeles FCC Office recently received a complaint from the Coast Guard station at San Pedro. It reported that ships in the area were receiving interference on Channel 16. That's the marine emergency calling channel. FCC engineers used mobile direction finding equipment. They tracked the interfering signal to a nearby trucking company. FCC investigators determined that there were no marine licenses issued to the company. They shut down the unlicensed radio immediately. (***** UK CHANGE Some good news and some bad news for hams living in the United Kingdom. First the good. Effective immediately, the UK Amateur and Amateur Novice Licence rules have been liberalized by the nations Radiocommunications Agency. Holders of the full Amateur Class A Licenses may use 26 dBW -- that's 400 watts -- on the entire of the sub-band of 1.81 to 1.85 MHz. This removes the power restriction on 1.81 to 1.83 MHz. But the power limit for 1.85 to 2 MHz remains at 15 dBW. These same Amateur Licenses may now also use 26 dBW between 50 and 51 MHz. The maximum permitted power between 51 and 52 MHz is still 20 dBW. Next, the Effective Radiated Power level and antenna height restrictions have been removed from the whole of the 50 to 52 MHz band, allowing the use of any antenna. Finally, Maritime Mobile is now permitted on 50 MHz. No for the bad news. All UK Amateur Radio operators are now required to notify their local Radio Investigation Service office of unattended digital operation. This new restriction became necessary following a number of problems with unattended operation. The final change, which also affects all licensees, concerns logs which are kept on a computer. A licensee must now be able to provide a print-out of the log to the Radiocommunications Agency on demand. (***** SAREX AIR SHOW CONTACT Approximately 100,000 attendees at the Aerospace American annual air show in Oklahoma City heard a 2-way SAREX contact on July 17. Present at the air show was retired three star Air Force Lieutenant General Tom Stafford. He was patched by telephone to Commander Bob Cabana, KC5HBV on board the Space Shuttle Columbia via amateur stations WH6CJU in Hawaii, N6IZW in San Diego, CA, and W5GEL in Corpus Christi, TX. Each of the stations are part of a SAREX worldwide telebridge ground station network. General Stafford is a former astronaut who flew aboard the Gemini 9 and Apollo 10 missions, and commanded the US/Russian Apollo-Soyuz test project. The SAREX exchange of greetings between Stafford and Cabana reflected upon the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. The contact was managed by Frank Bauer, KA3HDO at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, and by Lou McFadin, W5DID and Gil Carman, WA5NOM from the SAREX Control Room at the Johnson Space Flight Center in Houston, TX. (***** NASA TELEVISION COVERAGE NASA television coverage is available to all in the continental United States through C-band satellite. NASA Select video is found on Satcom S2. Satcom S2 is located 22,300 miles straight out from Equator at 69 degrees West. (***** LUSAT Controllers report that the LUSAT 1 ham satellite appears healthy after experiencing a software crash. The software load was performed as part of the recovery effort was intentionally stopped after the second module was loaded and turned on. The next step of the recovery will involve continuing with the satellite's deep tests. The satellite is sending telemetry on 437.125 MHz and it's digipeater is turned on. (***** MELBOURNE HAMFEST On the convention circuit, the Melbourne Hamfest is coming up on September 9 - 11 at the Melbourne Auditorium in Florida. Featured will be new equipment displays, swap tables, a flea market, forums, prizes and more. For further details send a self-addressed stamped envelope to "Hamfest Information, Platinum Coast Amateur Radio Society, P. O. Box 1004, Melbourne, FL 32902. (***** CAN EX The Canadian National Exhibition, Canada's largest annual presentation, will open its gates on Friday 19 August, 1994 and run until Labor Day. The gathering is being held at Exhibition Park in Toronto. VE3CNE, Canada's premier display of Amateur Radio will again be in operation at the CNE at the Better Living Centre. QSL cards will be sent to all contacts made. (***** DXCC UP The ARRL reports that business is up in its DXCC Branch. In March, 1127 applications for new awards and endorsements were received, and for the first three months of 1994 applications are up by 18%, QSL's by 48%, over 1993. Turn around time for awards right now is about three and a half weeks. (***** DX In DX, word that YI9CW has been quite active from Iraq. Check 18.074 kHz between 14:00 and 15:00 UTC and QSL as directed. Also, HL9HH slash KJ6YR, is on from South Korea looking for 40 and 80 meter fills for Worked All States. He operates between 10:30 and 12:00 UTC daily. On 40 meters, he operates between 7.002 and 7.009 MHz. On 80 meters, he is on between 3.502 and 3.509 MHz. QSL via PSC 3 Box 3695, APO AP 96266-3695. (***** NYC NEWSLINE BACK ON Some good news to report. After several months off the air due to equipment failure, the New York City outgoing Newsline service is back in operation. As reported last week, the equipment failed while Paul Migliorelli, N2ETO who oversees the operation was away from the city. When he returned he found that the unit was beyond repair. It took a number of weeks to locate the type of machine needed. Another several days were spent reworking it to Newsline specifications and more time to ship it to Queens New York. All that has been done and Paul reports that service on the (718) 353-2801 outgoing line was restored last week. So if you were a regular user of the New York City outgoing newsfeed line, be aware that area code (718) 353-2801 is back in service, once again. (***** And for this week, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. You can write to us at: Newsline P.O. Box 463 Pasadena, California 91102. (* * * Newsline Copyright 1994 all rights are reserved. * * * ------------