The electronic publication of the Amateur Radio Newsline is distributed with the permission of Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, President and Editor of Newsline. The text is transcribed from the audio service by Dale Cary and is first published on Genie. Editorial comment or news items should be E-mailed to 3241437@mcimail.com or B.PASTERNAK@genie.geis.com. Voice or FAX to +1 805-296-7180. All other information and disclaimers are in the text header below. - - - - - ***************************************************************** * * * * * ***** * * **** * ***** * * ***** * * ** * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * *** * ** * *** * * * * * *** * * * ** * * ** * * * * * ** * * * * * ***** * * **** ***** ***** * * ***** * * * * **** * **** ***** *** * * * * * * * * * * * * * **** ***** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * **** ***** *** * * * ***************************************************************** 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. The electronic version of newsline is posted on this CBBS twice monthly. For current information updates, please call 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 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!!! ***************************************************************** [852] * * * * 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 air on 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 852 for release on Friday, December 10, 1993. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The following is a QST * * * * Ham radio leads seventeen Cuban exiles to freedom in the * * United States and a New York suburb says it has the same * * power as the FCC. Hempstead New York has ordered a ham to * * take down his antenna because of TVI. These stories and * * more on Newsline report number 852 coming your way. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CUBAN HAM RADIO ESCAPE Ramon Batista, CO8BA, and sixteen other Cuban exiles are now free of dictator Fidel Castro thanks to the efforts of the Florida based Sociedad Internacional de Radio Aficionados -- SIRA. The story of Batista's escape began several weeks ago when he started to hold discrete contacts with stateside SIRA members. During these short QSO's he indicated his plans and requested information on frequencies used by maritime services. SIRA's President, Rafael Estevez, WA4ZZG picks up the story from here. "He left on the Monday morning, early morning hours of that particular Monday. It was a row boat, there were two row boats, 14 feet each one. Two of those carrying 17 persons including one five year old girl. They rowed and when they thought they were far away from Cuba, ten international miles, actually they were about twenty to twenty two miles more or less. Then he prepared a small amateur radio rig with ten watts and a special antenna that he designed. With that antenna he called CQ, SOS, Mayday whatever you call in Spanish. Then Edilberto Salas, WA2HNO who was living down here in south Florida picked up the signals and he called the Coast Guard. Then the Coast Guard got into communications on that particular frequency. He finally was picked up by a Panamanian freighter who was advised by the Coast Guard to pick them up. Those two boats and they were taken to Jacksonville. In Jacksonville they were processed there then the day before Thanksgiving Day. Last Friday he arrived here in Miami. He is now today in the process to ask for political asylum." Batista's heroic escape from Cuba is only part of the story. When he arrived, he brought with him some bad news about the fate of many radio amateurs still in Cuba. That story, next week. ***** LOS ANGELES TEST IRREGULARITIES The FCC has ordered the suspension of the accreditation of several Volunteer Examiners and has also invalidated the amateur licenses and license upgrades of twenty-one people. This, after a three month joint investigation of alleged irregularities at four VE administered test sessions here in Southern California. The tests in question occurred in the Los Angeles area in June and August of 1993 and involved both the ARRL and W5YI VEC's. As we go to air, the ARRL VEC says that it has, at the request of the government, suspended the right to test of four Volunteer Examiners. It has also unilaterally suspended the accreditation of another three VE's involved in another test session after finding other alleged irregularities in the records of the examinations administered at that test. Neither the FCC nor the VEC's assisting in the investigation have released the names of the testing applicants or the Volunteer Examiners under scrutiny, but the FCC has publicly thanked the ARRL and W5YI VEC's for their assistance in the continuing investigation. The FCC has stopped short of calling this a case of all-out license testing fraud, but Washington sources have indicated to Newsline that the results of the investigation may be turned over to the Department of Justice for further inquiry. Should the Justice Department find that fraud is indicated and if it seeks seeks prosecution, a lot of want to be hams and those who tested them could face an unexpected fines and imprisonment. More on this breaking story next week. ***** LONG ISLAND ANTENNA DEFENSE FUND Amateur radio operators out on New York's Long Island are seeking national support to fight the local zoning board within the Town of Hempstead. On October 6th the Zoning Board of Appeals denied amateur radio operator Mark Nadel, NK2T the right to maintain his 55 foot radio tower. The reason for the denial was based on two neighbors had filed complaints about radio frequency interference to their home entertainment equipment. In other words, the town of Hempstead is saying that it is taking on the jurisdiction of the FCC and the townships lawyers add that they have the right to do just that. This, even if it means openly challenging the federal government and its communications control agency, the FCC. The decision against Nadel is precedent setting and reads in part as follows. We quote: "The board finds that the proposed and existing height of 55' has had a devastating effect on several of the residents. The transmission of applicants come over the telephone, television and electronic equipment of the neighbors and interfere substantially with those neighbors use of such facilities. The Board has weighed the benefit to the applicant as against the detriment to the neighbors, and finds that the detriment far outweighs any benefit to the applicant." -- end quote. Word is that Hempstead is prepared to spend any amount of money to argue this case in all jurisdictions including the United States Supreme Court. As a result, it now appears as if the only way that Nadel can have this decision overturned is to take it to court himself. He and other hams in Hempstead have been given no other choice than to fight. In order to help NK2T overcome this unacceptable decision an organization has been formed know as RADIO. This is an acronym for the Radio Amateur Defense & Information Organization. Its sole purpose is that of helping amateur radio operators in their fights with town zoning problems. Regardless of the final outcome, this will be a precedent setting case. Perhaps the most important legal battle in the history of the United States Amateur Radio Service. For this reason it is very important to support NK2T in this oncoming battle through the courts. The findings may well determine weather or not you can have a ham transmitter and an antenna, no matter where in the nation you may live. The address for contributions is RADIO, in care of N2FF, Post Office Box 343, Williston Park, New York 11596. ***** NOVICE PRIVILEGES AND NEW 222 MHZ RESTRICTIONS ON REPEATERS The FCC has acted to expand privileges for Novice class licensees on the 222 MHz band as well as to create a subband protected for weak signal operators using the band. The changes enacted under the Report Order in PR Docket 92-289 are very wide in their scope and include allowing Novice operation in the entire 222-225 MHz band. Novices currently have access to 222.10-223.91 MHz. In making the privilege expansion proposal the American Radio Relay League said that improving the scope of Novice privileges to include the entire 1.25 meter band made sense. This because Novices already are permitted to use SSB and CW on portions of the HF bands. But the FCC has denied another proposal to allow Novices to be licensees and control operators of repeaters on both the 222 and 1240 MHz bands. The Commission had in fact proposed such privileges in an Notice of Proposed Rule Making back in 1992. At that time the ARRL argued against the idea. It said that these privileges were not justified by the level technical proficiency demonstrated by Novices on their examinations. The ARRL also argued that giving Novices the right to hold license to repeaters would blur the distinctions between the Novice and Technician class licenses. Finally, the ARRL and weak-signal advocates have been successful in gaining a special subband established on the low end of the 222 MHz band. The League had proposed that a weak signal protected band segment be established from 222.0 to 222.15 MHz, similar to what previously existed at 222.00 to 222.50 MHz. They said that a weak-signal subband, which could not be enforced through voluntary agreements or formalized band-planning by amateurs, was necessary to allow amateurs to carry on experiments in propagation and operating techniques. The FCC agreed that this proposal had merit and acted to codify it but in reality their action may have come to late. In some cities, so called un-coordinated "pirate" repeaters are already setting up operations in this spectrum. This, as it is vacated by coordinated systems that have been relocated elsewhere in the 1.25 meter band. While the number of these uncoordinated systems is still small it will be a problem that the FCC rather than the Amateur Radio community will have to handle. This is because those hams who have no respect for "gentlemen agreements" on band utilization are bound to ignore the FCC regulations as well. At airtime, no effective date for these new regulations to take effect has been announced. ***** NEW YORK CABS GET CELLULAR TELEPHONES The alleged need for two meter radios in New York City taxis seems to have disappeared as a results of a plan to install cellular phones in may of the city's cabs. According to a press release from Nynex, Mobile Communications, one of the city's cellular suppliers, some two hundred medallion taxi cabs have embarked on a three month pilot program to test the feasibility of having cellular pay-phones in the rider compartments of these vehicles. Passengers are able to use these cel-tels for regular phone calls, and taxi drivers have a special push-button that allows instant access to police through the city's 911 emergency access number. As reported a few months ago, a small number of New York City taxi drivers had petitioned the Taxi and Limousine Commission to have two meter radios installed in every cab. The commission turned the drivers down. The new Nynex system seems to nullify the need for two meter radios to be installed in the city's cabs, while giving the drivers a better sense of security than any ham system could offer. ***** CHINA ON THE HAM SATELLITES In news about ham radio space operations, word that the Tsinghua University Amateur Radio Club of Beijing, China has announced that the Chinese Radio Sports Association has provided them with some OSCAR satellite ground station equipment. The Radio Club says that it plans to use the gear for approximately 6 months in an effort to become active on amateur satellites. The equipment consists of a Yaesu FT-726 dual-band transceiver, a circularly polarized crossed Yagi antenna, a 70cm amplifier, a receive preamplifier, and the elevation/azimuth rotor system. OE2CAL, an Austrian amateur noted in Europe for his VHF and UHF activities, and DJ7BU are scheduled to join the radio club in their efforts to the antenna system which has been delayed due to snowy weather. Both men are currently working in Beijing. ***** ST LOUIS RADIO HISTORY Closer to home comes this item from the world of broadcast band DXing. Word that a piece of radio history has returned to the radio dial in St. Louis. E.B. Stevenson, N0UIH has the story and the background on why it all came about. "The first weekend in October brought a major shock to listeners of St. Louis radio station KUSA. Listeners expecting to hear the station at 550 on the AM dial with its CNN Headline News feed, instead were informed they were listening to KSD AM. The reversion to the KSD callsign was as a result of sale of the station along with classic rock formatted KSD FM 93.7 Mhz by Gannet Radio Division to EZ Communications, owners of KYKY 98.1 Mhz with runs an adult top 40 format. Gannet purchased KSD AM then the local NBC Radio Network Affiliate and what was then beautiful music formatted KCFM in 1979. The FM adopted the KSD FM callsign in 1980, the same year KSD AM ended its 54 year affiliation with NBC. The KSD calls were dropped from the AM on March 19th 1984 after being on the 550 spot since 1922. KUSA was originally going to be adopted by what was then KPRZ in Los Angeles, now KIIS 1150 on the AM dial earlier in 1984, but Gannet ended up transferring the calls to their St. Louis AM property which was then running the country and western music format. The KUSA call still reside on its television property in Denver, Colorado. A piece of St. Louis radio history is back." Confusing yes, but talk about radio history repeating itself. ***** XMAS TV The television program titled There Really Is A Santa Claus will air on Saturday December 11th on the Discovery Channel cable television network. There Really is a Santa Claus includes exclusive footage of the North Pole Network that each year permits hospital confined children to talk directly to old St. Nick thru the magic of ham radio an amateur radio TV. The segment showing hams in action was filmed at the St. Judes Hospital Center in Fullerton, California and shows Rehab Radio Station WD6BPT in action. Look for There Really is a Santa Claus at 4 PM eastern and pacific. Consult your local cable company about finding the Discovery Channel on your cable box or TV dial. ***** COUNTRY MUSIC HAM You fans of country music know that entertainer Patty Loveless produces chart-topping hits. But now it can also now be told that Patty can also hold her own in a morse-code roundtable QSO. This is according to QST Magazine that reports the Kentucky born songstress is now the holder of the Amateur Radio call sign KD4WUJ. QST says that Patty, a cousin of singer Loretta Lynn is is married to Emory Gordy Jr., W4WRO and it was Gordy that got his wife interested in the two way hobby communications. The Gordy's make their home in Dallas Georgia where Patty is reportedly active on 40 meter CW. Newsline knows that you join in welcoming Patty Loveless KD4WUJ to our world of Amateur Radio. ***** * * * Newsline Copyright 1993 all rights are reserved. * * *