In Brief

Dec 24, 2002

(In alphabetical order: ) Amateur Radio to get holiday exposure via country music broadcast; · FCC seeks comments on Amateur Radio-related petitions; · German Amateur Radio payload reaches orbit; · Ham Radio University 2003 set; · Nine-year-old makes Extra; Rohn founder dies; · Spanish-language NCVEC question pools now available on the Web; · World Scout Jamboree to include Amateur Radio activity

Jack, KE0VH, will be tracking Santa Claus via ham radio Christmas Eve on Jones Radio Network Classic Hit Country stations.

Amateur Radio to get holiday exposure via country music broadcast: Amateur Radio will be a key component on Christmas Eve on more than 130 "Classic Hit Country" radio stations across the US. Jack Roland, KE0VH, an evening DJ for the Jones Radio Network Classic Hit Country format in the evenings will emulate a contact with fellow broadcaster Rich Anderson, W9BNO, at a "radar facility near the Arctic Circle" to air reports tracking Santa Claus on his journey to North America. Roland, who uses the air name "Jack Edwards," says the feature will be produced to sound like an actual Amateur Radio contact stretched out over the five hours of the evening show--which airs from 8 PM until 1 AM Eastern Time (0200-0700 UTC). "The idea was to have a neat little feature on my show that also showcased Amateur Radio," said Roland, a broadcasting veteran who also does engineering as well as air work. "W9BNO agreed to assist as the 'remote operator,' and we spent some time in the audio production room recording the voices. Later the audio was processed and sound effects--such as tuning, SSB effects and band background--were added for realism."

FCC seeks comments on Amateur Radio-related petitions: The FCC is inviting comments on two Amateur Radio-related petitions for rule making. Both have been put on public notice and are available for public review and comment. In his petition, designated RM-10620, Dale Reich, K8AD, has asked the Commission to automatically upgrade Novice and Advanced license holders to the "next" license class if the licensee has 20 or more years of operating experience. Reich has said such test-free upgrades would compensate for "the previous tougher exam that was past administered" and give credit for violation-free service records. Among other proposed changes in his "merit and service upgrade" schedule, Reich asks that Novice phone privileges in the 2-meter band--rescinded in the 1970s--be reinstated for those still holding that license. In his petition, Reich asserts that the proposed changes could augment public service abilities on the part of the affected licensees. In another amateur-related petition, designated RM-10621, AMSAT-NA has asked the FCC to drop its presently required 27-month pre-space notification to the FCC's international branch for Amateur Satellite launches and substitute a pre-space notification within 30 days of a launch commitment. The comment deadline for both petitions is January 17, 2003. Interested parties may view the Reich and AMSAT petitions and file comments via the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS). Commenters should include full name, US Postal Service mailing address and the applicable rulemaking number--RM-10620 or RM-10621.

German Amateur Radio payload reaches orbit: Oliver Amend, DG6BCE, and the German Amateur Radio Association report that the RUBIN-2 scientific satellite carrying the SAFIR-M Amateur Radio payload was successfully launched December 20 (1700 UTC) from Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome. As of December 22, he had not yet established contact with the satellite. The call sign, DP0AIS, stands for "Amateur Radio in Schools." Designed as a store-and-forward system for APRS-based messages, SAFIR-M is a project of the Working Group for Amateur Radio and Telecommunications in Schools and developed in cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences in Pforzheim, Germany. "The main purpose of the satellite is to give students easy access to space communications," Amend says. He notes the satellite will be operational only when RUBIN-2 is in sunlight, so usable passes over Europe will be during the early morning hours and only for up to about five minutes with very low antenna elevations. Now in an approximately 650-km orbit at 65 degree inclination, SAFIR-M has a 1200-baud packet uplink at 437.275 MHz and a 9600-baud packet downlink on 145.825 MHz. There's also an optional voice message beacon on 2 meters. Amend welcomes reports with date and time (UTC) and position (WGS-84 or grid square) via e-mail. The correct NORAD identifier for two-line Keplerian elements appears to be 27607. More information is available in German on the SAFIR-M Web site.

Ham Radio University 2003 set: Ham Radio University 2003 will take place Sunday, January 19, as part of the ARRL New York City-Long Island Section Convention in Oyster Bay, New York (East Woods School, 31 Yellow Cote Road). Billed as a day of education about Amateur Radio, this year's event will feature new forums--including sessions for nonhams as well as for experienced operators. The focus will be hands-on, with special event station W2V on the air and day-long demonstrations of digital communications, satellite communications, low-power operating, emergency communications and other modes and activities. Featured guest speaker and forum leader will be Gordon West, WB6NOA. HRU 2003 will include an Amateur Radio examination session. HRU 2003 is sponsored by the Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club and is a cooperative effort among more than 20 clubs and organizations in the New York City-Long Island area. Admission is open to all ($2 donation), and refreshments will be available. Talk-in is on the W2VL 146.85 and 147.210 repeaters. For more information contact ARRL NYC-LI SM George Tranos, N2GA, or visit the ARRL New York City-Long Island Web site.

Elizabeth Harper, AK3H, is flanked by her parents, Anthony Harper, NO2M, and Sondra Harper, KA4EIC. [Steve Padgett, K4NM, Photo]

Nine-year-old makes Extra: Elizabeth Harper of Vinemont, Alabama, became one of the nation's youngest Amateur Extra-class licensees during the Montgomery Amateur Radio Club hamfest examination session November 9. Accompanying the nine-year-old on her upgrade journey were her parents, Anthony, NO2M, and Sondra Harper, KA4EIC. There was a lot of excitement as the volunteer examiners from the Montgomery CAVEC group graded her Element 4 answer sheet, then rechecked it twice more. A General licensee at the time of the session, Elizabeth also might hold the distinction of being the only youngster her age now working on her third ham radio call sign. When she sat for the Extra, she was KG4NAU. The FCC issued her a new sequential call sign, AG4WP, which she held for about three weeks until the FCC granted her vanity application. Elizabeth now is AK3H. Her dad, ex-WA4QQZ, also got a new call sign in December.--Steve Padgett, K4NM

Rohn founder dies: Dwight Rohn, who founded the tower manufacturing company that bears his name, died December 16 in Birmingham, Alabama. He was 93. An Illinois native, Rohn founded Rohn Manufacturing--now Rohn Industries in 1948, and it became the largest tower manufacturer in the world. He also was an aircraft pilot, airport manager and owner of Rohn Flying Service in Illinois and later owned and managed several other businesses, including a vehicle dealership. Survivors include his sons, Donald and Richard. A service was held December 21 in Peoria, Illinois.--The Birmingham News

Spanish-language NCVEC question pools now available on the Web: For the first time, a National Committee of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) question pool has been translated into Spanish and published on the Web to benefit of non-English speaking candidates in Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rico Amateur Radio League (PRARL), which has prepared Spanish-language question pool translations for the last eight years, has agreed to make available its Element 2 (Technician) Spanish-language question pool and corresponding graphics to other VECs. "It is a very accurate translation of the original version using Puerto Rican Spanish with insertions of English words when translated words are confusing or non existing," said PRARL Secretary Victor Madera, KP4PQ--who also happens to be ARRL Puerto Rico Section Manager. The ARRL VEC Puerto Rico volunteer examiner team has offered Spanish-language tests at the Technician and General-class levels since 1994 and will now allow other VECs serving the Commonwealth to use its pool to generate their examinations. Exam-generating software is in the works and will be available on the Web as soon as it's ready, Madera said. The PRARL also has produced study guides in Spanish, and these are available through local clubs to all interested persons. Visit the PRARL exam Web site for more information.

World Scout Jamboree to include Amateur Radio activity: The 20th World Scout Jamboree in Thailand from December 28, 2002, to January 7, 2003, will include Amateur Radio operation from E20AJ at the Jamboree site. E20AJ will use World Scout frequencies. The station will be operational for the duration of the Jamboree, 24 hours a day, on SSB, CW, SSTV and packet on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10 and 2 meters. Three HF stations will be in operation. An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact is scheduled for Saturday, December 28, with E20AJ. Expedition 6 crew member Don Pettit, KD5MDT, has been designated to field questions from the Scouts via NA1SS. The QSO will mark the first ARISS contact for the Expedition 6 crew. QSL E20AJ via HB9AOF or via the Thailand QSL bureau. GB2COS will be a special Scout station on the air from Chester, England, January 4-5. Activity will be on most HF bands, and GB2COS operators will attempt to contact E20AJ at the World Jamboree in Thailand. QSL GB2COS via G7BQY.--some info from The Daily DX

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