
SB NEWSLIN @ ALLBBS $NLIN.901
Amateur Radio Newsline #901 18 Nov 1994

Amateur Radio Newsline is produced as an audio service by Newsline, a
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- - - - - -

NEWSLINE RADIO - CBBS EDITION #901 - POSTED 11/20/94
 
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   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
     CompuServe/HamNet...................... Coming Soon!
 
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                                             Thank You
                                             NEWSLINE
 
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Some of the hams of NEWSLINE RADIO...
 
WA6ITF WB6MQV WB6FDF K6DUE W6RCL N6AHU N6AWE N6TCQ K6PGX N6PNY
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 and many others in the United States and around the globe!!!
 
(****************************************************************
 
[901]
 
(* * * *   C L O S E D   C I R C U I T   A D V I S O R Y   * * * *
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 (*      The following advisory is not necessarily for air over   *
 (*   amateur radio.  This is just a reminder that the address    *
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 (*   Our Zipcode is 91102.  Again, and as always, we thank you.  *
 (*      That ends the closed circuit with Newsline report        *
 (*   number 901 for release on Friday, November 18, 1994 to      *
 (*   follow.                                                     *
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 (* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
 
                       The following is a QST
 
   The Mexican government rescues a DXpedition stranded after
 their boat engine fails at sea, ham radio runs the New York City
 Marathon and the founder of the Westlink Radio Network says it was
 definitely a good idea.  These stories and more on Newsline report
 number 901 coming your way right now.
 
(*****
                         DXpedition Rescue
 
   It sounds like every DXchaser's dream.  Seven hams set out on a
 DXpedition to a Mexican island 300 miles south of the southern tip
 of Baja.  This, to coincide with the CQ Worldwide SSB Contest.
 But the voyage takes a frightening twist when the group becomes
 stranded in the Pacific.  It's an incredible story of calm and
 anxiety.  Of alleged negligence and clear thinking, and of
 compassion.  Ed Kritsky, NT2X of New York City, and his fellow DX
 voyagers spent a week on Revilla Gigedos island in late October.
 
   "It was not a pleasant experience.  We got taken by the boat
 owner who, well if it were a car it would be called a lemon."  Ed
 Kritsky, NT2X.
 
   Kritsky sez the team was promised a nice furnished boat in
 good working condition.  That's not what he sez was delivered.
 
   "The boat had numerous violations was not supposed to be out in
 the ocean.  There was less crew than was supposed to be.  Instead
 of seven, there was five.  It was ill prepared.  It lacked any
 meaningful conveniences for an open sea sail.  It didn't have
 safety equipment."  NT2X.
 
   With the DXpedition over, Kritsky and crew head back to LaPaz,
 Mexico.  It's around midnight, in the Pacific, when the boat
 suffers a total engine failure.
 
   "I was sleeping on the upper deck and was woken by the sound
 of a flare being launched.  Now I didn't know what was going on
 except I heard this load bang bang.  There was the red flare going
 down."  NT2X.
 
   Kritsky sez the captain was not qualified to hold the job.  He
 sez crew members didn't even know how to use their radios.  So
 Kritsky grabs the mike of an Icom 725 and contacts a ham in Mesa,
 Arizona.  The Arizona ham calls the U.S. Coast Guard in San Diego
 to report the boat's situation.  The hams later contact the
 Mexican Navy which picks them up and brings them to a military
 base on Socorro island.  The problem then becomes getting back to
 LaPaz.  Kritsky sez the boat's owner refused to pay to send a
 pickup boat.  The hams couldn't find a plane large enough to haul
 them and their equipment.  Besides, the island's airspace is
 restricted.  In the meantime, DX crew members were on the
 air getting offers of help from generous fellow hams.
 
   "There were about 50 Mexican hams on the air for two days
 trying to locate the aircraft.  Offering to take collections to
 get us the tickets, to get to pay for the aircraft."  NT2X
 
   Kritsky and the others finally wind up aboard a Mexican navy
 plane for the 2 hour flight to LaPaz.  There, the hams are greeted
 by a crowd of cheering Mexican amateur radio operators.  Kritsky
 credits his fellow hams for keeping cool during the ordeal.
 
   "If it wasn't for amateurs aboard that boat I think we could
 have had serious problems.  With mother nature and the big blue
 ocean out there I think this was probably really taking it to the
 extreme."  NT2X.
 
   With corporate support, the DX group members paid nearly
 $15,000 for their experience.  They're glad to have made it out
 alive.  Ed Kritsky offers this advice if you're planning a
 DXpedition: Check out who you're dealing with and their equipment
 very carefully.
 
(*****
                         NYC MARATHON
 
   About 500 hams helped guide 25,000 runners through the streets
 of New York on Sunday, November 6th.  This for the running of the
 1994 New York City Marathon.  Since the inception of this mega
 event, ham radio has played a key role.  Educator Carole Perry,
 WB2MGP has been a marathon communicator for a number of years.
 She says that for everyone involved, ham radio provides peace of
 mind.
 
   "The magnitude of the thousands and thousands of other people
 who are involved in this, the runners and the other volunteers,
 the medical people, the food deliveries, the volunteers who run
 along side, the runners to give them their water.  There's so much
 that goes into this and to feel like your one small part of it,
 that's very exciting by itself.  But certainly the amateur radio
 part of it is extraordinary.  It's peace of mind for the families,
 knowing were the runners are at all times.  That communications, I
 think, is way under played.  I don't think the hams get nearly
 enough credit for what they do."  Carole Perry, WB2MGP.
 
   Perry says that it is the dedication of one particular ham that
 makes it all happen.
 
   "Certainly Steve Mendelsohn who can't say it about himself so I
 will say it for him, who heads this up from the Hudson Division,
 is an extraordinary organizer.  He is right on top of things.  I
 think the day after the marathon he starts planning for the next
 year.  He's, from the top on down totally involved with different
 nets and getting people to volunteer and so on.  And once you are
 in it, the enthusiasm of everybody whose involved in it kind of
 feeds on itself.  I think a lot of the hams responsible for
 bringing other kinds of volunteers in as well which is an
 interesting spinoff and ripple effect."  WB2MGP.
 
   The Steve Mendelsohn that Carole is referring to is of coarse
 ARRL Hudson Division Director Steve Mendelsohn, WA2DHF.
   And suffice to say that the New York City Marathon is well
 established as one of the most important events for those who like
 competition running.  Thanks to Steve Mendelsohn, WA2DHF and five
 hundred other hams, its also an amateur radio communications
 exercise second to none.
 
(*****
              COMMENT DATE SET ON 2400 MHZ ISSUE
 
   Turning to regulatory matters.  The FCC has set December 19th,
 about one month from now, as the comment due date for a Notice
 of Proposed Rule Making to convert a block of spectrum from
 federal government to commercial use.  This, includes two UHF
 bands shared by Amateur Radio on a secondary basis with the
 government.
   As reported two weeks ago, the proposal would allocate 2390 to
 2400, 2402 to 2417, both shared by amateurs, and 4660 to 4685 MHz
 to the Fixed and Mobile Services.  The FCC says that it is
 required by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 to adopt
 rules for such a reallocation by February 10, 1995.
   The Commission now notes that it has already received a number
 of responses to its Notice of Inquiry on the proposed
 reallocations.  This includes formal comments from the amateur
 community including one from the American Radio Relay League.
   The agency says it has also set a reply comment cutoff date on
 this NPRM.  That date is January 3, 1995.
 
(*****
                  ARRL COMMENTS ON DIGITAL PLAN
 
   The ARRL has filed reply comments on FCC PR Docket 94-59, that
 proposes to allow automatic control of digital stations on the HF
 bands under certain specific conditions.
   The League said that it shared concerns filed by some hams
 about the possibility of interference to amateurs using other
 modes, and urged the FCC to adopt its original proposal for
 specific subbands and other restrictions.
   The ARRL made essentially the same recommendation in its
 comments on the FCC proposal in early October.  By that time, the
 FCC had received comments from 15 parties, eight opposed to
 automatic HF control, five supporting the League's proposal for
 specific subbands, and two supporting the ARRL plan but with
 additional provisions for avoiding interference.
   The League said in its reply comments on November 1st that
 since some parties suggest no restrictions, while others advocate
 no changes at all at, that it, the ARRL, favored a middle course.
 The same one it originally had proposed and was the basis of the
 Commission's own Notice of Proposed Rule Making on the matter.
 
(*****
                        ZAPPER-ZAPPED
 
   The Zapper, a radio transmitter that can be altered to set off
 automobile radar detectors, has itself been zapped by the FCC.
 According to the Reuter News Service, Electronic Rainbow Inc. of
 Indianapolis, which advertised its transmitter as a way to stop
 speeders, said it has heeded a Federal Communications Commission
 order to stop selling the $50 unit.
   The company claims that device was originally intended for
 amateur radio operators communicate.  But a check by Newsline of
 recent issues of QST, CQ, 73 and Amateur Radio Trader Magazines
 show no advertiser listing for either Electronic Rainbow or any
 microwave communications device by them for hams.  And the Reuter
 story says that with only a few minor adjustments, the unit
 changes frequency to 10.525 gigahertz, which triggers alarms on
 radar detectors.
   The FCC stopped short of saying that the Zapper is not really
 a piece of ham gear.  It does note that the unit has not received
 federal approval and would likely be required to have safeguards
 to prevent its alternative use as a signal to radar detectors if
 its ever again placed for sale.  This is because radar detectors
 are illegal in several states, and a federal law prohibits
 truckers from using them.  Had it refused to comply with the FCC
 order to quit selling the Zapper, the company faced a fine of
 $10,000 per day.
 
(*****
                      PIRATE PROSECUTION
 
   Cable TV service pirates were put on notice November 7th when
 the Federal Communications Commission warned the public that it's
 illegal to tamper with converter and decoder boxes without
 permission of the cable operator.
   The National Cable Television Association hailed the FCC's
 public notice.  Jim Allen, head of NCTA's Office of Cable Signal
 Theft, said the announcement killed the arguments of third-party
 equipment brokers that engage in the sale of modified converter
 and decoders.
  NCTA estimates the industry loses billions of dollars each year
 in cable programming theft.  Under existing law, the illegal use
 of a converter and decoder is punishable by up to $1,000 in fines
 and imprisonment of up to six months.  Importers or makers of
 illegal equipment can face fines of up to $50,000 and two years in
 prison.
   FCC staffer John Reed said there was nothing new at all in the
 agency's announcement. However, he said the FCC issued the public
 notice at the request of NCTA, which has apparently seen a surge
 in cable piracy.
   "There is no more argument," says Allen. "They are breaking the
 law."
 
(*****
                         IRISH DIGIPEATER
 
   From Ireland, N2DFP reports the Donegal Digipeater is up and
 running on 144.675 with a link for the EI5TCR Cluster.  All
 reports have been excellent.  The Node callsign is EI5TCR/2 with
 an alias of BARN 22.
 
(*****
                                DX
 
   In DX listen for Haiti back on the air.  Missionaries HH1D and
 HH1T are Darlene Young, KB8CTC, and husband Tim, KB8CTD.  The
 husband and wife duo reportedly operate between 14.260 and 14.350
 MHz around 22:00 UTC and 7.288 MHz at 10:00 hours UTC.  They are
 believed to be running a TS-450S from a solar charged battery
 system.  QSL as they direct.
 
(*****
                          NEWSLINE GROWS
 
   And finally, last week Newsline began a month long celebration
 to commemorate its 900th consecutive newscast.  And, as those who
 were with us last week heard, Newsline actually began life in 1977
 as the Westlink Radio Network.  This when founder Jim Hendershot
 WA6VQP produced a bulletin for local Los Angeles airing that dealt
 with repeater deregulation.  Ironically, the first year of the
 Westlink Radio news did not air on a repeater.  According to
 Hendershot, it all began on 223.5 Mhz simplex.
 
   "Well that is true.  It started out because we felt the best
 way to distribute it was on simplex.  We started it out on 223.5
 Mhz.  In reality the major distribution, at least the first year
 or so was on 223.5 Mhz and a growing number of cassettes."  Jim
 Hendershot, WA6VQP.
 
   While 223.5 MHz worked well for hams in Los Angeles, as word
 of the newscast spread nationwide Jim had to find a relatively
 inexpensive way to distribute it to the rest of the country.  His
 first thought was to mail out tape cassettes.  Little did
 WA6VQP know what this decision would lead to.
 
   "It got to the point with me where I was doing something like a
 hundred cassettes a week, or some crazy thing like that.  And it
 was just overwhelming, that's when things had to change."  WA6VQP.
 
   And change they did.  About a year after he started the
 Westlink News, Jim's life took a new direction.
 
   "I was already engaged to be married at that point.  After I
 got married responsibility to the family was just too much.  I
 married a very nice lady with, what shall I say an already made
 family.  So I had four kids when I got married, to start with.  It
 was a real challenge.  So WestLink just had to move off to
 somebody that had more time, less responsibilities."  WA6VQP.
 
   It was the team of Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, Bill Orenstein,
 then KH6IAF -- later KH6QX, and Alan Kaul, W6RCL that became the
 lynch pins of the Westlink news organization.  In the late '70's
 and early '80s that trio worked at refining the newscast.
 Hendershot says that it all was a good idea.
 
   "You know it is always gratifying to know that there is still
 so much interest.  And when I see how big it's become it was a
 good thing to start.  I'm glad that it has done so well and it has
 received so much acceptance."  WA6VQP.
 
   Well accepted today, that's true.  But back seventeen years ago
 this was not the case.  I fact, it took the words of a prominent
 FCC official and a few from a radio con-man to get the Westlink
 News established with the mainstream ham radio community.  That
 part of the story, next week.
 
(*****
 
   And for this week, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline.
 You can write to us at:
                           Newsline
                           P.O. Box 463
                           Pasadena, CA
                           91102
 
(* * * Newsline Copyright 1994 all rights are reserved. * * *

