SB NEWSLIN @ ALLBBS $NLIN.908 Amateur Radio Newsline #908 10 Jan 1995 Amateur Radio Newsline is produced as an audio service by Newsline, a service of the Westlink Radio Netowrk. The transcribed version is produced by Dale Cary, WD0AKO from materials provided by Newsline. and is jointly distributed to online services and bulletin board networks by Steve Coletti and Dale Cary. Copyright owner is Newsline. Permission to reuse all or part of either this written or the audio form requires that the item be taken in it's entirety, not be subject to any further editing or commentary, and that full credit given to Newsline as the source. Permission is granted to all amateurs who want to transmit the audio version in it's entirety over nets or repeaters. The text version may be used for packet distribution as long as it is sent in its entirety and the BIN header is kept intact. 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Text Version information: America Online - tstader@aol.com (Terry Stader, Sysop) or D.CARY@genie.geis.com Compuserv, Delphi, Genie - D.CARY@genie.geis.com Usenet - david@stat.com (David Dodell - Moderator rec-radio-info) FTP, (oak.oakland.edu) - wy1z@neu.edu (Scott Erlich, Boston ARC) Internet mailing list (individuals) - bigsteve@.dorsai.org Internet mailing list (re-distributors) - D.CARY@genie.geis.com BBS Networks - Steve Coletti (within the conference/echo) or bigsteve@dorsai.org via Internet. (RIME users can RO mail to ->35, Fidonet users can Netmail to 1:278/307) - - - - - - NEWSLINE RADIO - CBBS EDITION #908 - POSTED 01/09/95 (***************************************************************) (* *) (* * * ***** * * **** * ***** * * ***** *) (* ** * * * * * * * ** * * *) (* * * * *** * ** * *** * * * * * *** *) (* * ** * * ** * * * * * ** * *) (* * * ***** * * **** ***** ***** * * ***** *) (* *) (* **** * **** ***** *** *) (* * * * * * * * * * *) (* **** ***** * * * * * *) (* * * * * * * * * * *) (* * * * * **** ***** *** *) (* *) (***************************************************************) 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...................... For questions or comments about the text version, contact me at D.CARY@GENIE.GEIS.COM on the Internet. 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!!! (**************************************************************** [908] (* * * * C L O S E D C I R C U I T A D V I S O R Y * * * * (* * (* The following advisory is not necessarily for transmis- * (* sion over amateur radio. This is just a reminder that the * (* address for the Newsline Support Fund is Newsline, in care * (* of Andy Jarema, N6TCQ, Post Office Box 3506, Arcadia, CA * (* 91006. Again, and as always, we thank you. This ends the * (* closed circuit with Newsline report number 908 for release * (* on Friday, January 6, 1995 to follow. * (* * (* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The following is a QST The CTIA says no to local tower zoning. It wants the FCC to preempt local and state government regulation for all structures used for mobile communications. Also, the FCC says no to further deregulation of packet radio auto-forwarding, and a major ham radio newsletter mails its last issue. Find out which one on an expanded Newsline report number 908 coming your way right now! CTIA TO CITIES: NO MORE TOWER REGULATIONS A wireless telecommunications industry group has asked the Federal Communications Commission to preempt any and all state and local rules governing tower sites used for cellular telephones and other mobile communications services. In a filing with the agency on Tuesday, December 27th the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association says that local and state governments will impede industry efforts to build the transmission towers needed for new wireless services unless the federal government steps in to ban further attempts at municipal level regulation. CTIA says that there are more than 38,000 local governments being lobbied by so called "not in my backyard activists." People and groups who do not want any radio installations near where they live or work. In its filing to the FCC the CTIA asks if these activists will be allowed to thwart a national pathway for what CTIA terms parochial or ill-informed reasons? The trade association's petition maintains that a 1993 law prohibits state and local governments from regulating entry into mobile services. It asks the FCC to codify the law into its own telecommunication rules and regulations and them act to enforce it. If CTIA is successful in getting the FCC to issue a Notice of Inquiry or Notice of Proposed Rule Making on its request, it will be important for the Amateur Radio community to support it. This is because the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association request goes far beyond what we hams currently have under PRB-1. In fact, if it is enacted, the CTIA federal preemption request may well mean the end to local municipalities regulating ham radio towers and antennas except possibly for safety. (***** PACKET RECONSIDERATION DENIED Further liberalization of the rules concerning automatic packet radio message forwarding will not happen in the foreseeable future. So says the FCC in denying Phil Karn, KA9Q's request for reconsideration of a decision concerning message forwarding systems in the Amateur Service. By way of background, on March 30, 1994, the FCC adopted an Order dealing with contemporary message forwarding systems. In it, the FCC said that the control operators of intermediate forwarding stations, other than the first forwarding station, would not be held accountable when their stations retransmitted improper communications inadvertently. It said that the purpose of the Order was to relax the amateur service rules to enable these systems to operate at high speed while retaining the minimum safeguards necessary to prevent misuse. But Karn tells Newsline that he felt the FCC order did not go far enough. That as written the rules still impede technological advancement in amateur radio data communications. He wants only the person originating a message to be held legally responsible for what it says. "All I was asking for was that the burden for the content, responsibility for the content of an amateur communication should be on the originator. And that the requirement that the first forwarding station be also responsible or authenticate the originating station was unworkable given the technology. It was conceived for a BBS environment, but not every use of amateur packet radio uses a BBS." Karn, KA9Q. But in its December 23rd action denying reconsideration, the Commission said the Order did not address, nor was it intended to address, what accommodations should be made for message forwarding systems that may be developed in the future. It added that if the present accommodation becomes unworkable in a system using a different architecture, the managers of those particular systems affected can request necessary rule changes at the appropriate future date. (***** GAZA UPDATE We have yet another update on the controversial ZC6B operation from Palestine. The Ohio Pen DX Newsletter says that it has received a FAX from Arie Surkiss, 4X6UO. Surkiss is the High Frequency Manager of the Israel Amateur Radio Club. His FAX is a real eye opener on the situation and reads as follows. -- quote -- "According to the Israeli Ministry of Communication, Spectrum Manager Division, the Ministry has not issued such a prefix and there is no Israeli involvement in this operation. As far as I know the ITU has not issued a prefix to Gaza or Jericho." -- end quote --. Meanwhile, IARU Secretary Larry Price, W4RA reports receiving a FAX of his own. This one from the PLO established Palestine Amateur Radio Association with information which may shed some light on the disputed ZC6B call sign. The FAX contained a newspaper article dated December 12, 1994 from the "Al Quds Newspaper" stating that the call was issued in 1948 to Dr. Sami Tarazi but never used because of the war that broke out. As reported last week, all Palestine calls were canceled by the ITU back in 1968. The ZC6 prefix is now the property of the United Kingdom and not authorized for use by the PLO sponsored ham radio group in Gaza. (***** WLR DEMISE After twenty one years and 687 issues the Westlink Report ham radio newsletter has terminated its operations. This, effective with its January 1st, 1995 issue. Its owners cite health and lack of sleep as the primary reasons for the demise of the publication. The Westlink Report began its publication life as HR Report in January of 1974. It was written by Joe Schroeder, W9JUV and published by Communications Technology Incorporated. This was the same group that put out Ham Radio magazine. Schroeder says that in the 1970's, it was an idea whose time had come. "Lets face it. One of the reasons or the reason that HR Report and subsequent efforts of yours and other people have been successful and have added to amateur radio is that the traditional publications, QST, CQ, 73 and at the time Ham Radio all had very long lead time. As the world progresses, the lead time to get things done gets shorter and shorter. So what we were doing to get the information out so the people could react and start adding their contributions to whatever it was that needed to be done long before it would have been possible under the conditions ten years earlier." Schroeder, W9JUV. 357 issues and 8 years later Poco Press took over HR Report, renamed the newsletter the Westlink Report, moved publication to California and continued bi-weekly for another thirteen years. This makes the Westlink Report the longest running newsletter serving amateur radio as well as the first to be published regularly from west of the continental divide. Schroeder says that the main impact of newsletters and other ham radio news services is to make Amateur Radio operators more aware of what it takes to keep the hobby service alive. "Basically, the most important thing about amateur radio news is that it made amateurs as a whole much more aware of what it takes to keep amateur radio viable both on a national and an international scale. Because I think, back certainly when I was a much younger ham. We didn't talk amateur radio politics. We didn't pay much attention to the FCC. They did what they thought was right for amateur radio and a few people up in Newington took care of our needs. And that was it. I think there is far far more awareness and far far more involvement of rank and file amateur radio in planning for the future and in looking at what's going on day than there was 25 years ago." Schroeder, W9JUV. Today, most amateur operators read about the world of ham radio on their favorite packet bulletin board, hear it on their local repeater from Newsline or listen by satellite to This Week in Amateur Radio. And there is some good news in all of this. Westlink Report readers will automatically receive Worldradio Magazine to fill out the term of their subscriptions on an issue for issue basis. Also, Newsline has agreed to assume the duties of administering the Westlink Report Young Ham of the Year Award program. An announcement on the date for the 1995 presentation ceremony will be made within the next few weeks. (***** ALABAMA SM RESIGNS Some names in the news. First the ARRL's Section Manager for Alabama has resigned. Ken McGlaughn, KM4JD, cites personal reasons not associated with amateur radio for his decision to step down. McGlaughn's resignation took effect December 31st, that's half way into his second 2 year term as Alabama Section Manager. Taking over the duties is Tom Moore, KL7Q. Moore is active in ARRL activities and is recognized as a driving force in amateur radio in that southeastern state. (***** SCDCC Out west, William Wetzel, N6RKY has been named Administrative Director of the Southern California Digital Communications Committee. Wetzel is best known for his fund raising efforts earlier this year on behalf of the Claremont Amateur Repeater Association. This, in Clara's successful court fight to ban several unwanted users from its systems. Wetzel replaces Jim Fortney, K6IYK who resigned from the SCDCC post for personal reasons. (***** CAREER MOVES Some friends of the amateur satellite program have recently made upward career moves. This according to Harold Price, NK6K who reports that Professor Martin Sweeting, G3YJO, has been made Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. This gives him overall responsibility for the administrative, financial & technical strategy of SSTL and specific responsibility for marketing. Dr. Jeff Ward, K8KA and also known as G0SUL, has been promoted to Technical Director of Surrey Satellite Technology. He is now in charge of all technical and project matters for SSTL, reporting to the CEO. He also has a seat on the SSTL Board of Directors. SSTL is the commercial arm of the University of Surrey's UO-SAT Unit. (***** WIRELESS TEACHING The Clinton administration says that it wants to use some of the billions of dollars that will be raised by auctioning the nation's airwaves to connect U.S. classrooms to the Information Highway. This, according to Vice President Al Gore. The Federal Communications Commission was directed by Congress to sell the airwaves as a way to reduce the federal budget deficit. But the auctions could raise more money than Congress initially intended. Gore suggested that some of these extra funds could be used to plug the nation's schools into the telecommunications networks of the future. FCC chairman Reed Hundt, who shares the same vision, has endorsed the proposal. Gore, speaking at opening ceremonies at the latest spectrum auction said the White House plans to discuss the idea with Congress. (***** ARRL ON AOL The American Radio Relay League has a new E-Mail address on the America Online service. Messages intended for the league should be posted to AOL address HQARRL1. Electronic mail can also be sent to the League via Prodigy, MCI Mail and over the Internet. Please be certain you have the correct mailbox or address for the ARRL on each of these services. (***** GB2RS From England comes word of a new GB2RS News Broadcast on the 70 centimeter band. It started on November 27th and takes place on 433.525 MHz on FM every Sunday beginning at 20:00 UTC. The bulletin station issuing the broadcast is G4OBE located in Enfield, just north of London. (***** PENPAL Pat Bowers, KF5OL who teaches fifth grade at Swinburne Elementary School in Farmington, New Mexico has twenty four students that are looking for someone to write to. If your interested please send a note via packet introducing yourself to Pat and the class to KF5OL@KA5JNJ. (***** DX - ZS PIRATE In DX, Ralf Aue, DL3JSW reports that he recently worked ZS6BUD on 160m and immediately sent out a QSL. In return he received a letter from ZS6BUD telling Ralf that he does not have equipment for that band. The real ZS6BUD told DL6JSW that he has received quite a few QSL's for contacts that he did not made and that a pirate station is most probably an eastern block operator as he has been heard in Australia when Russian stations were also active. Ralf adds that if you work ZS6BUD on 160 meters don't bother to QSL. It's simply a waste of time. (***** And for this week, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. You can write to us at Newsline, Post Office Box 3506, Arcadia, CA 91006. (* * * Newsline Copyright 1995 all rights are reserved. * * *