Megahertz-Radio

News from SouthGate Amateur Radio Club

1. New 8.97kHz Amateur Radio DX record - On Monday, March 15 Stefan Schaefer DK7FC achieved an Amateur Radio world record on 8.97 kHz
2. Zevs - the Russian 82 Hz ELF transmitter - How low in frequency can transmitters go? Well the Russian Federation operates a transmitter on the Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) of 82 Hz
3. ARRL seeks input for new IARU Region 2 Band Plan - The International Amateur Radio Region 2 (IARU R2) conference - to be held later this year in El Salvador - brings together delegations from the national Amateur Radio Societies in the Western Hemisphere
4. Cam Hartford, N6GA, named CQ Magazine QRP Editor - Cam Hartford, N6GA, of Claremont, California, has been named QRP Editor of CQ Amateur Radio magazine
5. Coastal communities test tsunami preparedness - A report by broadcaster KPLU highlights the importance of Amateur Radio for Emergency Communications
6. South Yorkshire Microwave Weekend - The UK Microwave Group and the Finningley Amateur Radio Society are pleased to announce that this popular event will take place over the weekend of 10-11 July 2010
7. K4T DXpedition success - The K4T DXpedition to Dry Tortugas proved a great success. They ran two amateur radio satellite stations. Hopefully other DXpeditions will now consider running a satellite station too
8. Successful ARISS contact with school in Peristeri, Greece - The ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) school contact with participants at 18 Dimotiko Scholeio Peristeriou, Peristeri (Athens), Greece was successful. US astronaut Timothy J. Creamer KC5WKI answered 19 questions
9. IOTA news from the Deutscher Amateur Radio Club - Weekly IOTA News - compiled by Fredy, DE0MST of the Deutscher Amateur Radio Club
10. Where will the hams of the future come from; maybe the answer will be a surprise - An Examiner.com article describes the history of Amateur Radio and asks were new radio hams will come from

ARRL NEWS

1. Baby Blindness Pioneer Dr Arnall Patz, ex-W3ECV (SK) - Dr Arnall Patz, ex-W3ECV -- an ophthalmologist who discovered and eliminated a major cause of blindness in premature infants -- passed away from heart disease on March 11. He was 89. In 1954, Patz proved that treating premature babies with pure oxygen could destroy their eyesight. At the time, this was the most common cause of blindness in premature infants.
2. ARRL Introduces Understanding Basic Electronics, second edition - ARRL's Understanding Basic Electronics, second edition -- your gateway into the exciting world of electricity and electronics -- is written in a friendly, easy-to-understand style that beginners and nontechnical readers will enjoy. This introductory guide is ideal for students with basic math skills, as well as radio amateurs and experimenters interested in gaining a more complete understanding of basic electronic principles -- anyone eager to unlock the mysteries of electronic circuits.
3. ARRL Continuing Education Online Course Registration - Registration remains open through Sunday, April 25, 2010, for these online course sessions beginning on Friday, May 7, 2010: Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 1; Antenna Modeling; Radio Frequency Interference; Antenna Design and Construction; Propagation; Analog Electronics, and Digital Electronics.
4. FCC Releases National Broadband Plan - This morning, the FCC held an Open Meeting to introduce its report Connecting America: The National Broadband Plan (NBP) that will be delivered to Congress today. Calling it "an ambitious agenda for connecting all corners of the nation while transforming the economy and society with the communications network of the future -- robust, affordable Internet," the Commission found the nearly 100 million Americans lack broadband at home today and 14 million Americans do not have access to broadband.
5. Companion Bill Introduced in US House to Provide Technical Resources to FCC Commissioners - Following the Senate's lead, Representative Jerry McNerny (D-CA-11), introduced HR 4809 -- the FCC Commissioners' Technical Resource Enhancement Act -- in the House of Representatives on March 10. Copying the exact language from S 2881 (a bill with the same name) introduced by Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) in December 2009, the bill seeks to provide greater technical resources to FCC Commissioners.
6. The Radio Amateur's Hand Book by Archie Frederick Collins - In his 1923 review, S. Kruse, 1OA, has some harsh words for this book. It “is written down to the small boy, the absolute beginner...” It has “well-conceived diagrams and figures,” but “weak draughtsmanship.” “In these pages are preserved the well-nigh forgotten ...spark sending sets that have wholly disappeared.” Kruse thought Collins was woefully behind the times.
7. The K7RA Solar Update - We experienced a bit of a scare this week when four days went by without sunspots. That's right -- for the first time in three months, we saw more than a single day with a sunspot number of 0, and that last period was back during November 23-December 8. Until March 6, there were just three days since then without sunspots, each a bit less than two weeks apart: December 25, January 6 and January 19. Sunspot numbers for March 4-10 were 40, 35, 0, 0, 0, 0 and 12, with a mean of 12.4. The 10.7 cm flux was 81.3, 79.5, 78.3, 76.6, 76.3, 77.9 and 80.3, with a mean of 78.6. The estimated planetary A indices were 6, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2 and 7, with a mean of 3.9. The estimated mid-latitude A indices were 4, 1, 3, 3, 1, 2 and 6, with a mean of 2.9.
8. Surfin': Do You Hear What I Hear? - This week, Surfin' visits The DX Zone to find out what else you can hear on the Internet.
9. Administrative Law Judge Says Washington State Licensee Can Keep Ham License - In January 2007, the FCC issued an Order to Show Cause to David L. Titus, KB7ILD, of Seattle, Washington, to justify why his General class Amateur Radio license should not be revoked and initiated a hearing process to determine whether Titus “is qualified to remain a Commission licensee” in light of a 1993 felony conviction at the age of 18 for “communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.” According to the FCC order, Titus received a 25-month prison sentence for this act, and the Seattle Police Department has identified him as a registered sex offender. On March 9, Administrative Law Judge Richard L. Sippel issued his Initial Decision -- saying that Titus “has been a law-abiding member of his community for many years” and ordered that Titus’ license should not be revoked based on the evidence presented by the defendant and witnesses on his behalf, as well as the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau failure to meet the burden of proof necessary for revocation. The FCC has said that The Communications Act of 1934, as amended provides that the Commission may revoke any license if conditions come to its attention that would warrant a denial of the licensee’s original application. In the past, the Commission has said that felony convictions, “especially those involving sexual offenses involving children,” raise questions regarding a licensee’s character qualifications. Sippel’s Initial Decision shall become effective and this proceeding shall be terminated 50 days after its release if exceptions are not filed within 30 days thereafter, unless the Commission elects to review the case on its own motion.
10. ARRL Requests Support for Senate Bill 1755 - Senate Bill 1755 -- The Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Enhancement Act of 2009 introduced in October 2009 by Senators Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) -- has unanimously passed the US Senate and has been sent to the US House of Representatives for consideration and now sits in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The ARRL is asking its membership to contact the leadership of the Energy and Commerce committee, requesting support and action on moving S 1755 through the committee. S 1755 accomplishes the same things as HR 2160; HR 2160 was introduced in April 2009 by Rep Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX-18). Since S 1755 has already been approved by the Senate, moving it forward in the House will simplify the process.