Fri  19th March 2010

Mike Dixon G3PFR, a giant of the amateur radio microwave scene in the UK, passed away unexpectedly on the evening of Wednesday March 17.

Mike had been a key figure in UK amateur microwave circles for many years.

He was chairman and secretary of the RSGB Microwave Committee at various times until the late 1990s when he became the RSGB Microwave Spectrum Manager a post he held until December 2006. In this latter role, he represented the interests of microwave operators at meetings with the IARU, RA (later Ofcom) and WARC.

He dedicated himself entirely and unselfishly over this long period to promoting the interests of all UK microwave operators, often to the detriment of his own spare time pursuits.

Dave Raycroft's  ICPO
(Islands, Castles & Portable Operations)

Bulletin (18-26 March 2010)
"Islands, Castles & Portable Operations"
Listing is by calendar date (day/month/year)

If you like chasing the DX to some of the remotest areas of the world, or love a rag-chew with a portable station in a rare square or working Islands, Castles or Lighthouses on the Air, then you need the right information.  Dave Raycroft VA3RJ produces an excellent bulletin, and you can read the latest by clicking on the following link, and see what is coming up in the next few days/weeks.  Dave Raycroft Bulletin

Thur  18th March 2010

FCS1362 is the UK code of practice for the installation of mobile radio equipment in land-based vehicles.

It replaced the old MPT 1362 and points out that the power supply cable should only be fused in the positive power line with the fuse located as close as possible to the battery of power source.

This appears to be a change from MPT 1362 which suggested installing fuses in both positive and negative power lines.

Read the Federation of Communication Services UK Code of Practice FCS1362 at
http://www.fcs.org.uk/my%20files/fcs_pdfs/codesofpractice/08-05-12%20fcs%201362%20final.pdf

Thur  18th March 2010

Radio Sweden will terminate its medium and short wave broadcasts this October 31st in favour of web services - with Swedish Radio management stating that is the best use of resources and in line with international trends.

The English-language service is to continue on the web and on national broadcasts.

The Russian output will be available on the web, as is the German now.

Among the immigrant languages, Albanian, Assyrian-Syriac and Bosnian-Serbian-Croatian are to be terminated on the same date. Meanwhile, Arabic and Somali - the largest immigrant language groups here at present - are to be boosted. The same applies to Romani - one of Sweden's five official minority languages.

The Persian service is to include even Dari spoken by the rapidly increasing number of Afghan refugees coming to Sweden. Kurdish broadcasts remain unchanged.

Swedish Radio's output in immigrant languages will be available on the web and broadcast nationally.

http://www.sr.se/rs/english/

Sun  14th March 2010

900, 1800MHz approval expected in August

It was reported this week in the Register, that Ofcom has finally proposed the use of 3G technologies at 2G frequencies, slipping the amendment into a bundle of updates and tweaks that is expected to get approval come August.

This has been included in the bundle mentioned in the previous article (Consultation on Licence Exemption changes). and will also permit the deployment of 3G networking technology at the 900MHz and 1800MHz bands which were previously restricted to 2G (GSM) operations.

But one shouldn't expect to see 3G spreading immediately as there's neither the infrastructure nor the handsets to support that just yet.

Read the full article in the Register by Bill Ray :-

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03/12/ofcom_tweaks/

Sat  13th March 2010

On Friday the UK regulator Ofcom published a consultation setting out proposals to modify licence exemption rules for a range of wireless devices including 433.05-434.79 MHz in the Amateur Radio 70cm band.

The consultation covers broadband satellite services, railway level crossing safety sensors, underwater radio communications systems, and a number of short-range devices. It also gives information on recent and upcoming European Commission decisions affecting licence exemption regulations.

With regard to 433.05-434.79 MHz the consultation says 4.10.3 For Non-Specific SRDs, removing any remaining analogue voice and digitised voice/audio/video restrictions from the 433.05 to 434.79 MHz.

Responses must be submitted by 7 May 2010 and the Online consultation response form is at :-
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/devices/howtorespond/form

The consultation can be found at :-
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/devices/

The PDF consultation document is at :-
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/devices/devices.pdf

Sat  13th March 2010

The February issue of the IARU Monitoring System Region 1 newsletter describes mysterious signals from the Far East on 21312.4 kHz and lists the many intruders in the Amateur Radio bands.

Read the IARUMS Region 1 January 2010 Newsletter at
http://www.iarums-r1.org/iarums/news2010/news1002.pdf

You can log reports of intruders online at
http://peditio.net/intruder/bluechat.cgi

Web SDR Receiver
http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/

IARU Region 1
http://www.iaru-r1.org/

Fri 12th March 2010

Emergency frequencies 7050, 7095, 3738 and 14200 MHz are now released from emergency use by the Radio Club de Chile (RCCH).

Dr. Galdino Besomi CE3PG, President of the RCCH and Dr. Cesar Pi Santos HR2P, IARU Emergency Communications Coordinator Region 2, offer sincere gratitude to all radio hams worldwide for their understanding and cooperation during this difficult time for the citizens of Chile.

Via RAC, IARU Region 2 News Service

Fri 12th March 2010

The Deutscher Amateur Radio Club (DARC) reports on the legal action that a cable operator took about the proposed auction of 800 MHz for wireless networks.

The Cologne Administrative Court rejected the action brought by Kabel Baden-Wuerttemberg saying that if the cable operator was afraid of interference they could take action to improve their cable system.

For years cable operators have claimed their networks are "tight" and there could be no problem with cable interference to radio bands despite the fact that the audio channel of one station has disrupted the Amateur Radio use of 145.750 MHz for many years.

The DARC views the ruling positively since it will encourage cable operators to upgrade leaky cable systems. As well as stopping the pick up of any 800 MHz transmissions it should also reduce the interference that leaky cable systems cause to Radio Amateurs.

You can read a summary of the report below from Broadband TV News :-
http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2010/03/10/cologne-court-rejects-kabel-bw-complaints/

Deutscher Amateur Radio Club (DARC)
http://tinyurl.com/GermanyDARC

Fri 12th March 2010

It is understood that Danish Radio Amateurs can now apply to operate in 5250-5450 kHz band.

It has been reported that OZ5B has already received a 5MHz permit.

Experimenterende Danske Radioamatører (EDR) in Google English
http://tinyurl.com/EnglishEDR

Thur 11th  March 2010

It is reported that Raytheon Canada are requesting Federal Government funding to develop transmitter technology to cut the possibility of its HF Sufacewave radar interfering with emergency locator signals or ham radio signals.

The report in the Ontario newspaper The Record indicates that the existing system is a one-kilowatt output prototype and there are plans to produce a four-kilowatt output prototype by the end of April and eventually develop a full-scale 16-kilowatt system.

Read the full article at
http://news.therecord.com/Business/article/681686

HF Surface-wave Extended Coastal Area Radar (SECAR)

A YouTube promotional video Surface-wave Extended Coastal Area Radar (SECAR) describes one use of HF radio for radar applications.

HF Surfacewave radar is growing in popularity and a number of companies are developing products.

Such systems are designed to be installed in coastal locations and can provide coverage out to several hundred km across the sea tracking both vessels and aircraft.

The video Surface-wave Extended Coastal Area Radar (SECAR) can be seen here:

How does HF-Radar work ?
http://ifmaxp1.ifm.zmaw.de/hf_radar.shtml

Information on HF Radar
http://ifmaxp1.ifm.zmaw.de/

The Unique Nature of HF Radar
http://www.codar.com/intro_hf_radar.htm

PDF Search Engine
http://www.pdf-search-engine.com/radar-hf-coastal-wave--pdf.html

Coastal radar systems can show up clearly on Google Earth such as
http://tinyurl.com/dddahw

Thur 11th  March 2010

Industry Canada has approved access by Canadian radio amateurs to the Low Frequency (LF) band 135.7 - 137.8 kHz, subject to certain conditions.

The Revised Canadian Table of Frequency Allocations, promulgated in December 2009 to incorporate changes arising from decisions taken at World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) 2007, permits amateur radio use on a Secondary basis subject to Footnote 5.67A.

The Footnote states: "Stations in the amateur service using  frequencies in the band 135.7-137.8 kHz shall not exceed a maximum radiated power of 1 W (EIRP) and shall not cause harmful interference to stations of the radionavigation service operating in countries listed in No. 5.67. (WRC-07)".

Industry Canada has advised that Canadian radio amateurs may now use the band and that  Schedule I of RBR-4 Standards for the Operation of Stations in the  Amateur Radio Service will be amended in due course.

Richard Ferch VE3IAY/VE3KI

Vice President Regulatory Affairs
Radio Amateurs of Canada

Thur 11th  March 2010

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.

It will be held, as last year, at the HQ of the Finningley Amateur Radio Society, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire.

Registration facilities and more information should very shortly be online at: http://www.g0ghk.co.uk/

Follow the links on the left side of the homepage. If the information is still not updated from last year’s, try again a few days later!

The programme will be as follows:

SATURDAY 10th July, 10am— 4.30pm
Microwave Beginners’ Workshop

* Introduction to Microwaves
* Getting started on 23cm & 10GHz
* Antennas for microwaves
* Surface mount techniques (including a practical workshop)
* ‘Hands on’ operating on the microwave bands – outdoors on the club field and local area

The emphasis for the whole course will be on practical, hands on activities.

Course leaders: G3PHO, G3PYB, G4HJW

Sandwich lunches and refreshments will be available at low cost

Prior registration is essential numbers will be limited to approximately 20 attendees.

SATURDAY EVENING:
Pub meal and get-together at the nearby Green Tree pub. All are welcome, beginners and those attending Sunday’s event.

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUNDAY 12th July, 10am-4.30pm
Microwave Round Table Meeting

* 10am-1200 noon: Informal
* 1200 noon-1pm: Lunch ( Sandwich lunches and refreshments will be available at low cost)
* 1.15—4.30: LECTURES

ALL DAY:
LARGE FLEA MARKET & BRING & BUY
MICROWAVE ANTENNA TEST RANGE
TEST EQUIPMENT FACILITIES

Note: Prior registration for Sunday is also essential as numbers will be limited to approximately 50 attendees

Further information may also be obtained from Peter G3PHO at: microwaves@g3pho.org.uk

UK Microwave Group (UKuG)
http://www.microwavers.org/

Thur 11th  March 2010

Virtually every road in the UK will now appear on Google's Street View

Today's Mail Online reports that Google is extending its Street View service to peer at 95 per cent of homes in the UK, despite criticism that it amounts to an invasion of privacy.

From today, 360-degree pictures will be available of virtually every street from Penzance to Shetland. An extra 210,000 miles of detailed mapping will be made public.

The service has previously been restricted to major cities.

Read more from MAILOnline:-

http://tinyurl.com/ylmlrwn

Tue 9th March 2010

Hard drives are about to undergo one of the biggest format shifts in 30 years.

By early 2011 all hard drives will use an "advanced format" that changes how they go about saving the data people store on them.

The move to the advanced format will make it easier for hard drive makers to produce bigger drives that use less power and are more reliable.   However, it might mean problems for Windows XP users who swap an old drive for one using the changed format.

Read the full story on the BBC Website :-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8557144.stm

Mon 8th March 2010

Researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are developing a new approach that could substantially reduce the cost of solar power.

"Through the fabrication of thin films from ordered arrays of vertical silicon nanowires, we've been able to increase the light-trapping in our solar cells by a factor of 73," says chemist Peidong Yang, who led this research.

"Since the fabrication technique behind this extraordinary light-trapping enhancement is a relatively simple and scalable aqueous chemistry process, we believe our approach represents an economically viable path toward high-efficiency, low-cost thin-film solar cells."

Read the full Science Daily article at
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100304121550.htm

Mon 8th March 2010

AMSAT-NA VP Operations, Drew KO4MA, received notification from the US Joint Space Operations Center, located at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California on Sunday, February 28 warning that amateur radio satellite AO-51 would have a close approach to another satellite, FORMOSAT 3-D, on Monday at 1056 UTC.

This occurred over the Eastern US, with many stations on hand capable of receiving telemetry from AO-51 before and after the near miss.

Drew said, "The predicted miss distance was 953 meters, which is over 3000 feet overall but the radial difference between the two orbits was only 39 meters."

Steve, W3HF noted, "Given the orbital uncertanties of both satellites, an orbit separated by only 39 meters could mean that distance may become eaten up rather quickly!"

In preparation for the close encounter, Drew shut off the S band tran- smitter and turned on the digital downlink at 2 watts, with telemetry transmitted every 5 seconds. The next morning, on March 1, Drew was able to post a message that AO-51 was alive and well, "It looks like we are fine. A second warning email this morning from the Air Force called it even closer, but everything was working at LOS this pass."

FORMOSAT-3 is a constellation of satellites launched on April 15, 2006. It is a joint U.S.-Taiwanese project with major participants including the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), the National Science Foundation, the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) on the U.S. side and the National Space Organization (NSPO) on the Taiwanese side.

 Source: ANS, Drew KO4MA, and Steve, W3HF

Members of Newbury And District Amateur Radio Society
(NADARS) will be activating GB0VUL during the month of March.

Activity will be on 80-10 meters using CW and SSB.

This special event is to increase the awareness of the 'Vulcan to the Sky Trust' and their efforts to save the only flying Vulcan XH558 bomber.

While activity may take place all month, the main event of the month will be on the weekend of 20th and 21st.

For more details, see the information (as well as possible updates) on QRZ.com.

QSL via the RSGB Bureau, eQSL preferred or via G8JIP.

Watch Vulcan XH558 Survival Appeal

Vulcan to the sky
http://www.vulcantothesky.org/

Wed 3rd March 2010

A YouTube video shows the new 2m D-STAR DV Access Point (DVAP) Dongle at the Vienna Wireless Society Winterfest on Sunday.

The new DVAP product allows Amateur Radio operators to walk away from the computer and transmit/receive D-STAR voice and data using a two meter D-STAR radio.

The DVAP is basically a Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying (GMSK) modem with a two meter transceiver built in.

It has a maximum power output of about 10 dBm (or 10 milliwatts) which gives the unit a range of about 100 metres using the included SMA based antenna.

Watch NCR D-Star Association at the Vienna Winterfest

The DV Access Point Dongle is also featured in the D-Star Info

newsletter that can be downloaded from

http://www.dstarinfo.com/Newsletter/