Sun 28th Feb 2010

We have had confirmed reports that the following frequencies are currently being used for emergency communications in Chile - 7095 and 7050.

The Intercontinental Traffic Net on 14.300 is also active

IRESC, the International Radio Emergency Support Coalition is on monitoring watch at level 3 for both Chile and the expected arrival of Tsunami wave at Hawaii where an IRESC member on the island reports preparations are being made

Paul Gaskell G4MWO
IRESC

Updated information -
additional frequencies

SSB frequencies:
10 meters - 28.300, 28.500 MHz
15 meters - 21.200, 21.350 MHz
20 meters - 14.200, 14.350 MHz
40 meters - 7.050, 7.095 MHz
80 meters - 3.738, 3.750 MHz

These are all RED CHILENA NOR AUSTRAL DE SERVICIO - RECNA  (Chilean Amateur Radio Emergency Organisation) freqs.

Also IARU emcom centres-of-activity (CoA) at
14.300 and 7060

The Hawaii Tsunami Frequencies will be
40M 7.088
80/75M 3.888

Information also on the
IARU Reg 2  http://www.iaru-r2.org/ 
and Reg 1  http://www.iaru-r1.org/  websites

Fri 26th Feb 2010

The UK regulator Ofcom has informed Roger G3XBM that they are willing to consider a Notice Of Variation (NOV) to an Amateur Radio licence to permit operation below 9 kHz.

Roger G3XBM writes:-

Ofcom has informed me that, subject to acceptable outcomes of consultation with other sub-9kHz spectrum users such as the Met Office, they will consider issuing NoVs (similar to those issued for 501-504kHz) to existing UK radio amateurs to permit operation at frequencies below 9kHz. Any such operation would be on a non-interference basis.

Application forms should be submitted to Rod Wilkinson at OFCOM (with as much detail as possible) using the NoV form available at
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radiocomms/ifi/licensing/classes/amateur/applications/ofw306.pdf

There's been a lot of discussion about such operation on the RSGB's LF reflector in recent days. This includes some analysis of real DX working on such low frequencies using extremely slow data rates with antenna systems and powers practical for radio amateurs.

Ham DX up to around 10kms has been achieved by through-the-ground "earth mode" in the past, although near-field attenuation follows an inverse cubed law, so greater distances by earth-mode or induction are all but impossible. It is JUST possible that further may be possible using the minuscule amount of power radiated by the best optimised amateur stations running QRO.

Fascinating.

73s

Roger G3XBM

Roger's QRP Website
http://www.g3xbm.co.uk/

Roger G3XBM Blog
http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/

Thur 25th Feb 2010

BBC news reports on concerns that not only sat-nav users, but also critical national infrastructure is at risk from attack from widely available jamming equipment.

Jamming of GPS systems can be achieved using very low power equipment.

The BBC news article 'Sat-nav systems under growing threat from 'jammers' by Jason Palmer can be read at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8533157.stm

Thur 25th Feb 2010

Friday February 26 is the 75th anniversary of the Daventry Radar experiment.

BBC TV will be reporting on some of the Amateur Radio special event stations commemorating the event.
The anniversary is being marked by a trio of special event stations:

GB75RDF - Daventry - http://www.andrewphotographic.co.uk/g8gmu9a.htm
GB75BRS - Bawdsey - http://www.bawdseyresearchstation.org.uk/
GB75CH  - Great Baddow - Chain Home Mast - http://www.chainhome.org.uk/

Two BBC camera teams are expected to be in use. One at Bawdsey Manor will cover the planned contact at 11:00 between all three stations and a second will be at Daventry for the lunchtime fly past and radar re-enactment.

The Daventry Experiment took place on Tuesday, February 26, 1935. A Handley Page Heyford bomber (K6902) was flown over the site and Robert Watson-Watt and his assistant Arnold Wilkins tuned their radio receiver to the frequency of the BBC transmitter at Daventry and measured the signal being reflected from the aircraft.

A re-enactment of the experiment will take place on Friday and further details can be found at
http://www.andrewphotographic.co.uk/g8gmu9b.htm

BBC Midlands TV can be seen on Sky Channel 980
BBC East TV can be seen on Sky Channel 981

The Great Baddow Chain Home Mast
http://www.greatbaddowparishcouncil.co.uk/Great%20Baddow%20Mast.pdf

The Chain Home radar system
http://www.radarpages.co.uk/mob/ch/chainhome.htm

The Daventry Experiment.
http://www.radarpages.co.uk/oral/scanlan/chr/scanlan1.htm

Thur 25th Feb 2010

The UK regulator Ofcom is to make available to individuals special short contest call signs - they had previously only been available to clubs.

The call sign will consist of G or M, a regional locator if applicable, a chosen digit and a chosen suffix letter, e.g. G8Z or GW8Z etc.

520 call signs have been made available: (G)(*)(digit)(A-Z) and (M)(*)(digit)(A-Z). (*Regional locator where relevant as listed in the licence).

The Ofcom announcement says:

Ofcom has considered a request from the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) for the use of special contests call signs for Amateur Full/Reciprocal Licensees who can demonstrate previous regular participation and achievement in special contests.

As a result, subject to availability, Ofcom has decided to make available call signs from the limited number available, to such successful applicants.

Ofcom has amended the application form to enable applications from such licensees.

Please note that special contests call signs for Amateur Full (Club) licensees will continue to be issued for Clubs under existing arrangements, but from 1 January 2011 the criteria for licences currently applying to individuals will also apply to clubs.

Further detail is available in the amended application form which is available at:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radiocomms/ifi/licensing/classes/amateur/applications/ofw286.pdf

Ofcom Amateur Radio page
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radiocomms/ifi/licensing/classes/amateur/

Thur 25th Feb 2010

The FCC has responded to a request for clarification on the use of the ROS data mode and questions have been raised about the use of CHIP64 by US Radio Amateurs.

In response to a request for clarification on the use of ROS, the FCC has reiterated that Spread Spectrum emission types are only authorized on the 222-225 MHz and higher frequency amateur bands.

They also said:-

"The licensee of the station transmitting the emission is responsible for determining that the operation of the station complies with the rules. This would include determining the type of emission the station is transmitting and that the frequencies being used are authorized for that type of emission."

CHIP64 is mode that US Radio Amateurs have used successfully on HF for several years. It is a Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) mode and would appear to fall in the same category as ROS.

Read the FCC response on ROS on the Digital Radio Yahoo Group at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/digitalradio/message/34812

The CHIP64 Digital Mode - Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS)
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/techchar/Chip64.pdf

ARRL Virginia Section National Traffic System uses CHIP64 on 80m
http://aresracesofva.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=88&Itemid=95

Digital Radio Yahoo Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/digitalradio/

 Thur 25th Feb 2010

I regret to report that negotiations with respect to fully funding the annual Kordia account for site leases have been unsuccessful.

A change late last year to the Equipment Schedule introduced by Kordia, charging for rack space as well as the antennas, has almost doubled the annual fees payable.

Negotiations over the last two years have seen the annual amount payable reduce from over $27,000 per annum ($27,350), down to a total of just under $10,000 per year ($9966.00). Despite offers of financial help from Branches with equipment in Kordia sites, totaling $3966, the shortfall which would be a debt your Association would have to pay, is $6000 per annum. Council, at its face-to-face meeting in Wellington over the weekend of February 20/21 concluded that this was unsustainable.

There are a total of 11 Kordia sites around New Zealand where we have repeater equipment located: Te Aroha, Mt Egmont, Wharitie, Mt Erin, Mt. Grey, Blue Duck, Fitzherbert, Whakapunake, Kuriwao, Mt Murchison and Mt Cargill. The negotiations with Kordia resulted in the offer to "pay for some" and stay at the rest for free, provided that the space is not required for future Kordia equipment and systems. Arising from this offer, it was determined that there were three sites we could not do without in order to keep the National System going: Mt Egmont (Taranaki), Blue Duck and Mt. Cargill. These three sites do not have any viable alternative site which equipment could be relocated to without major re-engineering of the National System.

For the three sites we need to keep the National System viable in its present form (Mt. Egmont, Blue Duck and Mt. Cargill), the annual cost is $9206 including GST. This does not include power which paid for all 11 sites which is currently another $760 per annum incl. GST.

As a result, I regret I have had to advise Kordia that NZART is unable to sign the Co-Location Agreement. The consequence of this is that we will have to shut down and remove the amateur radio equipment from all 11 sites at the earliest opportunity unless your Branch can meet the on-going cost - see 1 below.

Where to From Here

1. Kordia are willing to enter into individual site agreements with Branches who want to retain their repeater site and can afford to meet all the costs. If your Branch wants to do this, please contact me for details of the person in Kordia to make contact with.

2. Kordia have agreed to a six month time frame in which all amateur equipment is to be removed. This is effective from 28 February 2010.

3. NZART has received an offer from TeamTalk to host amateur repeaters at their sites at no charge where possible. If your Branch has a repeater in a Kordia site, and can relocate to a nearby Teamtalk site, then this may offer a solution. If this is a solution in your area, I can provide contact details for TeamTalk . Note that TeamTalk are already hosting amateur repeaters at several locations throughout New Zealand and we are grateful for this excellent cooperation.

4. In the longer term, we have the possibility to re-engineer the National System to totally bypass Kordia owned and operated sites by making use of TeamTalk and other sites. This involves more equipment, shorter links between nodes, and some use of higher frequencies (23cm and up) and a considerable amount of re-engineering. However it is achievable and should be a goal to work towards.

If I can provide more information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Vaughan Henderson ZL1TGC
NZART Vice-President.
Email: vaughanh@ww.co.nz

NZART
http://www.nzart.org.nz

NZART Infoline on the web
http://www.nzart.org.nz/infoline

Neil G4OAR, Richard G8NDD, Daniel (G6XHF) and Simon G6XHF

Click on GG100WGG and read the full report (from our archives) of last weekend's very successful
Wirral Girl Guides Centenary Special Event Station, put on by members of WADARC

Wed 24th Feb 2010

Sit back and enjoy the Hamfest as we visit with new and old friends.

It's a review the 2010 Capital City Hamfest in Jackson, MS and the CCARC Wyong Field Day (an Australian hamfest). Both of these are large events that continue to grow each year.

There were huge amplifiers, new gear, old gear and lots of fun for all. We also learn about the CamRadio Network, a new Dick Tracy device and much more. And if thats not enough, Jim is back in this episode.

It’s 56 minutes of Amateur Radio entertainment you don’t want to miss.

Wed 24th Feb 2010

James M6JCX reports that the BallastHalo 4 balloon that was launched from Cambridge carrying a 434.073 RTTY beacon has been recovered in the Netherlands by PD3EM.

He writes:

BH4 has been recovered! More details to follow but many thanks to everyone who has helped out, those who helped out with the launch, helped track it especially those who did some clever long range triangulations while the GPS was dead and then the Dutch Amateur Radio Operators who managed to get the last few lines of telemetry and then find the payload today - special thanks to PD7N for coordinating the reception of telemetry and PD3EM for recovering the payload.

The flight was a partial success, while the GPS lost lock for a considerable part of the flight we have narrowed this down to interference by the pump - something to test on the desk to really solve it. When the gps came back online after the pump had run out of batteries the flight computer was able to count up the number of turns by the pump - it had pumped out over 4500mls of ballast (it would have pumped out the 500mls in the tank and then carried on pumping air - the lack of a lock meant that it did not know when to stop.) The loss of lock showed some gaps in the code that will need to be fixed.

The flight path suggests that the balloon did not get very high and instead began to descend with the balloon intact - most likely we had a leak in the vent which meant that we vented too much helium - a bit of hot glue next time to seal the tube would be the solution to this.

So whats next? They'll be a break unfortunately - I've got to do some revision for my finals! But of course they'll be a number of launches by different groups in the UK though these probably won't be planned to leave the UK, feel free to join the UKHAS mailing list for more information ( http://groups.google.com/group/ukhas?lnk= ) or dwell on #highaltitude on irc.freenode.net.

As we didn't exactly complete the mission aims for BH4 there will certainly be a BH5 - updated to avoid the problems we experienced with BH4 - she'll fly soon I promise!

Thank again to everyone,
 

James M6JCX
http://www.pegasushabproject.org.uk

A video of the launch of the BallastHalo 4 balloon, which carried a 434.073 MHz beacon, is now available on YouTube in HD.

The BallastHalo 4 balloon launch set out to test the ballast subsystem for a future transatlantic attempt.

The aim was to maintain an altitude at approximately 25km for as many hours as possible. The balloon was launched at 3pm GMT 20th February 2010 from Cambridge, UK. The hope was to reach the 25km altitude that evening and staying at that altitude until sunrise. The heat from the sun would then cause the balloon's altitude to increase until it bursts.

Unfortunately it appears that the onboard GPS module failed shortly after launch (perhaps after entering the cloud in the video) and never recovered.

The video was taken using a Canon PowerShot SX1 IS. The actual launch was fully zoomed out, but the last video of the balloon were at maximum optical zoom in. You can see just how far it was able to zoom in from the panning out at the end of the video (from balloon close-up to the view of the cloud it was about to fly into).

Watch the video

The balloon is believed to have landed just west of Rotterdam in the vicinity of Ottoland, see the path at
http://spacenear.us/tracker/

Twitter
http://twitter.com/jamescoxon/

BallastHalo 4
http://www.pegasushabproject.org.uk/wiki/doku.php/missions:ballasthalo:ballasthalo4

Tue 23rd Feb 2010

Per Bruhn SM7YES is able to listen to the 80 metre band while driving through snow-covered Swedish forests using his remote system on 144.7625 MHz.

The YouTube description reads

After about 2 km from home this is. Still on Söderĺsen :) Listening on ham-radio 3717 kHz via the remote system on 144.7625 MHz in the tower at home. You can hear my dog breathing too.

Watch Driving from home

The tower at home that Per mentions is certainly impressive
Watch SM7YES 210 ft (64m) radio tower construction

Tue 23rd Feb 2010

The UK Parliament website shows a memorandum submitted by the Electromagnetic Compatibility Industry Association (EMCIA) on Power Line Telecommunication (PLT) technologies.

PLT, which also also goes by other names, including Power Line Communications (PLC), Broadband over Power Line (BPL) and Power Line Adaptor (PLA), has been ruining many peoples' enjoyment of radio.

The EMCIA submission says

We very strongly recommend that the Committee specifically excludes the use of PowerLine Telecommunication (PLT) technologies as an option for the delivery of broadband Internet.

One mechanism for providing broadband Internet access might be thought to be PLT, and similar digital communications technologies, that use the electric power lines (the "mains") to, and within, homes to carry the high speed data signals used by broadband Internet.

But mains wiring is unsuitable for carrying such signals, and so PLT results in excessive electromagnetic interference (EMI).

The very high levels of EMI emitted by PLT have serious consequences for radio communications in the "Short-Wave" band (1 - 30MHz), including potentially severe safety consequences.

It can also interfere with the delivery of broadband Internet by xDSL technologies using telephone cables, slowing their data rate.

Read the full memorandum at

http://tinyurl.com/ylddn77

UK Parliament
http://www.parliament.uk/

UKQRM is a group fighting this radio interference
http://www.ukqrm.org/

How to report PLT / BPL radio interference
http://www.mikeandsniffy.co.uk/UKQRM/how2.html

Tue 23rd Feb 2010

Instead of beacons actively transmitting signals, the Reverse Beacon Network is a network of stations listening to the bands and reporting what stations they hear, when and how well.

It enables you to see band openings in near-real time on an animated map. You can call a quick CQ, and see which reverse beacons hear you, and how strong you are.

There is also a database of past "spots". You can instantly find out what stations, from a given country or zone, have been heard, at what times and on what frequencies. You can see when you've been spotted, who spotted you, and how loud you were.

The Reverse Beacon Network depends on volunteer stations. Currently, there are a few dozen, some active almost 24/7, others coming up only occasionally.

Find out more at
http://www.reversebeacon.net/

Mon 22nd Feb 2010

On February 19, Radio Amateurs in Iceland were granted temporary experimental access to the 70 MHz and 500 kHz bands.

Licensees holding "N" and "G" class licences can apply to the Icelandic Post and Telecom Administration for a special permit for 70 MHz which is valid until December 31, 2010 and gives access to 70.000-70.200 MHz. Access is secondary with a 100 watt power limit and a maximum bandwidth of 16 kHz.

Permits are also available for the 493-510 kHz band, only A1A is allowed with up to 100 watts.

Icelandic Post and Telecom Administration (PTA) in Google English
http://tinyurl.com/IcelandPTA

Icelandic radíóamatörar (IRA) in Google English
http://tinyurl.com/IcelandIRA

Mon 22nd Feb 2010

The latest issue of the D-STAR Info newsletter is available for download.

It covers the new DV Access Point Dongle introduced by Internet Labs along with these articles:

News from the Trust Team
Calhoun County ARES uses D-STAR
Worthington Supports D-STAR
GB7MH - D-STAR without Icom
MB6AM - 2M Simplex Node

The newsletter can be downloaded from
http://www.dstarinfo.com/Newsletter/

Digital Radio Yahoo Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dstar_digital/

Sat 20th Feb 2010

ROS is a brand-new Amateur Radio digital spread spectrum mode with the first HF contact taking place on Thursday February 18.

The first contact with ROS took place on February 18, 2010, at 20:56 UTC from Vitoria in Spain to the University of Twente in the Netherlands covering a distance of 1265 Km on 7.065 MHz.

The HF frequencies currently used for ROS are USB 3.600, 7.053, 14.101, 28.300 MHz

To use ROS you just need your HF radio, a PC and a basic PC sound card interface, see link below.

The software for ROS is free and you can download it along with the User Guide and Introduction to ROS Spread Spectrum at http://rosmodem.wordpress.com/

The University of Twente has a Software Defined Radio you can use via the Internet, see
http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/

Soundcard Interfacing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmsFhz_dyAg&feature=player_embedded

20m ROS frequencies are moved

 Sun 28th Feb 2010 - UPDATE

José Alberto Nieto Ros, the originator of the new amateur radio data mode ROS, has agreed to move the suggested 20m frequencies for ROS to 14.0972MHz and 14.102MHz.

This takes them further away from the 14.100MHz international beacon chain frequency as the originals had been 14.098MHz and 14.1011MHz.

“This is good news,” said Steve Nichols, secretary of the RSGB's Propagation Studies Committee. “I am grateful to José for acting so quickly.

“It is important that we keep 14.100MHz clear as the beacon network (the only one on 20m) is used worldwide.
Some reports of interference by ROS may have actually been Olivia, which sounds very similar. And today we have heard packet signals on 14.100MHz too.

“It looks like we still need to educate some data users about keeping away from the beacon frequency,” he said.

and more about the International Beacon Project at http://www.ncdxf.org/beacons.html

Sat 20th Feb 2010

The January/February issue of the EMC Journal is now available for free download.

John Woodgate's column looks at 'The dreaded PLT' and Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs).

The Banana Skins column covers

- Urban Wi-Fi Interference
- RF Interference to Broadband Internet from Christmas Lights
- Reducing RF Interference to Broadband Internet
- High powered transmissions north of Cambridge
- Some pre-compliance testing ‘war stories’ from Laplace Instruments
- RFeye helps in the fight against illegal use of the radio spectrum
- “Digital Dividend” will interfere with millions of TVs, and broadband

Other items in issue 86 are :

- "Decision by the European Parliament and Council"
- Some consideration of ESD Testing
- Why not use near field probes to measure my emissions?
- The Physical Basis of EMC
- EMCUK Steering Committee
- Plus the usual News, Product Gallery

The EMC Journal
http://www.theemcjournal.com/

Also, read the article from it :- "Toyota "sticking pedals" recall is a smokescreen"
Their sudden unintended acceleration problem is caused by electronics either due to EMI, lead-free soldering or software "bugs"
By EurIng Keith Armstrong FIET, CEng, ACGI
President of the EMCIA (Electromagnetic Compatibility Industry Association)

www.cherryclough.com

Fri 19th Feb 2010

An article in the Daily Mail newspaper highlights the impending shutdown of AM and FM broadcast stations forcing consumers to buy radios for DAB on 200 MHz.

Read the Daily Mail article titled :-
As we face being forced to go digital (even though it's hopeless), the battle to save FM starts here

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1251367/As-face-forced-digital-hopeless--battle-save-FM-starts-here.html

Fri 19th Feb 2010

'Low-Energy' CFL bulbs contain the toxin Mercury. Science Daily reports on a new bulb that is Mercury free, but there is no indication as to how much RF pollution it generates.

Science Daily says RTI International has developed a revolutionary lighting technology that is more energy efficient than the common incandescent light bulb and does not contain mercury, making it environmentally safer than the compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb.

Read the full story at  Energy-Efficient Lighting Made Without Mercury
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100211140629.htm

Research raises health fears over energy-saving light bulbs
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article4915472.ece

Tue 16th Feb 2010

Police on Merseyside have had to ground their new drone over concerns it was being used illegally without a licence.

Merseyside Police said they had been unaware they needed a licence to fly the Ł40,000 remote control helicopter fitted with a CCTV.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said it needed to be consulted over any use of the drones, that can fly up to 400ft and reach speeds of 30mph.

The force's new drone was used last week to catch a car thief in thick fog.

All unmanned aircraft, not just ones that weigh 15lb (7kg) or more, now have to be licensed to conduct aerial surveillance work after the law changed at the start of the year.

Read the full report on the BBC website:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/8517726.stm

Tue 16th Feb 2010

After 50 years at Wrotham, the GB3VHF 144 MHz beacon will be moving to a new site at Fairseat in Kent (JO01EH).

After fifty years of near continuous operation, GB3VHF has now closed permanently from the site at Wrotham, and the beacon was switched off by the beacon keeper Monday morning (15th February).

Funding for the Wrotham beacon site rental from the RSGB comes to an end on March 30th, and the site would have had to have been cleared and vacated by then. Access to the site has proven to be very difficult over the last year or so, and an opportunity arose to gain access to the site to remove the beacon and all its associated equipment at an early stage and with no cost, hence the service ceasing today. This site access problem is another reason for quitting the present site.

However, the ‘phoenix will rise from the ashes’, as I can now announce that after nearly a year of negotiations and planning, I have reached an agreement for a site sharing agreement at a new site only 4kms ENE of Wrotham.

The beacon will be relocated to Fairseat in Kent (JO01EH) and will employ an antenna system that will be identical to that used at Wrotham, with the beam directions exactly the same and the antennas of a similar height above ground level. This will mean that coverage will be nominally the same as that enjoyed in the past from Wrotham.

Also, I have obtained suitable coaxial cable for the feeder, which will enable me to maintain the existing ERP. With the new site at Fairseat being of a similar height to Wrotham and with a good take off, I am hoping that you will notice little change in signal strength.

The Ofcom license for the beacon at the new site has already been obtained, so once the antennas at Fairseat are rigged, the beacon will appear on the air just a few days later.

Obviously I am now dependent on suitable weather and the work availability of the riggers, to install the antennas and feeder at Fairseat. This may take some time so please be patient.

As you can imagine, the relocation of the beacon has come at a price, and rigging and other costs are high. I have been fortunate in that a number of items required have been kindly donated or supplied at a greatly reduced price by friends and colleagues, including the brand new Jaybeam commercial grade yagis and the Andrews LDF550 feeder and fittings.

The relocated beacon will be independently run and maintained, and will receive no regular funding from any organisation. If you would like to make a financial donation towards relocation and ongoing costs then I would be extremely grateful.

Donations can be made by PayPal to my e-mail address chris at g0fdz dot com, and all donations will be acknowledged. Please mark your PayPal donation as “GB3VHF donation”.

I still have much work to do on the project, but rest assured I am working to commission the beacon at the new site as soon as practically possible.

I will give you further news on developments at the earliest opportunity.

Many thanks for your support and good DX

Chris Whitmarsh G0FDZ
Beacon Keeper GB3VHF

Tue 16th Feb 2010

The January issue of the IARU Monitoring System Region 1 newsletter is now available and it lists a large number of intruders in the Amateur Radio Bands.

Read the IARUMS Region 1 January 2010 Newsletter at
http://www.iarums-r1.org/iarums/news2010/news1001.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/

Tue 16th Feb 2010

A new app is now available that allows radio amateurs to use the EchoLink system from their iPhone or iPod.

The description on the webpage reads:

EchoLink for iPhone provides access to the EchoLink network for validated EchoLink users.

You can use this app to connect to the EchoLink system from almost anywhere, using either an iPhone or an iPod touch. (For an iPod touch, you will need to plug in earphones with a microphone, even if you only plan to listen; this limitation will be addressed in a future release.)

iPhone users can use either a WiFi or 3G (cellular) Internet connection.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/echolink/id350688562?mt=8#

Sat 13th Feb 2010

Amateur radio’s effort to assist in earthquake ravaged Haiti continues to expand.

Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, has more:

The role being played by radio amateurs in post quake relief efforts is far from over. This with word through the ARRL that Doug Lapin, K1OY, and the Dominican Radio Club’s team returned there earlier this past week to install another repeater which will serve as a major upgrade to the
system.

There are two fixed sites at the Dominican Embassy and the UN Logistics Base. The system is used primarily by the Dominican Red Cross. Lapin and the Dominican group were to be in Haiti for two days and hoped come back the following week to upgrade the power plant.

Lapin says that he attended a recent United Nations weekly status meeting where was deluged with requests by the UN and others to use the network. He notes that there are still severe communications problems in Haiti, especially as more aid organizations get organized.

Meantime, Julio Ripoll, WD4R, reports that the University of Miami Hospital’s Amateur Radio teams have been very busy passing messages between Florida, the hospital ship Comfort, and around the airport in Haiti. He notes that the University of Miami Hospital’s hams have also been put to
work repairing radio and medical equipment for other relief groups.

Ripoll says that landline communications are still down and that cell phone service is “only about 80%. And says Ripoll, the latter is only in the immediate area of Haiti's main airport.

 Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF
Amateur Radio Newsline

With Haiti's communications infrastructure still in a state of disarray, it appears that ham radio will play an important role in rescue radio efforts for months to come.

 Source: ARNewsline, ARRL

Sat 13th Feb 2010

The Daily Mail newspaper reports (.."so it must be true") on the street where cars refuse to unlock but it fails to mention the root cause - a bad choice of frequency for car key fobs.

Unlike the USA which chose a frequency of 315 MHz the UK decided on the unsuitable frequency of 433 MHz as a result the low specification key fobs can stop working when in the vicinity of licensed transmitters operating in the 420-450 MHz spectrum.

Many transmitters such as Tetra operate in this part of the radio spectrum and similar problems have been encountered across the country.

It seems amazing that the regulator OFCOM has not moved key fobs to a more appropriate frequency, since this problem has been known about for some 10 years.

To reduce costs 433 MHz car key fobs may make use of super-regenerative receivers, unfortunately such receivers can fail if there are other licensed UHF transmitters in the nearby area.

Read the 1999 report from the Radio Technology & Compatibility Group at
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/ra/topics/research/rtcg/projects/project496.pdf

The report summary states "the super-regenerative receiver modules should not be used for any application where a reasonable degree of reliability was required or expected" !

The Daily Mail story - Riddle of the 'Windermere Triangle', where cars mysteriously refuse to unlock

BBC Video - Mystery of Windermere street where gadgets go haywire
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8505314.stm

Sat 13th Feb 2010

The Arfon Repeater Group's amateur TV repeater GB3TM, located on the north coast of Anglesey in North Wales, has had modifications made to its transmission mode.

A digital transmitter was installed and is now operational on 1316MHz. It is planned that GB3TM will transmit on both analogue and digital modes, but not both at the same time.

The analogue mode will be the normal mode, with the digital system being called up by DTMF tones by the user.

Further information can be seen on the Arfon Repeater Group's website at www.arfon.info.

Reports would be welcomed on the new mode by the repeater keeper, David GW8PBX. A link is available on the website

GB2RS

Sat 13th Feb 2010

Beginning Monday, March 15, 2010, W1AW will alternate the digital modes used for its digital bulletin transmissions.

While Baudot, PSK31 and MFSK16 still make up the digital mode complement, the schedule will be altered to give more exposure to PSK31 and MFSK16.

Because of time constraints and the varying lengths of digital bulletins, there were many instances where only Baudot was used.

With the new schedule, amateurs preferring either PSK31 or MFSK16 will find these modes no longer secondary.

The regular callup will be made using the mode that is transmitted first. The digital bulletin times remain at 6 PM and 9 PM eastern, daily.

The Tuesday and Friday Keplerian data bulletins will continue to be sent using just Baudot and PSK31.

The new digital schedule is as follows:

Monday: Baudot, PSK31, MFSK16
Tuesday: PSK31, MFSK16, Baudot
Wednesday: MFSK16, Baudot, PSK31
Thursday: Baudot, PSK31, MFSK16
Friday: PSK31, Baudot, MFSK16

Given time constraints and bulletin lengths, all three modes may not always be transmitted.

The complete W1AW schedule can be found on page 100 of the January issue of QST, or on the web at,

http://www.arrl.org/w1aw.html#w1awsked

Sat 13th Feb 2010

The Southern Ireland regulator ComReg is hosting a briefing on the future release of spectrum in the 2300 – 2400 MHz band on Monday March 1.

The briefing will be held at The Clarion Hotel Dublin IFSC, International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), Dublin 1 and will include presentations on UMTS and WiMAX.

2.3 GHz Information Notice
http://www.comreg.ie/_fileupload/publications/ComReg1011.pdf

2.3 GHz Spectrum Competition
http://www.comreg.ie/2.3GHzComp

Sat 13th Feb 2010

The new 2010 (22nd) edition of Radio Stations in the United Kingdom is now available from the British DX Club.

Radio Stations in the UK is a comprehensive 72-page guide to BBC, commercial, community and low power AM/FM services on MW and FM, with lists in frequency order and by station name.

It includes transmitter power and site details, plus contact information. Frequencies are cross-referenced to help you find parallels. It includes a separate section covering Radio Stations in the Republic of Ireland.

Its been two years since the last edition was published so there are numerous changes, including many new community radio stations.

Radio Stations in the UK is a must for anyone interested in UK domestic radio - from the keen mediumwave or FM DXer to the casual listener. Why not order a second copy to keep in the car - we have a special price for two copies!

PRICE per copy (includes postage):
to UK addresses - 4.00 pounds.
to Europe - 5 GBP, 7 Euros* or 8 IRCs
to Rest of World - 6 GBP, 10 US dollars* or 9 IRCs

SPECIAL PRICE for 2 copies: UK: 7 pounds / Europe: 10 Euros*

Please send orders to:
British DX Club
10 Hemdean Hill
Caversham
Reading RG4 7SB
UK

UK Cheques/POs payable to British DX Club.
Dollar/Euro payments by Paypal or cash only
Paypal payments or email enquiries to bdxc[at]bdxc.org.uk

Full details also on the BDXC-UK web site - www.bdxc.org.uk

Thur 11th Feb 2010

Researchers say the Sun is awakening after a period of low activity, which does not bode well for a world ever more dependent on satellite navigation, the BBC News website reports.

The Sun's irregular activity can wreak havoc with the weak sat-nav signals we use.

The last time the Sun reached a peak in activity, satellite navigation was barely a consumer product.

But the Sun is on its way to another solar maximum, which could generate large and unpredictable sat-nav errors.

It is not just car sat-nav devices that make use of the satellite signals; accurate and dependable sat-nav signals have, since the last solar maximum, quietly become a necessity for modern infrastructure.

Military operations worldwide depend on them, although they use far more sophisticated equipment.

Sat-nav devices now form a key part of emergency vehicles' arsenals. They are used for high-precision surveying, docking ships and plans are even underway to incorporate them into commercial aircraft.

Closer to home, more and more trains depend on a firm location fix before their doors will open.

Simple geometry

The satellite navigation concept is embodied currently by the US GPS system and Russia's Glonass network, with contenders to come in the form of Europe's Galileo constellation and China's Compass system.

It depends on what is - at its root - a simple triangulation calculation.

A fleet of satellites circling the Earth are constantly beaming a radio signal with two bits of exceptionally precise information: where exactly they are, and at exactly what time.

A sat-nav receiver on Earth - or on a ship or plane - is equipped with a fairly precise clock and the means to collect signals from the satellites that happen to be in its line of sight.

It then works out, based on how long it took those signals to arrive, how far it is from each of those satellites. Some simple geometry yields its position.

Read the full BBC News article -
Sat-nav devices face big errors as solar activity rises
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8494225.stm

The Greek National Television and Radio Council (ESR) yesterday imposed a 70,000-euro fine on Star channel after deciding that the TV station’s weatherperson, Petroula Kostidou, was harming the quality of programming and insulting human dignity.

Petroula is a household celebrity, known for presenting the weather in skimpy outfits and gyrating provocatively in front of the cameras.

Star TV was also fined 30,000 euros for dramatizing events in one of its news shows.

Source: Media Network, Kathimerini

For an example .. check out the following which I found (amongst many more) on You Tube.  Somehow can't see this coming to BBC1 in the near future !!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0EfTnIOZic&feature=related

Thur 11th Feb 2010

A new digital shortwave station 'The Disco Palace' has started broadcasting in stereo to Europe and North America using the new DRM transmission standard.

The transmitter is located in South America at Montsinery, near the European Space Agency Kourou launch site.

The station will be broadcasting to Europe on 6015 kHz each day from 1400-1500 UTC. The North American transmission takes place from 2000 to 2100 UTC on 17755 kHz.

DRM is the global open digital broadcasting system for broadcasting bands upto 174 MHz (covering LW, SW, MW and bands I/II). It offers near-FM sound quality plus the ease-of-use that comes from digital transmissions, combined with low power consumption.

  The Disco Palace
http://www.thediscopalace.com/

Google Earth - Montsinery

RadioActivity Blog by Alokesh Gupta
http://alokeshgupta.blogspot.com/

DRM
http://www.drm.org/

DRM Yahoo Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/drm-l/

Thur 11th Feb 2010

The Digital Radio reflector carries news of two new SDR products, a receiver from Lazy Dog Engineering and a QRP transceiver from FlexRadio Systems

Pete NI9N writes:

I'm offering a new SDR, inspired by the Softrock-40 but with some significant improvements. Instead of a crystal LO, it uses two Analog Devices DDS chips, and has 5 selectable preselector filters. It also features USB control.

Lazy Dog Engineering LD-1 Receiver
http://www.lazydogengineering.com/LD1home.htm

NI9N Blog
http://www.garage-shoppe.com/

Bob N4NY brings news on the new Flex 1500 QRP SDR Transceiver, he writes:

The Flex 1500 will soon be available. The first one has rolled off prototype line and you can see it (in operation) at the Orlando Hamcation if you are going (this weekend).

It is a BCB through 54 MHz 5 watt TRANSCEIVER with control, etc. run via the USB 2.0 connection. If it were not for the 5 watt amplifier, it would power itself completely from the USB 2.0 cable.

It will be run by PowerSDR 2.0 (soon to be released).
It comes with full support for CAT and 3rd party digital programs without the use of cables (both supported virtually).

The cost is $580 for the time being.

FlexRadio Systems FLEX-1500™ QRP Software Defined Radio
http://www.flex-radio.com/Products.aspx?topic=F1.5k_features

N4NY Blog
http://n4hy.blogspot.com/

Digital Radio Yahoo Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/digitalradio/

Wed 10th Feb 2010

On February 8 the U.S Coast Guard shut down the Loran-C a navigation system that has been in use since World War II.

LORAN (LOng RAnge Navigation) made use of a network of Low Frequency (LF) radio transmitters and the receivers used these multiple signals to determine the location and speed of the vessel. It has served mariners and aviators well for over 60 years.

President Obama has called the system obsolete, saying it is no longer needed in an age in which Global Positioning System devices are nearly ubiquitous in cars, planes and boats.

Running Loran-C is claimed to cost the Federal Government about $38 million a year but shutting it down means there is no longer a back-up system for GPS.

Read the CNN report - Good night, Loran at
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/02/08/loran.navigation.shutdown/index.html

Wiki - Loran
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LORAN

Wed 10th Feb 2010

An article by Dirk Rijmenants describes how the seemingly secure HF encryption system used by Cuba was broken.

In recent years there have been convictions of a number of Cuban agents who had been receiving encrypted messages via shortwave radio, broadcast by Cuban Numbers Stations.

Read Cuban Agent Communications - Failure of a Perfect System
http://users.telenet.be/d.rijmenants/papers/cuban_agent_communications.pdf

Dirk's Weblog - Cuban Number Stations
http://rijmenants.blogspot.com/2010/02/cuban-agent-communications.html

Number Stations
http://users.telenet.be/d.rijmenants/en/numbers.htm

Cipher Machines and Cryptology
http://users.telenet.be/d.rijmenants

Tue 9th Feb 2010

Hand-held devices could soon have pressure-sensitive touch-screens and keys, thanks to a UK firm's material that exploits a quantum physics trick. The technology allows, for example, scrolling down a long list or webpage .. faster as more pressure is applied.

Read the full story at:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8504373.stm

Tue 9th Feb 2010

Everybody loves their smartphone because they can get GPS, the Internets, and all of its fun surprises. They can even make a phone call once in a while.

But what if there were a computer program that would allow your device to not only receive phone calls, but also to automatically adjust to receive WiFi signals and television broadcasts, track GPS, access HAM radio or walkie-talkie frequencies?

Engineers with the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy are working to build a so-called “universal radio” test-bed this year in Fort Monmouth, N.J. They hope to open the gates of “cognitive radio” development to academia, private industry and other Defense Department organizations.

The Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) is creating a Software-Defined Radio lab that will work with the Navy Research Lab to transfer work done previously on the Joint Tactical Radio System to the GNU Radio’s open-source, free software environment.

Tim Leising, director of the Software-Defined Radio lab at CERDEC, said his group is focusing on developing and testing future software defined radios with the GNU platform to promote collaboration and information-sharing via network connections.

In hardware-defined radio, the method of signal reception and transmission is dictated by the infrastructure and mechanics of the device. A car radio is built with electronic hardware that allows it to receive AM and FM signals and play them over your sound system. With the turn of a knob or the push of a button, you tell it which signal to pick up.

Software-defined radio, however, would use a computer program to determine how signals are sent and received, tuning and calibrating itself.

For the Department of Defense, this type of cognitive radio represents a ground-breaking step forward in mobile communications capability. It allows troops to not only use multiple modes, but also to easily switch between radio frequencies and network types. No knobs means no time or awareness lost while trying to tune to a certain channel on the radio.

Read the full Armed with Science article at:
http://science.dodlive.mil/2010/02/05/armys-smart-radio-the-best-thing-in-radio-since-stern/

Tue 9th Feb 2010

An Ofcom consultation aims to increase the power limits of 3G mobile licences to improve mobile phone coverage.

The proposal is to permit a power increase for 3G services from 62dBm (1585 watts) EIRP to 68dBm (6310 watts) EIRP

This consultation is available at:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/3Glicences/

Tue 9th Feb 2010

Dundalk Amateur Radio Society have now added a web controlled Icom IC 75 HF receiver to their website.

This will enable users to have full control of the receiver and allows the advantage of listening remotely from a different location. It is also useful for checking your own station's transmit audio and signal strength.

Full details can be found at www.ei7dar.com and clicking on the "Control - HF Radio" or directly at www.ei7dar.com/hf.html.

User feedback is welcome via email to info@ei7dar.com.

Fri 5th Feb 2010

The ISES solar cycle number sunspot progression chart was updated on February 2 and it shows a long-awaited upturn.

The chart has been updated with sunspot data up until January 10 and can be seen on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) / Space Weather Prediction Center website at
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/SolarCycle/index.html

Fri 5th Feb 2010

Northern Ireland has its first D-STAR 'hot spot' - Belfast simplex node MB6NI.

A hot spot provides access onto the D-Star network and MB6NI is located in Carrickfergus and was a project of GEARS to get more D-Star access in the Greater Belfast, Belfast Lough areas.

The spot is run by Brian GI6DKQ and the plan is to try and get more amateur radio clubs or individuals to put up their own spot and create a hot spot network covering Northern Ireland.

MB6NI is running on 145.2125 MHz

Further information can be had from Brian GI6DKQ

  Peter MI5JYK

GEARS Sec.
RSGB Regional Manager

Greenisland Electronics Amateur Radio Society (GEARS)
http://www.gearsradioclub.org.uk/

Fri 5th Feb 2010

In this article from Make magazine, Diana Eng, KC2UHB demonstrates how, by using a low power amateur radio transmitter and a simple light bulb receiver circuit, we see how radio waves and electromagnetic induction transmit energy and signals wirelessly through the air.

We also see how dipole and Yagi antennas radiate their energy in different patterns

Now visit the Make website and see how to build your own dipole receiving antenna!
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/02/seeing_radio_waves_with_a_light_bul.html

IEEE Spectrum - "Hello Twitterverse"  .. With these words Astronaut T.J. Creamer sent the first live tweet from space on January 22 using the newly installed internet connection aboard the International Space Station

Read about how it's done:-
http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/aerospace/space-flight/nasa-engineers-bring-the-internet-to-astronauts

Source RSGB News

Network World - The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is expected this summer to provide final approval for the 802.16m standard, also known as 'WiMAX 2'  

WiMAX forum vice president Mohammad Shakouri says "The goal is for the new WiMAX standard to deliver average downlink speeds of more than 100Mbps to users".

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/012810-wimax-2.html

Understanding WiMAX
http://www.wimax.com/education

Source RSGB News

Thur 4th Feb 2010

High power RF could be used to power future rockets to Mars - the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) is a high power, radio frequency-driven magnetoplasma rocket that promises to dramatically reduce Inter-Planetary journey times.

Read 'Recent improvements in Ionization costs and Ion cyclotron heating efficiency in the VASIMR engine'
http://www.adastrarocket.com/AIAA2006.pdf

Plasma Assisted Combustion system - Power Point slides
http://www.plasmacombustion.com/publications/aiaa2006.pdf

NASA - VASIMR
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/support/researching/aspl/vasimr.html

Thur 4th Feb 2010

The Times newspaper reports that scientists warn solar activity could hit the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The story was headlined "Solar firestorm threat to 2012 Games" in the printed editions, and appeared on page 13 of the Wednesday, February 3 edition.

It describes the possibility that television and Internet networks could be disrupted by solar activity - 2012 will be near the peak of the 11 year solar cycle.

You can see a video of the sun and images of a Solar Magnetic Storm along with the online version of the Times story at

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/space/article7012205.ece

Thur 4th Feb 2010

A report on the 52nd Jamboree On The Air (JOTA) held on October 17-18, 2009 is now available for download

Download the 52nd JOTA report from
http://www.scout.org/en/content/download/18445/172786/file/World%20JOTA%20Report%202009.pdf

 Reports of previous JOTAs can be seen at
http://www.scout.org/en/information_events/events/jota/radio_scouting_library/all_world_jota_reports

Radio Scouting Pages
http://www.jota.sub.cc/

Thur 4th Feb 2010

George shows us how to use the Kenwood TS-2000 as a Software Defined Radio with Winrad.

Peter experiments with the WSPR Weak Signal mode. And Tommy teaches us how to easily create Time Lapse Videos. Plus plenty of viewer email.

It's 44:04 of AmateurLogic fun

Thur 4th Feb 2010

Products based on the Dash7 wireless networking scheme developed by Savi Technology use 433 MHz which is allocated globally to Radio Amateurs.

Initially Dash7 is intended for active tags which can be embedded in products and transmit over a distance of several hundred metres.

It is unclear why they chose such an unsuitable frequency as 433 MHz.

This frequency has a long wavelength which, in size constrained products, leads to very inefficient antennas. Frequencies such as 917 MHz or 2450 MHz that have a far shorter wavelength allow the design of very small antennas with high efficiency and would appear the best choice for such uses.

Read the IEEE article 'Dash7 Wireless Networking Gains Momentum' at
http://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/wireless/dash7-wireless-networking-gains-momentum

Savi Technology
http://www.savi.com/

Wed 3rd Feb 2010

The UK Goverment aims to stop FM broadcasting in 2015 but with over 100 million perfectly good FM radios in the UK there have been calls for a 'scrappage scheme' to be introduced.

The Guardian newspaper reports that radio Industry executives hope that the idea will quash a potential rebellion among FM radio listeners as the deadline for switching off the analogue radio signal approaches in a few years' time.

Read the full Guardian article at
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/feb/01/radio-analogue-scrappage-scheme-digital

Tue 2nd Feb 2010

A video of Professor Sir Martin Sweeting, G3YJO, (Photo right) giving the 2010 Appleton lecture 'Small Satellites - Big Future' is now available on the web.

Martin Sweeting, G3YJO, the Chairman of AMSAT-UK, gave the Annual Appleton Lecture to a large audience at The Institute of Engineering & Technology at Savoy Place in London on Tuesday, January 19, 2010.

Speaking as Executive Chairman of SSTL and as a Director of the Surrey Space Centre at the University of Surrey, Martin commented that his initial interest in space went back to his youth and his activities as a radio amateur operating on HF and VHF bands and that, as Edward Appleton had performed much valuable research into the ionosphere, he felt especially honoured to be making the presentation.

His lecture was entitled "Small Satellites – Big Future” and traced the history of the 30+ micro-sats and mini-sats that have been created at Surrey since the early 1980s. SSTL have many satellites currently under construction and have recently been awarded a contract, with OHB in Germany, for 14 Galileo spacecraft.

He pointed out that the small mass, short development programmes and lower costs of micro-satellites continued to prove an attractive proposition to customers and able to disruptively change the “economics of space”. He added that Moores Law appears to be accurate in relation to the increasing capability of small satellites over the past twenty years as it has done generally in terms of computer power!

He also predicted that we will soon see small satellites going beyond low earth orbit, to MEO GEO, to the Moon and beyond.

The video of the 2010 Appleton lecture "Small Satellites – Big Future” can be seen at
http://tv.theiet.org/technology/communications/appleton-lecture-small-satellites.cfm
(click on the picture)

AMSAT-UK publish a colour A4 newsletter, OSCAR News, that is full of Amateur Satellite information.
Join online at https://secure.amsat.org.uk/subs_form/

AMSAT-UK
http://www.uk.amsat.org/

Mon 1st Feb 2010

75 years ago on February 26, 1935, a simple experiment in a field near Daventry conclusively demonstrated that aircraft could be detected by radio.

Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society (CARS) members will be among those operating GB75CH from the Chain Home mast at Great Baddow to commemorate the event.

Following the successful Daventry Experiment, Sir Robert Watson-Watt and his team at Bawdsey developed the vital Chain Home radar system.

The event is set to be marked by a trio of Special Event stations on February 26.

GB75RDF - Daventry - http://www.andrewsound.co.uk/g8gmu9a.htm
GB75BRS - Bawdsey - http://www.bawdseyresearchstation.org.uk/
GB75CH - Great Baddow - Chain Home Mast - http://www.chainhome.org.uk/

Re-enactment of Daventry Experiment
http://www.andrewsound.co.uk/g8gmu9b.htm

The Great Baddow Mast
http://www.greatbaddowparishcouncil.co.uk/Great%20Baddow%20Mast.pdf

Wiki - Robert Watson-Watt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Watson-Watt

The Chain Home radar system
http://www.radarpages.co.uk/mob/ch/chainhome.htm

The Daventry Experiment.
http://www.radarpages.co.uk/oral/scanlan/chr/scanlan1.htm