The Monitor

To exist, Amateur Radio must have access to the radio frequency spectrum.  Without it, our radio equipment is like an automobile without a road or a boat without water, interesting to look at, perhaps, but utterly useless.  Amateur Radio exists for the purpose of self-training, intercommunication and technical investigations.  To accomplish these broad objectives, amateurs must be afforded reasonable access to the spectrum from the lowest frequencies to the highest.  Yet, spectrum access is an increasingly valuable commodity.  Commercial interests  willingly pay billions of dollars for access to the frequencies they require in order to be able to sell telecommunications services.  The radio spectrum is so valuable that even government and military users are under great pressure to relinquish frequencies for commercial exploitation.

The future may look bleak, but let us remember this: It has happened before, and Amateur Radio survived and prospered.  In the early 1920s it was the radio amateurs who found that short-wave signals could be heard all over the world.  The rush soon began to exploit this newly discovered phenomenon.  Radio Amateurs, the very people whose experiments had revealed the value of the short waves in the first place, were in grave danger of being pushed aside.

Fortunately, there were far-sighted individuals who understood the problem and were able to find a solution.  In 1925 they met in Paris and formally created the International Amateur Radio Union, or IARU.

The first major challenge for the IARU occurred in 1927 at the Washington International Radiotelegraph Conference.  Radio Amateurs easily could have been forced into bands that would have been too narrow to support future growth.  Instead, allocations were won that we still know today as 160, 80, 40, 20, and 10 meters, with a 5-meter band that was moved to 6 meters after World War II.  The other amateur bands we now enjoy were the result of decades of patient efforts through the IARU.  From less than 30,000 radio amateurs who were licensed as of 1927, the Amateur Radio movement has grown to three million.  From the representatives of 25 countries who formed the IARU in 1925, the IARU has grown to include 150 national associations representing virtually every country with enough Amateurs to form an organization.

Individual Radio Amateurs support the work of the IARU through their membership in their own national IARU member-society.  That support is vital to the future of Amateur Radio.  The IARU is recognized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as the representative of the interests of Radio Amateurs throughout the world.  It is our voice in the offices and meeting rooms of the ITU and regional telecommunications organizations, where the decisions affecting our future access to the radio spectrum are made.

All licensed Radio Amateurs benefit from the work of the IARU, whether or not they are members of their national IARU member-society.  But every licensed radio amateur should be a member.  Only by combining our efforts in this way can we ensure the future health of Amateur Radio,  for ourselves and for future generations.
(David Sumner, K1ZZ Secretary, IARU)

On Monday March 11th, the club lost long-time Honourary member Jack Jennings VE3DDH in his 88th year.  Jack was a regular at the meetings until his health kept him from attending each week.  He held several positions on our Executive in the past and was relied upon for his experience.  Jack was a founding and active member of St. Mark’s Anglican Church and served overseas during the Second World War with the Fort Garry Horse Regiment.  He was a retired employee of Massey Ferguson Verity Works.  Our condolences go to his wife of 61 years; Elsie and his children and grandchildren.

Bob’s VA3BIK XYL continues to recuperate after her bad accident.  She has learned to walk again but has to return to the hospital to have more surgery conducted on her face.  Apparently, Isabel is getting infections from the plates in her face, so some plates will have to be removed.  The oral surgeon can’t fit dentures to the shape of her jaw, so that will have to be rebuilt also.  Her knee is healing fine but her right arm is not mending too well.  She is on her third cast.  Bob reports that Isabel is in good spirits though.

In response to suggestions from many RAC members, you can now purchase RAC books, manuals and other useful items from the RAC web site using a new secure server.  You can also renew your membership, or join RAC on-line.  All you need is your credit card. (Visa or MC).

The price of ham radio gear and other goods manufactured in Japan may soon change, but it’s unclear if it will be up or down.  This on word that Japan’s economy has fallen into the worst recession in at least two decades.  The last time the Japanese economy contracted for three quarters straight was in 1993, when it shrank at around 0.1 percent each quarter.  Before that, Japan had never seen even two back-to-back quarters of contraction – the usual definition of a recession – since the government began keeping such records in 1980.

A new mode of operation seems to be taking Amateur Radio by storm.  WSJT is a digital mode, designed specifically for meteor scatter communications.  It stands for Weak Signal communications by Joe Taylor K1JT.  Its advantage is that it sends extremely fast in a standard SSB bandwidth at 147 characters per second or about 1700 words per minute.  By virtue of this speed it is possible to send two call signs and a signal report in a tenth of a second meteor ping.

The equipment to make WSJT contacts is fairly modest.  A two-meter SSB transceiver and a computer – a Pentium, at least 75 MHz is the main hardware required.  Then you need a simple PSK-31 interface box, and some WSJT software.

An RF power output of 50 watts is the practical minimum, with 100 watts providing a worthwhile improvement.  A major advantage with WSJT is the small antenna system required.  A five element Yagi will do as well as a 10 element Yagi.

A postal vote has been taken within the DARC membership.  The questions were if being in favour with the existing situation (obligatory Morse code examination for HF access) or abolition of this hurdle.  The evaluation under legal control brought the following result: 17,455 answers have been received, 8,530 voted in favour of keeping the existing situation (5 wpm examination), 7,781 are in favour of abolition, 1,133 votes are nullify, 11 abstained.

International Amateur Radio Day – April 18th
Brantford Classic Run – April 21st
Dayton Hamvention – May 17th-19th
Club Elections – June 11th
Human Powered Speed Championships – August 5th-10th
BARC Hamfest – August 17th
Brantford Air Show – August 28th

April 16th – Brantford Classic Run Meeting
April 23rd – Speaker Mike VE3BSE, Subject: TBA
April 30th – Social Night
May 7th – Open
May 14th – Business Meeting

ARRL’s “Logbook of the World” (LOTW) electronic contact-verification program will spark “a culture change” when it’s introduced later this year.  Once operational, participants will be able to qualify for awards such as DXCC or WAS without having to first secure verification in the form of hard-copy QSL cards.  LOTW will complement the conventional exchange of QSL cards, not replace it.

Logbook of the World is really a system to offer credits for awards, and not just for ARRL awards.  It is hoping to enlist the participation of other organizations that grant operating awards, such as CQ and RSGB.  Central to the LOTW concept is a huge repository of constantly updated log data provided by individual DXers, contesters and DXpeditions and maintained by ARRL.  Once it’s up and running, Logbook of the World will be able to provide quick contact credit.  The system will be open to all; ARRL members and nonmembers.

Registering and uploading electronic log data to LOTW will be free.  The only time users will incur charges is when they wish to apply contact credits toward a particular award, such as DXCC, WAS or VUCC.  The inauguration date for Logbook of the World is within a few months.

The United Kingdom Radio Society, Britain’s alternative Amateur Radio representative body, has ceased operation.  The UKRS was set up to provide an alternative to the long-established Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB).  The departure of two members of the UKRS’ governing body left the organization under strength, and dependent on it’s two co-founders, who did not wish to effectively start over again.

Ten-Tec plans to introduce details of it’s new Orion HF Amateur transceiver and have a prototype ready for display at the Dayton Hamvention, although it will not be on the market by then.

The Orion represents an entirely new concept in high-performance HF transceivers and will include features never before available on an Amateur transceiver.  The Orion will retail in the US$3300 price range and will replace the Omni VI Plus, already discontinued, as Ten-Tec’s top-of-the-line Amateur HF transceiver.  Anticipated features include dual 32-bit DSP processors; full dual-receive capability; 590 independently selectable IF-DSP filters in each receiver; adjustable receive filter shape factors; superior dynamic range due in part to the ability to narrow roofing filters down to 250 Hz for improved close-in performance in the vicinity of strong signals; extremely low phase-noise synthesizer; adaptive DSP noise reduction; and a continuous, real-time spectrum display that works on either receiver.

Complete technical specifications for the Orion remain to be determined, and all information is subject to change.

According to Larry Newitt of the Geological Survey of Canada, the North Magnetic Pole could leave Canada as soon as 2004, and migrate north of Alaska and eventually wind up in Russia.  The magnetic pole, which has steadily drifted for decades, has picked up its pace in recent years.  If the pole follows its present course, it will pass north of Alaska and arrive in Siberia in a half-century, but Newitt cautioned that such predictions could prove wrong.  "Although it has been moving north or northwest for a hundred years, it is not going to continue in that direction forever.  Its speed has increased considerably during the past 25 years, and it could just as easily decrease a few years from now," the geophysicist said.

Durham Region Amateur Radio Hamfest
Sponsored by the North Shore and South Pickering ARC’s.
Saturday April 27th at 9:00 AM
Iroquois Park Recreation Centre, Whitby.

Annual Spring Hamfest and Fleamarket
Sponsored by the Skywide ARC.
Saturday May 11th at 9:00 AM
Westway United Church, 8 Templar Dr., Etobicoke.

Central Ontario 28th Annual Amateur Radio Hamfest
Sponsored by the Guelph ARC and Kitchener-Waterloo ARC
Saturday, June 8th at 8:00 AM
Fergus & District Community Centre

Barrie Fleamarket
Sponsored by the Barrie ARC
Saturday, September 7th at 9:00 AM
Shanty Bay Community Center, Barrie

LEBANON, OD.  Max, IW0GXY is QRV as OD5/homecall and has a license to operate on 6 meters.  He can be found on 50155 kHz, plus or minus QRM, until June or possibly September.  QSL to home call.

NORTH KOREA, P5.  Ed, P5/4L4FN has been QRV on 15 meters around 1100 to 1200z.  QSL via KK5DO.

BANGLADESH, S2.  Jan, OK1FWC is working in Khulna until July, and is usually QRV on 10 meters as S21/OK1FWC.  QSL via the OKDXF.

MARSHALL ISLANDS, V7.  Jim, KC7OKZ and Carol, KC7TSX are QRV as V73KZ and V73SX, respectively, from Majuro, IOTA OC-029.  QSL via operators' instructions.

CHAGOS ISLANDS, VQ9.  Jesse, AB5RY is QRV as VQ9J for the next few months.  Activity is on 160 to 10 meters using CW and SSB.  QSL via K5QM.

The inaugural VP6DI DXpedition to the newest DXCC entity--Ducie Island--came to an end March 26.  A 2.5-square-mile Pacific atoll, Ducie was approved for DXCC credit last November, but it took three trips, many months of planning and a big budget to make this operation a reality. The DXpedition was sponsored by the Pitcairn Island Amateur Radio Association.  The VP6DI team was on the air for just over nine days, logging something on the order of 40,000 contacts. VP6DI HF QSLs go via VE3HO, and 6-meter QSLs go to JA1BK.  More information is available on PIARA's DXpedition to Ducie March 2002 Web site http://www.qsl.net/wd4ngb/ducie.htm.

Port St Lucie, FL: Port St Lucie Amateur Radio Association, K4PSL. 1500Z Apr 1 to 2100Z Apr 30. Commemorating the discovery of Florida by Ponce de Leon in 1513. 28.310 21.350 14.250 14.030. Certificate. Dr Maurice I. Sasson, W2JAJ, 8598 Florence Dr, Port St Lucie, FL 34952.

Del Mar, CA: Desert Pacific Council of Boy Scouts of America, WB6BSA. 1700Z to 2359Z Apr 13. Operating from the Del Mar Scout Fair "Merit Badge Midway" to help Boy Scouts earn radio merit badges. 28.390 21.360 14.290 7.270. QSL. Scout Ham Radio, Desert Pacific Council, BSA, 1207 Upas St, San Diego, CA 92103.

New York City, NY: Monster Island Amateur Radio Society, K2G. 0000Z Apr 13 to 2400Z Apr 14. Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the debuts of Gorath and King Kong vs Godzilla. 28.440 21.240 14.340 7.240. QSL. Barry A. Schwartz, N2SHP, 72-22 153rd St #2H, Flushing, NY 11367-2642.

Godalming, Surrey, UK: Titanic Wireless Commemorative Group, GB9ØMGY. 0930Z Apr 13 to 0647Z Apr 15. Commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Titanic disaster. CW only, HF bands 80-10 m (including 30, 17 and 12). QSLs for every contact will automatically be sent via the bureau. QSL claims, if desired, to GB9ØMGY via the bureau. Visit www.gdrs.net/titanic for more information.

Piscataway, NJ: Piscataway Amateur Radio Club, K2VOA. 0000Z to 2400Z Apr 20. Voice of America relay station WBØU. 28.345 21.345 14.245 7.245. Certificate. Bill Toth, W2BT, 6 Rivercrest Dr, Piscataway, NJ 08854.

Palo Cedro, CA: EMCOMM 2002, W6E. 1900Z Apr 20 to 1900Z Apr 21. Emergency Communications Conference. 21.390 14.250 7.232 3.987. QSL. EMCOMM 2002, POB 99, Macdoel, CA 96058. Go to www.emcomm2002.net for more information.

Wall, NJ: Ocean Monmouth Amateur Radio Club, N2MO. 0000Z to 2400Z Apr 27. Official Marconi Day Station. 28.380 21.260 14.270 3.890, CW-SSB HF General bands. QSL. OMARC, PO BOX 267, Oakhurst, NJ 07755.

Kill Devil Hills/Kitty Hawk, NC: Tri-County ARC, NC4AR. 0900Z Apr 27 to 1200Z Apr 30. Anniversary of the first powered aircraft flight at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. 14.260 7.260. Certificate. Harrison J. Faust, WW4HF, 509 Player Dr, High Point, NC 27260.

Louisville, KY: Amateur Radio Transmitting Society, W4CN. 1100Z to 1700Z May 4. 128th running of the Kentucky Derby. 28.350 21.275 14.275 7.200. Certificate. Shelby Summerville, K4WW, 6506 Lantana Ct, Louisville, KY 40229.

Poughkeepsie, NY: Poughkeepsie Amateur Radio Club, W2CVT. 1400Z to 2000Z May 4. Special event station from the Samuel F. B. Morse home in Poughkeepsie, New York. 28.110 21.125 14.250 7.125. Certificate. Don Stein, W2PTF, 3 Little Rd, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590.

West Orange, NJ: Nutley Amateur Radio Society, W2GLQ. 1200Z May 4 to 2100Z May 5. From the Edison Historical Labs, honoring the inventor of the light bulb, phonograph and many other devices that make our lives simpler. General portions of the 10-40 m bands (28.475). QSL. Nutley ARS, 169 Chestnut St, Nutley, NJ 07110.

Fairmont, WV: The Mountaineer ARC, W8SP. 0000Z May 11 to 2400Z May 12. Commemorating the first official observance of Mother's Day at the International Mother's Day Shrine in Grafton, WV. General 80, 40, 20, 15 m phone+ CW bands and Novice 10 m phone. Certificate. Charles T. McClain, K8UQY, Rt 4, Box 161, Grafton, WV 26354.

TCA March/April 2002
AN INTRODUCTION TO LINUX FOR RADIO AMATEURS  (PART 1).  This operating system offers a number of interesting features.
THE YAESU FT-817.  A review of this popular portable transceiver.

QST April 2002
A DEDICATION TO EMERGENCY SERVICE.  A reflection on the 6 months that have passed since the terrorist attacks.
A LIGHTNING DETECTOR FOR THE SHACK.  Build this relatively simple device to let you know when a storm is approaching.

CQ April 2002
MAKE YOUR MOBILE MIC “HANDS-FREE”.  A simple “hands-free” approach as restrictions on mobile use of wireless telephones increase.
SOFTBREWING A LOGBOOK.  A primer for database design.

QRP ARCI Spring QSO Party, CW - 1200Z Apr 13 - 2400Z Apr 14.
Ontario QSO Party, CW/Phone - 1800Z Apr 20 - 1800Z Apr 21.
10-10 International Spring Contest, CW - 0001Z May 4 - 2400Z May 5.

The satellite's formal name is the Russian-Australian Scientific and Educational Microsatellite Kolibri-2000.  To most hams however, it is simply Radio Sport 21.

According to the AMSAT News Service, the new ham-sat was remotely launched on March 20th from a Russian Progress M-1-7 launcher that had brought supplies to the International Space Station.  That launch took place after the Progress ship had un-docked from the ISS.

Alex Zaitzev, RW3DZ, the director of the Microsat Office of the Russian Space Research Institute, describes RS-21 as a non-government, non-commercial project, built with cooperation from students in Russia and Australia.  It is currently in a circular orbit just over 200 miles above the Earth and on the air.  Downlink frequencies are listed as 145.825 and 435.335 MHz.

The bird uses both CW and FSK for its telemetry transmissions, but it wont last very long.  Zaitzev says that RS-21 was designed with a limited lifespan and that it will fall back into the atmosphere during the late winter or spring months.  Till then though, RW3DZ, says that the satellite will send down data and digitally recorded voice messages.

The Expedition 4 International Space Station crew of Commander Yuri Onufrienko, RK3DUO, and flight engineers Dan Bursch, KD5PNU, and Carl Walz, KC5TIE, will be spending an extra month in orbit.  Problems with the Canadarm 2 robotic arm on the ISS will result in extending their mission to 189 days--a new record for the US crewmembers.  March 29 marks 114 days in space for the current crew, which came aboard in December.

Late last week NASA decided to bump the launch of the Expedition 5 crew aboard the shuttle Endeavour (STS-111) from May 6 to May 31 in order to permit more training time for the shuttle crew to deal with the mechanical arm repair.  Shuttle astronauts will replace a wrist joint in the space station's mechanical arm.  The Endeavour won't be returning to Earth until June 12, which means the astronauts on the Expedition 4 crew will beat NASA's current space endurance record by one day.

Appalachian Amateurs responded to assist after heavy rains caused flooding in several states in the region.  Flooding closed numerous roads, damaged or destroyed many structures, forced residents from their homes and was blamed for at least seven deaths.

In Kentucky, ARRL Section Emergency Coordinator Ron Dodson, KA4MAP, says the Red Cross asked Amateurs to assist with damage assessment in Knox County.  According to press reports, hundreds of homes and businesses were flooded out as heavy rain spread throughout the eastern part of the state after earlier affecting the Harlan area.  The Salvation Army also had responded to assist.

For the first time in history of the Dayton Hamvention, a couple will exchange wedding vows at the show.  Mark Elliot N8WZW, and Cindi Krieger will be married at Hamvention Saturday May 18th.  Licensed in 1993, Elliot is a member of OH-KY-IN Club and the Over 40 Club.  Now a Technician, he’s studying to upgrade to General.  He and Krieger met through a mutual friend, and Elliot introduced her to Amateur Radio by taking her to a hamfest.  Krieger now is studying for her license and may take the exam before Hamvention weekend.

Why get married at Hamvention?  The couple says they could not think of a better place to share their love for Amateur Radio – and each other – than by getting married at the world’s largest Amateur Radio gathering.