DX Code of Conduct

I ( KD8BIG ) am a supporter of the. DX CODE OF CONDUCT

I will listen, and listen, and then listen again before calling.

I will only call if I can copy the DX station properly.

I will not trust the DX cluster and will be sure of the DX station's callsign before calling.

I will not interfere with the DX station nor anyone calling and will never tune up on the DX frequency or in the QSX slot.

I will wait for the DX station to end a contact before I call.

I will always send by full call sign.

I will call and then listen for a reasonable interval. I will not call continuously.

I will not transmit when the DX operator calls another call sign, not mine.

 will not transmit when the DX operator queries a call sign not like mine.

I will not transmit when the DX station requests geographic areas other than mine.

When the DX operator calls me, I will not repeat my call sign unless I think he has copied it incorrectly.

I will be thankful if and when I do make a contact.

I will respect my fellow hams and conduct myself so as to earn their respect.

OSCAR-11 / UOSAT-2 Celebrates 30 Years in Orbit

UOSAT-OSCAR-11 has now been in orbit for 30 years and remarkably its signal on 145.826 MHz FM (AFSK 1200 bps ASCII) is still being received.

OSCAR-11, also known as UOSAT-2, was designed and built by a team of engineers at the University of Surrey in Guildford, Surrey, UK as the successor to OSCAR-9 / UOSAT-1 (see Hobby Electronics August 1981).
It was launched from the Western Test Range at Vandenberg Air Base, in Lompoc, California along with LANDSAT-5 on a Delta 3920 rocket on March 1, 1984.

OSCAR-11 was the most rapidly designed OSCAR, going from inception to launch in only five months. It was also the first amateur satellite to carry a digital communications package into Earth orbit, and the first to be controlled by a CPU running software written in the high-level programming language “Forth”.

OSCAR-11 carries beacons in three amateur radio bands.

The 145.826 MHz beacon transmits FM Audio Frequency Shift Keying (AFSK) 1200 bps ASCII data. It the early years it also transmitted a voice message from the digitalker experiment.

The 435.025 MHz beacon transmitted either 1200 bps FM AFSK or 4800 bps PSK data. This beacon was used to downlink information from the Digital Store and Readout (DSR) Experiment, which includes CCD Earth image data, results from the Particle Wave Experiment, and engineering data from the RCA COSMAC 1802 CPU.

The 2401.5 MHz beacon transmitted FM and PSK signals. Antenna polarization for all three beacon transmitters is left-hand circular (LHCP). Only the 145.826 MHz beacon is now operational.

Addition OSCAR-11 information
http://www.g3cwv.co.uk/oscar11.htm

OSCAR-11 page on the DK3WN satellite blog at
http://www.dk3wn.info/p/?cat=47

SSTL Blog – Happy 30th Birthday to UOSAT-2
http://www.sstl.co.uk/Blog/March-201...ay-to-UoSAT-2-

OSCAR-9 and OSCAR-11 TV News Reports
http://amsat-uk.org/2011/10/30/oscar...-news-reports/

BBC Micro ASTRID UoSAT receiver and AMSAT-UK Software Library
http://amsat-uk.org/2011/12/11/
bbc-micro-and-amsat-uk-software-library/



http://www.southgatearc.org/news/201...s_in_orbit.htm

Launch of Two Hundred 437MHz Satellites

The largest ever launch of 437 MHz satellites is planned for March 16 at 0841 UT when 200 Sprite satellites will be launched on the SpaceX Falcon 9 CRS 3 mission
They will be deployed into a 325×315 km 51.5 degree inclination orbit. You should be able to watch the launch live on NASA TV at http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv
A Sprite is a tiny, 3.5 by 3.5 cm, single-board spacecraft that was developed by Zac Manchester KD2BHC. It has a microcontroller, radio, and solar cells and is capable of carrying single-chip sensors, such as thermometers, magnetometers, gyroscopes, and accelerometers.
The 200 Sprites are carried in a 3U CubeSat called KickSat. They are stacked atop a spring-loaded pusher and secured by a nichrome burn wire system.
On reaching orbit KickSat will perform a de-tumble maneuver and establish communication with Cornell University’s ground station. After check-out, the spacecraft will be put in a sun-pointing attitude and spun up to maintain that attitude.
A command signal from the ground station will then trigger the deployment and the Sprites will be released as free-flying spacecraft. After deployment, telemetry and sensor measurements from the individual Sprites will be received through Cornell’s ground station in Ithaca, NY, as well as several other amateur ground stations around the world.
Due to the low orbit Sprites will have a short lifetime before they re-enter the atmosphere and burn up. In the best-case scenario the orbital lifetime could be six weeks but realistically it may be considerably shorter depending on atmospheric conditions.
All Sprites operate on a single frequency of 437.240 MHz and use Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). The transmitter runs 10 mW output of Minimum Shift Keying (MSK) modulated binary data with each data bit modulated as a 511 bit Pseudo-Random Number (PRN) sequence. The ITU emission designator is 50K0G1D.
The KickSat CubeSat has downlinks on 437.505 MHz and 2401-2436.2 MHz.
KickSat Sprite Ground Station by Andy Thomas G0SFJ http://kicksat.wordpress.com/support...round-station/
British Interplanetary Society: Sprite Technical Summary http://www.bis-space.com/2013/03/09/...hnical-summary
KickSat project information http://zacinaction.github.io/kicksat/
KickSat on KickStarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zacinaction/
kicksat-your-personal-spacecraft-in-space/
Check this site for the latest CRS 3 launch date http://spaceflightnow.com/tracking/


http://www.southgatearc.org/news/201...satellites.htm

United States Department of Defense has Released Electromagnetic Spectrum Strategy

The United States Department of Defense has released its complete 2013 Electromagnetic Spectrum Strategy. This to increase available spectrum in order to meet growing demand from the commercial wireless industry.

The release follows the release of a memorandum issued in 2010 by President Obama titled Unleashing the Wireless Broadband Revolution. In it the Department of Defense is required to make available 500 MHz of spectrum for commercial use by 2020.

It should be noted that a good number of amateur UHF and Microwave spectrum allocations are shared with the Department of Defense but at this point in time its not known what impact, if any, the release of the required 500 MHz could have on future ham radio operations.

You can read the entire Department of Defense Electromagnetic Spectrum Strategy document on line in PDF format at http://www.defense.gov/news/dodspectrumstrategy.pdf

Village of Swanton,Ohio is Appealing the States PRB-1

OHIO TOWN TAKES STATE PRB-1 LOSS APPEAL TO HIGHER COURT

An Ohio town is appealing the States PRB-1 like law into the court system. This after it lost an appeal by a ham who was given the right to put up an antenna that the municipality had denied. We have the latest from Amateur Radio Newsline’s Stephan Kinford, N8WB:

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On February 4th the Village of Swanton Ohio filed a notice of appeal of its intention to challenge the decision of the Fulton County Common Pleas Court in the case of Gary Wodtke versus the Village of Swanton.

The legal issue began when the Village denied Gary Woodtke’s tower application and Wodtke, who holds the call WW8N, appealed that decision to the Fulton County Common Pleas Court. The Court ruled in favor of Wodtke telling the Village that it must approve a variance to WW8N’s antenna support structure. Instead the Village is now appealing that order into the Court of Appeals for the Sixth District.

In its docketing statement the Village of Swanton asserts four potential issues including one that questions whether Revised Code Section enacted by H.B. 158, which is Ohio’s version of the Federal PRB-1 statute is constitutional. It also questions whether H.B. 158 was constitutionally applied in this case.

Ohio law grants a right of appeal from final decisions of a Common Pleas Court. Appellate decisions are heard by a three judge panel that is usually designated near the time for oral argument. Decisions normally take a number of months after oral arguments are made.

Appellate decisions are generally final, unless further review is granted by the Ohio Supreme Court. While such a Court of Appeals decision represents the law only in that appellate district, it has the ability to be used as a significant precedent in other Ohio courts. It also can be cited in cases in other states that have passed similar state versions of the FCC regulations that are outlined in the text of PRB-1.

Late word is that the ARRL has announced its intention to file a Friend of the Court brief on behalf of Woodtke. This is likely because of the long term potential a finding against WW8N might hold by impacting on any ham living anywhere in the United States.

WW8N is represented by Toledo attorney Carey Cooper and by Fred Hopengarten, K1VR. Hopengarten is considered a national authority on zoning law and amateur radio antenna issues.
 
source; Stephen Kinford, N8WB, in Wadsworth, Ohio.
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Donations to help cover WW8N's mounting legal costs can be sent to him through PayPal to ww8n73@centurylink.net .

It's a long complicated story, but this has been in the courts since 2008. And Gary still doesn't have his tower.

And this is NOT a CC&R or HOA issue! It's the city council who is stopping him at every turn. More details at http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php...ll-US-amateurs. Ignore all the thread hijackers and the incorrect assertions that "he shouldn't have moved into an HOA" because that is NOT the case here!  
W0BTU http://www.w0btu.com/

DX News

In DX comes word that JA1IST, will be on the air stroke FK from New Caledonia between February 25th and March 1st. His activity will be holiday style on High Frequency bands. QSL to his home callsign or via the bureau.

F5MNW will once again be operational stroke FR from Saint Leu between March 16th and April 8th. Activity will be on the HF bands using only CW. QSL via his home call either direct via the bureau.

F6ARC will be active stroke FG from Guadeloupe between March 11^th to the 23rd. Activity will be holiday style with a focus on the 30, 17 and 12 meter bands and the lower bands using 100 watts and operating Morse only. QSL via FE1IDX either direct or via the bureau.

ZL3TE will be operational as 3D2SE from Viti Levu Island between April 11th and the 14th. His main activity will be in the Japan International DX CW Contest on April 12th and 13th. Operations outside the contest will mainly be on CW, with some digital modes. QSL to ZL3TE or electronically via Logbook of the World.

G0VJG will be active stroke J6 from St. Lucia between June 5th and the 18th. Operation is likely to be on 40 through 10 meters using SSB only. If you make contact please QSL via G4DFI.

Lastly, several sources are reporting that a multi-national team will be on a DXpedition to Malawi as 7Q7Q sometime late November. This will include an entry in the CQ World Wide DX CW Contest. At airtime this operation seems to be headed up by ZS6RJ, and will be the same group that was active as 3DA0ET last year. Look for more details to be forthcoming in future newscasts.

WW8N Tower Court Case

This court case about a tower before a Federal court could affect the ability of amateurs everywhere to erect towers. READ THIS!

February Edition of the Ohio Section Journal
FROM THE STATE GOVERNMENT LIAISON..
---------------------------------

Village of Swanton Antenna Decision Appealed..

On February 4 the Village of Swanton filed a notice of appeal, appealing the decision of the Fulton County Common Pleas Court in the case of Wodtke v. Village of Swanton. The case is the first court case that we are aware of involving application of Ohio’s new antenna legislation, H.B. 158 (129th General Assembly). The Trial Court ordered the approval of an application to the village by Gary Wodtke, WW8N, for approval of an antenna variance. The Village denied the application and Mr. Wodtke appealed that decision to the Fulton County Common Pleas Court. The Court ruled in Mr. Wodtke’s favor and the Village is now appealing that order. In the docketing statement filed with the Court of Appeals the Village asserts four potential issues to be argued in the appeal, including whether Revised Code Section 5502.031, enacted by H.B. 158, is constitutional and whether it was constitutionally applied in this case.

Ohio law grants a right of appeal from final decisions of a common pleas court. The decision here is appealed to the Sixth District Court of Appeals, headquartered in Toledo. The appellate process involves first, filing the record of proceedings in the common pleas court, then briefs of each of the parties and, finally, a brief oral argument to the court. Appellate decisions are heard by a three judge panel that is usually designated near the time for oral argument. Decisions normally take a number of months after oral argument. Appellate decisions are generally final, unless further review is granted by the Ohio Supreme Court. While a court of appeals decision represents the law only in that appellate district, it carries significant precedential value in other Ohio courts and may also be cited in similar cases in other states.

Mr. Wodtke is represented by Toledo attorney Carey Cooper and by Fred Hopengarten, K1VR a noted authority on zoning and amateur radio antenna issues. ARRL leadership at the national level is also aware of the appeal. Scott Yonally, Ohio Section Manager and Jim Weaver, Great Lakes Division Director have enlisted support from the ARRL. In my discussion with League General Counsel, Chris Imlay, W3KD, it appears that the leadership of the League views this appeal as being one of precedential significance, not only for Ohio amateurs, but also for amateurs in other states that have passed state versions of FCC regulation PRB-1.

Discussions are ongoing regarding various ways to help bring this appeal to a successful conclusion. We will keep you informed as further developments occur.

source: Nick, K8NAP

ROTARIANS on the Air to Stop Polio

To celebrate the birthday of community service organization Rotary International and highlight its involvement in eradicating the disease polio, members of the organization will be on air on February the 22nd and 23rd with a number of special event stations.

All participating Rotarians on Amateur Radio throughout the world will call CQ Polio to commemorate the founding of Rotary International in 1905, and educate the public about Rotary's End Polio Now campaign.

Thanks to the vaccine developed by the late researcher Dr. Jonas Salk. Polio is no longer a problem in many nations. However it still remains a major threat to public health in a number of places around the globe. (WAI News)

Cubesats Deployed from International Space Station

Astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA, has successfully deployed the first of the 33 CubeSats that were launched to the International Space Station in the Cygnus freighter on January 9th. The Tuesday, February 11th deployment consisted of the first two of the Flock-1 constellation of 28 Dove CubeSats made by Planet Labs.

In addition to the 28 Planet Labs micro-birds, there are also four amateur radio CubeSats waiting to be placed on-orbit. These are LituanicaSat-1, LitSat-1, ArduSat-2 and UAPSat-1 as well as a 915 MHz CubeSat SkyCube. All are planned to be deployed in the coming weeks.

All South Africa License Renewals Due by February 28

South African Telecommunications Regulator ICASA has announced that the closing date for that nations radio amateurs to file their license renewal will be February 28th. This applies to all amateur radio licenses including repeaters and beacons. Failing to do so will result in cancellation of the license. According to the South African Radio League, this is also an opportunity to renew an amateur license for 5 years at a discounted rate. (SARL)
 

Peruvian IOTA DXpedition

In DX up front, word that a joint Peruvian expedition composed of members of the Radio Club Peruano and the Radio Club Grupo DX Bahia Blanca of Argentina, will be on the air from Isla San Lorenzo from February 20th to the 24th. The Island is located in the Pacific with the group signing the special call OC0I. The operators plan to have two stations active simultaneously 24 hours a day on 80 through 10 meters, including WARC bands. Modes mentioned include CW, SSB and PSK-31. QSL direct to LU7DSY or via the bureau to LU3DXG. Electronic QSL’s go via eQSL. 
source: Southgate
 

Cape II Amateur Radio Satellite Cube OSCAR 75 or LO-75

The Cape II ham radio satellite is now known as the University of Louisiana OSCAR 75 or LO-75. This according to OSCAR Number Administrator Bill Tynan, W3XO, who recently informed AMSAT mentor Nick Pugh, K5QXJ, of the decision.

The CAPE II ham satellite operates on 145.825 MHz FM with a CW beacon signing the call W5UL. The bird also includes a digipeaters, text to speech operation, a simplex repeater, e-mail and tweet functions. The ground station software can be downloaded at www.ulcape.org

DX News

In DX, UA4WHX is now active stroke CE0Z from Robinson Crusoe Island. As always, the length of his stay is unknown but he has been heard in the past on 80 through 10 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL via the information found on QRZ.com.

OE4AAC is reportedly on the air stroke 3B9 from RodriguesIsland and will be there through February 18th. Activity is holiday style on 40 through 10 meters using CW only. QSL via OE4AAC.

F5MVB and F5AOW are planning to be active as 5V7MP and 5V7BJ, respectively, from Avepozo, Togo from March 23rd to the 31st. Operations will be on CW and SSB. QSL via their home callsigns, either direct or by the Bureau.

G3XAQ be on the air from Kampala, Uganda, as 5X1XA between February 25th and March 16th. Activity will be CW only. QSL 5X1XA via G3SWH.

GM4YXI and GM3WOJ will be operational as A35X and A35V respectively, from TongatapuIsland between April 4th to the 18th. Activity will be on 160 through 10 meters using CW and SSB and some RTTY. QSL both A35V and A35X via N3SL

Lastly, M5RIC will be active stroke 5B from Cyprus between July 22nd and the 29th. His operation will include the RSGBIslands on the Air Contest slated for July 26th and the 27th using the callsign C4I. Outside of the contest, look for him on SSB and RTTY. QSL via M0OXO.

Revision of the Communications Act

According to United States Senator Mark Pryor of Tennessee, the Senate won’t be following the House’s lead this year to overhaul the sweeping law regulating TV, radio and all other telecommunications services.

The Communications Act, first written in 1934, created the Federal Communications Commission and outlined rules governing communications as it stood at that time. Over the years it has been amended on many occasions to try to keep up with emerging technologies. The Act was last updated in 1996, when the Internet was still in its infancy.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee has already begun to look into ways to bring the Communications Act into line with the needs of the 21st Century, but Pryor who is chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications said the overall Senate Commerce Committee probably will not be following suit.

Critics of the current Communications Act have said that it creates what they call silos for different type of communications. That they say has posed a problem for new technologies such as Voice over Internet Proytocol phone calls that are transmitted over broadband and other Internet lines.

The House of Representatives effort to rewrite the law is expected to take multiple years, and has only just gotten started. This past January an Energy and Commerce Subcommittee held its first hearing on the issue with five former FCC chairmen in attendance.

source: Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF

Amateur Radio Operators Responding to Slovenia Electricity Disruption

Since January 31st Slovenia has been affected by extreme cold weather such as blizzards, heavy snow and sleet. This has caused the collapse of power lines under the weight of ice and falling trees with electricity disruptions now affecting 250,000 people at the height of the outage. The restoration of electric mains supply was being made difficult by the continuing bad weather. This has prompted Slovenia to request assistance from the European Union in the form of mobile high power electric power generators.
While there has been no wide-spread national request for communications assistance Slovenian radio amateurs are preparing to respond if required. In the meantime a number of radio amateurs have been assisting in communications operations on a local community level. This, due to problems with the mobile phone service and other radio networks falling victim to the severe weather outbreak.
The European Union Civil Protection Mechanism has asked for assistance from nearby European states with Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria providing assistance. Because of uncertainty of both weather conditions and overall communications, the Austrian teams responding to Slovenia will be carrying their own gear so as to communicate back to their home bases using Pactor and Winlink.  

source; Heather Embee, KB3TZD