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Amplifier needed for International Space Station Contact in August
by Ken Owen 16 Jun '08

16 Jun '08

Hi folks: As most of you know, SBARC is arranging a special contact with an astronaut on the International Space Station and a local Boy Scout troop (tentatively set for the week of August 18 to 22). We have every element necessary for the primary station plus a back up station, except we need to borrow a couple of two-meter amplifiers. The ARISS folks require that we have 80 watt transmit capability on two-meters, and our radios will fall just short of this. So, we need your help! Please let me know if have an amplifier available that is capable of at least 80 watts. We will need to borrow it in the days leading up to the week of 8/18. This is your chance to help out on a very special SBARC event. Check out the "background" below and the attached draft application for more info. Thanks in advance! Ken Owen, N6KTH AMSAT Area Coordinator n6kth(a)n6kth.com (805) 448-5726 BACKGROUND: The history is as follows. Glenn Schiferl, a scout leader and head of the UCSB Physics computing services, approached co-worker Bob Pizzi (AC6PZ) and informed him that the astronaut on the next launch to the ISS wanted to do a contact from the ISS with a local BSA group. Bob said SBARC would back up the effort. Since an astronaut is requesting this contact, all of the normal approvals and application delays will be bypassed. We have arranged to have the contact take place on the patio on the roof of the physics building. There are plans in the works to involve the astronomy department and to include an educational component with the scouts. This could be a huge media event, and it's a great opportunity to set up the SBARC rover and spend the day promoting the club and amateur radio. NASA will promote this event as well. An ISS contact of this type involves kids submitting questions in advance, and a few get the opportunity to ask the questions of the astronaut. THE RADIO EQUIPMENT: There will need to be two, two-meter FM ham stations capable of space communications (see the attached block diagram). The primary station will have full tracking capability (azimuth & elevation rotors, tracking software and interface) a circularly polarized beam, pre-amps and a power amplifier. The backup station will only need to have an omni-directional antenna, but it will also need pre-amps and amps. Ken, N6KTH has the critical equipment necessary for the tracking station, and he, plus two of the other principle organizers all have Yaesu ft-847s that will be used as the rigs for both stations.

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The dim lights of congress
by Bill Talanian 12 Jun '08

12 Jun '08

It is not my intent to turn the SBARC ListServer into another UTube squash court of bouncing political rhetoric but there are times when something has so much humor to it that it is hard to resist. In the name of fun and entertainment on how to cut down on future RFI. ><http://youtube.com/watch?v=e-LOtKIIKcg>http://youtube.com/watch?v=e-LOtKIIKcg >

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Montecito Remote Base Progress
by Ken Owen 08 Jun '08

08 Jun '08

Hi folks: I am glad to announce that the Montecito Remote Base project is coming along quite nicely. Please visit the project web site to see great new photos of the equipment installed in the cabinet: http://www.n6kth.com/montecito We hope to have the system up for initial testing of the repeater in a week or two. For those who have not heard about the project, Ken, N6KTH, Matt, W6KGB, Calli, KD6OVS and Dave, K9KBX are the principle drivers behind an exciting initiative to install a remote base on Mountain Drive above Montecito. As it is currently envisioned, we will have a multi-band, multi-mode remote attached to a 440 repeater. This will be and OPEN SYSTEM for everyone to use. Matt just finished installing the equipment in the cabinet, and now Calli is beginning the process of making the electrical connections and integrating the equipment. Dave recently finished construction of a wooded enclosure at the site, and everyone had a hand in the laying of conduit and installing a temporary antenna. The system was recently featured in KeyKlix. The web site chronicles all of this, and includes detailed photos of the equipment, and maps showing the potential coverage of the system. Ken Owen, N6KTH.com http://www.n6kth.com/montecito

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Re: [Sbarc-list] CHP Position on the "Hands-Free" Wireless Telephone Laws
by AJSOENKE＠aol.com 06 Jun '08

06 Jun '08

Read the section on new drivers - kids in their first year of driving. There is specific restriction on any form of wireless communication with numerous devices listed. With that as context it appears that the new law for mature drivers does not limit use of those devices, only cellphones. I have some quotes from school district interview with CHP I'll try topublish as soon as Finals are over. Irregardless of the phone issue, there is an over-riding Vehicle code which makes it illegal to drive while being distracted for any other reason than prevailing traffic. Al **************Get trade secrets for amazing burgers. Watch "Cooking with Tyler Florence" on AOL Food. (http://food.aol.com/tyler-florence?video=4?&NCID=aolfod00030000000002)

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Re: [Sbarc-list] CHP Position on the "Hands-Free" Wireless Telephone L aws
by W6YN Don Milbury 05 Jun '08

05 Jun '08

You say you want an exception? There is a mention of "two-way radio" on the DMV Web site concerning this very issue. No pickups however! >From DMV FAQ: Q: What if my phone has a push-to-talk feature, can I use that? A: No. The law does provide an exception for those operating a commercial motor truck or truck tractor (excluding pickups), implements of husbandry, farm vehicle or tow truck, to use a two-way radio operated by a push-to-talk feature. http://www.dmv.ca.gov/cellularphonelaws/ 73, Don, W6YN -- Jay Hennigan <jay(a)west.net> wrote: W6YN Don Milbury wrote: > It is interesting to note that the term "Wireless or Cellular Telephone" does not appear in the Library of Congress - 'Standard Industrial Codes' however "Radiotelephone Communications" does. This is the major issue with the law as written. The CA Vehicle Code has a "Definitions" section, and *THAT* definition, if it existed, would be the definitive one. Unfortunately there is no definition of "wireless telephone". Further confusing the issue is the FCC emission designator "radiotelephone" used to describe all forms of voice transmission regardless of (lack of) connection to the public switched telephone network. Getting the law changed is going to be a major problem as it is a popular law with the "Hang up and drive" crowd, insurance companies, etc. IMNSHO, the easiest "fix" is an addition to the definitions section of the Vehicle Code clarifying that amateur, CB, business band, etc. transceivers are exempt. -- Jay Hennigan - CCIE #7880 - Network Engineering - jay(a)impulse.net Impulse Internet Service - http://www.impulse.net/ Your local telephone and internet company - 805 884-6323 - WB6RDV _______________________________________________

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Re: [Sbarc-list] CHP Position on the "Hands-Free" Wireless Telephone L aws
by W6YN Don Milbury 04 Jun '08

04 Jun '08

It is interesting to note that the term "Wireless or Cellular Telephone" does not appear in the Library of Congress - 'Standard Industrial Codes' however "Radiotelephone Communications" does. 73, Don, W6YN -- "Dennis Gibson" <wb6tnb(a)cox.net> wrote: Don - you've made an excellent point that I gave some thought to after reading the CHP e-mail. The CHP may regard amateur radio transceivers capable of making autopatch calls as wireless . Hopefully the ARRL and other amateur radio advocacy groups will work toward an interpretation that doesn't mention the possibility of amateur radio transceivers being wireless telephones. 73 ----- Original Message ----- From: "W6YN Don Milbury" <w6yn(a)juno.com> To: <sbarc-list(a)lists.netlojix.com> Cc: <wb6tnb(a)cox.net> Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2008 9:45 AM Subject: Re: [Sbarc-list] CHP Position on the "Hands-Free" Wireless Telephone Laws So it looks like you must be sure you wear your hands free headset while using the repeater phone patch or you may be cited. Without a specific amateur radio exemption in the law I think troubles are possible. ARRL (Don't worry - Be happy} should be working to have this exemption added to the law. 73, Don, W6YN

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Re: [Sbarc-list] CHP Position on the "Hands-Free" Wireless Telephone L aws
by W6YN Don Milbury 04 Jun '08

04 Jun '08

So it looks like you must be sure you wear your hands free headset while using the repeater phone patch or you may be cited. Without a specific amateur radio exemption in the law I think troubles are possible. ARRL (Don't worry - Be happy} should be working to have this exemption added to the law. 73, Don, W6YN "Dennis Gibson" <wb6tnb(a)cox.net> wrote: ------------------- The following was published in the CGC Communicator (issue #839; June 3, 2008), an e-mail newsletter for broadcast engineers in Southern California. Many broadcast engineers have amateur radio licenses. I have subscribed to the CGC Communicator for more than ten years and have always found it to be an extremely reliable source of information. CHP POSITION ON THE "HANDS-FREE" WIRELESS TELEPHONE LAWS CGC has been flooded with opinions on the subject of the "hands-free" wireless telephone laws that go into effect in California on July 1, 2008. However, two readers sent us copies of the following letter from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) that appears to be great news for not just ham radio operators, but two-way users in general. CGC has verified the authenticity of the following e-mail. While the following letter is not necessarily binding on non-CHP law enforcement officers, we plan to carry a copy of the letter in our two-way radio equipped vehicles to reduce our chances of becoming a legal test case come July 1. ****************************************************************** CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL E-MAIL Date: Tue, 27 May 2008 07:48:20 -0700 From: Fran Clader <FClader(a)chp.ca.gov> Subject: Re: New Cell Phone Laws - July 1, 2008 The new cell phone laws involve only wireless telephones. They do not concern radios such as your (Amateur Radios), unless they are also wireless telephones. Again, the law only applies to wireless telephones. Thanks for your inquiry. If you have any further questions, please give us a call. Or, you can call your local San Diego area CHP office. Fran Clader Commander Office of Media Relations California Highway Patrol (916) 657-7202

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CHP Position on the "Hands-Free" Wireless Telephone Laws
by Dennis Gibson 03 Jun '08

03 Jun '08

The following was published in the CGC Communicator (issue #839; June 3, 2008), an e-mail newsletter for broadcast engineers in Southern California. Many broadcast engineers have amateur radio licenses. I have subscribed to the CGC Communicator for more than ten years and have always found it to be an extremely reliable source of information. CHP POSITION ON THE "HANDS-FREE" WIRELESS TELEPHONE LAWS CGC has been flooded with opinions on the subject of the "hands-free" wireless telephone laws that go into effect in California on July 1, 2008. However, two readers sent us copies of the following letter from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) that appears to be great news for not just ham radio operators, but two-way users in general. CGC has verified the authenticity of the following e-mail. While the following letter is not necessarily binding on non-CHP law enforcement officers, we plan to carry a copy of the letter in our two-way radio equipped vehicles to reduce our chances of becoming a legal test case come July 1. ****************************************************************** CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL E-MAIL Date: Tue, 27 May 2008 07:48:20 -0700 From: Fran Clader <FClader(a)chp.ca.gov> Subject: Re: New Cell Phone Laws - July 1, 2008 The new cell phone laws involve only wireless telephones. They do not concern radios such as your (Amateur Radios), unless they are also wireless telephones. Again, the law only applies to wireless telephones. Thanks for your inquiry. If you have any further questions, please give us a call. Or, you can call your local San Diego area CHP office. Fran Clader Commander Office of Media Relations California Highway Patrol (916) 657-7202

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successful cold-fusion ?
by ke6dcj 02 Jun '08

02 Jun '08

A respected scientist replicated in front of 60 individuals consisting of scientific journalists and other scientists an experiment that showed cold-fusion for over 50-hrs: http://physicsworld.com/blog/2008/05/coldfusion_demonstration_a_suc_1.html If true, the impact, although probably 5-10 years away, could be revolutionary . . . 73's, :-) neil KE6DCJ

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Bryan Watt, WA6JFM
by Bill Talanian 31 May '08

31 May '08

Introduction: For those of you who remember, Bryan Watt, WA6JFM, was the former owner of the 147.945 Repeater at Gibraltar Peak. Leila Srour, MD, was employed at Sansum before they decided to pull up stakes and go to Laos. Brian was active with SBARC and several Club projects when he resided in Santa Barbara as a EE. He later went to Brooks which provided him with the skills to launch another career. My former experience in Laos many years ago was quite different in an extremely poor country which was torn by political factions and war. Glad to see that one of our own is helping to make a difference. Bill Talanian Emacs! "Bryan Watt graduated with a Bachelor and Master of Science in Photography from the Brooks Institute of Photography. He was an honor roll student, on the President's list, and received the First Year Award. At graduation, he was presented with a Departmental award and the Achievement Award - the highest award presented by the Brooks Institute of Photography. After graduation, Bryan taught photography for several years at the Brooks Institute of Photography. Bryan believes a socially responsible photographer leaves with a part of the soul; and in return must give by helping those in need. Bryan helps to arrange medical care at the local level, provincial level, and national level. and has even helped Lao children to travel overseas for heart surgery and facial-reconstructive surgery. Bryan donates all the proceeds from his photography to the <http://www.bryanwatt.com/fund/fund.htm>Bryan and Leila's Lao Children's Fund. Bryan and his wife Leila Srour, a pediatrician have been living in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos) since 2002." For more information go to: http://www.bryanwatt.com/ Santa Barbara News Press Page D1 Children of Laos May 27, 2008 12:00 AM Brooks Institute is hosting a fundraiser to help Brooks graduate Bryan Watt and his wife, Leila Srour, rebuild a school and children's center in Laos. A photographic exhibition of prints is on view through July 10 at the Brooks Institute Cota Street Gallery, 27 E. Cota Street. From 5 to 8 p.m. on June 5, all work will be auctioned at the free event, which coincides with the Downtown Organization's 1st Thursday art walk. Proceeds will go to the project for the children of Laos. In the northern city of Muang Sing in Laos near the Chinese border, there is a temporary classroom structure built out of sticks with a thatched roof. The Watts' objective is to rebuild a permanent school with a center for 286 kids. Gallery hours are 8 to 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekends. For more information, call 690-7612.

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