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| The award-winning monthly publication of The Baltimore Radio Amateur Television Society P.O.Box 5915 Baltimore, MD 21282-5915 |
January, 2009
FCC Calls on Amateur Radio Service for Assistance with Digital TV Conversion
Earlier this week, the ARRL received a request from the FCC asking that ARRL members to provide technical
educational assistance to their communities concerning the FCC-mandated digital television
(DTV) conversion scheduled for February 17, 2009.
South Africa to launch satellite
South Africa's second satellite carrying an amateur radio element is now scheduled to be launched on
25 March. SumbandilaSat will carry an FM voice repeater with an uplink in the 2 metre band and a
downlink in the 440MHz amateur allocation. Also on board will be a store and forward voice digipeater.
This unit acts as a parrot, immediately repeating back transmissions beamed to it in the same way a
packet digipeater repeats back data. Finally, there will also be a beacon system. It will be voice rather
than the more common Morse. More details can be found at www.amsatsa.org.za. [RSGB]
DAYTON HAMVENTION 2009: AWARDS NOMINATIONS SOUGHT
The Dayton Hamvention now is accepting nominations for its 2009 Radio Amateur of the
Year, Special Achievement, and Technical Excellence awards. The Radio Amateur of the
Year Award is presented to an individual who has made a long-term, outstanding
commitment to the advancement of Amateur Radio. The Technical Excellence Award is for
the person who has made an outstanding technical advancement in the field of Amateur
Radio. The Special Achievement Award honors someone who has made an outstanding
contribution to the advancement of Amateur Radio by spearheading at least one significant
project. All amateur radio operators are eligible. The Hamvention Awards Committee makes
the decision on all awards based in part upon the information it receives and not on the number
of nominations submitted for a given individual. Documentation that informs the Awards
Committee of a candidate's accomplishments may include magazine articles, newsletters,
newspaper clippings, and even videos. These materials become the property of Hamvention
and cannot not be returned. The deadline for nominations is February 18, 2009 with the
winners recognized next May at the Hamvention. Additional details on these awards and a
nomination form are available on the Dayton Hamvention Web site at www.hamvention.org.
Nominations also are accepted via U-S mail to Dayton Hamvention Awards, PO Box 964,
Dayton, Ohio, 45401. (DARA)
Congressional Committee Members Release Report Lambasting FCC Chairman Kevin Martin
On Tuesday, December 9, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce -- the congressional committee that oversees
the Federal Communications Commission -- released its majority staff report "on the bipartisan investigation
of the FCC's regulatory processes and management practices." The report --
Deception and Distrust:
The Federal Communications Commission under Chairman Kevin J. Martin -- stated that the
investigation was prompted "by allegations to the effect that [FCC] Chairman Kevin J. Martin has abused
FCC procedures by manipulating or suppressing reports, data and information."
BRATS Holiday Party Success, All Re-elected!
December 16 saw all the officers and board members re-elected during our fabulous holiday party.
Half of the Board will continue through December, 2009, while the rest of the board will be extended through December, 2010. (See lists of Board members and officers on page 2.)
Happy New Year to All!
| January, 2009 |  |
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