News Roundup

BPL THE HOT TOPIC FOR JULY ARRL BOARD SESSION
President Bush is solidly behind BPL as part of his roadband technology initiative despite ARRL President and the ARRL's plea for him to reconsider.

Democratic challenger John Kerry's campaign position speaks of a variety of technologies for broadband but does not directly mention BPL. Haynie concedes the way the political winds are blowing, some form of BPL activity
is likely to be approved. But the 64-thousand-dollar questions are: How much and where?

ASCII DEVELOPER NOW S.K.
Bob Bemer, a computer pioneer who published warnings of the Y2K problem in the early 1970s and helped invent a widely used coding system, has died.

While not a radio amateur, Bemer played a major role in how the world's computers operate and indirectly, in how hams communicate today. He also helped develop the ASCII coding system that is used to represent letters, numbers and other characters in the data world. He also contributed the escape key and the backslash to the computer language.

RESCUE RADIO INTERNATIONAL
INDIA
VU2HIT reports that soon after floods hit in Assam & Bihar last week, Mumbai Amateur Radio Society received an SOS call from the Deputy Secretary, National Centre of Disaster Management.

Mumbai Amateur Radio Society immediately responded and 5 members of MARS ARES Team were immediately mobilised.

VU2NLF, VU2UGO, VU3AUA, VU2IZO and VU2OZO took the first available flight to Patna via New Delhi, from where they were airlifted by helicopter to various points in the far flung submerged district.

MARS ARES team hams communicated vital information to a base station using both RT and digital modes which were also being monitored at MARS MUMBAI CONTROL.

NEW RADIO CLUB GETS ON AIR
The Four-One-Seven (417) Squadron of the Australian Air Force Cadets based in the southern Melbourne suburb of Sandringham has set up an amateur radio station under the club callsign of VK3AIR.

Their leader Theo Kalkandis VK3AP reports that 16 cadets recently took part in the Radio Telephony exercise comprising of basic antenna theory, propagation, and radio operational procedures.

About six of the cadets are keen and showing some interest in the Foundation Licence that is to be introduced around April next year.

Theo VK3AP says the Four-One-Seven Squadron is the first Australian Air Force Cadets to have an amateur radio club station and Theo VK3AP is seeking to encourage other squadrons to follow suit.
(Jim Linton)

INDIA
MAHESH KULKARNI tells us another Gandhi is now a Ham Radio Operator. Sonia Gandhi, the leader of India's Congress Party, which won in May's General Election, is a licensed radio amateur with the callsign VU2SON.

Mrs. Gandhi is the widow of assassinated former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi, VU2RG, who was himself an active radio amateur.

UNITED KINGDOM
Following further talks with Ofcom, the RSGB anticipate that their 100 kHz extension to the 40m band as agreed at WRC03 will come on stream at the end of October. This will extend the current frequency allocation in the band from 7000 - 7100 kHz to 7200 kHz.

Source: Wireless Institute of Australia

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