Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (B
To : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Thu Feb 27 2020 10:18 pm
'SMART METER' INTERFERENCE STILL AN ISSUE FOR ST. KITTS
JIM/ANCHOR: National regulators in St. Kitts have been called in to
help contain interference the local utility company has caused hams
on the island. John Williams, VK4JJW, has been following that story.
JOHN: The Saint Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla Amateur Radio Society has been
locked in an ongoing battle over RF interference, jamming and noise,
but the group's nemesis hasn't been a problematic ham or group of
hams: It's been the so-called "smart meters" installed by the
electric company on the island of St. Kitts. "Smart meters" keep
track of a customer's use of electric energy, and relay the data to
the utility for billing and monitoring purposes.
The leadership of the radio society has plans to meet with the
National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, or NTRC, within
the next few weeks to attempt to resolve the issue. The hams are
receiving guidance and support, meanwhile, from officials at Region
2 of the International Amateur Radio Union.
Despite the fact that the NTRC sent the electric company a "cease
and desist" order more than four months ago, St. Kitts hams continue
to report issues on 40 metres, and 80 metres.
There are no "smart meters" on the island of Nevis.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm John Williams, VK4JJW.
(IARU REGION 2)
**
INSTITUTE FOR BROADCASTING TECHNOLOGY TO SHUT
JIM/ANCHOR: The Institute for Broadcasting Technology, an important
radio resource, is closing its doors at the end of the year - though
some are trying to save it. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, has the details.
ED: An on-line petition has been set-up to save the Institute for
Broadcasting Technology, which is to be closed-down at year's end.
The institute, which has its headquarters in Munich-Freimann, serves
public broadcasting companies in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland,
with its research. Much of its work has focused on radio, TV, and
internet technology, but it has also addressed amateur radio concerns
with its study of RFI from LED lamps. That research was published on
the website of a regional radio station, and generated discussion in
other mainstream media.
IRT shareholders are ending their partnership agreement on December
31st. If you wish to sign the online petition, see the script for
this week's newscast on our website arnewsline.org.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP.
[for print only: Petition:
https://weact.campact.de/petitions/das-institut-fur-rundfunktechnik-muss-
erhalten-bleiben
(above URL all on one line)
Explanatory text in English:
https://rundfunk.verdi.de/++file++5e43c54cadbc719bab5ad993/download/
Petition%20IRT%20English%20version.pdf]
(above URL all on one line)
(DARC)
**
FOR THE ISS, ANTENNA ASSISTANCE FROM THE UK
JIM/ANCHOR: Something arrived recently on the International Space
Station, from the UK, and it will make communications home that much
easier for the astronauts. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, tells us more.
JEREMY: Thanks to a recent special delivery to the International
Space Station, astronauts will be able to make contact with their
families, and with scientists, using home broadband speeds. A
communications antenna, manufactured by MDA UK, was delivered to
the ISS earlier this month, aboard a Cygnus freighter, and marks
the UK's first industrial contribution to the ISS.
In just a few weeks, the antenna will be installed on the outside
of Europe's ISS science module, where it is expected to help deliver
improved radio links. It will route video, voice, and data, to the
ground, making use of satellites that are actually higher in the sky
than the ISS.
David Kenyon, the managing director of MDA UK, based in Oxfordshire,
told the BBC that, for now, communications from Columbus will continue
to go through the American data relay satellites. He noted, however,
that those satellites are prioritized for U.S. use.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.
(BBC)
**
NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR
JIM/ANCHOR: We remind our listeners that the nomination period opens
on March 1st, for this year's Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, Young Ham of
the Year Award. This recognition -- for talented, community-conscious
amateurs, 18 or younger, living in the US or Canada -- was established
in 1986 by Bill, Newsline's cofounder, in 1986. For details, and this
year's nomination form, visit our website arnewsline.org
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