RAC Bulletin 110226

RAC Ontario Section Bulletin for February 26, 2011
NATIONAL NEWS
1. Request for Plasma TV Information
RAC is compiling information on possible interference to amateur HF
activities from plasma-screen television sets.  Members that own a
plasma TV are invited to report their experiences. 
Reports should name the make and model of TV, and describe the HF
station and antenna system and the exact nature of the interference
(what bands, what sound etc).  Remedies such as ferrite chokes should
also be tried and reported.  Amateurs with advanced instruments such
as spectrum analyzers and calibrated antennas should measure signal
intensity levels at given distances; these measurements will add
credibility to our investigation.  We also want to hear from amateurs
whose plasma TVs are NOT interfering with their amateur radio
operations.  Please mention if a label on the TV or notation in the
manual indicates that the TV complies with ICES 003 and/or BETS 7
standards.  Send reports to Norm Rashleigh, VE3LC, VP Industrial
Liaison,  ve3lc (at) rac (dot) ca
-- RAC Bulletin Service

ONTARIO SECTION NEWS
2. GLETN Time Change
Effective March 1st, the Great Lakes Emergency and Traffic Net will
hold its pre-net at 8:00 pm, and the main net at 8:30 pm, Eastern
Time.  GLETN meets on 3.932 MHz, 365 nights a year.
-- via Shawn, VE3PSV

ITEMS OF INTEREST
3. Transatlantic 500 KHz ROS Contact
 
At 2134GMT on 13 February, Joe, VO1NA managed a full beacon decode
from Graham, G0NBD on 502kHz using the new digital mode ROS  It is
believed this was the first live data mode decoded over the Atlantic
on this band.  The transmission was sent with an estimated ERP of 1
watt from a 35ft top loaded vertical.
At just over a year old the ROS data mode is relatively new and uses
an adaptation of multiple frequency shift keying and forward error
correction to help make successful contacts under very difficult band
conditions.   For more information visit rosmodem.wordpress.com
-- Amateur Radio Newsline
4. Transatlantic Ham Radio Balloon
The new LVL1 Makerspace in Louisville, Kentucky is preparing to
launch Speedball-1, which may be the first amateur radio balloon to
cross the Atlantic.  The balloon will transmit RTTY and DominoEX on
upper sideband with dial frequency of 7.102 MHz.  The actual signal
will be on 7.1035 MHz and the transmitter will alternate between
110bps RTTY and the DominoEX digital mode.  Free dl-fldigi decoder
software to follow the balloon's progress is at tinyurl.com/4lplegv
The launch date has not been announced, but it will be soon, as they
are racing against Cornell University's Project Blue Horizon.  For
more information visit www.whitestarballoon.com
-- Amateur Radio Newsline
5. Satellite Tracker Web Page
Carl Fretwell's web page offers satellite tracking -- including
amateur satellites -- and orbital predictions in real-time. Just
select a satellite from the drop down list and click the Track
button, to track up to 5 satellites.  Find it at
www.carlfretwell.com/satellites
-- AMSAT News