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Iraq to Be Back on the Air Later This Month (Nov 13, 2007) -- Diya Sayah, YI1DZ, President of the Iraqi Amateur Radio Society (IARS), announced today that effective November 20, all Amateur Radio activity will be "back to normal" in Iraq. Sayah said, "All Amateur Radio operators in Iraq who carry a valid Iraqi license will be able to use their radios according to regulations of IARU Region 1 and the IARS." Amateur Radio activity in Iraq was suspended in March of this year, with the suspension affecting both Iraqi citizens as well as any foreigners -- including military personnel and contractors -- who have been on the air from Iraq. The request to halt all ham radio activity and the issuance of licenses in Iraq originated with a letter from the Iraqi Ministry of Defense to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as part of a new security plan, Sayah said.
By Nick McClellan
Staff writer
http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/apps/p
Visalians driving south on Court Street just north of Caldwell Avenue may notice two skeletal misfits between the trees and houses on Oak View Drive.
But don't mind them — they are there so a father can talk to his son deployed overseas with the Marines.
Or at least that's what will happen after some further modifications.
Dan Woolman, who lives at 111 W. Oak View Drive and owns the 60-foot and 35-foot towers, first flipped the switch on ham radio at the age of 13. Now at 55, Woolman has resurrected his past enthusiasm for amateur radio in his retirement by investing more than $100,000 in top-of-the-line equipment and antennas.
"If there's one thing I enjoy, it's ham radio," said Woolman, whose call sign on the airwaves is W6ATR. "It's been a lifelong avocation for me."
Woolman is also involved in the Navy-Marine Corps Military Affiliate Radio System program, which sends messages to service men and women overseas.
He hopes that once he has placed an 80-meter antenna onto his larger tower he will on occasion be able to speak to his 18-year-old son Brett, who has recently completed his fifth week of training with the Marines.
"I'm pretty proud of my son," Woolman said. "He's quite a kid."
Woolman also wants to use the setup to help other families communicate with their loved ones who are in the military and overseas. That communication is usually through computer messages, called MARSGRAMS.
New technology has largely diminished the useful role ham radio once played in keeping military personnel in touch with their families back home.
"It has slowed down now with the advent of cellular telephones," said Wilbert Musselman, a fellow ham radio user in Goldsboro, N.C., who chats with Woolman on air. "But it's still active and [we're] doing a lot of computer correspondence now."
Woolman's friend Mike Meraz of Visalia advised him in the building of the towers.
One of the more difficult tasks, Meraz said, included the piecing together of each of the antenna elements on the ground and delicately placing and balancing them onto the boom, which is suspended in the air.
Though Woolman elicited some attention from the city of Visalia over the structural integrity of the towers, Meraz said the cement has been stress-pressured. Aside from tightening bolts to the boom that may become loosened by torque from the rotating antenna, the structures are sound, he said.
"If he wants to, he can drop [the towers] all the way down, and it can clear
the roof," Meraz said, which Woolman does do when high winds risk toppling the towers.
Woolman added that the towers are designed to withstand 70-mph winds, which are not frequent in the Valley. Woolman said the 80-meter antenna, will enable contact with his son and further participation with the military radio program. It operates at low voltage so it will not interfere with any of the neighbors' electronics.
He said he offers filters to anyone who tells him they suspect the signals are responsible for interference.
Meraz, who will help him place the antenna on the 60-foot tower, said the two plan to install it this month.
As far as the reception on the airwaves to Woolman's high-end hardware?
"By golly you have a good signal," said one broadcaster.
# The reporter can be reached at nmcclell@visalia.gannett.com
Staff writer
http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/apps/p
Visalians driving south on Court Street just north of Caldwell Avenue may notice two skeletal misfits between the trees and houses on Oak View Drive.
But don't mind them — they are there so a father can talk to his son deployed overseas with the Marines.
Or at least that's what will happen after some further modifications.
Dan Woolman, who lives at 111 W. Oak View Drive and owns the 60-foot and 35-foot towers, first flipped the switch on ham radio at the age of 13. Now at 55, Woolman has resurrected his past enthusiasm for amateur radio in his retirement by investing more than $100,000 in top-of-the-line equipment and antennas.
"If there's one thing I enjoy, it's ham radio," said Woolman, whose call sign on the airwaves is W6ATR. "It's been a lifelong avocation for me."
Woolman is also involved in the Navy-Marine Corps Military Affiliate Radio System program, which sends messages to service men and women overseas.
He hopes that once he has placed an 80-meter antenna onto his larger tower he will on occasion be able to speak to his 18-year-old son Brett, who has recently completed his fifth week of training with the Marines.
"I'm pretty proud of my son," Woolman said. "He's quite a kid."
Woolman also wants to use the setup to help other families communicate with their loved ones who are in the military and overseas. That communication is usually through computer messages, called MARSGRAMS.
New technology has largely diminished the useful role ham radio once played in keeping military personnel in touch with their families back home.
"It has slowed down now with the advent of cellular telephones," said Wilbert Musselman, a fellow ham radio user in Goldsboro, N.C., who chats with Woolman on air. "But it's still active and [we're] doing a lot of computer correspondence now."
Woolman's friend Mike Meraz of Visalia advised him in the building of the towers.
One of the more difficult tasks, Meraz said, included the piecing together of each of the antenna elements on the ground and delicately placing and balancing them onto the boom, which is suspended in the air.
Though Woolman elicited some attention from the city of Visalia over the structural integrity of the towers, Meraz said the cement has been stress-pressured. Aside from tightening bolts to the boom that may become loosened by torque from the rotating antenna, the structures are sound, he said.
"If he wants to, he can drop [the towers] all the way down, and it can clear
the roof," Meraz said, which Woolman does do when high winds risk toppling the towers.
Woolman added that the towers are designed to withstand 70-mph winds, which are not frequent in the Valley. Woolman said the 80-meter antenna, will enable contact with his son and further participation with the military radio program. It operates at low voltage so it will not interfere with any of the neighbors' electronics.
He said he offers filters to anyone who tells him they suspect the signals are responsible for interference.
Meraz, who will help him place the antenna on the 60-foot tower, said the two plan to install it this month.
As far as the reception on the airwaves to Woolman's high-end hardware?
"By golly you have a good signal," said one broadcaster.
# The reporter can be reached at nmcclell@visalia.gannett.com
The Amateur Radio license renewal application of computer hacker Kevin Mitnick, N6NHG, will get careful FCC scrutiny. But first, the FCC wants more information.
On June 1, FCC Special Counsel for Amateur Radio Enforcement Riley Hollingsworth told Mitnick's attorney that the FCC needs more information regarding the conditions of Mitnick's probation "in order to determine what action to take on his renewal application." He requested the information be provided within 20 days and indicated he would dismiss Mitnick's application if the information is not provided.
Mitnick was convicted of computer-related crimes and now is out on supervised release. Conditions of his release require that he stay away from computers and computerized devices.
Mitnick's attorney, R. Gregory Adlin, told Hollingsworth earlier this year that ham radio operation would not violate Mitnick's supervised release and that he would provide a letter from Mitnick's probation officer to that effect. Adlin noted that Mitnick's case "had nothing to do with any FCC violations" and that his plea agreement only covered some counts dealing with obtaining an unauthorized copy of some source code.
Hollingsworth says that since Mitnick filed a timely renewal application, his license remains valid until action is taken on the application. Mitnick's license expired last December 12.
Adlin also has asked for "a short delineation of what issues have been raised as to Mr. Mitnick's qualifications to obtain a ham radio license" and any supporting statutory or regulatory citations. Hollingsworth told Adlin that once he has all the necessary documentation in place, he would refer the matter to the FCC's Hearings and Investigations Division for a determination.
Note: Kevin is an infamous hacker who started his foray into the world of computers and communication systems through amateur radio. It should be interesting to see what happens with his license. More background on Mitnick here.
On June 1, FCC Special Counsel for Amateur Radio Enforcement Riley Hollingsworth told Mitnick's attorney that the FCC needs more information regarding the conditions of Mitnick's probation "in order to determine what action to take on his renewal application." He requested the information be provided within 20 days and indicated he would dismiss Mitnick's application if the information is not provided.
Mitnick was convicted of computer-related crimes and now is out on supervised release. Conditions of his release require that he stay away from computers and computerized devices.
Mitnick's attorney, R. Gregory Adlin, told Hollingsworth earlier this year that ham radio operation would not violate Mitnick's supervised release and that he would provide a letter from Mitnick's probation officer to that effect. Adlin noted that Mitnick's case "had nothing to do with any FCC violations" and that his plea agreement only covered some counts dealing with obtaining an unauthorized copy of some source code.
Hollingsworth says that since Mitnick filed a timely renewal application, his license remains valid until action is taken on the application. Mitnick's license expired last December 12.
Adlin also has asked for "a short delineation of what issues have been raised as to Mr. Mitnick's qualifications to obtain a ham radio license" and any supporting statutory or regulatory citations. Hollingsworth told Adlin that once he has all the necessary documentation in place, he would refer the matter to the FCC's Hearings and Investigations Division for a determination.
Note: Kevin is an infamous hacker who started his foray into the world of computers and communication systems through amateur radio. It should be interesting to see what happens with his license. More background on Mitnick here.
