June 29, 2007 by kb3ljm.

First some get well soon wishes to QCWA President and 1991 Radio Amateur of the Year John B. Johnston, W3BE. John is back at his Maryland home recuperating from heart bypass surgery on Thursday, June 8th. According to word from the QCWA the operation went well and he should be fine after his recovery period. Get well wishes can be sent to W3BE at his callbook address. (ARNewslineT, QCWA)

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June 29, 2007 by kb3ljm.

The United States Department of Homeland Security has reportedly launched an initiative asking the wireless industry about the potential for equipping a new generation of cellular telephones with technology to scan and detect harmful compounds in the environment and automatically relay the readings to a central monitoring point. According to the CGC Communicator, the concept, known as “Cell-All,” is said to have attracted the interest of several companies, and partnerships with handset manufacturers are being discussed. More is on-line at http://public.cq.com/docs/hs/hsnews110-000002524221.html (CGC) [AR NEWSLINE]

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June 29, 2007 by kb3ljm.

Sen Mark Pryor of Arkansas filed a bill yesterday in the US Senate calling on the Federal Communications Commission to conduct a study on the interference caused by broadband Internet transmission over power lines, otherwise known as BPL. Sen Pryor is a member of the Senate’s Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2007/06/15/101/

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June 29, 2007 by kb3ljm.

Baltimore could be one of Southwest’s first international gateways once that carrier begins selling international tickets through its partner airlines. The Baltimore Sun (free registration) writes that Southwest “expects to offer connections to Europe through Baltimore-Washington International … by 2010, its chief executive said yesterday.” The Sun adds that Southwest CEO Gary Kelly says the airline will expand its current passenger-sharing alliance with ATA to offer international flights to places such as Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean by 2009. “We promise to do that,” Kelly is quoted as saying by the Sun.

The paper adds that “similar marketing arrangements, called codesharing, that would allow Southwest to sell tickets to Europe could come shortly after that, once the airline upgrades its computer systems to allow multiple partnerships, (Kelly) said.” As Southwest’s fourth-busiest city and its top East Coast base, Kelly says Baltimore could make a good launching point for international service, according to the Sun.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/sky/2007/06/swa_bwi_europe.html?csp=34

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June 29, 2007 by kb3ljm.

Intel’s new flash memory chip was supposed to rev up PC performance and sales. But a month after its release, Intel’s so-called Turbo Memory appears to be having trouble getting up to speed. The technology is getting the cold shoulder from some PC vendors, most notably from Hewlett-Packard , the world’s No. 1 PC maker, which has declared that it’s not interested in Turbo Memory right now. The lukewarm reception is in contrast to the praise Intel has received for the string of new chips it has unleashed over the past year, which has allowed the company to regain market share from rival Advanced Micro Devices and sent its stock up more than 30% in the past 12 months. The slow start also raises questions about the long-awaited marriage between NAND flash memory and the PC, something Intel was expected to inaugurate with the introduction of Turbo Memory. “It’s pretty fair to say that the whole flash-enhanced [PC] performance … story has lost a lot of momentum,” says Richard Shim, an analyst at industry research firm IDC.He cites the newness of the technology in PCs and the corresponding difficulties in how to properly measure its performance, as well as the rock-bottom prices of alternatives like DRAM memory, for Turbo Memory’s struggles. Turbo Memory is based on NAND flash, a type of memory that is popular in gadgets such as MP3 players and digital cameras. Inside a PC, the thinking goes, NAND flash can speed up the time it takes for software to boot up, as well as offer longer battery life.

http://www.thestreet.com/newsanalysis/itmanagement/10363617.html?puc=_tscs

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June 29, 2007 by kb3ljm.

July 28 – 29

RSGB IOTA Contest

Aug. 4-5

10-10 Int’l Summer Contest, SSB
North Amer. QSO Party, CW
ARRL UHF Contest

August 5

SARL HF Phone Contest

Aug. 11-12

WAE DX Contest, CW

Aug. 18-19

SARTG WW RTTY Contest
ARRL 10GHz and Up Contest
North Amer. QSO Party, SSB

August 26

SARL HF CW Contest

September 1

AGCW Straight Key Party

September 2

DARC 10-Meter digital Contest

Sept. 3-4

MI QRP Labor Day CW Sprint

http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html

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June 29, 2007 by kb3ljm.

President George W. Bush announced his intention to nominate Deborah Taylor Tate to a full term as a Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission. Tate is currently serving out the remainder of former FCC Chairman Michael Powell. Current FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said of Bush’s announcement, “If confirmed, I look forward to continuing to work closely with Commissioner Tate. She has served admirably at the Commission for the past year and a half, and I appreciate her continued dedication to public service. Debi brings important insight to the Commission, including her distinguished career as a leader in state government. Her thoughtfulness, dedication, and leadership have made Debi an invaluable member of the Commission.” Among her responsibilities, Tate serves as Chair of both the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service (Universal Service Joint Board) and the Federal-State Joint Board on Jurisdictional Separations.

http://www.arrl.org/?artid=7534

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June 29, 2007 by kb3ljm.

This Week in Consumer Electronics (TWICE) reports that Kenwood has agreed to merge in 2008 with Victor Company of Japan (JVC) under a holding company.  JVC is owned by Matsushita Electric Industrial Company.  Japan’s Nikkei business newspaper reports that the final details should be worked out by the end of the month, and that under the plan, Kenwood will buy 20 billion yen ($161,469,466) in JVC shares as early as this summer, raising its stake to 13 percent. Matsushita will also sell part of its 52.7 percent of JVC to Kenwood’s top shareholder, the Sparx Group.  When JVC and Kenwood integrate operations under the holding company in 2008, Matsushita will sell the rest of its JVC shares to the holding company to complete the transaction. The holding company’s stock will be listed instead of Kenwood and JVC, according to Nikkei. Combined, Kenwood’s and JVC’s sales are $7.3 billion dollars annually for their fiscal year that ended March 31.

http://www.arrl.org/?artid=7540

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June 29, 2007 by kb3ljm.

Sunday, October 28, Westminster, MD Mason-Dixon Hamfest, Carroll Co. AG Center (145.41/R) http://www.qis.net/mdhfest.html

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June 29, 2007 by kb3ljm.

Sunday, October 7, West Friendship, MD CARA Hamfest, Howard County Fairgrounds 147.135/R – PL 156.7) http://www.carafest.org

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