Subj : Newsline Part 1 To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Fri May 12 2017 07:09 pm Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2063 for Friday, May 12, 2017 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2063, with a release date of Friday, May 12 2017, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. The FCC gets a strong dose of malicious interference. AMSAT-Sweden reaches a milestone year -- and our top story, which looks at the impact of hands-free legislation on hams with mobile rigs. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2063 comes your way right now. ** BILLBOARD CART ** BREAKING NEWS - ABC CANCELS LAST MAN STANDING There is breaking news just released as this newscast was going to air. ABC has cancelled the Tim Allen sitcom LAST MAN STANDING after 6 years. Also, The CW pulled the plug on their drama FREQUENCY following it's first season. Both shows featured amateur radio in their plots. LAST MAN STANDING reruns are currently in syndication. We will have more details as they become available. Don Wilbanks, AE5DW reporting. Jim... JIM DAMRON/ANCHOR: We open this week's report with a look at mobile communications. With mobile rigs being second nature to so many radio amateurs, the crackdown by localities on motorists' cellphones and hands-free communications is starting to have an impact. Amateur Radio Newsline's Paul Braun, WD9GCO, has the story of how one group of hams in Arizona is dealing with it. PAUL: With the rise of cellphone usage, many states and communities are passing ordinances banning their use in cars without a hands-free device. However, as Jay Melnick, KB0TS, of the Radio Society of Tucson, Arizona points out, hams must remain diligent to make sure that amateur radio doesn't get caught up in the ban: MELNICK: The Tucson City Council approved a 5-2 new ban on using cellphones while driving, and that ban came into effect on May 1st. Well, we all agree that distracted driving and driving with a cellphone is dangerous and should be dealt with, but the way I see it, and the way we see it, is a lot of city councils or county commissioners are so gung-ho that they jump too quick, and they don't realize that there are people, mainly amateur radio operators, that need the equipment, and they're very helpful to law enforcement and civil defense and public defense. Under the new ordinance passed, anyone caught using a cellphone while driving will get a $250 fine for the first offense, and that doesn't involve an accident. If you are involved in an accident, that's $500 for a second violation, and any subsequent violations and the minimum fine for anybody involved in a vehicle accident while using a cellphone will be $500. They're also making it a secondary offense, so you cannot be stopped if law enforcement just sees you talking on your cellphone and driving around. But when they initially put this together, they didn't think about amateur radio operators, and other people who are operating two-way radio equipment, and a lot of the people in Tucson and Pima County, Arizona got together, especially hams, and brought it to the attention of the Pima County Sheriff's Department, and we finally got something from Chief Karl Woodridge of the Pima County Sheriff's Operations Bureau, and it says that the Pima County Handheld Device Ordinance 10-34 will not affect the use of two-way radios. In the Ordinance, a hand-held electronic device will be defined as being designated to engage in calls (cell phones) rather than radio transmissions. He has forwarded this information to their training personnel to ensure that the distinction "two-way radios vs. cellphones" is clearly explained to the deputies. They also went on to say that "the intent of this law is to prohibit calls and texting, not to interfere with drivers making radio transmissions. This falls under the "reasonableness" aspect of our enforcement efforts." PAUL: Well, now the officials know: there are cell phones, and then there are ham radios - two different technologies, born of two different missions. Who better than hams to set the record straight that casual texting or talking isn't the same thing as needing to be on the air? When that understanding results in a reasonable adjustment being made to a very reasonable law, everyone is bound to benefit. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO. Posted by VPost v1.7.081019 .