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| The award-winning monthly publication of The Baltimore Radio Amateur Television Society P.O.Box 5915 Baltimore, MD 21282-5915 |
January, 2008
Germany: Repeaters disappearing at an alarming rate
Amateur Radio repeaters in Germany are disappearing, but not because there is nobody to use them. Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, has the details:
German hams are the unintended victim of denationalization of that nation’s tower site business and the new owners don’t seem to really want radio hams paying little to nothing to use their facilities.
It all began a few years ago. That’s when German telecommunications regulators decided that the country should get out of owning and maintaining what amounts to commercial towers. It sold them off to the private sector to a company known as DFMG Deutsche Funkturm. They are a German-based international radio site property management group.
About a year ago, DFMG notified the German ham radio community that it was putting several restrictions on their use of the company’s facilities. This included limiting ham radio installations at any given site to a maximum of four antennas with up to a 1 meter squared wind strength and use of no more than 100 watts of combined electric mains power.
Amateur Television Quarterly Magazine says that the hardest hit so far by these restrictions are the sponsors of systems that are very power demanding like fast scan ATV and a number of digital modes. Also hit are the national FM linked systems which require multiple radios and antennas at any given site. Much of this is already gone with ATV and packet hardest hit and linking by radio quickly becoming a legacy of the past. A number of FM systems have also had to go off the air or reduce coverage and it might not be over yet.
[AR Newsline via QRZ]
Foundation for Amateur Radio Invites Scholarship Applications
The non-profit Foundation for Amateur Radio (FAR) is now
accepting applications for 55 academic year 2008-2009 scholarships to assist radio amateurs pursuing higher education.
The deadline to apply is March 30, 2008. FAR fully funds three of scholarships and administers 41 others without cost
on behalf of various club and individual donors; grant income funds the remaining 11 awards. Amateur Radio licensees
pursuing a full-time course of study beyond high school and accepted by or enrolled in an accredited university,
college or technical school are eligible to apply. Scholarship grants range from $500 to $3000, and preference
in some cases goes to applicants living in particular geographical areas or pursuing certain studies. Non-US
residents are eligible to apply for some of the scholarships. FAR encourages clubs — especially those in
California, Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin — to announce these
scholarship opportunities at meetings, in newsletters, during training classes, on nets and on their Web
sites. More information and an application form may be requested by letter
via e-mail or by sending a QSL card postmarked prior to
March 30, 2008, to FAR Scholarships, PO Box 831, Riverdale, MD 20738. Headquartered in Washington, DC,
FAR consists of more than 75 area Amateur Radio Clubs. FAR is devoted to promoting the interests of
Amateur Radio and those scientific, literary and educational pursuits that advance the purposes of the
Amateur Radio Service.
Happy New Year!
| January, 2008 |  |
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