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| The award-winning monthly publication of The Baltimore Radio Amateur Television Society P.O.Box 5915 Baltimore, MD 21282-5915 |
March, 2008
Amateurs Visiting Australia May Operate Under Class License
According to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), Amateur Radio operators traveling to Australia who wish to operate in that country do not need to apply for an Australian Amateur Radio license. This new policy, effective February 15, 2008, allows amateurs who hold a non-Australian Amateur Radio license to operate up to 90 days under a Class Licence; licensees who will be in Australia for more than 90 days will need to apply for an Australian Amateur Radio license. -- Information provided by Roger Hickey, W6MSC
Winnipeg Amateur Prevails Over City
On 23 January 2008, Gilbert Restiaux, VE4GIL learned that the City of Winnipeg had dropped their objections to his tower. In 2002, Gil moved to a new neighbourhood. After checking with planning authorities in the city, he received their verbal agreement to erect a 48-foot tower and HF yagi in his back yard. Five years later, one of Gil’s neighbours complained to municipal authorities because he “did not like” the appearance of Gil’s tower.The neighbour lodged complaints by telephone twice a day every day for several months. The City of Winnipeg eventually laid two charges against Gil of violating Winnipeg’s zoning by-law. Gil hired a lawyer, did a great deal of research, and enlisted the help of Tim Ellam, VE6SH ofRAC’s Antenna Structures Committee. Tim provided Gil and his lawyer with documentary references that were of assistance to Gil’s lawyer in arguing that the city’s attempts to regulate Gil’s Amateur Radio antennas were beyond municipal jurisdiction. On 23 January, the day before Gil was scheduled to attend court on the matter of his tower, Kerri Tymchuk, a solicitor for the City of Winnipeg wrote to Gil’s lawyer informing him that the city “will not be pursuing this prosecution.” Although Not clearly stated in Tymchuk’s letter, Gil’s lawyer suggested that the City of Winnipeg understands it does not have jurisdiction over Amateur Radio antennas.
Garmin unveils touch-screen phone with GPS
Garmin, the nation’s leading maker of satellite-powered navigational devices, is getting into the wireless phone business with a handset that incorporates GPS.
“This is the breakthrough product that cellphone and GPS users around the world have been longing for — a single device that does it all,” said Cliff Pemble, the company’s president and chief operating officer. “We believe the Nuvifone will change the way people view converged devices in the future.”
Garmin, which is based in the Cayman Islands and has operational headquarters in suburban Kansas City, Mo., has long been a leader in the market for global positioning satellite technology.
New data from Telematics Research Group indicates that navigation-equipped phones will outsell navigational devices by next year.
Garmin is entering a market crowded with experienced players like Samsung, Motorola, Apple and Nokia — which is in the process of acquiring the company that provides Garmin’s digital maps, NavTeq.
Garmin and its chief rival, Netherlands-based TomTom, have been rumored for months to be working on cellphones. Mio Technology, another GPS company, said this week it was developing its own phone with chipmaker Qualcomm.
The Nuvifone, whose price has not been announced, will have a camera, wireless Internet surfing platform, MP3 player and 3.5-inch touch-screen display and give voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions.
| March, 2008 |  |
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