Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (A)
To   : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Fri Feb 14 2020 13:28:41

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2207, for Friday, February 14th, 2020

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2207, with a release date of
Friday, February 14th, 2020, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. New questions are raised over FCC testing for
RF exposure. Hams in India assess their cyclone readiness -- and get
ready to send young amateurs to radio camp. All this and more, as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2207, comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART

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NEW QUESTIONS RAISED OVER TESTING FOR RF EXPOSURE

PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week with a story about wireless safety.
The FCC requires all wireless devices sold in the U.S., including
ham radio equipment, to demonstrate that even at maximum power,
their RF exposure is below the minimum allowable level of Specific
Absorption Rate or SAR, for safety. A recent test of mobile phones'
RF levels, however, has raised doubts about the testing process
itself. Kent Peterson, KC0DGY, has that story.

KENT: In an investigation conducted last year by RF Exposure Labs
for the Chicago Tribune newspaper, a number of phones from Apple,
Samsung, and Motorola, were discovered to exceed the FCC's SAR
limit. A subsequent investigation done by the FCC, however, failed
to corroberate those findings. The lab used phones purchased from
retailers; the FCC received its phones directly from the manufacturers
themselves.

More recently, a test by the lab for Penumbra Brands - which sells
mobile-phone protection devices - found an iPhone 11 Pro also
exceeded the allowable levels. That test drew its conclusions based
on the study of a single phone that had been purchased at retail.

The IEE Spectrum reported on these developments on its website on
February 7th. None of the phones' manufacturers were reached for
comment.

A University of California Berkeley researcher told the IEEE,
however, that regardless of whose findings end up being valid,
the real fix needs to be made at the FCC. Researcher Joel
Moskowitz said the agency's testing for RF exposure needs to be
made more comprehensive -- and brought into the 21st century.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson, KC0DGY.

(IEEE SPECTRUM, FCC.GOV)

**

HAMS IN INDIA FIELD-TEST FLOOD, CYCLONE READINESS

PAUL/ANCHOR: With tropical cyclones and floods an ever-present
threat in the Indian state of Odisha, amateur radio operators
there have a special commitment to readiness. John Williams,
VK4JJW, tells us what's on their agenda next.

JOHN: Chilika Lake Sea Mouth Island, in Odisha, is usually
uninhabited, but from the 14th to the 16th of February, it will
be occupied by a small group of amateur radio operators on a
mission. The Amateur Radio Society of Odisha is conducting its
second annual field day in a cyclone- and flooding-preparedness
exercise. Using battery packs and solar panels, and working in
tents, the hams are calling QRZ on 40, 20, and 10 meters, simulating
a post-disaster scenario. Gurudatta Panda, VU3GDP, told Newsline in
an email, that this kind of preparedness proved invaluable when
Cyclone Fani struck in 2019. He said that coincidentally, the storm
made landfall last spring near the field day location, barely a
month after the field day exercise had concluded.

The location is ideal for such an exercise, he said. It provides a
noise-free environment, along with the adventure of operating on the
shore of one of the Asia's largest brackish water lakes, where it
meets the sea.

All contacts will receive QSL cards. For more details, visit the
society's website arso dot org dot in (arso.org.in)

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm John Williams, VK4JJW.

PAUL/ANCHOR: To see a video of last year's field day, and get a look
at the beauty of the activation site, see the printed version of this
newscast on our website arnewsline.org, where we have added a link to
the YouTube video.

[do not read aloud:] 2019 Field Day Video- https://youtu.be/uXi5iWEwc2g

(GURUDATTA PANDA VU3GDP)
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