First of all we extend to you our heartiest wishes for the new year and millennium. Let us work towards the survival and growth of our beautiful hobby. May it continue to fill our lives with joy and satisfaction. The last century saw the beginning of radio communication and with it amateur radio. Our hobby, and indeed art, flourished and rose to a peak in the 70’s. Now it appears to be on the decline. It is upon us, the ardent fighters for real amateur communication, to prevent it from vanishing. It is encouraging to see in these last months amateur radio again moving forward. In the Tel-Aviv area a number of ham classes are in progress and the ham hopefuls will soon be taking the Ministry of Communications examinations for their callsigns. The rapid packet network is growing, so it is not yet time to throw in the towel. And with the upswing in the sunspot cycle and improved shortwave propagation, coupled with the expected launch of the AMSAT Phase III D satellite, there’s still much excitement ahead…..
 
 

In this issue we bring you, as promised, the last installment of Joseph Obstfeld 4X6KJ’s report on the IARU Region I meeting at Lillehammer, Norway.
 
 

THE FINAL DINNER

The final dinner was preceded with a cocktail, in the same hall, where all during the week and the debates, the ‘coffee breaks’ were held. Instead of coffee & cookies, there was now some other liquid.

The dinner was tasty and served nicely. The Master of Ceremonies requested, that courtesies will be presented after the meal, during the coffee, in another hall.

So after dinner all delegates made their way, with their subsequent packages to the “Birkebeiner Hall”. I had told the Master of Ceremonies that I preferred to be the last speaker. Half an hour after midnight, it was my turn.

After stepping up to the microphone, with the large box under the arm “Pizza anyone”, I asked plainly. I asked the organizing crew to come up to the podium, thanked them for all they have done, for a moment pausing, “In Tel Aviv, Ole (LA2RR) when you won the vote on the venue, you asked me, “What do I have to do?” I answered you, “You’ll find out”, now Ole, the representatives of San Marino will come to you with the question, “What do we have to do?” You can answer them the same answer I gave you, “They’ll find out”.

Three years ago, you have been for a brief moment at this place, the Israel Amateur Radio Club, its Executive and all its Members, as a token of appreciation, bring you this small gift, from a big country, almost as big as the box, (opening the box) a picture of the Holy City of Jerusalem.

Applause followed, hand shakes, picture taking, Anne-Lise wiped away some tears. -4X6KJ

(This report was accompanied by two pictures. One was of the planting of trees at the ‘Silent Keys’ Forest’ in memory of John Allaway G3FKM, who had passed away a few months earlier. The second picture shows the present the IARC sent to the Norwegians by Joseph Obstfeld).
 
 

PIRATE BROADCASTING

For the past few months, as I occasionally tune around the FM broadcast band on my nightstand table-radio, I find a station around 103 MHz called “Kol HaChessed” (the Voice of Grace). Playing Chassidic-type music, the DJ’s talk is religious in nature. Obviously unlicensed, this with a very strong signal here in the northern Negev appears to be broadcasting from Jerusalem, 90 kilometres north-east from here. Not a rare occurrence, I’m apparently picking up but the tip of the iceberg at this remote QTH.

On December 15^th, the authoritative HAARETZ newspaper reported:
 
 

FOR THE FIRST TIME – IMPRISONMENT FOR A PIRATE RADIO STATION OPERATOR

Vice-President of the Ramle civil court, Judge Shmuel Barukh, passed a sentenced of 8 months imprisonment, 26 months suspended sentence and a 200,000 sheqel fine on Shalom Nahmani, who was convicted of operating the pirate radio station “Radio Centre” for a period of a year and ten months.

This is the first time that an active prison sentence has been passed on pirate radio station operation, which is an infringement of the Second Authority of Television and Radio Act. The maximum sentence the law provides for this offence is three years imprisonment or a fine in excess of three million sheqels.

In his judgement, the judge ruled that “economic violation is a violation for all intents and purposes, for which the offenders should be punished by fitting monetary means and imprisonment, as is fitting those convicted as per what the law provides for these offences”

The judge passed a year’s suspended sentence and 12,000 sheqels fine on another accused, Morris Edri, who was a broadcaster on the same station. Regarding Edri, the judge ascertained that in spite of the fact that he was caught in the past for the same offence, he had not mended his ways. “The accused returned and brazenly repeated the same offence” wrote the judge. (our amateur translation)
 
 

Pirate radio stations seem to have become a tradition, some commercially motivated, and others deseminating political and/or religious viewpoints, often allied with official political and religious groups. The early ones, starting with Abie Nathan’s “The Voice of Peace” in 1973, and later with “Arutz Sheva”, were at first operating offshore from international waters, but the latter was closed down a few years ago being accused of having several inland transmitting sites.

But already in the early 90’s the inland FM stations were popping up and proliferating like mushrooms after the rains. When some were raided and closed down, they’d be back on the air in a few days with new equipment. The punishments, if any, were relatively small fines, greatly outweighed by the profits or the value of the transmitted propaganda.

Some stations seemed to enjoy immunity, thought to be by virtue of their political ties. There was even a bill passed in the previous Knesset (parliament), which albeit didn’t come to the second and third readings, providing that stations operating at least five years would be eligible for legal operating status. Thus a number of successful offenders felt legitimised. The political background and undercurrents are too intricate to even attempt to analyse in this brief article.

In the mid-90’s the Second Radio and Television Authority Act was passed providing regulation for commercial private broadcasting. Indeed the new legal broadcasters raised a hue and cry against the pirates who were cutting into their advertising revenues without having to pay licence, transmitter and royalty fees.

Then, with many of the pirates’ makeshift transmitters spewing out spurious signals, considerable interference was being caused to the nearby airport control towers’ frequencies, endangering civil aviation, and even forcing the Ben Gurion International Airport to close down until the offending signals were stopped. It seems to have been only in instances like these that the law moves forward to do anything.

In the meantime, the broadcasts of “Kol HaChessed” and her fellow-travellers merrily go on. This saga, which we have reported on in the past, continues into the new millenium……

Until next time, 73 de Ahron and Ron