eQSO Administration has received a letter from Janice and Mike Langford (Jon's sister and brother-in-law) from Pierce City, Missouri, USA, thanking us, and everyone else who sent their kind condolences.

Janice and Mike wish us all to know how grateful the Fitzpatrick family were to receive so many condolences from all around the world. Unfortunately there were so many, that the task of replying to each and everybody individually became almost impossible, yet the family do not want any of Jon's radio amateur friends to think they have been ignored.

So if you contacted Jon's family and did not receive a personal reply, please be assured that your kind thoughts and words were appreciated.

In the words of Janice -

"May the Lord bless you and all others who have ministered to us in our great loss"

John, K0WZK

Obituary

eQSO is sad to announce the sudden passing of Jon, NB0X, after a short illness. Jon was active on the eQSO system and well liked by almost everyone he spoke to.

The following is reproduced courtesy News-Leader, Springfield, Missouri, USA

Jon Robert Fitzpatrick, age 46, of Nixa, went to be with the Lord, September 16, 2006. He died in his home. Jon was born July 2, 1960, at Burge Protestant Hospital in Springfield, to Mellville E. and Virginia (Callaway) Fitzpatrick. He is survived by his parents; his son, Dustin Tyler; three sisters, Sharon K. Smith and husband Howard, Moberly, Janice E. Langford and husband, Michael, Pierce City, Linda J. Morris and husband, Michael, Ozark; one niece; five nephews; and host of international HAM radio friends. Jon attended grade school in Monett, Jr. High and High School in the Dayton, Ohio area, and Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar. He confessed his faith in Christ and was baptized in 2005. He attended Berwick Community Church in Pierce City. He worked in sales, building construction, property appraisal and farming. Jon was advanced in computer programming and HAM radio operation. For his service as a member of the Republican Presidential Task Force with President George Bush, he was given the Medal of Merit. In recent years, he lived with and cared for his parents. Visitation will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday in South Haven Baptist Church with a memorial celebration at 11 a.m. with Pastor Michael Langford, Pastor Howard Smith, and Dr. J.R. Duncan officiating. A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. in Berwick Cemetery, near Pierce City. Arrangements are under direction of Adams Funeral Home, Nixa.

Effective 1st July, DCC will begin to accept applications for the unattended operation of Internet Voice Gateways.
learn more..... http://www.dcc.rsgb.org

At midnight (BST) on Friday (June 17th), the new v3.00 software and registration process were published on the eQSO website. The software now features (optional) tool tips to help newcomers, and revised HELP files. The online FAQ's were updated to coincide with the release. All new users must now register to activate the software.
Existing users must register and upgrade, but may continue to use the old software for a short time until the main server is updated to accept only v3.00

The ARRL website reports that the USA licensing authority, the FCC, is soon expected to update its list of countries with which American amateurs may exchange third-party traffic to include all amateur stations in the United Kingdom. Until now only special event stations using the GB prefix had been permitted to exchange \'Greetings Messages\' with amateurs in the USA. Unfortunately no-one from the UK licensing authority, Ofcom, was available to confirm this development.

www.rsgb.org

We are pleased to announce that all Simplex Internet Voice Gateway NoVs that have had completed applications have now been processed and issued via EMail to the respective applicants.

A current full list of licensed UK simplex gateways is always available by clicking here.

Since Ofcom have now written to individual Licensees removing all Simplex Internet Voice Gateway NoVs issued prior to 1st September 2004, you can be sure that if a such a station does NOT appear in the listing referred to above then it is unlicensed. You are advised not to make contacts with or via any UK Simplex Internet Voice Gateway station which is not listed, since by doing so you will be putting your own Licence at risk.

If you believe you have correctly submitted an application and it is not shown in the list above please send EMail to us at dcc.online@dcc.rsgb.org so as we can advise you.

UNATTENDED OPERATION OF SIMPLEX GATEWAYS
Discussions with Ofcom regarding the availability of this facility are ongoing. For the present, every valid Simplex Internet Voice Gateway NoV now carries the following wording:-


For the avoidance of doubt, this Notice of Variation is only valid for the address at which it has been issued (the Licensee's Main Station Address, shown above) and within the context of this Notice of Variation, "on an attended basis" (as per 2(1)(i), above) means that the Gateway may only operate when the Licensee is PERSONALLY on those premises. This Notice of Variation supercedes any previous Internet Voice Gateway Notice of Variation which may have been issued to you.

There are currently no exceptions to this rule, and those who disregard it put the possibility that the facility may become available at risk

02 December 2004 CHANGES TO AVAILABLE 2M FREQUENCIES
Effective immediately, the frequencies available for new applications in the 2M band are: 144.8125, 144.8375 and 145.3375 MHz - all subject to the usual co-ordination measures. NOTE that the use of CTCSS for ALL new 2M Gateways is mandatory.

Some existing Gateways will be moving (with the agreement of the Sysop) down into the 144 MHz segment.

New up to date help file and a new feature, you can disable the dtmf
from your users there is a tick box now on the dtmf client, if you
tick the box it will be enabled also the. Carrier operated squelch
is now working in this version. Important ! if you have an old
version of this dtmf version back up your own wave files then
uninstall , then install new version 2.14-Build 2

Version 2.14-Build 2
http://www.eqso.org/dtmf.html

NoV Renewals.

ONLINE SYSTEM WILL CLOSE ON 17-DECEMBER-04 No applications to renew existing Internet Voice Gateway NoVs will be
accepted after 17-December-04, so if you hold an NoV, your online
application must be submitted by that time.

DCC will reopen the system for new applications only on 03-January-05.

This means that unless you submit your renewal by 17-December-04, your NoV
will expire, and you will need to submit a fresh application - (which unlike a renewal will not be automatically granted) - when the system reopens in
January.

http://www.dcc.rsgb.org/Online.htm

A DTMF version of the gateway client is available for download. It is intended for use by licenced radio Amateurs. It allows radio users to change the room using DTMF presets. Details will be available at www.eqso.org/dtmf.html

Applications for Internet Voice Gateway NoVs are possible once more. Ofcom
have now passed this function to RSGB, and there are some important
differences:-


a.. While the NoV itself is free, Ofcom will no longer subsidise the
administration effort, and RSGB will be making an administrative charge in
order to recover some of their costs (see the announcement of Ofcom's
Decision for more details.


b.. All existing Internet Voice Gateway NoVs will expire on 31st December
2004, and all new NoVs will be valid for 12 months from the date of issue,
and thereafter must be renewed annually if they are to continue in force.


c.. One of Ofcom's Issues to Resolve (highlighted in their original
Notification) was the number of "dormant" NoVs which were preventing others
from operating a Gateway in certain areas. In future each Gateway NoV will
incorporate a "Level of Service" requirement, details of which can been seen
here.
d.. It is again possible to accept applications for 145 MHz Gateways, but
only for the existing two frequencies at this time. We are outlooking the
availability of two more frequencies (those shown in the current RSGB
bandplans before the end of 2004.


e.. For the first time we will now be able to accept applications for
frequencies within the 29 MHz band. Again, these can be found in the current
RSGB bandplans (see link above).


f.. Unattended operation of 29 MHz and 145 MHz Internet Voice Gateways is
going to be possible soon. There are still some details to be agreed with
Ofcom, and some work therefore remains to be done in this area. Our target
for implementation is "before year end", but it is hoped that we will do
significantly better than that. Keep watching this website (and GB2RS) for
any updates to this position.
g..
h.. http://www.dcc.rsgb.org/NoJava.htm

The time has come to make eqso a little more secure for all of us. This means we need to put in place a system which will ensure all those who are interested in the hobby are protected from activities which are non- amatuer based, thus protecting our licence requirements. Other internet VOIP systems have these in place so it is felt that progress in this area would be a very sound step forward.More information to follow.

eQSO Team

For the past couple of days,in order to provide adequate bandwidth to
the Hurricane Frances watch net, eQSO has sometimes been running on a
backup server provided by N2LEN (Thanks Len!!). Also,in order to free
up as much Internet bandwidth as possible we had to restrict the eQSO
server to licensed hams only.

The Hurricane Watch net has now terminated operations if, and until,
needed again - as Frances moves into the Florida panhandle - and the
main eQSO server is back to its normal configuration.

My apologies for any temporary inconvenience caused by these changes.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I noticed that several stations did not automatically switch to and
from the backup server as they should. This can happen if you are
not using the correct "Server" name in your eQSO client software.
Please check to make sure you use "Server.eQSO.net" as the server's
name.

Pending Ofcom's decision after the input received in response to their
recent notification of intent to make changes to the NoV process, the DCC
Online NoV Application System has been closed down until 1st October 2004

The service was not down for long as the automatic backup came on line and carried most of the load until the main server was back on. Thanks to N2LEN for the backup server.

THE DALLAS EQSO SERVER IS OFFLINE DUE TO A POWER TRANSFORMER DAMAGED
BY A SEVERE STORM THIS EVENING ABOUT 0000 UTC. The backup eQSO server
is on-line and will be so until power is restored to the main server
sometime Thursday.

There will be no System Monitor on the backup server.
If you are not able to connect to the backup server, try the
following server names to see if one of them works:

Server.eQSO.net
repeater.fbsinc.com
repeater.dns2go.com

The UPS's supplied power to the server for several hours before the
batteries were exhausted, then the system transferred users to the
backup server suplied by N2LEN (thanks to Len for the backup server)

Sorry for the inconvenience!

73
Johnny K5JD

Ofcom have indicated that they wish to make certain changes to the Internet Gateway NoV, and resultantly they will be conducting a consultation process which is expected to commence at the beginning of April.

We will publish the consultation document here as soon as it is available to us. The situation regarding 145 MHz gateways will remain unchanged until the results are announced.

I've ported the eQSO server to a native Linux app. Many thanks to Paul (M0ZPD) for allowing me to do this.

I'm running the BETA for the main 446user eQSO server on our FreeBSD server (a UNIX derivative) in Holland. This is so I can test it long-term (I want to see it running for a week or more before releasing it). The PMR446 server was an obvious candidate as it has an average of about 20-30 users and shouldn't cause too much bother if it falls over!

Prime target for me now is just to get the core of this stable and fully tested, then the final Linux builds can be released.

For more details see the main forum on this site.

73

I asked Ofcom for the reason behind the recent suspension of 2m NoV applications and here is the reply..

--
The two frequencies provided are now greatly congested and for the moment no room can be found to make more available.
Ofcom and the RSGB are discussing ways to resolve the situation.
--

Ofcom have suspended issue of all applications for 145 MHz Internet Voice Gateway NoVs, effective immediately.

More news will be posted here as we have it, and we are expecting an update on the position by 15-Mar-2004.

Sunday, Feb 22, between 1200 UTC to 2300 UTC the Dallas eQSO Server will be down and off-line for approximately 1 hour for essential maintenance.

As more and more stations gather in 101ENGLISH it is becoming more difficult for mobiles and hand portable operators to use the radio links. PC users should note that if they are talking from PC to PC they should change room to give other stations a chance to use 101ENGLISH for calling. eQSO has the capacity to cope with many rooms and so PC users could make more use of them for their QSO,s.

Everyone envolved in eQSO would like to wish all our users a Happy Christmas and a Happy new year. Than you for supporting eQSO.

A new Wide Screen version of the eQSO software is available on the eQSO Download Page. Click on Download in the above menu to get the new software.

Due to the transition of licensing from the RA to OFCOM, the RSGB's Datacomms Committee has temporarily shut down its on-line application system. It will be returned to service this Thursday, the 20th of November, when it is expected that the new OFCOM department will be in a position to begin processing applications.

The RA have released their final report on the current internet linking review. The document can be found at http://www.radio.gov.uk/topics/amateur/amateur-index.htm and is in MS Word format.

A gas cloud from one of the largest flares ever seen on the Sun has reached the Earth causing a magnetic storm that erupted and then faded quickly. The disruption to the Earth's magnetic field was described as very severe.

Aurora - northern lights - caused by the charged particles from the Sun have been seen at night all over the globe.

The Sun is undergoing a surge of activity and currently has several large sunspot groups on its surface. More flares and disruption is expected.

The spot frequencies the RSGB have now proposed to RA are:-

29.530 MHz
29.630 MHz

These corespond to the input and output frequency of an existing repeater channel. We don't know the exact reason for abandoning the proposals in the all mode section as 10m is a big enough, low usage band to accomodate a few linking channels. If these are approved, we will have to wait and see how much of a problem using the repeater channels will be in times of extended 10m propogation.

10m Spot Frequencies announced. 2m Applications accepted in certain cases. The RA have made some good concessions which were announced Yesterday.
2m gateway NoV's will only be issued to existing Gateway holders and they will need to expain their need for 2m.
This is a must read for gateway Op's.
http://www.dcc.rsgb.org/new.htm

The eQSO community forum has been divided into a main discussion forum and a technical support forum. If you are having problems with your eQSO you can browse the support forum to see if someone has solved your problem already, or add your own question to the forum. If you can answer a question, please do so as this is the way the forums work. Everyone helping eachother in the true spirit of eQSO. :)

Iain Phillips, DCC Chairman, has responded on the DCC website to questions that were raised, based on common questions asked in the UK. You can view his response here.

http://www.dcc.rsgb.org/QandA.htm.

We are extremely grateful for Mr. Phillips' reply and for the efforts of the DCC our behalf.

The DCC have restored the on-line NoV applictaion service today. We still do not know why the service was withdrawn, and await a response from the DCC. They have added some additional notes about attended operation, NoV renewals and Callsign validation.

The online NoV Application processing system has been withdrawn for the time being. The Data Communications Committee has some serious concerns regarding the validation process currently employed by the "Echolink" validation team.

We have asked the DCC Chairman for an explaination of the relavence of Echolink's processing to the issue of ALL NoV's in the UK, regardless of the system used. - The response will be published here.

The Leicester Radio Show this year was a fantastic success for eQSO. We were inundated with curious Amateurs wishing to know all about Internet linking and eQSO. Many users and gateway keepers came to the stand and we had Amateurs from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Sweden, Germany, Isle Of White, Malta and more. Thank you to all that attended the stand it was great seeing you there and putting faces to the callsigns.

There is a RSGB published update relating to the on-going Internet Linking review with the Radio Authority in the UK. It appears they have not managed to form any conclusions as yet, and the experiment goes on unchanged.
Click Here for details.

The Rally this year is a fantastic success so far. All the traders have turned up this year, there were no empty tables as in previous years. Our stand this year is manned by Peter G4KQU and Chris G4FZN, both inundated with Amateurs wishing to know all about internet linking and eQSO. This year we brought plenty of leaflets to hand out. Many eQSO users came to the stand.

The 1st day at the show is a fantastic success and we have handed out over 500 leaflets including circuits on how to make your own radio interfaces (Some Built For Sale as well). Come along on Saturday. We are located down by the Bring And Buy. A show not to be missed. The show opens at 10am.

Come and visit us at our eQSO stand at the 32nd Leicester Amateur Radio Show it will be held at the International Exhibition Centre, Donington Park Motor Racing Circuit in North-West Leicestershire on Friday the 19th and Saturday the 20th of September. It opens at 9.30am details at www.lars.org.uk

Welcome to the new eQSO web-site. The site has been changed to make it easier to find the many eQSO resources around the web, and to provide more of a 'community' for eQSO. We have set up a thread on the forum for your comments on the new website. Please leave your comments as this will help us to build a great site that satisfies most of our users. There are many improvements and features to come.

eQSO Gateway Operators
If you operate an eQSO RF Gateway, you are encouraged to add your gateway to the gateway list. This will allow us to easily notify you of any admin actions to your gateway and keep you up to date with software releases etc.

I hope that you enjoy using the new website and please come back and visit again for the latest news and information.