----------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE BEST NEWS YOU'LL GET ALL WEEK Oh... and to contact us with your news because If It Matters To You It Matters To Us! email nationalnews@wia.org.au http://www.wia.org.au (click news in member area) Submit your audio news Please.. If you are only submitting text and not audio, write your story as you would expect to hear it being read back and NEVER send just links & url's. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ WIANEWS for week commencing Sep 06 2009 HAS THE LIGHTHOUSE WEEKEND SCUTTLED INTEREST IN OUR WIA RD CONTEST? VK4FMEL REPORTS RD LOG ENTRIED WELL DOWN THIS YEAR. - feathers fly on australia's new digital radio platform. - WORK PF87. - are you a jawbone, a knucklebone, a wishbone or a backbone enter the quiz in our discussion point. - HAS CONTESTING REACHED ITS PEAK? All up and coming in this edition of WIANEWS for week commencing Sept 6 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Barry Miller VK3BJM activates Rare Grid Locator PF87 WEEKEND of Oct 10. VK3BJM will travel to Mount Arden in order to activate grid locator PF87 on the 2 m band. Mount Arden is in the Flinders Ranges, about 20 km NNW of Quorn, SA. Activation will be on Saturday, Sunday and until 1000 CST Monday. Operating on 144 MHz, with a 14 el Yagi and 300+ watts. Wednesday September 2 Brisbane, Australia's Courier Mail Newspaper, page 3, has the story on "The Bird Wars"... A feathery ruffling of feathers on Digital Radio in Australia. It seems that now 3 (Three) of Australia's largest networks, the governments ABC, along with commercials Austereo and the Racing Radio Network of 4TAB are "going to the birds"... or should that be "giving you the bird?" For close on a week ABC and Austereo have been broadcasting nothing but bird sounds on their spare digital channels. Their "bird feed" is being fed to all mainland state capitals. Now a channel touting itself "The Real Bird man!" sprung up Wednesday. This Digital channel has photographs of Budgies and is playing "Bird Music"... Eg.. Surfer Bird Bird Dog Fly Like A Bird Snow Bird... The list "fly's on".... No ownership of "The Real Bird man!" is mentioned on air... But, it DID appear at the same time as RadioTAB's extra digital channel signed off! I WONDER!!! Hello, this is Mellisa Bullock VK4FMEL, with a report from Peter Harding VK4OD, RD Contest Manager. He has advised that as of last Monday night he had received some 170 Logs sent by Electronic means and snail mail. These numbers are down on previous years. As of today, Sunday 6th September, you have only 9 (Nine) days to ensure that, by the last mail on the 15th September, he has received your RD 2009 Logs. ANY LATE logs will be returned. We remind everyone to send their Electronic logs to rdlogs@wia.org.au as he has several scrutineers also reading the emails. HAMS ACROSS AUSTRALIA. VK2 web service:- http://www.arnsw.org.au/html/news_vk2wi.htm VKG Roundup http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/news UHF SWR METER KIT DAY 13th SEPTEMBER. Bruce VK2VA has this kit available for Summerland Amateur Radio Club. Assembly day is set for 13 Sept for all to construct together. This is an excellent kit to make, for further contactVK2VA lbruce.smith@bigpond.com sun 13 Operators We need your input. Following the phenomenal response to Westlakes Project of the month, simple called The Squid Pole Antenna, controversy has reigned supreme at the club between those who continually seek new, and possible better means of getting the ultimate signal to air and the die hard sceptics, set in their ways with already tried and proven means of communication as to the which works best in a portable situation. The so called Squid pole as we know is not new but following a very comprehensive article by VK7JJ, picked up by our ever vigilant Project Manager VK2YP it's introduction and acceptance by Westlakes members has been amazing. Following weeks of slanging between two prominent members, namely VK2CW and VK2YP with the theme of "mine works better than yours". A means of settling the debate once and for all will be undertaken at Westlakes Teralba site Saturday October 3rd. at approximately 2 pm, using 7.100 MHz +- LSB in the 40 metre band. Now this is where we need your input. At the above date and time both combatants will broadcast alternately on separate Radios using their portable antenna of choice, using the same power output, then will stand by to receive a hopefully accurate signal report accompanied by a location from you the listener. These reports will be recorded. Reports will be valid from any where in the world The final results will be collated and Westlakes unbiased President will be asked to adjudicate as to the better antenna on the day. It would be hoped that this will put an end to the discussion but logic no doubt will dictate otherwise. This has been Frank VK2FJL reporting on behalf of Westlakes ARC for the VK1WIA National News VK3 web service:- http://www.amateurradio.com.au/news/ VKC Roundup http://www.police Noel VK3FI, Secretary of the Sunraysia Radio Group says that National News from VK1WIA, for the first time for in many years, went out Sunday morning, on two metres, in the Swan Hill area, 146.900, i.e. the Swan Hill VK3RSH output frequency and for the record, Six call-back stations and hopefully, after that demo, someone in Swan Hill will now look at an ongoing broadcast relay. (vk3fi@wia,org.au) VK4 web service local news:- www.wiaq.com/qnews/upload/qnewsbcast.htm local news email qnews-vk-subscribe@yahoogroups.com VKR Roundup http://www.police.qld.gov.au/News+and+Alerts/Media+Releases/ Saturday 12th will see the Annual General meeting of Tablelands Club. President's report, Treasurers report Election of office bearers etc etc. Meeting to be held at the QTH of Ron VK4EMF at high noon. VK5 www.qsl.net/vk5bar/ Sunday September 13th is the Annual Hamfest and second hand sale day of the Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society. The venue is the Goodwood community centre, Rosa St. Goodwood. Doors open for sellers at 7.30 and buyers at 09.30. Entry is still $4 which includes one ticket in the door prize. The major door prize, donated by Yaesu Vertex is a VX 170 handheld. Several commercial vendors will be attending. These include, Radio Specialists, TET Emtron, Aztronics, Strictly Ham, Yaesu Vertex and NBS antennas. There will be a display of squid pole antennas on the day as well. Michael Owen the Federal president of the WIA, will be in town for the Saturday clubs convention, and will address us at the buy and sell Sunday morning. North East Radio Club will again provide a BBQ and ALARA will again provide tea, coffee and snacks to guests. Last year was a bumper success and we look forward to better this year. This has been David VK5KC for the Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society VK6 web service http://www.vk6.net/newswest-index.html It is a busy week in VK6. On Monday at 10am the RAOTC broadcast will take place on the linked News repeaters, and on 20metres directly from VK3. The West Australian Repeater Group will have their meeting at 7.30pm at the Peter Hughes Scout Communications Centre aka the Hillview Scout Hall. Tuesday and the Radio Amateurs Old Timers Group have their luncheon at the Bayswater Hotel at 12 noon. Good Lunch good company, and open to interested hams. The Northern Corridor Radio Group meet at 7.30pm at Ham Heaven on Tuesday. Wednesday brings a rash of on-air nets, the first being the southern electronics group on 146.725 in Albany at 7.30pm, with Wicen on 3.600 at 8pm, and Wicen on 146.750 or other at 8.30pm. The Scout Radio Team meet at the Peter Hughes Scout Communications Centre aka the Hillview Scout Hall at 7pm on Friday. The Hills Amateur Radio Group meet on Saturday from 1pm at the paxhill Girl Guides hall in Lesmurdie. All times are Western Australian Standard Times. And if you have any energy left after that lot - can I borrow some? VK7 local area news :- http://reast.asn.au/news.php vk7 local news, email vk7regionalnews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com The Australian Institute of Physics - Tasmanian Branch runs a public lecture series throughout the year and this may interested many Radio Amateurs. The theme is the International Year of Astronomy: Tomorrow Monday 7 September at 8.00 pm in the U.TAS. Sandy Bay Campus Professor Penny Sackett, Australian Government Chief Scientist will be giving a lecture entitled - Contributions of Astronomy to all of Science. Then again Thursday 17 September at 8.00 pm Professor Ray Norris from the C.S.I.R.O. will give a public lecture entitled "The Astronomy of Aboriginal Australians." (www.phys.utas.edu.au/physics/AIP_TasBranch/Program/Program.htm) DISCUSSION POINT Geoff Emery vk4zpp One of the hard things for all types of club is keeping the momentum going. One of the problems that amateur radio clubs face is developing activities that are inclusive of the majority of members. When we think about this, we realise that the hobby is very diverse in the areas that can attract personal interest - homebrew can be anything from kits to replicas, antennas to transceivers, analogue and digital. Field activities can be QRP, contest and DX or any mix of all these things. So within our clubs we need to find ways of including people in ways that can allow them to share their interests and encourage others in growing their knowledge and experience of this great hobby. Not every one wants to be a paper hanger and cover the shack walls with certificates and awards and not every one is an avid collector of QSL cards but we can share why these things make our personal enjoyment of the hobby better and the tricks we have learned to do things better. Our personal enthusiasm for the aspects of the hobby can be a big incentive for some one else to dip their toe in the water. It has been around for a long time and is a bit corny but the following can be a way of helping us focus on how we can help our club. Someone has said that membership of any organisation is made up of four bones.... There are the "wishbones" who spend all their time wishing someone else would do the work.... There are the "jawbones" who do all the talking but very little of anything else.... Next comes the "knucklebones" who knock everything that everyone else tries to do.... And, finally, there are the "backbones", who get under the load and do the work. What kind of member are you? EDUCATION YOUTH AND ADVANCEMENT OF AMATEUR RADIO www.hamcollege.com.au ADVANCED COURSES COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY Last weekend saw the Summerland Amateur Radio Club's first advanced licence course under the new system. All of the candidates studied and read the text and other sources in their own time before the course which consisted of two weekends of tutorials, group learning, revision and the exams. They had four successes, with the fifth candidate just a couple of answers from success. Look out for Geoff, Ron, Ross and Chris sporting new call signs! For all five candidates, a significant proportion of the marks lost reflected on the complex and confusing wording of the questions rather than on their technical content. Summerland feel they have shown that the concept of self study and a two weekend course is a realistic way of preparing for the exam. A Standard course is likely to be held in February next year. Course information, revision notes and a collection of reference material is being assembled. A one day Regulations course is also planned for those wishing to upgrade from Foundation to Standard. Dates and course information will be advised when available. Following on from that item from VK7 and the U-TAS seminar comes an invitation to yet another powerful seminar, but in the Far North of VK. The IEEE Northern Australia Section, IEEE Northern Australia Communication Chapter and the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences at James Cook University invite you to attend a technical seminar happening on Monday 14th September from 4 pm to 5 pm. It's entitled "HOW RELIABLE IS EARTH LEAKAGE EQUIPMENT WHEN USED WITH VARIABLE SPEED DRIVES" It will be given by Dr. Graham Woods of Orana Engineering. For further information please contact: A/Prof. Keith Kikkert, Chair IEEE NA Section, Ph:47814259 A/Prof. A Zahedi, Head Electrical & Electronic Engineering, JCU Ph: 4781 6907 Ham Collage in Perth If you live in vk6 and you're a short-wave listener or scanner enthusiast and listen to our bands, have you considered joining us? Ham collage is looking for candidates for their next foundation course due to be held over the Saturday and Sunday the 19th and 20th of September as a two-day course with the examinations to be held the following weekend. Make sure your register your interest as quickly as possible on their website, hamcollage.com.au or google ham collage. Positions fill up very fast and don't forget to get a copy of the foundation manual available from the WIA website, it really does help. C.C.A.R.C. committee would like to congratulate two of their members that were issued with their licence and call signs Thursday 27th. Steven Lloyd VK7FXXX and Hamish Carnegie VK7FHAM are two new "F" calls that you will no doubt be hearing soon on local North West repeaters and on the HF bands. So, when you hear these gents come up on air, give them a shout and welcome them to our hobby. (David, VK7EX, President CCARC) INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to RSGB, Southgate AR Club, the ARRL, Amateur Radio Newsline, NZART and the WW sources of the WIA. G4TUT SOUTHGATE AMATEUR RADIO CLUB NEWS DESK Australian 137 kHz beacon on-the-air Drew Diamond, VK3XU, is operating a CW beacon on 137.4 kHz every Saturday and Sunday afternoons and evening. Drew has activated a 50-watt transmitter into an inverted wire antenna from Wonga Park. He would like to receive signal reports, they can be sent to his email address: vk3xu@wia.org.au provide date, time, signal strength and grid locator (eb QF22ML). Due to the very low antenna efficiencies at this frequency, Drew estimates his effective radiated power is 6 milliwatt. His signal has been heard in Melbourne, Sale and Sydney. ============================================================================= RSGB NEWS FROM G4NJH Enigma Weekend at Bletchley Park Over the weekend 5th and 6th September, Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire will be marking the 70th anniversary of the arrival of Alan Turing and Gordon Welchman with an Enigma Weekend. Their usual Enigma exhibits will multiply when over 70 more previously top-secret machines from all around the world will be on display. Another highlight will be a talk on Saturday 5th September by Prof. Tom Perera, W1YP, entitled The U-Boat Menace and the Enigma. He will have an exhibit of his discs and various Enigma machines too. Bletchley Park is open from 10.30 each day and entry costs o10 per adult, which entitles you to visit as many times as you like for 12 months. African pirates on 20 metres Another African pirate net is active on 14,002.1kHz, daily at 18.00 UTC or later. The IARU Region 1 ask that amateurs observe and report to DK2OM, the Coordinator IARUMS Region 1. Check out the IARU Region One website for ways to contact DK2OM. ============================================================================= NEWS FROM ARNEWSLINE CELEBRATING HPM AT AGE 140 And back in the United States the ARRL has announced that the Hiram Percy Maxim Birthday celebration is back this year honouring the 140th anniversary of the birth of the League's first president and co-founder who held the call letters W1AW. The special event is open to all amateurs, and the goal is to work the stations adding /140 to their callsigns, and contact as many as possible during the event period, September 2nd to the 9th. A special certificate is available for making at least 25 contacts with endorsement increments of 25, and a maximum endorsement of 100. More information can be found in the September issue of QST magazine. (ARRL) LACK OF GLOBAL DEMAND ENDS MOST COPPER THEFTS It wasn't long ago when we were reporting that the theft of copper and other conductive metals was rampant. Power lines were cut down for their copper content, pipes in buildings under construction were ripped away, and wiring was disappearing. But that's no longer the case as the global recession has resulted in a drop in demand for most metals with copper among the hardest hit. The price of copper reached an all-time high in mid-2008 of more than $4 per pound on the world market, with the greatest demand from China. That price then plummeted to $1.50 per pound shortly after the global economic recession began last fall. This makes it not very profitable for a thief to risk his or her life for less than the price of a hot dog from a street vendor. Add to this newly enacted laws like one in California that requires scrap metal dealers buying bulk metal to get a photo ID from anyone bringing in the items and to delay payment for three days. It also requires recyclers to photograph the items, pay only by check and take the seller's thumbprint. PAINT ON PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR CELLS HOLD PROMISE FOR ENCOMM Science Daily reports that solar cells could soon be produced more cheaply using nanoparticle inks that allow them to be printed like newspaper or painted onto the sides of buildings or rooftops. This to absorb sunlight and produce electric power. The article cites the work of University of Texas chemical engineer Brian Korgel. Korgel is hoping to cut the cost of producing high output solar cells to one tenth of their current price by replacing the standard manufacturing process for solar cells. Right now photovoltaic cells are made using a gas phase depositing system that must be carried out in a vacuum chamber and requiring high temperatures. For the past two years, Korgel and his team have been working on this low-cost, nanomaterials solution to photovoltaic manufacturing. He believes that nanomaterial inks could be printed onto a surface using a roll-to-roll process on a plastic substrate or stainless steel. Because of this the prospect of being able to paint the inks onto a rooftop or building is not far fetched as one might at first believe. His team has so far developed solar-cell prototypes with efficiencies at one percent but notes they need to be about 10 percent. He says that if he can get the level to the 10 percent mark, then there's real potential for commercialisation. He says that then you could see this new production technique being used in three to five years. For hams involved in public service and emergency communications work, such a source of sunlight power used to charge battery banks would mean communications could continue even if the power mains we out of service for an extended period of time. Funding for the research comes from the National Science Foundation, the Welch Foundation and the Air Force Research Laboratory. The complete story is at www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090824115907.htm ============================================================================= WEIRD AND WONDERFUL Chicken feathers may help cars use hydrogen fuel in the future. The feathers would not be the fuel, but they could help store it. Hydrogen, the most common element in the universe, has long been touted as a clean and ample energy alternative to fossil fuels. When hydrogen reacts with oxygen, instead of yielding pollutants as fossil fuels do, it simply generates water. Unfortunately, hydrogen is hard to store and transport. Hydrogen vehicles currently keep it in tanks in either liquid or pressurized gas form. As a pressurized gas, it takes up roughly 40 times as much space as gasoline, and as a liquid it needs to be kept at extremely low temperatures. "Using currently available technology, if you had a 20-gallon tank and filled it with hydrogen at typical room temperature and pressure, you could drive about a mile," said researcher Richard Wool, director of the Renewable Resources program at the University of Delaware in Newark. It has been suggested by Wool and his colleagues that superheated chicken feather fibres could hold vast amounts of hydrogen. They first looked at chicken feathers because they are extraordinarily cheap - the United States alone generates some 6 billion pounds of the feathers per year. Chicken feather fibres are mostly composed of keratin, the same protein found in nails, scales, claws and beaks. When carefully heated for precise times to specific temperatures, the carbon-rich surfaces that result on the fibres attract hydrogen, somewhat like how activated charcoal filters can pull out impurities from liquids or gases. The heating process can also form hollow tubes between the fibres, strengthening their structure, and make them become more porous, boosting their surface area and thus their capacity to store gas. One can then pump gas into the fibres and store it at high pressure, and to release the gas, one just depressurises it or raises the temperature. (vk2fjl Frank for the WIA) OPERATIONAL NEWS - ON AIR CONTEST COLUMN - D A T E L I N E 2009 SEPT 19 WESTLAKES CUP OCT 3 - 4 OCEANIA CONTESTS - SSB OCT 10 - 11 OCEANIA CONTESTS - CW OCT 24 - 25 CQ WORLD WIDE SSB NOV 1 ZL STRAIGHT KEY NIGHT NOV 28 - 29 VK SPRING VHF-UHF FIELD DAY NOV 28 - 29 CQ WORLD WIDE CW SPECIAL EVENTS AND ON AIR CONTEST COLUMN - D A T E L I N E 2010 March 21-22 John Moyle Field Day HAS CONTESTING REACHED ITS PEAK? Another article worth reading and discussing is titled Has Contesting Reached Its Peak appearing in the still available August issue of CQ Magazine. In it author John Dorr, K1AR, notes that even with a decline in the overall number of licensed radio amateurs world-wide that interest in radio sporting or contesting is at an all time high. Dorr's article looks into the likely reason for this interesting trend and postulates on what the future may be. It's a good read for anyone with an interest in radio sports or the overall future of our hobby and if the WIA Contest crew would like to provide it's members with current up to date info on WIA contests, we are only to ready to broadcast it here! (sourced to ARNewsline and vk4bb) 2009 NZART STRAIGHT KEY NIGHT 1 November 08:00-11:00 UTC 80m CW www.nzart.org.nz/contests SPECIAL EVENT CALLS, BEACON DX AND NET ADVICE hf nets ON the net, www.timroberts-vk4yeh.id.au/ GB 40 WAB 40th anniversary of the WAB Till Dec 31 OZ 1658 ROS 350th anniversary of the Treaty of Roskilde Till Dec 31 VARIOUS SM STATIONS USING 1658 (Treaty of Roskilde) Till Dec 31 VP 9 400 /home call 400th Anniversary of Bermuda Till Dec 31 VR 2009 EAG The 5th East Asian Games Hong Kong Till Dec 31 YL 90 AIR 90yrs of Latvian Air Force Till Dec 31 911 commemoration Mike, W0YR, will once again (as for the past several years) be active as W0YR/911 on September 11th, to honour/ commemorate those lives lost in the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre in New York along with the attack on the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and the plane that crashed into a field near Shanksville, PA. He plans to operate as much of the day as possible. Mike states, "I just wanted to do it to remind those I work on the air of what this country endured because of hatred -- and also remind those who want to minimize it or forget it, that this WAS an Act of Terror and, even though they would like to revise history, the memory of those (among them, two of my friends) who perished on September 11th, 2001, will NEVER be forgotten or sullied." A special QSL will be issued. QSL via his home callsign. (southgate) INTRUDER WATCH - ENFORCEMENT ZONE Region III IARUMS Coordinator B.L.Manohar (Arasu) VU2UR r3msc_iaru@rediffmail.com VK IARUMS reflector email to subscribe intruders@wia.org.au VK Coordinators for I.A.R.U.M.S. ? IARUMS NETS Friday 0730 UTC 7.065.5 with VK4CEU David. Amateur exclusive frequencies where any non-amateur signal is definitely an intruder. Amateur HF Spectrum world wide 7.050 to 7.100 14.000 to 14.250 14.250 to 14.350 No broadcasters 21.000 to 21.450 24.890 to 24.990 28.000 to 29.700 Phil VK6GX when sending in his callback/comments from the WA 160 meter broadcast last week told us that several stations have been experiencing interference on 1840kHz. It would seem plasma televisions are the culprit. The interference is apparently frequency stable, but it's bandwidth varies, according to one report, with the video content. One station on the call-back has a 46 inch HD plasma TV, a very well known and respected top of the market brand. He can detect the emissions with an AM portable radio at very strong strength, 30 metres from his house. He has had to invest in an alternate LCD television for his XYL to watch while he is on air, the interference is so bad from the plasma. He is negotiating with the manufacturer to see what can be done. It's disappointing that such equipment can be approved! With this in mind, Phil is considering shifting the 160m broadcast up to 1845kHz as by all reports solicited from the call-back stations, this is a clear frequency. He is seeking further advice from the call-back stations over the next few weeks to ensure 1845kHz is satisfactory for all, then, all being well, shift on 4th October. (Phil VK6GX). WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- APRS JA1OGS / VK4GO Art has returned to VK and is located in Cairns. Art dropped us a note to say he will be "super active again in APRS", and already has spoken with the Cairns radio club president John VK4JKL about setting up a new APRS digipeater. Art is going to give the local club a couple of APRS demonstrations, included will be all the Foxdelta APRS kits. Check out his web page http://ja1ogs.com Also he is hoping for a D-Star repeater for Cairns. (73 Art JA1OGS/VK4GO Cairns-City) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO AMATEUR OLD-TIMERS http://www.raotc.org.au OLD TIMERS Members and friends of the Radio Amateurs Old Timers Club Australia are reminded that the next news and information broadcast will take place on the first Monday of the Month. using the RAOTC callsign of VK3OTN. 10.00 am Victorian time on 7.060 and 3.650 MHz plus 1.843 MHz AM, and 145.700. On 14.150 MHz at 01.00 UTC beaming north and 02:00 UTC west from Melbourne For those not yet retired, 8.30 PM Victorian time tune 80 metres 3.650 MHz and in Tasmania, but at Victorian time, 8:30 on the Mount Duncan repeater 146.625. With the objective to maintain interest and good fellowship among those who qualify for membership, full membership of the RAOTC is available to any person who has held, or has been qualified to hold, an Amateur Licence for a minimum of 25 years. Associate membership is available to any person who has held, or has been qualified to hold, an Amateur Licence for a minimum of 10 years. Associate members are entitled to all the privileges of Full Membership except the right to vote or to hold office. Radio Amateurs Old Timers Club P.O. Box 107 Mentone Vic 3194 www.raotc.org.au Phone : 03 9579 5600 WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO SCOUTING http://www.scouts.com.au http://www.scout.org/jota http://www.international.scouts.com.au CALLING FREQUENCIES Please QSY off the calling frequency after establishing communication. Australian voice calling frequencies: 3.650, 7.090, 14.190, 21.190, 28.590, 52.160 World CW calling frequencies: 3.570, 7.030, 14.060, 18.080, 21.140, 24.910, 28.180, 50.160 World voice calling frequencies: 3.690 & 3.940 MHz, 7.090 & 7.190, 14.290, 18.140, 21.360, 24.960, 28.390, 50.160 Calling frequencies for Slow Scan TV (SSTV): 3.630, 7.033, 14.227 Calling Frequencies for PSK31 14.070 3DA0SS Swaziland David, GI4FUM, has returned from Swaziland and reports that the 3DA0SS expedition was a big success. Around 20,000 QSOs were made, many of them on the data modes. The International Scout Camp was also a great success with the scouts learning many new development skills. The I.R.T.S. committee, with the agreement of the CQ.IR Contest sponsor, Dargle Builders Limited, agreed that the excess in the contest fund which amounted to more than 1,000 Euro, should be donated to the Swazi scouts towards the cost of providing clean water at their campsite. While David was there, the new pump was installed and commissioned and clean water is now available for all the camp needs. Following the AFRI75 expedition to Swaziland and the resultant publicity for the Scout Project there, many individual Society members donated monies for projects at the campsite. SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- ROAR ROTARIANS OF AMATEUR RADIO bill.learmonth@lineone.net rotmem@yahoogroups.com nmclaren3@juno.com VK2IWT Secretary Guglielmo Marconi Father of wireless, was an Honorary member of the club from 1933 to 1937 and it continues the tradition and honouring Marconi to this very day. Now a' days among its honorary members is Marconi's Daughter, Princess Elettra Marconi. For the attention of all ROAR members, particularly those Radio Amateurs who are philatelists, the Rotary Club of Hornsby New South Wales are fund raising for a new Communications Vehicle for their local Rural Bush Fire Fire Brigade. As part of this fund raiser they have joined with Australia Post to issue a special Stamp Sheet featuring the Rural Fire Service and Rotary. The stamp sheet and details of their fund raiser may be downloaded from www.hornsbyrotary.org/rfs-appeal (Bris Mid City Rotary D9600) SOCIAL SCENE 2009 International Telecommunication Union's Telecom World 2009. SEPT 12 VK4 Sunshine Coast Amateur Radio club Sunfest, The Woombye School of Arts Blackall Street Woombye. SEP 13 VK5 Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society Hamfest 9:30am. Goodwood Community Centre, Rosa St Goodwood. SEP 18-20 VK4 North Queensland Amateur Radio Convention, James Cook University, Douglas Campus. Surf to theTARCinc website http://www.tarc.org.au for event and registration information SEP 25 - 27 VK4 The Central Highland Amateur Radio Club Annual General Meeting at Camp Fairbairn near Emerald. OCT 11 VK3 Shepparton and District Amateur Radio Club's communications and display day (Hamfest), St Augustine's Hall Orr Street Shepparton. OCT 12 - 16 ZL 14th IARU R3 Conference Christchurch 12 ? 16 October 2009. Details at www.christchurch.org.nz/ The Region 3 Web Site: www.jarl.or.jp/iaru-r3/ Oct 31 - Nov 1 Qld Sunshine Coast's October Camp Catch-up Maidenwell Observatory Brisbane valley west of Yarraman. NOV 1 VK2 Westlakes Amateur Radio Club's "Westlakes Field Day". NOV 15 VK4 QUEENSLAND CLUBS "PRESIDENTS LUNCH" GEEBUNG RSL 2010 JAN 24 VK2 Mid North Coast Amateur Radio Group's Radio Expo 2010 8.30am St Johns Church Hall, Mc Lean Street Coffs Harbour. FEBRUARY 14 VK3 WIA 100 Centre Victoria RadioFest No. 3. FEBRUARY 28 Wyong Field Day, Wyong Race Course. APRIL 2 VK3 Midland Amateur Radio Club's Radio, Electronic & Astronomy Expo. Venue to be advised. JUNE 5 VK2 Oxley Region Amateur Radio Club's 35th Annual Field Day. NOV 7 VK5 2010 Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society Hamfest Rosa St Goodwood 2012 JAN 23-FEB 17 YEAR 2012 World Radio Conference WRC-11 Geneva 23rd January TO 17th February 2012 MAY 4-7 2012 VK5 YL International 2012 Australia (vk5tmc@bigpond.com) Please think of the environment before printing this email ============================================================================= WIANews - we've reported...YOU decide. Societies and Club News Letter Editors can EXCHANGE a feed prior to the actual broadcast date, e-mail nationalnews@wia.org.au Call-backs follow the RF editions, but also for text readers you may lodge a quick reply to let us know you read it, who knows, you might even get a "cheerio call". Thanks to to our dedicated band of broadcast volunteers who utilize their time and equipment in bringing you this weekly broadcast. The purpose of "WIANews" is to rapidly provide news of interest to active amateurs residing in Australia and the globe. We strongly encourage membership in the Wireless Institute of Australia and participation in the activities of local clubs. Opinions expressed in "WIANews" are those of the writers who submit material and do not necessarily reflect those of the rebroadcasters, nor the National WIA, but are broadcast in the spirit in which they were submitted. Material may be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form, a credit to WIANews wouldn't go astray... Compiled by VK4BB on behalf of the National WIA. ***************************************************************************** - NEWS POSTING TO PACKET - Courtesy Tony VK7AX VK7AX(AT)VK7AX.#ULV.TAS.AUS.OC ***************************************************************************** /ex