WIANEWS - July 10 - VK NATIONAL NEWS ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 TWITTER http://twitter.com/VK1WIA 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 WEEK COMMENCING July 10 2011. WIA Directors Ewan VK4ERM, Bob VK5POP and Peter VK3MV join us. Language experts wanted for IARUMS Monitoring Service. ARRL Field Day and Bands of Gold. THESE STORIES AND MORE IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA FOR WEEK COMMENCING JULY 10 2011. Last week I mentioned the lack of WIA news and in particular club news, well that has drawn from a couple of clubs and old what we called 'divisions' a hear hear! So now it's up to those clubs to start skiting A MAJOR item which is a GREAT initiative of theACMA, comes from the VK3 Club FAMPARC and is written up in the clubs monthly newsletter." "Mark Tell from the Australian Communications and Media Authority has been busy conducting a series of face to face presentations with the radio amateur community. The first presentation was held at the club rooms of the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Radio Club and the second presentation at the Southern Peninsula Radio Club or SPARC. Each of these presentations included an interesting PowerPoint slideshow through which Mark explains the important work of the ACMA, each of the presentations were followed by a questions and answer session where amateurs put their questions to Mark from the ACMA. These are a series of presentations conducted by the ACMA's Mark Tell, with the next presentation due to take place at the August main meeting of the Eastern and Mountain District Radio Club, it will take place on Friday the 5th of August at the Willis Room, Whitehorse council office Maroondah Highway Blackburn opposite Harvey Norman, arrive at 7:30 with the meeting starting at 8:00pm. As with all EMDRC club meetings visitors are encouraged" Peter VK2US wrote to nationalnews@wia.org.au us through the week, "Not to sure if this is worth a mention but following last weeks broadcast in which I heard of eQSO usage on UHF CB I went looking and hit the ACBRO home page: http://www.acbro.org/index.htm Most interesting was the statement: Finally the final nail in the coffin for ACBRO membership is the new Amateur Licence now called the Foundation Licence which has been in for over 3 years. Now, most of the radio people who really are the true radio lovers have got their Foundation Licence. This entitles them to use an amazing amount of radio spectrum, all of the 80m and 40m band 15m and all of the 10m band as well as the 70cm UHF band and all of the 2M VHF as well although they are limited to only 10 watts it is amazing how far you can get with the right antennas, in fact the whole world. If someone new comes along and is interested in radio then CB is not in the race. Just recently at an ACBRO committee meeting we had 9 people attend and 8 had there Amateur Licence and are all involved in Radio Clubs to do with Amateur Radio.” Personally I’m a big fan of the whole ‘F’ call as it has livened up the airways considerably. In fact my only complaint is that these guys get 4 letters in their call, an issue for packet to be sure, but they can choose from so many more really cool call signs than us old timers. Like VK4FOUR or VK2FEED or VK8FOOD or 2FISH or 1FOOL or 2FOWL or… Well you get the idea. (Peter J VERNON VK2US) Ham radio far from over or out This is the headline from a special newspaper report on amateur radio that appeared in Thursdays Age Newspaper. The Age is Melbourne’s biggest and most popular newspaper with 200 thousand copies in print each day. The article by Katie Cincotta appears on page 15 and 23 of Digital Life in the green guide section of The Age, contains interviews with Doug Macarthur VK3UM, Jack Bramham VK3WWW, Jim Linton VK3PC, Edward Seeto VK3LIP and Richard Holmes VK3TXD each talking about their experiences with the hobby. The article begins to explore many facets of he hobby, Doug Macarthur talks about his experiences with moon bounce and the value of amateur radio during bushfires and times of emergency, Jack Braham explains foxhunting and making contact with astronauts on the ISS. The Foundation licence and entry into the hobby is covered by Jim Linton VK3PC and Edward talks about the involvement of amateur radio in his school. The article is well worth a read and GREAT promotion for our hobby. Well done to all those who were interviewed by Kate and who contributed to the report. The URL to the web edition of the article is in this weeks news and direct to www.theage.com.au/digital-life/ham-radio-far-from-over-or-out-20110706-1h135.html (Robert VK3DN) WIA President Michael Owen VK3KI president@wia.org.au Vice President Phil Wait VK2ASD vk2asd@wia.org.au Secretary Sarah Thompson VK3AUD secretary@wia.org.au Treasurer John Longayroux VK3PZ vk3pz@wia.org.au The Remembrance Day Contest for 2011, is on the weekend 13-14 August. The RD will commence at the same time as in previous years, that is 0800 and run until to 0759 UTC the following day. Although an overwhelming majority of people at the AGM open forum in Darwin supported a revision of the starting time, it was not possible to have a discussion with the contest manager before the rules had to be placed with the publications team in time for inclusion in July Amateur Radio magazine. With the establishment of the proposed Contest Committee, all contest rules will be reviewed and where practical will be standardised. " cheers and thanks Bob VK6POP WIA Director WIA Awards Scheme Now this is urgent late breaking news which was obviously only made known to the WIA within the past few hours but the WIA has less than a week to find a replacement for the current awards manager! Mal Brooks - VK3FDSL writing on wia front page news is asking for help on behalf of WIA Director Chris, VK5CP. "wIA Members and existing Awards Committee Members are invited to register interest in taking over our awards scheme with the Director responsible for the Awards Scheme, Chris VK5CP vk5cp@wia.org.au by 14 July 2011. The new Awards Manager will work with Eddie VK4AN during a handover period to be determined and take on full responsibilities by 30 August 2011 (or earlier by agreement)." wia.org.au Winter in the Shack Greetings from the WIA, this is WIA Director Ewan VK4ERM, with some winter thoughts. Now that the chills of winter are here for most of us; yes, contrary to popular belief it does get chilly in VK4; isn’t it a good time to get into your shack, check your test equipment, clean the soldering iron and attend to those ‘Round To It’ amateur radio projects? Especially those that are half completed or not in their final state or enclosure. How often do we, as radio amateurs, take a design and construction project we set ourselves to the conclusion of the proof of concept phase, park it in a box on the shelf, and look for the next challenge? Well, my hand is up! We could attend to the completion of those projects and try to resist the temptation of starting a new one that has been niggling our minds for the past months, or longer in many cases. Generally we like to work on our own, cloistered in our shacks, solving the intricacies of design, construction and testing but is this the best thing to do? Unless you are in an isolated area devoid of other amateurs, there is always the option of inviting one or more amateurs to an evening in your shack to discuss design and construction ideas and then put them into practise. It doesn’t have to be confined to your project but can, and perhaps should, include theirs as well. Tea, coffee, biscuits and the mandatory chocolate cake are sure to be welcome during the evening. And why should we restrict such evenings to other Radio Amateurs of our ilk and vintage, young or old? Such activities are ideal for encouraging those with a budding interest in our hobby to enjoy the camaraderie and learning opportunity our hobby has to offer. Remember the people you introduced to the hobby and encouraged to successfully complete their Foundation Licence? Have you unintentionally abandoned them and their interest? Well, now is the time to re-establish the links and invite them to a Shack Evening with others so they can become immersed in the knowledge and experience of others with the opportunity to ask questions and maybe get some hands on construction involvement. No other amateurs in your area? Remember the interested local passer-bys who were intrigued by your antenna and asked questions of your hobby? This is your opportunity to invite them to your shack to see it in operation and become involved with what you are designing and constructing, without great technical descriptions. Put kindling on their smouldering interest and further inflame their Amateur Radio interest. The off-air banter in a shack of like minded people and interested people generates a warm and happy atmosphere where everyone can feel welcome and accepted as they learn about the hobby, and share ideas and experiences in Amateur Radio. So, who are you going to invite to your Shack Evening this winter? This has been Ewan VK4ERM for the WIA Board. HAMS ACROSS AUSTRALIA. Jeff Johnson vk4xjj is walking across Australia to raise Money for NETS (Newborn Emergency Transport Service). Jeff is now roughly half way across the country and he is looking for contacts from stations in the west on 14.090 USB at 0630 UTC. Jeff will also be on 7.045 LSB at 0730 UTC, Jeff then moves to 14.090 at approximately 0740 UTC. Jeff is becoming a weak signal in the eastern states and is looking for support on these schedule times from stations in the west. Grahame vk2fa has supplied us with several URLs re Jeff’s Walk. http://www.jeffswalk2.com/ http://www.thankq.net.au/tq_community_netsa/PersonPage.aspx?Ref=P11557/1182 VK2 web service:- http://www.arnsw.org.au/html/news_vk2wi.htm VKG Roundup http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/news Club Auction Liverpool & District Amateur Radio Club Auction, Saturday the 20TH of August 2011. Miller Scout Hall, Shopshire Road, Miller. Next to Miller High School open 8:30am, auction commences at 10:30am Any vendors who wish to participate, please contact the Liverpool Secretary Garry VK2BR further details. VK2BR on 0427 063 553 email vk2tsr@bigpond.com VK3 web service:- http://www.amateurradio.com.au/news/ Police Roundup http://www.vicpolicenews.com.au/ The next NERG meeting will be a Home Brew Show'n'Tell night. The idea is you bring along something you've built, modified or programmed and get 10 minutes (maximum) to show off your creation, with time to answer a question or two. They will have a video camera to display small items up on "the big screen". Meeting is 14 July, so rummage around the shack and find that old Beer Can antenna, Free energy machine, Kilowatt amplifier, circuit design program, or your most recent Jaycar kit. ( Mark Harrison VK3BYY North East Radio Group www.nerg.asn.au ) July 16 GGREC HAMFEST Gippsland Gate Radio & Electronics Club Sale of new and used radio & electronic parts and equipment The Gippsland Gate Radio & Electronics Club members announce that on the 16th July they will be conducting their annual Hamfest at the Cranbourne Community Hall on the corner of Clarendon and High Streets, Cranbourne. High Street is part of the South Gippsland Highway. Melway 133 K4. More information can be found at ggrec.org.au. (wia events) QNEWS - VK4 Welcome to QNews from VK4WIA. I'm Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I've been thinking. In January, this year, the Federal Government released a paper seeking comments on having a national regulator for the Not For Profit Sector. This follows work from the Productivity Commission and an election promise. www.fia.org.au/.../Federal_Government_ScopingStudy_NFPRegulator_... This week saw a momentous decision from the Federal Court in the action taken by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission against the directors of Centro Properties. It was held in this judgement that directors have a duty to make their own decisions and not just depend on external information, such as auditor's reports. www.asic.gov.au/asic/asic.../09-202AD+ASIC+commences+proceed... It is a little hard to determine the full importance of these two acts. It has been suggested that ASIC which has some experience in regulating NFP bodies, would be the right choice to regulate the sector. There is a murky trail of legal precedence from company law through to responsibilities of people engaged in their local incorporated club. However, for me, when putting it together, we can no longer have committee members who just keep the seat warm. Commonsense says we want people doing their best in running our clubs. I'm Geoff Emery and that's what I think....how about you? CLUBBING - TO SUPPLY NEWS ITEMS:- email qnews@wia.org.au MARYBOROUGH RADIO AND ELECTRONICS CLUB For more info, call Secretary Kathy Johns 040-939-8853 Email: kathy.johns@bigpond.com Channel 14 UHF CB call "CQ MERG" Hello, this is just a reminder that next Saturday the Maryborough West Scout Hall is going to be the scene of a Hamfest. For the 3rd year running, Maryborough Electronics and Radio Group is hosting the get together for electronics and radio enthusiasts in the Wide Bay. Food and drink is being provided by the local scout group and both tables indoors and spaces outdoors are still available for the trash and treasure hounds. David from VK4-ICE Communications has donated a Wouxun dual band H/T for the major raffle and will be in attendance too. MERG hopes to see you Wide Bay Hamfest Scout Hall Ariadne Street, Maryborough Saturday, 16th July after 9 o'clock For MERG, Inc this is Geoff, VK4ZPP VK7 local area news :- http://reast.asn.au/news.php vk7 local news, email vk7regionalnews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com vK7RNE falls silent. The wild stormy weather of recent weeks has claimed another victim. VK7RNE, the north-eastern repeater located on Tower Hill, unexpectedly went off the air recently. The cause was immediately apparent to the inspecting ground-crew on its arrival at the scene. The shed that housed the repeater was found lying on its side, along with all its contents, some way down the mountain. It had literally been knocked off its perch by the wind. The radio equipment has been recovered but we understand that there are no plans at present to reinstate the repeater. This sorrowful event thus brings about the close of a chapter in the repeater history of VK7. VK7RNE has long provided a useful service to that part of the State and was a tribute to Paul VK7KPG and his small group that first installed and then maintained the facility over the years. Sadly, some of the group are now silent keys. Annual licence fee in recent years has been met by the North West Tasmanian ATV Group. SILENT KEY Sadly we've heard that News West Guru for many years, Dennis VK6KAD has passed away. We received the news via his brother in law John VK6KOJ. It's all a bit sudden. Even though we knew he had been quite sick, he was attending dialysis regularly and he gave no indication that there was any immediate threat. WIA Director Bob Bristow VK6POP reports "Dennis John Muldownie, VK6KAD died in Perth on Thursday 30th June 2011. Dennis was well known and respected in Amateur Radio in Western Australia. His most widely known contribution was in his role as broadcaster of the WIA National News, and compiler, presenter and broadcaster of the VK6 NewsWest weekly news. Dennis served in this capacity for nine years, until in late 2010 his health deteriorated and he was unable to continue. Dennis was recognized for his contribution to the WIA news service at the 2010 WIA AGM where he was presented with a President’s Commendation. Dennis had a passion for things military, probably a hangover from his National Service days. Some years ago, Dennis used the NewsWest broadcasts to promote the RD contest, culminating in Western Australia having the best turnout of operators in Australia for this contest. Through his continued enthusiasm, W.A. has been able to maintain its position at the front of the R.D. contest. Dennis has also been involved for many years in training and assessing people for their Amateur License, and many people have commented on the encouragement and information that he was able to give them. Dennis has been involved in Amateur Radio in Scouting for several decades, including coordinating JOTA in VK6, and helping provide activities and training for Scouts. Dennis would always turn out for working bees, repeater re-starts, committees etc, taking positions of responsibility as required. He continued to do so until his health declined to a point where he was unable to do much, except, in his own words, to barrack for those doing the work. Dennis was known for his quick wit and broad general knowledge. Dennis will be missed in Western Australian Amateur circles, however he will be remembered. Dennis’ funeral is tomorrow, 11th July at 0230 UTC in Perth. Farewell, Dennis, VK6KAD, silent key." Another News Man passes. Jamie Pye ZL2NN - SK NZART, New Zealand's national amateur radio society, have reported the death of their editor and webmaster, Jamie Pye, ZL2NN. They say: It is with much sadness we advise of the death of Jamie Pye, ZL2NN, on Saturday 2nd July after a short illness. Jamie’s funeral was held at the Kingswood Funeral Home Upper Hutt on Wednesday 6th July. NZART Website: www.nzart.org..nz EDUCATION YOUTH AND ADVANCEMENT OF AMATEUR RADIO www.hamcollege.com.au Amateur Radio Assessments and training Persons in the N/West Area of VK7 interested in Training and Assessments for all classes of Amateur Radio Licenses are advised that the Club can provide these requirements and much more. Maybe someone wishes to upgrade. Well the NWT ATVGroup has the appropriately trained personnel with Facilitators from the Radio and Electronics School who can attend to all requirements should candidates so desire. For more information, please contact Tony VK7AX, or the Club. Contact details can be found on the Club Web Site or the WIA site under VK7 Clubs. http://www.vk7ax.id.au/atvgroup/ (Tony VK7AX, President - North West Tas. ATV Group) A few weeks back we made mention of the great work of our European friends and that of the South African's in promoting a REAL thrust of encouraging youth to our bands. Hot on the heels of those societies comes news that David W. Brandenburg, K5RQ, of Osprey, Florida is chairing the ARRL Second Century Campaign. One important focus of the campaign includes the development of a robust national program geared at young people, enabling them to experience and develop skills in scientific and technological discovery through Amateur Radio. Well done ARRL! www.arrl.org/news/meet-the-arrl-second-century-campaign-committee INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to RSGB, Southgate AR Club, the ARRL, Amateur Radio Newsline, NZART and the WW sources of the WIA. US Federal legislation to ban use of handheld phones and other mobile devices while driving has been introduced in the United States House of Representatives. According to published news reports, Representative Carolyn McCarthy of New York said the legislation titled the “Safe Drivers Act of 2011” would direct the Department of Transportation to set a national standard to prohibit drivers from using hand-held mobile devices, except in certain emergency situations. It’s unknown whether or not the use of handheld push-to-talk microphones used by two-way radio users such as police, fire, delivery services, CB operators and hams would be exempted from McCarthy's proposed national ban. US POWER COMPANIES TO EXPERIMENT WITH NOT HOLDING POWERLINES TO 60 HZ If you are a United States radio amateur that depends on a power line synchronized clock for logging and other station operations, you might want to look toward buying a stand alone unit that does not rely on the power at your outlet being precisely 60 hertz. This is because of an upcoming yearlong experiment with that nations electric grid could un-synchronize clocks that use synchronous motors to display the time. Since 1930, electric clocks have kept time based on the rate of the frequency of the A-C electrical current that powers them. If the frequency changes from its usual 60 hertz rate, clocks run a little fast or slow. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, is proposing an experiment that would allow more frequency variation than it does now without corrections being made. The test is tentatively set to start mid month. tinyurl.com/3h6lfcn and tinyurl.com/3uzut3g Wireless still safe in Canada Health Canada disputes claims by the World Health Organization that wireless Internet networks may cause cancer. "While there is limited evidence that RF energy may cause cancer in humans, it is not conclusive and more research is required," the department said in a statement. "Health Canada does not plan to update its exposure guidelines based on the IARC classification." ============================================================================= WEIRD AND WONDERFUL AMATEUR RADIO AMOUR: DO WE GET BONUS POINTS FOR THIS? When you think about ARRL Field Day, a few things come to mind: food, radios, food, antennas, food and friends. And food. But one couple took things a little bit further when they got MARRIED at their Field Day site. Kevin Shissler, K1FQ, and Debra Hubbard, N1FQ, love Field Day so much that they decided it was the perfect place to share their love for each other -- and for Amateur Radio. Wearing their 2011 ARRL Field Day shirts, they tied the knot at the Field Day, swapping the 20 meter band for a band of gold. And as an aside, In April 2010, N1FQ donated 60 percent of her liver to A co-worker Jan Watson, and now Jan (a HAPPY Jan) had her chance to return the favour -- She officiated the wedding. SPECIAL EVENTS AND ON AIR CONTEST COLUMN - D A T E L I N E 2011 Aug 13-14 WIA Remembrance Day Contest Aug 20-21 WW I.L.L.W. Oct 22 WIA Jack Files Contest 2012 January VK Ross Hull Memorial VHF UHF Contest March 17-18 VK JOHN MOYLE MEMORIAL FIELD DAY June Long Weekend (vk4 time) VK Shires Contest. Radiosport fans it's winters biggest HF competition: The IARU HF World Championship: This 24 hour long contest is the ww highlight of the HF contesting season, affording plenty of opportunities to work DX from all around the globe on CW and SSB, as well as make QSOs with many IARU officials and Member-Society club stations. "The IARU HF World Championship is one of Radiosport's unique events," explained ARRL Contest Branch Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X. "It's the only major contest that uses International Telecommunication Union zones as part of the exchange, and the only contest that gives special multiplier status for IARU Member-Society stations and IARU officials." The IARU HF World Championship runs 1200 UTC Saturday, July 9 through 1200 UTC Sunday, July 10. www.arrl.org/news/the-iaru-hf-world-championship-coming-to-a-radio-near-you The RSGB are active using 'GR2HQ' Finland 20m SSB IARU HQ station OH2HQ Although no word from WIA on any Australian involvement, the Luxembourg HQ station is on-the-air for IARU World HF Championship. HQ station, LX0HQ, and there are two other LX0HQ stations on the air from two different locations during the contest: LX7I LX1TI 7 Japan Amateur Radio League HQ stations in various regions of Japan are on the air during the 2011 IARU HF Championship. 8N1HQ 15 meters CW Kimitsu City, Chiba 8N1HQ 160 meters CW, 10 meters CW Minato Ku, Tokyo 8N2HQ 80 meters CW Mihama Town, Chita Gu, Aichi 8N3HQ 40 meters CW, 10 meters SSB Kobe City, Hyogo 8N3HQ 20 meters CW Miki City, Hyogo 8N4HQ 80 meters SSB, 40 meters SSB, 15 meters SSB Okayama City, Okayama 8N8HQ 20 meters SSB Iwamizawa City, Hokkaido International Lighthouse & Lightship Weekend heats up In yester-year the coastline had lighthouse protection, now well surpassed by modern satellite navigation. The radio amateurs operating portable from those locations, on the third weekend of August helps keep the spirit of the lighthouse alive. Several countries with a relative small coastline do surprisingly well, by activating as many of the accessible lighthouses as possible. Of those countries that relied heavily on lighthouse protection on the past, Australia remains in the lead with 49 followed by the USA on 45, but usual leadership contender Germany has only 38 entries so far. More than 300 entries are expected for lighthouses and lightships from now onwards with around 50 countries to be involved. The Illawarra Amateur Radio Society has advised that "Lighthouses of Australia", a non-profit organisation which aims to create a higher profile for lighthouses, will be in attendance to relight the old diesel powered Point Perpendicular Light for VK2AMW. For full details and on-line registration for the weekend of August the 20th and 21st check the website ILLW.NET which has been recently been revised and well worth a visit. (Jim Linton VK3PC) SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS, DX and BEACON AND NET ADVICE DX on 1.8MHz Most people would not regard 1.8 MHz as a DX band. The majority of operators who are active on the band may never have heard a DX station there. ZS1REC, has just proved them wrong. He has received a DXCC certificate for proving that he has contacted more than 100 countries on the band, only the fifth South African and the first ZS1 to achieve the milestone. ZS1REC operates from a small city lot, just a quarter wavelength in diameter. He uses wire antennas and modest power. However, a shrewd understanding of propagation and a lot of perseverance make up for the modest station. 4W6A will be QRV from Atauro Island (IOTA OC-232), Timor-Leste (East Timor), from 16 to 26 September 2011. 10 to 160 metres CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL manager is M0URX, direct via the bureau, or LoTW. BROADCAST MONITORING SWL AND SCANNER NEWS Townsville V8 info is available on the web at tarc.org.au The Townsville Amateur Radio club has again put together a great Team Frequency Listing for the 2011 V8 Supercars Townsville Event. Government reaffirms 2015 analogue shutdown date The UK Government appears to be committed to the 2015 date for the switch-off of all national analogue AM and FM broadcast stations. In the recently released Digital Radio Action Plan they say: The Government recognises the industry desire to reduce the burden of dual-transmission through an early switchover. There are also benefits to consumers of a quicker transition to digital radio and the certainty this can bring, including a reduction in the price of digital receivers through greater economies of scale. The Action Plan supports a switchover date of 2015 as a target which all parts of the industry can work towards. Read the Digital Radio Action Plan version 4 at http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/8218.aspx (southgate) INTRUDER WATCH - ENFORCEMENT ZONE Region III IARUMS Coordinator Peter Young VK3MV VK IARUMS reflector email to subscribe intruders@wia.org.au INTRUDER 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 The WIA monitoring system is looking for amateurs, or their family members and friends that have linguist skills. While receiving monitoring reports of intruders on to our HF bands, is very helpful, some phone communications are in foreign languages that once identified can assist with the location and possible identification of the intruder. So if you have skills particularly in Asian or Middle Eastern languages and dialects we would like to hear from you. Please connect the WIA Monitoring System Coordinator by email to vk3mv@wia.org.au or by following the links on the WIA website under “Members Services” for more details. I’m Peter Young, VK3MV for the WIA National News WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- ATV (Every pixel tells a story) - Video arvideonews.com hamradiotube.com youtube.com qdg.org.au W5KUB TO NETCAST 2011 HUNTSVILLE HAMFEST Tom Medlin, W5KUB, says that he will once again be netcasting live from the 2011 Huntsville Hamfest in Alabama on August 20th and 21st. This is a large Hamfest that pulls many people from not only the South-Eastern states but also across the entire United States. As is usual, Tom says that he will have prizes for his viewers. He adds that as this is an all indoor Hamfest at the famed Von Braun Centre, it should have perfect connectivity to enable him to stream the event with what he terms as great quality video. Toms netcast from the Huntsville Hamfest complete with ongoing chat-room will be carried live at w5kub dot com (arnewsline) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- CW FISTS Club - East Asia www.feacw.net FISTS Club - Australasia www.fistsdownunder.org FISTS Club - UK & Europe www.fists.co.uk FISTS Club - Americas www.fists.org Giant Morse Key reappears On the 6th August 2011 a Giant Morse Key constructed by 2e0dit will reappear at ASTROFAIR 2011 Sidmouth, Devon. This is a key to be seen to be believed! It's on the web at http://projects.exeter.ac.uk/nlo/Astronomy_Fair~EN.php SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- FINAL FRONTIER AMSAT-VK UNOFFICIAL HF Net. 2nd Sunday each month. April through October 1000 UTC 3.685 MHz November through March 0900 UTC 7.068 MHz ARISSat-1 delayed until August? Alexander Samokutiaev, flight engineer of the International Space Station’s expedition 28, informed about the planning for the upcoming Russian EVA in his blog in Roscosmos web. According to Russian cosmonaut, the EVA is slated for August, pending the launch of the shuttle scheduled for July 8. Alexander will work outside the ISS with his colleague Sergey Volkov. The cosmonauts are to perform several ISS RS refurbishing tasks, as well as to launch small satellite Kedr. Russian cosmonauts onboard the International Space Station switched on small spacecraft Kedr on April 12, in order to commemorate the jubilee of Yury Gagarin’s mission. Small spacecraft Kedr developed under the RadioSkaf experiment bears the name adopted by Yu.A. Gagarin call sign in his historical flight, namely Kedr. The satellite’s signal will be transmitted at radio amateur frequency of 145.95 MHz. Kedr has radio amateur call sign RS1S. RadioSkaf is implemented in the framework of UNESCO’s student space education program. Kedr will transmit different signals, images, and recorded talks of famous Russian Scientists. REWIND Wanted. Technical information or any personal recollections of the PMG radio stations linking Stanley in Tasmania to Tanybryn near Apollo Bay, operational in the 1960s. Please contact Winston VK7EM. 03 6437 2582 or E mail wnickols@westnet.com.au Winston is in the process of collecting information on this early radio link that provided a back-up role for an under-sea telephone cable between Tasmania and Victoria. The building in Stanley was commonly known as 'The Green House' and is now the kiosk for 'The Nut' chairlift. He remembers being shown over the station in the 1960s (by Reg Bulman VK7RL, Frank Richelme, both SKs). It seems to have operated around 40Mhz and used rhombic antennas on top of 'The Nut'. The Victorian station was at Tanybryn near Apollo Bay. If any amateur remembers these stations and could provide information this would form a valuable record of an historic radio link. SOCIAL SCENE 2011 Jul 16 VK3 Gippsland Gate Radio & Electronics Club Hamfest Cranbourne Community Hall 10am ( secretary@ggrec.org.au ) Jul 16 VK4 Maryborough Electronics and Radio Group "Wide Bay Hamfest" West Scout Hall, Ariadne St, Maryborough 8:30am. secretary@merg.org.au Jul 31 VK2/3 Riverina Field Day 10am at Lavington Scout Group Hall. Aug 7 VK2 Lismore region - SARCFEST Aug 28 VK2 Blue Mountains amateur radio club's annual WINTERFEST andrewvaughan230@gmail.com Sep 11 VK3 SADARC Comms Day at St Augustine's Hall Shepparton 10am. Sep 16-18 VK4 NQ Amateur Radio Convention Date Set Townsville Sep 23-28 R3 Region 3 ARDF Championship Bendigo VK3 http://r3.ardf.org.au/ Sep 30-Oct 2 VK4 Central Highlands Amateur Radio Club AGM at Camp Fairbairn CONTACT Secretary Gordon, (vk4kal@wia.org.au) Nov 20 vk5 Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society Hamfest Goodwood Community Centre, Rosa St Goodwood at 0930. Visit www.ahars.com.au for contact details 2012 15TH IARU REGION 3 CONFERENCE hosted by V.A.R.C. in Ho-Chi-Minh City, Vietnam. JAN 23-FEB 17 YEAR 2012 World Radio Conference WRC-11 Geneva 23rd January TO 17th February 2012 FEB 26 VK2 CCARC WYONG FIELD DAY MAY 3-18 VK5 YL International 2012 Australia (vk5tmc@bigpond.com) Submitting news items If you would like to submit news items for inclusion in the VK1WIA broadcasts, please email your item in text to nationalnews@wia.org.au to submit audio read "how to submit items" in the weekly news page on wia.org.au Remember the sooner you submit material the more the likelyhood of it being broadcast in the very next edition of WIA National News. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ============================================================================= WIANews - we've reported...YOU decide. TWITTER http://twitter.com/VK1WIA 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. ***************************************************************************** /ex