WIANEWS - MARCH 31 - 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. When you upload audio email us the txt version. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ WIANEWS WEEK COMMENCING MARCH 31 2013. WIA REMINDER FOR JOHN MOYLE FIELD DAY ENTRIES AND THE WIA AGM PERTH. RESCUE RADIO :- WE LOOK AT SEQUEST PLUS DATE REMINDERS FOR WICEN IN VK1, 2, 3. THESE STORIES AND MORE IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA FOR WEEK COMMENCING MAR 31 2013. Radio system takes pole position With the first races of the 2013 V8 Supercar Championship now underway, Nissan Motorsport has announced a partnership with Icom Australia, which will provide Nissan Motorsport with a total communications solution for the 2013 and 2014 V8 Supercar Championship seasons. VK7WI News reports that The partnership sees Icom supply Nissan Motorsport with a fully customised solution based on the demanding needs of motorsport. The system will deliver clear communications between drivers, pit crew, engineers and other staff on race day to ensure all departments are working in unison, helping to achieve that coveted podium finish. Todd Kelly, Driver and Director of Nissan Motorsport, said: "The importance of timing and flowing communication between driver and engineer is crucial for race strategy and, with Icom at the forefront of cutting-edge radio technology, we'll look at constantly innovating and developing new initiatives to drive our competitive advantage within the championship." http://www.radiocomms.com.au/articles/59676 VK5 Australian MW AM broadcaster heard in Scandinavia ABC Adelaide reports that their medium wave 1161 kHz AM transmitter was heard in Finland. Kimmo Vuorela received the Australian AM broadcaster using a Perseus type communications receiver and an array of 3000 foot long antennas, one of which was pointing toward the station. Circumstances are ideal up in Finland's northern region Lapland, far above the Arctic Circle, because there is space for long antennas, and hardly any man-made electrical noise or interference KIMMO SAID. Read the full story at http://blogs.abc.net.au/sa/2013/03/tuning-in-to-abc-south-east-from-scandanavia.html Thailand plans for digital radio Thailand's National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission has indicated that it will more than likely use Australia's digital radio system as a model to migrate from analog, according to the Bangkok Post. The chairman of the NBTC's broadcasting committee said the regulator is studying the digital radio transition in Australia, which according to the article is the country that is viewed as the most successful in implementing the scheme. Options include DAB+ (which is used in Australia), DRM, or iBiquity's HD Radio system. WIA BOARD TALK President Phil Wait VK2ASD vk2asd@wia.org.au Vice President Chris Platt VK5CP vk5cp@wia.org.au Secretary David Williams VK3RU vk3ru@wia.org.au Treasurer John Longayroux VK3PZ vk3pz@wia.org.au High Power Licensee’s – We need to hear from you! The 18 month 1kW High Power Trial, which commenced on 1 March 2012, has entered its evaluation phase. The ACMA is now gathering information about the trial such as; the general compliance with EMR standards; the incidence of interference complaints to other spectrum users; and how the trial has assisted radio amateurs to communicate. As part of that evaluation process the WIA has been asked to make a submission to the ACMA about the outcomes from the trial. Because the ACMA doesn't inform the WIA about who has taken part we do not know who the licensees are, so we can’t simply call a sample of people and ask how it’s going. Instead, we need you to contact us and tell us about your experiences. We want to know how the high power trial has gone for you. In particular we would like to know: • Have you found it easier to communicate with stations using the higher power and why? • How did you find the whole EMR assessment process? • Did you use an EMR assessment tool? Which one? • Did you need to make changes to your antenna system or your property to comply with the exposure regulations? • Are you aware of any increase in interference to domestic radio or Television reception resulting from your operations at the higher power limit? • Any other comments or experiences you would like to share? Time is short, so please Email us your comments ASAP and at least by the 10th April. The High Power Trial is due to conclude on 31 August 2013, and are hopeful that the 1kW limit will be a permanent feature for advanced licensee’s operating on the HF bands. We are also hopeful that the higher power concession will be extended to the 160 metre band. This is Phil Wait, for the WIA. (TEXT EDITIONS ONLY) Appreciate - March 31 2013, 0'35" Have you prepared for the last weekend in May; the 2013 WIA AGM and Conference? Amateur Radio successes are celebrated with awards, certificates and commendations. Offering you the opportunity to come face to face with those individuals who have distinguished themselves and marking their achievement with a celebratory drink. The 2013 WIA AGM and Conference, it's all about Engaging, Learning, Appreciating, Socializing and Discovering. You'll find all the information online at the VK6 conference site, conference.vk6.net Looming Loss of 2300-2302 MHz – WIA submission - (txt versions only). Your WIA has sent off its submission to the ACMA. The 2900-word submission provides background on the Amateur Service and the role of the WIA. The submission sets out the WIA's proposal to retain 2300-2300.15 MHz, the reasons why and the context of how it would work. President Phil Wait VK2ASD has requested an early meeting with the ACMA to discuss the submission. http://www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2013/20130327-1/documents/WIA%20Submission%20re%202300-2302%20MHz_final.pdf (Roger VK2ZRH / WIA Front Page News) HAMS ACROSS AUSTRALIA. VK3 web service:- http://www.amateurradio.com.au/news/ The ''Homebrew Construction' group meets this Saturday ' A feature at the Homebrew Group that meets monthly at Ashburton was a presentation by Ian Downie VK3LA, who demonstrated a Communications Test set used as a spectrum analyser. Following his talk in March, he returns this Saturday for a test day, with the set available together with an RF signal generator, power meter, frequency counter, dummy load and rubidium standard for the calibration or alignment of almost any project. Also at the last meeting during its regular 'show and tell' session, was a fine 40 metre SSB transceiver, produced from a kit by Alex Stirkul VK3MWX. The experience and knowledge gained helped him to very recently upgrade to the Advanced Licence. Rob Whitmore VK3MQ showed a short video clip of his new satellite antennas in action. The next meeting at 40g Victory Boulevard, Ashburton will be held on Saturday, April the 6th, at 2pm. VK3WI will be on the Mt Macedon VK3RMM 2-metre repeater at 2.30pm to receive check-ins and comments for the meeting. (Jim Linton VK3PC) Class enrolments for entry point licences Another successful Foundation Licence weekend of quality training and assement is being held in April by Amateur Radio Victoria. Located at 40g Victory Boulevard, Ashburton, it will be held on April the 20th and 21st. For full details please contact without delay the Education Team Leader, Barry Robinson VK3PV, his email is vk3pv@amateurradio.com.au or on the phone 0428 516 001. (Jim Linton VK3PC) MDRC Hamfest 2013 The Moorabbin and District Amateur Radio club are pleased to announce the 2013 Hamfest will be on Saturday 11th May, with doors opening at 10am. This year’s event will be at the Southern Community Centre, Rupert Drive, Mulgrave (Melways map ref 80 F4). The Moorabbin Radio Club’s annual Hamfest is proud to be Victoria's biggest with displays and sales of new and preloved equipment. A must come must see event for anyone interested in Radio Communications and Electronics. Major door prizes, free tea and coffee, light refreshments and a sausage sizzle will also be on offer. Trader table bookings and general enquires can be made by emailing Graeme Lewis VK3GL (vk3gl@bigpond.com) or by phoning mobile 0418 171601. A Must see, must come event!! EMDRC would like to thank everybody who came to last Sundays Big Friendly Hamfest the EMDRC White Elephant Sale. It was a great day, the weather was perfect and there was a healthy attendance, infact we had the same number of people attending this year as we did last year. Once again thanks again to everybody who came along, whether you bought, sold or just enjoyed the big friendly social atmosphere. OH, and dont forget the next EMDRC White Elephant Sale it's only 358 days away, so put it in your diary today ! In other EMDRC club news, the club will be running its April Foundation Course on Saturday the 20th of April with the assessment being conducted on Sunday the 21st of April. So if you know of someone who would like to get into the hobby then let them know about our upcoming foundation course. Again its on Saturday the 20th of April and the course will be held at the EMDRC Clubrooms McCubbin Street Burwood Course trainers will be Damien VK3KQ and myself Robert VK3DN For all enquiries about our course send an email to learning@emdrc.com.au or contact myself Robert VK3DN on 0403 066 686 Hallo everyone, this is Clive VK6CSW. On behalf of the RAOTC I wish everyone a very happy Easter. Although tomorrow is the first Monday of the month it is also a national public holiday. The RAOTC Committee has therefore decided to postpone the April bulletin for one week and it will now be broadcast on Monday, April 8. Just repeating, the April RAOTC bulletin has been postponed to Monday April 8th. OPERATIONAL NEWS - DATELINE 2013 WW International Museums Weekends June 15/16 and 22/23 HOLYLAND CONTEST 2013 - APRIL 19 - 20 This is Denis Johnstone, Contest Coordinator for the John Moyle Memorial Field Day. The WIA and I would like to thank those stations who have already gone to the effort of preparing and submitting a valid log for this year's contest. Logs are still being received but only around 50 % of the logs are from Portable stations with the remainder from Home stations. The contest log for your station is important for you, as based upon this log we calculate the relative score and placing in each category. However, the other purpose for your log is to permit verification of contacts of other stations and hence their scores and placing. So having gone to the considerable effort involved to actually take part in the contest, the enjoyment and fun aspect put to one side, it would be such a shame not to complete the task and not submit a valid log as an entry in the contest. So don't forget that entries by mail, Snail Mail that is, have to be posted with a post mark not later than 19th April 2013. electronic mail submissions close at midnight also on the 19th April 2013. So go ahead, gather up the required information that you need, collate the log and submit it as soon as possible. You can check if your log has been entered into the system by checking if your callsign is in the list on the John Moyle page on the contests tab on http://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/johnmoyle/ The contest results will be published there as soon as they have been completed, they will be summarised on the WIANews the following week and the full details will be published in AR the following month. That’s all for now, speak to you later. (Denis Johnstone VK4AE/VK3ZUX Contest Manager JMMFD 2013) Jim Linton for the Lighthouse Lightship weekend now joins us with a look-see at some lights in my part of the world, and a new trend emerging. Lighthouses having their first activation A trend emerging with the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend in August is for a few to find a lighthouse location that has not previously been activated by amateur radio. While organisers of the friendly annual event like to see amateur stations returning year after year to the same location, it’s pleasing that some new lighthouses, or those not registered for some time, being included. Already quite a few enquiries around the world have been received about new lights, lightships and maritime beacons. In the Port Douglas area of Queensland Australia two lighthouses dating back to the 1870s, are to be heard for the first time. These are the Low Isles Lighthouse about 13 kilometres from Port Douglas, with Ben Friederich now VK4TDX travelling by boat to the small island. While the Tableland Radio & Electronics Club VK4XQA will be at Island Point Lighthouse, in Port Douglas. The International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend is on August the 17th and 18th. Visit its website illw.net to read the guidelines or make an online registration. (Jim Linton VK3PC) SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS, DX and BEACON AND NET ADVICE North Queensland Net now has eComms The Net, which happens Sunday Evenings on 3605.4kHz from 0930UTC (which includes a live cross from 1000UTC onto 2metres in Townsville) now is augmented by eComms the eComms enhancements include Skype - connect with VK4DA on bob pittman4 EchoLink - connect with VK4DA Facebook - TARCadians can comment on the TARC Townsville Amateur Radio Club page Overall it's intended to be another medium for contact and information during the North Queensland Net and also to provide those away with the ability to catch the net, and hopefully encourage those in the wider area to provide some signal reports on stations heard. Last week we told you of PA øø KING the special call on the 30th april 2013, for the Coronation of Dutch new King, ”Willem Alexander." Well also in celebration of the Netherlands Queen Beatrix handing over the throne to her eldest son, Dutch ham radio operator Jaap Van Duin, PA7DA, will take to the airwaves using the special callsign PB33Q between April 20th and May 1st. Keep an eye on pa7da.jouwweb.nl/pb33q for more information on this very special celebration. QSL PB33Q only via the bureau. GB2RAF, the RAF Neatishead Radar Museum Permanent Special Event Station, will be on the air celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Royal Air Force Amateur Radio Society on 1st April from 09.00 to 17.00 GMT. Operations will be on 80m or 40m using SSB or CW. GB0BD will be operating from Boyndie Aerodrome on 30th March to 1st April, celebrating 75 years of Royal Air Force Amateur Radio Society. Details can be found on at QRZ.com. The Derby & District Amateur Radio Society will be operating G2DJ at Duffield Junction railway station during the gala at the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway over the four day Easter weekend, 29th March to 1st April. Operation will be on the HF bands and on 2 metres. Further details are on the website www.dadars.org.uk. Riviera Amateur Radio Club is operating the special event callsign GB4ZOO on Saturday 30th March at Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, to mark the 90th anniversary of the zoo's opening on Easter weekend in 1923. The station will be operating on 40m SSB and 2m FM. QSL via bureau, direct or eqsl. For more details see www.rivieraarc.org.uk. HOME OF THE GOOD GUYS 104 year-old Radio Ham celebrates birthday Radio amateur Louise Evans KE7LSF celebrated her 104th birthday, March 22. A report on KMTV says she enjoys using the latest tech gadgets like her iPhone and Kindle Fire in addition to amateur radio. Read the KMTV story at http://www.kmvt.com/news/regional/199380991.html A brief mention of her 100th birthday in 2009 can be seen in the YLISSBers newsletter The Communicator at http://www.ylsystem.org/announce/Communicator%202009/Communicator%20143.pdf INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to IARU, RSGB, SARL, Southgate AR Club, ARRL, Amateur Radio Newsline, NZART, ARVictoria and the WW sources of the WIA. Several National Societies, and clubs related to them, will have special event stations on the air for World Amateur Radio Day April 18. Mexico – FMRE, with the help of Grupo DXXE, will activate a unique prefix for the first time: 4 A 8 DMR (DMR = Día Mundial del Radioaficionado). This station will be active from April 18 to 21, 2013 on all bands from 6 meters to 160 in all modes including EME and amateur radio satellites from different Grid Locators throughout Mexico. QSL via N7RO and LoTW. Log will be available also on ClubLog. Puerto Rico – To echo the theme for this year the ARRL’s Puerto Rico Field Day Group will be active April 18 from the Emergency Management Agency of the city of Cataño, Puerto Rico. QSL via QRZ.com as well as LoTW. The SARL will celebrate Amateur Radio's century of involvement in disaster communication on World Amateur Radio on 18 April 2013 at the National Amateur Radio Centre. The callsign ZS 9 DCC - Disaster Communication Century will be operational from the NARC on the 18th. Special guests and the media have been invited to a briefing starting at 12:00 with presentations about amateur radio's involvement in disaster communication and how amateur radio is supporting sporting and other community events with communication. On April 18, make a contact with ZS9DCC to receive a special commemorative QSL card. Amateur Radio Association celebrates 50th anniversary The Algerian Amateur Radio Association (ARA) celebrated last Saturday in Algiers, its fiftieth anniversary in the presence of many historical personalities, including pioneers of the association, to whom honorary trophies and medals were awarded. President of the association Afif Benlagha 7 X 2 RO recalled, during a press conference held to mark this anniversary, the various stages the association witnessed since its creation on March 23, 1963. Present at the event, president of the International Amateur Radio Union, Region 1, Hans Blondeel Timmerman PB 2 T highlighted the Algerian expertise. www.aps.dz/Algerian-Amateur-Radio-Association.html GPS JAMMERS GROWING PROBLEM ON UK ROADS Word that jamming of the Global Positioning System by drivers on United Kingdom roads is becoming a growing threat to public safety came from Amateur Radio Newsline’s Jim Damron, N8TMW: He says that the United Kingdom’s "Guardian" newspaper reports thousands of people in that nation may be using GPS jamming devices on UK roads. This to be invisible to any form of surveillance while driving. According to the article there are a lot concerns that use of these devices could lead to the dangers to public safety. This includes overtired drivers or others staying on the roads despite the presence of monitoring equipment. More importantly they could also pose major a threat if vehicles equipped with the jammers were to go on in airport areas near aircraft which rely on the global positioning system for navigation. GPS jammers, which can have a range of several hundred meters, can be bought in the United Kingdom for about $45 Australian. While not illegal to purchase and own in the U-K it is against the law to use them. The full story is on-line at tinyurl.com/uk-gps-jamming ARRL ANNOUNCES A CAMPAIGN FOR ITS SECOND CENTURY As the ARRL draws closer to celebrating its Centennial in 2014, its Board of Directors has launched an unprecedented $10 million fundraising initiative to build the ARRL Endowment and strengthen the organization's financial future. Led by the ARRL Board and an eight-member Second Century Campaign Committee -- headed by David W. Brandenburg, K5RQ -- the campaign has already raised more than $4 million toward this goal. Plans are to reach that goal by the end of ARRL's centennial year in 2014. "The vision of the ARRL Second Century Campaign is to secure significant financial resources that will open a path to passionate involvement in Amateur Radio for new generations," she said. "In this, it will provide opportunities for educational enrichment, community service and personal achievement through the exploration and use of the magic of radio communication." arrl.org/news/arrl-announces-a-campaign-for-its-second-century ============================================================================= NEWS FROM ARNEWSLINE USA ARRL'S DAVE SUMNER K1ZZ EXPLAINS DIY RENAISSANCE IN HAM RADIO The resurgence in ham radio may partly be due to a renaissance in home building coupled with a need on the part of radio amateurs to serve their community. So says ARRL Executive Vice President Dave Sumner, K1ZZ's, in a recent article appearing in the Urgent Communications on-line newsletter. In his commentary Sumner notes that when amateurs began experimenting with radio more than a century ago, they had no choice but to build everything they needed. Some went on to become successful entrepreneurs, selling their creations to fellow hobbyists who were more interested in operating radios than in constructing them. Others built their own receivers and transmitters either from economic necessity or for the fun and satisfaction of being able to say, "I did it myself." This in turn lead to the era of kit building with such giants as Heathkit becoming household names in ham radio. K1ZZ notes that the advent of solid-state devices, printed circuit boards, and automatic parts insertion removed the price advantage that kits enjoyed. By the time the Heath Company closed its doors in 1992, most amateur-radio equipment was being manufactured in Japan. But this has not stopped ham radio operators from continuing the art of home construction and this in itself has led to a resurrection in the art of kit building. And this in turn has made portable emergency communications ability more attainable in the hobby. As Dave Sumner notes, society has come to rely on a fragile telecommunications infrastructure that is susceptible to overload and outright failure. And while ham radio operators cannot substitute for all that infrastructure hams can communicate, no matter what. You can read K1ZZ's entire article on-line at tinyurl.com/amateur-radio-renaissance. ============================================================================= INTRUDER WATCH - ENFORCEMENT ZONE The Buzz:- Electric car and 52MHz STUDIO: Peter Ellis VK1PE has found a story that may have a hidden threat for 6 metres, in Japan and potentially elsewhere. From "What's new in Electronics" magazine for March/April 2013, comes this story. Conventional battery-based electric vehicles are not popular with drivers because of drawbacks that mostly stem from the need to store large batteries on-board cars, so there are strong demands for alternative means of powering electric cars. In a novel approach, Takashi Ohira at Toyohashi University of Technology and colleagues are developing an innovative method for powering EVs that drastically reduces the number of batteries. The approach exploits the steel belt usually embedded in rubber tyres. The steel belt collects power excited from a pair of electrodes buried beneath the road surface. And, since the steel belt is electrically insulated by the rubber tread, the researchers used a displacement current at high frequency to penetrate from underground to the steel belt. The researchers constructed a 1/32 scale electric vehicle to prove their concept. The car moved successfully with a power penetration efficiency exceeding 75% at... 52MHz. This is the world's first demonstration of electric power transfer via the car wheel to the vehicle. So, will the frequency scale, too? Up, to 1.664GHz; or, down, to 1.625MHz. Or, will it just stay on 6 metres? For National Radio News, Peter Ellis VK1PE WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- ATV (Every pixel tells a story) - Video arvideonews.com hamradiotube.com youtube.com qdg.org.au Vintage Newsreel of Project Diana Earth-Moon-Earth A newsreel shows Fort Monmouth, New Jersey where army engineers sent radar to moon January Ten 1946. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Diana Project Diana, named for the Roman moon goddess Diana — goddess of the hunt, wild animals and the moon — was a project of the US Army Signal Corps to bounce radio signals off the moon and receive the reflected signals. Today called EME (Earth-Moon-Earth), this was the first attempt to "touch" another celestial body. From a laboratory at Camp Evans (part of Fort Monmouth), New Jersey, a large transmitter, receiver and antenna array were constructed for this purpose. The transmitter, a highly modified SCR-271 radar set from World War II, provided 3,000 watts at 111.5 MHz in 1/4 second pulses, and the antenna (a "bedspring" dipole array) provided 24 dB of gain. Reflected signals were received about 2.5 seconds later. (southgate) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- FEMALES IN RADIO ALARA - AUSTRALIAN LADIES AR ASSOCIATION http://alara.org.au Net is held each Mondays on 3.570± MHz, commencing at 1030 UTC. (1000utc during daylight saving) geencee@picknowl.com.au The Day of the YLs For only the 3rd time in the world, 'The Day of the YLs' will be held 18 and 19 May 2013. This weekend is intended to gather on the air all amateur radio women around the world and, of course, all OMs are invited to participate. A world-wide meeting that you cannot miss. Participate! http://www.eurao.org/en/node/472 (southgate) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- FINAL FRONTIER CubeBug-1 satellite has amateur radio digipeater CubeBug-1 is the first technology demonstration mission for a new CubeSat platform design (mechanics, hardware and software) intended to be released as Open Source and Open Hardware for its use in Amateur projects, University projects and research labs. The project is sponsored by the Argentinian Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation. Payloads on this first mission include: • an ARM based on-board computer • a nano-reaction wheel with its driver circuit • a low resolution camera all based on COTS components CubeBug-1 is a 2U CubeSat and the team are planning to use half duplex communications on 437.445 MHz with 9k6 GMSK data. Telemetry information is at http://1.cubebug.org/coms/telemetry After the technology demonstration part of the mission is over, the satellite will enter a mode that will include services to the Amateur radio community, including a Digipeater, science data downloads from the payload (including images if possible). CubeBug-1 is expected to launch on a rocket from the Jiuquan Space Center on April 28. Other satellites on the same launch include NEE-01 Pegasus and TURKSAT-3USAT. CubeBug-1 videot http://vimeo.com/56055215 CubeBug-1 website http://1.cubebug.org/ AMSAT-UK http://www.amsat-uk.org/ IARU ANNOUNCES FREQUENCIES FOR KOREAN CUBESAT OSSI In ham radio space related news, the IARU amateur radio satellite frequency coordination panel has announced the frequencies for the OSSI-1 CubeSat developed by Hojun Song DS1SBO. The 2 meter downlink will be on 145.980 MHz with an uplink and downlink on 437.525 MHz. OSSI-1 is currently planned to launch on April 30th into a 575 kilometre 64.9 degree inclination orbit on a Soyuz-2-1b booster from the Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan. Other satellites to be launched on this mission include the Bion-M1, SOMP, BEESAT 2, BEESAT 3 and the Dove-2 satellites. WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RESCUE RADIO IARU REGION 3 Emergency Centre of Activity (CoA) frequencies 3.600, 7.110, 14.300, 18.160 and 21.360 MHz Putting out the word during last weekend’s wild weather in South East Queensland was SEQUEST (seaquest) SEQUEST was formed in August 2009 with the aim of providing a community focused volunteer emergency monitoring group to members of the public who use CB radio and also improving services to the CB Radio emergency network. A non-profit, charitable organization consisting of volunteers who provide an emergency monitoring service to the public via the Citizens Band Radio Service & Marine Coastal Radio Network they provide an emergency watch of CB Radio & Marine emergency channels for assistance and emergency calls. Worth a listen as today SEQUEST continues to grow and support the growing communities not only across the South East but Queensland as a whole. sequest@uhfcb.org.au Radio Channels UHF - 5 35 40 27Mhz - 9am/lsb VHF Marine - 16 67 21 81 Australian Carriage Driving Championship.... Today Sunday 31st March (Easter Sunday) CRARC have the Australian Carriage Driving Championships, once again being held at Witwood, home of Doug VK2FDMW & wife Dot. This event will have a "cross country" component as well as a number of "Marathon Obstacles", each of which utilises the expertise of a person or 2 undertaking the competitor tracking and safety communications utilising simplex frequencies on 2 metres and/or 70 cm. Canberra Two Day Walk.... Then the following weekend, Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th April see's the annual Canberra 2 Day Walk. This years Saturday walk is concentrated around Lake Burley Griffin with various paths combining to make the 10, 20, 30 & 40Km walks, nothing is very far from the lake. Sundays walk is again around the lake with the longer walks extending out to O'Connor, Dickson and Ainslie. (SOURCED TO Phil Longworth VK1PL President CRARC) WICEN (Northern Rivers) AGM Sunday 7 April. All interested are invited to attend at the SARC Clubroom, members or not. From 1400K. WICEN Subs are due from 1 April and are $15 per year. This fee is to provide insurance cover whilst involved in WICEN activity. Members and former members are requested to renew and be involved in their community service. Compton Allen, President of WICEN NSW and John Harper hope to be at the meeting to present topics such as: Capital grants funding New event reporting requirements Financial Delegations Insurance coverage Update on our competency based training system. (sarc newsletter) Saturday April 6th 2013 Pajero Challenge Woods point area Contact: Dirk Versluys VK3FPAJ phone: 03 9879 8384 Email: versluys@optusnet.com.au Sunday April 14th 2013 Wombat 100 Bike Ride Woodend - Wombat State Forest Contact: John Weir VK3XD phone: 03 9431 0667 Email: zzrvelec@bigpond.net.au Friday April 19th 2013 Oxfam Trailwalker Wheelers Hill to Wesburn Contact: Ian Morris VK3IFM phone: 03 9763 0565 Email: vk3ifm@gmail.com SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - LOW DOWN Radio and Electronics Association of Southern Tasmania's April Presentation is "Low Frequency, Medium Frequency and Non-Directional Beacons." After 80 years amateurs now have an LF and MF allocation again and a guru in this area Bob VK7ZL will be giving a talk on his experimentation and experiences with these frequencies. Ric VK7RO and Bob will also be giving some recollections on Robert Milne (SK) LF experimenter with callsign AX2TAR and his incredible equipment. This will be a great talk about our new bands and past experimentation. April 3, 2013 from 7:30pm. http://reast.asn.au/events.php#LFMF (vk7wi news) SOCIAL SCENE 2013 APR 18 WW IARU World Amateur Radio day MAY 3- 5 VK4 Clairview AR Weekend details 04 296 32815 MAY 11 VK3 Moorabbin & District Radio Club Hamfest MAY 11 VK4 BARCfest Mt Gravatt Showgrounds 9:30am MAY 11 VK6 Hills Amateur Radio Group - HARGfest - 1pm. MAY 24-26 VK6 WIA AGM AND CONFERENCE IN PERTH JUL 20 VK3 Gippsland Gate Radio & Electronics Club Hamfest AUG 11 VK2 SARCFEST 414 Richmond Hill Rd near Lismore AUG 17-18 WW ILLW Oct 3- 7 VK4 North Queensland Amateur Radio Convention Charters Towers NOV 2 VK4 Gold Coast ARS HamFest at Albert Waterways Hall. NOV 3 VK5 HamFest Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society Goodwood. NOV 15-17 VK3 Victorian National Parks Weekend Nov 24 VK3 Southern Peninsula Amateur Radio Club: Rosebud RadioFest FINAL FINAL Was that VK2KE Graham Scott picking up a substantal amount on channel 9's Millionaire Wednesday? If so well done! 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 likelihood of it being broadcast in the very next edition of WIA National News. Each item will only be broadcast once, if you want a couple of mentions, please submit different slants to keep your event 'fresh ‘and always if the news room is to read your item write in the 3rd person. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ============================================================================= 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 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. ***************************