WIANEWS - MAY 5 - 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA FOR WEEK COMMENCING MAY 05 2013. New 24 GHz EME World Record Rex VK 7 MO has completed a 16383 km QSO with OK 1 KIR in the Czech Republic to claim the World record on 24 GHz. Rex used just a 1.14 metre dish and 10 watts which he has designed for portable operation, while OK 1 KIR used a 4.5 metre dish and 22 watts. This has been a 12 month project for Rex, which has involved working with Joe, K 1 JT to produce improved decoders that can cope with the very wide spreading of signals on 24 GHz EME. Rex and Joe will be publishing this work in the next edition of DUBUS magazine which is devoted to VHF and Microwave Amateur radio. (vk7news) The ACMA is conducting the Contemporary community safeguards inquiry into the core principles that should guide the content of contemporary broadcasting codes of practice. To help inform this inquiry, they’re hosting a series of Citizen conversations and welcome your perspective on some or all of these topics. All events will be held at ACMA's Sydney office in Pyrmont. More details will be available shortly acma.gov.au HAMS ACROSS AUSTRALIA. VK3 web service:- http://www.amateurradio.com.au/news/ Some breaking news from The Sherbrooke Community Radio Club Inc., “VK3KID” “8.9db gain on 80 metres” Club members will be on very active on air from the 5th till the 12th May, working from Kurth Kiln, Gembrook. Each year the club builds an 80 metre-antenna system for the VK/Trans-Tasman Contest. Details of this year’s new high performance array, that their members will be running in the next Trans Tasman contest on 11 may, will be submitted to the WIA AR Magazine after the contest, in anticipation of hopefully sharing their developing knowledge with other fellow amateurs, in a future publication. The complete construction cost to members, of this Top Fed, Linear Loaded, three quarter wave length, dual polarity, high gain array, with unheard off 8.9db gain on 80 metres, and only cost less than $60:00 to make. You are most welcome to drop in any time before the contest to have a look and chat about the antenna system; they hope to hear you on 80 metres. If you need directions have a look on the club web site www.vk3kid.org 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. at Southern Community Centre, Rupert Drive, Mulgrave. Raising the Public Profile of Amateur Radio. The Midland Amateur Radio Club, in their ongoing efforts to raise the public profile of amateur radio, will be staging an event with a difference May 25. Kevin Crockett, VK3CKC, will take to the Axedale end of the O’Keefe Rail Trail which forms part of the old Heathcote Junction to Bendigo rail line. A radio-equipped, recumbent tadpole trike has been purpose-built for the event. The Club, callsign VK 3 CMZ, will also have an operating amateur station set up at the Axedale Market next to the hall where the public can listen in on 40m HF contacts around 7.090MHz being made. They will be able to directly communicate with the trike itself on 2m via the local VK3RCV repeater as the trike makes its way towards the town accompanied by children from the Axedale Primary School. Automatic Packet Reporting System, or APRS, will be used to display progress on a laptop computer at a display stand at the Market. Those who can’t attend should be able to follow the trike via www.aprs.fi/. An offer for Internet streaming communications audio via www.vk3cmz.com has also been received. The City of Greater Bendigo is currently extending the Rail Trail to Heathcote and this event is something of a shakedown for a larger event later in the year that will cover from Bendigo to Axedale or even beyond if any of the extension is ready by then. It may even be repeated for the WIA National Field Day next year. The event has attracted proud support from the City of Greater Bendigo Eppalock Ward Councillors, Friends of the Bendigo-Kilmore Rail Trail, Axedale Primary School, Axedale Our Town Our Future Committee and Axedale Public Hall Committee. VK4 - QNEWS Send your stories for news. SCRIPT to qnews@wia.org.au send audio to http://www.wia.org.au/members/broadcast/upload/ get local audio news www.wiaq.org.au/ftp/vk4_qnews_64.mp3 get local news emailed qnews-vk-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Clairview Gathering this weekend As the news goes to air the Clairview Gathering has been happening at a spot on the coast between Rockhampton and Mackay. Apart from being one of the main revenue raisers for the Rockhampton and District Amateur Radio Club Inc. and Mackay Amateur Radio Club, it has also been a great time to catch up with fellow radio amateurs, swap a few yarns and see what a few people have been up to with the latest advances in the hobby. The Saturday evening events went of very well with many a QUALITY item snaffled by distinguishing hams and onlookers during the Famous Mega Auction. The Raffles were very popular, including the wheelbarrow sized Massive First Prize donated by Liz/VK4FLIZ and Tony/VK4HOG. VK4's Gympie Times has a story this week of 2nd World War veteran Allan Booth who has a box full of friends right at his fingertips. VK4EAB, 90, is an avid member of the Gympie Amateur Radio Group and has the complete set-up in his room at Gympie's St Patrick's Villa Nursing Home. Mr Booth, who is blind, may be vision impaired, but his fingertips tiptoe around his radio equipment with complete ease. The amateur radio hobbyist specialises in morse code in addition to using the hand-held microphone during his transmissions. Morse code has a special place in VK4EAB's heart as he used this method of communication during WW2 as a member of the Royal Australian Air Force. (VK4TS VIA VK4BAT) VK7 vk7 local news, email vk7regionalnews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vk7regionalnews/ Training and License Assessments, Persons in the N/West Area of VK7 interested in Training and Assessments for all classes of Amateur Radio Licenses can contact Tony VK7AX. Technology Behind the NBN Presentation REAST have had confirmed that an engineer (and amateur ZL1VBI) from the NBN rollout team will be going along to their June meeting and giving a presentation on the technology being used in the National Broadband Network. June 5th, 2013 at 7:30pm. http://reast.asn.au/events.php#NBN VK9 Look out for VK9NT on Norfolk Island, until 13th of May. A team of eleven, including one operator from America, will be active on all HF bands, using CW, SSB and RTTY. VK9NT will also be active in the Trans-Tasman 80 m contest on Saturday evening, 11th of May. Goals are: To work as many stations as possible Build skills and experience in radio operation and dxpeditioning Have some fun and enjoy a bit of a break on a beautiful Pacific Island! For more information, see the Oceania DX Group's website www.odxg.org (Luke VK3HJ) DISCUSSION POINT What use is an f-call? In the last few minutes I've spoken with an Amateur in Kansas, a couple in Port Pirie and a few in Perth, all within the same conversation. That sums up Amateur Radio for me in a nutshell. Where else can you speak, real-time, with people across the planet, hear their voice, listen to their story and react as it occurs to you? Amateur Radio is many things for different people. It is that way because there is no barrier to entry. If you can pass your test, you can become an Amateur. It means that people come at this hobby with different experiences, different expectations, different skills and different languages. If you've had your license for a little while, you might have gotten to a stage where you wonder, "What Next?" - is this hobby really for me, or is it just another one that I started all excitedly and then got bored with? I cannot stop your boredom, but I can encourage you to have a look around in the vast expanse that represents Amateur Radio. From making contacts across the planet, to building radios and inventing stuff, from going camping, to socialising over a cup of coffee, from having lunch to participating in a contest, there is such a range of things to do that it boggles the mind. If you're stuck in a rut, I recommend that you try something else associated with Amateur Radio. If you've never done a contest, "because it's just not you", then I'd like to encourage you to try it anyway. If you know a couple of Amateurs, have lunch, or dinner, or coffee, or drinks, whatever. Talk about Amateur Radio. Find the spark that represents what Amateur Radio means for you. I can guarantee that there is something here for everyone. I'm Onno VK6FLAB INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to IARU, RSGB, SARL, Southgate AR Club, ARRL, Amateur Radio Newsline, NZART, ARVictoria and the WW sources of the WIA. Live broadcast of Hamvention It's time again for the W5KUB.com world wide broadcast of Hamvention. The live broadcast begins on Wed May 15th broadcasting the 550 Mile drive by the TV crew from Memphis to Dayton. The broadcast Thursday shows various vendors setting up. Friday to Sunday w5kub.com will be giving out thousands of dollars of ham prizes to viewers. Last year some 47,300 viewers follow this trip. Cave radio Communicating between a cave and the surface is a formidable challenge, yet it's a common requirement for underground explorers and it plays a vital role in coordinating cave rescues. With the growth of interest in low frequency radio in recent years, radio amateurs and electronics enthusiasts are well placed to make a contribution in this area. If you'd like to get involved in this unusual yet fascinating realm of radio, and perhaps make a contribution to the state of the art, the Journal of the Cave Radio and Electronics Group , published by the British Cave Research Association is essential reading. FCC ADOPTS RULES TO PROVIDE EMERGENCY INFO TO THE BLIND The FCC has adopted rules requiring that emergency information provided in video programming be made accessible to individuals who are blind or visually impaired. It's also mandating that that certain apparatus be capable of delivering video description and emergency information these citizens. Specifically, the rules clarify that the new emergency information requirements apply to video programming provided by entities that are already covered in Commission rules along with any other distributor of video programming for residential reception that delivers such programming directly to the home and is subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission. Last week John VK2JJW brought us that tongue in cheek look at the DXpedition where the SP found the "Genie in the lamp." This week a story is emerging of an SP who really has his sights set high. Tomasz Brol SP 9 UOB plans to launch three High Altitude Balloons to near-space which will carry amateur radio payloads on 437.600, 437.595 and 437.615 MHz. At maximum altitude the 10 mW signal from these balloons could have a potential range of up to 700 km. A bit far for we VK's to pick up but our many European listeners will have their eyes and ears glued! The IARU Region 1 site carries a full report on this May balloon launch: ============================================================================= NEWS FROM ARNEWSLINE USA GOOGLE EXEC PREDICTS EVERYONE IN THE WORLD ON-LINE BY 2020 And finally this week, do you believe what Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt says that everyone in the world will be on-line by the end of the decade? Amateur Radio Newsline’s Cheryl Lasek, K9BIK, has the rest of this rather interesting prediction. -- On Saturday April 13th Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt stated on his Google Plus blog that for every person online, there are two who are not. He went on to add that by the end of the decade, he predicted that everyone on Earth will be connected by 2020. A day later, Schmidt added – and we quote: "Think about how great the internet is now with 2 billion users. Now think about how amazing it will be when 5 billion come online in a decade." But can Schmid’s prediction come true? As pointed out in one news article, Google itself supports a project called Geeks Without Frontiers. This is described as a non-profit group that donates computers and related wireless access technology to poor areas around the world. The organization’s current focus is to bring such wireless access to parts of Mexico, Central America and Africa. These are regions without any traditional form of wired Internet access. Also, back in 2011 Geeks Without Frontiers announced that it had developed its own low cost open source Wi-Fi software. At that time it said that by driving down the cost of metropolitan and village scale Wi-Fi networks, millions more people will be able to reap the economic and social benefits of significantly lower cost Internet access The rise of the mobile access expected to play a role. In parts of Africa it’s reported that more people have access to a mobile phones than have electricity. Google itself notes that in South Africa 25% of its searches during the week are made via mobile devices and that rises to 65% on the weekends. So will every man, woman and child be on-line by 2020? There’s no way to be certain but Google leaders rarely make predictions that they know won’t come true. So the bottom line is, don’t rule this one out. And if it does happen it will likely be thanks to Wi-Fi which is in itself nothing more than a form of digital two-way radio. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Cheryl Lasek, K9BIK, in Zion, Illinois. -- According to the International Telecommunication Union, at this time approximately 38% of the world's population is currently using the Internet in some way. That’s up from about 35% who were on-line in 2012. But with poor and developing nations around the world isolated by non-existent Internet infrastructures, and others hindered by government censorship, some wonder if Eric Schmidt's vision might be a bit overly optimistic. Then again as time has proven, Google is rarely wrong. OPERATIONAL NEWS - DATELINE 2013 We'll start with news of the John Moyle. Yes results of the 2103 John Moyle National Field Day have been published and are now on the contest page of the WIA website, wia.org.au This year’s entries came from all Australian mainland call areas, as well as from Tasmania and New Zealand. The total number of logs submitted was 111. Well done to all who took part. It was good to see some ZL stations take part again this year, and 3 stations submitted their log. Based upon submitted logs, there were some 18,047 contacts, accumulating some 61,213 points claimed. This was good contesting for an Australian field day contest. More than 1,000 Australian individual call signs were logged during the contest. Unfortunately, the numbers of stations who went to the considerable trouble of going out and setting up as a portable station and then not bothering to submit a log as an entry, is a great disappointment. Some multiple operator stations got very big scores this and perhaps that simply reflects the great and varied planning and implementation efforts required to assemble and operate a multi operator station. (wia front page news) VK Trans Tasman Contest May 11 The Day of the YL’s will be held 18 and 19 May. VK SHIRES June long weekend 0600 UTC Sat June 8, ends 0600 UTC June 9. WW International Museums Weekends June 15/16 and 22/23 SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS, DX and BEACON AND NET ADVICE Special event station VI 3 BEZ 75 will be active during May, to celebrate the formation as the Eastern Zone of WIA Victoria in 1938. DUTCH NATIONAL WINDMILL AND WATER PUMP STATION WEEKEND The special event call PD 13 MILL will be on the air May 10th to the 12th in honour of the Dutch Windmill and Water pump weekend. Operators will be PD 5 JFK PD 0 ME and PD 7 BZ and they will have three Stations active at the same time on 40, 20 and 10 meters using SSB and the digital modes. A 2 meter station for local contacts will be operational as well. QSL via PD 7 BZ, direct, via the bureau or electronically on Logbook of the World or eQSL. Information about Mills on the Air is on the web at www.pd6mill.com (Southgate) To promote Amateur Radio and the WIA Onno and the WIA AGM tea, have licensed VI 103 WIA. If you'd like to operate the VI 103 WIA call sign which is active during the 2013 WIA AGM and conference you can do so from your QTH or your club station. We welcome operators from around VK, any time of the day or night. You do not need to have a full-call to operate the call sign, though you are required to operate within your own license. The call sign is intended to promote Amateur Radio and the WIA. Each QSO must be logged electronically and submitted so a QSL card can be sent to the remote station. You're not required to be a member of the WIA to operate the call sign, but we welcome your membership application. Robert VK3DN is designing the QSL card as we speak, so warm up your radios and have a go. If you'd like to claim a spot, visit the VK6 conference site, conference.vk6.net and register now. The call sign is licensed for use on 23 - 27 May 2013. Finally, if you're an F-call, you too can operate this call sign, so don't be shy, register today. That web address again: conference.vk6.net. 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 WELL WELL In the US a resident has been issued an Official Citation for operating an incidental radiator and causing harmful interference. The radiator was of all things a well pump that was putting out a signal at 1800 Kilohertz and interfering with ham radio operations. In response to complaints of interference to Amateur Radio Service reception of medium and high frequency radio signals, the Enforcement Bureau instructed him to resolve any interference, and suggesting he install new AC line filters for his well pump. Now, in its April Citation the FCC has instructed Lopez to take immediate steps to come into compliance by repairing or replacing his incidental radiator and eliminating all harmful interference. If he fails to do so, the FCC says that he could be subject to substantial monetary penalties, seizure of the offending equipment, and criminal sanctions. (The entire text of the Citation is on-line as a PDF file at tinyurl.com/pump-qrm ) (ARNEWSLINE) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- FINAL FRONTIER NASA mission to study what disrupts radio waves A NASA-funded sounding rocket mission will launch from an atoll in the Pacific in the next few weeks to help scientists better understand and predict the electrical storms in Earth's upper atmosphere. These storms can interfere with satellite communication and global positioning signals. The mission, called EVEX, for the Equatorial Vortex Experiment, will launch two rockets for a twelve-minute journey through the equatorial ionosphere above the South Pacific. The launch window for the mission from the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands is until May 10, 2013. (southgate) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- INTERNET --- THE HAMS DOMAIN TWITTER http://twitter.com/VK1WIA www.HamRadioNation.com RADIO FOXTROT 100 INTERNET STATION FOR HAM RADIO Tony Bond, EI 9 GMB, says he is again operating Radio Foxtrot 100. Foxtrot 100 is an internet radio station dedicated to ham radio and short wave listeners that has topics related to ham radio in addition to its music programming. More is on the web at foxtrot100.weebly.com (EI9GMB via arnewsline) WEB SDR NOW AVAILABLE ON RSGB SITE A web-based Software Defined Radio for the 5, 7 and 14 MHz bands is now available on the new Radio Society of Great Britain website. The "Web SDR receiver" link can be found under the "My RSGB" drop-down menu. Also on the new site are "Live DX Cluster" and "Live solar data" pages under the "News" drop-down menu. Go to www.rsgb.org (Southgate VIA ARNEWSLINE) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- IOTA http://rsgbiota.org A team of Egyptian IOTA enthusiasts are operating from Nelson’s Island in the Nile Delta and Sinai Region. The callsign, SU 8 N. This will be the first operation from this island, and the Islands on the Air reference number is AF-109. (irts news) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO AMATEUR OLD-TIMERS http://www.raotc.org.au Hallo everyone, this is Clive VK6CSW. Tomorrow is the first Monday of May and that means it's time once again for the Radio Amateurs Old Timers Club of Australia's monthly bulletin of news, information, stories and anecdotes. This month's feature is entitled Wireless Telegraphy Distress Signals and is by Herman Willemsen VK2IXV. Herman is a retired merchant navy radio operator so the story comes straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak! The bulletin is transmitted on a number of different VHF and HF frequencies throughout the day, but the principal HF transmissions are on 20 metres on 14.150 MHz, firstly at 0100 UTC beamed north from Melbourne for Eastern states listeners and then again at 0200 UTC beamed westward for WA listeners. To find a time and frequency for the more local VHF and HF transmissions in your area, please visit the RAOTC website at www.raotc.org.au Barry VK6WF will be transmitting the bulletin from his QTH about 150 km east of Perth at 0200 UTC on 40 metres on 7060 kHz LSB. This transmission is aimed mainly at WA country listeners but could well be heard in South Australia, too. Everyone, RAOTC members and non-members alike, is cordially invited to listen to this bulletin and to call back afterwards. So once again, the May RAOTC bulletin can be heard tomorrow, Monday May 6th. 73 from Clive VK6CSW. 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 In VK7, members of CCARC and NTARC combined forces to provide safety communications for the Tasmanian State Championship Committee 160km fundraiser ride at Sassafrass. A total of 7 amateurs and a few partners attended to make this ride communications happen. The whole event was conducted using 2m simplex. (vk7news) Saturday May 4th 2013 East Gippsland Stages Bairnsdale Contact: Christopher Morley VK3CJK phone: 03 5127 5656 Email: chris.morley@gdfsuezau.com Sunday May 5th 2013 Eildon Nav Rally Eildon Contact: Peter Weeks VK3YZP phone: 03 5772 1454 Email: weeksradio@virtual.net.au Saturday May 11th 2013 Global Frontline Challenge Kinglake Contact: Mark Dods VK3ZR phone: 03 9849 0501 Email: madods@optusnet.com.au WICEN SA at Australian Car Rally in South Australia For the 'Australian Car Rally championship' event in South Australia, WICEN SA have been asked to handle the scoring of traffic between each stage and Rally HQ. This will involve voice links at each stage as well as computer links to send the scores to Rally HQ. Further details can be found at http://www.sa.wicen.org.au/index.php/calendar Saturday June 8th 2013 Mallee Rally Sea Lake Contact: Paul Elvey VK3YYF phone: 03 9753 2184 Email: paul.elvey@apparel21.com REWIND WEBINAR RECORDING FIRST TRANS ATLANTIC SHORTWAVE MESSAGE NOW ON LINE A Webinar archive presentation surrounding the story of the first trans-Atlantic short wave message which involved several Radio Club of America members and station 1BCG is now available for viewing on-line. To access the recording, take your web browser to tinyurl.com/rca-atlantic-message and click on the title The First Top Band DX Contest - the 1921 Transatlantic Test by Frank Donovan W3LPL. This Webinar recording is being hosted at the website of the World Wide Radio Operators Foundation. (RCA via arnewsline) SOCIAL SCENE 2013 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 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. 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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. -------------