WIANEWS - JULY 21 - VK NATIONAL NEWS
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THE BEST NEWS YOU'LL GET ALL WEEK
Oh... and to contact us with your news because
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WIANEWS WEEK COMMENCING JULY 21 2013.
Lesley, VK5LOL, the ALARA Contest manager reports on the ALARA Contest to
be held August 24 and 25
WIA Director Robert Broomhead reports on the FREE WIA email address scheme
THESE STORIES AND MORE IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE WIRELESS INSTITUTE
OF AUSTRALIA FOR WEEK COMMENCING JULY 21 2013.
Back about 6 weeks ago we had a story on ACMA and Phone Jammers. Well the
Sydney Morning Herald are reporting how ACMA has actually destroyed nearly
100 illegal signal jammers that can cause mobile phone and GPS devices from
working correctly AND most jammers had been seized in the mail.
The jammers were found in intercepted international mail parcels between
November 2011 and mid June 2012 after an Australian Communications and
Media Authority crackdown.
Jammers are illegal here in VK and the operation, possession or supply of
such a device can attract a two-year prison term.
Body corporates may receive a penalty of up to $255,000. A five-year prison
sentence or penalty of up to $850,000, for causing substantial interference
to radio communications used by emergency services, can also be imposed.
The ACMA is typically given the jammers to destroy after Australia Post and
the Customs and Border Protection Service seize them from international
packages.
http://m.smh.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/illegal-mobile-phone-and-gps-jammer-crackdown-by-regulator-yields-results-20130717-2q2oo.html
(VK2VHF)
FREE WIA Email Address
The WIA though it's email server allows you to establish
"yourcallsign@wia.org.au" with all emails sent to this address automatically
forwarded to either your home or work email account..
This provides YOU with ONE consistent email address. And should you ever
change ISP, then having a WIA address means your friends and colleague will
still be able to email you without the need for individually providing them
with your new address. All YOU need to do is to simply advise the WIA of your
new address, through form on wia.org.au and we do the rest.
It couldn't be easier!!
A further benefit of having a WIA address, is in receiving informative
Amateur Radio news as it breaks, sent directly to YOUR inbox..
How Does it Work?
The WIA Email server simply forwards all emails addressed to your WIA email
address to you own ISP email account of your choice. All requests for new
or changed email addresses are generally completed within 48 hours.
HAMS ACROSS AUSTRALIA.
VK6
Every year on the first Sunday in August the Northern Corridor Radio Group
holds its annual Hamfest in the Cyril Jackson Rec Centre Fisher st
Ashfield Bassendean WA Starts at 9am admission $5.
VK1
Successful Foundation Course
On the weekend of 13/14 July Canberra Region Amateur Radio Club ran a
foundation licence course followed by assessments.
Congratulations to Bec, Jen, Tom, Tim, Andrew and Neil who successfully
completed their theory and practical assessments.
We look forward to contacting you on air in the very near future.
A big thank you to the presentation and assessment teams, Rob VK2HR,
Phil VK1ZPL, Wayne VK1WN, Nutters VK1NUT, Gil VK1GH and Alan VK1WX
for their efforts for a successfully weekend.
Also thanks to Murray VK1MDP for keeping the supplies up so we all could
have nibbles and hot drinks (especially in cold wet Canberra).
The next foundation weekend and assessments are scheduled for September
see the CRARC website.
For further information or any enquiries contact education@crarc.ampr.org
CRARC
VK7
vk7 local news, email vk7regionalnews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vk7regionalnews/
Successful Foundation Course
Radio and Electronics Association of Southern Tasmania Inc.
http://reast.asn.au/
We welcome Lance VK7LDC and Jim VK7FOTR to the air waves. Both Lance and
Jim successfully passed recent standard and foundation licence
assessments.
Please welcome and encourage them when you hear then on the airwaves.
MEDIA WATCH
North West Tasmania ATV Group
http://www.vk7ax.id.au/atvgroup/
Relays of the Sunday WIA Broadcasts
A reminder for listeners who are unable to receive the Sunday WIA
Broadcasts, via RF.
The Club provides alternative audio feeds of the WIA National, VK7
Regional and VK4 QNEWS on the following VOIP applications....
- 70cm Amateur Television in Ulverstone and via the VK7AX Members Video
Stream courtesy BATC.
- EchoLink on Node 152375 (VK7AX-R) and via Allstar Node 27328.
- Via IRLP on the Sydney IRLP Reflector 9507.
So those listeners currently holidaying to a much warmer climate to our
North, have no need to miss out on hearing any of the 3 broadcasts which
commence at 9.00am each Sunday.
EDUCATION YOUTH AND ADVANCEMENT OF AMATEUR RADIO
www.hamcollege.com.au
What use is an f-call?
On a regular basis I hear the phrase "When are you going to learn some more
and upgrade your license?"
I have no clear answer to that, other than to say that since I obtained my
entrance into the hobby by spending a weekend learning and qualifying for my
Foundation License, I have not stopped learning.
I find myself surrounded by knowledgeable Amateurs on a weekly, if not daily
basis who know their subject, are passionate about it and are happy to share
it with anyone who is keen to learn.
I've learnt about the practical implementation of antennas, am in the process
of building my second antenna, have participated in several contests and to
my surprise even won one.
I am learning Morse, learning about propagation, have begun to learn to
operate my own and other radios, have been exposed to social events,
HAMfests, am part of the team that produce and present the weekly Amateur
news, am an active club member and I still have time to host a weekly net for
new and returning Amateurs.
So, what exactly does it mean when I'm asked "When are you going to learn
some more and upgrade your license?"
If you don't yet have a license, I recommend that you find a local Foundation
Course, spend a weekend and get your keys to an amazing hobby.
If you already have a license and you think I need to learn more, I agree.
I'm working on it. QRP DXCC is my next goal, what's yours?
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.
India is about to "Get Tracking."
Newly-registered medium and heavy motor vehicles will be tracked and
monitored 24X7 by the motor vehicle department (MVD).
The move comes following a directive from the Union government that all such
vehicles manufactured on or after April 8, 2013 shall be fitted with
radio frequency identification devices (RFID).
The RFID will help monitor vehicle movements, detect traffic violation,
understand reasons behind an accident or untoward incident and misusing of
vehicles, including theft.
The RFID will have information like registration number of the vehicle,
name and address of owner, engine number, insurance validity, and PUC.
They will also introduce facilities like payment of toll fee without any
liquid cash transfer at toll plazas with the RFID. The main benefits are,
easily monitor and control of vehicle movements at major check-posts,
toll plazas, junctions etc."
However, concerns have been raised form various quarters about the RFID
leading to a serious invasion of privacy as the tags yield information about
the location of a vehicle and an individual's whereabouts.
(times of india)
3D OR NOT 3D
The BBC is to suspend 3D programming for an indefinite period due to a
"lack of public appetite" for the technology.
BBC's head of 3D, said it has "not taken off" with audiences who find it
"quite hassly".
The BBC began a two-year 3D trial in 2011, broadcasting several shows and
events in 3D, including the Olympic Games and Strictly Come Dancing.
A Doctor Who anniversary special in November will be among the final shows
televised in 3D as part of the trial.
HAARP facility shuts down
The ARRL reports that the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program
has closed.
HAARP’s program manager, Dr James Keeney at Kirtland Air Force Base, told
ARRL that the sprawling 35-acre ionospheric research facility in remote
Gakona, Alaska, has been shuttered since early May.
“Currently the site is abandoned,” he said. “It comes down to money. We don’t
have any.” Keeney said no one is on site, access roads are blocked, buildings
are chained and the power turned off. HAARP’s website through the University
of Alaska no longer is available
Read the full story at
http://www.arrl.org/news/haarp-facility-shuts-down
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ARNewsLine™ AND RSGB
PICO BALLOONS - A NEW HAM RADIO FAD
The latest fad in ham radio near space
experimentation, at least in the United Kingdom,
appears to be the so-called pico balloons. The
small foil party balloons can only carry ultra
light payloads typically weighing less than 100
grams. This presents a challenge to the builders
to produce a transmitter, GPS, batteries and
antenna that are small and light enough to be taken aloft.
Balloons such as these do not go to extremes of
altitude but can float at between 10,000 to
20,000 feet for an extended period. Their 434
MHz transmitters can have a radio range of up to 900 miles.
Several pico balloons carrying 434 MHz payloads
weighing less than 100 grams launch were to be
launched last weekend from locations in Great
Britain. James Coxon, M6JCX, was to launch one
operating on 434.175 MHz USB transmitting RTTY
at 50 baud. David Bowkis, M0MDB, also was to
have launched one transmitting on 434.250 MHz running ASCII at 50 baud.
The free balloon software dl-fldigi can be used
to decode many different amateur radio digital
modes and is available in Windows, Mac or Ubuntu
Linux versions.
RSGB's G4NJH reports on a successful RSGB Centenary Day
The RSGB's Centenary Day on Friday 5th July was well attended during the day
at Bletchley Park and in the evening at Horwood House. The National Radio
Centre was particularly busy and G100RSGB was on the air throughout the event.
Guests who attended the RSGB Centenary Dinner can download the commemorative
photograph that was taken from the RSGB website
www.rsgb.org/picture
The RSGB would like to thank all those who attended and the staff and
volunteers who worked so hard to make the day a success.
HAM RADIO SAILOR MAKES IT AROUND THE WORLD
A ham radio operator who is believed to be the oldest female sailor to
make a solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the globe has finally reached
her goal. This with word that seventy-year-old Jeanne Socrates, KC2IOV,
is back on land.
Socrates set out from Victoria's Inner Harbor in
her 36 foot cruiser Nereida in October of
2012. A note on her website says she returned to
the harbor just before 3 a.m. Monday, July
8th. The pre-dawn arrival ended several days of
anticipation as light winds along the west coast
of British Columbia, Canada, stalled her return,
which was expected on July 5th.
This was not Socrates first attempt at such a
voyage. She has made two previous attempts to
sail solo, non-stop, around the world. The first
ended in Cape Town, South Africa in 2009 and the
second journey concluded in January 2011 with
damage to her boat in a storm off Cape
Horn. During all three trips KV2IOV reportedly
held regular schedules with her support team and
also made lots of other QSO’s while at sea.
Socrates, a grandmother and retired teacher is
raising money for Marie Curie Cancer Care. This
is a United Kingdom-based program that provides
free home nursing for terminally ill cancer patients.
A WEBSIITE FOR HAM RADIO ROYALTY
A website has been created that lists those members of Royal families
that its creators believe may have held amateur radio callsigns.
The page is at tinyurl.com/royal-ham-radio and is sponsored by
the Highfields Amateur Radio Club in the U.K.
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OPERATIONAL NEWS - DATELINE 2013
160M PHONE & 80/160M CW & DIGITAL TRANS-TASMAN CONTEST: 20 JULY, 8PM-2AM
ALARA Contest August 24 and 25
Hi, this is Lesley, VK5LOL, the Alara Contest manager.
Looking forward to hearing lots of OMs and YLs on the air waves
Saturday August 24th and Sunday August 25th 0400 to 1359 UTC each day.
This is the weekend after the LIGHTHOUSE WEEKEND.
There is an extra 10 points to be gained if you can have a QSO with me,
VK5LOL. I will be portable southern QLD or northern NSW.
This has been Lesley, VK5LOL, the Alara Contest Manager, 73.
Remembrance Day Contest August 17th and 18th
SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS, DX and BEACON AND NET ADVICE
GRID SQUARE EXPEDITION TO SCOTLAND
On the air, listen out for 2E1EUB will be on the
air from Scotland as 2M1EUB for 14 days beginning
August 5th. He will actually be driving around
that nation to provide other hams with new grid
squares that they have not yet worked. Activity
will be on 160, 80 and 2 meter SSB along with
several satellites. He does accept E-mails and
will arrange schedules to work him at 2e1eub@amsat.org
(arnewsline)
VK3RAN on air
Listen for HMAS Castlemaine during the Military Vehicles Collectors Display
at Gem Pier Williamstown today Sunday July the 21st.
Amateur Radio Victoria will have VK3RAN active during the display from 10am
until 3.30pm local time.
On board the moored World War II vessel are Terry Murphy VK3UP and Luke Steele
VK3HJ, using HF, VHF and UHF.
No volunteer operators are needed in the rather cramped conditions. Visitors
are welcome to look at the wonderful display of old military vehicles or
pay for an entrance tour of the ship.
(Jim Linton VK3PC)
THE QNEWS WORK BENCH - the nuts and volts report – Measure Twice cut Once.
University of Adelaide traps T-rays for better security scanners
Medical diagnostic and security scanners with higher sensitivity could
result from University of Adelaide research into detecting T-rays
(terahertz waves).
Published in the journal Advanced Optical Materials, the researchers
describe a novel structure which traps terahertz waves in tiny
(micro-scale) holes to produce much higher contrast imaging than
currently possible.
Terahertz waves, which are electromagnetic waves with frequencies
between those used for mobile phone communications and for optical fibre
communications, are used for some airport body scanners and other
security scanners to see through packages and clothes. They are also
capable of distinguishing malignant from healthy tissues for cancer detection.
"This work takes an unconventional path to detecting terahertz waves,"
says Dr Withawat Withayachumnankul, project leader and ARC Postdoctoral
Fellow in the University's School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
Dr Withayachumnankul has worked with RMIT University in Melbourne and
Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg in Germany to produce the new
structure using metamaterials (materials that show non-natural
properties with the use of carefully engineered structures).
The structure is made of tiny (micro-scale) cavities etched into the
surface of silicon. Terahertz waves that hit the structure are captured
and compressed inside the cavities.
"By tailoring the silicon properties through the use of micro-structures
(the size of a cross-section of human hair) it is possible to trap and
confine the waves in a volume much smaller than the wavelength of the
terahertz waves," says Dr Withayachumnankul.
"This significantly improves the efficiency of terahertz devices such as
scanners and will have broad impact on biomedicine and homeland
security, where better contrast means more accurate identification."
RMIT team leader Dr Sharath Sriram says: "We needed to carefully select
appropriate materials and processes to produce this device.
"We couldn't construct the micro-cavities in our first choice of
material so we changed to silicon which we had to adapt to make it
slightly electrically conductive. We then used established silicon
microfabrication techniques to create the micro-cavities, exploiting the
conductive properties."
The new structure could be added to conventional terahertz imaging
devices to enhance their performance.
The research was supported by the Australian Research Council and
partially by a Victoria Fellowship to Dr Sriram.
(Kevin Gomez for Electronics News We E-zine and sourced from vk7news)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- FINAL FRONTIER
Radio hams get access to 18m EME dish
The ARRL report that a huge tracking dish is to become available for amateur
radio EME operation on 432 MHz
They say:
The InfoAge Science History Museum in Wall Township, New Jersey, plans to
make a 60 foot tracking dish antenna available to hams for moonbounce,
secondary to its function as a radiotelescope.
It was on the InfoAge site, then part of Fort Monmouth, that the US Army’s
“Project Diana” team in 1946 first received radio signals bounced from the
moon.
According to InfoAge’s Martin Flynn, W2RWJ, Daniel Marlow, K2QM, an InfoAge
board member who teaches physics at Princeton, wants to use the dish,
currently under rehabilitation after being dormant since the 1970s, to pursue
radio astronomy for instructional purposes.
Marlow’s primary goal is to restore the TLM-18 dish antenna to working order
and use it to see the 21 centimeter radiation from the Milky Way. But he also
wants to observe radio pulsars, and since that activity can be performed at
70 centimeters, the TLM-18 will be made available to the Amateur Radio
community for EME at 432 MHz on a secondary basis.
www.arrl.org/news/huge-tracking-dish-to-become-available-for-eme
Vintage Newsreel of Project Diana Earth-Moon-Earth
www.southgatearc.org/news/march2013/vintage_newsreel_of_project_diana_earth_moon_earth.htm
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- ILLW
ILLW registrations still growing
Among the latest to join the annual International Lighthouse and Lightship
Weekend held on the third weekend in August, is the Radio Club de Panama HP2TP.
Its members will be at the Tora Point Lighthouse, built as a navigation aid
by the French who named the location Pointe Taureau, in 1893.
Some 340 registrations from more than 30 countries are ready for the fun-filled
event on August 17th and 18th.
Germany just leads Australia in registrations followed by the USA, England,
Argentina, and Sweden.
No matter where you are - in Africa, Asia, Europe, Australasia or the Americas
- there will be lighthouses waiting for your contact.
For the guidelines on lighthouses, lightships and maritime beacons and their
online registration see the website illw.net
(Jim Linton VK3PC)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RESCUE RADIO
Bothell depends on ham radio network
The Bothell Fire Department has 17 different 'zones' within the city, each
with a licensed amateur radio operator trained to communicate with rescue
crews after a disaster.
The Bothell Reporter newspaper interviews William Harding KE7DEM about the
network and you can "read all about it" at
http://www.bothell-reporter.com/lifestyle/215371991.html
Compton Allen VK2HRX has told WIA News that the recent Nav Shield bush
navigation competition was conducted successfully in the Dunn's Swamp area
near Rylstone in the NSW Central Table lands.
Conditions were sunny during the day and with sub zero temperatures overnight.
Nav Shield sees hundreds of competitors from bush walking clubs and government
emergency agencies, including Police, Ambulance & SES turning out to test
their map and compass navigation skills in day and overnight divisions.
WICEN NSW again provided a VHF commercial radio network to support the safe
running of this annual event. A number of APRS trackers were used to
continuously locate key people and ambulance resources.
Late on Saturday afternoon the event turned into a live search for a teenage
child who was reported missing in the area. The missing child was not part of
the Nav Shield event. Some of the competition teams and event support
personal were assigned search tasks on foot, in vehicles and on water.
WICEN as well as using the commercial VHF repeater and a 70cm amateur
repeater to support the search also rapidly created a UHF CB net that covered
the search area as the missing child was reported to have been carrying a
UHF CB radio.
WICEN was asked to dispatch a 4WD vehicle from one of the radio check points
to a remote location to conduct a search with Bush Walkers Wilderness Rescue
personal. The missing child was found safe and well just before sunset
sitting on a road.
SOCIAL SCENE
JUL 20 VK3 Gippsland Gate Radio & Electronics Club Hamfest
JUL 20 VK4 Caboolture Hamfest 9am
JUL 28 VK2 Albury Wodonga Amateur Radio Club Hamfest 10AM
AUG 4 VK6 Northern Corridor Radio Group Hamfest Cyril Jackson Rec Centre
Fisher st Ashfield Bassendean 9am.
AUG 11 VK2 SARCFEST 414 Richmond Hill Rd near Lismore
AUG 17-18 WW ILLW
SEP 14 VK4 Sunshine Coast Amateur Radio's Sunfest 9am.
Oct 3- 7 VK4 North Queensland Amateur Radio Convention Charters Towers
Oct 5 vk4 REDFest by Redcliffe & Districts Radio Club St Michael's
College, Caboolture, 9am
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
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The purpose of "WIANews" is to rapidly provide news of interest to
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We strongly encourage membership in the Wireless Institute of Australia
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WIANews wouldn't go astray...
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