WIANEWS - FEBRUARY 2 - 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 FEB 02 2014. OUR 19TH YEAR OF NON STOP NEWS WIA CONFERENCE MAY 16-18 IN VK4 WIA 100 YEARS ANZAC CELEBRATION THESE STORIES AND MORE IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA FOR WEEK COMMENCING FEB 2 2014. G’day from the Atherton Tablelands this is Dale VK4DMC for the Tablelands Radio and Electronics Club, TREC, in Far North Queensland. The wet season has finally arrived here in the north however TREC is hoping for good weather on the 7th and 8th of February when we will be operating from Mareeba (grid locator QH22) using the call sign VK4XQA commemorating 100 years of amateur radio operations in Queensland. The station will be set up at the Mareeba Heritage Centre about 10 metres from the original XQA spark gap transceiver that Marcus Brims used exactly one hundred years ago. Frequencies to listen out on will be 28.488, 21.188, 14.188, 7.188, and 3.588 +/- QRM. Full details of the XQA award are available on the TREC website www.treclub.org.au and also at www.qrz.com/db/VK4XQA Well that’s your lot for this week. Once again don’t forget to visit the TREC website at www.treclub.org.au for club information and news. This has been Dale VK4DMC and you are listening to the WIA news. Travel Well! The Annual Eastern and Mountain Districts Radio Club White Elephant Sale and HamFest is once again fast approaching. With a mix of commercial traders and private tables, full of new toy's or that hard to find special component or used bargain; the event has something for everyone. The famous barbecue will once again be cooking up a storm out the front with bacon and egg rolls, snags and of course - lots of onions. Tea. Coffee and drinks are also available. The event starts at 10am Sunday 23rd March at the Great Ryrie Primary School, 46 Great Ryrie Street, Heathmont. Just down the road from Ringwood. Have a Look at the clubs website emdrc.com.au and Contact the club to book your table and for more information. email the club wes2014@emdrc.com.au or leave a message on 03 9005 9251. (EMDRC... Vk3bq Andrew Scott) 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 To the Secretary of affiliated Australian Amateur Radio Clubs In late December you would have received a request from Ted VK2ARA (the Radio Clubs Coordinator) asking all radio clubs to advise which Federal Electorate their club was located in. The request for this specific information was to help us determine whether an active radio club exists in each of Australia's 150 Federal electorates. A radio club activity was in the early stages of planning that hoped to coordinate establishing a transmitting station (both HF and VHF) in the grounds and club rooms of the local RSL sub branch. Another activity proposed as part of the Gallipoli Centenary Commemorative event was a display of suitable communication and ancillary equipment over as wide a range of history as possible. Although the number of RSL sub branches spoken to at this stage was small, their response had been positive as the clubs could see the opportunity for creating publicity for their club and their organization within the local community and also the possibility of fund raising. However at this stage, planning for this proposed activity has been put on hold - we have learnt that the WIA is also planning an activity for affiliated radio clubs utilizing a special event call sign to be offered to those clubs. This is the only information we have at this stage but hopefully further details will become available soon. If you have already provided your Federal electorate information, thank you for your prompt response. However this information is now not required until the full details on the WIA's planned radio club activity becomes available and we are then able to determine if our activity will need further planning. 73 adbeales@iinet.net.au a1985@ozemail.com.au Andy VK4KCS Alex VK4TE WIA AGM : Trent Sampson - VK4TS We are pleased to announce preliminary details for the WIA 2014 Annual Conference being held on the Sunshine Coast. The host club is the Sunshine Coast Amateur Radio Club, led by Richard VK4RY and Trent VK4TS. Members who register for the event will be able to participate in a range of fascinating and memorable activities. The Sunshine Coast is where you will experience a laid-back lifestyle centred around pristine beaches, freshwater rivers and lakes, subtropical forests and warm sunshine. The weekend program will commence on Friday evening at the Alexandra Heads Surf Life Saving Club and there will be several breakout options for like-minded amateurs to get together. On Saturday morning the WIA Annual General Meeting followed by the Open Forum will be held in the Shed at Aussie World, with lunch provided for all registered attendees. There will be a range of technical presentations on the Saturday afternoon. For partners, an alternate tour will be run on Saturday. On Saturday evening, the Annual Dinner will be held in the Shed at Aussie World. Sunday will feature a visit to the Sunshine Coast base of the RACQ Rescue Helicopter and various rescue venues on the Mooloolaba Spit culminating in a visit to Underwater World. For those not travelling back to their home QTH on Sunday afternoon and who will be staying on Sunday evening, then the host club the Sunshine Coast Amateur Radio Club would like to invite you to a relaxing evening BBQ at SCARC HQ. This cost for the Sunday evening BBQ will $10 per person, drinks will be BYO. For travel details and accommodation options, browse the Sunshine Coast information site via this Link There is no accommodation available in the immediate vicinity of the main venue, so you are free to make arrangements as you see fit. We anticipate having more details available soon, so watch for updates and for the online registration form on the WIA website and in future issues of Amateur Radio Magazine. What use is an F-call? A little while ago I had a conversation about the difference between Amateur Radio and CB radio. This distinction is obvious to most Amateurs, but much less so to the rest of the community. On the face of it, there are people with radios that you can talk into and someone else can hear it. There are different frequencies involved and antennas come into play. Pretty much the same thing. Not so. There is one fundamental difference between Amateur Radio and CB radio. This basic difference is simple to explain, but the implications are that the two are different animals. Here it is: The fundamental difference is that in Amateur Radio, it's the person that is licensed, in CB radio, it's the radio itself, a so-called type approval. So, to legally participate in CB radio, you need to purchase a licensed radio. To legally participate in Amateur Radio, you need to obtain a personal amateur license. There are many other subtle differences and implications. A typical approved CB radio has a specific set of pre-defined channels and power. In Amateur Radio, the power and frequencies you're allowed to use are determined by your license. There's much more than I can cover in a minute and a half, but that's the basic gist. I'm Onno VK6FLAB INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to IARU, RSGB, SARL, Southgate AR Club, ARRL, Amateur Radio Newsline, NZART and the WW sources of the WIA. Bitcoin transmitted over radio waves On The Morning Edition show, CBC Kitchener-Waterloo was able to successfully transmit a Bitcoin over radio waves This makes what is believed to be the first known transmission of the digital currency by a public radio station. A series of beeps were played over the air, and listeners were asked to use an app known as chirp.io to decipher a code produced by the sound. Chris Skory of Rockland County, New York was the winning recipient, and unlocked a 0.05 Bitcoin worth about $40. Read the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation story at http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/cbc-kw-sends-bitcoin-over-the-airwaves-1.2503580 Practical Wireless VHF columnist Tim Kirby G4VXE is one of the radio amateurs who've experimented with chirp.io, see http://www.southgatearc.org/news/august2012/experiments_with_chirp.htm NEW QRGs Canadian regulator, Industry Canada (IC) have released a decision to allow amateur radio operators to use the 5332 kHz, 5348 kHz, 5358.5 kHz, 5373 kHz and 5405 kHz frequencies on a no-interference, no-protection basis, 2.8 kHz bandwidth, same modes as U.S., 100W PEP maximum power. These are the same channels, modes and criteria as those available to US operators on 5 MHz and are as the result of an official IC consultation held earlier in Summer 2012 Prior to this, Canadian amateurs have had access to these frequencies since 2012, provided they applied to IC for a special interim 5 MHz/60m developmental licence, utilising a VX9 series callsign. The Industry Canada 5 MHz Decision document can be found at http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gst.nsf/eng/sf10623.html The Portuguese regulator ANACOM has granted radio amateurs the temporary use of the band 1850-2000 kHz The Radio Society of Great Britain has published new band plans for all United Kingdom amateur allocations from 136 kHz to 250 GHz. Copies of the band plan pages can be freely downloaded from the Operating section of www.rsgb.org RSGB membership is not required to access these files. All UK radio amateurs are required to revalidate their licence at least every five years. Although amateur radio licences are now classed as ‘lifetime’ in the UK, revalidation is compulsory. Ofcom have advised that any licences that remain invalidated by a yet to be agreed date will be considered as lapsed. After this time, licences will need to be renewed and a fee of £20 will be charged. Cyber-security: Small satellite dish systems called ripe for hacking Thousands of small satellite dish-based computer systems that transmit often-sensitive data from far flung locations worldwide – oil rigs, ships at sea, banks, and even power grid substations – are at high risk of being hacked, including many in the United States, a new cyber-security report has found. Read the full Christian Science Monitor article at: http://tinyurl.com/ANS019-cybersecurity KAY CRAGIE, N3KN, RE-ELECTED AS ARRL PRESIDENT Congratulations to ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, on her election to a third two year term in that leadership position. N3KN is the League’s 15th president,. She lives in Virginia, and has been in office since 2010. IARU Region 1 General Conference The website for the 2014 IARU Region 1 General Conference is now available The IARU region 1 triennial General Conference, hosted by the Bulgarian Member Society (BFRA), will take place 21-26 September in Albena. At General Conferences IARU Region 1 takes major decisions on the future of amateur radio and determines the way ahead on administrative, operational, technical and financial matters. The conference will also elect the Executive Committee, Working Group Chairs and Coordinators. See the website at http://iaru.lz-live.com/ ============================================================================= ARNEWSLINE TWO ALLEGED COPPER THIEVES CAUGHT IN CONNECTICUT Police have apprehended a pair of individuals whom they allege stole copper from multiple transmitter sites in the Connecticut Valley. According to the Society of Broadcast Engineers Chapter 14 newsletter, the unidentified pair apparently had a list of Connecticut transmitter sites in their vehicle. It says that the suspects would scout out potential sites to hit on holidays. They were caught on video on Christmas Eve while purportedly doing reconnaissance at two transmitter sites in the state. RECORD ATTENDANCE AT CES 2014 The Consumer Electronics Association, which sponsors the Las Vegas based Consumer Electronics Show says that year’s CES hosted 3,200 exhibitors and covered a record two million net square feet of exhibit space. Also there were about 150,000 attendees of which some 35,000 or 23 percent were from outside of the United States. As to the technology shown, in general, the 2014 event featured devices that seamlessly marry technology and lifestyle in ways mainstream consumers can appreciate. Major trends this year at this year’s show included wearable devices and 4K smart televisions. As to what would be of interest to ham radio operators, shortwave listeners and other electronics hobbyists? Gordon West, WB6NOA was there and covered this in episode 130 of the TWiT TV program Ham Nation. You can see and hear it on the web at twit.tv/HN APPLIANCES BECOME SPAMBOTS Possibly the first proven cyber-attack to originate from connected smart appliances has taken place. This according to the e-mail security company Proofpoint which says that the scam involved some 750,000 e-mails from more than 100,000 appliances that had been commandeered by so called thingbots. These are robotic programs that can be remotely installed on digital devices. Proofpoint noted that connected appliances typically aren't protected by anti-spam or anti-virus software. Nor are they routinely monitored for security breaches. As such they didn't require sophisticated hacks but the mere use of default passwords was enough to make them vulnerable. A complete description of this latest in robot based hacking can be found at the Proofpoint website. tinyurl.com/robot-appliance-spam WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- FINAL FRONTIER James Miller G3RUH reports reception of the Rosetta spacecraft signal at a distance of 805 million km from Earth using the 20 metre dish at the Bochum amateur radio facility On the AMSAT Bulletin Board (AMSAT-BB) James Miller G3RUH writes: Just a quick note about Rosetta X-band. I checked it this morning from Bochum. 2014 Jan 21 [Tue] 0934 utc AZ 172° El 11° R 805 Million km CNR 25.5 dB(Hz) QRG 8421.786900 MHz at the spacecraft Rosetta is about 14 dB weaker than Stereo A/B. The system at Bochum has a G/T approx. 40 dB(1/K). Bertrand Pinel F5PL, located near Castelnaudary, France, 65km from Toulouse, successfully tracked Rosetta on January 21, 2014 at 10:00 UT, using a 3.5m dish antenna, see http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/01/22/radio-amateur-diy-rosetta-tracking/ WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- INTERNET --- THE HAMS DOMAIN TWITTER http://twitter.com/VK1WIA www.HamRadioNation.com websdr.org uLog - Simple Ham Radio Logger A new, free logging application uLog, written by Chelmsford UK radio amateur Charlie M0PZT, offers a fast and no-fuss way to log contacts uLog has been designed as an easy-to-use logbook application that offers just the basic fields for QSO entry. There are no fancy gimmicks, just quick and easy input of QSOs whether you're in the Shack or somewhere /P with the laptop. uLog was unveiled at the recent CARS Amateur Radio Skills Workshop. Its ‘flexi-input’ was of particular interest, as you can type the QSO details into a single box, and the software intelligently works out in which fields to put the information. Find out more about uLog and download a copy at http://www.m0pzt.com/?ulog Listen Before Transmit software It can be annoying when someone transmits over the top of an existing contact, now Steve N2CKH has developed this nifty lil software that may make this a thing of the past Listen Before Transmit (LBT) involves software automatically checking the entire passband before transmitting to ensure the channel is clear of any SSB, CW or Digital signals. If any signals are present the transmission can be inhibited and the operator informed. The software Steve N2CKH has developed appears to be very effective, in his testing, it has so far successfully detected all human generated signals in the passband that can be heard by ear or seen in a waterfall display. 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 CANADIAN NEWSPAPER SAYS HAM RADIO PERFECT FOR EMCOMM Camrose has run an article describing how amateur radios unique communications expertise can make all the difference in times of emergency. The article quotes Rose City Amateur Radio Club vice-president Gary Horne VE6GD. He says that one of the things hams do is keep an emergency radio in the county office so if they are called on for emergency communications that they have a base station already set up. He also notes that the city also has ham operators names should they need any help. You can read the entire story on-line at tinyurl.com/camrose-ham-radio. (arnewsline) SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- STAMP COLLECTING AMATEURS radiostamps@yahoogroups.com As of January 26th, the United States Postal Service started selling a 'FOREVER STAMP', a first class, one-price, global postage stamp! The new international stamp can be used to send a letter to any country in the world affiliated with the U.N. postal agreements and rules. The price? $1.15 per stamp. (sourced to opdx via SouthGate) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO AMATEUR OLD-TIMERS http://www.raotc.org.au Hallo Everyone, this is Clive VK6CSW. The Radio Amateurs Old Timers Club of Australia is back. Our first News and Information bulletin for 2014 will be on air tomorrow, Monday Feb 3rd. The main HF transmissions will take place on 20 metres. At 0100 UTC there will be a transmission from Melbourne on 14.150MHz USB, beamed N for Eastern states listeners, while at 0200 UTC it will be beamed westward for WA listeners, again on 14.150 MHz Also at 0200 UTC, Chris VK6JI will be transmitting from Perth on 40 metres on 7060 kHz LSB, this being intended for WA country listeners but which may well be heard in SA too. Throughout the day other local transmissions take place on various HF, VHF and UHF frequencies, To find a local time and frequency for your area please visit the RAOTC website at www.raotc.org.au Tomorrow's feature story explains how, decades before Morse code, Napoleon was able to convey messages throughout France and as far afield as Austria in a remarkably short time. Everyone, RAOTC members and non-members alike, is cordially invited to listen to the RAOTC bulletin and to join in the call-backs afterwards. Once again, the first RAOTC bulletin for this year can be heard tomorrow, Monday Feb 3rd. 73 from Clive VK6CSW. OPERATIONAL NEWS - DATELINE 2014 WIA John Moyle Field Day weekend March 15-16 WIA VK Harry Angel Memorial Sprint May 3 10-10 INTERNATIONAL SUMMER CONTEST Aug 2 - 3 WIA REMEMBRANCE DAY (THE RD) CONTEST Aug 16 - 17 Manly-Warringah Radio Society's Flagpole contest September. Amateur Radios International Air-ambulance Week, 9 days from Sep 28. SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS, DX, BEACON REPEATER AND NET ADVICE Dr Gerard Bulger, VK4BGL dropped us a line through the week to offer us all a very special QSO. "About 8th February the ship I am on will cross the equator at Greenwich Meridian. The ship's QTH will be 0 deg 0 deg. He will attempt to offer "Royal Diamond Shellbacks" QSOs at that time. If you have never crossed the equator on a ship you are a pollywog and have to pay service to King Neptune the first time you do it by way of on-board humiliation (getting covered in what they threw out in the kitchen, kissing a fish or other inventions). Very Pom/Oz behaviour. Then you are a shellback. Royal Diamond Shellback is very rare awarded you cross at 0 0 and you are a Golden Shellback if you cross at the other side in the pacific at the international date line. Not sure if QSOs have has been held at the position on the globe before. The ship can be tracked by looking it up on Vessel Finder web sites" The ship is Titanium Explorer Royal Diamond Shellback QSOs (Crossing at 0deg and 0 degs) on board the Titanium Explorer time expectations are now the 9th Feb at 0700 the exact time, but dealing with King Neptune takes 24 hours, so I think the honour awarded (I will have to make a special QSL card up...after the trip will be for QSOs) for calls over 24 hour period. I will announce DXcluster via DXsummit and on twitter nearer the time." http://bulger.co.uk/radio has more links on what this is about. ANTARCTICA. RI 1 ANR from Novo Runway until March 2014. Activity is on the HF bands with a focus on the low bands. QSL via RK 1 PWA. Joe, W5FJG, has been assigned to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station and will be operating from KC4AAA, the amateur radio station there. He will operate SSB only on weekdays and some weekends, through the winter season until November 2014. Almost all activity is currently on 20 metres on or near 14,243kHz. QSL to Larry Skilton, K1IED. Russian special event R 0000 O R (4 zero's) and letter O symbolising the Olympic rings is on the air in the context of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games and 2014 Paralympic Games. QRV until March 31 in 2014. QSL via UA1OJL, LoTW, eQSL. http://ok2014.ru/ NEW CALEDONIA IN LATE FEBRUARY FK/K1HP between February 18th and the 26th. Operations will be on all the HF bands plus 6 meters, using CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL via his home callsign which is JE2EHP either direct or electronically via ClubLog or Logbook of the World. Westlake’s celebrate their 50th birthday. In recognition they have been granted the special call sign, VI 2 ATZ 50, which they will be using during April. (sourced to vk2wi news) International Marconi Day is listed as April 26. Hornsby And District Amateur Radio Club (HADARC) will operate VK 2 IMD on that day. SOCIAL SCENE 2014 It's JUST THREE WEEKS to go until the largest Amateur Radio event in the Southern Hemisphere! The Central Coast Amateur Radio Club Field day at Wyong! This year looks like it's going to be bigger and better than ever and remember it's on Hail, Rain or Shine. We've ordered sunshine but you know how unreliable the weather guys can be at times, so we'll be prepared for anything! If you haven't been to Wyong for a few years, this year is the time to make the trip, if you come every year, we’ll be very happy to welcome you back. Again this year, it'll be a "Wyong Week-end" with a foundation licence training course on the Saturday and then all the usual attractions on the Sunday - Commercial Traders, Exhibitors, Seminars and my favourite, the flea market. For full details about the field day, please go to the club website at CCARC.ORG.AU and click on the Field Day graphic on the main page. Whether it's seeking that bargain from the flea market, grabbing that discounted new item from the traders stands, educating yourself at the seminars and exhibitors stalls or even taking that licence upgrade assessment. The place to be on February twenty three is undoubtedly - The CCARC Field Day at Wyong! 73 'til next week, this is Ed VK2JI, Publicity Officer of the Central Coast Amateur Radio Club. Mar 23 VK3 EMDRC White Elephant Sale 10am ( 03 9005 9251 ) Mar 28-30 VK4 Bunya Mts&District AmCom camp Somerset Dam (vk4bad@wia.org.au) Apr 13-15 VK PR4AmateurRadio Expo. Apr 18 WW Amateur Radio Day: Your Gateway to Wireless Communications. Apr 25 vk3 ANZAC Day event Ballarat Showgrounds (johnkarr@bigpond.net.au) May 2- 4 VK4 Clairview Gathering ( 0429 632 815 ) May 16-18 VK4 WIA Conference presented by SCARC ( vk4ts@wia.org.au ) Nov 2 VK5 HamFest Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society Nov 30 VK3 SPARC HamFest at Rosebud ( howardjones155@gmail.com ) ============================== NEW WIA NEWS BROADCAST FEEDBACK =============================== Graham, I listened with interest to the report of the restoration of the Great Melbourne Telescope which was the second item on this morning's broadcast. What you probably did not know was that Jim Pollock, the person quoted as referring to it as a nine-tonne Meccano set is in fact me, VK3OX. We have been working on the restoration since 2009 and probably have another three years to go. The restoration has been a long haul so far and what we are aiming for is not just a static exhibit but a fully-working telescope. As I often say, "Something to be looked AT during the day and looked THROUGH by the general public, when it gets dark. Also, working on the project (and nominally in charge) is Steve, VK3YJQ. The Great Melbourne Telescope, to give you an idea of the size of this Victorian monster is about 30 ft. long, almost 5 ft. in diameter. What has made the restoration more difficult is that we have no engineering drawings of the bits and pieces as these were lost in the bushfires of 1952 at Mt Stromlo. The Astronomical Society of Victoria is gearing up to become more active in radio astronomy and moon bounce work and to that end have acquired a 28ft (8.5 metre) diameter dish which will be on an alt-azimuth mount so it can point to any part of the sky and be able to track objects as the Earth rotates. It will also be able to point right down to the horizon. Clint, VK2CSJ, runs the Radio Astronomy group. He runs a net at 22.00 local time on 3.543 kHz most Friday nights using the ASV's call sign VK3EKH. Everyone is welcome to join in. Regards es 73 de Jim VK3OX 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. . -------------