OCTOBER 9 - VK NATIONAL NEWS BROADCAST ON VK1WIA ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NATIONAL NEWS FOR WEEK COMMENCING OCT 9 2016. IN OUR 21st YEAR OF NON STOP NEWS WIA opt-out system for digitised Amateur Radio magazine. - WIA Treasurer vacancy applications are closing. - WIA Oceania DX Contest CW This weekend on a band near you. - THESE STORIES AND MORE IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA 2016 AND FOR WEEK OF OCTOBER 09 AMATEUR RADIO PROVES ITS WORTH IN TIME OF EMERGENCY From Haiti, the USA, Indonesia and here in VK just last weekend. WICEN SA conducted a communication exercise on Sunday 2nd October 2016. - The exercise was conducted as a result of severe weather activity across South Australia during the previous few days including a state wide power outage. A test for call-out capabilities was called by the WICEN SA committee and was to be conducted in a way similar to a possible real event with little advance notice. Secretary Andrew VK5FMAC sent an E-mail for people to read on Sunday, and Charlie VK5KDK provided a segment on the local 5 Sunday morning broadcast. The information was basic, to cover the popular HF bands and also the main Adelaide repeater VK5RAD commencing at 08.00 UTC which is early Sunday evening South Australian time. Several interesting events were occurring. It was the first day of Daylight savings, the IPS reports indicated very depressed conditions on HF, in-fact 40 % depressed to the predicted levels with no NVIS support. A number of the committee are also involved with the State Emergency Service and the Country Fire Service so are aware of the very high number of incidents occurring around the State prior to and during the time of the test. A number of WICEN members are also involved with relaying the WIA Sunday morning broadcast. Every Sunday morning we conduct callbacks on 160, 80, 40, 6, and 2, and 70 cm repeaters, including FreeDV. This provides a high level of knowledge of propagation distances, times, and frequencies along with Amateurs who are capable and available for communications. Amateurs who are involved with WICEN SA events such as the Rally of South Australia are also highly likely to be called as they have recently proved they are available, can operate portable, are flexible to changes in response needs, and Charlie VK5KDK has up-to-date contact details for all involved. The plan was to make calls on popular HF bands and the Adelaide VHF repeater VK5RAD. The calls were to commence at 08.00 UTC or 6.30 pm local time, and allow 5 to 10 minutes per band, with net control shared between VK5ATQ and VK5KDK. Calls were made to various geographical areas of the state such as the Riverland, Barossa Valley, Eyre Peninsula, and the South East, with greater Adelaide via the 2 metre repeater. There were about 20 stations worked on HF, and 20 on VHF. I believe the exercise was very successful under the conditions. Sorry to anyone who missed the fun due to various commitments and it was done with little lead time to emulate a possible real time event. Lessons learnt include the difference in propagation for the time of day, and the solar activity at the time. Thanks to all Amateurs who managed to make the test a success. This is Charlie VK5KDK for One WIA From 'Charlie' to 'Matthew.' Hurricane Matthew leaves trail of mayhem. The biggest and most deadly storm to hit the Caribbean in almost a decade, Hurricane Matthew, made landfall at Haiti killing close to 400 as it moved to Cuba, Dominica, the Bahamas and now eastern USA. Houses were damaged leaving the occupants homeless, crops destroyed, roads blocked, with rain causing flooding and landslides. EMCOR for IARU Region 2, Cesar Pio Holy HR2P, reported that radio amateurs in Cuba and part of Dominica were activated. Emergency traffic is on VHF, 80 metres and 40 metres. The monster storm generated six metre waves, had 220 kilometre an hours winds, and heavy torrential rain. Many people had been made homeless already, and in the US evacuations could be up to a million. The Red Cross moved much needed relief supplies. While rescue and recovery work continues, attention is now on Florida, Georgia, and Virginia in the US. The Hurricane Watch Net earlier swung into ‘Catastrophic Response Mode’, gathering update weather information from radio amateurs. Throughout the stricken area regularly the net had English and Spanish messages on 14.325 MHz and 7.268 MHz. (Jim Linton VK3PC, Chairman IARU Region 3 Disaster Communications Openradio Mini-Conference January 2017 Here's one to put in your diaries people! Next year, Linux Conference Australia will be making its way to Hobart and as part of the week-long event there will be a 1 Day mini conference on Open Radio! The miniconference has been running a number of years now and will showcase talks and demonstrations on software defined radio, amateur radio activities, open source radio protocols & modulation schemes, Design of telemetry transmitters for embedded systems and adding radio to your internet-of-things projects. The Mini conference is currently seeking proposals for topics, and more information on the conference will be available in coming weeks. If you would like more information on the Mini Conference or are interested in participating by submitting a topic proposal, drop an email to Scott VK7LXX jsbragg@scriptforge.org https://linux.conf.au/schedule/presentation/12/ Flying boats and communications The 8th annual Rathmines Catalina Festival this month celebrates the rich history WWII RAAF Base of Catalina flying boats that were based there in 1941. The Festival has many and military displays, and radio amateurs will show off war-time radio communications. Volunteers from the Westlake’s Amateur Radio Club run the equipment and answer questions from the public. The Rathmines Catalina Festival, Sunday October 30, from 9.30am to 3pm - it’s well worth a visit. Australians turn to technology In this digital age comes research that 75 per cent of adults use mobile technology to make all sort of payments. A recent study by PayPal and conducted by Roy Morgan Research found that apart from buying things, we pay bills online for the phone, utility, insurance and other accounts. The demography comes to play here with a third making a mobile payment every week, with that figure jumping to just under half for those under 35 years old. Future jobs will come from digitisation and innovation, now placing an emphasis in school curriculum of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The WIA is looking at the STEM program to see what role a few radio amateurs can play. WIA BOARD TALK WIA opt-out system for digitised Amateur Radio magazine The Wireless Institute of Australia has begun its new scheme for members not wanting to receive in the post a paper magazine, and read only the digitised version. The move is in response to members who no longer want to receive a paper copy, and prefer to read it online. It will also save the WIA in rising postage costs. Members who don't want to receive the magazine in the post, should use the tick-box in MEMNET Member Self-Service Portal, or the Contact Form on the WIA website - the URL and some added information is in the text edition of this broadcast. Remember, this is an Opt-out system - those members who still value and want the paper copy will not be affected, and do not have to do anything. www.wia.org.au/joinwia/wia/emailwia/ On the Contact Form select 'National Office' and request the 'AR Opt Out'. Please include your member number to verify the name on the web form - that is the log of all requests. WIA Treasurer vacancy applications are closing Inquiries have been received for the Treasurer position with a resume provided and preliminary discussion held. A further release on this volunteer position is now on the wia.org.au website. This follows earlier broadcast announcements and the vacancy being in the October edition of Amateur Radio magazine. The WIA Board reminds applicants of the close-off date of October 21. All WIA Directors are expected to review the applications and make their decision the following week. DISCUSSION POINT What use is an F-call? - WELL it's the FOUNDATIONS of Amateur Radio Recently I had the opportunity to participate in a contest that was specifically set-up for QRP. That is, 5 Watts or less. There was an hour for digital modes, including Morse, but I don't yet speak that, so I sat tight for the second hour, for phone. This particular contest was a single band only contest, 80m. When I planned for the contest, I set my watch wrong by an hour, so I almost didn't make it, but fortunately my XYL queried my delayed departure and I was out the door in the nick of time. I headed out to the beach, only to be confronted with S8 noise from the local housing estate, so I retreated rapidly back into the bush and found myself a lovely little nook where I could park the car without causing any disruption and start twiddling the dial. I immediately learned that my vertical was very, very narrow in bandwidth, that is, there was a limited range of frequencies I could use which curtailed the activities somewhat. Undeterred I hunted up and down the workable range, heard lots of stations and even made one contact. I almost tickled the eardrum of a station on the other side of the country, but he was being bombarded by other noise makers, so that didn't eventuate. I got my ear drums belted by some locals who hadn't heard that it was a QRP contest, but all in all, there was lots of fun to be had. My take home was that I should prepare better. I should have scouted a location earlier, used a more suitable antenna and considered if the locals would be pulling out of a side-road, shining their headlights on me parked in the bush on a continuous rotation. The contest was easy to do, reminded me that prior planning prevents piss poor performance and that I should really think about a better way to log contacts on the road in a contest situation. So, every outing is a learning opportunity. If you don't think back about the experience, how do you go about learning from it? 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. The New Zealand communications regulator has announced that ground-based radiolocation including automotive radar will be permitted to use 77-81 GHz The Radiocommunications Regulations (General User Radio Licence for Short Range Devices) Notice was updated to include a new provision covering the frequency range 77-81 GHz. This provision is for the purpose of ground-based radiolocation use, including automotive short range radar technology. The provision is in line with the outcomes of the World Radiocommunication Conference that concluded in November 2015. Indonesian floods helped by emergency communications The flooding in West Java, which has caused landslides and killed about 20 people, remains a disaster scene with recovery work continuing. This time of the year is usually drier in Indonesia, but a combination of La Nina Southern Oscillation weather pattern and warm seas caused the heavy rainfall. Chief of Organisation & International Affairs of ORARI, Gjellani Sutama YB1GJS said that early on September 21, emergency communications began after heavy rain and the Cimanuk River burst its banks. ORARI (Organisasi Amatir Radio Indonesia) is the IARU member society, and its Garut District set up the emergency station at a base camp for one of the worst hit areas. Gjellani YB1GJS reports that it had an HF net on 7.110 MHz, with a VHF repeater for Operation and Coordination to support the government and search and rescue team. The height of the drama included a report that two houses were buried by landslides and a mosque destroyed. About three dozen were injured and villages in low lying areas were evacuated. Among the work was looking for the 22 people who were listed as missing. Jim Linton VK3PC, Chairman IARU Region 3 Disaster Communications Committee told VK1WIA National News that the ORARI Garut District was due to be stood down as the flooding eased, after providing service to the government during the recovery phase. Royals tweet in Morse code In a case of the old meeting the new, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, on a recent trip to the Yukon Territory in Canada used a Morse code telegraph machine to send a tweet. William and Kate signed a virtual visitors’ book with a Morse code tweet using a nifty piece of technology. A local IT expert Seamus Bernasse came up with ‘telegraph to tweet’ technology, and had 90-year-old former Commissioner of Yukon and WWII radio operator, Doug Bell, on the Morse key. Doug tapped out the message, and Kate and William pressed a lever to send the tweet from the tiny historic Whitehorse Telegraph Office in Northern Canada. South Africa's Secunda Amateur Radio Club will launch B.A.C.A.R. 4 on Saturday 15 October. This is a Balloon, Carrying Amateur Radio Equipment. This is the fourth year Secunda Amateur radio club will be presenting the BACAR programme to interested schools in the Govan Mbeki Municipal area. The programme entails the launch of a high altitude balloon carrying small satellites built by learner teams from the participating schools and an amateur radio parrot repeater. The programme is designed to stimulate interest in STEM (science, technology , engineering and mathematics). Who and Where are our broadcast stations? http://www.wia.org.au/members/broadcast/where/ OPERATIONAL NEWS 2016 October 8 Radio Amateurs Old Timers QSO Party October 8 -9 WIA Oceania DX Contest CW October 15-16 it's the New York QSO Party with logs due Oct 31 October 29-30 CQ WW DX / SSB CONTEST (always Oct Last full weekend) November 11-14 The Keith Roget Memorial National Parks Award Activation November 26-27 WIA VHF/UHF Spring Field Day Nov 26-27 CQ WW DX / CW Contest Always the last full weekend in November) Dec 1 - 31 Annual Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) 2017 January it's the WIA's Ross Hull Memorial VHF/UHF Contest Jan 1 AMSAT CW Activity Day 24 hours. All forms of CW are welcome. Ham Radio On The Ferries 12th of March WIA's John Moyle Memorial Field Day 18th-19th March 2017 WIA's Harry Angel Memorial 80 meter sprint Saturday May 6 10:00 -11:46 UTC May 13-15 Mills On The Air VK SHIRES June 10 and 11. Trans-Tasman Low-Band Contest 160/80/40 Saturday night July 15 and Start Time is 08:00 UTC and finish time is 14:00 UTC 10-10 INTERNATIONAL SUMMER CONTEST Aug 5 - 6 WIA's Flagship contest the Remembrance Day Contest 12th & 13th August 2018 10-10 INTERNATIONAL SUMMER CONTEST Aug 4 - 5 In the world of DX, Polish operators will be operating from Central Kiribati starting on 4th October for about 4 weeks. The callsign will be T31T and they will be on all bands 80m to 6m. They are also hoping to train local residents in the use of Emergency Radio Communication systems. Send QSL cards via Club Log OQRS. The ongoing DXpedition by Tom, KC0W next moves to Western Kiribati where he will operate as T30COW until 24th October. This is a CW only operation and QSLs go directly to KC0W. Aaron, VA1AXC is active as CY0/VA1AXC from Sable Island, NA-063, until early November. In his limited spare time he operates SSB only mainly on 20 metres. QSL via JE1LET, direct only. Patrick, FO5QS has been active from Huahine, OC-067, in French Polynesia for seventeen years. He is now moving to Hiva Oa, in the Marquesas Islands, which is OC-027, and will remain there for several years. Now to mark the 150th anniversary of a wireless experiment will be 2 special event stations K6L and K1T. They will be on the summit of Bear’s Den Mountain in Virginia from October 14 to 16, where a Dr. Loomis demonstrated his ‘Aerial Telegraph’ or wireless telegraphy. The third period of the Ted Powell Memorial DX Challenge for 2016 is now closed and entries are open until the 14th of October. If you have worked any DX over the past 3 months, head over to www.vk2au.org and submit an entry. There are several easy ways to enter. This is a fun and relaxed challenge run by the Fisher's Ghost Amateur Radio Club where you work DX in your own time over a 3 month period. The challenge is to work the most wanted entity based on its ranking in Clublog's Most Wanted list. See the website for more details. Good luck! www.vk2au.org (from vk2pr) VK7 Takes out the RD! The Remembrance Day Contest 2016 was the latest version of a contest that has been around for over 70 years. Each year State vs. State battle it out on the bands to see which state can lay claim to the most radioactive, and this year the VK7s proved they were worthy of the title. Tasmania has won the 2016 Remembrance Day Contest. The challenge from VK6 proved to be little more than a whimper although some booming signals came out of the West! VK6POP Bob with his new 2 element 40 m delta loop was like a beacon and the Sandgropers Team (VK6ZRW, VK6QS and VK6AXB) grabbing first place in the teams category certainly show that VK6 we’re gearing up for a chase for the title. But full credit must go to Tasmania the VK7 effort lead by VK7OO and a host of other operators show what can happen when a team pulls together. A noticeable decline in logs and operators may be due to the preparation for the ILLW that followed on the following weekend. (vk7wi news) VI4SEA VICTOR INDIA 4 SYDNEY EMDEN ACTION 1st Nov ~ 9th Nov ~ 2016 DURING THE GREAT WAR OF 1914~18, AUSTRALIA AND THE GERMAN EMPIRE WERE ADVERSARIES. TODAY OUR COUNTRIES ARE THE BEST OF FRIENDS. OUR COMMEMORATION WITH VI4SEA DOES NOT SEEK TO GLORIFY WAR. RATHER WE SEEK TO COMMEMORATE THE BRAVERY OF THE OFFICERS AND SAILORS OF BOTH LIGHT CRUISERS DURING AN ACTION THAT WAS THE FIRST EVER NAVAL ENGAGEMENT FOR THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY & THE GALLANT END OF A RAIDER’S REIGN “HOW WIRELESS TELEGRAGHY LEAD TO A RAIDER’S DEMISE” THE SYDNEY ~ EMDEN ACTION At about 0620 on 9 November, wireless telegraphy (W/T) operators in several transports as well as in the escorting warships received signals in an unknown code followed by a query from the Cocos Island W/T station, 'What is that code'? It was in fact the German cruiser Emden under the command of Captain Karl von Müller, ordering her collier Buresk to join her at Point Refuge to coal. Shortly afterwards, the Cocos Island telegraphists signalled 'Strange warship approaching’ followed later by the same message prefixed by ‘S.O.S.’ - the international distress call. As Von Müller patiently awaited the return of his landing party, smoke was sighted on the horizon which was at first assumed to be the Buresk. Soon afterwards the masts of the approaching ship were recognised as those of a warship. The ship Von Müller had spotted was Sydney which, as the nearest warship to the Cocos group, had been ordered by Captain Silver in Melbourne to proceed at full speed to investigate. By 0700 Sydney was 'away doing twenty knots' and at 0915 had simultaneously sighted the island and the Emden some seven or eight miles distant. At first Captain Glossop could not tell whether the ship sighted was Emden or the Königsberg, both of which were thought to be at large in the Indian Ocean at that time. THE REST IS HISTORY CHECK OUT VI4SEA ON QRZ.COM FOR FURTHER DETAILS OF THE EVENT Thanks to the Royal Australian Navy’s Sea Power Centre and Mr. Duncan Perryman for the information above. SPECIAL THANKS TO THE WIA AND THE ACMA FOR APPROVAL OF OUR SPECIAL EVENT CALL SIGN (VK4QS) BROADCAST MONITORING SWL AND SCANNER NEWS The Manly-Warringah Radio Society, in Sydney Australia, is pleased to announce that its new WebSDR is now online. This web-accessible Software-Defined Radio receiver covers five Amateur bands (160m, 80m, 40m, 20m and 15m), so you can easily check from anywhere in the world if your HF signal is reaching VK2. It’s also handy if you’re away from the shack and just want to do some shortwave listening through your mobile phone or other portable device. You could even listen in through your computer at work — just don’t annoy your boss! This project has been supported by a generous development grant from Amateur Radio New South Wales, for which the club would like to express its heartfelt thanks. The receiver may be used by anyone, whether a licensed Amateur or not. Simply go to the Manly-Warringah Radio Society web site at www.mwrs.org.au, and click on the WebSDR link in the top menu. Give it a try and let the club know how it works for you — all feedback will be most welcome. Happy listening! Links: - Manly-Warringah Radio Society: http://www.mwrs.org.au/ - WebSDR direct link: http://websdr.mwrs.org.au:8901/ - WebSDR Project info: http://www.mwrs.org.au/2016/10/04/mwrs-websdr-build-completed/ For WIA National News, I’m Richard Murnane VK2SKY WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- FINAL FRONTIER ISS getting ready for an upgrade The International Space Station is in the final stages of getting donated Amateur Radio gear and significant funding that is needed for its safe readiness testing and delivery. Fundraising is critically important at almost $200,000 to meet the rigid but necessary standards of NASA. Amateur Radio on the International Space Station or ARISS contacts with schools continue to inspire young people to study science and technology. The URL for fundraising is www.amsat.org NEW to OLD It appears that AO-7 switched to Mode A between 0400 and 0600 UTC SEPT. 30. That suggests that the satellite is now in constant sunlight and receiving enough power from the solar cells for the 24 hour timer to stay on throughout it's entire orbit. Expect daily mode switches between Mode A and Mode B to occur for the next three months or so. As AO-7's orbit processes and the periods of constant sunlight become fewer and fewer, there will be less of an opportunity to use Mode A on a yearly basis, so enjoy it while it lasts! So resurrect that old 10 meter antenna of yours. [ANSAT-NA Secretary] WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO AMATEUR OLD-TIMERS http://www.raotc.org.au CELEBRATING MAINE'S FIRST YL AT 108 It's a happy birthday to Mary Cousins. Happy birthday to the woman once known as W 1 GSC. These wishes come a few days late but then, turning 108 as the Maine resident did this past Sept. 20 has likely cultivated a lot of patience for this retired librarian. Mary Cousins was the first woman in the State of Maine to become a licensed radio amateur, a feat she accomplished in 1933, when her name was Mary Sibyl Wallace and she was 24 years old. The licensing authority back then was the Federal Radio Commission, an entity that did not even exist in 1908, the year she was born. Even though it has been some time since she operated as W1GSC, Mary did enjoy a sweet moment with her old call sign: the likeness of her license decorated the dessert at her party in Deer Isle, Maine. In fact, you might say it was the "icing on the cake.' (ARNEWSLINE) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO AMATEUR YOUNG TIMERS A Youth Net meets Saturdays at 0100 UTC on IRLP Reflector #2. Young Hams Net 3.590 - 7:30pm Victorian time. http://www.ham-yota.eu/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/youngstersontheair http://www.arrl.org/youth-nets NASA Next Magazine for Teens and Educators NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt, Maryland, recently released the second issue of its new online news magazine for teens and educators called "NASA Next." "NASA Next" breaks down complex science and brings its audience the latest news on Goddard science, including studies of Earth, the sun, our solar system and the universe. "NASA Next" is interactive with clickable links to other NASA web pages, so readers can learn more about the missions and technologies they come across. The magazine includes articles, fun facts, activities and a For Educators page filled with lesson plans to help incorporate "NASA Next" into the classroom. Educators and scientists review all lesson plans to ensure that the content is accurate and useful in an educational setting and that it meets national and state standards of learning. For more information and to download the latest issue, visit http://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2016/nasa-announces-new-issue-of-nasa-next-online-news-for-teens-educators. If you have questions about "NASA Next," please email your inquiries to Sarah Schlieder at sarah.schlieder@nasa.gov (ARNEWSLINE) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO SCOUTING http://www.scouts.com.au http://www.scout.org/jota http://www.international.scouts.com.au Sam VK6KSA is National Jota Coordinator. CALLING FREQUENCIES Please QSY off the calling frequency after establishing communication. Australian voice calling frequencies: 3.650, 7.090, 14.190, 21.190, 28.590, 52.160 World CW calling frequencies: 3.570, 7.030, 14.060, 18.080, 21.140, 24.910, 28.180, 50.160 World voice calling frequencies: 3.690 & 3.940 MHz, 7.090 & 7.190, 14.290, 18.140, 21.360, 24.960, 28.390, 50.160 Calling frequencies for Slow Scan TV (SSTV): 3.630, 7.033, 14.227 Calling Frequencies for PSK31 14.070 JOTA takes to the airwaves next weekend The largest scouting event, the Jamboree On The Air (JOTA) held annually in more than 150 countries, is on the 14th, 15th & 16th of October. JOTA uses Amateur Radio to link Scouts and Guides around the world, the nation or just locally. From New Caledonia comes news that Sam Torope FK8DD, with help from the Association Radio Amateur en Nouvelle Caledonie, has the special event callsign TX 8 JOTA. He says each QSO on the HF bands will last a while, and those who make contact should be patient and courteous. Some of the Francophone scout group will become radio amateurs themselves one day. They are anxious at taking to the microphone of TX 8 JOTA that will use a 100 watt transceiver feeding a Spiderbeam - with Sam FK8DD at the controls. Closer to home, the Melbourne Region Scouts and the School Amateur Radio Club Network (SARCNET) will join together in the Jamboree On The Air. Joe Gonzales VK3YSP says the VK3SRC station for the 100 years of Cub Scouts will be on air next weekend from Victoria’s Churchill National Park in Lysterfield. Cub Scouts is open to all children aged about seven to 12 years. The event at Churchill Park will cater for both Scout Badges and SARCNET Awards enabling children to gain proficiency with skills best practiced outdoors. Joe VK3YSP explains there will be plenty of activity for all. This will include the VK3SRC station, a short Amateur Radio-assisted Nature walk, a VHF/UHF Communications activity, chasing Summits On The Air and WWFF Parks, emergency communication, fox hunting, satellite demonstration, and more. Any radio amateur interested in seeing the SARCNET kids and Cub Scouts in action, including a sausage sizzle lunch, must register first by emailing the organisers at event@sarcnet.org Like this month’s Amateur Radio magazine cover story, the Churchill National Park event is certain to appear in print too. Meantime, the WIA has had a flurry of new JOTA callsign applications to recommend. Listen for them using callsigns in the S-suffix block, and some girl guides only groups may use the G-block. (Jim Linton VK3PC) 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 Emcomm tests in South Australia and East Malaysia We heard earlier from WICEN-SA now from the Malaysian Amateur Radio Transmitters' Society (MARTS) we learn that last Sunday it too had a training exercise. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) asked for an Amateur Radio emergency communications exercise on October 1, at Sarawak in East Malaysia. IARU member society MARTS and the Amateur Radio Club Sarawak jointly ran the exercise with participation from telecommunication companies and the Malaysian Civil Defence. IARU Region 3 Disaster Communication member, Johnny Tan 9M8DB, says the exercise used 40 metres on all modes, with emphasis on the PSK31 digital mode, using near vertical incidence skywave propagation. It avoided the frequency used by ORARI (Organisasi Amatir Radio Indonesia) in Java during the flooding and landslide disaster vk4jjw told us of earlier in this WIA NewsCast. The exercise tested the local and East to West Malaysia paths, and gave authorities a better understanding of Amateur Radio message handling capabilities looking at the accuracy and speed of traffic. The use of NVIS propagation, PSK31 and the IARU message format has been practised by local radio amateurs should they be needed for a real event. Similar emergency communications exercises are now occurring in Canada, and later this month in parts of the USA. (Jim Linton VK3PC, Chairman IARU Region 3 Disaster Communications Committee) Rewind, a look back on our history Who had the first radio communication? Hertz, Marconi and Fessenden are among the names that come to mind when you think of early radio experimenters, but Loomis is also in the mix of inventors. Exactly 150 years ago, Dr Mahlon Loomis, a dentist, used his wireless telegraphy on Bear’s Den Mountain in Virginia USA. In October 1866, he claimed to have transmitted signals between two mountaintops using kites as antennas, but without having named independent witnesses. He actively promoted his idea of charging a layer of the atmosphere for telegraph communication, and in 1872, received a US Patent for a wireless telegraph, although it’s only words and no diagram. In 1868 he showed some US Congressmen and scientists his wireless communication system. In January 1873, he addressed the US Congress, stating that his proposal caused electrical vibrations or waves to pass around the world, with one wave circlet following another, from the point of the disturbance. Sounds like basic theory of radio propagation? The Congress declined to use the Loomis Aerial Telegraph Company. Working a generation before Marconi, some historians consider him to be the first wireless telegrapher. However, one view is that rather than using the atmosphere to carry continuous waves, the kites used were of the same height, and the antennas the same length, resulting in conduction and not radiation. Now to mark the 150th anniversary of that experiment will be two special event stations K6L and K1T. They will be on the summit of Bear’s Den Mountain in Virginia from October 14 to 16, where Loomis demonstrated his ‘Aerial Telegraph’ or wireless telegraphy. More details on that activity can be found on qrz.com (Jim Linton VK3PC) SOCIAL SCENE 2016 Oct 16 VK3 BARG HamFest Ballarat (ARMAG) Nov 6 VK5 Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society HamFest 8am (VK5KC) Nov 20 VK3 Rosebud RadioFest tickets on sale 8am (vk3pdg) Eastbourne Primary School tickets on sale and outside displays on show from 0800 hours. Enquiries to Mark, VK3PDG at 0407844063 markybradio@gmail.com Nov 26 VK7 Miena HamFest Saturday 26th. (vk7wi txt) 2017 Feb 26th Central Coast Field Day, WYONG enter at 8:30am (vk2dls) March 26 VK3 EMDRC HamFest, Great Ryrie Primary School, Heathmont (VK3BQ) Ap 28- May 1 VK4 Clairview Gathering between Rockhampton and Mackay (TARC) May 19 VK WIA AGM Hahndorf some 25km from Adelaide (vk5kc) Aug/Sep date to be advised - ALARAMEET 2017 in Cairns (vk4swe) Submitting news items A reminder when supplying HamFest info we obviously can't plug commercial traders "on air", but we at the WIA will put your supporters in this text edition "no worries." 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 and don't JUST send url's links but take the time to pen YOUR contribution. To submit audio read "how to submit items" in the weekly news page on http://www.wia.org.au/members/broadcast/contribute/ 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. Who and where are they? http://www.wia.org.au/members/broadcast/where/ 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... Who listens to radio? A weekly 'tally sheet' is sent to all rebroadcasters and interested listeners, to get your free copy send a blank email to:- wiabroadcasters-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.au Put the word subscribe in the title or subject field How do I join this National News List? (subscribe for an automatic weekly feed.) Email to vk1wia-news-join@lists.wia.org.au from the email account that you wish the emails to go to. How do I leave this National News List? (unsubscribe your weekly feed) Open mail program which sends mail from the address you want to unsubscribe. Send mail to the list unsubscribe address vk1wia-news-leave@lists.wia.org.au You will be sent a confirmation mail and must follow the instructions given in that mail to complete the unsubscription. Once your unsubscription has been processed, you will probably receive another message confirming your unsubscription from the list, and at that point you should stop receiving messages. National News compiled by VK4BB on behalf of the National WIA. . -------------