DEC 24 2017 - 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 DECEMBER 24 2017. IN OUR 22nd YEAR OF NON STOP NEWS WIA Christmas Message THIS AND MORE IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA 2017 AND FOR WEEK OF DEC 24 Antarctic milestone being celebrated Seventy years ago this month a group of 14 men set up on Heard Island in the Southern Ocean about 4,000 kilometres south-west of mainland Australia, and begun the first of the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE). Arthur Campbell-Drury VK3ACD/Heard (SK) was at Atlas Cove. The base on Heard Island closed in March 1955 when ANARE moved to Mawson Station. Now to commemorate that anniversary, the callsign VI 70 HI is on air (December 19 – February 28) with the website QRZ.com noting all activity will be from mainland Australia, and not Heard Island. The activity will be on HF from 160m to 10m, SSB, CW, RTTY and possibly digital modes. A commemorative QSL card will be available via the QSL manager Charles M 0 OXO. He states that no QSL Cards should be sent via the bureau, as they will not be answered. A roster system to use VI70HI is available with any inquiries to either Lee VK3GK or the VK Contest Club. (Jim Linton VK3PC) GREAT EASTERN FLY-IN: January 5, 2018 @ 12:00 pm - January 7, 2018 @ 5:00 pm SARC will again be assisting with monitoring and recording airband radio at the Great Eastern Fly-In. They will set up on the afternoon of Friday 5th January at the old wartime canteen, directly opposite the main aircraft apron. All welcome to call in. Weather permitting, this is a terrific event attracting large numbers of visitors to the Summerland (Lismore) area. greateasternflyin.com TasNetworks upgrades its microwave links TasNetworks’ new radio links reduce costs, increase throughput and provide better visibility and performance. A major upgrade of TasNetworks’ microwave radio network was recently completed. In addition to operating and maintaining Tasmania’s electricity transmission and distribution network, TasNetworks is responsible for a statewide radio communications network. Working together, Fujitsu Australia and TasNetworks implemented a quick, cost-effective and safe upgrade of the backbone radio network, which involved commissioning 18 of Fujitsu’s FRX-3 microwave radio links. The upgrade has brought in a number of key functional outcomes for TasNetworks, including a fivefold increase in throughput and better visibility of service levels which, in turn, will aid the swift resolution of future issues. TasNetworks can now better deliver critical protection and control services alongside next-generation IP services, which can be rapidly deployed and will facilitate a fast time to market for its customers. The implementation methodology used simplified the upgrade process, reduced the number and duration of upgrade-related outages and significantly reduced rollout costs. On the back of this, TasNetworks awarded Fujitsu a five-year support contract to reduce risk and ensure the upgraded network’s reliability. (VK7NEWS) Another Radio Amateur Society in VK A new Australian amateur radio representative body has been formed - The Radio Amateur Society of Australia. RASA says it will listen to the needs and concerns of all amateurs and will make submissions to the regulator on their behalf. They intend to open lines of communication with as many Australian Radio Amateurs and Clubs as possible to draw from their knowledge and experience. New digital mode puts beacon off air A clash has occurred on 6-metres in Australia with the popular FT8 digital mode, introduced in June 2017 nominating 50.313 MHz as a worldwide operating frequency, already occupied by a propagation beacon. The Barossa Valley beacon VK5RBV has been switched off to avoid interfering with stations running FT8. Mind you, VK5RBV has been operating for many years on 50.315 MHz, but the developers of FT8 have nominated 50.313 MHz as its operating frequency. The WIA Technical Advisory Committee is carefully looking at the matter and welcomes input as it looks for a new beacon frequency. The obvious choice would appear to be the band segment beginning at 50.400 MHz. This segment has already been adopted by IARU Region I as its new exclusive beacon segment, and it is logical for us to follow the same path. This may be a forerunner of similar clashes as more new digital modes come into use in the same part of the band. FT8 is also becoming popular on 2 metres, and may be ideally suited on a group of spot frequencies recommended for modes of different bandwidths. The narrow band channel on 144.320 MHz is the logical one for FT8 in the WIA band plan, but it's noted that 144.313 MHz has also been used for FT8. The new digital mode of HF at weak signal levels lower power levels and almost any antenna is enabling lots of contacts, but the trend on 6m seems to be to use it on high power levels. FT8 in its description has been designed for sporadic E propagation where signals may be weak and fading, openings may be short in duration, enabling fast completion of reliable QSOs. (Jim Linton VK3PC) WIA Christmas Message Firstly I wish all amateurs a happy and safe Christmas for 2017 and hope we are all looking forward to what 2018 will bring. At the end of each WIA Board meeting agenda and minutes is a reminder for the board as to why we are here – namely the Objects of the Wireless Institute of Australia and I focus this Christmas message and thank you using these objects. Number one is to promote, advance and represent in any way it thinks fit Amateur Radio and the interests of Radio Amateurs, I thank the many many affiliated clubs with volunteers that ceaselessly promote amateur radio to the general public. They see amateur radio operators out in the bush, on that car rally, on an equine endurance, boating, canoe, running or cycling event. At JOTA/JOTI helping the scouts and guides make contact using radio, satellites and the internet. Helping the fire authorities or SES with radio communications through WICEN groups. They see students talking with Astronauts on the International Space Station with schools and many other events and functions and all using amateur radio. Number two is to protect and enhance the privileges of Radio Amateurs, This involves local, national and international commitments to affiliated clubs, the ACMA, the IARU and ITU and I thank the dedicated team of volunteers who ensure amateur radio is at the front of law makers and regulators minds at all levels. There are teams of volunteers who ensure that Australian amateurs operate within the parameters set by the regulators. Band planning & monitoring, technical requirements, repeaters and different frequencies and modes are all taken care of by volunteers. Number three is to encourage an awareness of the value of Amateur Radio, We have a huge team of volunteers I need to thank who put together our flagship magazine - Amateur Radio. Our weekly broadcast team of volunteers bring us the news and views of amateur radio each week. I thank the website and social media volunteers who ensure our presence on the internet is available and accurate. The many volunteers involved with contests, awards and field days demonstrating that we can step-up with viable emergency communications when disaster strikes. Our volunteers who capture, maintain and promote our long 117 year heritage of amateur radio. As well as the army of QSL volunteers who ensure that the QSL is the final acknowledgment of the contact, I thank you. Number four is to educate and encourage potential Radio Amateurs, to represent Radio Amateurs both nationally and internationally, Working to deliver and continually improve our assessment and learning system that enables us to educate, train, upgrade and assess future amateur radio operators is a core function of the WIA. I thank the army of volunteer assessors, facilitators and trainers that this system depends on. Last but not least is to provide services for Radio Amateurs and those interested in Amateur Radio, I take this opportunity to send special thanks to Bruce and Petra in the Office. 2017 has not been easy as there has been so many changes and challenges and I cannot thank you enough for your support. I finish by sending out a huge thank you to all the volunteers that are involved in running the Wireless Institute of Australia . You are the heart of this organisation. There are many structures, frameworks, regulations and protocols but in the end, it is people who make it all happen and hang together. If it was not for these people then the WIA would never have or continue to exist. I encourage everyone to spare a thought and reach out to someone this Christmas who may not be experiencing Christmas as a joyful time. The lonely, homeless, no family, relatives or friends close by who they can share Christmas with. Why not reach out to them in some way - isn’t that what Christmas is all about. May your holiday period be filled with RF and great DX. See you in 2018 73 from Justin on behalf of the WIA Board. INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to IARU, RSGB, SARL, Southgate AR Club, ARRL, Amateur Radio Newsline, NZART, WIA Local News Service VK7, VK3PC and the WW sources of the WIA. KG5CCI and F4DXV 7,634.775 km QSO Sets New Distance Record on FO-29 David Swanson, KG5CCI, and Jerome Lecuyer, F4DXV completed a 7,634.775 km QSO on December 12 via FO-29. This eclipses their previous record on that satellite by 26.62 km and greatly exceeds the theoretical maximum range of the satellite, which is calculated at 7,502 km. Video of the QSO as recorded by F4DXV can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sPe9wSOvAY&feature=youtu.be Distracted driving regulations continue to be an area of interest for many Canadian Radio Amateurs. These regulations are made and enforced by provincial governments and can vary considerably from province to province and over time. In Ontario, RAC Directors Allan Boyd, VE3AJB and Phil McBride, VA3QR have been working hard on this issue. On December 15, 2017, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) announced that the current two-way radio exemption for “Amateur Radio operators and specified commercial, public transit, and public function drivers will be extended for a further three-years, effective January 1, 2018 until January 1, 2021.” While they were hoping for a permanent exemption, this decision by the MTO ensures continued ability to operate Amateur Radio apparatus while mobile. RAC will continue to press for a permanent exemption going forward. Illegal radio operator to know fate in February Trinadad and Tobago Newsday reports Court of Appeal judges are to decide on the punishment of a ham radio operator who operated radio transmitting equipment without a licence in 2007 The newspaper says: A magistrate’s order in 2011, which led to Desi-Lee Bonterre being discharged of the two offences has been overturned by Justices of Appeal Alice Yorke-Soo Hon and Mark Mohammed. They have substituted a guilty verdict and will consider the appropriate punishment for Bonterre in February. Bonterre was charged by the Telecommunications Authority (TATT) on September 12, 2007, for operating radio transmitting equipment without a licence at his home in Carenage. He was eventually granted a licence by TATT and Bonterre’s attorney Sastri Roberts asked the judges for leniency for his client, who he said worked with REACT and the Red Cross. Read the full story at http://newsday.co.tt/2017/12/18/illegal-radio-operator-know-fate-february/ New French National Frequency Table released The French National Frequency Agency (ANFR) has announced the publication of a new National Frequency Table that takes into account the changes made by the World Radiocommunication Conference 2015 (WRC-15) The table includes an amateur radio 60m allocation at 5351.5 – 5366.5 kHz but the French national society REF tweeted that it is NOT available for use. The Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications and Posts (ARCEP) would need to make licence changes which may take some time Download the Frequency Table PDF from anfr.fr/fileadmin/mediatheque/documents/tnrbf/TNRBF_2017-12-14.pdf WEIRD AND WONDERFUL SPOTTING THE SUNSPOTS OF LONG AGO It is said that there is nothing new under the sun - or even inside the sun, as Mike Askins KE5CXP told ARNewsline Listeners!. He said "Sunspot patterns, it seems, have been a human obsession for at least 200 years -- at least that's what can be believed from a recent discovery made in the state of Maine. A report that appears on Space.com tells of a journal found inside a small house in that New England state with pages containing writings from some 200 years ago. The subject? Sunspots! The journal's contents in an academic paper coauthored recently by solar scientist William Denig of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and historian Michael McVaugh of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The 19th century devoted sun-watcher was a Congregational minister named Jonathan Fisher. The clergyman had at one time practiced a more scientific look at the heavens as a math and science student at Harvard University in the 18th century. When he graduated, however, he took up the clerical cloth. Still, he never forgot his lessons in science and when the Northern Hemisphere experienced what historians recall as a "year without a summer" in 1816, the reverend kept meticulous drawings of his observations in those now-faded pages. Clearly we have more advanced ways of tracking sunspots now but it's a comfort to know we hams aren't the only ones who have a tradition of keeping a watchful and sometimes nervous eye on the sky." (SPACE.COM) Who and Where are our broadcast stations? http://www.wia.org.au/members/broadcast/where/ HAM RADIO OPERATIONAL NEWS - IT'S A CONTACT SPORT All major Australian contests, rules and results, are on the Contest Section of the WIA website. wia.org.au/members/contests/about 2018 VHF UHF WIA FIELD DAY CONTEST DATE For Summer 13-14 Jan 2018 John Moyle Memorial Field Day will be held over the weekend of the 17th-18th March 2018 and will run from UTC 0100 on the Saturday until 0059 on the Sunday. Harry Angel Memorial Sprint:- Saturday May 5th 10:00 UTC - 11:46 UTC VHF UHF WIA FIELD DAY CONTEST DATE For WINTER 23-24 June 2018 The VK SHIRES Contest is always held on the June long weekend, which is the weekend prior to the second Monday of June each year so make a note June 9/10 Starts: 06.00 UTC Saturday 9, Ends: 06.00 UTC Sunday 10. IARU HF Championship event on 15 and 16 July. TRANS-TASMAN LOW BAND CONTEST The contest is held on the Saturday night of the third full weekend of July, making it July 21st, Start Time is 08:00 UTC and finish time is 14:00 UTC 11-12 August is WIA Remembrance Day (the RD) Contest. The 21st International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend is on August 18 to 19, 2018 OCEANA CONTEST PH - First full weekend in October, ( 6/ 7th) 0800 UTC Sat to 0800 UTC Sunday CW - Second full weekend in October, (13/14th) 0800 UTC Sat to 0800 UTC Sunday VHF UHF WIA FIELD DAY CONTEST DATES For Spring 2018 Spring 24-25 November MORE VHF UHF WIA FIELD DAY CONTEST DATES For Summer/Winter/Spring 2019 Summer 12-13 Jan Winter 22-23 Jun Spring 23-24 Nov 2020 Summer 18-19 Jan Winter 20-21 Jun Spring 28-29 Nov 2021 Summer 14-15 Jan Winter 26-27 Jun Spring 26-27 Nov LOGBOOK OF THE WORLD TO ADD SUPPORT FOR CQ WAZ AWARD Participants in CQ magazine's Worked All Zones (WAZ) award programme will soon be able to use the Logbook of The World (LoTW) system of ARRL to apply for the WAZ award and its endorsements. Amateur Radio operators will be able to use LoTW logs to generate lists of confirmed contacts to be submitted for WAZ credit. Standard LoTW credit fees and separate CQ award fees will apply. Implementation, documentation, and internal testing of the link between LoTW and WAZ is complete. The ARRL and CQ are now assembling a team of external beta testers to assure that the link is ready for widespread use. A separate announcement will be made when LoTW's support for CQ WAZ is available to everyone. LoTW has supported the CQ WPX Award program since 2012. The Worked All Zones is the second-oldest active Amateur Radio award programme, behind the International Amateur Radio Union's Worked All Continents (WAC) awar (sarl) In the world of DX, be listening for lots of signals coming from Vietnam. Dirk, DF2XG, is active as 3W9XG from Hai Phong where he is working as a project manager for an industrial venture. Listen for him on 40 meters through 10 meters. He will be running 20 watts and operating CW. For QSL information, visit QRZ.com. Also in Vietnam is John KB4FB, who will begin operating as 3W9FB from Da Nang sometime in early January. He will then move on to Laos and operate as XW4FB before returning to Vietnam in February. He will be on a number of different HF bands throughout. Send QSLs via LoTW. QSOs will be uploaded to LoTW in March 2018. 5B4, Cyprus special event Alex, 5B4ALX / IZ4AMS, is active with the special callsign, 5B4XMAS, until December 31st. This Christmas celebratory station will be on all HF bands (160-10m) using CW, SSB and the Digital modes. QSL via IZ4AMS In the Gambia, Przemyslaw, SP3PS, will be active as C5/SP3PS between the 30th of December and the 12th of January. Listen for him on 40, 20 and 10 meters. Send QSLs via his home callsign. EI 5Ø AOM remembers the Tuskar Rock air tragedy Fifty years after the crash of an Aer Lingus Viscount airliner in the Irish Sea still the largest single loss of life in Irish civil aviation history - special event station EI 5Ø AOM remembers this tragic event and honours the 61 lives lost. Many people on the ground, on their way home from church, witnessed several spiral dives as the pilot tried desperately to keep control of the stricken aircraft. 42 minutes after takeoff EI-AOM crashed into the sea near the Tuskar Rock Lighthouse. All 61 crew and passengers from Ireland, Britain, Switzerland, Belgium, Sweden, the United States and the Netherlands lost their lives that day. Rumours of an errant missile strike and cover-ups by the Irish and British governments abounded. The first inquiry in 1971 answered few questions but a second inquiry in 2002 found that the Viscount had lost part of its tail through fatigue or maybe a bird strike which led to a progressively uncontrollable situation that ended in a dive into the sea. Special event station EI5ØAOM - fifty years after the crash of EI-AOM - has been licensed to operate January through March 2018 to remember this tragic event. The station will devote one day beginning 22 January to remember each of the four crew and 57 passengers who died, with operations culminating on the fiftieth anniversary of the crash, 24 March 2018. IRTS/SOUTHGATE INTRUDER WATCH - ENFORCEMENT ZONE Region III IARUMS Coordinator Peter Young VK3MV VK IARUMS reflector email to subscribe intruders@wia.org.au SUBMITTING a report? go to http://www.wia.org.au/members/protecting/intruderreport/ 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 Odd Signals on 2M If you live in Canberra's Weston Creek area, have you heard what appears to be Chinese language with music on these frequencies? 144.415MHz, 144.475MHz and 144.565MHz on narrow and wide band FM. The program was slightly distorted. Such signals may occur for a variety of reasons, so the committee at CRARC would like to know if other Amateurs in the region have heard them. Contact the committee on committee@crarc.ampr.org WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- ATV (Every pixel tells a story) - Video arvideonews.com hamradiotube.com youtube.com qdg.org.au New Video: AO-91 Integration and Testing Before Launch AMSAT VP of Engineering, Jerry Buxton, NØJY has released a video report on YouTube, "The Good and the Bad with AO-91". During the 12 minute video Jerry describes what's right and what went a little wrong with AO-91: She hears very well, but she had a heck of a time learning to talk. Watch on-line at the link in our text edition, best read at wia.org.au https://youtu.be/no4pHx02lSI WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- BALLOONING Real-time balloon track https://tracker.habhub.org high altitude balloon links https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/balloons/ Space Teddy found up a tree on Waiheke Island The New Zealand Herald reports amateur radio enthusiasts have helped track down Space Teddy launched on a STEM high altitude balloon flight Space Teddy has been found safe and well - but he's stuck up a tree and faces a night alone in the bush before he can be rescued. The fluffy would-be astronaut became lost in dense bush on Waiheke Island after plummeting back to Earth when his attempt to set a new world record failed. Last year, students managed to launch it 28 km above the earth until the balloon it was attached to burst. This time, a group of eight Year 6 pupils had set the bar even higher. Read the full story at http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11957429 WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - FINAL FRONTIER Two-Part Video Demonstration Working AO-91. Peter Parker, VK3YE, has published two excellent introductions to amateur satellites videos. Peter describes his two-part video demonstration as, "A new amateur satellite has just gone up and it's super easy to work. You just need a pair of handhelds on 2m & 70cm FM. Watch this video to find out how to make contacts through AO91 with equipment you probably already have." Naturalrly as with all our audio reports the url's and contact details are shown in the web editions of this the WIA National News Servic. Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=astteV2umOg Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNB7Nc4HFYs&feature=youtu.be (AMSAT) While waiting for the next satellite pass have a listen to livemeteors.com to hear meteor pings as they happen. The pings are a bit more frequent during the popular meteor showers. Interstellar asteroid checked for alien technology A project searching for intelligent life in the cosmos is going to check the first known interstellar asteroid for signs of alien technology. The odd-shaped object was detected as it sped towards the Sun on 19 October. Its properties suggested it originated around another star, making it the first such body to be spotted in our cosmic neighbourhood. An initiative backed by billionaire Yuri Milner will use a radio telescope to listen for signals from it. The team's efforts will begin with astronomers observing the asteroid, which is currently speeding away from our Solar System, across four different radio frequency bands. The first set of observations at the Robert C Byrd Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia is due to last for 10 hours. bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-42329244# WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- IOTA AS-088. Members of Qatar Amateur Radio Society (QARS) will be active as A70X from Al Safliyah Island between January 1-6th, 2018. Activity will be on various HF bands using CW, SSB and the Digital modes. OC-016. Jim, WB2TJO, will once again be active as 3D2JS from Taveuni Island, Fiji, between early January and the middle of March, 2018. Activity will be on 40-15 meters using CW, SSB and the Digital modes. QSL via his home callsign WB2TJO 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 Back on November 24, in Darwin, Neil VK8NH, previously VK2TGD and son of Roger VK2KXG was awarded a Governor General's Commendation For Brave Conduct. The award related to a flood rescue performed in December 2011 on the Edith River, north of Katherine, when a team of three from the Northern Territory Emergency Service (NTES) were called out. (ARNSW) GET YOUR HAM LICENCE Visit the WIA website, wia.org.au To find A Club And Course Near You http://www.wia.org.au/licenses/foundation/learningorganisers/ To make a general enquiry https://www.wia.org.au/discover/sendinfo/publicenquiry/ CANBERRA email education@crarc.ampr.org for further information. AMATEUR RADIO NEW SOUTH WALES:- ARNSW 63 Quarry Rd Dural, email for details on education@arnsw.org.au Bookings can be made by phoning the office on 02 9651 1490 and leaving contact details. AMATEUR RADIO VICTORIA CONTACT:- Amateur Radio Victoria 40G Victory Boulevard, Ashburton, vk3pv@amateurradio.com.au or phone Barry on 0428 516 001. SOCIAL SCENE ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2018 FEB 18 VK3 9am WANDARC HamFest Italian Sports Club, Werribee (VK3VKT) Feb 25 VK2 Wyong Field Day (VK2AOR) An important part of the Wyong Fieldday is always the presentations and lectures Whether it be learning about new technology or old, it's always interesting and one follow-on lecture from last year certainly is that! During the second world war the US air force arrived in England and took over many British airfields and found they had no receivers capable of Standard Beam Approach (SBA) landings. This was the Lorenz system, which projected two beams down the runway, transmitting on 33 Mhz. It used the Morse letter A (dit dah) for the left beam, and the Morse letter N (dah dit) for the right beam. In the middle, these overlapped to form a steady tone. A pilot could listen to these beams on approach, and fly to the left or right, until a steady tone was heard. A 30-40 MegaCycle receiver was built in England by Eighth Air Force radiomen, from a BC-455 command set. Last Year Ray Robinson VK2NO presented a lecture on such a receiver at the fieldday and this year he will following up by covering the transmitting side of the system. If you saw Ray's presentation last February then don’t miss Wyong Fieldday 2018 for more of the story and to ask any questions you forgot to ask in 2017. The CCARC are also please to announce that the 93.3FM, radio Five-O-Plus will be attending the fieldday on Sunday 25th February 2018. For information about the fieldday, please go to FIELDDAY.ORG.AU For the Central Coast ARC this has been Ed DD5LP. March 25 VK3 EMDRC HamFest Great Ryrie Primary School Heathmont (VK3BQ) May 4 -7 VK4 Clairview Gathering ( between Rockhampton/Mackay ) (TARC) July 7 GippsTech 2018 (VK3PF) The 21st annual Gippsland Technical Conference. Focus is primarily on weak signal VHF, UHF and microwave communications, plus any other relevant topics. Commences with a social dinner on Friday evening, presentations all day Saturday with Conference Dinner in the evening and Sunday morning presentations. vk3bez.org/ Nov 11 VK5 Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society HamFest (VK5KC) FINAL FINAL Finally, remember the Christmas gift Amateur Radio Newsline gave last year at this same time because, well....we're giving you the same gift again this year as we close this week. It's the popular amateur radio interpretation of a Clement Clarke Moore classic -- and we promise to deliver with no QRM. Here's Jim Damron N8TMW: JIM: Twas the night before Christmas and all through the shack The rig was turned off and the mic cord lay slack The antenna rotor had made its last turn, the tubes in the linear had long ceased to burn. I sat there relaxing and took off my specs, preparing to daydream of Armchair DX When suddenly outside I heard such a sound, I dashed out the door to see what was around. The moon shone down brightly and lighted the night. For sure propagation for the low bands was right. I peered toward the roof where I heard all the racket and there was some guy in a red, fur-trimmed jacket! I stood there perplexed in a manner quite giddy: Just who WAS this stranger? di di dah dah di dit? He looked very much like an FCC guy who'd come to check up on some bad TVI. I shouted to him: "Old man...QR-Zed?" "Hey you by the chimney all dressed up in red!" I suddenly knew when I heard sleigh bells jingle The guy on the rooftop was Jolly Kris Kringle He had a big sack full of amateur gear which was a big load for his prancing reindeer. Transmitters, receivers, for cabinets and racks Some meters and scopes and a lot of co-ax. He said not a word 'cause he'd finished his work. He picked up his sack and he turned with a jerk. As he leaped to his sleigh, he shouted with glee And I knew in a moment he'd be QRT. I heard him transmit as he flew o'er the trees "Merry Christmas to all, and to all seventy-three." "Ho Ho Ho" (over Santa): For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Damron, N8TMW. ============================== NEW WIA NEWS BROADCAST FEEDBACK =============================== LINKS WE LIKE 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/ We would appreciate items no longer than 2 minutes in length as we only have a half hour time slot window. 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. . -------------