April 1 2018 - 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 APRIL 1 2018. IN OUR 23rd YEAR OF NON STOP NEWS WIA 2018 Radio and Electronics convention is rapidly approaching. - WIA Merit Award program with Secretary VK8ZZ.- WIA BOARD COMMENT with Greg VK2GPK. THESE STORIES AND MORE IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA 2018 AND FOR WEEK OF APRIL 01 Telstra will trial the installation of small cells on TasNetworks’ power poles to test the feasibility of using them to help overcome some of Tasmania’s mobile black spots. Telstra CEO Andy Penn said that we’re “at the forefront of delivering world-class mobile services to Tasmanians, and we’re determined to continue to lead as the development and introduction of 5G technology commences by 2020”. With the construction of a standard mobile base station typically costing several hundreds of thousands of dollars, small cells may allow TELSTRA to deliver mobile coverage and capacity to smaller communities and areas where the construction of a mobile base station would otherwise be uneconomical. http://criticalcomms.com.au/content/radio-systems/news/telstra-trialling-power-pole-small-cells-415141045#ixzz5AZQvyDs9 (VK7WI News / Critical Comms Web E-zine) CAP EXPO Canberra Region Amateur Radio Club had a stall at the Cap EXPO last weekend to demonstrate Amateur Radio. This event is sponsored by the ACT Government to assist Community groups and clubs to show off their wares. CRARC had eleven enquiries about the Foundation Course so things look good for a bunch of 'newbies' in our nation’s capital. WIA The time for the WIA 2018 Radio and Electronics convention is rapidly approaching and we would like to draw your attention to two new technical discussions that will be held on Saturday the 19th of May at Sea World Resort. David Rowe (VK5DGR) will be talking about his creation of FreeDV. David was first licensed at age 14 in 1981, operating a converted CB on 10m. Through the 1980's and high school he progressed to a "full call" license and a TS-520S. In 2009 he became interested in the problem of closed source codecs and digital voice, and started working on FreeDV. David works part time as a senior engineer for a defence signal processing company, and is Dad to three children. He writes a popular blog that is read by 70,000 people each month, drives a home-brew Electric Car, and also enjoys bike riding and sailing (both with a 70cm HT). Tim (VK5ZT) will present his experiments in optical communication or “nanowires” as our English friends refer to 474 terahertz (i.e. light). What is easiest to build, what will work and what is the current ‘state of the art’. He will look at what can be achieved and prospective future projects. Tim was first licenced in 1971 as VK5ZTD while still a PMG department trainee. He has had a varied career in the private sector and as a public servant, mostly in defence electronics in technical and managerial roles. He is a keen experimenter in many areas of amateur radio and mostly on frequencies above two metres. The Gold Coast Amateur Radio Society and organising committee of the WIA 2018 Radio and Electronics convention is looking forward to seeing you on the weekend of the 18th and 19th of May, 2018. If you have not already registered, please do so at wia.org.au/joinwia/wia/2018agm/ If you have any questions please do not hesitate to email the organising committee at wiaagm@wia.org.au WIA Merit Awards The WIA Merit Award program identifies and recognises outstanding achievement in the field of Amateur Radio that furthers the science of radio, and/or service to the WIA. Nominations are now being called for the 2018 awards. A full list of the origin of each award and the previous recipients is available on the WIA web site. Nominations should be in the approved format utilising the form which is on the WIA web site. Details in the text version of this broadcast. http://www.wia.org.au/members/wiaawards/about/ The specific award is not part of the nomination process. That decision is made by the WIA Board of Directors, and all WIA Merit Awards are not necessarily awarded each and every year. If a nomination is successful, these are usually announced at the WIA Annual General Meeting, and where possible presented at that gathering of members. Nominations close on 15th April 2018. Hello, this is Greg VK2GPK with this week’s comment from the WIA Board. First off a quick update on the really exciting things happening at the WIA National Office in Victoria. Exciting may be somewhat of an exaggeration, as we have been stocktaking, reconciling and closing off the accounts in readiness for the auditors and the annual audit, which started mid-February, and is now almost complete. In regard to the audit preparation, I would like to thank Petra and Bruce in the National Office, and especially John Longayroux, who as a CPA (Certified Practising Accountant), has assisted in undertaking the liaison accountant role with the external auditors. John’s historical knowledge (he was WIA treasurer from 2009 to 2015) and attention to detail has proved invaluable in facilitating the external audit process. As I have mentioned before in earlier broadcasts that currently the WIA costs exceed income by about 10%. This deficit is primarily due to costs increasing faster than revenue over the last three to five years or so combined with a, somewhat understandable, reticence of prior boards to make potentially unpopular decisions. So, as anticipated, we will end the year in deficit. The cash flow deficit is in line with what we anticipated from 3rd quarter last year, though this year we have added a number of provisions for committed future expenditure as well as employee entitlements. This isn’t new news as the WIA running at a loss has been the case for the last few years. What is different is the current board have made some difficult decisions and taken action to address this shortfall, with multiple initiatives either underway or planned for the near term both on costs and revenue. I will note again that the WIA is not in any immediate danger of becoming insolvent, with significant assets (cash and property), but continued losses left unchecked would inevitably result in the demise of the organisation in a few years’ time. The turnaround takes time. For example, the WIA has signed contracts with various parties with notice periods for change ranging from 3 months to 12 months, so changes require lead-time to take effect on costs. With the changes we have planned implemented, the board reasonably anticipate that by end of second quarter this year to be cash flow neutral – that is with income covering costs. And then, by year end to achieve a small surplus if things proceed as planned and we don’t hit too many unexpected expense potholes along the way! Finally, on a somewhat lighter note, a reminder that the annual WIA get-together and catch-up aka The WIA Radio & Electronics Convention and AGM is up on the WIA website for bookings. This year held in Queensland on the Gold Coast. Our Queensland amateur friends are hoping to match or even exceed the fantastic time had by all at last year’s Hahndorf technical fun fest- a tall order but they have convinced the board they are up to the challenge! Last year was my first WIA convention and I enjoyed it immensely, the technical presentations were universally excellent and the networking with fellow amateurs from all parts of Australia was very rewarding. It is a once a year opportunity, I am sure you won’t be disappointed. So get planning, as seats at the convention are definitely limited. As well as the technical talks and vendor equipment stands; there is a WIA strategy forum scheduled for the Saturday afternoon – if you have views on what the future for the WIA and Amateur Radio should look like, or want to hear other viewpoints on the future – be there, we need your input! It is also time to get in early and book your accommodation. There are many options for accommodation in close proximity to the convention centre at SeaWorld to suit all budgets, check out the wotif or trivago websites for details. If you are driving, consider car-sharing or travelling in convoy with other ham tragics, as I did last year for the convention – it makes the trip much more fun! If you are flying, Coolangatta airport is the closest, but Brisbane often is cheaper to fly into, with easy transport options to the gold coast. Air fares appear quite reasonable at the moment for around the time of the convention, but time is of the essence. Hopefully we will see you, and maybe your partner at the WIA convention. If you haven’t yet been to a WIA Convention / AGM, you will never know what you are missing This is Greg 2GPK for the WIA Board. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to IARU, RSGB, SARL, Southgate AR Club, ARRL, Amateur Radio Newsline, NZART, Local News Services VK2, 7 and the WW sources of the WIA including VK2FKND An out-of-control Chinese space station moving at 17,000 mph was set to plummet to Earth over this Easter weekend, leaving space experts scrambling to guess where. Tiangong-1, or "The Heavenly Palace," could re-enter the atmosphere over a major city and scientists will not know until a few hours before it happens. The space station was expected to re-enter the atmosphere between March 31 and April 4. China has released little information apart from its altitude and without more details of its design European scientists and NASA have had little information on which to base their predictions for the landing area. BUT do not be concerned nor change daily behaviour, and to worry more about crossing the street more than looking to the sky to see if you are about to be hit on the 'noggin' by space debris. A space debris expert based in Germany, said: "Over the past 60 years of space flight, we are nearing the mark of 6,000 uncontrolled re-entries of large objects, mostly satellites and upper rocket stages. "Only one event actually produced a fragment which hit a person." The UK's Telegraph newspaper said " this person was Lottie Williams, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1997 she was struck on the shoulder by a six-inch piece of metal from a Delta 2 rocket. A training exercise, in the South Island of New Zealand which involved up to 100 people including those from the Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Group, found a body on the river bank. Police confirmed the body as that of Emma Beattie, a 20-year-old missing from Canterbury more than four months ago The river had been extensively searched in December after Beattie disappeared. Her death had been referred to the coroner. India's Department of Telecommunications has released the amateur radio license figures for 2017-18 The figures are given in the 2017-18 DoT Annual Report and show 628 new licences were issued, a record number. The report also notes that 2594 candidates took the amateur radio exam. The large discrepancy between new licences and candidates suggests it is still difficult to get the Government to issue licences. In the USA, FCC commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel says 'our old binary system of licensed or unlicensed airwaves needs a reboot' Writing on the WIRED magazine site she quotes the 3.5 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service as an example of licensed and unlicensed users sharing the same spectrum with a database-management system to dynamically handle the different kinds of wireless traffic. She wants to go further by leveraging new technologies that are smarter and more decentralized—like blockchain and hopes new models for short-term leasing of our airwaves could emerge and expand the range of wireless uses. Read the WIRED article at https://www.wired.com/story/the-fcc-should-use-blockchain-to-manage-wireless-spectrum/ 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 April 18 – WW – World Amateur Radio Day - IARU May 12-13 - WW - Mills On The Air June 17 – IARU R3 – 2018 QRP Day Region 3 August 11-12 – VK - Remembrance Day Contest  August 18-19 – WW - Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend October 6 – WW - Oceania DX contest VB18FIFA: World Cup 2018 Football Amateur Radio Marathon http://wp.rac.ca/vb18fifa-world-cup-2018-football-amateur-radio-marathon/ Special call VB 18 FIFA will be on the air from June 1 to July 15 for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Members of the Maritime Contest Club will represent Canada and Radio Amateurs of Canada at the request of the Russian Amateur Radio Union, the national organization of Radio Amateurs in Russia. The SRR has partnered with Amateur organizations in 60 countries to organize special event stations. Unfortunately QSLs will be via Logbook of The World only but an award for working FIFA stations is available from the SRR online http:\fwc18.hamlogs.net See the VB18FIFA page on QRZ for more details. (sourced in part to RAC) Thailand's regulator, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, has granted temporary permission for intermediate and advanced class amateur radio operators and club stations with HF operators to operate throughout the 80 metre band and on 6 metres in total of 14 amateur radio contests. Thai amateur radio operators can operate on frequencies from 3.6 MHz to 3.9 MHz during eight international HF amateur radio contests and from 50-54 MHz during six VHF amateur radio contests. This permission dramatically increases the bandwidth on 80 metres which is otherwise limited to 3.500 - 3.600 MHz while 6 metres (50-54MHz) is otherwise off limits. (SouthGate) THE DX EDGE VI4GAMES is a WIA approved special event call sign for use during the Commonwealth Games. The Gold Coast Amateur Radio Society is preparing a roster for its use and is calling on Queensland based operators (In particular those in SEQ, Cairns and Townsville) who wish to participate by take up the VI4GAMES call sign for a period during the games to get involved. email vi4games@gcars.com.au (wiamemnet) HB 9 TSW, who is in the Swiss Air Force will be in Kosovo, until the 19th of April as part of a NATO mission. He will be active as Z68BG in his spare time, especially evenings and Sundays. CW on 80 to 17 metres. (rsgb) Gerard, F2VX will be active as FM/F2VX from Martinique Island, NA-107, until 18th April working on the HF bands. QSL via home call, F2VX. (rsgb) News from the ANZAC front - Radio Amateurs remember AM and CW on ANZAC Day, 25th April 2018 The traditional AM & CW event organised by Mike "Banjo" Patterson VK4MIK and the Tablelands Radio Group of Far North Queensland, will again take to the air for the 8th year. This is not a contest. It honours those modes used by service personnel in earlier wars. The event idea came from a telephone conversation between Mike and World War 2 Coastwatcher in Papua New Guinea, Lionel Veale. Lionel set up his ATR4A HF radio and orientated the antenna from behind enemy lines. Lionel was one of those brave Coastwatchers who sent back vital information. The concept developed by the Tableland Radio Group in Far North Queensland basically asks us to consider changing modes on ANZAC Day nets, as an honour and Amateur Radio salute to those who served or are serving. (sourced to TARC) The EIDX Group are active as 7 Q 7 EI from Malawi to the 3rd of April. They will operate on 160 to 10m using CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL via M 0 OXO. (sourced to RSGB) KH6QJ will be active again from Kiritimati Island, Eastern Kiribati, from 17 - 24 April as T32AZ. The station will operate on 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10m including activity in Worked All Provinces China (the WAPC) Contest. (Kerrie VK2FKND) Wake Island Operation to Make Rare Grid Available Starting this month, April, Philip N7NVK, will begin working on Wake Island, which is in grid RK39 for those participating in the 2018 ARRL International Grid Chase. His schedule calls for 3 months on the island, and then 1 month off — a pattern that will repeat over the course of about a year. Wake is 12 hours ahead of UTC. N7NVK does not yet know what days or times he will be on the air, but he plans to post his availability on his QRZ.com profile page and notify ARRL to include it in its DX bulletin. Contacting him could prove challenging to say the least, and he asks for patience because he’s not used to being the focus of a pileup. (ARRL sourced via VK2FKND) VK Team will be active as VK9LI from Lord Howe Island 11 - 18 May 2018. They will operate on 160 - 17m CW, SSB, FT8. (Kerrie VK2FKND) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- DEFENCE A new RSGB web page highlights the role of Voluntary Interceptors in the Second World War and the crucial involvement of the Society At the outbreak of WWII in 1939 MI5 established a unit known as the Radio Security Service to detect and monitor enemy radio transmissions. The RSGB were approached to help pick and recruit radio amateurs with advanced Morse skills. These volunteers became known as the Voluntary Interceptors. rsgb.org/main/about-us/national-radio-centre-gb3rs/the-role-of-the-rsgb-and-voluntary-interceptors/ (SouthGate) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - FINAL FRONTIER Astronauts Ricky Arnold, KE5DAU, was one of 3 'spacemen' who headed into space on March 21 aboard a Soyuz MS-08 vehicle, launched from Kazakhstan. The new ISS residents were welcomed on March 23 as part of the Expedition 55 crew by the station commander and crew including Scott Tingle, KG5NZA. During his time in space, KE5DAU, a former educator, will wrap up NASA’s Year of Education on Station, an initiative to engage students and educators in human spaceflight and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers. Ricky and Scott ( KG5NZA ) will take turns handling all scheduled Amateur Radio on the International Space Station school contacts in April. (Sourced to ARRL) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- FEMALES IN RADIO ALARA - AUSTRALIAN LADIES AR ASSOCIATION http://alara.org.au Net is held each Mondays on 3.570± MHz, commencing at 1030 UTC. (1000utc during daylight saving) Kimberly Olsen VK2KMI for the WIA National News YLs, STEM and the Maker Movement STEM:- (science, technology, engineering, math and medicine) efforts and groups like the Maker Movement have made science and technology more welcoming to women and girls. Amateur radio stands to benefit from these movements in the next few years. While women are still numerically in the minority, achievement and leadership opportunities exist and are growing. Introducing 8 year old Lacy Beckett W4LCY:- You can usually find Lacy wielding an aluminium antenna pointed at the sky and at the International Space Station, where she hopes to work one day. Lacy is the youngest person to pass the Technician amateur radio exam through the New River Valley Amateur Radio Club in the US. She explains how she works satellites with her handheld antenna ““Let’s say that the satellite is just at the tip of that tree. We point it there and we wave it around so we can catch the correct signal because the satellite is always spinning,” “You can hear the radio signals coming from it,” Lacy said. Very young, female, and steeped in a culture that is increasingly valuing girls in STEM fields, Lacy is interested in tinkering and assembling breadboards, but she seems especially inspired by the International Space Station as well as satellites and the connection between us down here and them up there. Lacy’s uncle and aunt, Malcolm and Jessica Beckett, who both have advanced credentials, introduced her to amateur radio. Lacy adds “I think a lot of people think that studying is going to be boring, but after you get your license you get the reward of being able to operate on the radio.” https://radfordnewsjournal.com/top-stories/come-in-radio-girl/ I'm Kimberly Olsen VK2KMI for the WIA National News WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO SCOUTING http://www.scouts.com.au http://www.scout.org/jota http://www.international.scouts.com.au http://jotajoti.info/ Brett Nicholas VK2BNN is Scouts Australia National co-ordinator for JOTA. Lorraine O’Hare VK2FICQ is Girl Guides Australia National JOTA-JOTI Co-ordinator. 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 “Radio Scouting — The Adventure of Youth Amateur Radio.” This is the theme for the 43rd edition of the international Amateur Radio exhibition, HAM RADIO, in Friedrichshafen, Germany. In past years, exhibits have shown all of the different settings where radio is used. This year, they have invited Scouts who are active on the airwaves. Visitors will be able to learn more about radio Scouting at an exhibition and at a booth at the Friedrichshafen Fairgrounds. In addition, a huge tent and a pioneering tower will be put up on the West Open Air Grounds. (sourced to ARRL) 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 NWTR&TVG go to the horses. NWTR&TVG members, including WIA News stalwart Tony VK7AX provided communications, between Ride Base and three Checkpoints, for the Kentish Endurance Riders’ 80 and 40 kilometre event, based at Sheffield RECENTLY. A survey the previous week had indicated the need for a solution between a difficult checkpoint, in a deep valley, and Base. Arrangements were made with a local resident to place a cross-band repeater in their garage. They gave an assurance that they’d be up and about by 0600 on the day of the event. That time saw both VK7AX and VK7ARN skulking about in a dark yard of a house with no sign of life, for which the residents later profusely apologised, having slept in for the first time in years! Fortunately, a contingency plan was in place and an alternate checkpoint was activated. (sourced to VK7WI News) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO AMATEUR OLD-TIMERS http://www.raotc.org.au Hallo everyone this is Clive VK6CSW wishing you a Happy Easter and reminding you that the Radio Amateurs Old Timers Club of Australia’s April bulletin goes to air tomorrow. This month we’ll bring you all the latest Club news plus a talk by Ian VK3JS on the important part played by mathematicians in the First World War. Everyone, RAOTC members and non-members alike, is most welcome to tune in and to join in the call backs afterwards. The broadcast originates in Melbourne at 10 am local time on the VK3REC 2m repeater with simultaneous relays on 1825 kHz and 7146 kHz. At 0100 UTC for eastern states listeners, Hans VK5YX will transmit the program on 20 metres on 14.150 MHz At 0200 UTC, for West Australian listeners the program is transmitted simultaneously on 7088 kHz and via the linked repeater network. At night the broadcast is repeated at 2030 hours Melbourne time on 80 metres on 3650kHz, in Tasmania at 1930 on the VK7RAA and 7RTC networks plus a TV presentation by Tony VK7AX at 2030 hours Tasmanian time. From Tuesday you can download the audio file from the Club website at www.raotc.org.au where you also find full Club details. Tune in tomorrow for the April RAOTC bulletin. 73 from Clive VK6CSW. REWIND There is a great story been doing the rounds on the internet about and the rise and fall of Radio Shack, that iconic US electronics store. The first Radio Shack store came into existence in Boston in 1921. It was established by Theodore and Milton Deutschmann as a retail outlet for amateur or ham radio enthusiasts. The company was named after the structures aboard ships that held all the radio equipment. Amateur radio was really taking off in the early '20s , and the Deutschmanns were able to tap into this fervour with one retail outlet and eventually a thriving mail-order business. Radio Shack sent out its first catalogue in 1939 as it began diversifying into high-fidelity music. By 1954, Radio Shack started selling its own branded stereo equipment under the name Realist. The company was forced to change the brand name to Realistic after being sued by a company called Stereo Realist, which made stereo cameras - cameras that would allow users to essentially take their own View-Master pictures. In the early 1960s, Radio Shack fell on hard times and careened toward bankruptcy. It was at that point that Charles D. Tandy entered the picture. From the age of 12, Charles Tandy had worked in his father’s leather business. While serving in the US Navy during World War II, he noticed sailors doing needlepoint and knitting as recuperative therapy. Tandy thought the men might prefer working with leather as their medium and established a system of craftwork involving leather for the sailors’ recuperation. After the war, Tandy took this concept, named it Tandycraft and turned it into what would become a major part of his father’s business. In 1963, Tandy acquired the ailing Radio Shack for $300,000, seeing the potential in the company. At the time, Radio Shack consisted of the mail-order business and nine retail stores around Boston. In early 1983, Radio Shack opened a computer store. It was a place to attend computer camps and take classes to learn about these new -fangled computer things the kids were into. Radio Shack had introduced one of the first mass-marketed personal computers in 1977. The TRS-80, named for Tandy Radio Shack and the Zilog Z80 processor, was ground-breaking in its marketing only; Read the rest of this fascinating article by Eric Renshaw in the Argus Leader. https://www.argusleader.com/story/life/2018/02/22/looking-back-radio-shack-soared-several-stores-sioux-falls/355257002/ http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2018/february/the-first-radio-shack.htm (vk7tw) Social Scene 2018 Mar 31 – Ap 1 – VK2 – Urunga Radio Convention - Urunga April 7-8 - VK3 - Antennapalooza 2018 - EMDRC, GGREC, MDRC & FAMPARC at Drouin April 8 - VK - Opening of NEVA Radio Clubs new clubrooms 25 Silva drive West Wodonga. (vk2bfc) The grand opening of the North East Victoria Amateur Radio Clubs new clubrooms is being held on Sunday the 8th of April at the new clubrooms 25 Silva drive West Wodonga. All amateurs from the north east Victoria and Albury Wodonga regions are invited to what will be a great day. The day starts with a barbeque lunch at noon followed by a general get together and a demonstration of DMR Radios and Hotspots used by the members. Talk in will be available on the VK3RWO repeater 146.975MHz or on DMR Talk group 8. So join us for what will be a fantastic day at the all new clubrooms of the North East Victoria Amateur Radio Club, this is Frank VK2BFC for NEVARC April 14 - VK1 - QRP By The Lake (vk1ct) Following the popular QRP meetings in Melbourne - 'QRP By The Bay' and Sydney, 'QRP By The Harbour', Canberra will be hosting its own called 'QRP By The Lake' on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin on Saturday 14 April. Go along and meet fellow low power, portable and homebrew hams. Bring along your radio, antenna, or latest project for demonstration. The event will run from 1pm to 3pm and will be held at Black Mountain Peninsula, Lady Denman Drive, Acton. Plenty of parking, room for setting up antennas and BBQ facilities. For further information, please contact Wade VK1MIC or Chris VK1CT. April 22 – VK6 - Hill Amateur Radio Group HARGFest Swapmeet 10-2PM April 22 – VK5 - South Coast Amateur Radio Club Annual Buy, Swap and Sell 10-3PM May 4-7 - VK4 Clairview Gathering ( between Rockhampton/Mackay ) May 12 - VK3 Moorabbin & District Radio Club HamFest (VK3GL) The Moorabbin and District Amateur Radio club is pleased to announce the 2018 HamFest will be on Saturday 12th May, 2018 with doors opening at 10am. This year’s event will be at changed venue – Brandon Park Community Centre, 649 Ferntree Gully Rd, Glen Waverley (Melways map ref 71 C8). The Moorabbin Radio Club’s annual HamFest is proud to be Victoria's biggest with displays and sales of new and preloved equipment. A must come must see event for anyone interested in Radio Communications and Electronics. Major door prizes, free tea and coffee, light refreshments and a sausage sizzle will also be on offer. Trader table bookings and general enquires can be made by emailing Graeme Lewis VK3GL (vk3gl@bigpond.com) or by phoning mobile 0418 171 601. A Must see, must come event!! May 18 to 20 – VK WIA Radio & Electronics Convention & AGM Gold Coast June 9 & 10 - VK5 2018 South East Radio Group's Convention and Australian Fox Hunting Championship – Mt Gambier Jun 9 & 10 – VK2 – Oxley Region ARC Field Weekend – Oxley Radio ARC July 7 & 8 – VK3 GippsTech 2018 The 21st annual Gippsland Technical Conference vk3bez.org Nov   11     VK5 - Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society HamFest Nov 17 VK7 - VK7Hamfest Miena Community Centre (vk7wi) ============================== NEW WIA NEWS BROADCAST FEEDBACK =============================== 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. 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