AUGUST 11 2019 - 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 TWITTER http://twitter.com/VK1WIA Please... If you are only submitting text and not audio, NEVER send just links & url's but write your story as you would expect to hear it being read back and then when you upload audio also email us the txt version. ---------------------------------------------------------------------* NATIONAL NEWS FOR WEEK COMMENCING AUGUST 11 2019 IN OUR 24th YEAR OF NON STOP NEWS WIA RD CONTEST - Date Change? VK4SN RD Contest Manger reports. - WIA DIRECTOR VK8MA MARK ON ACMA and LCD. THIS & MORE IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA FOR WEEK OF AUGUST 11 2019 Allan VK5MAK, further down the log, will have a report on a Science event at Wayville Showgrounds in Adelaide this month. Alan Shannon VK4SN RD Contest Manager will join Felix VK4FUQ during 'operational news' Our Sister publication "Amateur Radio Newsline' have announced this years "Bill Pasternak WA6ITF Memorial Young Ham of the Year award." Also joined by Col VK3GTV, Jason VK2LAW with Geoff Emery and Ngaire Jury ZL2UJT. But first, Mike VK8MA WIA Director WIA Board Comment 11th August 2019 by Mike VK8MA Good morning everyone The last week has seen much activity in the preparation of the submission to put to ACMA in relation to any proposed changes to the Amateur LCD. At the time of recording this board comment we are in the final stages of the submission and once submitted, the final document will be available at the WIA website. Major topics have included items like potential changes to the number of licence categories, callsign changes and that lingering question about maximum power limits for the various categories, including potential power level increases for foundation call holders and maximum power for advanced licencees. A topic that has received much discussion has also been access to 60 metres. Some losses seem inevitable such as the 3 GHz allocation. At this final preparation stage, there has been frantic last minute suggested alterations with some very deep thought towards final refinement. There has been much appreciated support from groups like ARNSW and ARVIC along with ALARA. The board has received general support from outside organizations & individuals and it appears there has been multiple individual submissions to ACMA as well. The outcome of this review by ACMA could set the future for quite sometime and we all hope there will be satisfactory outcomes for all Amateurs. On behalf of the board, this has been Mike VK8MA DISCUSSION POINT One area that seems to be contentious with some amateurs is keeping touch with our historical roots. Shortly we will be participating in the RD Contest and there is a debate as to whether it should be fixed on a weekend so as not to conflict with the international lighthouse weekend. There are reasons as to why the Remembrance Day is variable, just as there are reasons why Easter and other religious festivals have variable days. Should we abandon the association with the end of hostilities in the Pacific in WW2? That depends on personal association with the history and personal and family experience with military service. ( More later from RD Contest Manager ) Then there are debates over whether the WIA house journal, Amateur Radio, should be just an e-mag rather than a print and supporting PDF. Historically, many radio clubs and organisations have published journals to provide records of activities and share these details via post. There are arguments put forward as to the convenience of the paper journal versus and e-reader. I enjoy the ease of propping the paper in convenient positions for reading and would not put my tablet on a work bench near tools such as hot soldering irons. Last time I went through the stationary section of the shops, I could only find plastic clip boards to hold printouts in the same position. Anyway, if we look at the ease of access to internet, we are confounded by choice as the NBN expands its tenuous service and retailers compete to sign you up. The telcos are fighting back with better, cheaper and faster plans to suit people on the move with portable devices. This signals a change in technology usage which will probably come to a head with the roll out of 5th generation mobile services. However, let me raise another hypothetical. One adornment to many operating positions has been the callbook. According to the WIA web site, the first of these was published in Australia in 1914. So it is not a recent addition to operating ease and if it were a building, it would probably have National Trust protection. The callbook traditionally contains not only the callsigns, names and contact address of amateur radio operators and then a plethora of material relating to our pursuit. Obviously, the detail which the regulator, the ACMA, publishes in its data base has some more details such as client numbers and the ability to print a copy of any listed station’s licence form. If someone raised the issue of privacy by the publication of the callbook derived from the official list, would this mean the end of part of the tradition of our branch of radio? Would there be equitable access to the data for people who still use printed QSL cards if internet coverage was not available. Would anyone care, if there was no printed callbook and the end of a tradition? I’m Geoff Emery and that’s what I think....how about you? ---------------------------------------------------------------------* INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to IARU, RSGB, SARL, Southgate AR Club, ARRL, RAC, NZART AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE & the World Wide sources of the WIA. IARU REGION 1 TAKE MONITORING OF THE RF NOISE FLOOR ANOTHER STEP FORWARD. During a two-hour teleconference, the monitoring group of the IARU Region 1 EMC committee discussed the German and South African noise monitoring projects and agreed that an important step forward will be the development of a common data format, so that results from both and possible other future systems will be compatible. It was agreed that Dr David Lauder, G 0 SNO will collate the various proposals and circulate a draft format for further discussion. One of the important factors considered was the identification of antenna type used and a way to calibrate the data against a known standard. NEW ZEALAND Recently, the Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) asked the New Zealand spectrum agency, RSM, for help locating an unregistered Personal Locator Beacon (PLB). The beacon was thought to be obscured from the sky, as satellite passes were occurring without detection. The RCC gave the PLB fix a tolerance of +/- 10 kms. Aircraft were not hearing the homing signal on 121.5 MHz, one of the frequencies that the PLB transmits on, despite being close to an airport. RSM then received the 406 MHz transmissions some 2km from where the PLB was finally located, a 500 milli-second transmission every 50 seconds. RSM’s Automatic Direction Finder was able to give bearings on these transmissions. Around 100m from the PLB, the homing signal was detected. This enabled easier tracking because this signal was essentially on constantly. However, to find the exact location, the PLB still had to be tracked manually. Due to health and safety concerns about approaching the address to where the PLB was traced, (which is not disclosed in the RSM story) it was retrieved with the assistance of the New Zealand Police. PLBs are for distress situations only. Registration of 406 MHz PLB is a legal requirement in New Zealand. A registered 406 MHz PLB helps the RCC to find the owners contact details in the event that the PLB is activated. FRANCE Ham radio sea robot Launched last weekend, 'Squirrel C' the marine robot designed by the association of “Radio Amateurs Penn ar Bed” already gives impressive results. Its WSPR beacon F 4 GOH on 7 MHz., and APRS sensors on, were recorded by Ham radio all over the world from the North to South and from California to Tasmania. For Maurice Uguen, F 6 CIU, President of the scientific Ham radio association of Plouguerneau, (a small city north of Brest) "These results are out of our forecasts, we did not imagine such a cover for sensors relayed by a micro transmitter on shortwave, of a lower power than a mobile phone!" The robot is 'wet' for a month of tests in front of the small harbor of Perroz, the time to validate the various scientific programs embedded. Subsequently, in a final form, it will be dropped off Celtic sea, with the final project crossing the Atlantic in complete autonomy. An ambitious program that will be the subject of work associated with several international universities. USA KB1EHE, Eric Knight, has played a role in the development of an RF-based Alzheimer’s disease treatment that now shows great promise. ARRL Member KB1EHE is part of a team mentioned in a study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease following a months-long FDA clinical trial of the treatment, protocol concluded that memory decline in most patients “appeared to have been reversed to cognitive levels equivalent to 12 months earlier” after 2 months of treatment. The clinical trial concluded last December 31 and focused on the initial efficacy of what NeuroEM Therapeutics, Inc. — the company developing the device — calls “transcranial electromagnetic treatment”, using a non-invasive head-worn device called the MemorEMÔ. “Results from the trial demonstrate that TEMT was safe in all eight participating patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease and enhanced cognitive performance in seven of them, as measured by standard cognition scales,” said a news release from NeuroEM Therapeutics. Seven of the eight clinical trial patients agreed to take part in a 4-month extension study, based on the findings and the positive feedback from all participants. “This pioneering study suggests that TEMT may be an entirely new therapeutic intervention against Alzheimer’s disease.” --------------------------------------------------------------------* 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 2019 VK Remembrance Day Contest is August 17-18 LEST WE FORGET, A REMEMBRANCE DAY CONTEST REMINDER Book your diary’s for Saturday 0300z August 17 to 0300z August 18th for the VK Remembrance Day Contest Categories include 1. SO 2. SO QRP 3. MS 4. MM Modes include 1. Phone 2. CW and RTTY 3. Mixed Frequencies 1. MF to UHF and above, excluding WARC Exchange 1. Exchange RST and the number of years you have been licenced or for clubs, the longest serving ham at the start of the contest. 99 will also be accepted. There are no Blocks in this contest but Contacts can be re-contacted after 3 hours. Teams 1. Remember to send your team nominations to the contest manager as soon as you can. A team can consist of 3 individuals or 2 individuals and a multi-single station. SURVEY A recent survey was conducted by RASA regarding the rule on the date of the contest falling on the weekend closest to the 15th August. As I often do work for the RSL and ex Veteran groups, I put the scenario forward to them for their comments. I expected some dissatisfaction, but Wow, these guys were genuinely horrified and appalled at changing the date of the contest. They were obviously angry and comments like 'Un-Australian, disrespectful, and lack of compassion and understanding echoed around the room. Someone commented that it would be like changing the time and date of Anzac Day. It's time and date has meaning and will never be changed. And so fellow hams, the weekend closest to the 15th of August will NOT be changed. Rules are at http://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/rdcontest 73, de Alan VK4SN, RD Contest Manager. -------------- Hi there this is Ngaire Jury ZL2UJT The New Plymouth Amateur Radio Club’s 2019 TARANAKI AWARD will run from Thursday 3rd October until Monday 7th October 2019 and is open to all Amateurs and short wave Listeners. Contacts may be made on any band, any mode. Each station may be worked ONCE ONLY and details of log submissions are available on the WIA NEWS web site. Paper logs and electronic logs are both welcome. Overseas stations requirements have been relaxed and only 6 points are required. Taranaki stations will be available each day on: Taranaki Award Net – 3.660 MHZ +/- at 0800 UTC The ZL Awards Net - 3.677 MHz from 0900 UTC There will also be a 40 metre frequency advertised closer to the event. In Conjunction with the Taranaki Award we will be running the Dan Wilkinson Memorial Contest, again, details in the WIA web page. Dan Wilkinson was the original holder of the call ZL2AB, the current callsign of the NPARC. Thanks for listening, this has been Ngaire ZL2UJT from New Plymouth across the ditch. -------------- LZ 19 YOTA FROM THE NINTH YOTA SUMMER CAMP LZ19YOTA is the call sign that will be used during the 9th Youngsters on the Air Camp, hosted by the Bulgarian Federation of Radio Amateurs between 11 and 17 August. This annual event brings together young people from IARU Region 1 member societies for a week, creating an opportunity to learn all about different nationalities and cultures, foster international friendships and goodwill and learn new amateur radio skills. LZ19YOTA QSL via the bureau to LZ 1 BJ. (sarl) -------------- Gilberto is operating from the Maldives using callsign 8 Q 7 GB until August 18th. Look for 8 q 7 gb on SSB, CW and FT8. (irts) -------------- A group of mainly German amateurs have activated TO 5 M from the St Pierre and Miquelon Islands until August 18th. They will be on all bands 160 – 6m on SSB, CW and FT8. QSL TO5M via Club Log OQRS. (IRTS) -------------- N1MM LOGGER+ NEEDS HELP GOING MULTILINGUAL The popular contest-logging program N1MM Logger+ is reaching out to hams around the world - and this time it's in their own languages. Developers are asking for volunteers who can help test the logging program as it becomes available in an experimental version in languages other than English. Al AB 2 ZY, a member of the development team, needs hams who are able to help with the translations and hams who can then test the logger in the translated languages. If you are interested in helping this project, contact him via the email address in this week’s text edition of WIA National News and let him know which language you can work with and whether you'd like to be part of the testing process, the translation process - or both. Al can be reached on akozak@hourglass.com (ARNewsLine) -------------- A team of ZS operators will activate Robben Island again from August 15th - 20th. As before they will use the callsign ZS 9 V. The IOTA reference is AF-064. Look for ZS9V mainly on 10, 15 and 20m SSB. QSL manager is M 0 OXO. Robben Island is where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years. (IRTS) -------------- A special event station with the callsign D 73 F is in the air from South Korea until 18th August in connection with the 18th World Aquatics Championships. QSL D73F via Club Log OQRS. (IRTS) -------------- DXCC News These following operations have been approved for DXCC credit: CY 9 C -- St. Paul Island; the 2019 operation T 6 AA and T 6A -- Afghanistan; 2019 operations (SouthGate) -------------- The 'DXCC Most Wanted' entities list has been updated on ClubLog as of July 29th. The list contains 340 entities with the top 4 being BS 7 H Scarborough Reef Number 3 FT5/W Crozet Island 2. 3Y/B Bouvet Island and coming in as our absolute number 1 on the top most wanted list. P5 DPRK (North Korea) The complete "DXCC Most Wanted" entities list is available on: https://secure.clublog.org/mostwanted.php (SouthGate) -------------- NET ADVICE The BC-DX Net has been a staple for radio DXers since November 1988 when it began as something called the SWL DX Net. It can be found on 40 meters at 0300 UTC on Sunday mornings -- and now it can be found in the pages of the Golden Book of World Records where it was recently recognized as the longest-running net of its kind on the amateur radio bands. The international record book cites Sanil Deep VU 3 SIO who has been its net controller since 1990. Sanil leads the discussion as hams check in and discuss details of DX stations' operations around the world. VU3SIO was among the radio enthusiasts who began the original net with a group of friends -- but his love of radio extends to other modes too. The retired senior bank manager notes on his QR Zed page that he is not just active as a DXer on the HF bands but can sometimes be found operating on EchoLink. (ARNEWSLINE) ---------------------------------------------------------------------* WORLD WIDE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP NEWS FINAL FRONTIER BRICSAT2 and PSAT2 designated Navy-OSCAR 103 (NO-103) and Navy- OSCAR 104 (NO-104) On June 25, 2019, the United States Naval Academy PSAT2 and BRICSAT2 CubeSats were launched on a Falcon Heavy launch vehicle from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. PSAT2 and BRICSAT2 were developed by Naval Academy students in the USNA Satellite Lab and operated in cooperation with the USNA Amateur Radio Club. PSAT2 carries a PSK31 transponder, digipeater, SSTV-downlinked camera images, and a DTMF to voice/APRS system. BRICSAT2 carries a digipeater and thruster experiment. Both satellites are currently active. Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA AMSAT VP Operations / OSCAR Number Administrator says that at the request of the Naval Academy Amateur Radio Club AMSAT hereby designates BRICSAT2 as Navy-OSCAR 103 (NO-103) and PSAT2 as Navy- OSCAR 104 (NO-104). LightSail 2 Successfully Demonstrates Flight by Light The Planetary Society's crowdfunded LightSail 2 spacecraft is successfully raising its orbit solely on the power of sunlight. Since unfurling the spacecraft's silver solar sail last week, mission managers have been optimizing the way the spacecraft orients itself during solar sailing. After a few tweaks, LightSail 2 began raising its orbit around the Earth. In the past 4 days, the spacecraft has raised its orbital high point, or apogee, by about 2 kilometres. The mission team has confirmed the apogee increase can only be attributed to solar sailing, meaning LightSail 2 has successfully completed its primary goal of demonstrating flight by light for CubeSats. On Monday, July 29, LightSail 2 sent home a new full-resolution image captured by its camera during solar sail deployment. The perspective is opposite to last week’s full-resolution image and shows the sail more fully deployed. LightSail 2's aluminized Mylar sail shines against the blackness of space, with the Sun peeking through near a sail boom. LightSail 2 uses the callsign WM9XPA and transmits its beacon on 437.025 MHz, AX.25, FSK, 9600 bps. Beacon parameters and more information on the spacecraft:- https://tinyurl.com/y5r6758v [ANS] NASA and its various partners are in the process of designing and developing a small spaceship that will orbit the Moon called the Lunar Gateway. This spaceship will be a temporary home and office for astronauts 250,000-miles away from Earth. Contained on the gateway will be living quarters and laboratories for scientific research. It appears that the gateway may also be home to an amateur radio station. AMSAT and ARISS have been busy designing this station and meeting regularly to discuss the matter. NASA envisages that the final assembly of the gateway may be completed in 2026. (irts) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- IOTA www.iota-world.org Restructuring of AS-117/AS-206. On the IOTA web page we find islands previously listed as qualifying for AS-117 that now fall within the co-ordinates box of the new group AS-206 Honshu’s Coastal Islands East, have now been transferred and are listed appropriately both in the application database scroll-down list and in the IOTA Directory online. Following several activations from AS-206 in the last few weeks with most already accepted for credit, the group number is now confirmed. Record-holders with credits for AS-117 that commence with prefixes JA0, 1, 2 and 7, will have their credits reviewed for transfer to AS-206. All chasers who logged into the IOTA system at least ONCE during the last two years will be automatically informed by a credit re-allocation. This will alert them to the need to find a replacement card or QSO match for AS-117 with a prefix JA3, 4 or 9 to regain credit. Other record-holders for whom Management no longer retains an email address will have any necessary transfer made automatically. The intention is to transfer all credits to the correct IOTA group within a few weeks. As this is quite a big job, patience is requested. (SOUTHGATE) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- MEDICAL IHS = www.groups.Yahoo.com/group/IHSradio/ IHS = www.IHSOFMN.org PHARMACISTS = www.malpensa.it/iphg Medical Amateur Radio Council www.marco-ltd.org/ ON-AIR EVENT IN UK CALLS ATTENTION TO CHILD'S MEDICAL NEEDS In the UK, amateurs are joining with one community centre to rally around a local youngster with extreme medical needs. Organisers are hoping hams will listen with their hearts as well as their ears: The Newton-le-Willows Amateur Radio Club M X ZERO N R C will be operating their station at the Derbyshire Hill Family & Community Centre in St. Helens which is hosting a fundraiser on the 7th of September for a local 15-month-old child who has a host of medical conditions. Lee Layland MØLGL told ARNewsLine that the event is designed to make life easier for the little boy in need of home medical equipment, therapy sessions and an adaptive wheelchair, amongst other things. Hams will be operating on a number of bands using different modes from 10:30 in the morning to about 5 p.m. local time. Lee said operators are hoping to make as many on-air contacts as possible. (AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE) 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 DHRUV REBBA KC9ZJX NAMED NEWSLINE'S 2019 YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR Amateur Radio Newsline have a winner of the 2019 Bill Pasternak WA6ITF Memorial Young Ham of the Year award. Newlines’ Mark Abramowicz NT3V.> "Wow, that's incredible! (laughing) Wow, thank you!" The reaction from Dhruv Rebba KC9ZJX of Normal, IL to his official notification he had been chosen Newlines’ Young Ham of the Year. Rebba, who's 15 and going into his sophomore year at the Normal Community High School in the fall, found his way into amateur radio through his father, Hari Rebba VU2SPZ. "I first got interested in amateur radio when I was 9-years-old in like fourth grade," Rebba recalls. "So I went to the (Dayton) Hamvention with my dad. So, my dad's been a ham for a really long time, like 25 - 30 years. "So, he was going to the Hamvention with one of his friends from India. So I wanted to tag along. So, we went to the Hamvention and there I got to see all the cool stuff like the keyers, the Morse Code keyers, and like all the radios and everything and I got like really interested and I started studying for my Technician class." Dhruv got his Technician license at 9, and followed it up by earning his General license at 10. He immersed himself in public service activities with the Central Illinois Radio Club for a couple of years and also decided to combine his new hobby with his interest in space. Dhruv says he applied for a contact through the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station or ARISS program. It took a couple of applications before he was successful in convincing everyone he could pull it off. He recalls the big day at the Chiddix Junior High School in Normal, IL in October 2017. "So I was the control operator at the ARISS contact," Dhruv says. "So, I made the original contact. So I called for the ISS and I made the contact with astronaut Joe Acaba (KE5DAR). And, then I gave it to other students to ask questions." Dhruv became active in AMSAT forums and, as a result, ended up as a special ambassador and helped the Boy Scouts to carry out their ARISS contact near the end of July during the World Jamboree in West Virginia. Another big adventure in Dhruv's young life came when he was selected to join the Dave Kalter Memorial Youth DX Adventure on Curacao Island in July 2018 where he was a member of the PJ2Y team. "We were there for five days and we did phone, Morse code - CW - and we also did digital," Rebba says. Mark Abramowicz NT3V: "What was your favourite mode to operate from Curacao?" "I mainly did phone and I also did digital," Rebba says. The PJ2Y team made a record 6,262 contacts with 135 countries over five days. Dhruv has maintained close cultural and family ties with India where he has travelled and spoken about the importance of wireless communications, especially in times of disaster. He's also started a foundation to help underprivileged students and chose India as the location of his first effort - a digital project at a girls’ high school in NP Kunta, India this past January. No stranger to speaking in public, Dhruv has appeared at the youth forums at Dayton and at last fall's AMSAT forum from Huntsville. He's received AMSAT's Presidential Award and was presented a special plaque from the International Space Station Crew for what they described as his "exceptional outreach performed professionally by a young person of skill and poise." Dhruv is also into robotics and serves as a mentor for elementary school students in Normal. He also takes part in robotics competitions with a team that most recently finished in fourth place overall at an event in Detroit sponsored by NASA. Speaking of NASA, Dhruv says he has high hopes of one day pursuing a career in aerospace engineering or doing something in the space industry. In the meantime, Dhruv isn't waiting for college. He's already shooting for the moon. "When I was at the AMSAT booth at the (Dayton) Hamvention earlier this year, I got involved with the AREX - the Amateur Radio Exploration on the Moon program with AMSAT," Dhruv says. "So, what we're doing is, we're designing an amateur radio system to be on the Gateway Space Station and the moon." For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mark Abramowicz, NT3V, from Philadelphia. Dhruv will be recognized by the Amateur Radio Newsline team for his achievement at the Huntsville HamFest on Saturday, Aug. 17 in Huntsville, Alabama. (ps ARNewslines Australian News Team comprises John VK4JJW, Robert VK3DN, Jason VK2LAW and Graham VK4BB) 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 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 World Scout Jamboree ham radio balloon crosses Atlantic An APRS amateur radio balloon, callsign NA 1 WJ-5, was launched from the World Scout Jamboree in West Virginia USA and floated across the Atlantic Ocean The Scouting Magazine blog reports: "You can reach practically any corner of the globe via amateur radio. That’s the message K 2 BSA wanted to show Scouts at the World Scout Jamboree. Those in the amateur radio association launched four mylar balloons from West Virginia, in hopes that one would catch the jet stream and end up on the other side of the world. One did. Each balloon, about 3 feet in diameter, was equipped with a global positioning system and an amateur radio transmitter. This combination of devices relayed information about weather conditions, the balloons’ movement and location. Solar panels powered the transmitter, sending signals during daylight hours. Filled with high-grade helium, each balloon could reach a height between 28,000 to 32,000 feet — that’s nearly as high as most commercial planes fly. Read the full story and watch the video at https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2019/07/31/balloon-launched-from-world-scout-jamboree-floats-across-the-atlantic-ocean/ (SouthGate) ---------------------------------------------------------------------* 2019 Social Scene 2019 Social Scene Allan VK5MAK. “The Elizabeth Amateur Radio Club members had a very successful presence at the Science event at Wayville Showgrounds in Adelaide, from the second to the Fourth of August. The attendance by schools and the general public exceeded 21,000 visitors not including children under a certain age who were admitted free. Amateur Radio in SA was well attended by all ages” VK2 - SUMMERLAND AMATEUR RADIO CLUB'S SARCFEST 8:30am Aug 25 (wia) VK4 - Sunshine Coast Amateur Radios Sun-Fest 9AM, Saturday Sept 14 @ Woombye School of Arts. (vk4an) VK4 - Townsville Amateur Radio Club's Cardwell Gathering 4 days commencing October 4 (vk4zz) VK3 - Yarra Valley Amateur Group HamFest, 13th October (vk3cnw) WW - JOTA 2019 Friday 18th, Sat 19 & Sunday 20 October (vk2gx) VK3 - Ballarat Amateur Radio Group, BARG Hamvention Oct 27 (vk3kqt) VK5 - AHARS Buy and Sell Marion RSL Nov 3rd (vk5srp) VK3 - ROSEBUD RADIOFEST November 17 (wia) 2020 Social Scene ALARAMEET 2020 Bendigo (vk5yl) October 2 - 8 in Bendigo Victoria. Submitting news items If you would like to submit news items for possible inclusion in the VK1WIA broadcasts, please email your item in text to nationalnews@wia.org.au and don't JUST send url's links or posters, but take the time to pen YOUR contribution. To submit audio email nationalnews@wia.org.au and ask for the current password then read "how to submit items" in the weekly news page on http://www.wia.org.au/members/broadcast/contribute/ We would appreciate items certainly no longer than 2 minutes in length as we only have a half hour. 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 it in the 3rd person. A reminder when supplying HamFest info we obviously can't plug DEALS from commercial traders "on air", but we at the WIA will put your supporters 'goods' in this text edition "no worries." We cannot give blatant 'plugs' to raffles. (new Jan 2019) ---------------------------------------------------------------------* ===================================================================== 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 WIA affiliated clubs and 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 IF broadcast, are done so 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... If you have call-backs to contribute to the National News call back tally then please send through your call-backs to callbacks@wia.org.au 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:- callbacks@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 from. Send unsubscribe 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------*