OCTOBER 13 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 OCTOBER 13 2019 IN OUR 24th YEAR OF NON STOP NEWS WIA Secretary Peter VK8ZZ with Comment from WIA Board WIA FRONT PAGE NEWS THIS & MORE IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA AND FOR WEEK OF OCTOBER 13 2019 LOCAL In a few weeks, 60KM west of Bendigo in Central Victoria, there'll be a special event including amateur radio. Here's Graeme VK3GRK to tell us more. "The Reserve Bank is issuing an updated $20 note this month featuring Rev. John Flynn. Flynn of Moliagul ... the story of Rev. John Flynn of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. A commemorative event will be held at the Moliagul school on Saturday October 26th, featuring evolving technologies of wireless radio communication and aviation development. Rev. John Flynn was born at Moliagul on November 25, 1880, and his father was the teacher at the Moliagul school. The event is presented by the Goldfields Historical & Arts Society and Dunolly Museum, with the Bendigo Amateur Radio & Electronics Club, Kyneton Aero Club, Moliagul Reserve committee and Bendigo Historic Motorcycle Club. Rumour has it there could even be a fly by. There will be talks and exhibits in the school house from 10am to 5pm. The event is free and refreshments will be available. There will be a special event QSL card available, so stay tuned for frequencies and operating times. This is Graeme, VK3GRK from sunny Bendigo!" WIA FRONT PAGE NEWS Several weeks have gone by since the Licence Conditions Changes and still we see on social media and hear on the bands hams just realising some of the changes. In summary, fro the article dated September 29 on wia.org.au in summary 'The WIA is pleased to see the significant changes to the Foundation Licence class to modernise its appeal and relevance today. All in all, a great result for the entry-level licence. Go get digital! The relaxation of emission and bandwidth restrictions are also welcomed for all licence classes. These changes, albeit limited todate, are the culmination of persistent work by the WIA with the regulator in various consultations that started in 2014. We also acknowledge the many submissions made by individual amateurs and also various amateur radio clubs. During that time, the WIA has initiated multiple member surveys, the last in 2018 and actively sought feedback from its members. The last WIA consultation submission to the ACMA was a joint submission in conjunction with ALARA, ARNSW and ARVIC and had the direct support of many of the WIA Affiliated clubs. There is more work to do to maintain the current momentum, especially with the 5 MHz band access and potentially a high power endorsement approach for Advanced licences to overcome potential EME and EMI concerns by the ACMA. SO WHAT HAS CHANGED? All restrictions on emission modes have been removed for all licensees Restrictions on permitted transmission bandwidths have been removed for all licensees across all bands allowed for each licence class, with the exception of the 2200 metre and 630 metre bands, which only Advanced licensees can use; Restrictions to the 3.X GHz band, which affect only Advanced licencees. ALL license classes now have the same spectral power density limits of 1 watt per 100 KHz for wide bandwidth transmissions. The definition of wide bandwidth is band specific. This covers, for example, ATV / DTV and Spread Spectrum modes. READ MORE ON WIA.ORG.AU ARU Administrative Council Steps Up Efforts to Combat Radio Spectrum Pollution This front page story dated October first looks at how the Administrative Council of the International Amateur Radio Union held its annual in-person meeting on 28 and 29 September in Peru, just before the triennial General Assembly of IARU Region 2. The AC is responsible for the policy and management of the IARU and consists of the three IARU international officers and two representatives from each of the three IARU regional organizations. again read more on wia.org.au (and hear more when Jason vk2law brings us up to date intternationaly later in this broadcast) ROCKET MAN To NASA personnel, he is VK5ZAI. To his neighbours at Pinks Beach, a small coastal town in South Australia, he goes by Tony. In his 30-year association with the US space agency, Tony Hutchison has been called upon to help in times of crisis, moderate calls between astronauts and their families, and run a worldwide schools program. He's shared a beer with first commanders, had barbecues with mission specialists, and watched the space shuttle launch from the bleachers at Kennedy Space Centre. Looking back, it's a life he never expected. On WIA front page news a link will take you to the ABC program on his life which was telecast last weekend. Telecast almost world-wide. Last Saturday I was sitting in a sports bar in Hong Kong watching the Rugby from Japan, at the conclusion what should pop up on the big screen was Tony VK5ZAI and his amazing story. As Disney once said.. "It's A Small World After All" Being away for 3 weeks or so I must thank John VK4JJW who expertly edited the bulletins and continued our almost 25 years of Non-Stop WIA News... Thanks Johnno. Not a WIA Member? details email nationaloffice@wia.org.au OR the link on bottom right of wia.org.au https://wia.memnet.com.au/MemberSelfService/NewMemberForm/WIA/NewMemberForm.aspx Hi, this is Peter VK8ZZ WIA Secretary. It was just in the last few years that a rekindled interest saw me become far more active on all HF bands. I blamed the cycle of sunspots for the lack of activity on the HF bands. I have been disappointed at lack of recent contacts. I was active over the weekend of the RD Contest and the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend. I was surprised at the activity on the HF bands. It made me realise that it is not the sunspot minima that has caused the inactivity on the band, but the lack of people making contacts. Lack of activity is partly the reason why we now have more incursions into our bands by illegal activity. I can regularly hear Indonesian fishing boats chatting back to their home base but there are no amateurs on the air. Indeed it is no wonder that there is pressure on our bands. Dianne VK4DI from ALARA hit the nail on the head when, a few years ago, she said to me that “people are just listening and not bothering to call CQ”. The results from the WIA surveys last year show that this habit is not uncommon with approximately 50% of respondents saying that they generally are listening or occasionally answer a CQ, but rarely put out a call. So, the message here is clear, hop on to your favourite band or even a new band and put out a CQ to see who is listening. Maybe you will find an old friend on air, or make a new one. As a great man reminds us every week, AR is a contact sport. In closing I would just like to thank all the new members who are joining the WIA. A number of members are also re-joining the WIA. The WIA is the only organisation that represents Amateurs both domestically and Internationally and the WIA needs members in order to remain strong. There is only strength in numbers. This is Peter VK8ZZ. I thank you for listening. ---------------------------------------------------------------------* INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to IARU, RSGB, SARL, Southgate AR Club, ARRL, RAC, NZART AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE & the World Wide sources of the WIA. COPYING THE CODE OF FRIENDSHIP Would you follow your own radio signals across an ocean to meet up with a ham friend you've known for 70 years? Almost 3 generations ago - the retired TV engineer in the UK and the American doctor from Kentucky met on air. Now Ted Trowell G2HKU is 96 and living in a care home on the Isle of Sheppey and physician Bill Maxson N4AR, who is 82, decided it was time for another eyeball QSO. It was to be their second in more than 70 years and their first in nearly 30. When Bill flew from the U.S. to see his friend in late September he also had a mission to accomplish: To present Ted with a certificate confirming his election as an Honoured Member of the World-wide First Class CW Operators Club, an international fraternity founded in the UK in 1938 to foster appreciation of the mode. The two also had a lot of catching up to do: They had become friends over the air in the 1950s in conversations shaped by keyers and spelled out in CW. Later they took their rag chews to SSB, giving voice to their exchanges. Ted has been in a care home for a few years, according to several press accounts, but still keeps up with his hobby and his friend Bill. His room doubles as his shack and the home's managers permitted the installation of a wire antenna. Let the logbook show that this special September QSO was a valid contact, achieved via the band of brothers with both operators using the greatest mode of all: person-to-person. EGYPT WRC-19: ITU Preparatory report released The Conference Preparatory Meeting (CPM) Report on technical, operational and regulatory/procedural matters to be considered by WRC-19 is available for download The World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 takes place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, October 28 to November 22, this year. NETHERLANDS Changes to ham radio call sign policy The Netherlands communications regulator Agentschap Telecom (AT) has announced changes to the amateur radio call sign policy effective October 1 The most important adjustment is: Special call letters are issued for the duration of the event. This was a maximum of 28 days, but is now possible for a maximum of 1 year. From January 1, 2020 it is possible via the customer portal until 1 day before the start of the event or the radio competition to request a call https://tinyurl.com/NetherlandsVERON UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FCC takes decisive action against deliberate interference The ARRL report a New York Radio Amateur, K6DPZ is facing a $17,000 fine imposed by the FCC after he was issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture for causing intentional interference on a local repeater and preventing other radio amateurs from using it. “Given his history as a repeat offender, this violation warrants a significant penalty,” the FCC said. The NAL recounted numerous complaints alleging that he was deliberately interfering with a repeater in Glen Oaks, New York. Way back in 2017, the FCC issued a Warning Letter, advising him of the nature of the allegations against him and directing him to stop using the repeater going forward. Nonetheless, additional complaints were filed. Now after the FCC received further complaints regarding continued operation on the local repeater, an Enforcement Bureau agent again investigated. ARRL story at arrl.org/news/view/fcc-proposes-fining-new-york-radio-amateur-17-000-for-deliberate-interference PERU IARU to take action on radio spectrum pollution The IARU Administrative Council meeting in Peru Sept 28-29 agrees to steps up efforts to combat radio spectrum pollution The Administrative Council (AC) of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) held its annual in-person meeting on September 28-29, in Lima, Peru, just before the triennial General Assembly of IARU Region 2. Regarding band planning, the recommendation that 21,125 to 21,450 kHz in the 15-meter HF band be used for satellite communications on a non-exclusive basis was accepted, which will be aligned with the allocations in the other regions and will be used for uplinks. The AC is responsible for the policy and management of the IARU and consists of the three IARU international officers and two representatives from each of the three IARU regional organizations. The AC conducted its final review of IARU preparations for the 2019 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-19) of the International Telecommunication Union. WRC-19 will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, for four weeks beginning on 28 October. The conference has a lengthy agenda, with items of direct interest to the amateur service including consideration of improvements to the amateur allocation in Region 1 at 50 MHz, protection of existing allocations to the amateur service, and development of the agenda for the next WRC in 2023. --------------------------------------------------------------------* 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 Entries are currently open for the Ted Powell Memorial DX Challenge. Entries close Monday 14 October so you don't have much time left. Submit your entry at contest.fgarc.org.au (vk2pk text only ) -------------- Tanzania operation Maurizio, IK2GZU, has once again returned to 'Mission Ilembula' to do some work at the new hospital and orphanage until October 28th. He plans to be active during his spare time as 5 H 3 MB on various HF bands. QSL via IK2GZU, direct or by the Bureau. (SouthGate) -------------- WESTERN KIRIBATI, T30GC. Stan, LZ1GC, Karel, OK2WM and Mitko, LZ3NY will be QRV as T30GC till October 23 on 160 to 10 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL via ClubLog OQRS, LoTW or LZ1GC. (SouthGate) -------------- VIETNAM, 3W. Geri will be active as 3 W 9 KW in Hanoi from October 18 to 26 on various HF bands running QRP, mostly CW and possibly some SSB. QSL via home call DK8KW. (SouthGate) -------------- SEYCHELLES, S7. Ravi, VU2IIX will be QRV as S 79 VU from Mahe Island, IOTA AF-024, until June 30, 2021 on 80 to 10 meters using SSB and various digital modes. QSL via operator's instructions. (SouthGate) -------------- SPECIAL CALL SIGN IN BELGIUM HONORS PRINCESS There's a royal birthday celebration planned in Belgium and hams can have their call signs reflect the occasion. The special call sign prefix between the 25th of October and the 25th of December is in recognition of the birthday of that nation's Princess Elisabeth, who will be 18 on October 25th. The "OR" prefix will be allowed as a replacement of the standard "ON" for all individual radio amateurs and clubs but excluding holders of shortened (contest) call signs. The decision was made by the Belgian Institute for Postal services and Telecommunications, granting an earlier request from the Royale Union of Belgian Radio Amateurs. The royale union has more than 2,800 members. (SOUTHGATE) -------------- GABON, TR8CR. Roland will be QRV as TR8CR until December 15. Activity will be on the HF bands using CW. QSL via F6AJA. -------------- Anniversary of the Federal Republic of Germany Look for special event stations DM 70 GER and DL 70 BRD now active until December 31st, 2019 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Federal Republic of Germany which was established on May 23rd, 1949. Operations will be on CW and SSB. (SouthGate) ---------------------------------------------------------------------* WORLD WIDE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP NEWS FEMALES IN RADIO. When she turned 80, Anna Brummer, N2FER, of New York, predicted she would live to be 100. On September 27, she topped her own forecast by 5 years, as she celebrated her birthday at the Fort Hudson Nursing Centre, surrounded by family and friends. The only thing she wanted was a drink of Scotch whiskey, and the nursing home obliged, along with a slice of cake. Unit Manager Donna Hopkins told Post Star newspaper that she didn’t attempt to put 105 candles on Bummer’s cake because it would have been a fire hazard. Bummer’s secret to longevity is being nice to people. “Keeps you young when everything’s going smooth,” she said. Anna Brummer was a latecomer to Amateur Radio. In 1984, her son Richard, K2JQ (ex-K2REB), got his mom and his dad, Edwin, interested in Amateur Radio, and Anna obtained her Technician license when she was 69 years old. Edwin Brummer, who died in 1996, was N2FEQ, and held a Tech Plus ticket. They were married for 56 years. (arrl) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - FINAL FRONTIER AO-7 enters full illumination period Wednesday On or about October 9, AO-7 enters a period of full illumination that will last until approximately December 2. During this time, the satellite's on board timer should switch it between Mode A (145 MHz uplink / 29 MHz downlink) and Mode B (432 MHz uplink / 145 MHz downlink) every 24 hours. To check or report the satellite's current mode, please see the AMSAT Live OSCAR Satellite Status Page at the link in this weeks wia.org.au news script https://www.amsat.org/status/ (SouthGate) IN PURSUIT OF A NEW GEOSTATIONARY SATELLITE Satellite enthusiasts are being encouraged to share ideas for a new geostationary earth orbit satellite for hams - and a forum has begun just for them. This new online discussion group has formed to explore progress in getting a geostationary earth orbit amateur radio satellite for the Americas. Participants track the progress of acquiring a transponder that would serve IARU Region 2, which is North and South America. This would give the region the kind of coverage that Europe and Africa presently have with QO-100, the Qatari (KAT-TARRY) satellite launched last November. Bernard KC9SGV posted on the QRZ Forum that hams are encouraged to share images and links about their satellite ground station hardware as well as software and to share ideas about having a similar satellite for Region 2 hams to access. The discussion group is GEO@groups.io (ARNewsLine) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- QRP and WEAK SIGNAL COMMUNICATION QRPers NZ The QRPersNZ Group is alive and well, and operating a weekly net Thursday nights at 0800 UTC on 3.690mHz. You do not have to be a member of the group to join in. only request is that you operate 10w or less. Check-ins are called for at 8.00pm, just give your call and net control will put you on the list. Saturday 26th October from 07.30pm to 9.30pm is a fun activity called 'GO QRP NIGHT', where QRPersNZ operators try to work as many other QRP stations as possible in two one-hour sessions. This has been opened up to non-QRPersNZ operators who may contribute contact points to QRPersNZ Group members. Again, the group ask that those who wish to get involved please use 10w or less. (If you'd like to join the group, email waynezl2oz@gmail.com) {SouthGate} 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 IARU Region 1 3760 7110 14300 18160 21360 kHz IARU Region 2 3750 3985 7060 7240 7275 14300 18160 21360 kHz AZORES HURRICANE COMMUNICATIONS From ARNewsLine a story of cooperation in the face of a yet another hurricane. While hams in the Azores activated their emergency network with the approach of Hurricane Lorenzo in the final days of September, AMSAT announced it was making amateur satellite AO-92 available as requested by hams in the Azores. The availability of the satellite helped bolster readiness, which also got a boost from HF operations, local analogue repeaters and DMR. The AO-92 satellite was launched in January of 2018. In an unusual occurrence, the hurricane crossed the Atlantic Ocean and was headed toward Europe as an extratropical cyclone, weakening somewhat enroute. (ARNewsLine) SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- SUMMITS ON THE AIR www.sotawatch.org www.sota.org.uk The SOTA 2020 (and beyond) 'Flavours' Challenge A series of themed challenges will take place in 2020, as part of the SOTA - Summits On The Air awards programme. The idea is to encourage SOTA activity on bands and modes that are popular in amateur radio generally, but somewhat under-represented in SOTA. The SOTA 'Flavours' Challenge 2020 January 1st-7th 2020: LF - 160m & 80m February 1st-7th 2020: Datamodes March 1st-7th 2020: Digital voice April 1st-7th 2020: LF - 160m & 80m May 1st-7th 2020: Datamodes June 1st-7th 2020: 12m, 10m & 6m July 1st-7th 2020: 70cm Aug 1st-7th 2020: 17m Sept 1st-7th 2020: Datamodes Oct 1st-7th 2020: Digital voice Nov 1st-7th 2020: LF - 160m & 80m Dec 1st-7th 2020: 12m, 10m & 6m Scoring: Activators: Number of unique QSO partners worked multiplied by the number of unique summits activated. Chasers: Number of unique activators worked multiplied by the number of unique summits worked. Only QSOs made on the nominated band or mode, on the dates specified, will count towards Challenge scores and to take part in the “Flavours” Challenge, simply enter your activator and chaser logs into the SOTA Database as normal. (SouthGate) SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - VHF AND ABOVE (The Plumbers Delight) 122 GHZ ... it's NOT impossible! Here's Tim, VK2XAX with more on that.