-------------------------------------------------------------------69 2022 APRIL 17 VK NATIONAL NEWS BROADCAST ON VK1WIA ------------------------------------------------------------* THE BEST NEWS YOU'LL GET ALL WEEK THIS LINK IS A VIDEO VERSION OF NEWS COMPILED BY VK5BD BEVAN tinyurl.com/WIA-News-Videos ------------------------------------------------------------* NATIONAL NEWS FOR WEEK COMMENCING APRIL 17 2022 IN OUR 27th YEAR OF NON STOP NEWS ( 1937 in a mention we've come across relating to weekly broadcasts of information prepared by VK4 was a plea to restart the weekly news service which was on air in the late 1920's ) AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PORTAL Coronavirus (COVID-19) latest news, key facts and figures, contacts and answers to your questions. www.health.gov.au/ EARLY FOR EASTER - NEWS FROM THE WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA PROGRAM RECORDED IN BRISBANE, OLYMPIC CITY 2032. ACMA finds Myall Coast radio station breached licence conditions New South Wales-based radio station Myall Coast Radio Incorporated has been found to have breached a licence condition following an investigation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority. Myall Coast Radio Incorporated held a licence to provide an open narrowcasting service. These licenses are issued for the purpose of niche broadcasting and by law must be limited in some way, such as being targeted to special interest groups, providing programs of limited appeal or being provided for a limited period of time or for a special event. An ACMA investigation found that Myall Coast Radio FM was broadcasting a mix of content, including live-hosted and automated music programs, and news and weather bulletins that would likely appeal to a general audience in the broadcast area. ACMA Chair Nerida OLoughlin said Our investigation found Myall Coast Radio FM was not targeting a limited audience as required under its licence. Myall Coast Radio FM has acknowledged its error and ceased its narrowcasting service. It is now operating as an internet radio station instead. WIA JOIN THE WIA tinyurl.com/yyj87b9y WIA Hybrid AGM and Virtual Conference 2022 Antarctic Gateway The WIA Hybrid AGM and Virtual Conference 2022 has the theme of Antarctic Gateway and is open for registrations. This all takes place on May 7th 2022 and is being streamed from the Antarctic Gateway of Hobart Tasmania. The Hybrid AGM stream starts at 1030 AEDT with the Open Forum stream around 1130 AEDT. Please note if you wish to attend in person at the AGM and Open Forum then you need to register at the link on the text edition of this broadcast or on the WIA Website. tinyurl.com/ytret3r If you wish to receive the stream of the AGM and Open Forum then a MemNet email will be sent to all WIA members in the very near future that will enable you to register. After a short lunch break the WIA Virtual Conference Antarctic Gateway kicks off with four special presentations that highlight the history, culture, research and communications associated with Antarctica. We start with Professor Elle Leane from UTAS and a presentation on Sidney Jeffryes and the role played by wireless in the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (1911-14) Then well known microwave experimenter - Rex Moncur VK7MO who was Director of the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) between 1988-1999 will share his experiences as a Director of the AAD - the good and the challenging! Dr Andrew Klekociuk from the AAD will then give us a fascinating presentation on the atmospheric studies and research happening in Antarctica. And we finish with Peter Yates VK7PY and Kim Briggs VK7KB both from the AAD with a presentation on Antarctic communications challenges and review. Please note if you wish to attend or receive the stream of the Virtual Conference presentations then you need to register at the link (and this is a different link to the AGM link) and you can find the link in the text edition of this broadcast or on the WIA Website. tinyurl.com/n44bjvzr There is a small charge of $10 to cover organisational costs for the presentations. For further details check out the WIA website or Facebook pages. wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2022/20220410-1/index.php The 2022 Conference organising committee looks forward to seeing you on the streams. 73, Justin, VK7TW ------------------------------------------------------------* INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to IARU, RSGB, RAC, Southgate AR Club, ARRL, NZART, eHam, AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE & the World Wide sources of the WIA. World Amateur Radio Day It was on 18 April 1925 that the International Amateur Radio Union was founded, during the International Radiotelegraph Conference in Paris. Today, Amateur Radio is more popular than ever, with more than 3,000,000 THATS 3 MILLION! licensed operators! and thats why we radio amateurs worldwide celebrate April 18 with special activities every year. One society with special activities is Canada's RAC. Official stations will operate across Canada from 0000Z to 2359Z on April 18. The RAC official station call signs are all ending with R A C. REGION ONE RSGB and Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games starts on 28 July. Over 5,000 athletes will converge on Birmingham and the surrounding area from an estimated 72 hosts to compete over 12 days as part of the Games. The RSGB is organising a number of activities to support the event, including a special event station in the grounds of the National Exhibition Centre. The Society wants to showcase amateur radio to the athletes and public for as much of the Games as possible and is asking UK volunteers to operate the station and chat to visitors. As we say in the classics... stay tuned. Still with news from RSGB:- New RSGB EMF video published, yes a short video outlining new EMF regulations in the UK and the guidance and tools the RSGB provides for radio amateurs Watch About the RSGB - EMF tools and guidance youtube.com/watch?v=pbslKR_NEpM See the RSGB EMF page for tools and guidance rsgb.org/emf On April 9 Finland's communications regulator Traficom added the use of Encryption to the Amateur Radio license Radio amateur communications are not usually allowed to be concealed. However, two forms of radio amateur communication have been added to the order, which are allowed to be encrypted and the renewed order allows encryption in the case of: the proportion of the message that ensures the integrity of the sender and messages. control communication between the command earth station and the satellite for radio amateur activities and the control communications of a radio amateur station for which a special licence for a radio amateur station as referred to in section 5 is required for the possession and operation of a radio amateur station. REGION TWO Yasme Excellence Award The Yasme Excellence Award is presented to individuals and groups who, through their own service, creativity, effort and dedication, have made a significant contribution to amateur radio. The contribution may be in recognition of technical, operating or organizational achievement, as all three are necessary for amateur radio to grow and prosper. The Yasme Excellence Award is in the form of a cash grant and an individually-engraved crystal globe. The Board of Directors of The Yasme Foundation is pleased to announce the latest recipients of the Yasme Excellence Award: Dan Marler, K7REX -- When the COVID pandemic led to cessation of in-person meetings, training sessions and gatherings, Dan converted a small limited membership Zoom platform to the open presentation forum known as RATPAC. In the subsequent two years, RATPAC has hosted over two hundred online presentations that have been viewed by thousands of radio amateurs. Among the wide-ranging topics, half focus on public-service communications, while the rest address technical, operating, scientific and general-interest topics offered by a host of presenters. The recordings of these sessions are available for public viewing and constitute a valuable resource for the amateur radio community. Dr. Gordon Gibby, KX4Z -- Gordon is a retired emergency-room physician turned high school science teacher who demonstrates how amateur radio can benefit our communities in a wide variety of ways. As an ARES leader in Northern Florida, Gordon promotes and teaches all aspects of preparedness for disasters, from planning and exercises to building and repairing communication hardware to understanding official responders' needs, methods and organization. He advocates cognizance of the amateur's role and its limits, building trust and relationships, and constantly improving our individual skills. He is known around the USA for his informative and carefully thought out responses to the many questions from other amateurs seeking to improve their local disaster-response capabilities. In Brazil, the long wait for ham licences has become even longer as applicants waiting for their radio amateur licence report that at least six months have passed in some cases and they are growing impatient. Brazil's national amateur radio society has asked ANATEL, the nation's regulator, to act promptly and resolve the delays for the waiting candidates. The group is asking the regulator to modernise its computer system and standardise processes across all of the Brazilian states. REGION THREE Back on Saturday, February 5, Thailand's regulator the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission hosted an Intermediate class amateur radio examination The exam was held at Bangkok University and was overseen by RAST. A total of 78 Novice class license holders took the exam of which 52 candidates passed the Morse code test. Thailand's 3 classes of license are: Novice (Entry Level / Basic) license 100 watts on 28 MHz, 60 watts on 144 MHz Intermediate 200 watts all bands Advanced 1 kW all bands In addition to the theory exam an 8 WPM Morse test is required for Intermediate ------------------------------------------------------------* HAM RADIO OPERATIONAL NEWS - IT'S A CONTACT SPORT Results of Commonwealth Contest 2022 released The results from the 85th Commonwealth Contest held March 12-13, have been released and overall QSO numbers ended up similar to 2021 but there was much more activity on both 15m and 10m. Total submitted logs were 268, showing consistent support for this contest over the last decade. One disappointment was that although call area VK8 was active no one in VK8 submitted a log. See the RSGB Contest Results at tinyurl.com/msb2u6u6 NOW CONTEST WISE:- -------------- 2022 -------------- -------------- Harry Angel Memorial 80m Sprint Saturday May 7th 2022 10:00 UTC - 11:46 UTC -------------- The Don Edwards Memorial Slow Morse Contest 2 days starting May 14 1800 concluding May 15 16:00 Saturday evening 14th May between 6pm and 9pm Eastern Standard Time on 80 metres. Sunday afternoon 15th May between 1pm and 4pm Eastern Standard Time on 40 metres. (vk2emu) -------------- International CQ Pride contest June 4-6 (Luke VK3UKW) -------------- New World Wide Digital Contest also June 4-6 arrl.org/news/arrl-announces-new-world-wide-digital-contest (SouthGate) -------------- VK SHIRES CONTEST 11th JUNE 2022 -------------- WIA VHF - UHF FIELD DAYS Winter 2022 - 0200 UTC Saturday 25 June through 0159 UTC Sunday 26 June (differs in VK6). -------------- IARU HF World Championship NEXT contest is July 9 and 10. (ref) -------------- WIA Trans-Tasman Low-Band Contest 16 JUL 2022 The Trans-Tasman contest, held on the 3rd weekend in July aims to encourage Low Band activity between VK and ZL -------------- -------------- DX WINDOW -------------- GUYANA, 8R. Esmond, 8R1AK has been active on 10 meters using FT8. QSL to 8R1AK home call. -------------- SOUTH COOK ISLANDS, E5. Bob, E 5 1 BQ is QRV from Rarotonga, IOTA OC-013, and is normally active using FT8 on 30 and 20 meters from 0500 to 0600z daily. -------------- NEW CALEDONIA, FK. Jean-Louis, F5NHJ is QRV as FK/F5NHJ from Noumea until June 11. HF bands using CW, SSB, and various digital modes. QSL via LoTW. -------------- HUNGARY. Members of the Szollosi Jozsef Radio Club are QRV as HG 1222 BA to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the first constitutional document in continental Europe called the Aranybulla. QSL via HA 4 KYB. -------------- AUSTRIA, OE. Jo, OE 6 VIE is QRV as OE 0 MORSE during April to commemorate the death of Samuel F. B. Morse. QSL via LoTW. -------------- -------------- Mario, IZ3KVD, is in Zambia using the callsign 9J2MYT. He will be there in Lusaka until June. Listen for him on SSB on 40, 20, 17, 15 and 10 meters. Send QSLs via IZ3KVD. -------------- ------------------------------------------------------------* THE QNEWS WORK BENCH - the nuts and volts report Measure Twice cut Once. whizz3dparts 3D printed accessories for electronics enthusiasts and ham radio operators Here is a collection of 3D printed designs for hobbyists in electronics and amateur radio who want to add finishing touches to projects whizz3dparts.co.uk/ (SouthGate) ------------------------------------------------------------* WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- BALLOONING Radio amateur Chris Murphy KD2MRV has been teaching students how to build and launch high altitude balloons that carry an amateur radio APRS payload The Gloversville Leader Herald newspaper reports: Once a weather balloon is launched payload attached Gloversville Middle School science teacher Chris Murphy is behind the wheel, ready to drive to wherever the landing site might be. In the backseat are students following the airship on computers and punching in data that helps determine his directions. The advisor for the school districts High Altitude Achievement club has been going on these adventures with students since 2013, and ham radio operators along the route and at home bases help direct, too. The experience varies from a car caravan to a single vehicle, and from students on a second or third launch to their very first. The seventeenth, and most recent launch, a month back on March 17 was, however, a first. It was the beginning of a launching era including eighth graders in the experience. Prior to launch day, the older students help KD2MRV with work related to piecing together the payload. The most recent one included QR code cards sent to Teachers in Space, a non-profit focused on stimulating student interest in STEM learning by providing teachers with space experiments and industry connections, from students at different schools in New York scanned at launch and recovery and a prototype of the Serenity satellite to be put into orbit by FireFly Aerospace, which contained a 30-sensor microcomputer and two cameras. (SouthGate) WORLD WIDE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP NEWS - AND - SUMMITS ON THE AIR, WORLD WIDE FLORA, FAUNA PROGRAM, PARKS ON THE AIR and other ADVENTURE GROUPS. hema.org.uk/index.jsp minesontheair.com/about-mota parksontheair.com/ sota.org.uk sotawatch.sota.org.uk/en/ wwffaustralia.com/ Only 3 weeks to the Dorrigo Park-Fest which is being held on the weekend of 7-8 May. This is a park activation weekend where many activators will focus their efforts on parks in the Dorrigo region, west of Coffs Harbour. 10 sec pause For those who would like to join us it is not too late, with the Dangar Falls Lodge still having a few rooms left and there are tent and van sites available. All park activators are welcome, and if you have never operated from a park for the WWFF or POTA programs and would like some help getting involved then come along and we will show you the way. Park activators need park hunters, so hunters warm up your rigs as it will be a massive weekend for you. COL For more information search out the Facebook group called Dorrigo Park-Fest or email Marty VK4KC or Alan VK2MET whose emails are on their QRZ.com pages. WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - FINAL FRONTIER AMSAT-VK Secretary - secretary@amsat-vk.org Amsat AO7 The Methuselah of Amateur Radio Satellites AMSAT-OSCAR 7 was launched on the 15th of November 1974 from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The spacecraft is solar powered, weighs just under 29 kg, and had a three-year anticipated lifetime at the time it was launched, but it has far outlived this expectation. Its beacons transmit on 29.502, 145.975, 435.10 and 2304.1 MHz. Two types of communications repeaters are aboard the spacecraft, only one of which operates at a time. The first repeater is a two watt non-inverting transponder receiving uplink signals between 145.85 and 145.95 MHz, and re-transmits them between 29.4 and 29.5 MHz on the downlink. The second repeater is a 40-kHz bandwidth inverting linear repeater. It employs an 8-watt PEP power amplifier with wide dynamic range. This repeater has an uplink from 432.125 to 432.175 MHz, and downlink from 145.975 to 145.925 MHz. In 2002 one of the shorted batteries became an open circuit and now the spacecraft is able to run off just the solar panels, it is not usable in eclipse and may not be able to supply enough power to the transmitter to keep from frequency modulating the signal. When continuously illuminated, the mode will alternate between A and B every 24 hours. Proving that the satellite is still alive and well after 48 years of service, a new distance record has been posted to AMSAT. Joel, VE6WQ, based in Edmonton, Alberta worked Jrme, F4DXV, who describes himself as a "Extreme low elevation contact enthusiast" based in the southwest of France on the 23rd of March. They used Mode A, up linking on 2m and downlinking on 10m, over a distance of 7454 km. (SouthGate) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- CW www.morsecodeclassnet.com for some CW enthusiasts, the joy of a successful QSO can be music to one's ears. Amateur Radio Newlines Jim Meachen ZL2BHF explains. 10 SEC PAUSE "If you hear Chris Rio sending "CQ CQ de ZL4RA" in his latest YouTube video, don't ask him what keyer he is using. You're better off asking what Key: could it possibly be C-major we're hearing from him? No matter. Chris is using his fingers instead of his fist because he's not in his shack. He's demonstrating CW on his electric guitar. In the video, we hear a response from Adam, K6ARK, a California amateur who shares Chris' enthusiasm for another ham radio pursuit: Summits on the Air. Chris and Adam exchange signal reports, with Adam using a more conventional - and non-musical - instrument of CW. Then, just like that, it's all over. Fine business. Chris shared his musical experiment as well as the video with friends on the SOTA Reflector and apparently found a symphony of support. In fact, Brian, G8ADD, confessed he had also tried the same thing once with his clarinet. For Amateur Radio NewsLine I'm Jim Meachen ZL2BHF. COL And here in VK, Ron VK3AFW, suggested having a go with -- bagpipes. Whether the next instrument is wind or percussion, one thing is certain. It is sure to be a 'concerted' effort. WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- YOTA (Youth On The Air) youtube.com/channel/UClAapljf0VQ751sOgu2IzaA twitter.com/hamyota YOTA Contest 2022 Youth On The Air (ham-yota.com) Now Alec,VK2APC. 10 SECOND PAUSE Philipp, 5B4AQC | DK6SP Chair of Youth Working Group IARU 1 reminds us of the upcoming YOTA contest and hopes to get even more people involved into the contest this year. DATE OF CONTEST ONE IS 21st May FROM 0800 TO 1959 UTC So, are you ready to compete within this next YOTA Contest? Everyone in the ham radio community can take part, it only lasts 12 hrs. Its aim is to increase we youngsters activity on the air, strengthening the reputation of the YOTA program and demonstrate the support for youngsters across the world. The contest exchange used will be the age of the participating operators. Different ages also serve as multipliers during the contest. Contacts between the own continent are worth 1 point, working DX is worth 3 points but the most points will be achieved by working youngsters. The younger the operator the more points one will get for the QSO. If you have any further questions feel free to drop the YOTA Contest Committee an email contest@ham-yota.com 73 Philipp, 5B4AQC | DK6SP ham-yota.com/yota-contest-2022/ 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 Region 1 3760 7110 14300 18160 21360 kHz Region 2 3750 3985 7060 7240 7275 14300 18160 21360kHz Important role of radio hams in emergency preparedness Hawaii Public Radio K H P R this week reported on amateur radio operators who participate in a state-wide emergency communications drill Saturday April 16 The exercise simulates a 4-day period of catastrophic weather that knocks out power, internet, and cell towers from Kauai to the Big Island. It's an opportunity for the group Amateur Radio Emergency Service Hawaii to train members and non-members in radio operations and procedures. Links in the text edition allow YOU to hear this radio report from Hawaii Listen to the KHPR broadcast at tinyurl.com/ycyumjhb Learn more about the April 16 training exercise hawaiiares.net/ (SouthGate) ------------------------------------------------------------* 2022 Social Scene Due to the COVID-19 situation, please check these events' direct for up-to-date status information and even without Covid dates have an uncanny knack of being changed at last moment. AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PORTAL Coronavirus (COVID-19) latest news, key facts and figures, contacts and answers to your questions. www.health.gov.au/ VK5 - South Coast Amateur radio club Buy & Sell Sunday 24 April (vk5dad) VK2 - MAYHAM at Wyong Race Course 8.30am May 1 (vk2ji) Two weeks to go and all the cogs are moving to make this the best event yet. The car based and pedestrian fox hunts are arranged. The pedestrian foxhunt will be with four fox transmitters. The exhibitors and lecturers are eagerly preparing what they will put on show and talk about and the traders are looking at what bargains they can offer only at Mayham 2022. Lectures range from Summits on the air to the Winlink messaging system and several others topics. Even if you have already bought your raffle tickets on-line there will be the opportunity to spend some cash and buy more on the day to increase your chances of winning the great prizes. To give quicker entry, you can now buy your entry tickets online in advance, details and the needed link to the online payments system in the online shop on the website at mayham.org.au. If you are traveling to Wyong from further away dont forget the Meet & Greet on Saturday evening before the big event on Sunday. The CCARC is known for its repeaters and whether you are looking for analogue FM, DMR, D-STAR, echolink or even IRLP the Somersby repeater site is close at hand to provide the needed coverage. If you cant get this year but want to listen in to see what is happening, theres even a websdr covering 6 and 2 metres, 70 and 23 centimetres. As long as the weather permits, this year we will have a working demonstration portable HF radio station and we are even hoping to be able to demonstrate satellite communications as well! In case you spot that bargain with the traders or in the car boot sale area and dont have enough cash with you, as usual there will be ATM facilities available. Raffle terms and conditions and complete information about everything at MAYHAM can be found at mayham.org.au. The CCARC look forward to seeing you at Wyong! For the Central Coast Amateur Radio Club, Im Ed Durrant VK2JI. VK - WIA AGM (VIRTUAL EVENT) May 7 (vk8zz) wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2022/20220303-1/index.php VK3 - MOORABBIN HAMFEST 10am May 14 (vk3gl) VK2 - Oxley Region Amateur Radio Club Field Day June 11/12 (VK2ZHE) VK5 - Australian Fox Hunting Championship and SERG Convention Mt Gambier Queens Birthday weekend June (vk5dj) VK6 - PerthTech October 21-23 (vk6pop) Reception Reports WIA News rebroadcasters often give Short Wave Listeners a welcome to the broadcast as they commence call-backs straight after the Local News. Local news follows National news in all states. It would be great if those SWL's would email their reception reports and location to callbacks@wia.org.au 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 send BOTH the audio and the text We would appreciate items certainly no longer than 1.5 mts 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 recorded 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. (First if YOU are reading your own item) 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 will not give blatant 'plugs' to raffles, be it raffles at the event or "on-line". ------------------------------------------------------------* Oh... and to contact us with your news because If It Matters To You It Matters To Us! Click the links below to download the most recent edition of National News, BUT this is ONLY the backup site! WIANEWS backup thanks to Brendan VK4BLP can be found on wiaq.org.au BACKUPS OF THE BACKUP!! thanks to Tony VK7AX www.vk7ax.id.au/wianews/ wia.org.au/members/broadcast/wianews/ (This is the link to the original text version and original audio on wia site) ------------------------------------------------------------* WIANews - we've reported...YOU decide. TWITTER 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? 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 would like to see the call-backs reported each broadcast, OR have call-backs to contribute to the National News call back tally then please send through your call-backs to callbacks@wia.org.au 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 a message confirming your unsubscription from the list and at that point you should stop receiving messages. ------------------------------------------------------------*