2022 SEPTEMBER 25 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 SEPTEMBER 25 2022 IN OUR 27th YEAR OF NON STOP NEWS WIA IMMEADIATE PAST PRESIDENT AND CURRENT DIRECTOR GREG KELLY VK2GPK. - WIA SECRETARY VK8ZZ PETER CLEE THIS & MORE IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA PROGRAM RECORDED IN BRISBANE, OLYMPIC CITY 2032. Well what a week, and STILL the war against the WIA goes on. I was taken to task why this news service did NOT carry the item from a splinter group... why not call a spade a spade and call it Rasa.. I was even by that clubs Treasurer last week basically to do a stop press! So why did it NOT appear on VK's mainstream news service? Mainly because it did not stack up - it was not ratified by our own President nor did it appear on WIA sites or ACMA site. A nice idea non the less to commemorate the passing of HRH Queen Elizabeth II by using AX but seeing through the innuendo it was clear to this lil 'baker baker' it was illegal. To those who received a copy of this suggestion via the WIA News broadcasters mailer I apologise, in some 20 plus years this was the first time someone posted to it a note other than something to do with the transmission of the news/JOTA/ RD contest. Those on FaceBook and in the WIA group should read the item put out several days ago by the WIA clarifying this illegality of using AX as suggested. www.facebook.com/wiavk Also the excellent post by Grant Willis VK5GR WIA stalwart - summed up the fiasco in a nutshell. So from Graham News Editor with a personal preface to news that IS news it's to WIA Secretary Peter Clee. WIA JOIN THE WIA tinyurl.com/yyj87b9y WIA Board Comment by Peter VK8ZZ Thanks Graham and good morning members and listeners. Our members are deeply saddened by the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. She has been the only head of state many Australian have known. Some of our members will also recall King George IV, the father of Queen Elizabeth. Queen Elizabeth II was the embodiment of grace, class, dignity, and strength. She left her mark on history and will be sadly missed. Our thoughts are with the all members of the Royal Family at this sad time. In Board Comment last week by WIA Board Member Steve Green VK2TSG, we are reviewing and reconstituting the functions of most of the WIA Groups and Committees. Some time ago we called for expressions of interest from members to join the WIA Education Committee. At the time we received a number of such expressions but need to expand the numbers to be included in this committee. Previously the Education Committee were involved as part of the ACMA Syllabus Review. The Board are currently reviewing the terms of reference for the WIA Education Committee and the board have several specific projects in mind for that committee to undertake, including that of the current syllabus review and also looking at future syllabus requirements. We would also like the committee to review current and future education material. We again request that any member who would like to join the WIA Education Committee should submit their EOI to the secretary and include a summary of their capabilities and experience applicable to the needs of such a committee. That email address is secretary@wia.org.au I am Peter Clee VK8ZZ, coming to you from Darwin in Australias north. This is WIA Director Greg VK2GPK. The Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) is, as most of our news broadcast listeners are aware, is a volunteer based not-for-profit organisation that originated in 1910, over 112 years ago. The WIA is the sole Australian National organisation of radio amateurs recognised internationally by the IARU . In 2004 it transitioned to a single national organisation incorporated as a public company it had previously been a state based federated organisation with a federal committee consisting of state representatives. Interestingly this transition was primarily initiated following a formal request from the Australian spectrum regulator at that time. The spectrum regulator has had a number of names over the years and was originally called the PMG Radio Branch its current incarnation is called the Australian Communications and Media Authority or more commonly by its acronym the ACMA. So why did ACMAs predecessor want the multiple state (and territory) WIA organisations to transition to a single national peak body ? Because, in a nutshell, the regulator found it had become very difficult, if not impossible, to deal effectively with multiple organisations that couldnt agree on issues impacting the Radio Amateur Service. This lack of a single cohesive body for the Amateur Radio Service was exacerbated by legislative changes that were transforming the RadComm act around the time of the new millennium. In the last decade, the ACMA has been subject to year-on-year budget cuts euphemistically called by the politicians as efficiency dividends. This has led to a dramatic drop in staff numbers and in particular technical staff both in the office and in the field. Many senior executives over the years were actually radio amateurs and/or had a long association with dealing with the Amateur Radio Service, but over the last 4 or 5 years these staff have either retired or taken redundancy as part of the ongoing budget cuts. The move as a preferred option to a Class Licences by the ACMA is primarily, in the authors opinion, motived by savings to the ACMA rather than any tangible benefits to the AR community. This reduction in technical capability and any direct affiliation with the amateur cohort is negatively impacting us as radio amateurs, and the ACMA has become more dependent on getting advice through consultations. In fact the ACMA has itself contributed directly to making dealing with the radio community more difficult and divisive by giving seemingly unwarranted credibility to a splinter AR group with a comparatively small member base. In fact the ACMA actually mistakenly referred to them as an alternative peak body to the WIA, although they quickly walked this back. There are in fact far larger and far more representative AR groups such as ARNVIC, ARNSW and ALARA all of which are closely aligned to the WIA as affiliated clubs. This apparent recognition of an AR splinter group by the ACMA has led to a dj vu repeat of history for the ACMA in creating the same type of problem they sought to avoid in the early 2000s trying to deal with differing opinions with little common ground. In fact, the situation is much worse than before due to the constant vitriol and mis-information that emanates from the splinter group the ACMA has even had to issue public statements retracting false claims published by the splinter group. On another subject, the 2021 census data recorded a 19 per cent drop in volunteering since the last snapshot in 2016. The finding is backed up by more regular, in-depth social surveys done by the ABS. The number of Australians volunteering has reduced significantly in recent years. This is impacting the WIA, for instance, in the last few years we have had only enough nominations for director positions to actually require an election every other year plus we dont have an even distribution of directors from the various states and territories . The time for director nominations is coming up soon towards the end of the year if you think you have the skills to help manage and shape the future of the WIA and would like give back to the radio amateur community please consider nominating. I'm WIA Director and Immediate Past President Greg VK2GPK DISCUSSION POINT Hello, Im Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and Ive been thinking. This past week there was a certain confusion caused by messages put out that the AX prefix might be used as a memorial to Her Majesty. It was noted that this was contrary to our rule book, the LCDs and an inference was drawn that compliance action was not a priority by the ACMA. Apart from the fact that pirate operation would invalidate any claims for contacts submitted for awards it was the fact that the SPIRIT of our pursuit was being called into disrepute that worried many operators. We should not encourage the breach of the regulations under which we are licenced. It can be hoped that no supposedly sanctioned breaches are advertised in future. As a service we strive to be correct in our operations and not place our Regulator in an embarrassing position. Im Geoff Emery VK4ZPP and thats what I think....how about you? ----------------------------------------------------------* INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to IARU, RSGB, RAC, Southgate AR Club, ARRL, NZART, eHam, AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE & the World Wide sources of the WIA. RTTY intruder Especially on the 40m band there are always radio services that have no place there, sometimes these are hard to recognise as intruders. This is the case for transmissions on 7080 kHz. At first glance it looks like a legal amateur radio RTTY signal. Taking a closer look it becomes clear that this particular FSK mode is not used in amateur radio. The speed is 50 baud with a shift of 200 Hz, instead of the typical 425 Hz shift. This method, called CIS-50-50, is used primarily by the Russian Navy. A similar emission can be observed on 7088 kHz. Radio amateurs are not afraid of a blackout Switzerland's USKA reports there are almost 4000 enthusiastic radio amateurs throughout Switzerland. They met September 18 for the Swiss Emergency Contest to test their equipment. A translation of the USKA post reads: The Internet has not killed them, the radio amateurs all over the world have not become entangled in the net. "We have batteries and solar cells. You can also send emails or compressed photos. Above all, the possibility of communicating with the whole world, since the waves are reflected in the upper layers of the atmosphere. Enthusiasts demonstrated last Sunday in the Bains des Pquis to test the signals that will be the only means of communication in the event of a blackout. In the event of a power failure, Ham Radio works. tinyurl.com/48ccyzxu REGION TWO Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC), the national association for Amateur Radio in Canada, is conducting a survey to enable them (RAC) to better serve Canadian Amateurs. The survey is open to anyone holding a Canadian Certificate and call sign. The survey is comprehensive and it covers such questions as: * should Canadian Amateurs be required to change their call signs when they move to another region of Canada? * should Canadian Amateurs be required to reconfirm their call signs every few years? * should call signs with one suffix letter be issued as permanent personal call signs? * should call signs with prefixes other than the traditional VA, VE, VO and VY prefixes be issued as permanent personal call signs? Other topics include: * rules on two-letter suffixed call signs * rules on the handling of the call signs of deceased Amateurs * special prefix authorizations * special event call sign authorizations 104-year-old radio ham is on the air ARRL report one of their members, Oscar Norris W 4 OXH, of North Carolina, turned 105 September 25 and he is still on the air W4OHX lost his sight when he was 24 and it was his blindness that led him to amateur radio. He earned his license in 1949, and has been on the air for 73 years. These days he communicates mostly using DMR . In honour of his 105th birthday, the special event station N 1 O until 8pm UTC on October 1 on HF, 2 meters, 1.25 meters, and 70 centimetres CW, SSB, FT4, FT8, DMR, and D-STAR. REGION THREE NZART 100-year celebrations & Future Conferences Auckland branches will host the 100-year annual conference in 2026. Furthermore, Council has formed a subcommittee led by Daniel ZL2DRV to make preparations to commemorate the NZART Centennial. Also in news from New Zealand, a total of 118 successful examination passes were achieved for 2021 a record in recent years for NZART. ------------------------------------------------------------* HAM RADIO OPERATIONAL NEWS - IT'S A CONTACT SPORT -------------- NOW CONTEST WISE:- -------------- 2022 -------------- WIA - NZART OCEANIA CONTEST CW - Second full weekend in October 0600 UTC Saturday to 0600 UTC Sunday PHONE - First full weekend in October 0600 UTC Saturday to 0600 UTC Sunday Log deadline for ALL logs - 31 October. -------------- Spring Digital Run Contest Second weekend of October Hi This is Tim VK1TTY on behalf of the Pride Radio Group Id like to introduce the Spring Digital Run Contest held on the Second weekend of October Thats the 8th through to the 9th starting from 00UTC Saturday till 00UTC Sunday This contest is encouraging all operators to get on the air and partake in this friendly event. The modes will be FT4 / FT8 / JT9 / JT65 / RTTY and of course PSK Taking a page from the ARRL World Wide Digital mode contest that was held recently, This has a bit of its own unique spin to it. This event will be on 80 / 40 / 20 / 15 / 10 / 6 / 2 and 70 centimetres thus allowing access to those who do not have HF at their shacks to take part and whilst also encouraging the use of the 6, 2 and 70cm bands This contest is split into 4 hour blocks with Categories of Single Operator / Single Operator Multi Radio / Multi Single and Multi Multi The Exchange is your signal report between operators. All other information can be found on our website prideradio.group/SpringDigitalRun We hope to see you on the air this October Till next time from VK1TTY and the Pride Radio Group (pride) --------------- OK/OM DX CONTEST. Karel, OK1CF, CRC HF Manager, announced the following September 16th: Due to the current events, the CRC (Czech Radio Club) has decided to reject the stations from Russia and Belorussia from participation in the OK-OM DX SSB Contest which is scheduled to take place Nov. 12th and 13th. (opdx) --------------- WIA VHF - UHF FIELD DAYS SPRING 0100 UTC Saturday 26 through 0059 UTC Sunday 27 November -------------- 160 METER CW CONTEST - ARRL SPONSORED Objective is for Amateurs worldwide to exchange information with W/VE amateurs on 160-meter CW. Dates: First full weekend in December (December 2-4, 2022). Contest Period: Begins 2200 UTC Friday, ends 1559 UTC Sunday. This is a forty-two hour period with no time limitation. Logs are due within SEVEN (7) days after the event is over. -------------- 10 METER CONTEST - ARRL SPONSORED For Amateurs worldwide to exchange QSO information with as many stations as possible on the 10 meter band. Dates: Second full weekend of December. Starts 0000 UTC Saturday; runs through 2359 UTC Sunday (December 10-11, 2022) Logs are due within SEVEN (7) days after the event is over. -------------- -------------- DX WINDOW -------------- -------------- K4C / 75 UNITED STATES (Special Event). Operators from northern Virginia are using the special callsign K4C/75 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) until September 30th. QSL Manager is N 4 JR. (opdx) -------------- 9H, MALTA (Special Callsign). Members of the Marconi Amateur Radio Circle (CALL 9 H 1 MRC) have activated the special callsign, 9 H 6 QE, on the island of Malta to celebrate the life and remember of Queen Elizabeth II. Activity will last until October 14th, and will be on 20/17/15/12/10 meters. (opdx) -------------- Frans, PC2F will be active as PF01MAX until the 20th of November, over the twenty-two Grand Prix weekends of this year's FIA Formula One World Championship. for PF 01 MAX, you QSL via PC2F either direct, via the bureau, Logbook of The World or eQSL (rsgb) -------------- BBC centenary special event GB 100 BBC Members of the BBCs radio club, The London BBC Radio Group, have been granted an exceptional all-year Special Event callsign to help celebrate the BBCs centenary year. GB 100 BBC operates throughout the year, from the headquarters station in Broadcasting House, London. (southgatearc.org) ------------------------------------------------------------* WORLD WIDE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP NEWS DEFENCE SK7RN Total Defence Day on land Sweden's SSA reports the land Island Amateur Radio Society SK 7 RN will be promoting the hobby at this year's Total Defence Day on Saturday, October 1 SK7RN has, as earlier this year, an important role to play as a mediator of radio traffic between air and ground management during the big Total Defence Day on land during the harvest festival there. This year, SK7RN has been further commissioned by the management of the Total Defence Day to inform the audience about amateur radio in general and what it can mean for society in a situation of crisis in particular. In addition, they will show emergency radio systems where the island's repeaters are connected to others in the rest of Sweden via, among other things, SVXLINK. SK7RN site sk7rn.se/ SSA tinyurl.com/IARU-Sweden WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - FAITH. Anglican Chaplain On Air From Kenya Wayne, 2E0FXY, is once again active as 5 Z 4 WH from Molo, Kenya. In his role as an Anglican Chaplain, he visits this African country several times during a year. Activity is mainly on 20/17/15 meters using SSB and FT8. Of late, Wayne has been seen on 15 meters FT8 between 0600-0800z. QSL via home call, again, 2 E 0 FXY. (sourced to OPDX) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - FINAL FRONTIER AMSAT-VK Secretary - secretary@amsat-vk.org FCC Proposes Five-Year Rule For Dead Satellite Disposal The Federal Communications Commission wants to do something about space junk in low Earth orbit. The agency published a proposal that, if adopted, would put a deadline on how long non-geostationary satellites can stay in space. As things stand, voluntary NASA guidelines published in the 1990s recommend dead satellites deorbit within 25 years. The FCC wants to adopt a five-year rule that would require domestic satellite operators and companies that want access to the U.S. market to dispose of their non-functioning satellites as soon as they can. (na) LOOK - UP IN THE SKY - IT'S A BIRD - IT'S A PLANE - ITS JOHNNY WALKER Well maybe not Johnny but BlueWalker 3 The largest commercial communications array ever has just launched Expect to see it its huge and bright The problem is, it might outshine all stars and planets Last weekend SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket launched a giant satellite into space, called BlueWalker 3, its a prototype which is to create a space-based mobile broadband network. This is only one of multiple satellites planned for the SpaceMobile constellation some even bigger than BlueWalker 3. It's size? Well once the satellite unfurls which it will do in the next few weeks the antenna will measure 64m2. (SouthGate) A small spacecraft designed to test out key components of NASA's Artemis program to the Moon has run into trouble in space. The CAPSTONE probe is expected to act as a pathfinder for NASA's Gateway a small space station designed to orbit the Moon and act as a jumping-off point for crewed missions to the surface. CAPSTONE's mission cantered around testing a never-before-used orbit to learn more about its stability before sending the Gateway to it. Advanced Space, which operates CAPSTONE, said in a statement that the spacecraft is in "safe mode" after an engine burn and appears to be in a "stable orbit." Mission managers are hoping to perform a "detumble" that will allow the spacecraft to point its solar panels to the Sun and charge its batteries. AMSAT Board of Directors has made a commitment to support amateur radios inclusion on NASAs Gateway, a small spaceship in orbit around the Moon with living quarters for astronauts, a lab for science and research, ports for visiting spacecraft, and more. (ANS) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- INTERNET, THE HAMS DOMAIN. WinRFCalc free RF calculator now has an internet website To keep users informed about the capabilities of WinRFCalc, a website is launched where current and future calculation tools are shown. rfcalculator.com/ (SouthGate) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- IOTA iota-world.org The RSGB IOTA contest was again very popular this year with over 2,300 entries. Most Island and Island-DXpedition entries were made by European Stations, followed by Asia and Oceania. (irts) Couple of AS locators to check on:- EU-031. Andy (Sparky), RW3AH (KL1A), will be active as IC8/KL1A from Ischia Island until September 30th. QSL via OE1ZZZ. EU-032. Pat, F8BON, ceases activity Monday 26 as TM2RE from Re Island. He's been on all HF bands using SSB and FT8. QSL via F5MFV, direct, by the Bureau or ClubLog's OQRS. (opdx) 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 On September 7, 2022, Jeanne (Jan) Socrates, VE0JS/MM, and her sailboat, the SV Nereida, set sail from Cape Flattery, the north westernmost point of the contiguous US to visit friends in San Francisco but 35 knot winds and storms left her sailboat disabled and her on board radio equipment marginally operational. Amateur operators in New Mexico, California, and Canada, and members of Group 7.155 heard her requests for assistance. They were able to make periodic contact with Jan Socrates and give her updated wind reports. Their last contact was as she was sailing with only the forward sail on her 38-foot sloop. As she approached the Golden Gate Bridge, Socrates was able to use the tidal information passed on by amateur radio operators to make it safely to San Francisco Bay. "I wouldn't call it a rescue," said Socrates, "just good amateur radio assistance -- and I'm grateful for their help." Socrates is 81 years old and the oldest person to have ever sailed around the world unassisted. (sourced to arrl) ------------------------------------------------------------* 2022 Social Scene VK6 - PerthTech October 21-23 (vk6pop) VK7 - November 5-6 Tassie Ham Radio Conference and Expo. Hobart reast.asn.au/news-events/tassie-ham-radio-conference-and-expo/ VK4 - Nov 5 Tannum Sands Gathering with Gladstone ARC (vk4zz) VK4 - GOLD COAST HAMFEST Nov 13. @ Country Paradise Parklands VK3 - Rosebud RadioFest November 20 9.3Oam. (vk3pdg) 2023 VK - ALARAMeet2023 4/5 November in HOBART (luther8@bigpond.com) THE FINAL FINAL This is Roger Harrison VK2ZRH. Ive been listening, and reading, and thinking. Its not the sort of thought experiment that Einstein used to conduct about the universal laws of the cosmos, but I have been able to draw some clear conclusions. Im talking about the recent proposal to use the AX prefix on our callsigns over the past week to honour the death of Queen Elizabeth the Second. The proposal to use AX was advocated despite it being in breach of our licence conditions. The ACMA cautioned the proponent that proceeding to use AX in lieu of VK when using our callsigns on-air was a breach of the licence conditions determination the L C D. The use of AX is limited to three specific days each year 26 January, Australia Day; 25 April, ANZAC Day; and 17 May, World Telecommunication Day. While it is a historically significant and solemn occasion, worthy of appropriate commemoration, the ACMAs formal advice was very clear it is NOT LEGAL to use the AX prefix on this occasion regardless of whether it is a major or minor breach. While the sentiment about honouring the death of Queen Elizabeth is appreciated, promoting a breach of our regulations breaking the law is not. None-the-less, the chief proponent was out there on the bands signing AX and encouraging others to do the same. And on the internet. This sort of adventure-ism thumbing our noses at the governance of our hobby, or service clearly undermines whatever standing radio amateurs may have in the hallowed halls of government authorities the ACMA in particular when it comes to the principles of self-regulation. It concerns me that one interpretation of the purpose of this episode is to do exactly that demonstrate that amateurs, the Australian radio amateur community and those who advocate for us cannot be trusted. This is Roger Harrison VK2ZRH all on my own, not speaking for anyone else! 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. 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