2023 AUGUST 27 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 AUG 27 2023 IN OUR 28th YEAR OF NON STOP NEWS THIS WEEK:- WIA Secretary and Director of the Wireless Institute of Australia, Peter Clee VK8ZZ. - VK2JNA and an unusual CW contact, of sorts, while on the road. - Mark VK4DMH, President of Gold Coast AR Society and their involvement with last weekends PACIFIC AIR SHOW. - Col VK4GTV with arguably Ham Radios BEST Rescue Radio planning. - and although not really falling into the news category, AR Magazine Editor in Chief VK2ZRH does a lil 'scientific pondering. BUT Lets head to Darwin and your WIA Secretary. JOIN THE WIA tinyurl.com/yyj87b9y This is WIA Secretary and Director of the Wireless Institute of Australia, Peter Clee VK8ZZ. I took part in the Remembrance Day contest earlier this month at the Club Station VK8DA. We set up a portable station running on solar power and barbeque sausages at the East Point Reserve, adjacent to the East Point Military Museum and the historical gun emplacements at East Point. The bands were not as active as I would have expected, but the station did well, and our log has been submitted. The International Lighthouse and Lightship weekend was last weekend and again the bands were not as active as I would have hoped. The Darwin Amateur Radio Club will activate the Cox Peninsula Lighthouse next year. Over the last few months, we have advised of several new and existing WIA positions that needed to be filled by members to assist the board in the operation of the institute. At a recent meeting of the Board the following positions have been filled and advertised in the September / October edition of Amateur Radio Magazine and on the WIA News pages. We are pleased to confirm the following appointments:- * Technical Advisory Committee - Chairman - Grant Willis VK5GR * Technical Advisory Committee member - Technical Advisor C4FM - Peter Jung VK5JP * Technical Advisory Committee member - Technical Advisor DMR - Peter Brennan VK3TE * Technical Advisory Committee member - Technical Advisor P25 - Steve Kennedy VK6SJ * The Ross Hull Memorial VHF / UHF Contest Manager - Tom Blunt VK2TBC * Spectrum Strategy Committee - Standards Australia TE-003 and TE003/19 - Peter Pokorny VK2EMR * WIA National & Inwards QSL Manager - Mike Adams VK3KMA We thank the retiring members for their hard work and assistance to the Institute:- * Retiring Ross Hull Memorial VHF / UHF Contest Manager - Ted Thrift VK2ARA * Retiring Spectrum Strategy Committee - Standards Australia TE-003 - Ron Cook VK3AFW * Retiring WIA National & Inwards QSL Manager - John Seamons VK3JLS Thank you, gentlemen, for your contribution to the Wireless Institute of Australia and to Amateur Radio in Australia. The WIA runs almost entirely on volunteers. We have only 1 paid employee who operates out of our national office. The seven Board members of the Institute and well over 100 committee and group members are all unpaid volunteers who run this institute for the benefit and betterment of the Amateur Radio service. Without our army of hard-working volunteers, we simply would not be able to operate. VK2JNA from the Manly-Warringah RS had an unusual CW contact of sorts while on the road. I have just driven home from Canberra. Whilst on the road near Paddys River, I saw a couple of low flying military aircraft SW bound which I now understand to be probably C-27J Spartans airforce.gov.au/aircraft/c-27j-spartan thanks to Tim VK2BT I thought they looked like the old Caribou en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Canada_DHC-4_Caribou with the swept up tail. Having listened to 666 ABC Canberra abc.net.au/listen/live/canberra during the morning, I was aware that they were probably heading to CBR for a flypast involved with the commemorations of Australias withdrawal from Vietnam 50 years ago. I also reckoned they could probably see me on the highway, so I turned off my lights & then signalled them with Morse V 3 times (for Vietnam). The lead aircraft did see me & tipped the wings in acknowledgment! This was good enough to also get that story back on ABC Canberra within minutes by SMS. .mwrs.org.au/2023/08/18/morsin-down-the-highway/ (Richard VK2SKY) Hi, Im Mark VK4DMH, from GCARS on the Gold Coast The Gold Coast Amateur Radio Society was involved with radio communications for the Pacific Airshow last weekend, providing schedule timing and aircraft movement updates from the various airfields back to the airshow command in Surfers Paradise. There were 10 Amateur Radio operators engaged for 3 days at four different airfields and locations, spanning a distance of close to 100km. Many of us also had aircraft radio certifications so we could communicate with the pilots on air band as necessary. The Amateur Radio operations for last weekend were Mark VK4DMH Aidan VK4APM Ron VK4RH Simon VK4TSC Jamie VK4XD Geoff VK2DLA Ed VK4JEN Chris VK4CBX Dylan VK4NFS Syd VK4TVR A complete new 70cm repeater network was commissioned for the event, designed and built by Andrew VK4QF. There were four repeater sites Mt Glorious, Mt Coot Tha, Springbrook Mt and a Surfers Paradise Hi-Rise building, all linked together via 70cm link transceivers. In addition, we installed a cross band aviation to commercial UHF repeater on a hi-rise in Surfers Paradise, giving the Airshow Air Bosses an expanded area of aircraft radio coverage. All of the installation work took place over a period of weeks with the assistance of Andrew VK4QF, Aidan VK4APM, Jamie VK4XD and myself, VK4DMH. There were 50 aircraft participating in the airshow, with both civilian and military machines, some first flown in the 1940s. Each airfield presented unique issues for our Amateur Radio operators, as we needed to see and report on each aircraft from pushing out of the hanger, to engine start-up, taxiing, then finally take-off. Even though two airports had Air Traffic Control towers, we werent allowed access, so our radio operators had to make best from airside ground positions. The third airfield was the Southport Flying Club, hosting 25 of the shows aircraft, and within a CTAF zone, which is pilot self-controlled with no Air Services Traffic Controllers. The upper balcony of the Southport Flying Club gave us a good place to operate from, with a full view of the runway, and about 60% view of the taxiways. As Southport was within the 119.0 MHz CTAF zone, it became necessary for me to communicate on airband direct to the aircraft as they were warming up their engines then taxiing to the runway. I was also able to warn any incoming aircraft if there were hazards like a flock of birds on the field or a kangaroo had strayed in from the neighbouring nature reserve. The Gold Coast Airport hosted 11 aircraft, included the small privately owned fighter jets, the US Marines Ospreys, and three WW2 fighter planes. There was a Special Event Zone setup airside for the aircraft which allowed our Amateur Radio operators to freely move about the aircraft and talk with the pilots. Once again there were a few blind spots at Gold Coast Airport so our radio operators had to improvise so they could transmit aircraft status reports. The Brisbane International Airport radio operators had a large area of airfield to deal with, where the Airshow pilots lounge being around 8km from their three military jet aircraft were parked, being the US Air Forces C-17 Globemaster & KC-135 tanker, and Canadian CC-150 tanker. Once again, our radio team improvised making use of Flightradar24 and binoculars so they could verify on radio the ground movements for these heavy-lift aircraft. The Surfers Paradise Command Centre crew were well prepared to deal with the continuous loud aircraft noise from the airshow. They had noise cancelling pilot headsets connected into their handheld transceivers, and with only two city blocks to the 70cm repeater, they had excellent radio coverage. Seated alongside our two Amateur Radio operators in the Surfers Paradise Command Centre were two Air Services Australia representatives and a CASA representative. The three Air Bosses were able to get the latest aircraft updates from our crew, and all three groups constantly liaised on aircraft movements, including those aircraft in the area that werent in the airshow. The Pacific Airshow is confirmed to be on the Gold Coast for another four years, with an additional five-year option to extend the show to ten years. Next years event promises to be even bigger more aircraft and a more refined display. GCARS is already planning the radio coverage for next years event, implementing small changes that came to light from this years event. Again, thanks to Andrew VK4QF for his extensive support with putting together a 70cm radio network for the Airshow. 73, Mark VK4DMH, from the Gold Coast Amateur Radio Society ( Hear the entire report on qnews:- vk7ax.id.au/wianews/ ) DISCUSSION POINT This is Roger Harrison VK2ZRH. National Science Week has just concluded, which reminded me that, in one sense, amateur radio has science as its basis. Think about it every time you turn on your rig and call CQ or join a net, or take part in a contest, youre conducting a scientific experiment. Remember when you did science in high school and had to write-up an experiment? I recall having to set out the objective, the means, the method, and the results. Think about that. When you turn on your rig and set it to, say, 20 metres for example, your objective is to make contacts. The means is about the equipment in this case: your microphone, your transceiver, your feedline and your antenna. The method concerns the details of how you go about making a contact selecting a band and a frequency or channel; what sort of antenna you select if its a beam, the direction you pointed it; included here is that CQ call. The result for this scientific experiment is making a contact with a station that responds to your CQ call, and writing that in your log. So, if you joined-in the Remembrance Day Contest, I trust that you enjoyed it. The last time that I joined-in the RD, I never managed to make a contact. All the equipment, feedline and antenna checked out OK, but the intervention of nature prevented me from getting any results not a single contact. It was 1970. I was living and working at Casey Station in Antarctica. I was there doing science collecting data on the Phillip Law Ice Dome east of Casey. My work required working in daylight. However, August is still winter in Antarctica and theres only a couple of hours of twilight around midday. This meant that I had the time to get on the air for the Remembrance Day Contest. As it happened, 1970 was the Cook Bicentennial for which the WIA succeeded in convincing the licensing authority to allow use of the AX prefix all year that was the first outing of AX. I organised to spend all my time in the shack (also my office) for the period (excepting toilet breaks), with meals, morning and afternoon tea, and regular coffee cups brought to me for the duration. The RD contest arrived and I tuned-in to the opening broadcast with bated breath. The signal on 40 metres was 5x7 to 9, with slow QSB. As it began to end, the signal faded alarmingly. Undeterred, I tuned to my pre-determined spot and called CQ contest three times and listened. Silence. Tune up, tune down. Nothing. Check the antenna connection. All good. Call again. No response. Tune the band. More silence. I phoned my ionospheric physicist friend elsewhere on Casey. He said something like sorry mate, theres a polar cap absorption event in progress. The D-layer sucked up all signals. No HF communications for the polar regions. The bands didnt come good until Monday. My grand scientific experiment on the amateur bands was a bust! This has been Roger Harrison VK2ZRH. Thanks for listening. ------------------------------------------------------------* INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to IARU, RSGB, RAC, ARRL, NZART, eHam, AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE, eHam, Radioworld.com and the World Wide sources of the WIA. IARU Region 1 Monitoring System Newsletter The latest edition has been published and includes a report regarding the successful resolution of a case, a transmitter undergoing testing that is part of an international scientific radar network called the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network operating in the 20m band. The report covers how it was detected and brought to a satisfactory conclusion. ( iaru-r1.org ) CALFORNIA Amateur Radio operators activated last Sunday, August 20, to provide communications and information for Tropical Storm Hilary. As of mid-morning Sunday, the system was moving up the Baja Peninsula of Mexico, expected to cross into Southern California. Heavy rains were falling in San Diego, and local media reported that 250 airline flights had been cancelled. Amateur radio operations began that Sunday morning with WX 4 NHC amateur radio station at the National Hurricane Centre on air. This was the first Tropical Storm to hit California since 1939. PUERTO RICO Will Arecibo Observatory ever do science again? Although it is slated to become an education centre, astronomers hope research might one day return to the site. After weathering hurricanes, earthquakes, budget cuts and a pandemic-induced shutdown, the iconic Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico closed its doors on the 14th of August. After its main instrument collapsed two years ago, the site was supposed to shift from carrying out astronomy to being a science education centre. But concrete plans for that have yet to materialize and funding for current operations has run out. Scientists were disappointed that research would formally halt at the site, but they had hoped to keep some instruments running, both for the students who might use the educational centre and to continue the sites astronomy legacy. Doubts now swirl, as equipment is taken offline and dismantled, that Arecibo will ever again study the sky. The observatorys main attraction a 305-metre-wide dish that was responsible for, among other things, studying near-Earth asteroids, discovering exoplanets and observing gravitational waves was destroyed in 2020 when some support cables snapped following years of delayed maintenance. In 2022, the US National Science Foundation which runs the facility, announced it would not rebuild the dish, citing community recommendations to put the agencys limited budget into other, newer astronomical facilities. Instead, the NSF said it would convert the observatory into the Arecibo Centre for STEM Education and Research. HAWAII Emergency officials in Hawaii have been using AM broadcast equipment to help communicate with the public during the wildfire recovery efforts on Maui. The State of Hawaii Emergency Management Agency has purchased four RadioSTAT portable emergency advisory stations. The Wireline Competition Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission granted the state an emergency authorization to use at four locations including checkpoints and police and fire stations 1620, 1650, 1670 or 1700 kHz. KUALA LUMPUR: The Borneo Post has run a great story for that area on Ham Radio. In today's digitally driven world where instant communication is often taken for granted, a powerful yet overlooked tool remains ready to serve in times of crisis: Amateur radio. While mobile phones have revolutionized communications, they are not infallible, and their limitations become strikingly apparent during emergencies. When batteries drain, power fades, and signals weaken, a humble radio emerges as a beacon of communication and community support. Imagine this scenario: Your phone is out of power, the electrical grid is down, and there is no cellular signal. Desperation sets in as you try to reach authorities for help. Enter amateur radio, a versatile communication medium that thrives under these adverse conditions. Amateur radio operators (also known as "hams") step up to provide a crucial communications lifeline. They can connect over open frequencies to share vital information, coordinate rescue efforts, and maintain a lifeline when all other forms of communication fail. Well done " theborneopost.com " WEIRD AND WONDERFULL If youve been making up for lost years of travel, you might have seen a fellow traveller in the airport terminal walking with their luggage happily careening behind them. Hackaday are reporting on a project from a couple who wanted more of that. They wanted an open-source, low-cost system that could be put in anything. The basic principle is that they have a transmitter that sends both a radio signal and an ultrasonic pulse. The receiver receives the radio signal and uses it as a reference for the two ultrasonic sensors. The time since the radio signal is compared between the two, and a distance and direction are established. In practice, the radio, an ESP32-S3 using ESP-NOW, a protocol from Espressif that offers low latency 250 bytes payloads. The ultrasonic transceiver is based on Sparkfuns HC-SR04. The prototype the team built was an electric wheelbarrow that would happily follow you around the yard wherever you go. hackaday.com/2023/08/15/uchaser-follows-you-anywhere/ -------------------------------------------------------------------* HAM RADIO OPERATIONAL NEWS - IT'S A CONTACT SPORT -------------- -------------- NOW CONTEST WISE:- -------------- -------------- RD CONTEST GET YOUR LOGS IN PRONTO Today is the last day for log submission, Sunday the 27th at 0300z. Hi, This is Alan VK4SN, Remembrance Day contest manager. My internet service provider sometimes thinks that logs coming to me is spam and are blocked. Please make sure that if you've sent a log, that your callsign is showing in the submitted logs link on vklogchecker.com If not, please email me. Details on the WIA RD page. I type up paper and attached logs to email, and submit to vklogchecker.com. All operators will get an automated acknowledgment when submitted. Success or failure is shown on screen when the log is submitted. Good luck This is Alan VK4SN -------------- August 26 - 27 A.L.A.R.A. CONTEST IS THIS WEEKEND -------------- Also this weekend, the CQ RTTYops Worldwide RTTY Contest which has two sessions between the 25th and 27th of August. The first session is between 2200UTC on the 25th and 1200UTC on the 26th. The second session is from 1200 to 2359UTC on Sunday the 27th. Using RTTY only on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and the four-digit year of your FIRST licence. (RSGB AND WIA) -------------- THE LUCK OF THE IRISH. IRTS SSB Field Day The IRTS SSB Field Day will take from 13:00 UTC next Saturday September 2nd to 13:00 UTC on Sunday September 3rd. Activity will focus on SSB phone contacts in the 3.5, 7, 14, 21 and 28 MHz bands. Details may be found at www.irts.ie/contests (irts) -------------- OCTOBER - Oceania DX Contest PH - The first full weekend in October each year 0600 UTC Saturday to 0600 UTC Sunday CW - Second full weekend in October from 0600 UTC Saturday to 0600 UTC Sunday Log deadline for PH and CW logs - 31 October. Managed by the Oceania DX Contest Committee. info@oceaniadxcontest.com -------------- NOVEMBER VHF-UHF Spring Field Day. 25 - 26 November. 0100 UTC Saturday to 0059 UTC Sunday BUT to make it a little fairer in VK6, they add 3 hours onto start and end times. (wia.org.au) -------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------- DX WINDOW -------------- First we see through the window is right here in Australia. VK5's Amateur Radio Experimenters Group have been celebrating their 25th anniversary with the special event callsign - VI 25 AREG. VI25ARG ceases operation THURSDAY, August 31. (wia) ----------------- NAURU. C 21 TS is on the HF bands using FT8 and SSB. QSL C21TS via M 0 OXO. (eHam) ----------------- MARIANA ISLAND. QRV as KH0/DL2AH from Rota Island until September 14 on 80 to 6 meters using SSB and FT8. QSL direct to home call which of course is DL 2 AH. (eHam) ----------------- ASIATIC RUSSIA. RI 0 Z from Beringa Island, IOTA AS-039, until September 3 marking the 30th anniversary of the Russian Robinson Club. Activity is on 160 to 10 meters using CW, SSB, and various digital modes. QSL via operators' instructions. (eHam) ----------------- LA 100 K is the special callsign in use by Akademisk Radioklubb, LA1K to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its foundation. It is the oldest amateur radio club in Norway. The special callsign will be in use until the 31st of December and QSL route is VERY easy, via the bureau, or direct. (eHam) ------------------------------------------------------------* WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - DIGITAL EchoLinks Jonathon Taylor K1 RFD The next Hunter Group meeting will be held on Thursday the 14th of September at the Electronics section at Newcastle TAFE. This meeting to our knowledge will be the first time this has happened in Australia. The meeting will be an online lecture by Jonathan Taylor, K1RFD. Jonathan is the gentleman who developed the popular Amateur Radio program EchoLink. He is an outstanding speaker and we feel this lecture is one not to be missed. EchoLink has just under half a million users validated on the system and is a tool used to link licenced Radio amateurs all over the world including people who have had to move into nursing home and no longer have access to their radio equipment. EchoLink is also an asset for licenced Amateurs travelling overseas who can't take their radio equipment with them. The Hunter Radio Group would love to have you attend this meeting and hear Jonathan's lecture. Our meeting starts at 6.30pm and you will be made welcome at our friendly club. There will be a live stream of the lecture by Zoom, supplied Amateur Radio New South Wales. Further details will be given in future broadcast. ZOOM details from Eric, VK2VE Eric van de Weyer has invited you to Hunter Lecture Jonathon Taylor Title: Hunter Lecture Jonathon Taylor Location: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89884640439?pwd=OTFVTjFjM2tteUhNQmRuclp2RVpLZz09 When: Thursday, 14 September 2023 6:00 pm 10:00 pm Organiser: Eric van de Weyer Description: ARNSW Events is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89884640439?pwd=OTFVTjFjM2tteUhNQmRuclp2RVpLZz09 Meeting ID: 898 8464 0439 Passcode: 898540 I'm Grahame VK2FA on behalf of the Hunter Radio Group for WIA National news WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - FAITH. REMEMBERING THE PATRON SAINT OF AMATEUR RADIO History will not let anyone forget the horrors of the concentration camps of World War II. Hams in Mexico have devoted this month, August to remembering a Polish priest considered the patron saint of amateur radio. The Franciscan friar, Maximilian Kolbe, was killed at Auschwitz in 1941, giving his life in exchange for saving a Polish army sergeant condemned by the Nazis to die. In remembrance of the priest, who was declared a saint in the Roman Catholic Church in 1982, the callsign 4 A 2 MAX has been on air all month. Father Kolbe is considered the patron saint of amateur radio. Using the callsign SP 3 RN, he went on shortwave radio in 1938 from a station he built in the monastery to spread words of faith. Throughout August, the special event station in Mexico has been calling QRZ in his memory on various bands using CW, SSB and the digital modes. Details are available on QRZ.com. Hams unable to contact 4A2MAX this month can still check into the weekly Saint Maximilian Kolbe Radio Net, operated on Sundays year-round on 80, 20 and on the TGIF DMR Network Talk Group 3814. The net was founded in 1998 by a group of hams in the United States to commemorate the priest's martyrdom. SAINTMAXNET.ORG (arnewsline) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - FINAL FRONTIER AMSAT-VK Secretary - secretary@amsat-vk.org Slovakia and Romania are preparing to launch digipeating satellites following coordination of their frequencies by the International Amateur Radio Union. The Slovakian satellite, a 1U CubeSat, will have experimental slow-scan digital video as well as a digipeater operating around the clock on two different bands. Because the satellite has an educational role to fulfil, there will be messages transmitted in both CW and using AX.25 occasionally. The IARU has coordinated a downlink on 436.680 MHz. The Romanian satellite is a picoSAT with the primary role of serving as a digital amateur radio repeater. A CW beacon will also be transmitted so hams can measure various properties of the signal and detect its speed by using Doppler. The satellite will also transmit low-resolution SSDV images in GFSK mode. The satellite will be using a downlink on 436.235 MHz. CW will be sent at 20 wpm. GFSK telemetry will be sent at 500 bps and GFSK SSDV will be sent at 5 kBps. (arnewsline) Amateur Radio Operator 'hacks' NASA Satellite". While the phrase is eye-catching for social media, the truth is just as exciting. Amateur radio astronomer Scott Tilley, VE7TIL, has made contact with NASA's STEREO-A spacecraft, which passed Earth for the first time in 17 years. The STEREO-A (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) spacecraft we told you of again recently here on WIA national news, was launched in 2006. "I'm having fun with STEREO-A," Tilley reported to Spaceweather.com "The spacecraft is close to Earth and I can now receive its signal using a small 26-inch dish in my backyard , its channel is on 8443.58 MHz" WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO AMATEUR YOUNG TIMERS - YOTA (Youngsters On The Air) facebook.com/yotaregion2 youtube.com/channel/UClAapljf0VQ751sOgu2IzaA twitter.com/hamyota ham-yota.com HUNTSVILLE ALABAMA Thousands of amateur radio enthusiasts visited 'Rocket City' for the annual Huntsville HamFest and this year, something a little different which I'm sure many an Aussie HamFest could pick up. YOUTH LOUNGE. Jessica Molo of the HUNTSVILLE AMATEUR RADIO CLUB told how " In order to try and get some more youth into the hobby and just display what it is what we do, we actually had a youth lounge. This where the kids could come to gather, and actually get on the radio with us kind of coaching them" This annual conference has been bringing enthusiasts together since 1954 and is known as The Worlds Friendliest HamFest. At this years HamFest, people were able to take part in exam sessions, sit in on one of the many forums, visit one of the many vendors, and of course take part in one of the activities in the youth lounge. (arnewsline) 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 When All Else Fails. After 18 months of preparation, the Bendigo Amateur Radio and Electronics Club (BAREC), will conduct the first *community-focussed* emergency communications exercise ever held in Australia. Operation *RADAR*, the *Rapid Deployment of Amateur Radio*, will fill a critical gap in emergency planning by providing communications resources to bushfire evacuees and regional administrators when electricity, mobile phone networks and internet have failed. On the morning of Sunday 3rd September, 8 Bushfire Places of Last Resort around the City of Bendigo will be activated with stand-alone field radio stations linked to the BAREC headquarters at Bendigo East Hall and to outlying stations up to 300km away. The RADAR model is unique in Australia, deploying expert communications volunteers in support of the communities of which they are part. The RADAR model was formulated in response to warnings about climate change and answers the call from all levels of government for communities to become more self-reliant in the face of regional emergencies. The City of Greater Bendigo and Mt Alexander Shire are providing observers from their Emergency Management Teams to help evaluate the new model. Amateur operators in Central Victoria are advised that the VK3RCV repeater will be used during the exercise and that stations not involved are respectfully requested not to use the repeater during the exercise however are welcome to monitor. HF Outlier stations will be operating on 40 metres 7.115MHz lower sideband and regular public announcements will be made requesting that this frequency be kept clear for exercise traffic. BAREC President, Neil VK3ZVX, notes that the principle points of difference between Operation RADAR and previous emergency exercises are its focus on radio amateurs providing communications services to their local community, rather than acting as an adjunct to state agencies, and the fact that local knowledge plays a pivotal role in the rapid deployment of resources. This approach, he says, allows amateur radio groups greater autonomy, significantly reduces barriers to participation, ensures that communications resources are deployed to the locations most needed, and that planning is carried out with the greatest possible awareness of local conditions. Operation RADAR will commence Sunday September 3 at 0700 eastern time and will conclude shortly before 1300. A video of the exercise will be made available on the BAREC YouTube channel at a later date. ------------------------------------------------------------* 2023 Social Scene Clubs are welcome to submit text with audio for this section Details of all WIA affiliated clubs and societies can be found on the WIA website, including email addresses and website links. VK4 - SUNFEST SEPTEMBER 9 (vk4an) At Mountain Creek State Schools massive air conditioned auditorium, just off the Sunshine Motor Way. Mountain Creek is tucked in to the west of Mooloolaba VK2 - Hunter Radio Group meeting September 14 an online lecture by Jonathan Taylor, K1RFD who wrote EchoLink. (VK2FA) VK2 - SARCFEST 8am Saturday 23 September (vk2acd) VK - ALARAMeet2023 4/5 November in HOBART (luther8@bigpond.com) VK3 - Rosebud RadioFest at Eastbourne Primary School Sunday, November 12 (vk3pdg) VK5 - Amateur Radio Experimenters Group Radio & Electronics Sale November 26 (vk5qi) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2024 IT'S A DATE Clubs are welcome to submit text with audio for this section Details of all WIA affiliated clubs and societies can be found on the WIA website, including email addresses and website links. VK - WIA AGM MAY 4 5 - BUNDABERG. (vk2tsg) VK - National Volunteer Week Monday 20 Sunday 26 May 2024. National Volunteer Week (NVW) is Australias largest annual celebration of volunteers and their important contribution to our communities. 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). If you are mentioning your own name / call in the story, say something like "and myself, Pat, vk11abc" Promote your local rebroadcast; details on wia.org.au/members/broadcast/contribute/ 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/ Promote your local rebroadcast; details on wia.org.au/members/broadcast/contribute/ 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." 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. ------------------------------------------------------------*