2024 FEBRUARY 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 FEBRUARY 25 2024 IN OUR 29th YEAR OF NON STOP NEWS THIS WEEK:- WIA DIRECTOR Giles Kirby VK5GK with the work the Board is doing. PLUS MUCH MUCH MORE IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA. I'M EDITOR GRAHAM VK4BB AUSTRALIANA Govt. program to boost mobile coverage along regional roads. Critical Comms have reported how communities and commuters across regional and remote Australia are set to benefit from improved mobile coverage on roads and highways as a result of the federal governments new $50 million Regional Roads Australia Mobile Program. Drawing funding from the Better Connectivity Plan, the federal investment will support pilot programs with the states and territories that trial new, novel and innovative solutions to boost mobile coverage along roads and highways. Engagement across government should ensure funding meets local needs and priorities, delivering value for money and long-term sustainability. The pilot programs will fund new infrastructure, or the expansion of existing infrastructure, on regional highways and major roads and inform development of a scaled-up national program. Multi-carrier coverage will also be prioritised to improve consumer choice and access. The Regional Roads Australia Mobile Program will help deliver targeted solutions that address unique local challenges, boosting mobile connectivity for communities and commuters alike, said Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland. WIA JOIN THE WIA tinyurl.com/yyj87b9y This is Giles Kirby VK5GK Delivering the WIA directors update. Firstly, Id like to draw your attention to a couple of volunteer roles. You can find the full descriptions on the last page of the latest AR magazine. Were seeking to improve our digital footprint and evolve certain areas within our IT infrastructure. I encourage qualified individuals to reach out to us. Expressions of interest can be sent to our secretary. secretary@wia.org.au Secondly, The WIA Merit Award program identifies and recognises sustained outstanding achievement in the diverse field of Amateur Radio that furthers the science of radio, and/or service to the WIA. It plays an important role in promoting excellence with nominations made by several WIA members and decided by the WIA Board of Directors. Nominations for WIA Awards to be presented at this years AGM will close on 31st March. Please see our website for full details. wia.org.au/members/wiaawards/about/ This has been Giles Kirby VK5GK delivering the directors update. 73s. ------------------------------------------------------------* INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to IARU, RSGB, RAC, ARRL, NZART, eHam, AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE, ICQPodcast, Radioworld.com Hackaday and the World Wide sources of the WIA. Bill Introduced to Eliminate Private Land Use Restrictions on Amateur Radio U.S. Senators Roger Wicker and Richard Blumenthal introduced a bill January 30, 2024, the Senate companion bill introduced last June. Both bills reflect the Congressional campaign efforts by the ARRL to eliminate homeowner association land use restrictions that prohibit, restrict, or impair the ability of an Amateur Radio Operator to install and operate amateur station antennas on residential properties they own. Amateur Radio Operators repeatedly are relied upon to provide essential communications when disaster strikes, but their ability to do so is being impaired by the exponential growth of residential private land use restrictions that hinder their ability to establish stations in their homes with which to train and provide emergency communications when called upon. In announcing the introduction of the bill Senator Wicker said: Because communication during natural disasters is often hindered, we should be making every attempt to give folks more options. Reliable access can make the difference between life and death in an emergency. Our legislation removes roadblocks for amateur radio operators looking to help their friends, families, and neighbours. In a similar announcement, Senator Blumenthal stated: Our measure will help clarify the rules so ham radio enthusiasts can successfully continue their communications. In the face of emergency or crisis hams provide vital, life-saving information. An unspecified defect in early model Starlink satellites has prompted SpaceX to pre-emptively deorbit the units before they potentially fail and become hazards in low Earth orbit. The company has already initiated the disposal of 406 units from the nearly 6,000 satellites launched to date. Among these, 17 are currently non-manoeuvrable but are expected to naturally decay and eventually burn up in Earths atmosphere in the coming years. However, the decision to deorbit a large batch of approximately 100 satellites within a brief amount of time is certainly out of the ordinary. ARRL and Amateur Radio Digital Communications have represented Amateur Radio at a symposium in Washington at which the top domestic spectrum policymakers from across the federal government considered implementation of the National Spectrum Strategy. ARRL ensures that Amateur Radio is represented at sessions such as this so that decision makers understand amateur radio's roles when spectrum decisions are made, including its substantial contributions to student interest and education in STEM subjects at schools and its role during emergencies and natural disasters. Sceptics Question Disappearance of Alabama Radio Tower Some observers doubt WJLX's tower was stolen, but the general manager stands by his account The alleged theft of that tower in Jasper, Ala., which we told you about earlier this month, gained attention from national and international media outlets (USA Today, The Guardian, South China Morning Post and many others). But it has also generated a lot of snarky comments from some observers, including several radio engineers, who doubt the plausibility of the story. Some commenters speculated that WJLX had failed to maintain its AM site over time but needed to keep its related FM translator on the air and required a cover story. One unattributed comment in a Facebook group insisted that the AM has been off the air for several years and the site neglected but that rumours of an FCC complaint about the silent AM led him to believe there might soon be an inspection, revealing the towers sad state and inability to operate. GM Brett Elmore followed up by saying People are going to speculate and they think it is an inside job, but I can assure you I had nothing to do with it, he said. We didnt disassemble a 200-foot tower or steal the equipment. Elmore says he has given police access to records from the utility company that provides service to the tower site that shows electrical usage until the alleged theft that prove the station had been in operation prior to the tower disappearing. When asked why no listeners reported the station being off the air, he said an elderly woman who listens to the AM station for its church programming typically would have called him if the station was off the air, as she had done in the past. I really cant tell you why we didnt have a call, he said. Anywhere theres a camera, now theres a risk: Billions of users at risk of Peeping Toms "This Week In Amateur Radio" has an article which is quite disturbing. A new threat to privacy has emerged, as scientists in the US have found a way to spy on video feeds from cameras in devices ranging from smartphones to home security systems. The method, known as EM Eye, can even capture images through walls, raising huge concerns about the potential for misuse. The research, led by Kevin Fu, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at North-eastern University, targets a vulnerability in the data transmission cables within most modern cameras. These cables unintentionally act as radio antennas, leaking electromagnetic information that can be picked up and decoded to reveal real-time video. Read more bit.ly/3I3BMjS -------------------------------------------------------------------* HAM RADIO OPERATIONAL NEWS - IT'S A CONTACT SPORT -------------- -------------- NOW CONTEST WISE:- 2024 -------------- -------------- NEW ZEALANDS Jock White Memorial Field Day is happening NOW. 24/25 Feb. (nzart info line 482) -------------- Also on air this weekend:- World Wide Patagonia DX Contest February 25th The FIRST World Wide Patagonia DX Contest takes place over a 24 hour period beginning at 00:00 UTC today, February 25th. Sponsored by Argentine amateur radio operators, all radio amateurs from across the world are invited to participate in this inaugural event. Multiple categories, certificates, and plaques will be available. A couple of categories worth noting are the YL and also a ROOKIE. ROOKIE OPERATOR: The operator obtained their first amateur radio license less than three years before the contest date. LADY OPERATOR: Only female operators can participate in this category, competing against each other for a certificate, regardless of the country or continent. Full rules are available on the WWPDXC website. (ard) ------------ ARRL DX Phone Contest March 2-3 Use only the 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meter bands. ---------------------------------------------------- IARU HF World Championship the second full weekend of July i.e. 13-14. ---------------------------------------------------- Trans-Tasman Low Band Contest July 21st The Trans-Tasman contest, always held on the 3rd weekend in July, aims to encourage Low Band activity between VK and ZL Only contest bands 160 80 and 40M are allowed with SSB, CW and Digital (i.e. RTTY OR PSK) This contest is another official WIA Contest and will count towards the Peter Brown Contest Champion Awards. (wia.org.au) ------------------- AUGUST 17 - 18 Remembrance Day Contest. ----------------------------- 44th A.L.A.R.A. CONTEST AND this ALARA contest is ALWAYS held on the last FULL weekend of August. STARTS: Saturday 25th August at 0600 hours UTC ENDS: Sunday 26th August at 0559 hours UTC Contacts made on ECHOLINK will also be accepted. (alara web page) -------------------------------------------------------------------- DX WINDOW TO THE WORLD. -------------- THAILAND. Members of the Radio Amateur Society of Thailand are QRV as HS 60 RAST until March 10 to celebrate the society's 60th anniversary and to QSL HS60RAST you send via HS 6 MYW. (eHam) -------------- SOLOMON ISLANDS H44MS Bernard, is operating in the Solomon Islands until the end of April on HF, using SSB and FT8. QSL via Club Log's OQRS. (ARNewsLine 2416) -------------- BELIZE. Uwe, DL8UD is QRV as V31KO until March 6 HOWEVER he will be active as V 3 O in the ARRL International DX SSB contest. QSL both V 3 O and V31KO via his home call, DL8UD. ( ARRL) -------------- ICE IS NICE. We radio amateurs are renown for coming up with lots of sill (silly to others) contests and special events but this one, held last weekend, I don't recall us mentioning previously and yet it was their 9th year of " Melting The Ice". The Stillwater (NE of Minnesota) Amateur Radio Association's ice station, W0JH, operated during the US Presidents Day weekend in their ninth year for the special event held to "drive away the remainder of Minnesota winter by generating as much RF as possible over the Presidents Day long weekend." Under the right conditions, the club operate on frozen Lake Elmo just outside of St. Paul in Minnesota. ------------------------------------------------------------* QNEWS WORK BENCH Measure twice cut once. blubrry.com/arrlontheair/ Homeowners associations HOAs for short are private organizations that oversee the management of some residential communities. HOAs establish sets of rules and regulations called bylaws for those living in the community to follow. So with the influx of over 50 retirement and lifestyle villages and resorts springing up across the countryside for we "baby boomers" a stealth antenna idea from the USA and K5VOP is worth a "look see" Who could possibly ask it to be taken down with ANZAC day approaching, not to mention our Kings Birthday or Australia Day next year. This is from Paul and I read " I wanted to share my Hustler 6btv to Flagpole antenna conversion for those in an HOA who are tired of taking their antenna down all the time. I added a few zip ties, a lightweight flag, and a salute to my Hustler and I have it up 24/7, even though everyone can see it." "The antenna loses its factory 'wind rating' with the flag but I just tilt it down when big storms come through, even though it has withstood up to 48 mph gusts." Hopefully this gives some HOA operators an idea to keeping an antenna up 24/7! 73 Paul K5VOP" WIA NEWS TEXT edition has a link to Pauls YouTube view. youtube.com/watch?v=R_HajuAEzx8 ------------------------------------------------------------* WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- CW www.morsecodeclassnet.com SOLVE THE MYSTERY BY DECODING, FROM CW, A WEEKLY CLUE. A satellite, HADES-F, will send a clue each week in CW so radio amateurs will have the chance to solve the mystery by having all the clues. Main mission for HADES-F, also known as MARIA-G is to be a FM repeater but it will also include this simple guess game being implemented by students at a Madrid High School. Amateur radio satellite, MARIA-G, (HADES-F), is planned to launch from the UKs SaxaVord Spaceport later in 2024. (sourced to amsat-uk) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - DIGITAL Brandmeister Adds TETRA Based Network February 14, 2024 Brandmeister recently integrated a TETRA based network to their flagship Brandmeister DMR network. TETRA improves upon DMR by utilizing 4 timeslots, full-duplex conversations, and superior voice quality. More details are available at https://tetrapack.online/. WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - FINAL FRONTIER AMSAT-VK Secretary - secretary@amsat-vk.org Upcoming Rideshare Launch to Include Amateur Payloads The SpaceX F9 Transporter-10 Rideshare mission has been scheduled for launch on 1 March 2024. In addition to a half dozen commercial payloads, two amateur satellites are on the launch manifest: SONATE-2 from Germany and CroCube from Croatia. SONATE-2 SONATE-2 is a 6U+ CubeSat designed and built by the University of Wurzburg in Germany. As for many university satellites, the mission objectives of the SONATE-2 satellite can be divided into three different parts: The operation of an amateur radio payload The development and operation of the satellite for the education of students. The operation of a novel payload as a technology demonstration in space. The amateur payload of SONATE-2 consists of a VHF transceiver that was already built for the predecessor mission SONATE over the course of several student theses. For SONATE-2 additional student theses extended the transceiver functionalities. It will provide regular SSTV downlinks with images from the optical sensors included in the AI payload as well as an APRS digipeater and CW beacon. CroCube CroCube is a 1U CubeSat mission to support the Croatian, but also worldwide amateur radio community with many HAM services and activities. The missions goal is also to facilitate the technological development of Croatia, create an advanced society focused on prosperity and innovation, and increase participation in the global space sector. Also, drive Croatia into the space era, increase interest in astronomy and space projects, and develop STEM and tech entrepreneurship, create a platform for founding a space centre in Croatia, increase investments and employment in robotics, technology and ICT and finally reduce unemployment and prevent brain drain. CroCube will provide these HAM services: AX.25 telemetry CW beacon Digipeater Anniversary/special occasions AX.25 & CW messages for community engagement Experimental SSDV transmissions SATNOGS integration, decoder, dashboard SpaceX Delays Crew-8 Astronaut Launch to Make Way for Private Moon Mission NASAs next astronaut launch will delay nearly a week to let a moon mission leave Earth first. NASAs Crew-8 astronauts, who will launch on a SpaceX Crew Dragon, will fly to space no earlier than Feb. 28. The delay from Feb. 22 will make room for the expected launch of Intuitive Machines moon lander from the same launch pad at NASAs Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. Odysseus, a robotic lunar lander built by the Houston-based company Intuitive Machines, lifted off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASAs Kennedy Space Centre (KSC) in Florida early in the morning on Thursday, Feb. 15. If all goes according to plan, Odysseus (designated IM-1) will touch down near the moons south pole on Feb. 22, becoming the first-ever private spacecraft to ace a lunar landing. Success would also be a big deal for the United States, which hasnt been to the lunar surface since NASAs Apollo 17 mission more than half a century ago. WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO AMATEUR YOUNG TIMERS - YOTA (Youngsters On The Air) facebook.com/yotaregion2 facebook.com/groups/YOTAOC/ youtube.com/channel/UClAapljf0VQ751sOgu2IzaA twitter.com/hamyota ham-yota.com As several students huddled around him, Mike Cook strained to hear a clear voice through crackling static coming from the speaker of his ham radio console. "Some people can't hear as well as others," Cook told them. "They may just get on and start calling. Usually, people will be nice enough to say, 'Excuse me, you're interrupting a QSO, or a conversation." The etiquette tip was part of several informal presentations that Cook and Tom Cole, members of the Madison County Amateur Radio Club, made to fifth and sixth graders at East Elementary School on Thursday as part of a two-day learning experience. Cook and Cole, who also drive buses for South Madison Community School Corp., approached East Elementary administrators with the idea earlier in the school year. From Madison County to Scranton Many college students participate in sports, listen to music, or play video games in their spare time, but IEEE Student Member Gerard Piccini prefers ham radio. Hes been involved since his uncle introduced him to it when he was a youngster. His call sign is KD2ZHK. Gerard is pursuing an electrical engineering degree at the University of Scranton. He is a junior and is president of the universitys W3USR amateur radio club. Hes also a member of Scrantons IEEE student branch, the IEEE Club. Another of his passions is robotics. He captained one of the university clubs teams that participated in the Micro Mouse competition held during the October IEEE Region 2 Student Activities Conference. The Scranton team competed against other student branches to build and program small robots to navigate a maze in the shortest time possible. The team placed second. Read more IEEE Spectrum: spectrum.ieee.org/ham-radio-inspired-scranton-student (eHam and ieee) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - IOTA 7B4K Ketawai Island, OC-144 The Bangka Belitung DXpedition Team, signing as 7B4K, will be active from Ketawai Island, OC-144 (Bangka and Belitung Islands) during May 24-26, 2024. QRV on HF bands. Check QRZ.com entry for more info including QSL manager. QTH is an Island between Singapore and Jakarta 5H4AYL Pemba Island, AF-063 Sysa, OM4AYL is active from Pemba island, Tanzania (AF-063) as 5H 4 AYL during February 18-28. QRV on HF bands. QSL SH4AYL via her home call, OM 4 AYL. (dx-world) MADAGASCAR - Nosy Be AF-057 Listen for Borut, S53BV, on the air holiday style as 5 R 8B V from Nosy Be, IOTA Number AF-057, Madagascar, now until the 3rd of March. He is operating on 80 and 40 metres using CW and SSB. QSL 5R88V via Club Log's OQRS, or direct to home call, S 53 BV. (arnline 2416) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - PODCAST WORLD. This is a story on an Australian Company taking on the world! Australian branded podcast shop "The Peers Project" has landed on U.S. shores. As it raises its first-ever investment round with Los Angeles based venture firm S&P Ventures, The Peers Project has opened a New York office. The company says it aims to work with American start-ups looking to promote themselves with a podcast. The podcasting audience is projected to hit 500 million listeners by the end of 2024 and exceed $43 billion in revenue by 2032, signifying the substantial opportunity for businesses to capitalize on this growing trend, said Sam Mahmood, S&P Ventures cofounder and Chief Business Development Officer. The size of S&P Ventures investment into the Aussie podcast company was not released. The Peers Project describes itself as Australias first and only women-owned podcast agency. Founded in 2018 by Michelle Akhidenor, the branded podcast agency has produced shows for brands worldwide including, Shopify and Alibaba. And to give yet another example of how prolific PodCasting is, The Podcast Academys fourth annual Awards for Excellence in Audio, otherwise known as The Ambies includes 192 nominees across 27 categories, with a ceremony set for March 26 in Los Angeles. (podcastnewsdaily.com) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RESCUE RADIO The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is a national public warning system within the United States of America that requires radio and TV broadcasters, cable TV, wireless cable systems, satellite and wireline operators to provide the President with capability to address the American people within 10 minutes during a national emergency. Now their FCC is pushing for Expansion of Multilingual Emergency Alerts. However, broadcast engineers are already pondering the complexity of the upgrade for existing EAS equipment. The proposal outlines ways to give emergency managers the option of using pre-scripted, template alert messages and pre-recorded audio files in non-English languages when initiating alerts over the Emergency Alert System. Those recordings would be stored in the EAS devices of broadcasters. The FCC proposes creating template alert scripts in the 13 most commonly-spoken non-English languages in the U.S. The non-English languages would include, among others, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Hindi, Portuguese and Italian. According to U.S. Census data, more than 26 million people in the U.S. report that they do NOT speak English very well or at all. A key multilingual alerting challenge faced is translating time-sensitive alerts into additional languages during crises. Does Australia have a EAS alarm? In a way YES, not over radio etc. but our existing Emergency Alert system, established in 2009, is a location-based SMS system and can also call landlines with automated alerts. The system was used in the 2019-20 Black Summer Bushfires, with almost half a million landline calls and over 4 million text messages sent to residents in affected areas. (radio world and various sources) ------------------------------------------------------------* 2024 IT'S A DATE Clubs are welcome to email 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. VK2 - HF Antenna Day by ARNSW February 25 at Dural. (vk2wi) VK4 - Gladstone Amateur Radio Club BBQ 9th March (vk4xmc) VK4 - Redcliffe and Districts REDFEST April 6 (vk4tfn) 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. VK5 - Aust. Fox Hunting championships Mt Gambier 8/9 June.(vk5dj) This is John VK5DJ for the South East Radio Group. The tradition continues, the Australian Fox Hunting championships will be held in Mount Gambier on the Kings Birthday weekend 8th and 9th June. Its time to brush off the fox hunting gear, fine tune the pre-amps and check the antennas. What devious and car swallowing locations will be used by the foxes in 2024. The convention will be held on the Sunday topped off by the convention dinner in the evening. See you there. VK4 - GOLD COAST HAMFEST OCTOBER 31 (venue to be announced) (vk4DMH) VK5 - Amateur Radio Experiments Group Radio & Electronics Sale Saturday 26th October 10AM David Roche Park Kilburn (vk5qi) VK3 - SPARC Rosebud RadioFest November 17 at Eastbourne Primary School, Allambi Ave. Rosebud. (vk3pdg) 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. ------------------------------------------------------------*