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THE BEST NEWS YOU'LL GET ALL WEEK
Oh... and to contact us with your news because
If It Matters To You It Matters To Us!
email nationalnews@wia.org.au
http://www.wia.org.au (click news in member area) Submit your audio news
Please.. If you are only submitting text and not audio, write your story as
you would expect to hear it being read back and NEVER send just links & url's.
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WIANEWS FOR WEEK COMMENCING SEP 30 2009.
- cb's mountain radio challenge.
- JAMBREE ON THE AIR A MONTH AWAY.
- north queensland amateur radio convention this weekend.
- OPPORTUNITY FOR A YOUNG AMATEUR TO JOIN DXPEDITION.
- iaru region 3 conference next month.
- ELF CLAIMS TO HAVE TOPPELED TWO RADIO TOWERS IN USA.
- promoting amateur radio world-wide from the 'fourth plinth'.
- SOLAR MAXIMUM SUNSPOT COUNT TO REACH A 90 HIGH?
- kid's in space.
ALL UP AND COMING IN THIS EDITION OF WIANEWS WEEK COMMENCING SEPT. 20.
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28-29 November, the same day as the WIA Spring Field Day is the Mountain Radio
Challenge which is a long running CB radio event.
Tony Lock who is the organiser of the M.R.C. event comments that the two
events could complement each other as there are many high mountain tops
registered already for the event including Mt Barrow and Burnie in VK7
and Mt Fatigue and Mt Bunninyong in VK3 and many other mountains.
The Mountain Radio Challenge is a CB Radio event that started around 1980.
The idea was to see what distance could be achieved, on 27MHz, using ground
wave.
Anyone could talk skip interstate or overseas, but to talk long distance
without skip was a challenge. This event originated from CBers in the
North Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne who would find mountains to camp on for the
night, and see what distances could be achieved.
With some knowledge on several mountains, and some confidence of what
distances could be achieved it soon spread out across the country, creating a
chain or link of stations. The aim is to pass a message from the first to the
last station and back again, a version of Chinese whispers.
The M.R.C. HF CB Call Channel is Ch 27 USB (27.275MHz) and the MRC UHF CB Call
Channel: Ch 27 (477.075MHz) and there are set times to be listening that are
available on the web editions of wia national news
www.mrc.cat.net.au
(Sourced from the VK-VHF Mailing List)
Jamboree On The Air is only a month away, and again some 500,000 Scouts
worldwide, along with Girl Guides, will take part in Jamboree On the Air
and Jamboree On The Internet.
Every year there is a theme for JOTA-JOTI, and this year the theme is
Global Climate Change. Having a theme helps provide a framework for the
weekend's activities. I look forward to hearing some interesting reports on
JOTA 2009.
As in previous years, Amateurs around the world will be invited to help out
with a JOTA activity, and many will accept the challenge. Providing an
interesting JOTA has been quite difficult in the past several years due to
poor propagation, so by providing an interesting programme around the radio
activities, an enjoyable weekend is assured.
We must remember that for Scouts, the primary purpose of Jamboree On The Air
is to make contact with other Scouts and to exchange information about what
they do in Scouting. As Amateurs, we assist for the same reasons, as well as
for the promotion of Amateur radio as an interest or hobby.
Unlike a contest, JOTA is not competitive, but it has the same excitement as a
contest, because we know the bands will be well used, and whatever propagation
exists will be used for maximum effect.
There is growing interest by Scouts in JOTA and Amateur Radio, so there's no
time like the present to give the hobby a boost by introducing it to young
people.
If you are approached by a Scout or Guide Group to help out with JOTA and/or
JOTI, please consider saying yes. I would also like to point out that most
States have laws relating to working with children, and I advise you to find
out from your Scout Contacts what the rules are in your State or Territory.
It's better to do this well before the event to allow the process time to
work.
Information about JOTA and JOTI can be found at www.scouts.com.au
Look under the International Menu Item.
Check that site for updates regularly as the event comes closer.
JOTA-JOTI is on October 16-18.
(Bob VK6POP)
VK2
web service:- http://www.arnsw.org.au/html/news_vk2wi.htm
VKG Roundup http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/news
For listeners in Sydney and near by regions - the next Trash and Treasure at
VK2WI Dural will be held next Sunday the 27th. The T&T from 10 am and at
about 1 pm the Home Brew and Experimenters activities.
Major items on offer next Sunday are available for viewing on the ARNSW web
site.
VK3
web service:- http://www.amateurradio.com.au/news/
VKC Roundup http://www.police
Ballarat Amateur Radio Group Annual Hamvention, new location of Ballarat
Greyhound Racing Track, off Rubicon Street.
For more information and table bookings contact
hamvention@barg.org.au
VK4
web service local news:- www.wiaq.com/qnews/upload/qnewsbcast.htm
local news email qnews-vk-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
VKR Roundup http://www.police.qld.gov.au/News+and+Alerts/Media+Releases/
North Queensland Amateur Radio Convention this weekend
As the news goes to air this morning hams and support crews in the north
have been enjoying themselves during attendance of the 19th
North Queensland Amateur Radio Convention.
The event was opened on Friday evening September 18th at the
Frog and Toad Bistro by Richard Goodhew VK4FRJG, a member of TARC
for many years and now one of the more active northern Foundationers.
VK7
local area news :- http://reast.asn.au/news.php
vk7 local news, email vk7regionalnews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
North West Tasmania Amateur Television Group
http://www2.vk7ax.id.au/atvgroup
The next General Meeting of the Club is scheduled for Saturday 3rd October
at the Ulverstone Lions Club Facility, the Show Grounds, West Ulverstone.
Start time for the meeting is 2.00 PM and members please note this is an
important meeting and the last chance to discuss, as a group, the final
arrangements for the forthcoming JOTA activity during the weekend of
16/17/18th. October.
Guest speaker for the meeting will be Tony VK7AX discussing all the facets
of Amateur Television, both past and present. As usual all persons welcome.
(Tony VK7AX, News Officer NWT-ATV Group)
REWIND
Geoff Emery vk4zpp
Sometimes a trip down memory lane refreshes the awareness of how far things
have come in a relatively short time. When we consider that our hobby of AR
is officially 100 years old and we have progressed from spark transmitters
and coherers to software defined radios, seen the development of the
thermionic valve and it's near demise and the invention of the transistor
and its metamorphosis into the IC and the heart of any computer is packed
with legions of dwarf semiconductors, it has been a fascinating ride, to say
the least.
Over the last week I have been able to re-read Neville Williams "Australia's
Radio Pioneers", published by "Electronics Australia",1994. Many of the names
that we recognise from our hobby such as Ross Hull and John Moyle become more
than just names on a contest. Much of the experimental work which brought
about our country wide broadcasting and television services was done by radio
amateurs, or licensed experimenters, as they were known in the foundation
years of wireless.
So many of the notable experimenters of the past were also distinguished in
their involvement with the Wireless Institute of Australia. Our hobby has
traditions built on an historical base that we can be proud to uphold.
As Drew Diamond, VK3XU, points out in the second of his articles on 136kHz,
in this month's "Amateur Radio" magazine it was the amateurs that made such
big contributions to the understanding of long waves that were relegated to
the supposedly unusable short waves. With VK Advanced Licensees now able
to apply to once again use long waves, this could be the classic "everything
old is new again".
EDUCATION YOUTH AND ADVANCEMENT OF AMATEUR RADIO
www.hamcollege.com.au
Euro Space Week
Approximately 500 youngsters from different schools in the French part of
Belgium came together with astronauts, cosmonauts as they participated in
the "Belgian Space Week 2009" from 14 to 18 September.
The theme of the event in the Euro Space Centre was Life in Space.
Students talked to the Belgian ESA astronaut Frank De Winne and ask him
questions about his life in the International Space Station and about his
experience as UNICEF ambassador.
Opportunity for a young amateur to join DXpedition
The operators of the 6Y1V contest station in Hopewell, Jamaica,
are offering a young radio amateur the chance to join their team
for the 2009 CQWW SSB or CW contest.
Applicants must be 21 or younger and the operator selected will
receive an all expenses paid trip to join the team's operations in
one of the two contest operations.
To qualify, you must send an email to contest@6y1v.com containing
an essay of 500 words or more, in English, describing how you got
started in amateur radio, who guided you through the process and
why you should be selected for this DX and contest opportunity at
6Y1V. Please include your full name, callsign and home address.
The 6Y1V group calls this project a gift to a young amateur whom
has a passion for ham radio, DXing and contesting.
More information is at www.6y1v.com/youth.htm
(rsgb)
INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to RSGB, Southgate AR Club, the ARRL,
Amateur Radio Newsline, NZART and the WW sources of the WIA.
IARU Region 3 Conference next month
The 14th triennial meeting of the International Amateur Radio Union Region
3, which covers Asia and the Pacific, will be held in Christchurch New
Zealand the 12th to the 16th of October, and hosted by the NZART.
Among the papers to be presented are those from the WIA on Broadband over
Powerlines, a review after three years of licence restructure including
the introduction of the Foundation Licence, the expanded 7MHz band and
emergency communications.
In other papers to be considered are those on electromagnetic
compatibility, band planning, ethics and operating procedures for radio
amateurs and intruder watch.
Want to know more? Check out the internet address for all papers in the
text edition of this news bulletin
(http://www.iaru-r3.org/14r3c/docs/docs.htm).
(Jim Linton VK3PC)
VISITING INDIA SOON?
The 18th Hamfest in India, HamfestIndia 2009 and Bangalore Amateur Radio Club
(BARC) say the VU2ARC Golden Jubilee Celebrations are just round the corner.
The event being conducted in Bangalore this year is scheduled for
Saturday-Sunday, 7 & 8 November 2009 and they welcome all Hams and SWLs
from around the world to be part of this Festival in Bangalores.
Please log on to www.hamfestindia.com
N6MGM HOME LOST IN SOCAL ARSON BRUSH FIRE
The Station Fire which burnt in the hills North of Los Angeles has claimed
the home of Mark Moore, N6MGM.
N 6 MGM, who works at Ham Radio Outlet in Burbank California wanted everyone
know that he, his wife Amanda, K6MDY, their children and pets are all in good
health. They are however emotionally devastated because the fire consumed
the home, it's belongings and memories collected over many years.
Moore's amateur radio station was also lost.
The Station Fire destroyed about 230 square miles and is the largest on record
in Los Angeles County.
Through Terry Graves and QRZ dot com, Moore express his appreciation to
all for support and best wishes.
(details sourced to arnewsline)
OALKAND CENTER FLIGHT COMS GO OUT
Air traffic controllers at a major control centre in California say they
were forced to use their personal cellular telephones to guide dozens of
planes. This, when the aircraft direction communications system briefly
went out.
The communications outage affected about half of the roughly 80
controllers on duty at the Oakland Centre in Fremont. Gone for several
minutes were both radio and telephone communications. According to news
reports the controllers said they used personal mobile phones to contact
other controllers to relay flight plan information to airplanes in
Western region.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a statement saying that at no
time were any planes were in danger during the 15-minute outage and that
only five flights were delayed.
=============================================================================
NEWS FROM ARNEWSLINE
ELF CLAIMS TO HAVE TOPPELED TWO RADIO TOWERS IN WASHINGTON
A radical group calling itself the Earth Liberation Front is claiming
responsibility for toppling two radio station towers in Snohomish County
Washington early Friday morning, September 4th. The towers, owned by
station KRKO were felled using a stolen machine called an excavator. A
sign left at the scene said the Earth Liberation Front was responsible.
The two towers have been at the centre of controversy for several years.
There are four towers currently at the location and there have been
plans to build two more. Opponents of the expansion claim that radio
waves can harm people and wildlife. More recently, nearby residents
said that signals interfering with home phone and intercom lines have
increased since KRKO recently boosted its broadcasting power.
The station is still broadcasting on a backup transmitter and antenna.
It says that it is going to offer a reward for information leading to
the arrest and conviction of those responsible for this criminal act.
SUITSAT 2 NOW ARISSAT-1
The SuitSat-2 project now has a new name to go with its new shape. Its now
known as ARISSat-1.
ARISS Chairman Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, the announced the new name for the
satellite project and said the team is now moving ahead using the same
hardware that was to fly in the Russian spacesuit that got tossed away into
space.
The ARISSat-1 team is re-configuring some of the modules to fit into the
new space structure being designed by Bob Davis, KF4KSS and his crew. No
date as to when ARISSat-1 will be tossed into orbit from the ISS.
HAM RADIO IN SPACE: SWISSCUBE MAY LAUNCH SEPT 21
And the HB9AFO SwissCube web page reports that ham radio satellite may
be launched on September 21st. SwissCube is one of four amateur radio
satellites that will be launched from India on an PSL-VC14 booster.
More information on this hamsat is on line at tinyurl.com/SwissCube.
(Southgate)
=============================================================================
G4TUT SOUTHGATE AMATEUR RADIO CLUB NEWS DESK
Martin Maynard G8CIX
Promoting Amateur Radio world-wide from the 'Fourth Plinth'
Music Publisher and Amateur radio enthusiast, Martin Maynard has been selected
for the 'Fourth Plinth.'
His intention whilst on the plinth is to promote the hobby of Amateur radio
and raise awareness that it is an interesting and fulfilling hobby.
The 'Fourth Plinth', that Martin will occupy for one hour, is part of a major
living monument created by sculptor Antony Gormley. The project has been
choosing people from all over the UK to occupy the empty Fourth Plinth in
Trafalgar Square in London, a space normally reserved for statues of
Kings and Generals.
Martin has been allocated a slot on the plinth between 4-5pm on Friday 25th
September during which he will operate a special Amateur radio station
callsign GB1AO (Gulf Bravo One And Other).
Martin said, 'As a radio amateur I will be setting up a small modern
transmitting station featuring Icom radios and during my hour will attempt to
make contact with other amateurs around the country and further a field.'
Every hour, 24 hours a day, for 100 days without a break, different people
from all walks of life are making the Plinth their very own. The project is
being streamed live on the event website www.oneandother.co.uk and on the
Sky website, courtesy of SkyArts as well featuring a weekly programme on
SkyArts.
This coverage has received a huge amount of press interest from all round the
world.
Martin lives in Berkshire and was originally licensed in 1969 with an
operating callsign G8CIX.
Martin is a successful businessman. He has worked in the fast-pace end of the
music business. His company Sounds Good Ltd makes CDs and DVD's and are
involved in event management and radio hire.
For more details of Martin's participation and to announce your support go to
www.GB1AO.co.uk
Martin's slot is 1600-1700 on Fri 25 September 2009 and the special event
station callsign again is GB1AO.
=============================================================================
WEIRD AND WONDERFUL
Sometimes older technology can be just as good or even better than new
innovations.
A good example of that was the demonstration on television that Morse code
is quicker than modern SMS texting on a mobile phone.
Now a technology that existed prior to the telegraph has come up trumps,
as Jim Linton VK3PC explains.
"Paul Julius Reuter would be most pleased indeed on hearing news that a
homing pigeon has been able to move data faster then Telkcom, South
Africa's leading Internet service provider.
Reuter used pigeons in the 1850s to transmit financial market information
between Berlin and Brussels, and on that was built the Reuters economic
service and news agency that continues today.
The lack of broadband and its high cost is of concern to many within South
Africa.
A company called Unlimited IT enlisted a pigeon named Winston, who took
just over an hour to fly between two of its offices with a data card
strapped to his leg.
Including the flight time the downloading of the card took over just two
hours, while during the same time only four per cent of the same data
could be transferred using a Telkom line.
Internet should become faster and cheaper when a new underwater fibre
optic cable links southern and eastern Africa to other networks, just in
time for the Soccer World Cup being held in South Africa next year".
OPERATIONAL NEWS -
SPECIAL EVENT CALLS, BEACON DX AND NET ADVICE
hf nets ON the net, www.timroberts-vk4yeh.id.au/
GB 40 WAB 40th anniversary of the WAB Till Dec 31
OZ 1658 ROS 350th anniversary of the Treaty of Roskilde Till Dec 31
VARIOUS SM STATIONS USING 1658 (Treaty of Roskilde) Till Dec 31
VP 9 400 /home call 400th Anniversary of Bermuda Till Dec 31
VR 2009 EAG The 5th East Asian Games Hong Kong Till Dec 31
YL 90 AIR 90yrs of Latvian Air Force Till Dec 31
Jon, M0OVL will be on the air /P from Inner Farne, IOTA reference
EU-109, on 25th and 26th September. He is restricted to just 4
hours of operations each day between 10.00 and 14.00 UTC.
Activation is also dependent on the weather.
More information at www.m0ovl.co.uk
Dale, VK4DMC has told us that Cezar, VE3LYC, recently activated the
Ottawa Islands (NA-230) as VY 0 O which turned out to be a big adventure
for him, bad weather, polar bears, boat problems (engine, back engine and
sinking).
Despite this, he made a total of 3,000 QSOs with stations on all continents.
53% of the contacts were on CW!
Read his interesting story at: http://www.qrz.com/db/vy0o
Tonga Ministry of Communications and Information September 8th has authorized
amateur radio operation on the 60 Meter Band (5.330 - 5.405 Mhz), on a
secondary, restricted basis.
The 60M band plan will be the same as is authorized by the FCC,
i.e. 'channelized' USB only, 2.8 kHz maximum bandwidth, with a 50 watt
pep ERP limit:
Channel Centre Amateur Tuning Frequency
-------------- ------------------------
5332 kHz 5330.5 kHz
5348 kHz 5346.5 kHz
5368 kHz 5366.5 kHz
5373 kHz 5371.5 kHz
5405 kHz (common US/UK) 5403.5 kHz
This 60M authorization is effective immediately."
(Ganesh VU2TS)
KE7GGV, Jerry Gaule hails from Oregon and as a former
Radio Broadcaster/Engineer has started the 14.316 MHz Broadcasters HF Net.
This Sunday's 2300 UTC.
This is a gathering place for former and current Radio/TV
Broadcasters-Engineers, an open net with roundtable discussions, technical tips
and ideas and more.
WIRELESS WEATHER
Solar maximum sunspot count just 90 ?
The U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Centre (SWPC) have
issued a prediction that the next Solar maximum will be May 2013 with a
predicted sunspot count of just 90.
This prediction follows on from other gloomy forecasts from various sources,
however, it must be remembered that humankind knows next to nothing about the
suns behaviour.
Data from solar observing satellites goes back barely 3 decades and visual
recordings of sunspot data only extends over a few centuries. It is likely
that the sun's activity is influenced by a mixture of a number of short term
and longer term cycles some of which may extend over many millennia.
It will be quite sometime before we can fully understand the complex nature
of the sun.
The latest prediction can be seen at the web version of this newscast
on wia.org.au
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/weekly/Predict.txt
NASA - Are sunspots disappearing?
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/september2009/are_sunspots_disappearing.htm
INTRUDER WATCH - ENFORCEMENT ZONE
Dutch authorities propose rebanding D-STAR into 70cm satellite band
Information received at South Gate Amateur Radio Club news suggests the
Netherlands have indicated a growing threat to frequencies allocated and used
by the Amateur Satellite Service.
Worldwide, including the Netherlands, amateur use of frequencies in many
portions of the 70cm band are allocated as secondary users.
The threat arises from proposals to move the output frequency band of
terrestrial D-STAR repeaters from the 439-440 MHz range down to 437-438 MHz.
Dutch regulators have halted amateur D-STAR repeater licensing in that country
because they plan to reallocate 439.500 MHz and upward to the Differential
GPS (DGPS) service.
Despite protest from Dutch amateur radio operators, amateur clubs in the
surrounding countries, and regulators in nearby countries, it seems as if the
Dutch authorities are still planning on this frequency re-allocation to favour
DGPS operation.
If completed this reallocation of the terrestrial D-STAR repeater outputs
would place them right in the downlink band of the Amateur Satellite Service.
This would have immediate operational impact on European amateur satellite
stations. Longer term it may open the door for future infringement on
satellite operations in other countries.
(SouthGate)
A fix for BPL's own interference
Apparently, a problem being experienced by power companies setting out on
the path of power line communications or BPL is that their systems can
generate radio frequency interference that disrupts the throughout of data.
Exacter Incorporated of Columbus Ohio, claims that to have the technology
that can improve power system infrastructure by locating any radio
frequency interference it generates.
The company uses a vehicle-mounted sensor combined with GPS technology
that takes readings as the vehicle travels.
Interference, even at a low level, such as arcing connections or
insulators are automatically mapped enabling maintenance crews to be
dispatched to fix the problems.
Apparently failing and poorly installed equipment can literally stop data
transmission over powerlines. Interesting?
How the technology which Exacter describes as having a patent pending,
differentiates between power line noise and BPL radio frequency pollution,
is not known.
I'm Jim Linton VK3PC and you're listening to VK1WIA.
MEDIA WATCH
www.wiaq.com/admin/uploads/weeklytally.rtf
www.cq-amateur-radio.com/WorldRadio.html
Amateur Radio Magazine Previews
September 2009
Amateur Radio magazine for September is now in your newsagents. And it is well
worth picking up a copy. Why not reserve one every month to make sure they are
not sold out on you. You will see a couple of intrepid amateurs on the front
cover, well rugged up, because they are operating from the Mount Kosciusko
summit - portable, of course.
From time to time, one of our Amateur Radio articles provokes a reader to say,
"Hang on a minute", or technical words to that effect. This time it was the
article by Lloyd Butler VK5BR in the August issue, which described a
transmission line Balance Meter. Read the 'Over To You' discussion on page 11,
sent in by Rod Reynolds VK3AAR, together with the response from Lloyd.
WICEN (that's Wireless Institute Civil Emergency Network) did some really good
work during the Victorian bushfires last February, and some of it was written
up in Amateur Radio, May issue (pages 12 & 14). Now WIA President Michael Owen
VK3KI is asking "What about WICEN?" in his regular column on page 3.
Michael examines the past, present and future of WICEN and asks for comments
or advice from anyone with an interest.
Drew Diamond VK3XU, who is probably most frequent contributor, is exploring
the propagation of signals on 136 kHz. See page 12 for a very instructive,
but easy to follow, explanation of how long-wave radio signals behave
adjacent to the earth. And this is really long-wave, at about 2,200 metres.
Drew is always good reading - don't skip over this one.
On page 2, Editor Peter Freeman (now VK3PF) reports on a disaster at his QTH,
brought about by the recent storms. Peter is currently scanning AR Mag for a
new mast, plus several replacement antennas, to make good the damage.
Nevertheless, October Amateur Radio will be published on time, as always.
(Compiled by: Tom Potter VK3UBS)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- FINAL FRONTIER
AMSAT-VK UNOFFICIAL HF Net.
2nd Sunday each month.
April through October 1000 UTC 3.685 MHz
November through March 0900 UTC 7.068 MHz
VK3DQ on behalf of the Sherbrooke Community Radio Club say that the
Sherbrooke community school will be making a contact with the space station
during the week starting 26th Oct.
The School / Club station is VK3KID.
An e-mail from Tony VK5ZAI late last week saw frantic activity with
teaching staff , students and local amateurs gearing up to prepare for
the contact which is at short notice after a school in Canada cancelled
and VK3KID was offered the slot so its been all hands to work.
The students who are going to speak to the space station have been selected
and they are busy devising their questions and brushing up on their on
air techniques .
John VK3DQ visited the school for the morning staff meeting followed by
the school morning student meeting and found both staff and students
bubbling with excitement , and the radio shack saw many visitors during
the day, Jim VK3AMN president of the Sherbrooke Community Radio Club has
accepted the extra workload with a huge grin .....
Interested amateurs and friends are welcome to attend , there will be a full
day of activities in addition to the contact.
FOR MORE INFO EMAIL vk3dq@wia.org.au
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RESCUE RADIO
EMERGENCY FREQUENCIES ALL REGIONS
21.360 - 18.160 - 14.300 - 7.060 - 3.760 MHz.
REGION 2 TRY ALSO 3.985 - 7.240 - 7.290
Technology Mix Gets the Group Together
WICEN Tasmania (South) holds a net each Thursday evening, normally extended
via the newly licensed VK7RBI located on South Bruny.
The facility is able to be switched to other frequencies on a temporary basis
and one of these is normally used for the WICEN net. Michael VK7FMRS's QTH
is out of range for simplex comms and of R5, but has no problem getting into
VK7RBI. With the Bruny extension being off air, he would have missed out on
the WICEN net.
This is where the technology mix came in. The September edition of the ARRL's
QST magazine included an article titled "Bridge the Round Table Gap with
Skype" and provided a solution to the challenge of getting into the radio
black hole of Cygnet/Cradoc. Roger VK7ARN, WICEN Secretary, set up a Skype
account on a computer linked via a Signalink USB device to a radio.
On another computer, running another Skype account, he set up a conference
call between himself, the radio linked computer and Michael VK7FMRS.
The radio networkers talked normally on air. This was picked up on Roger's
radio linked to the control PC which was a member of the Skype conference
group. In this way they had a successful integrated Skype and radio network.
All reported excellent results.
Lots of opportunities here.
Think about a local radio network with overseas guests. Of course, the
combined net is restricted to licensed Amateurs as all participants end up
`on air'.
(Roger, VK7ARN)
GAREC 2009
Last week, again in the text edition only, we brought you recommendations from
GAREC 2009.
This week thanks to WIA Secretary Geoff Atkinson VK3AFA the complete report by
Jim Linton VK3PC IARU Region 3 Chairman of the Disaster Communications
Committee.
"The 5th Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference hosted by
the Japan Amateur Radio League and held in Tokyo saw 29 participants from 14
countries share their knowledge and experiences.
From IARU Region 3 were its Chairman of the Disaster Communications Committee
Jim Linton VK3PC, Special Advisor to the Directors Keigo Komuro JA1KAB who
chaired the conference, Secretary Jay Oka JA1TRC and Director Shizuo Endo
JE1MUI. From the IARU, President Tim Ellam VE6SH and Secretary David Sumner
K1ZZ attended.
JARL President Shozo Hara JA1AN in his opening address mentioned how the
re-establishment of amateur radio in Japan in 1952 was soon followed by
emergency communications related to a typhoon.
Shozo JA1AN said Japan has many beautiful places by the sea and in the
mountains. On the other hand, natural disasters occur due to volcanoes,
typhoons and earthquakes.
Looking back to 1995, the huge 'Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake' hit Kobe and
neighbouring areas flattening houses, sparking fires and killing more than
6,400.
He said local radio amateurs supported by the JARL had operated emergency
communication for a prolonged period, contributing to the disaster relief
and recovery.
Shozo JA1AN said since then Japan's radio amateurs have continued to assist
in times of disaster. The JARL through its branches has 'cooperation
agreements' with local governments and actively participates in emergency
communications drills.
GAREC-2009 was held 24-25 August with the theme 'Emergency Communications
across Borders' and was attended by representatives from Australia, Brunei,
Canada, Finland, Japan, Korea, Italy, Hong Kong, Netherlands, New Zealand,
South Africa, Thailand, United Kingdom and the USA.
Help keep CoA clear in times of need
Greg Mossop G0DUB, IARU Region 1 Coordinator for Emergency Communications
and the organiser of the twice-yearly GlobalSET, discussed experiences with
the Centre of Activity (CoA) frequencies that were first introduced in 2005.
Three frequencies - 14300, 18160 and 21360 kHz- were chosen to provide
intercontinental coverage in times of emergencies and during training
exercises in GlobSET and local simulated emergency tests. .
Greg said, "The CoA is not a spot frequency but a starting point designed
for wide area events such as the Indian Ocean tsunami."
While two other CoA, 7060 and 3760 kHz were chosen by IARU Region 1 and
subsequently adopted by IARU Region 2, it had always been intended that 40m
and 80m frequencies were to be decided on regional basis.
IARU Region 3 will consider the issue of CoA at its conference in
Christchurch, and while it is likely to adopt the 20m, 17m and 15m band
frequencies, a decision is also expected on CoA within its region for 80m
and 40m.
Emergency communications in action
There was an interesting session on three earthquake disasters. These
disasters were the Hanshin-Awaji earthquake in Japan (1995), China's Great
Sichuan Earthquake (2008) and the Italy's L'Aquila earthquake (2009).
A 4th presentation was 'Bushfire Communications - Australia' which gave an
insight into the roles of WICEN and RECOM (Red Cross Emergency
Communications) during the Black Saturday disaster of February 2009.
The RECOM experience was of particular interest to GAREC attendees from
several other countries who are interested in establishing for further
developing emergency communications relationships with their Red Cross
societies.
ARRL Chief Executive, Dave Sumner K1ZZ advised that the ARRL and the
Red Cross have had an agreement since the 1940s which is renewable every five
years.
He said ongoing relationships exist between the Red Cross local chapters and
amateur radio groups, while on a national basis the ARRL was continuing to
work very closely with this emergency relief and welfare body.
Other radio societies are encouraged to explore the possibility of reaching
an agreement of understanding in relation to emergency communications with
their local Red Cross.
The IARU and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies (IFRC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) last year that
provides mutual recognition and encouragement for the roles of the Red Cross
and the amateur service.
IARU President, Tim Ellam VE6SH told GAREC-2009 that the IARU is looking at
other non-government organisations that may be suitable for similar MoU's.
The IARU continues to promote the role of amateur wherever an opportunity
arises. It is producing a new emergency communications brochure for use to
inform the International Telecommunications Union and others about the skills
of radio amateurs and their resource in times of need.
During the conference a variety of reports and experiences were provided,
including the:
Dutch Amateur Radio Emergency Service (DARES), is a foundation run by a
7-member board, with no members but 'participants' located in 25 regions,
that had formal government recognition
Amateur Radio Emergency Service in Hong Kong and the Pearl Delta region,
having 200 active members training for the worst to provide local and
regional emergency communications
Brunei Darussalam Amateur Radio Association was involved in flash flooding
and landslides (January 2009) and due to its activities is now a recognised
resource by authorities
HAMNET, the National Emergency Communications division of the South African
Radio League (SARL), provides communications for emergencies and works with
all non-government organisations
The Japan Amateur Radio Industry Association representative, Kiyoshi Sakurai
JA3FMP, talked about the 'predicted catastrophic earthquake' for the
Kii Peninsula, on the western Japanese island of Honshu.
An emergency radio plan is ready to help respond to this likely earthquake
spot that has scattered communities in mountainous areas.
Kiyoshi JA3FMP, who is also Icom's Technical Development Department Director,
explained how D-STAR repeater sites have been identified to enabling that
technology combined with GPS to play a role in emergency communications.
In another technology presentation, Bonnie Crystal VH2/KQ6XA provided
information on the High Frequency Network that began in June 2007.
Its Global Automatic Link Enabled (ALE) system that supports both voice and
data, promises to link stations on HF with a 90% reliability 24 hours a day
365 days a year, and may have a great role in emergency communications in the
future.
For more info including the presentations made at this and previous
conferences, and the official statement of GAREC-2009 are on the website
www.rientola.fi/oh3ag/garec/
(Jim Linton VK3PC VIA WIA)
SOCIAL SCENE
2009
International Telecommunication Union's Telecom World 2009.
SEP 18-20 VK4
North Queensland Amateur Radio Convention, James Cook University,
Douglas Campus. Surf to theTARCinc website http://www.tarc.org.au
for event and registration information
SEP 25 - 27 VK4
The Central Highland Amateur Radio Club Annual General Meeting at
Camp Fairbairn near Emerald.
OCT 11 VK3
Shepparton and District Amateur Radio Club's communications and display day
(Hamfest), St Augustine's Hall Orr Street Shepparton.
OCT 12 - 16 ZL
14th IARU R3 Conference Christchurch 12 ? 16 October 2009.
Details at www.christchurch.org.nz/
The Region 3 Web Site: www.jarl.or.jp/iaru-r3/
OCT 25 VK3
Ballarat Amateur Radio Group Annual Hamvention, new location of Ballarat
Greyhound Racing Track, off Rubicon Street.
All the usual traders of new gear will be in attendance as well as the very
popular pre-loved displays.
Food and drinks will be available on the premises
Doors open for trading at 10.00am, and entry fee is still $6.00.
The new location has huge off street parking.
For more information and table bookings contact
hamvention@barg.org.au
Oct 31 - Nov 1
Qld Sunshine Coast's October Camp Catch-up Maidenwell Observatory
Brisbane valley west of Yarraman.
NOV 1 VK2
Westlakes Amateur Radio Club's "Westlakes Field Day".
NOV 15 VK4
QUEENSLAND CLUBS "PRESIDENTS LUNCH" GEEBUNG RSL
2010
JAN 24 VK2
Mid North Coast Amateur Radio Group's Radio Expo 2010 8.30am St Johns Church
Hall, Mc Lean Street Coffs Harbour.
FEBRUARY 14 VK3
WIA 100 Centre Victoria RadioFest No. 3.
FEBRUARY 28
Wyong Field Day, Wyong Race Course.
APRIL 2 VK3
Midland Amateur Radio Club's Radio, Electronic & Astronomy Expo.
Venue to be advised.
JUNE 5 VK2
Oxley Region Amateur Radio Club's 35th Annual Field Day.
NOV 7 VK5
2010 Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society Hamfest Rosa St Goodwood
2012
JAN 23-FEB 17 YEAR 2012
World Radio Conference WRC-11 Geneva 23rd January TO 17th February 2012
MAY 4-7 2012 VK5
YL International 2012 Australia (vk5tmc@bigpond.com)
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