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WIANEWS FOR WEEK COMMENCING MAR 14 2010.
This week presented by a group of VK6 Amateurs working out of their
NewsWest studios, home of the local VK6 broadcast under VK6KAD
ALL UP AND COMING IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF
AUSTRALIA FOR WEEK COMMENCING MAR 14 2010
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WIA
President Michael Owen VK3KI president@wia.org.au
Vice President Ewan McLeod VK4ERM vk4erm@wia.org.au
Secretary Geoff Atkinson VK3AFA secretary@wia.org.au
Treasurer John Longayroux VK3PZ vk3pz@wia.org.au
"Now for a review of the March edition of WIA's Amateur Radio magazine
It has a fresh look cover-to-cover. Some of the feature articles include
promoting amateur radio via a school radio club by Tim Roberts VK4YEH, The
Wayatinah fire and WICEN Tasmania a report by Roger Nichols VK7ARN.
Full details are provided of the WIA Centenary Convention program being
held in Canberra the 28th to the 30th of May, including a booking form for
intending participants.
The WIA annual report and Part 2 in the serial history - the time when
organised amateur radio was taking shape in Australia.
Technical articles this month include:
A quality audio test oscillator
How to get more power from hand-held radio by paying attending to their
antennas
A 40m ground-less & tuner-less dipole
Complete 8MHz IF system
And in Foundation Corner Ross Pittard VK3CE provides Details on how to
build a simple field strength meter.
Plus regular columns on HF DX, the VHF/UHF Microwave bands, Shortwave
Listening and more.
The WIA journal Amateur Radio magazine is sent to WIA members and copies
are also available at selected newsagents."
ANZAC DAY EQUALS AM
Before heading off around Australia with news from the various clubs, this
in from VK4MIK Mike Patterson.
Mike is part of a group in North Queensland working to get as many Australian
and New Zealand amateurs on the AM mode on ANZAC Day afternoon as an
amateur radio salute to the servicemen and women in the many conflicts.
AM was used with CW as a means of communication during WW2,Korea,Malaysian
and even early Vietnam.
They have made contact with museum ships with a view to activating them and
also have contacted the NZART.
Already the Townsville Amateur Radio Club intends running its Sunday night
net the 25th on AM and a North Queensland afternoon net, 7.093 will be AM,
that at 4pm Australian Eastern Standard Time.
(Email Address : vk4mike@yahoo.com.au)
HAMS ACROSS AUSTRALIA.
VK2
web service:- http://www.arnsw.org.au/html/news_vk2wi.htm
VKG Roundup http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/news
CARBOOT SALE AT THE SUMMERLAND CLUBROOMS, Sunday 28 March.
414 Richmond Hill Road, Richmond Hill, east of Lismore.
Go along, bring, sell, buy anything, not just radio stuff, anything.
Admission $5 per car boot or stand. Customers free.
Canteen and BBQ eats will be available.
SARC will also sell surplus and other goods.
VK3
web service:- http://www.amateurradio.com.au/news/
VKC Roundup http://www.police
Radio, Electronics & Astronomy Expo.
Easter Weekend - Saturday, Sunday & Monday, 9 am - 4 pm.
Old Fire Station, View Street Bendigo.
View Street will come alive with radio waves and galaxies during the
Easter weekend, as we celebrate 100 years of amateur radio in Australia,
at the 'Radio, Electronics & Astronomy Expo'.
See how grandpa listened to the radio in the 1920's, 30's and 40's, with
an historical display of vintage radios and equipment.
Try your hand at Morse Code and learn more about the history of
communications.
The oldest to the newest forms of technology will be demonstrated.
Did you know that amateur radio operators can broadcast television
pictures, communicate via satellites and even talk to astronauts? Find
out how you can obtain your own radio licence!
Amazing images of the night sky above Bendigo will be on display, taken
with the City of Greater Bendigo Telescope. See the Sun during the day
with a special solar telescope. And what do radio astronomers do
besides searching for ET?
The Expo is a joint project between the Midland Amateur Radio Club and
Bendigo District Astronomical Society, with sponsorship from Bendigo
Community Telco.
The Radio, Electronics & Astronomy Expo, Easter Saturday, Sunday and
Monday, 9 am to 4 pm at the Old Fire Station, View Street Bendigo.
A $2.00 donation would be appreciated, under 15 free.
For more information, contact Ray Tampion on 5439 3506.
GippsTech2010 call for papers
Australia's premier event for VHF/UHF, Microwave and weak signal activity
will be held by the Eastern Zone Amateur Radio Club VK3BEZ on the 10th and
11th of July at Churchill in Victoria's Latrobe Valley.
Potential presenters who have a topic that could be as brief at 5 to 10
minutes or up to an hour in length are now invited to submit the
presentation title and content outline.
Contact the Chair of the Organising Committee, Peter Freeman VK3PF email
vk3pf@wia.org.au
For more details about GippsTech2010 visit the website www.vk3bez.org
VK4 - QNEWS
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/
You are listening to QNews from VK4WIA. I'm Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP and I've
been thinking -
Over the past few weeks it has been great to hear the continuing input from
a greater number of clubs to the "Q". This is a great way to publicise events
and activities and let our listeners who aren't amateurs or radio club
members know what is happening.
Getting to know what people are thinking can be difficult in preparing a
segment such as this. It is great to receive feedback, however indirect. I
have been reminded that the real world is not so kind as the image which I
present of our hobby. True - but experience has taught me to applaud the
good behaviours and ignore the bad. (A bit like training a pet.) I was
impressed by the Amateurs Code the first time that I read it, in a loaned
ARRL handbook. The amateurs whom I met and the behaviour that I heard on
air all seemed to confirm the validity of these aspirations.
Some 50 years along the road, my own experience suggests that the Amateurs
Code is still a great guide for our personal involvement in the hobby.
Another suggestion has been floated to me that my comments could relate to a
particular club or specific group of people. I'm sorry if anything has been
taken that way but in keeping with the WIA broadcast guidelines, the comments
are as non-specific and generic as language will permit in a 90 second
segment. A couple of generations of experience backed with resources of the
www are what I use to try and give a mildly thought provoking opening to
QNews. If I have hit the nail on the head, for you, then that is what was
intended.
I'm Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP and that's what I think.....how about you?
ROCKHAMPTON
IRLP NODE 6973 ;
e-mail vk4acc@wia.org.au
Secretary Clive 4928 1173
http://www.radarc.cjb.net/
This is Doug VK4DUG from the Rockhampton and District Amateur Radio Club,
better known to most as the RADAR Club with a timely reminder that the next
monthly meeting of the RADAR Club (and that's this Wednesday) will be the
Annual Meeting for 2010, so keep in mind Wednesday 17. If you haven't already
nominated yourself or somebody else for an executive position then it's too
late. Nominations had to be lodged 14 days prior to the event. But it's not
too late for you to attend the meeting and show your support for the club.
An added incentive for you to attend is the expected attendance of Brian who
is going to share his extensive knowledge of radio from the perspective of an
ex radio inspector based in this area, and in addition to this, the usual
supper, as supplied by Mary VK4PZ and husband Gordon VK4GM (those delicious
ham sandwiches) will round off the evening.
See you there.
73 Doug
TOWNSVILLE
vk4wit@wia.org.au
4773 1196 or 0408 001142
po box 333 Garbutt East, QLD 4814
www.tarc.org.au
GREETINGS AND SALUTATIONS!
THIS IS DON VK4FNQA, WITH NEWS AND HAPPENINGS IN NORTH QUEENSLAND.
I START THIS SEGMENT WITH SOME SADDENING NEWS NEXT WEEKEND THE JOHN MOYLE
FIELD DAY WILL BE HAPPENING ACROSS AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND AND PAPUA NEW GUINEA
AND SO FAR ONLY THREE OPERATORS HAVE PUT UP THEIR HANDS TO OPERATE CLUB
STATION VK4WIT FROM BLUEWATER SCOUT DEN. TARC CONTEST CO-ORDINATOR RICHARD
VK4FRJG HAS ADVISED THAT IF THERE ARE NO MORE TAKERS FOR NEXT WEEKENDS EVENT
HE WILL CANCEL OPERATIONS FROM BLUEWATER AND, IF TIME PERMITS, RUN PARTIAL
OPERATIONS FROM HIS HOME STATION ONLY.
SO, ALL THOSE TARCADIANS RUSTICATING AND GATHERING GIRTH OUT THERE - IT IS
TIME TO ACT AND GET IN TOUCH WITH RICHARD RIGHT NOW - CALL HIM ON TELEPHONE
47752923 OR ON MOBILE 0400339543, FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR TO LET HIM KNOW YOU
ARE GOING ALONG FOR AN OVERNIGHTER OR DAY SESSION.
NEXT IS AN ITEM WHERE YOU CAN HELP MIKE GET ON HIS BIKE.
THAT'S RIGHT, DASHING AERO-PARAMEDIC, AVID DX-ER AND ALL ROUND GOOD GUY MIKE
VK4MSA IS CURRENTLY TRAINING FOR THE BIG W TOWNSVILLE TO CAIRNS CHARITY BIKE
RIDE WHICH RAISES FUNDS FOR THE CHILDREN'S CANCER INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA.
ONE OF THE RULES OF ENTRY IS THAT MIKE NEEDS TO RAISE AT LEAST FIVE HUNDRED
DOLLARS IN DONATIONS BEFORE HE CAN PARTICIPATE.
SO, CAN YOU HELP OUT A FELLOW HAM WHO IS DOING SOMETHING GOOD?
CONTACT MIKE VK4MSA NEXT TIME YOU HEAR HIM ON AIR OR WHEN HE IS NEXT SAVING
YOUR LIFE IN A CAR WRECK AND LET HIM KNOW THAT YOU CAN SUPPORT HIM.
CALLING ALL RADIO AMATEURS! DO SOMETHING SPECIAL ON ANZAC DAY TO COMMEMORATE
THE FALLEN AND THOSE WHO HAVE LAID THEIR LIFE ON THE LINE FOR OUR COUNTRY,
OUR FREEDOM.
MIKE VK4MIK HAS SEEDED AN IDEA TO OPERATE ON AM OR CW THIS ANZAC DAY, USING
THE VERY MODES OF MODULATION USED BY ANZACS DURING WORLD WAR TWO, THE KOREAN
WAR, THE MALAYSIAN CONFLICT AND INSURRECTION AND THE EARLY PART OF THE
VIETNAM WAR.
SOME PARTICIPANTS OF REGULAR RADIO NETS INCLUDING THE 7093KHZ 0600UTC
AFTERNOON NET AND THE NORTH QUEENSLAND NET WILL BE USING AMPLITUDE MODULATION
ON ANZAC DAY AND THERE ARE MORE MILITARY MUSEUM AND NET STATIONS JOINING
THE PARTICIPATION LIST.
IF YOU WANT TO JOIN IN OR FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS FINE ANZAC DAY EVENT THEN
PLEASE CONTACT MIKE PATTERSON VK4MIK ON EMAIL VK4MIKE@YAHOO.COM.AU
FINALLY, THE TARC SOCIAL EVENING IS HAPPENING THIS TUESDAY EVENING MARCH 16TH
FROM 7-30PM AT THE CLUB ROOMS ATOP SES HEADQUARTERS IN GREEN STREET WEST END.
COME ALONG AND LEND A HAND TO PUT THE MAGAZINE OF RENOWN, BACK-SCATTER
TOGETHER AND SOCIALISE WITH FELLOW HAMS. EVERYONE WELCOME !
WELL, THAT'S ALL THE QNEWS FOR THIS SUNDAY 14TH MARCH.THIS HAS BEEN DON
VK4FNQA IN TROPICAL PARADISE FOR THE TOWNSVILLE AMATEUR RADIO CLUB INC, AND
YOU HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO; AND ENJOYING QNEWS FROM VK4WIA.
VK7
local area news :- http://reast.asn.au/news.php
vk7 local news, email vk7regionalnews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
The Bottle Shop Net
The Bottle Shop Net was formed in recognition of the large number of older
valve radios still in use around Australia.
The Bottle Shop Net is usually hosted by Gavin VK7VTX on Flinders Island and
Barry VK3MBW in Lara, Victoria.
It happens at 8.00 pm most week nights, on 3.59 MHz LSB
Most amateurs know that a "bottle" in radio terms is a reference to the
glass thermionic vacuum tubes that formed the basis of radios before the
development of solid state devices. Valves are still in relatively common
use today in high power amplifiers both HF and VHF.
Older solid state radios are also welcome on the net and in order to be
better fit in they are referred to as "stubbies"
Everyone interested in firing up an older radio is more than welcome to join
in the fun and chat and swap tales of the radios being used. There is a
buy-swap-or-sell session before the 9.00pm close of the net.
http://www.ntarc.net/nets.html
(vk7news)
EDUCATION YOUTH AND ADVANCEMENT OF AMATEUR RADIO
www.hamcollege.com.au
VK2 SUMMERLAND
Warwick from Bonalbo successfully completed his Foundation exam and David
VK2FDEC completed Theory for Standard last weekend at Lismore Club Rooms.
17-18 Apr - is next Summerland Foundation Course & Exam.
VK3
ARK's Academy will conduct a regulations course over the weekend of Sat
27th March and Sunday 28th March and the venue will be
Wordware Pty Ltd
Level 1, 321 Whitehorse Rd Nunawading.
The course is FREE of charge.
just e-mail vk3ark@wia.org.au
The course will run 9:30am ---3pm on Saturday and 10am --2pm Sunday
(John Fisher VK3DQ / VK3ARK)
The next Foundation Licence training and assessment weekend by Amateur
Radio Victoria will be held on the 20th and 21st of March, at Ashburton.
For inquiries or to enrol in a quality training experience please contact
Barry Robinson VK3PV on 0428 516 001 or email foundation@amateurradio.com.au
VK6
Get Radio Active. The Western Australian Scout Communications Team is conducting
a 4 day camp at the Peter Hughes Scout Communication Centre from April 8-11 for
Scouts of all ages. The aim of the camp is for participants to gain their
Foundation Amateur Radio License. To enroll, contact me, Bob, vk6pop@wia.org.au
VK7
Persons in the N/West Area of VK7 interested in Training and Assessments for
all classes of Amateur Radio are advised that NWT-ATV Club can provide all
these requirements and in addition provision of Facilitators via the Radio
and Electronics School if candidates so desire.
For more information regarding these facilities, please contact the Club's
Learning Organizer Tony VK7AX , or the Club.
Contact details can be found on the wia.org.au site under VK7 Clubs.,
(vk7news)
Italian radio listeners' society AIR has awarded the prestigious 2010
Boselli prize to ARISS, the Amateur Radio in the International Space Station
project. The award recognises how ARISS has shown the importance of radio
communications to hundreds of young students in Europe and beyond.
ARISS has spread the use of radio from the forefront of science in outer
space to classrooms around the world. The prize will be delivered at the
AIR AGM on 8 May in Faenza, Italy.
(rsgb)
INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to RSGB, Southgate AR Club, the ARRL,
Amateur Radio Newsline, NZART and the WW sources of the WIA.
ARRL SEEKS INPUT FOR NEW IARU REGION 2 BAND PLAN
The International Amateur Radio Region 2 conference -- held later
this year in El Salvador -- brings together delegations from the
national Amateur Radio Societies in the Western Hemisphere. One of the
topics on the agenda will be the Region 2 HF band plan. This band plan
is "harmonized with" -- spectrum management-speak for "very similar to"
-- the IARU Region 1 and Region 3 band plans. At this year's
conference, the IARU Member-Societies will consider possible changes to
the Region 2 band plan. The ARRL is cooperating with this procedure by
inviting input to be sent to the ARRL Board of Directors' Band Planning
Committee. The committee will review the existing Region 2 band plan,
consider input from the amateur community and make recommendations to
the ARRL Board for submission to IARU Region 2.
FLORIDA MAN ELECTRICUTED INSTALLING ABNTENNA TO TALK TO HAITI
A Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, man who was electrocuted on February
28th. This, while trying to install an antenna that authorities said would
have been used to communicate with Haiti.
Police spokesman Sgt. Frank Sousa said Mackenson Mareus died when he
touched a live power line at a home in the 1100 block of Northwest 18th
Court. Police said the antenna Mareus was helping install was intended to
set up communication with Haiti.
According to experts in South Florida that is something ham radio operators
would be able to do with relative ease. But Mareus was not a radio amateur
and according to his cousin Louikenson Arne he did not know what the
antenna was for.
Arne said that the 27 year old Mareus, was from Haiti and had lived in
South Florida for less than three years. He ran an Internet-based radio
station called Radio Tendresse, and the Web site boasted the frequency of
97.7 FM but was not on the air anywhere in the United States.
According to the police report on the accident ham radio operators are
supposed to be licensed with the Federal Communications
Commission. However it was unclear who, if anyone, held a license to use
the antenna and any radio gear connected to it at the time of the accident
that took Mackenson Mareus life.
(ARNewsLine)
SONY TO CLOSE ALABAMA MAGNETIC TAPE PLANT
Call it a true sign of the times. This with word that Sony Corporation
plans to close its tape-manufacturing plant in Dothan, Alabama. This as
the need for magnetic tape products dwindles to a trickle world-wide.
As recently as five years ago most recording of video and audio was done to
tape. But as magnetic disc drives, flash memory and electro-optical
recording technology made rapid advances, the need for magnetic tape
products quickly declined.
Now it has finally reached a low where the demand for magnetic tape
products like those produced at the Sony Dolthan, Alabama, plant has
reached the point where keeping it open is no longer economical. According
to Sony, operations at the plant will be phased out starting in April with
the closure planned to be completed by September.
The facility was opened in 1977. Termination of its operation will lead to
the loss of 300 jobs.
(ARNewsLine)
'Windermere Triangle' mystery solved
A mystery dubbed the Windermere Triangle has finally been solved, according
to a Daily Mirror story reported by Southgate Club.
For more than a year, drivers in the UK Lake District town found their
electric key fobs would not work.
Locals thought there might be a paranormal cause.
But an engineer sent to probe the "ghostly" goings-on discovered fob signals
were being jammed by a caf till using the same frequency.
HAM HERO VU2RBI TO MEET WITH UK ROYAL FAMILY
One of the worlds most decorated hams has been invited to meet with the
British Royal Family. Steve Herman, W7VOA, of Amateur Radio Newsline says
VU2RBI, Bharathi Prasad, was invited to speak at the Commonwealth Day
Observance in London in March 8th in the presence of HM The Queen,
HRH Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and all
Commonwealth High Commissioners.
Bharathi was part of the 2004 Andaman DXpedition team that won the ARRL's
2005 International Humanitarian Award. The December 2004 earthquake and
resulting tsunami swiftly shifted the role of the DX operation into an
emergency communication link with India's mainland.
You may recall VU2RBI visited Brisbane last October and was keen to speak
with clubs yet, despite asking several weeks on the news not one club ever
did contact us to avail themselves of the opportunity or let the newsroom
they were interested, so from vk4 it's to "Buck Palace" instead!
BATTERIES MAY BE BANNED FROM CHECKED AIRLINE BAGGAGE
Travelling by air with spare Lithium Ion batteries for your H-T could soon
become impossible. This as Computer World reports that the United States
Department of Transportation may prohibit the transport of all spare
batteries in checked luggage, regardless of their physical size or capacity.
=============================================================================
WEIRD AND WONDERFUL
CHILE QUAKE MAY HAVE SHORTENED THE DAYS
Scientists at NASA say that the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Chile
on Saturday, February 27th may have shifted Earth's axis and created
shorter days. If their preliminary calculations are correct each day
should be 1.26 microseconds shorter/
According to Science On-Line, large earthquakes cause massive amounts of
rock to shift and alters the distribution of mass on the planet. That
distribution change causes the rate at which the planet rotates to alter
and it is the rate of rotation rate determines the length of a day.
Richard Gross is a geophysicist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
Pasadena, California. He used computer modelling to determine how the
magnitude 8.8 quake that struck Chile may have affected Earth. He found
that the quake should have moved Earth's figure axis about 8 centimetres.
That shift in axis is what may have lead to the minutely shortened days.
(ARNewsLine)
OPERATIONAL NEWS -
SPECIAL EVENTS AND ON AIR CONTEST COLUMN - D A T E L I N E 2010
Mar 13-14 RSBG THIS WEEKEND SEES THE COMMONWEALTH CONTEST (BERU)
details on hfcc.org/hfcc/rule/2009/beru.shtml
Mar 20-21 WIA John Moyle Field Day
details from vk4ae@hotmail.com
APR 30 - MAY 6 Westlakes CQ Repeater contest
contestmanager@westlakesarc.org.au
May 8 WIA VK Trans Tasman 80m Phone
Bruce Renn vk3jwz@wia.org.au
Jun 12 WIA VK Trans Tasman 160m Phone
Bruce Renn vk3jwz@wia.org.au
Jun 12-13 WIA Worked All VK Shires
contest@vkshires.info
Jun 19-20 WIA WINTER VHF-UHF Field Day
John Martin VK3KM tac@wia.org.au
Jul 10tbc WIA Jack Files Contest
John Spooner vk4ajs@wia.org.au
Aug 14-15 WIA Remembrance Day Contest
Peter Harding vk4od@wia.org.au
Aug 21-22 International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend.
register on website illw.net
Oct 2- 3 WIA Oceania DX Contest Phone
Tony Burt vk3tz@wia.org.au
Oct 9-10 WIA Oceania DX Contest CW
Tony Burt vk3tz@wia.org.au
NOV 20-21 WIA Spring VHF-UHF Field Day
John Martin VK3KM tac@wia.org.au
SPECIAL EVENT CALLS, REPEATER BEACON DX AND NET ADVICE
hf nets ON the net, www.timroberts-vk4yeh.id.au/
EI2GBW, Ireland to Great Britain Ferry Celebrations ends March 31 2010
GB2EI, Great Britain to Ireland Ferry Celebrations ends March 31 2010
In DX, we start with word from ARRL Awards Branch Manager Bill Moore, NC1L,
, that the 3V3S operation from Tunisia and the D2CQ operation in Angola
have been approved for DXCC credit. The 3V3S operation took place in 2009
while D2CQ is ongoing.
On the air now is G3LZQ active as 3B9WR from Rodrigues Island through April
2nd. His operation is on all bands 160 to 10 meters, mainly CW, but with a
focus on the 160 through 40. Also look for him to be in the RSGB's 73rd
Commonwealth Contest (This weekend March 13-14th).
QSL via his home callsign.
HF beacon back on air
The Radio Society of Sri Lanka (RSSL) has reinstalled its propagation
beacon Four-Sierra_Seven_Bravo (4S7B).
It is part of the network of 18 HF beacons that were begun by the Northern
California DX Foundation and supported by International Amateur Radio
Union.
The frequencies used are 14.100, 18.110, 21.150, 24.930, and 28.200 MHz.
Each beacon operates on the same frequency on a time-shared basis,
transmitting every three minutes 24 hours a day.
Their callsign is sent in Morse code at 22 words per minute followed by
four one-second dashes. The callsign and the fist dash are at 100 watts,
the remaining dashes are sent at 10 watts, 1 watt and 100 milliwatts.
(Jim Linton VK3PC)
St. Patrick's Day Special Event Station.
The Foyle and District ARC, situated 5 miles south of Derry, has been
allocated the callsign GB5SPD to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. The callsign
will be used over several days, from March 15th until March 17th.
A special QSL card has been printed for the occasion and reports from SWL's
will also be most welcome.
(irts)
And lastly, DF7ZS, will be on the air from Madeira Island signing portable
CT9. This. between March 24th and the 31st. Activity will be holiday style
and will focus on the WARC bands. QSL via DF7ZS. To which we can only add
the line: "Have some Madiera my dear." OK. Bad joke unless you know the
music of the Limelighters'.
(arnewsline)
BROADCAST MONITORING SWL AND SCANNER NEWS
aus_scanner@yahoogroups.com
http://www.scanaustralia.bigpondhosting.com
www.tinyurl.com/BITS-026 (A receiver located in NY USA)
http://mt-shortwave.blogspot.com/
HTTP://www.ei7dar.com/hf.html
NEW DRM DISCO STATION ON SHORTWAVE
If you think that shortwave is a dead medium for entertainment then you may
be surprised to learn about a Miami-based disco music station can now be
heard across North America and Europe. The Disco Palace is using Digital
Radio Mondiale or D-R-M technology to broadcast high-quality music programs
on shortwave.
17.755 MHz from French Guiana.
6.015 MHz from France.
(ARNewsLine)
INTRUDER WATCH - ENFORCEMENT ZONE
Region III IARUMS Coordinator Peter Young VK3MV
VK IARUMS reflector email to subscribe intruders@wia.org.au
IARUMS NETS
Friday 0730 UTC 7.065.5 with VK4CEU David.
Amateur exclusive frequencies where any non-amateur signal is definitely an
intruder.
Amateur HF Spectrum world wide
7.050 to 7.100
14.000 to 14.250
14.250 to 14.350 No broadcasters
21.000 to 21.450
24.890 to 24.990
28.000 to 29.700
450 MHZ INTERFERENCE NAILS METRO TRAFFIC IN SAN DIEGO
ARNewsLine's Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, says Metro Traffic's voice repeater in
San Diego was jammed recently by a large number of simplex hand-held radios
that were pressed into service by the near-by La Mesa-Spring Valley School
District.
The radios were reportedly programmed to transmit on 455.500 MHz and sold to
the School District by an equipment dealer that told the district not to
worry about licensing.
455.500 MHz is Metro's licensed repeater input frequency and the resulting
interference that jammed Metro's helicopter communications.
N6OEI used his direction finding skills garnered from his amateur radio
training to track down the source of the interference:
NZ Intruder Watch
The Monitoring Service Coordinator has recently sought the approval of the
NZART Council and the National System Trustees to use the National System
e.g. 439.875 MHz periodically to encourage more participation in monitoring
the HF bands to report intruders throughout New Zealand.
Voluntary observers may briefly be requesting confirmation of an intruding
signal to verify the strength and direction for confirmation or to alert
others to a potential intruder, which is being verified.
(73 John ZL1GWE MS Coordinator)
Poor operating a cause of concern
Participants in the SARL President's Net a few Sunday's ago voiced their
concern over poor operating procedures and the use of inappropriate language
on the South African airwaves.
While these unacceptable practices are carried out by a small number of radio
amateurs, it tarnishes the image of the hobby.
The use of inappropriate language on the air is a serious offence and can
lead to cancellation of the culprit's license.
These and several other operational issues will be discussed when the
South African Radio League (SARL) Council meets in early this March.
20m ROS frequencies are moved
Jos Ros, the originator of the new amateur radio data mode ROS, has agreed
to move the suggested 20m frequencies for ROS to 14.0972MHz and 14.102MHz
taking them further away from the 14.100MHz international beacon chain
frequency as the originals had been 14.098MHz and 14.1011MHz.
You can find out more about ROS at
http://rosmodem.wordpress.com
and more about the International Beacon Project at
http://www.ncdxf.org/beacons.html
MEDIA WATCH
www.wiaq.com/admin/uploads/weeklytally.rtf
www.cq-amateur-radio.com/WorldRadio.html
Groups presenting this WIA National News Service
MAR VK6 14 NEWSWEST
MAR VK3 28 VK3DN
APR VK3 4 VK3DN
APR VK3 11 VK3DN
APR VK7 25 REAST (ANZAC Weekend)
MAY VK1 23 CRARC (promoting CRARC and WIA AGM)
MAY VK100WIA 30 WIA DIRECTORS JOIN A LIVE OB FROM CANBERRA
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- ATV (Every pixel tells a story) - Video
arvideonews.com
hamradiotube.com
youtube.com
Ham radio movie - 'Interference'
Interference is a short movie about a ham radio operator who picks up an
anomalous radio transmission and stumbles upon an international drug ring.
The YouTube description says:
Interference is about John Upton, a ham radio operator, who picks up
anomalous radio transmission. He sets out to discover the source of the
transmission through triangulation of the signal, and inadvertently stumbles
upon an international drug ring.
Watch the rest of Interference to see how Mr. Upton extricates himself from
the thugs and finds love in the process.
Google Ham radio Film "Interference"
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- CW
FISTS Club - East Asia www.feacw.net
FISTS Club - Australasia www.fistsdownunder.org
FISTS Club - UK & Europe www.fists.co.uk
FISTS Club - Americas www.fists.org
The latest High Speed Telegraphy Honour Roll has been published with three
amateurs, LZ4UU, DJ1YFK and EW8VK, achieving an amazing 1231 characters
per minute.
For full details check out www.rufzxp.net
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
AMATEUR RADIO IN SPACE: A CLOSE ENCOUNTER FOR AMSAT-OSCAR 51
March 1, the AMSAT-OSCAR 51 (AO-51) satellite had a potentially dangerous
encounter with another spacecraft known as Formosat 3D.
OSCAR 51 is a popular Amateur Radio satellite that often functions as a
crossband FM repeater, relaying brief conversations over hundreds of miles.
Formosat 3D is part of a constellation of six remote sensing microsatellites
that collect atmospheric data for weather prediction and for
ionosphere, climate and gravity research. Both orbit at an altitude of
approximately 500 miles.
Read more here
www.arrl.org/news/stories/2010/03/03/11373/?nc=1
SCOTLAND ON ALL THE HAMSATS
Scotland is going to the birds, at least figuratively speaking.
This as 2E1EUB will once again be active as 2M1EUB from March 20th to
the 27th operating every ham radio satellite that he can reach from the
Cairngorms National Park. Also, look for him on 160 and 80 meters.
Checkout QRZ.com under 2M1EUB for more information on this high in the sky
operating event.
INDIA
A radar experiment aboard India's Chandrayaan-1 lunar spacecraft has
identified large deposits of water ice near the Moon's north pole in
more than 40 small craters containing water ice.
These findings have just been presented at a US planetary science conference.
The craters with ice range from 15km down to 2km in diameter.
A Dr. Spudis, from the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, estimated
there was at least 600 million metric tonnes of water ice held within them,
The equivalent amount, expressed as rocket fuel, would be enough to launch
one space shuttle per day for 2,200 years!
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP --- MILITARY
RSGB say that the Royal Signals Amateur Radio Society has made a number of
its technical documents available for download.
Included in the collection are a number of very interesting HF antenna
designs and related projects.
http://www.rsars.org.uk/ELIBRARY/docsants.htm.
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RESCUE RADIO
EMERGENCY FREQUENCIES IARU REGION 3
3.600, 7.110, 14.300, 18.160 and 21.360 MHz
Handiham World reports that Matthew Arthur, KA0PQW, of Minnesota, has
been selected to receive a President's Volunteer Service Award. Arthur is
being recognized for his work with the Community Emergency Response Team in
Steele County, Minnesota. That's where he volunteered and handled
communications during a flood in 2007.
According to Handiham World, this was a nine hour non-stop stint that
lasted until the National Guard could relieve him. During that time he
handled traffic into and out of the flood zone, passing messages to
authorities in the city of Winona.
(ARNewsLine)
THE LOWDOWN COLUMN INCLUDING PRECISION BEACON TRANSMISSIONS
BEACONS www.qsl.net/zl1bpu/micro/Precision
And you can't get much lower than this, 8 kHz.
Yes a new VLF DX record has been established, 12.1km on 8.97kHz
Marcus DF6NM has been able to receive his test transmissions on 8.97kHz at
a distance of 12.1km, currently a record.
The ERP was about 1.3uW using a relatively small antenna with 1.4 Henry
loading coil.
The transmitter was a 35W car-radio audio amplifier and the receiver used a
6m long antenna with the SpecLab software.
See the picture of the signal at
http://www.mydarc.de/df6nm/vlf/vlf_12km.jpg
SpecLab download
http://www.speclab.be/download.html
Amateur Radio below 10kHz
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/lapthorn/earthmode.htm
DF6NM - LF Amateur Radio
http://freenet-homepage.de/df6nm/
(southgate)
NZ Amateurs Granted Access to 600 metre Band
Following submissions from NZ Association of Radio Transmitters (NZART), the
group that represents NZ amateur radio operators, the NZ Government has
agreed to grant NZ Amateurs temporary access to a slice of the 600 metre
spectrum.
From 1 March, NZ Amateurs now have access to a new band, 505 to 515 kHz on a
temporary basis pending an international allocation to radio amateurs.
Requirements of the licence include a maximum radiated power of 25 watts eirp
maximum bandwidth of 200 Hz, and the requirement not to interfere with other
services licensed to use that band.
Historically, this part of the radio spectrum was used for maritime
communications in Morse Code until satellite communications recently made the
technology obsolete. Morse Code was a capability required by radio officers
on ships travelling internationally up until the late 20th century.
The licence amendment will make it possible for amateur radio operators
involved in restoration of historical radio equipment, for example at the
Coast Station at Musick Point in Auckland, to test un-modulated transmission
(carrier wave) signals from the equipment and demonstrate their Morse Code
skills.
(irts/southgate)
REWIND - A LOOK BACK IN HISTORY
"Rewind a look back at our history through the serialised written history
by WIA Centenary Committee member Peter Wolfenden VK3RV with assistance of
others that is being published in the WIA journal Amateur Radio magazine.
Experimenters get organised
On 11 March, 1910 a meeting of like-minded people in the Hotel Australia,
Martin Place, Sydney, formed the Institute of Wireless Telegraphy of Australia,
and soon after dropped the word 'telegraphy' from its name.
Chairman of the founding meeting, George Taylor, proposed "the formation
of an institution amongst experimenters and enthusiasts in wireless for their
mutual benefit."
It was also to create a voice with the authorities over the level of licence
fee charged and to seek better treatment of experimenters in terms of alleged
interference complaints from other spectrum users.
A similar organisation was formed in Melbourne - the Amateur Wireless Society
of Victoria, on 30 November 1911 at a meeting attended by 50 enthusiasts
to form a Society so as to bring together all gentlemen who are interested
in Wireless Telegraphy and by the exchange of views to encourage and assist
experiment in this extremely interesting branch of science..
In 1913 it changed its name to the Wireless Institute of Victoria, and then
became the Wireless Institute of Australia, Victorian Division with evidence
of collaboration between New South Wales and Victoria, and around
the nation.
Then followed The Wireless Institute of Queensland 1912, the West Australian
Radio Club 1913 that ultimately in 1919 became the Wireless Institute of
Australia, Western Australia Section.
Experimenters in South Australia formed a branch of the WIA in November 1919,
and although there was experimental activity in Hobart prior to 1901, the
Tasmanian Division of the WIA was not formed until June 1923.
Clubs generally came later and there were many of them! Most were made up
of young men and teenagers, and were built around the new interest of
broadcast listening."
SOCIAL SCENE 2010
THIS WEEKEND
MARCH 14 VK3
Eastern And Mountain District Radio Club White Elephant Sale
MARCH 14 VK6
100 years of the WIA+Ham Heaven Official opening. (NCRG club premises)
Contact Keith vk6rk@wia.org.au
NEXT WEEKEND
MARCH 21 VK7
MEET THE VOICE BBQ at Ross in VK7
APRIL 3-4-5 VK3
Midland Amateur Radio Club's Radio, Electronic & Astronomy Expo.
Old Fire Station Building" at 52 View Street Bendigo
JUNE 12 VK2
Oxley Region Amateur Radio Club's 35th Annual Field Day.
JULY 17 VK3
GGREC Hamfest Start Time : 10:00
AUGUST 1 VK6
Northern Corridor Group Hamfest Cyril Jackson Sports Centre Ashfield
Oct 29 - 31
VK1OOWIA Westlakes ARC during our WIA centenary celebrations.
NOV 7 VK5
2010 Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society Hamfest Rosa St Goodwood
2012
15TH IARU REGION 3 CONFERENCE hosted by V.A.R.C. in Ho-Chi-Minh City, Vietnam.
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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