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WIANEWS - JUNE 08 - VK NATIONAL NEWS
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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
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WIANEWS WEEK COMMENCING JUNE 08 2014.
HEADING TOWARDS OUR 20TH YEAR OF NON STOP NEWS
Asia-Pacific Telecommunity Conference Brisbane dinner and you're invited June 11.
IPS Radio and Space Services free seminar in Brisbane 25 June 2015
WIA June AR Magazine review with VK4ZPP
THESE STORIES AND MORE IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE WIRELESS INSTITUTE
OF AUSTRALIA FOR WEEK COMMENCING JUN 8 2014.
TRENDING ON VK1WIA TWITTER ACCOUNT
http://twitter.com/VK1WIA
#WIAsurvey
#WIA AR Magazine
#WIA Harry Angel Memorial Sprint results
ACMA are on the lookout for Field Engineers in the Brisbane area?
Field (Technical) Officer
Job Ref - A140014
Fresh air, out of the office, Australia wide travel Brisbane CBD
ACMA 5 - up to $75,196 plus 15.4% super
Position Profile - 1602
Field (Technical) Officer
Job Ref - A140015
Fresh air, out of the office, Australia Wide Travel Brisbane CBD
ACMA 6 - up to $86,738 plus 15.4% super
Position Profile - 1603
Check out
http://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/About/Careers/Life-at-the-ACMA/job
Here in Australia we have one of the best Space weather/ ionosphere monitoring
services in the world.
To raise awareness about space weather and its effects, IPS Radio and Space
Services, Bureau of Meteorology, is planning to present a free one-hour
information seminar in Brisbane on 25 June 2015
For further information, please write to training@ips.gov.au
Dale Hughes VK1DSH reports as part of preparations for the next World
Radiocommunication Conference scheduled for November 2015, many of the
Asia-Pacific nations that make up ITU region 3 are meeting in Brisbane
between June 9 and 13 this week.
The Asia-Pacific Telecommunity Conference Preparatory Group (usually
abbreviated to APG) will discuss many of the WRC-15 agenda items, including
issues that will affect amateur operators.
There are two main issues that are of interest to Australian amateurs: these
being a proposed new secondary allocation for the amateur service around
5300 kHz and a proposed new primary allocation in the 77.5 to 78 GHz frequency
band for the radiolocation service that may affect the existing primary
amateur service allocation in that band.
Now we did send this invitation out on VK1WIA twitter last Friday week, that,
as the meeting is in Brisbane there is opportunity for a limited number of
interested local amateurs to meet the APG representatives and a dinner is
planned for the evening of Wednesday 11 June in central Brisbane.
Please contact Dale Hughes vk1dsh@wia.org.au if you are interested in
attending.
Australians in the International Museum Weekend
On the following two Saturdays and Sundays, the International Museum Weekend
is held with Amateur Radio involved in the recognition that museums of all
types have a cultural and educational importance.
It has regular participants in the United Kingdom, Europe, Canada and the
USA. Previously in Australia it had included VK3RAN on HMAS Castlemaine,
VK3ATL the Geelong Regional Museum, VK3DJ Queenscliffe Maritime Museum, and
VK7FLI from the Furneaux Ship Wreck Museum on Flinders Island.
This year it has three VK stations listed. The Melbourne Museum in Nicholson
Street, Carlton is a portable station run by Joe VK3YSP and Julie VK3FOWL.
In entrance parkland on primarily the HF bands the pair will hold a check-in
following the VK1WIA Sunday morning broadcast on the Greater Melbourne VHF
and UHF repeaters.
Weak Signal Digital Communications using JT65 will be shown on 14.076MHz
in the local afternoons.
Also on air will be VK6WH at the Applecross Wireless Hill Museum, and the
VK6ARG at the Shipwreck Galleries Museum in Freemantle.
The Wireless Hill Museum, also set in parkland, will on the 14th and 15th
of June, hoping to link via Amateur Radio the west and east coast of Australia.
John VK3DQ tells us "The Fly is now an Ozzie !!!"
The 'RadioActives' would like to congratulate Arthur VK3FLYY who has upgraded
to an advanced license. Arthur has applied for the callsign VK3OZI ..
so the Fly is now an Ozzi!
Well done Arthur and good DX
The RadioActives .. see on VK3RSE
ARNSW Balun Construction Day June 29 (Sunday)
A technical day provided by ARNSW at the Dural site with lectures on the
operation of baluns and practical construction of a balun from a kit.
Bookings needed for the course and to reserve a kit.
Send email to balun@arnsw.org.au to register.
Lunch provided.
(wia calender text edtion only)
GGREC 2014 HAMFEST Gippsland Gate Radio & Electronics Club July 19
HAMFEST- Sale of new and used Amateur Radio equipment and electronic
components.
GGREC Hamfest At Cranbourne Public Hall, located at the corner of Clarendon St
and High St, Cranbourne. Melway 133 K4.
Everything is under cover so weather is no problem. Buyers entry $6.00.
If you want to reserve a table at this popular event book early via
visit www.ggrec.org.au/hamfest
(wia calender text edtion only)
READ ALL ABOUT IT!!
Well, I have had the June Amateur Radio magazine for over a week and still
haven't made it to the hardware store.
Hello, I'm Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and the postman brought my magazine before
the start of June. With the dramatic photo taken during the John Moyle Field
Day on the cover, there are the usual columns and news from around the States.
One item of extra interest is the request for articles and information for
use during the Institute's commemoration of the centenary of the ANZAC landing.
Phil Waite, our Institute President, is asking for information regarding all
theatres of military engagement that involved Australian radio amateurs.
Effectively this means all theatres from World War I.
Please check p.26 of this month's AR.
For the home constructors there are articles by VK3YE and VK5HSE on a phasing
direct conversion receiver and a 16 bit sound card to follow your SDR project.
Now to clarify my reference to hardware stores.
My local club is engaged in getting a repeater system together and on p. 14
commences an article from VK3BUF on making a 70cm dipole array.
Whether you are interested in clubbing or more esoteric pursuits, you will
find something in this month's Amateur Radio magazine. If you are a WIA member
you will already have a copy and if not find it at your local newsagent.
VK4HA - HARRY ANGEL MEMORIAL SPRINT
Kevin VK4UH, Contest Manager for the Harry Angel Memorial 80m Sprint Contest
joins us in the AUDIO edtion right now with the results.. so make sure you have
tuned in!
The HA is managed be the Redcliffe and Districts Radio Club on behalf of the
WIA. The contest was run on May 3rd and commemorates the life of Harry Angel
who at the time of his passing was the oldest Australian amateur. The contest
duration is 106 mins, one for each year of Harry's Life.
There were 71 entries this year, so the contest remains alive and well.
The full results of the contest will shortly be found in print on the WIA
website on the HA contest page.
(Kevin VK4UH)
INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to IARU, RSGB, SARL, Southgate AR Club, ARRL,
Amateur Radio Newsline, NZART and the WW sources of the WIA.
BBC Radio Explorer: a new way to listen to radio
The BBC has quietly released a prototype service called BBC Radio Explorer
(see http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/explorer)
The service is the result of "10% time", a loose concept that allows the
BBC's software engineers time to develop and play about with things.
Unusually, this one is visible to the public, if you know where to look.
BBC Radio Explorer is a relatively simple idea.
Type something that you're interested in, and the service plays you clips and
programmes that it thinks you'll like: one after the other. It's a different
way to listen to the BBC's talk radio output, and it should unearth a lot of
interesting programming from the BBC.
Read the full article here:
http://www.mediauk.com/article/34502/bbc-radio-explorer-a-new-way-to-listen-to-radio?utm_source=muk&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyalert
Techniques by radio amateurs teach the military
In emergencies, time is important in finding a lost person, or to set-up
a communications base.
Marines in the US state of North Carolina recently learned first-hand of
the fox hunt methods and equipment used by Rowan Amateur Radio Society.
The Marines from the 2nd Radio Battalion, Marine Expeditionary Force, were
shown a Yagi antenna for tracking hidden transmitters, use of an attenuator
to reduce signal strength, and radio wave propagation.
They gained skills and know-how not possible in a classroom, and have been
invited to a monthly fox hunt.
Earlier US National Guardsmen from Fort McClellan in the US state of Alabama,
were shown by three radio hams the usefulness of HF radio in an emergency.
Jim Linton VK3PC, Chairman IARU Region 3 Disaster Communications Committee says
they drew on disaster experiences of HF radio when mobile phones and the
satellite system were overloaded.
The local Army Military Auxiliary Radio System now believes HF radio could
be more efficient than current cumbersome satellite communications.
60m operation in Cuba
Cuba's Ministry of Communications has begun issuing licence
endorsements for experimental operation on 60 metres.
Cubans who are granted an endorsement will be allowed to transmit
between 5,418 and 5,430kHz on CW, SSB and PSK-31. They may only
contact other Cuban stations; no international contacts are
allowed. Maximum power output is 50W or 10W for Novice operators
and up to 100W may be authorised in emergencies.
Despite these restrictions, Cuban amateurs would appreciate listener reports.
Masahiro Sanada JI 1 IZR reports the amateur radio CubeSat ARTSAT1:INVADER
(CO-77) is in trouble and asks radio hams to listen for the satellite and
report any reception
They have had no reply from the satellite, nor the CW [437.325 MHz] becomes
not to be heard after the command.
When you have a chance to listen to the satellite, please send your report
via the form at: http://api.artsat.jp/report/
INVADER is an amateur radio "Art Satellite" developed by students at the
Tama Art University as a part of the "ARTSAT: Art and Satellite Project"
which aims at a practical use of a satellite for art and design.
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ARNEWSLINE
HAMVENTION 2014 - NEW GEAR AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
This week Amateur Radio Newsline's Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, takes a
quick look at some of the product releases made this year:
--
The Dayton Hamvention is known for new product introductions
each year and 2014 was no different. For Yaesu the word is
Fusion. Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV.
--
K7BV: "It's been kind of a big year in particular because we
have had a lot of interest in our System Fusion which is our
new dual mode digital and analogue system that allows digital
users and analogue users to co-exist on the same repeater.
And we introduced that repeater, the DR1X, this weekend."
--
At ICOM D-star rolls on. Ray Novak, N9JA.
--
N9JA: "The biggest thing being talked about is the ID-5100;
people have seen the Android app for it; the wireless
control for it; the wireless headset; Bluetooth. A great
little radio."
--
Other new radios include the TEN-TEC Patriot, Model 507, a
20 and 40 meters SSB/CW QRP open source rig and the Flex-
6300 software defined radio for 160 through 6. Sierra Radio
Systems had their TeleSense remote site monitoring system
and Hendricks QRP Kits had their new multiband CW
transceiver.
And year in, year out, nobody has more new stuff than Heil
Sound. Bob Heil, K9EID
--
K9EID: "Our new HBA. It's a wireless adapter that you can
use in your station so you can run around for about 30 feet
and you don't need a microphone cable, and it's really cool.
And it works on any radio for transmit with a microphone.
"We are showing a couple of new products. We have the new
K1000 headset. It will be out August or September. It is
an amazing headset. It is probably the beast headset I have
ever seen.
"And I have a new microphone, the PR-10. It's a smaller
version of the PR-781.
"We brought back the MB-10 this year. The BM-10 was the
first headset we did back in 1985. We brought it back with
a full range element and with our push-to-talk switch in
line."
--
RadioWavz had a couple of new antennas available. Emmett
Hohensee, W0QH.
--
W0QH: "The first one is an all-band, off-centre-fed antenna
that we designed for the military. It's designed to give you
everything from 160 meters up to 10 meters without an auto-
coupler. It's a fantastic product that the military likes
to use because they don't have time to mess with things, so
they can just throw it up in a tree and it works.
"The other is an NVIS loop antenna that we designed
especially for the Ministry of Transportation in Quito,
Ecuador. This is an NVIS HF antenna that works 3.5 MHz all
the way up to 50 MHz and it literally mounts on top of a
control tower. Every control tower in Ecuador has one of
our HF antennas on its roof."
--
How will they top themselves next year? I can't wait to
find out!
For the Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW.
=============================================================================
RSGB's G4NJH
IY4EY to operate near Marconi's yacht
To celebrate Museum Ships Weekend, on 7th and 8th June, IY4EY
will be on the air near to Marconi's yacht Elettra that is kept
at the Museum of Villa Griffone in Bologna, Italy.
The vessel was launched 110 years ago and the event aims to
highlight the historical value of Elettra, which was the mobile
laboratory of Marconi. Many important experiments were carried
out on board. The event is supported by Princess Elettra Marconi
and her son.
More details at www.arifidenza.it
=============================================================================
WEIRD AND WONDERFUL
A scientific research facility in Wyoming has made a startling discovery that
is certain to change the way millions of Americans look at the
environmentalism movement, after they found conclusive evidence that solar
panels not only convert the sun's energy into usable energy, but that they are
also draining the sun of its own energy, possibly with catastrophic
consequences far worse than global warming.
"Put into laymen's terms, the solar panels capture the sun's energy, but pull
on the sun over time, forcing more energy to be released than the sun is
actually producing," claims made in a scientific white paper.
"Imagine a waterfall, dumping water. But you aren't catching the water in
buckets, but rather sucking it in with a vacuum cleaner. Eventually, you're
going to suck in so much water that you drain the river above that waterfall
completely."
There's no immediate danger, however. "Currently, solar panels are an energy
niche, and do not pose a serious risk to the sun. But if we converted our
grids to solar energy in a big way, with panels on domestic homes and
commercial businesses, and paving our parking lots with panels, we'd start
seeing very serious problems over time. If every home in the world had solar
panels on their roofs, global temperatures would drop by as much as thirty
degrees over twenty years, and the sun could die out within three hundred to
four hundred years."
http://nationalreport.net/solar-panels-drain-suns-energy-experts-say/
(via vk3dn)
OPERATIONAL NEWS - DATELINE 2014
VK SHIRES QUEENS BIRTHDAY WEEKEND (THIS WEEKEND)
June 21-22 - Winter VHF-UHF Field Day weekend (thanks to NERG in VK3 for date)
SGARS 80 METRE TROPHY CONTEST July 26
10-10 INTERNATIONAL SUMMER CONTEST Aug 2 - 3
WIA REMEMBRANCE DAY (THE RD) CONTEST Aug 16 - 17
Manly-Warringah Radio Society's Flagpole contest September 20.
Event Date : 20th Sept Event Duration 1 day,
10AM UNTIL 10AM NEXT DAY.
A fun competition with emphasis on portable
operation immediately follows International
"Talk Like a Pirate Day".
Operate using a portable antenna across
multiple modes.
Flagpoles are a central theme to this
competition and talking like a pirate
(or dressing like one)
will also help your points haul.
Comp details: http://www.mwrs.org.au/event/mwrs-flagpole-contest-2014/
TX 5 K GETS THE 2013 BEST COMMUNICATION AWARD
Word that DX Coffee and DX University have honoured the TX 5 K operation from
Clipperton Island with the 2013 Best Communication Award. This in recognition
of the large amount of information given before, during and after the
operation via the operation's official website and related blog.
According to the award sponsors, the information provided
was extremely complete and covered everything from the
documents describing the project, the equipment, the pilots
and photo gallery. Also, the very detailed information
reported on the blog let readers experience every facet of
the DXpedition from beginning to end.
(OPDX via ARNewsLine)
KJ 6 GHN /KH 7 ON WAKE ISLAND
Lisa Marks, KJ 6 GHN, is now operational from Wake Island.
She is currently working on Wake and will be there for the next few years.
Her station is an Icom 718 and has been mainly operating PSK on 15 meters.
She asks that those wanting a card to be patient mail only comes twice a month.
She does upload to Logbook of the World and ClubLog, and also accepts bureau
QSLs.
(OPDX via ARNewsLine)
TWO MORE APPROVED FOR DXCC
The ARRL's DXCC desk has announced that the ZA/IZ 4 JMA 2013 and 2014
Operations from Albania and the 2014 XW 7 T operation from Laos have both
been approved for DXCC credit.
AF 6 WU and AF 6 KJ will be active as V 31 WU and V 31 DV respectively from
Belize between June 9th and the 15th.
Operations will be on the High Frequency bands using SSB and PSK31.
QSL both callsigns via AF 6 WU, direct or via the bureau. Electronic QSLs go
either by Logbook of the World or eQSL.
A 6 member Russian team is preparing to operate from South Kuril Islands in
Asiatic Russia, from June 16th to the 26th.
Callsign to be used will be RIZ 0 F.
Operations will be on all bands including the 30, 17 and 12 meters using CW
and SSB. QSL Manager is RX 3 F.
W9D - commemorating the 70th anniversary of D-Day.
Operators from the DuPage Amateur Radio Club are on air from the First
Division War Museum, Illinois this weekend, 6th to 8th June 2014.
This operation is in memory of the 1st Infantry Division which lead the
landings on Omaha Beach in Normandy 6th June 1944.
(via theTARCinc)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- FEMALES IN RADIO
ALARA - AUSTRALIAN LADIES AR ASSOCIATION
http://alara.org.au
Net is held each Mondays on 3.570 MHz, commencing at 1030 UTC.
(1000utc during daylight saving)
geencee@picknowl.com.au
Jean VK3VIP President ALARA has told us that the second of the special ALARA
sponsored foundation courses which was held over the weekend in Melbourne
has been a great success with all five candidates obtaining their licenses
So Please Welcome
Susan, Monika, Christine, Kaye and Sue to Amateur radio and listen out for
them on the air in the not too distant future
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- FINAL FRONTIER
ARISS PARTNERS MEET IN THE NETHERLANDS
Partner members of Amateur Radio on the International Space
Station or ARISS recently met for the first time in almost
two and a half years at the European Space Agency Space
Research and Technology Centre in the Netherlands. The
purpose of the gathering was to reassess the ARISS program's
overall direction and to consider new goals for it.
One of the key speakers was Lou McFadin, W5DID, who among
other things noted that there is need for what he termed as
a power override switch. This would a simple way for the
astronauts to shut completely down ARISS equipment during
safety-critical events such as Extra Vehicular Activities
which are better known as space-walks.
W 5 DID also suggested that there would be a definite
advantage of installing a new and higher power VHF/UHF
transceiver in the Columbus module similar to the one
located in the Service Module. Of late, many ARISS school
contacts have been made using the 5 watt Ericsson hand-held
transceiver making some of these QSOs difficult to achieve.
The gathering was presided over by ARISS International
Chairman Frank Bauer, KA 3 HDO. Meeting minutes and committee
reports are on the web at
tinyurl.com/ariss-meet-2014
(ARISS via ARNewsLine)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RESCUE RADIO
IARU REGION 3
Emergency Centre of Activity (CoA) frequencies
3.600, 7.110, 14.300, 18.160 and 21.360 MHz
SES Townsville/Thuringowa Division Joint Exercise.
A golden opportunity to gain experience in operating with Counter-Disaster
organisations in preparation for the support role that Radio Amateurs provide
during times of disaster.
The exercise will involve some operators on foot in forested, rocky, grassy,
sandy areas, mobile in vehicles and operating out of at least two base stations
that will be set up for the event. Possibility of an overnight camp-out.
Sat 25 to Sun 26 Oct - SES Joint Exercise somewhere in the Townsville Region
Please contact Gavin/VK4ZZ on email
vk4zz@wia.org.au
FINAL FINAL
What use is an F-call?
The radio waves are open to all comers, licensed or not. That means that while
you have to be licensed to use a particular frequency and that stiff penalties
apply if you're not, there's nothing physically stopping anyone from using any
frequency.
I recently had a report from a fellow amateur who had a particularly
unpleasant experience on-air. They were accosted by another station.
Fortunately that amateur had a witness to the experience, so they didn't feel
completely alone in the moment. It did stop them from being on-air until
surrounded by friends.
This discovery brought out other experiences from other amateurs, one told how
another station was impersonating their callsign, and only being advised of
this by other amateurs brought this to their attention. I've heard another
station use my voice from a recording like the news, and transmit that on a
local repeater, and I've heard other stations being abused and stories about
abuse.
Abuse will happen. Idiots are everywhere in society, lonely, sad people, or
malicious, or both, or something else. Fortunately these incidents are not
common, but they do occur.
What should you do when this happens to you?
Many and varied opinions exist. Sometimes it's not obvious that you're dealing
with a station that's up to no good, but once you are, the best advice I've
been given is to log the experience, attempt to get a recording of it, and
report it to the ACMA. Don't engage the other station. Ignore it.
In contests, when this might happen, I'm told that the best action is to treat
the station as local noise and ignore it. If you have trouble hearing another
station, time your calls to coincide with the interference, refer to it as
QRN if at all.
I know that this is simple to say from the comfort of my shack, but it's the
best advice I have to share. If you have other comments about this, send me
an email, vk6flab@wia.org.au.
I'm Onno VK6FLAB
SOCIAL SCENE 2014
THIS WEEKEND
Jun 7- 9 VK2 Oxley Region Amateur Radio Club field day Port Macquarie
Jun 7- 9 VK5 South East Radio Groups' (SERG) 50th annual Convention and
Australian Foxhunting Championship.
Jul 12-13 VK3 GippsTech Conference
Jul 19 VK3 GGREC 2014 HAMFEST Gippsland Gate Radio & Electronics Club.
Aug 3 VK6 Northern Corridor Radio Group Hamfest. ( hamfest@ncrg.info )
Nov 2 VK5 HamFest Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society
Nov 15 VK7 Miena Hamfest
Nov 30 VK3 SPARC HamFest at Rosebud ( howardjones155@gmail.com )
2015
July 11-12 VK3 GippsTech 2015
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The purpose of "WIANews" is to rapidly provide news of interest to
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