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WIANEWS - NOVEMBER 16 - 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 NOVEMBER 16 2014.
HEADING TOWARDS OUR 20TH YEAR OF NON STOP NEWS
WIA DIRECTOR VK2ZRH and the Government's Spectrum Review process has reached
another milestone.
THIS STORY AND MORE IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE WIRELESS INSTITUTE
OF AUSTRALIA FOR WEEK COMMENCING NOVEMBER 16 2014.
A CAREFULLY THOUGHT OUT PLAN OR A VERY NEAT SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES?
This weekend sees BOTH 4th annual Keith Roget Memorial National Parks Award
in full swing AND IUCN World Parks Congress with more than 5000 delegates
including five national leaders and 14 environment ministers taking place in
Australia. The Congress is a global forum on protected areas and takes place
once a decade.
Later in this G20 edition of WIA National News Felix VK4FUQ will take a look
at the Keith Roget Memorial National Parks award.
ACMA ready for interference complaints
With less than six weeks to go to Christmas, the Australian Communications
and Media Authority (ACMA) is expecting an upsurge in interference.
Now on sale at retailers are new Christmas lights, and also those being dusted
off having been stored away in homes.
Based on the ACMA experience, some poorly designed and often cheap LED lights
will cause interference to radio and TV reception.
During the Christmas season that runs well into January, trees and other
displays using certain LED lighting may cause interference.
However the problem is not just lights. The ACMA has found culprits among
thermostatic controlled devices and pumps such as those used in swimming pools.
The ACMA has also found that poor reception can be due to old or damaged
TV antennas.
It helps consumers through self-help brochures that include what to look
for and how to eliminate interference.
Failing that, the ACMA itself will make other investigations. It also works
with importers, distributors and sellers on their responsibilities.
(Jim Linton VK3PC)
ASTRONOMERS have used radio telescopes in Australia and Chile to see inside the
remains of a supernova, in what researchers describe as a forensic investigation
into the death of a star.
The research was published on Tuesday in the Astrophysical Journal and it would
appear that the supernova was first observed in the southern hemisphere in 1987,
when a large star exploded at the edge of a nearby galaxy called the Large
Magellanic Cloud.
Since then, the remnant of Supernova 1987A has been examined by researchers
around the world including the University of Western Australia who had a team
that used the Atacama Large Millimetre/sub millimetre Array in Chile's Atacama
Desert and the Australia Telescope Compact Array in NSW to observe the remnant.
(AP Journal)
To commemorate ANZAC 100 a series of articles is to appear in Amateur Radio
magazine. A number of contributions have been made by Lloyd Butler VK5BR.
A summary of one of them follows.
Joe Kilgariff VKZ/VK5JT, was an early radio amateur in Alice Springs, first
obtaining a licence in 1927. His first transmitter acted as contact man for
major expeditions venturing into Central Australia.
VKZ was a special call to communicate with the outback expeditions including
that led by long distance explorer Donald George Mackay in 1933.
Joe was listed as VK5JT in the Adelaide area as early as 1937. He joined
the RAAF in January 1934 and during World War 11, was in charge of the RAAF
Radio at Parafield.
He passed messages between Parafield and RAAF stations at Laverton and Point
Cook. Joe had the rank of Flight Sergeant. He also taught Morse code in the
RAAF.
The Department of Civil Aviation was established in 1938. It is not quite
clear how the RAAF radio operations interacted with Civil Aviation as
Parafield was the Adelaide airport.
When the war was over, Joe continued radio communication with his own amateur
station and talked to radio amateurs all over the world.
He was an active member of the WIA and served on the South Australian WIA
Council. He was President from 1938 to 1940.
Today we remember Joe Kilgariff VK5JT, a man of many occupations who took
up radio communication as a hobby, at the forefront of early outback expeditions,
and served in the RAAF during WWII.
(Jim Linton VK3PC)
HAMS ACROSS AUSTRALIA.
Today it is to VK6 for a report from Onno on how things are progressing on
establishing 2 meter comms across the Indian Ocean to ZS land
We'll also look at the Rosebud Radio Festival, also to VK5 where
WICEN SA have been invited to setup a display at the 'CFS Mawson Group Equipment
and Community Night'. The event is being held on Monday 17th November at the
McLaren Flat oval, from 1915 to 2100. This follows a successful display recently
at the Morphett Vale CFS in which amateur radio, WICEN and training opportunities
were advertised.
And also a great raffle is in store when you visit www.vks737.on.net this is
the VKS-737 Radio Network, part of the Australian National Four Wheel Drive
Radio Network which provides a 24 hour a day HF radio service for travellers
throughout Australia.
The raffle details are in the text edition of this news and proceeds COULD
easily save a life!
And finally for those on our audio stream listening grab a LARGE
coffee because today's news runs just about 3 minutes over our standard 30mts.
VK3
web service:- http://www.amateurradio.com.au/news/
This is John VK3BJR President of the Southern Peninsula Amateur Radio Club
reminding listeners that the Rosebud RadioFest will be held again this year
on Sunday, 30th November.
As usual, the event will be held at the Eastbourne Primary School at Allambi
Avenue, Rosebud, with outdoor displays open from 8 am and the main sale area
open from a new earlier time of 9.30 am and continuing through till 2 pm.
If you have pre-loved equipment to sell, tables are still available at $10 and
can be booked on-line at www.rosebudradiofest.com
Technical forums will be held as part of the RadioFest and topics include:
constructing a remote controlled radio station,
pedestrian mobile operation,
latest SDR technology and
an ACMA update.
The event has full catering, there is plenty of off street parking, there are
great door prizes including an ICOM VHF/UHF digital transceiver the ID-51A and
the entry fee is only $6 with under 12's free.
This event presents an ideal opportunity to make a family day of it, so bring
your family and enjoy the RadioFest and the beaches, parks, wineries, shops and
restaurants of the Mornington Peninsula.
See you in Rosebud on 30 November. This is John VK3BJR.
73 IN THE CHOOK
The VKS-737 Radio Network, part of the Australian National Four Wheel Drive Radio
Network provides a 24 hour a day HF radio service for travellers throughout
Australia, on frequencies between four and 15 megahertz using 19 base stations.
It is currently embarking on a major base radio replacement program, aimed at
significantly improving the quality of service to its subscribers.
As part of this, they are running a raffle, to be drawn on the 19th December.
Tickets are $5.00 each and the first prize is a new Codan Envoy X1 HF radio,
complete with a Codan 3040 auto-tune antenna. This kit is valued at $4,300.
The Envoy, Codan's latest offering, transmits from 1.6 megahertz to 30 megahertz,
has wide band receive, works SSB, AM, CW, AFSK and FSK. Output can be set from
5 watts to 125 watts. It has commercial quality specifications, with all the
controls on the microphone. It is a beautiful software defined mobile radio.
Specifically for Amateurs, the radio can be programmed to easily VFO throughout
our HF Bands. This raffle is open to everyone in Australia, regardless of whether
they're with the VKS-737 Radio Network or not.
Details can be found by going to www.vks737.on.net and clicking on the Raffle
Link.
What a Christmas present it would be for an enterprising Amateur!
You need to be in it to win.
(Robert VK3ARM)
VK5
WICEN SA have been invited to setup a display at the 'CFS Mawson Group Equipment
and Community Night'. The event is being held on Monday 17th November at the
McLaren Flat oval, from 1915 to 2100. This follows a successful display recently
at the Morphett Vale CFS in which amateur radio, WICEN and training opportunities
were advertised.
(sourced to vk5fmac)
VK6
PROPOSAL FOR AN AMATEUR RADIO SCIENCE RESEARCH PROJECT TO DETECT CHIRP BEACON
SIGNALS FROM AUSTRALIA ON 144 MHz
Radio amateurs made their greatest contribution to radio science and left their
mark on history, when they established two-way radio communication across the
Atlantic Ocean on MF and the HF bands. The US military bounced the first radio
signals off the Moon and a few years later radio amateurs duplicated it, but it
was the most difficult mode in amateur radio that only a few high power amateurs
could accomplish. Thanks to modern digital communications many radio amateurs
can now regularly make EME contacts with 100 Watts and a single Yagi beam antenna
even on 50 MHz.
Today the biggest terrestrial challenge that remains for VHF amateurs is to
bridge the Atlantic and Indian Oceans on 144 MHz via Troppo Ducting. Many
unsuccessful attempts have been made, and more recently the Canadian DX-pedition
VC 1 T conducted tests for a week from Newfoundland across the cold and harsh
Atlantic, but only a few traces of digital signals were received in Europe, over
a distance around 4000 km.
Now the Northern Corridor Radio Group VK6ANC based in Perth are planning to
conquer the 8000 km sea path between Perth and Port Elizabeth with our help.
They intend to use chirp signals based on Chirp Modulated Radar principles with
an EME type Yagi beam antenna system, which will permit extremely weak signals to
be detected as far down as -50 dB below the receiver noise floor. The principle
of Chirp Modulation is based on a sweep frequency pulse of 0 to 2000 Hertz that
is repeated every second, and requires a special synchronized type receiver.
Digital signals could be sent by designating an up-chirp sweep pulse as binary
1 and a down-chirp sweep pulse as binary 0. Furthermore, the William Hepburn's
Worldwide Tropospheric Ducting Forecasts have on occasions predicted conditions
across part of the Indian Ocean that could favour the propagation of 144 MHz
signals.
FIRST STAGE OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT
The first stage will call for a high power transmitter with Chirp modulator
and 4 x 7 element Yagi EME array, to be erected at Perth. The system will
operate as a beacon, VK6RIO, on a frequency of 144,950 MHz and beaming at
South Africa. All the equipment is already on hand just waiting to be erected
when they get a nod from us. Then they will ship to Port Elizabeth the complete
Chirp receiver, but on our side we must provide a 4 x 7 element or better, EME
type Yagi array, and PC linked 24/7 to the Internet. This will permit all those
who have subscribed to the research project to monitor reception in Australia
and South Africa in real time.
SECOND STAGE OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT
Reception of the beacon signals will provide a lot of scientific information such
as
(a) the time of day, the month etc. of openings
(b) the tropospheric conditions that could make this possible
(c) the signal strength
(d) how well the results correlate with the Hepburn Indian Ocean Forecasts, and
(e) whether it would be feasible to make two-way contacts with simpler equipment
with a digital mode such as JT65b. Once we have all the above data then we
can plan skeds with the VK's and once again make amateur radio history.
I have liaised with Phil Harman VK6PH and Keith Bainbridge VK6RK, spokesman for
the Northern Corridor Radio Group, for the past couple of years or so, and
posted items of this project on the SARL VHF Forum. I will co-ordinate this
research in Port Elizabeth and hopefully with the assistance from some local VHF
amateurs. The Australians developed and tested the Chirp modulator and
synchronized chirp receiver at a cost of A$3500, with assistance from TAPR and
will provide us with a chirp receiver at A$1000 plus shipping costs. The first
step is to import the receiver, then we will only need the antenna array and a
PC with Internet connection.
If successful, this amateur radio science research project on 144 MHz will be
reminiscent of the first amateur radio transatlantic test, when Paul Godley
received US amateur signals on 160 metres in Scotland.
(Onno Benschop)
WIA BOARD TALK
President Phil Wait VK2ASD vk2asd@wia.org.au
Vice President Chris Platt VK5CP vk5cp@wia.org.au
Secretary David Williams VK3RU vk3ru@wia.org.au
Treasurer John Longayroux VK3PZ vk3pz@wia.org.au
This is WIA Director Roger Harrison VK2ZRH
The Government's Spectrum Review process has reached another milestone.
On Remembrance Day - last Tuesday - the Minister for Communications, the
Honourable Malcolm Turnbull MP, announced the release of a consultation paper
seeking public comment.
The consultation paper is called "Spectrum Review - Potential Reform Directions".
You may recall that the Minister announced a review of spectrum policy
arrangements back in May, with an issues paper that set out the terms of
reference of the Government's review and seeking comment.
The WIA sent a submission in response to that issues paper in September.
The Department of Communications received a total of 35 non-confidential
submissions from a range of stakeholders, including public broadcaster "our ABC",
the Australian Radiocommunications Industry Association, various state and
federal government agencies, consulting firms, telecommunications firms and the
Police Federation.
The latest consultation paper sets out 11 potential reform proposals and asks
stakeholders to address four questions in relation to the proposed reforms.
At first reading, four proposals are of interest to the amateur radio community.
These being as follows:
The first is:
One licence for all - apparatus, class & spectrum licensing are proposed to go!
There would be a single licensing framework, with licences being issued based on
a set of parameters that cover frequency bands, power limits, licence terms and
other useful specifications.
This is otherwise known as "parameter-based licensing".
The second is:
Outsourcing. The ACMA would have the ability to delegate spectrum management
functions to other entities. Functions to be devolved could include licensing,
fee collection, interference management and dispute resolution, among other things.
Don't you love the sound of cash registers in the morning?
The third is:
Developing more principles-based regulation of the supply of electronic and
radiocommunications devices. The idea here being to increase incentives for
device suppliers and users to manage risk and resolve interference, as well as
disputes, in the device supply market.
I know what you're thinking - hold onto you hats for a moment.
The fourth proposal of interest to amateurs is:
Extending enforcement measures available to the ACMA, enabling it to impose civil
penalties, issue remedial directions and formal warnings to manage and control
interference, along with related powers.
To speculate for a moment - could one imagine a consumer electronics supplier
being slapped with a "bluey" to recall a whole range of lighting products because
they were furious RF noisemakers? And then being hit with a six-figure fine?
Perhaps we'll wait until the ink is dry on the implementation program to come out
of the review, when we can see - in writing - the brave new world ahead.
The deadline for submissions to the consultation paper is the second of December.
In the meantime, the WIA Board will be considering the Directions paper in depth
and inviting member input, and I'll be compiling yet another submission from the
WIA.
The review of the responses to the latest consultation paper is being undertaken
by the Department of Communications and the ACMA. They will report to the
Minister early next year.
You will find details on wia.org.au under "Latest News From the WIA" and also
under Hot Issues.
This is WIA Director Roger Harrison VK2ZRH for VK1WIA News.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to IARU, RSGB, SARL, Southgate AR Club, ARRL,
Amateur Radio Newsline, NZART and the WW sources of the WIA.
At approximately 05:00 UTC on Monday 11 November 1918, 96 years ago, the
Armistice was signed in a railway carriage of Marshall Foch's special train
located in the forest at Rethondes in France on the western front.
At 11:00 UTC Monday the 11th November 1918, the roar of guns ceased and peace
and silence finally descended on the western front, ending the First World War.
It is estimated that close to 9.5 million soldiers, sailors and airmen of all
sides died in the Great War.
We were made aware that the radio amateur fraternity in ZS land commemorated
Remembrance Day with a special programme by the Rev Jan Kramer, ZS6JRK.
That audio file is available from the SARL web, select amateur radio today and
follow the links.
All radio amateurs were requested to keep radio silence between 10:45 and 11:00
as a mark of respect for all who have fallen in service of their country.
Up in Europe, news of a special WW1 Prefix for Belgium.
Belgian stations have been given permission to use the prefix OP instead of the
usual ON during November EACH year until 2018 to commemorate the 100th
anniversary of the Great War.
The ARRLx in Lisbon was active November 11, from Forte do Bom Sucesso in Lisboa
with the special call sign CS 2 ARM 96 D.
This activation is yet another that remembers the centenary of the 1st World War
and 96 years of Armistice Day, and honoured all Portuguese military who died in
the 1st World War in various corners of Europe.
IARU member society the Radio Club Argentino is the latest to get access
to the 60m band for its radio amateurs, ahead of the issue being decided next
November by the World Radio Conference.
The release of the band in Argentina followed it raising the issue to
authorities.
Ministry of Communications delegation from Argentina supported the allocation
on a secondary basis, in continuous segment of 5275-5450 kHz.
5 MHz is agenda item 1.4 proposed by Cuba at the World Conference Radio
Geneva, Switzerland next year.
Shortwave masts demolished
The DARC report a piece of radio history came to an end on November 4 with the
demolition of the Wertachtal shortwave transmitter masts
The shortwave station came into operation for the Munich Olympics in 1972. At the
time it was the largest shortwave transmitter in Europe with 29 masts up to
125m high. The first test transmissions began on April 10, 1972, using the
500 kW transmitters.
The demolition of the facilities started in May and the plant will be completely
demolished by the end of the year.
GlobalSET tests our emergency communications
On Sunday November the 23rd those trained and prepared for disaster when
it strikes will be on air for a special training exercise.
IARU Region 1 invites all IARU member societies and Emergency Communications
Groups, to participate in its latest Global Simulated Emergency Test.
Emergency Centre-of-Activity frequencies on 80, 40, 20, 17 and 15 metres
plus or minus QRM, will have registered stations calling CQ GlobalSET.
The event is to increase common interest in emergency communications, test
how usable the frequencies are across ITU regions, prepare for international
emergencies and the relaying of messages.
GlobalSET 2014 which runs from 11am to 3pm local time on November the 23rd,
has its rules on the IARU Region 1 website, and includes registration with
the relevant IARU regional coordinator.
Christmas Island is ham radio heaven
ABC reports the isolated Christmas Island attracts amateur radio enthusiasts
from across the globe
Radio amateurs from Poland visited recently with unusually heavy baggage, loaded
with receivers, transmitters, and antennas tens of metres long.
The VK9XSP DXpedition team had an arduous journey from Prague to Dubai, then to
Jakarta, before the final leg to the dot in the North West Indian Ocean that is
Christmas Island; over 40 hours in transit.
Read the ABC story at
http://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2014/11/07/4124079.htm
OPERATIONAL NEWS - AWARDS
Listen for VK3 National Parks on air
Portable stations are now active in many Victorian National Parks and making
plenty of contacts.
The 4th annual Keith Roget Memorial National Parks Award activity period
has a record of 35 unique parks this year including those from VK2 and VK5.
It runs until tomorrow Monday.
Award Manager Tony Hambling VK3VTH says most activity is on 40 metres, while
some use Long Path Europe on 20 metres aiming also at the World Wide Flora
and Fauna Award.
The Parksnpeaks website has all activations. The URLs of it and the Award
rules can be found in the text edition of this broadcast.
http://www.parksnpeaks.org/viewKRMNPA.php
https://www.amateurradio.com.au/awards
(Jim Linton VK3PC)
CONTEST NEWS WITH WIA Director Roger Harrison VK2ZRH
FUN IS IN THE AIR !
That's right - the Spring VHF-UHF Field Day is next weekend
Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd of November.
The fun begins on Saturday at 0100 UTC - Zulu, if you wish - and runs through to
0100 UTC on Sunday except for VK6, where the start and finish are at 0400 UTC.
There are six Sections for you to choose in entering the contest - portable
stations, rover stations and home stations - for single operators and multiple
operators - for 24 hours or eight hours.
As you may recall, earlier in 2014, the WIA Board decided to trial two
alternative means of scoring:
Division 1 - grid locator scoring (as for previous Field Days); and
Division 2 - distance-based scoring.
All the other rules are common to each Division.
The general idea is to take your gear out to some suitable location and operate
portable. The fun comes in making contacts and accumulating points. Not to
mention reducing the weight you have to carry back by consuming all the food and
beverages you took with you. Responsibly, of course.
Home stations are just as welcome to participate, too.
I remind participants that the use of 6-digit grid locators for scoring contacts
in each Division is encouraged.
The rules and scoring methods were published in the October issue of Amateur
Radio magazine, pages 43 through 46.
These are also on the VHF-UHF Field Days page of the WIA website.
http://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/vhfuhf/
Be out there in your grid square - or be square !
This is WIA Director Roger Harrison VK2ZRH for VK1WIA News.
SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS, DX, BEACON REPEATER AND NET ADVICE WITH FELIX VK4FUQ
Patrick Stoddard WD9EWK/VA7EWK has secured the special call sign W7O
(WHISKEY SEVEN OSCAR) for use in commemorating the 40th anniversary
of the launch of OSCAR 7 on 15 November 1974.
He plans on having this call on the air between 15 and 24 November, working
satellites and possibly other bands. He will work satellite passes
from Arizona, including AO-7 passes, and hopes to recruit a small
group of operators who can work other passes that cover eastern North
America along with other places that he can't work from his home QTH
(i.e. Europe, north Africa, South America).
He may also recruit some operators to work HF with this call.
Patrick will handle the QSL requests for W7O during this period.
"I am thinking of incorporating the original QSL card design AMSAT
used to confirm AO-7 reception reports from the 1970s in the W7O
card."
Please contact Patrick directly (patrick at wd9ewk dot net) if you
have any questions related to this operation.
(SOURCED TO AMSAT-NA)
VP8RAF/100 Falkland Islands
The RAF Amateur Radio Society, G8FC, has sent an expedition to the Falkland
Islands to operate from the Joint Services Welfare Facility Amateur Radio
Station using the callsigns VP8RAF/100 and VP8FIR/100.
The callsigns commemorate the Battle of Coronel on November 1, 1914 and the
1st Battle of the Falklands on December 8, 1914.
All VP8 stations are able to use the suffix /100 starting back on November 1
up until 15 December 2014.
The Battle of Coronel off the West coast of Chile saw a number of Royal Navy
ships sunk, both the HMS Good Hope and HMS Monmouth which were lost with all
crew. What became known as the 1st Battle of the Falklands took place to the
South East of East Falkland and saw the Royal Navy sink eight ships of the
German Imperial Navy including the flag ship of Admiral Graf Von Spee.
(irts)
We have made mention of this one before, the Islamic Republic of Iran IOTA
DXpedition where a multi-national team of amateur radio operators from Belgium,
The Netherlands and Greece will be active as EP6T from Kish Island (AS-166),
Islamic Republic of Iran, during the last 2 weeks of January 2015.
Now comes some QSL'ing advice:-
They will use ClubLog for online logging and OQRS (QSL requests).
A few days after the DXpedition the logs will be uploaded by their QSL Manager
to LOTW. QSL Manager is Tim Beaumont, M 0 URX:
All QSLs by the Bureau will be answered as usual.
The EP6T Website is now available with more information,
http://www.rockall.be
From now on they will update their Web site and Twitter pages on a daily
basis if need be.
Finally, does Shortwave Radio Have a Future?
This article regarding the future and relevancy of shortwave radio broadcasting
originally appeared in the October 2014 issue of The Spectrum Monitor Magazine.
It is now available online to read:
http://swling.com/blog/2014/11/does-shortwave-radio-have-a-future/
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- ATV (Every pixel tells a story) - Video
arvideonews.com
hamradiotube.com
youtube.com
qdg.org.au
VIDEO OF SOLAR FLARES
NASA has released a video showing eight days of solar flares
produced by the largest sunspot in the past two dozen years.
Known as AR 2192, the video is a time lapse that shows its X-class
flares in both visible and ultraviolet light using images taken
by the Solar Dynamics Observatory Atmospheric Imaging Assembly Instrument.
The massive sunspot, which has now rotated away from Earth, produced
one of the most powerful X-class flares between October 19th and the 27th,
plus many more medium-class flares during that same period.
The video is on-line several places including YouTube
Google AR2192
tinyurl.com/sunspot-AR2192
tinyurl.com/sunspot-ar2192-video
(spacereporter.com via ARNewsLine)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- DIGITAL
Raspberry Pi smaller and cheaper new Model A+.
The A+ follows the Raspberry Pi Model B+ as its more affordable and efficient
variant.
Whereas the B+ costs about $40, its little successor is just $23 and according
to Raspberry Pi Foundation co-founder Eben Upton, it's just as powerful as the
B+.
No raspberry left behind
Like the Model A, the Model A+ uses the BCM2835 application processor and has
256MB RAM, but it is significantly smaller, consumes less power, and inherits
the many improvements that were made to the Model B+
techradar.com/news/computing/the-new-raspberry-pi-model-a-is-smaller-and-cheaper-but-just-as-tasty-1272505
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- FINAL FRONTIER
4M MOON FLY-BY
That epic voyage of the 4M ham radio Lunar fly-by mission has come to an end.
The Lux Space Manfred Memorial Moon Mission, nicknamed 4M that circled the Moon
on October 28th is now in Earth orbit. At least it was as reported in a post to
the Lux Space mission blog.
From the information available as we go to air, the 4 M
Amateur Radio payload was attached to the upper stage of a
Chinese Long March 3C rocket. Its primary payload was the
Chang'e 5-T1 which is a prototype of a Mars lander capsule
with the ability to safely return to Earth. Both completed
the loop around the moon early on October 28th and headed
back toward our home planet.
However the JT65B amateur radio payload, which successfully completed this lunar
flyby, has fallen silent after transmitting for 438 hours
During the afternoon of November 10 the battery voltage dropped from
13.1V to 12.1V and continued falling. The last signal was received by
Rein W6SZ at 01:35 UT on November 11 when the battery voltage had fallen to
8.4 volts.
Ghislain LX2RG posted the following to the Moon Net list:
"Here at Luxspace, we have to thank you all for the reports, for the tracking, and
we also hope that we provided you with the challenges you expected.
4M may possibly awaken from time to time if illumination becomes better.
We shall now endeavor to prepare the next one.
Manfred Memorial Moon Mission (4M) LX0OHB-4M."
As widely reported the Chang'e 5-T1 made it safely through the Earth's atmosphere
without any real heat damage. It touched down at 22:42 UTC on October 31 in
Inner Mongolia.
While there is likely a lot more to this story, there is no doubt that the
4 M amateur radio Lunar fly-by will go into the history books as a first for
ham radio in space.
(Lux Space Blog, published news reports via ARNewsLine)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO AMATEUR YOUNG TIMERS
A Youth Net meets Saturdays at 0100 UTC on IRLP Reflector #2.
Young Hams Net 3.590 - 7:30pm Victorian time.
Youngsters On The Air, YOTA http://www.ham-yota.eu/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/youngstersontheair
IARU REGION 1 ANNOUNCES YOUTH BUDGET FOR 2015 - 2017
Region one of the International Amateur Radio Union plans to spend roughly
$28,000 on young hams in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
According to the minutes of the recent 23rd IARU Region 1 General Conference for
that time frame about $26,000 will be spent directly on youth oriented projects
with another $2000 on a new Youth Working Group that will be chaired by Lisa
Leenders, PA2LS.
This Youth Working Group will organize and coordinate the Region One Youngsters
On The Air program and other Region One youth oriented activities.
(IARU R-1 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
Back in our October 12 news we told of an upcoming Queensland SES and WICEN
joint exercise where the TARCinc were after volunteers.
Well realism was added to Exercise Maggie by only releasing the details to the
SES and embedded radio amateurs at a very late stage, so it simulated a call-out
of volunteers.
The scenario on the weekend of October 25 and 26 was a washed-up ship following
a storm on Magnetic Island, and those on board missing.
Arriving at the SES Headquarters at 7am on the Saturday were many trained
volunteers and four members of the Townville Amateur Radio Club WICEN group.
Among those gathered were Mark VK4FMAR, Snow VK4ME, Lyndall VK4ZM and Gavin
VK4ZZ, who listened very carefully as a rapid briefing was given.
Then off to a ferry for a 45-minute trip to Magnetic Island and on the voyage
an update briefing was held concerning the setting up an Emergency Operations
Centre responding to storm damage, providing welfare, logistics and further
action.
Fortunately the hardened SES repeater communications were working. Lyndall
VK4ZM helped with communicating and logging, while Gavin VK4ZZ observed the
processes in the Emergency Operations Centre.
Radio communications was the only way to co-ordinate the teams in the field.
Checks were made of the portable WICEN cross-band repeater, batteries and
transceivers on hand, in case they were needed.
Some crews went to Nelly Bay to clear debris. Others were on the SES Flood
Boat in Nelly Bay, there was working-at-heights safety practice, more briefings
and a search.
The searching included testing radio procedures designed not to give away
the intent or the result of the search.
On the Sunday after breakfast another rapid briefing occurred for the Exercise
Maggie scenario that included a storm-hit boat washed up with the occupants
missing.
To be embedded during disasters radio amateurs need to have practiced the
agency radio procedure and abide by rules that the EOC may make.
For members of WICEN and the Townsville Amateur Radio Club they thoroughly
enjoyed the exercise, learned quite a few new things and how to fit in successfully
with SES communications as a team.
(Jim Linton, VK3PC, Chairman IARU Region 3 Disaster Communications Committee)
SOCIAL SCENE 2014
Nov 15 VK7 Miena Hamfest
Nov 21 VK3 Bendigo AR & Electronics Club Men's Shed public meeting.
Nov 23 VK5 "Welcome to AR Day" Blackwood 8:45am ( 0410 687 998 )
Nov 30 VK3 SPARC HamFest at Rosebud ( howardjones155@gmail.com )
2015
June, Queens Birthday weekend 40th annual Oxley Region Field Day
July 11-12 VK3 GippsTech 2015
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