MAY 1 - VK NATIONAL NEWS BROADCAST ON VK1WIA
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THE BEST NEWS YOU'LL GET ALL WEEK
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This is WIA NATIONAL NEWS FOR WEEK COMMENCING MAY 1 2016, I'm Robert VK3DN
And I'm Bryan VK3GR filling in once again for Graham VK3BB over the next month whilst Graham has some time off for a break,
Yes and thanks to Graham for giving us the opportunity to help out once again.. we have a pretty full broadcast this week so onto the VK National News Stories
and you have the first one Bryan - Wireless ANZAC Bert Billings
On the broadcast last week, Graham VK4BB told how Bert Billings of the
Melbourne bayside suburb of Brighton was an early pioneer that became
the first and last Wireless ANZAC.
An article to appear in Amateur Radio magazine by Jim Gordon VK3ZKK, former
manager of the Australian Army Signals Museum at Macleod in Victoria,
traces
his exploits from having sent the first army wireless message in Victoria.
Listeners to VK1WIA last week heard of how Billings served in WWI initially
at
Gallipoli, and beyond that throughout the Great War.
The article in Amateur Radio will look at the very early years of Bert
Billings,
born at Avenel Victoria in 1894, the son of a railway stationmaster.
His schooling included a Merit Certificate at 15, then starting work in the
local Post Office as a telegraph messenger, and after further education at
the
Working Men's College now RMIT Melbourne to became junior clerk at the St
Kilda
railway station
With the formation of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Corps of
Signallers
was formed on 12th January 1906, with Billings enlisting in 1912.
Being a clerk in the Victorian Railways required him to be a telegraphist,
and
he also had his own experimental wireless station with the callsign of XJP.
Wireless equipment included self-wound coils, homemade variable condensers,
an
accumulator for power that had to be re-charged at an electric sub-station,
an
old car ignition spark coil, a crystal detector and headphones.
He had regular Morse code contacts with a nearby friend, and could receive
telegram signals from coastal steamers.
Already a wireless experimenter and accomplished telegraphist, he
gravitated to
Army Signals.
His war service and civilian life has been preserved thanks to content of
two
self-published books.
The article by Jim VK3ZKK and an earlier report in the same journal,
acknowledge Bert Billing XJP was the First and Last Wireless ANZAC.
And thanks to Jim VK3PC for that story.
ANZAC Day special Amateur Radio event
Organised by the School Amateur Radio Club Network and the Melbourne region scouts, and held on ANZAC Day, it attracted some 200 school children, scouts and their families.
The all-day event was at the 1st Bentleigh Scout Hall, Patterson Road Bentleigh in southern Melbourne.
Highlights included a high altitude balloon launch, a moving ANZAC day ceremony and many radio-related activities and displays.
The progress of the balloon, which was tracked by local radio amateurs, was closely monitored by the children on their mobile devices.
The soldering activity and historic radio display also attracted a lot of attention.
Julie VK3FOWL and Joe VK3YSP, who were the main organisers, expressed their many thanks to all involved, and it seems it'll become an annual event.
Now Onto some news about the upcoming WIA AGM - A Balloon launch for the WIA AGM
Has a pico party-type balloon is to take to high altitudes, hopefully floating
over
the South Pacific, and include a greeting message to the Wireless Institute
of
Australia annual general meeting and conference on Norfolk Island.
Trackers will hear payload JT9 packets with the message: 'WIA AGM
VK9WI', from
the balloon PS-65, along with the normal data of its location, altitude,
temperature, and battery condition.
Andy VK3YT has prepared the flight and the software payload - the latest in
his
series of such pico balloons solar powered balloons that have encircled the
globe.
The greeting message is in response to a request from the WIA, and Andy
VK3YT
humbly accepts such a challenge. He explains that the transmission schedule
has
the greeting message in the first packet, twice per hour, when the battery
is
charged.
Its travel will be tracked on Norfolk Island during the WIA AGM, and by
many
other trackers in VK, ZL and worldwide.
Good luck with PS-65 to be launched from Melbourne to mark the WIA AGM,
members' forum and events on Norfolk Island, May 27, 28, & 29.
A pretty good initiative and thanks to Andy for his help with putting the balloon launch together.
And now to HAMS ACROSS AUSTRALIA.
Club Focus Matching Your Constitution
Chances are your club will have a constitution, and near the beginning of that document will be
listed a set of one or more Objects.
The Objects are an outline of why the club was formed in the first place. The rest of the
document is about good management of the club.
A good measure of how your club is going is to list the objects from your constitution and have
an honest discussion about whether or not your club is doing what it should be doing.
So what if you aren't doing what it says in the objects? In simple terms it means one of two
things either you need to take a long hard look at your club's activity programme, or you
should review your constitution because your objects may be out of date, or too narrow in their
scope.
I'll deal with the former rather than the latter, because the latter option would be a huge project.
If you believe that your club isn't meeting the objects in its constitution, it's time to take a look at
what you ARE doing. In fact, your constitution's objects must embrace the club's activities. To
achieve this without restricting creativity, however, the objects should be fairly broad and not a
list of specific activities.
So now we've sorted out your objectives, what does your club spend its energy on?
What occupies most of your time at the club?
The first suspect on my list is meetings. The business part of any club ought to be dealt with by
short committee meetings, with minutes circulated to members. Any business out of the
ordinary can be taken to a broader group of members, however the day to day mundane stuff
about paying the rent, power bills etc is for the committee.
So, having relieved general members of the drudgery of meetings, there's plenty of time to
engage the members in club activities. These can be instructional, information sharing,
maintenance and construction of antennas etc, and, yes, playing with the radios.
By a simple process of doing away with the unnecessary and replacing it with the fun stuff, your
club will become focussed, more interesting and members will enjoy attending club meetings
and activities.
I'm Bob, VK6POP
Thanks Bob and now its up north to Geoff Emery with some thoughts he has been having
Hello, I'm Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I've been thinking.
Perhaps the most powerful expression of hope, in the 20th century,
was the speech by Martin Luther King. Dr. King will always be
remembered for his "I have a dream" speech which spelled out
the desire for equality of a section of the American community.
The listing of points and the reasons that have been given by the
WIA take some 22 pages in a submission to the ACMA. You won't
find the poetry of "I have a dream" but for Australian amateurs,
these are the hopes for licence conditions in the future. You can
find the letter on the Institute web pages.
I think that the distinction, apart from the scope of the issues,
is that in spelling out what can be imagined of the future of
electronics technology and mating it with the future governance
of communications is both an exercise in crystal ball gazing and
the ideology followed by the regulator and successive governments.
If you can get your teeth into this submission, there is a multiplying
of the options that science and industry are making available, and
this is seen as a reasonable request for our licences to reflect this
within amateur radio.
There are many exoteric areas which could be covered in detail but
much of the work has been canvassed in prior meetings between
the two bodies. What is spelled out is the stage reached now and the
ideas being consolidated into practicalities. Our hobby will change
and the form it will take for the next several years will be settled
in the outcomes of writing a new Bill of parliament to replace the
current Communications Act. The hundreds of hours of tedious
and meticulous consideration given to our hobby, how it fits in the
scheme of things and the understanding and trust of the parties
involved in settling the outcomes.
All Australian amateurs will have the benefits of this renewal,
thanks to the WIA.
I'm Geoff Emery and that's what I think....how about you?
Thanks Geoff and not to INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to IARU, RSGB, SARL, Southgate AR Club,
ARRL,
Amateur Radio Newsline, NZART and the WW sources of the WIA.
Easier to operate while visiting the Rio Olympics
Radio amateurs hoping to operate in Brazil during the 2016 Olympic Games
have
been invited to do through an initiative of the Brazilian Amateur Radio
League
LABRE, that reduces the normal hassles.
IARU Region 2 News Editor Joaquin Solana XE1R, reports that foreign radio
amateur radio in Brazil for the Olympics of August and September, will be
able
to operate whether or not a reciprocal agreement exists.
LABRE has obtain the fee-free licence for such visitors after negotiations
with
ANATEL, the Brazilian telecommunications regulator.
Those wanting to operate should end LAMBRE by email a scanned copy of a
valid
passport identification pages, amateur licence copy, and a list of cities
with
dates.
There has been no news yet if there will be a special event station and
callsign for the Rio Olympics.
Further information (In EENGLISH) at
labre.org.br/wa_files/LABRE-Amateur-Service-Brazil-WorldCup2014-B.pdf
So whats in a name - Innovative Solutions in Space (ISIS)
The Radio Amateur Society of Thailand report Innovative Solutions in Space are building the first
Thai
ham radio satellite JAISAT-1
The JAISAT-1 CubeSat is planned to carry a linear transponder and RAST say
the satellite will be constructed by Innovative Solutions in Space
Thailand's regulator the National Broadcasting and Telecommunictions
Commission agreed to provide 9.3 million baht ($375,000 Aud) in funding
over two years for the RAST sponsored JAISAT-1 Project.
Romania joins 5 MHz
News has broken that the Romanian telecomms regulator ANCOM has granted YO
amateurs access to 5 MHz on a scheduled testing basis, starting 8 Apr 2016
for approximately a year's duration.
At the moment it is limited to the 3 kHz-wide 5363.5 - 5366.5 kHz slot, CW,
PSK,
RTTY and WSJT being permitted. Maximum power allowed is 15W e.i.r.p.
( http://www.hamradio.ro/Comunicate/2004201601 )
Hallo everyone, this is Clive VK6CSW with the usual reminder that
tomorrow, Monday May 2nd, the Radio Amateurs Old Timers Club of
Australia's monthly News and Information bulletin goes to air.
This month as well as all the usual Club news, we feature three short
talks, one on Paddle Keyers, another on A grounded semi-vertical antenna,
and the third on Recollections from operators in G-land.
Everyone, RAOTC members and non-members alike, is most welcome to listen
to the program and join in the call backs afterwards.
There are several ways to hear this broadcast.
At 0100 UTC Bill VK3BR will beam the program northwards from Melbourne on
20 metres on 14.150 MHz upper sideband for eastern states listeners.
An hour later at 0200 UTC there will be a 40 metre transmission from Perth
on 7088 kHz lower sideband with a simultaneous transmission via all linked
NewsWest repeaters.
Additionally, local relays also place. Please visit our website at
www.raotc.org/au<http://www.raotc.org/au> (rpt) and click on VK3OTN
Broadcasts for details. If none of these times suit you, as from Tuesday
you can download the audio file our website. Once again, the RAOTC monthly
bulletin is scheduled for tomorrow, Monday May 2nd and we look forward to
hearing your call sign during the call backs.
SHAME SO FAR AWAY
Twenty five (25) used ex BBC local radio cars are being sold on behalf of
the
BBC. The vehicles are all Peugeot based on either 806 or 807 models.
They have a professional technical installation of a pneumatic mast.
Most have technical battery fit-outs with split charging from engine, and
external mains inputs, with 19" equipment racks and audio monitoring.
HELLO CAN YOU HEAR ME?
A Alabama USA company has agreed to pay $20,500 in civil penalties to
settle
charges that it illegally operated cellular phone jamming devices on its
premises, in violation of FCC rules.
The company, The Supply Room, Inc. of Oxford, AL, installed four cellphone
jammers in the company's warehouse to prevent employees from using their
cellphones at work.
An anonymous compliant about the jammers was filed with the FCC, which
resulted
in an inspection of the warehouse by an agent of the FCC's Enforcement
Bureau.
During the inspection, the agent used direction finding techniques to
detect
wideband emissions in the cellular bands and confirm the presence of the
jammers.
Upon request, the warehouse general manager surrendered the jammers to the
agent.
http://incompliancemag.com/company-settles-charges-of-operating-cellphone-j
ammers/
And here is this weeks WEIRD AND WONDERFUL story
DOG CATCHER NEEDED FOR MISSING ASTRONAUT POOCH
A cautionary tale from a group of schoolchildren in
the UK Think twice before sending your dog - even a toy dog - into space.
We hear more from Amateur Radio Newsline's Jim Damron, N8TMW.
"FIND SAM" -- Those words, preceded by a hashtag, signal the world's focus,
on
social media, on the intense search efforts by some London primary school
students on locating the plush toy they launched, with a helium balloon,
into
space. Sam, the toy dog, was equipped with a GoPro camera and GPS tracking
equipment. But when the balloon popped, 15 miles above the Earth, and
everything that went up, eventually came down, Sam was nowhere to be found.
They did not, after all, equip Sam with a map.
Radio amateurs, of course, can relate. Trackers, transponders, balloons and
often, ground searches, are part of the amateur experience for many who
enjoy
this kind of experimentation.
Now, it's unlikely Sam met with the same fate as Laika, the Soviet space
dog
who orbited the Earth in 1957 and failed to survive, but the question
remains
where in northwest England could Sam have landed? The world asks
"Have you seen this dog?" Even a local hotel that helped sponsor the
project
is offering a free stay to Sam's finder.
For the students, this was supposed to have been a lesson in astronomy and
physics. But perhaps the teacher should have also thrown in some studies of
animal husbandry or at least dog breeding. The kids might have decided
they'd
be better off using a retriever.
For Amateur Radio newsline, I'm Jim Damron, N8TMW.
(CNN, TWITTER, NATURE WORLD NEWS, USA TODAY)
Thanks Jason, and now to OPERATIONAL NEWS 2016
Harry Angel 80 mtr sprint (WIA) Saturday 7th May.
10-10 INTERNATIONAL SUMMER CONTEST Aug 6 - 7
Remembrance or RD Contest August 13-14
36th ALARA Contest is on the last full weekend in August, Aug 27-28.
And now to some important news about the Harry Angel Contest
Harry Angel 80 mtr sprint (WIA) Saturday 7th May.
The 2016 Harry Angel Memorial 80m Sprint Contest will be held on Saturday
7th May from 10:00 UTC.
The contest was established in 1999 commemorates the life of Harry Angel
VK4HA who at the time of his passing was the oldest licenced radio amateur
in VK.
The contest runs for 106 minutes, one year for each year of Harry's life.
Full contest details were published in the March edition of AR magazine and
are available on-line in the contest section of the main WIA website
(http://www.wia.org.au/members/contest/harryangel/index.php)
Entry is open to all grades of licence in one of four sections phone, CW,
mixed and listener. The contest rules and scoring are very simple and is
suitable for new and experienced contesters alike.
"Dust off the microphones and Morse keys and we look forward to hearing you
on air on Saturday May 7th".
Kevin VK4UH - Contest Manager Harry Angel Memorial 80m Sprint
Thanks for that and now to SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS, DX, BEACON REPEATER AND NET ADVICE
Dog Island is IOTA reference NA-085 and Bruce, K5TEN, will once again be
active from Dog between May 14-21st.
Activity will be on 80-6 meters using CW, SSB and possibly RTTY, PSK31 and
JT65A. QSL via his home callsign, direct or by the Bureau.
LX 1 AM a special call sign in Luxembourg is activated through June to mark
the 95th anniversary of His Royal Highness the Grand Duke Jean of
Luxembourg.
Luxembourg Amateur Radio Union will be working LX1AM on single sideband
and as LX 1 EA and LX 3 X in digital modes.
There is a special QSL card that will be sent via the Bureau.
MALTA, 9H.
QRV is 9 H 3 DJ until June 1 while on a business trip.
Activity is in his spare time using mostly SSB on 17 meters.
QSL to home call K 0 MDJ.
The "Other" Heard Island DXpedition -- VK0LD
The recently ended Heard Island VK0EK DXpedition logged more than 75,000 contacts,
but the brief, under-the-radar, contemporaneous VK0LD operation also put a new one
into a few more logs.
VK0EK logistics team member Mike Coffey, KJ4Z, operated as VK0LD from California,
remotely controlling one of the VK0EK Elecraft K3S operating positions.
He used a K3/0-Mini and the free RemoteHams.com RCForb client and remote server
software to work 41 stations on 20 meters.
On April 4, VK0LD transmitted its first CQ from Heard Island on 20 meter CW, with
Coffey at the helm from his home in Palo Alto. "Over the course of the next 50
minutes, VK0LD logged 41 QSOs across Asia and then Europe as the band began to
open up," he recounted. Alan Cheshire, VK6CQ, is the licensee of VK0LD.
On DX Summit, one Australian station declared VK0LD to be a pirate. "NOT a pirate!"
KY6R posted in response.
"Finally, control was handed back over to regular VK0EK operations," Coffey said."
But for 50 minutes, I was having the amazing, incredible experience of working a
pileup from a Top 10 DXCC entity on the other side of the world."
Coffey said the K3/0 setup made it "almost like being there."
The WIA journal Amateur Radio magazine for May
Adorning the cover is a group of primary school students at a solar-powered
portable amateur satellite station, and inside is an excellent article on a
mini-satellite antenna rotator by Joe VK3YSP and Julie VK3FOWL.
The magazine editor Peter Freeman VK3PF has promised that his recent
try-out
of the new ICOM IC-7300 transceiver will feature in a later review.
Meantime, Peter Hartfield VK3PF has a product review on the FTM 100DR VHF
UHF
dual band transceiver - well worth reading.
Luke Steele VK3HJ has again returned to the magazine as a scribe and takes
on
the popular DX Column.
In the "CW Today" column there's further discussion by its author
Louis Szondy
VK5EEE on band usage and conflicts
.
Among other regular columns is "VHF and UHF an expanding world" by
David Minchin
VK5KK, where among the topics is the El Nino weather pattern effect on
propagation.
The gift of single side band by Bob Gilchrist VK2HH looks at the arrival of
SSB
on our bands, and there also an interesting piece about VK3BM being told to
get
back on air when Darwin was bombed.
Amateur Radio magazine, sent to WIA members 11 times a year, will be in
most
letterboxes by the end of the week.
I'm Barry Robinson VK3PV, and you are listening to VK1WIA
Thanks Barry and now its up north again to Felix VK4FUQ
AIR short-wave may shut down
The external short-wave broadcasts from All India Radio (AIR) may cease due
to high maintenance costs
AIR External Service transmissions first began in British India on October
1,
1939 to counter Nazi radio broadcasts directed to Afghanistan, Iran and the
Arab nations.
Six transmitters were transferred to the Indian Government in 1947.
Today the External Services Division broadcasts 57 transmissions daily,
with almost 72 hours covering over 108 countries in 27 languages,
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO AMATEUR YOUNG TIMERS
Amateur Radio enthusiasts Julie VK3FOWL and Joe VK3YSP Gonzales are on a
mission - they want Australian primary school children to discover the
fun
of making contact with radio enthusiasts around the world, while
stimulating
their interest in science and technology.
Peter Parker VK3YE has told us how Joe & Julie featured in the Term 1 2016
issue of 'Education Today' - a school principals magazine.
educationtoday.com.au/article/School-amateur-radio-is-set-for-a-comeback-wi
th-SARCnet-1168
The article goes on to say in today's world of broadband networks and
social
media, amateur radio might seem 'last century' but according to the
Gonzales
there are amateur radio enthusiasts in every community that are eager to
share
their expertise with schools.
Michael Day, Principal of St Kevins Primary School in Ormond is an
enthusiastic
supporter. Last year his school was one of the first three primary schools
in
Victoria to start an amateur radio club. He said: "When I first
introduced the
school's Amateur Radio Club I had no idea what a success it would be. We
were
lucky to have an amateur radio enthusiast within our ranks and the
introduction
was driven by this member of staff.
"The teachers, parents and students are now raving about it. To see the
children
confidently building electronic kits or talking to other schools over
shortwave
radio is quite incredible."
While the purpose of Amateur Radio is largely self-education and technical
experimentation, many operators around the world form long-term friendships
thereby fostering international good will.
Historically, strict licensing requirements discouraged participation but
that
changed recently and, with simplified licensing, low-cost equipment and no
minimum age requirement there has been a resurgence in participation.
Unlike 'Citizens Band' all amateur radio operators are licenced and
must
identify themselves using their individual call signs. Amateur radio
communications is subject to the Radio Communications Act and is regulated
by
the Australian Communications and Media Authority thereby providing an
open,
safe and friendly environment for adults and children.
"School amateur radio clubs used to be far more common than they are
today,"
Joe Gonzales says. "They were once a refuge for students who didn't
quite fit
in to the often-competitive, sports-orientated, mayhem of school
lunchtimes.
"They were a haven for all those with an interest in 'pulling things
apart to
see how they work', 'just tinkering around with stuff' and 'seeing
what will
happen if I do this'. Of course the students didn't know it then, but
they were
developing all the skills needed for a career in science and technology.
The article encourages schools interested in starting a radio club to look
for
a local amateur radio operator willing to commit to regular club sessions
at
the school and to work with them to establish the club, buy some basic
equipment and set up an antenna.
Next comes the fun of completing a six-week training program during which
they
become proficient in the technical aspects of radio and learn the protocols
of
making contact and talking to enthusiasts on the other side of the earth.
"Our vision is that one day school amateur radio clubs will enjoy many of
the
benefits that other clubs take for granted like having their own regular
on-air net, contests, hamfests, field days, conferences, newsletters; even
a
regular column in Amateur Radio magazine," the Gonzales say.
"We firmly believe that the children will change the face of Australian
amateur
radio."
Schools interested in starting an amateur radio club should start with a
visit
to www.sarcnet.org
(spotted by Peter Parker VK3YE)
Now to Rewind, a look back on our history with John Williams
'Tuning In' a history of radio
The press fulminated, the enthusiasts were frustrated, and the radio
manufacturers fumed.
Despite the fact that Marconi had invented radio before Queen Victoria
had celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in 1897, radio in Britain took another
25 years to begin an official service to listeners.
But when, on November 14th 1922 the British Broadcasting Company's station
at Marconi House radiated to an awaiting nation "This is 2LO calling" for
the first time under the company's name, it marked the start of the first
and most distinguished public-service radio station in the world.
As part of the celebrations to mark nine decades of the BBC, historian
Dominic Sandbrook explored the long and involved pre-BBC history of radio
in Britain, how Britain's broadcaster got going and developed into an
institution dedicated to entertainment, education and information,
discovered how Australian diva Dame Nellie Melba was involved, and how
the improbably-named Captain Plugge made his first commercial broadcast
to Britain, sponsored by Selfridges department store, from the Eiffel
Tower.
From Marconi to Savoy Hill via an old army hut in Essex, the story of the
early radio in Britain
It may still be available to listen to on the bbc home page look for :-
the BBC Radio 4 programme 'Tuning In'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01nnw8t
(SouthGate)
Thanks John, well we are near the end of this weeks broadcast
But before we go heres a look at the SOCIAL SCENE for 2016
May 7 VK3 Moorabbin & District Radio Club HamFest, Mulgrave.( VK3GL)
May 27-29 VK9 WIA AGM this year on Norfolk Island (wia.org)
June 3- 5 VK4 Central Highlands Social Gathering Theresa Creek dam (wia)
June 4 VK4 BARCfest Mt Gravatt Showgrounds. (vk4atc)
June 11-13 VK5 VK Foxhunting Championship & SERG convention Mt Gambier(VK5HCF)
July 9-10 VK3 GippsTech 2016 Churchill (vk3pf@wia.org.au)
Aug 7 VK6 NCRG HamFest 9am Cyril Jackson Community Hall Ashfield (vk6rk)
Sep 23-25 VK4 Central Highlands Amateur Radio Club AGM weekend
Lake Maraboon Holiday Village, near Emerald. (theTARCinc)
Sep-Oct 30-3 VK4 Cardwell Gathering Long Weekend, Beachcomber Motel(theTARCinc)
Nov 6 VK5 Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society HamFest 8am! (VK5KC)
Nov 26 VK7 Miena Hamfest Saturday 26th. (vk7wi txt)
Well thats about it for this weeks News Bryan, its been a busy week, thanks again for helping out
Enjoyable as usual Rob, and thanks to Graham for giving us the ropes
Well until we meet again next week as we always say We report it you decide.
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