June 26th - 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 26th June 2016.
Hi I'm Robert VK3DN
And I'm Bryan VK3GR
Welcome back for another week of WIA news .. how are you going
Going Well Rob.
You may wonder why we are back, well we are just giving Graham a bit of a hand this week he was a bit busy and ask if we could help out ..
The WIA AGM video is popular
The Wireless Institute of Australia annual general meeting on Norfolk Island is on video and still being viewed.
In its first week the online video has been successfully downloaded 340 times by WIA members registered with the Memnet membership service.
This in addition to LiveStreaming in real time that was viewed by 150 members throughout Australia.
The WIA Board continues to get favourable comments about the AGM videos, and where possible it will do so at such future events.
While there is no substitute for actually being part of the AGM and associated events, the video does show some of what happens.
Plans are being made for the next WIA AGM at Adelaide in May 2017.
And thanks to Jim VK3PC for that and many other news stories we really appreciate Jim's ongoing news collections and preparation of of news stories
Ask and chat about how the live stream was done what technology was used etc
Noise floor study looks at the problem
Many devices emit radio frequency energy adding to the radio spectrum noise floor that could interfere with radio services.
Some radio amateurs complain that such interference has increased in recent years and can easily overwhelm amateur services because of the need to receive low-strength signals.
In the United States the Federal Communications Commission is thinking about the impact of these unwanted signals and how much trouble they cause through radio noise.
This is because of the belief that the noise is rising as the number of devices that emit radio energy grows.
The FCC wants quantitative data to support the presumption that the noise floor is causing a problem.
It has asked for public help, admitting that while there are already regulations limiting RF energy emissions, not all devices are regulated equally.
The FCC mentioned "unintentional radiators" such as computers, portable electronic devices, and high-efficiency lights, which send RF signals by conduction but are not intended to emit RF energy.
Anyway it's early days on its study of the increase over the last 20 years of the noise floor through emissions from human-made sources, and whether this can be minimised with good engineering practice.
And now its to news about Gippstech July 9th here in VK3, and its across to Jason VK2LAW with the latest
JUNE 26
GippsTech conference for the VHF, UHF and microwave bands
Learn about the latest techniques, equipment and discuss issues with many knowledgeable radio amateurs at GippsTech 2016, the premier technical event.
As usual, the two-day conference at the Federation University Australia at Churchill in Victoria's La Trobe Valley has a range of speakers and a partners program.
There will be Dale VK1DSH on Slow Scan TV using Arduino hardware, David VK5DGR Open Source for VHF, Rex VK7MO weak signal Earth-Moon-Earth on 10 GHz, David VK5KK Software Defined Radio, and Glen VK1XX on the near effects of ground and the field day setup.
Julie VK3FOWL and Joe VK3YSP explain their Mini Satellite-Antenna Rotator and a Speech Synthesiser for the Yaesu FT-817.
In other presentations Mark VK3XMT talks on ACMA interference challenges, Dave VK2JDH about the Android phone for home brew projects, Richard VK3ZCL has an audio amplifier, and Alan VK3XPD reveals the Microwave achievement award.
GippsTech 2016 on July 9 and 10 is run by the Eastern Zone Amateur Radio Club. More information on its website.
(Jim Linton VK3PC)
Emergency communications respond to wild fire outbreaks
The latest to sufferer summer fires is Cyprus where radio amateurs are using their skills mainly on the VHF band in the Solea region to pass health and welfare traffic.
The involvement of hams is being coordinated by the Cyprus Amateur Radio Society.
Firefighters are battling a huge forest blaze in high winds and temperatures with ground responders around the perimeter and aircraft from Greece, Israel, France and Italy.
Earlier fires broke out in rural parts of the USA with some activity by the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, but improved weather conditions meant that outbreaks could now be brought under control.
And now its to Felix VK4FUQ with news on the IARU HF World Championship Contest
IARU HF World Championship Contest
This annual contest is on July 9-10 with the rules having categories for single and multi-operator stations.
The objective is to contact as many others as possible, especially IARU member society HQ stations, on the 160m, 80m, 40m, 20m, 15m and 10m bands.
Multipliers are the total number of International Telecommunications Commission zones worked, plus IARU member society HQ stations and nominated officials.
For the first time the new IARU member society, the Amateur Radio Society of Kosovo, will join as Z60A from multiple stations around the country.
Under the rules, designated IARU officials from the Administrative Committee and the three IARU regions are also multipliers. Each multiplier will be clearly identified by the callsign designator.
The complete rules at www.arrl.org/iaru-hf-championship
Thanks Felix, did you get your copy of AR magazine in the mail this week Robert ? - Well heres Barry VK3JBR to tell us what he has found in this months edition
Amateur Radio magazine for July
On its cover is a photo of portable Amateur Radio activity among the iconic pine trees and lush ferns on Norfolk Island.
It reflects the theme of the magazine with several reports and photos from the WIA AGM and associated events held there just a few weeks ago. Well done to all concerned!
A fascination of military history over decades has been the World War 2 German Enigma Machine secret scrambler that eventually had its messages deciphered by codebreakers.
Geoff Linthorne VK2GL an Enigma Machine, albeit an electronic version, and has an excellent article on it.
A two-part technical article concludes on the PC-based Swept Frequency Measurement System by Paul McMahon VK3DIP.
A story entitled 'Memoires of a Signaller' written by Barry Abley VK3SY, concerns the ANZAC troops on the Western Front.
More about the VK 100 ANZAC (pron: VK one-hundred, AN-ZAC) Geelong Amateur Radio Club commemoration will be on the broadcast.
The DX Talk column by Luke Steele VK3HJ has the latest news - well worth a check to see where and when DX has been found.
Results John Moyle Memorial Field Day 2016 are published; and the Waverley Amateur Radio Society that held its inaugural Ham Radio On The Ferries contest this year, now makes it an annual event returning on the 12th of March 2017.
Among the regular columns are VHF/UHF - An Expanding World, ALARA News, CW Today, SOTA & Park Activation News.
Amateur Radio magazine is a WIA membership service and available at selected news agents.
I am Barry Robinson VK3PV, and you are listening to VK1WIA.
.
Thanks Barry
Reforms to the Malaysian licence system
The Malaysian Amateur Radio Society has advised that the Amateur Radio certification review is showing some positive future changes in that country.
In the new structure there will be three classes of licence, namely Class A that give 1-kilowatts on all bands with upgraded privileges, Class B has most HF bands at 50-watts, and the new entry level Class C gives access to 2-metres, 6-metres and 70-centimetes.
The Morse code proficiency tests of 12-word per minutes that currently apply to the Class A or top licence, will be removed.
In other news, the minimum age to obtain the Class A will be 15 years, with Class B the middle class licence at 15, and Class C will be at 12 years.
When these changes will take effect is not known, but will follow the normal drafting process for all new rules.
What use is an F-call?
It seems that there is a disease within the amateur radio community. It's spreading and seems to be contagious. There doesn't seem to be a cure and it seems to be pretty virulent. Symptoms include listlessness, deafness, stubbornness and apathy. Community members have aptly named it as L.A.S. or Lead Arse Syndrome.
I receive a regular stream of emails and phone calls from fellow amateurs who share with me their latest idea or plan for an activity in the hobby. It's often a group activity, a plan to do something with the wider community, or a group of people with a common interest. It might be an outing, a meeting, a build-day, an activation, a web-site or some or other thing.
The conversation often includes the question: "Do you think it's a good idea?"
Often I'll say: "Absolutely, great, wonderful." Sometimes I'll suggest alternatives or point at an existing activity that is already underway.
After that the response from the other person is often: "Well, I'll leave it with you."
Fortunately I'm made of sterner stuff, having only a few other commitments in this community and I'll often suggest that they take on the project and I'll do whatever I can to support them.
I can almost guarantee that's the very last I hear of the activity.
So, what is it that stops people from making their idea into reality? Are they dense, lazy or is their idea wrong?
No.
It's that they lack the confidence to stick their neck out and do something, anything.
You might wonder what this has to do with L.A.S. or Lead Arse Syndrome. It's simple. The rest of the community doesn't particularly care one way or the other. They might respond or not, often not; commit to something, or they might not, they might say they're coming, but don't show, they might start an activity but never finish it, they might participate for an hour during a 24 hour contest, but there is no commitment.
I know, I should be grateful that they spend the hour, or tell me that their pet parrot died and they cannot attend.
But frankly, I'm not.
I think that this lack of participation, lack of engagement, lack of commitment is embarrassing. It's not community minded, it's not encouraging to new entrants and it sets a very bad example to the community. I understand that circumstances change and that people have commitments outside the hobby. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about an advanced level of apathy that infuses others and has them give up on their idea before they begin.
I'd rather be surrounded by those who think that this is a fun hobby with stuff to learn, people to meet, things to do and places to go.
Of course, if you're one of the few with an idea, then I salute you. Hold your head high, scream your idea from the rooftops, share it with the active community and get on with it.
Unfortunately there is one of me and many of you. I'm happy to be your sounding board, but I've not yet figured out how to have more than 24 hours in a day.
I'm Onno VK6FLAB
And its across to Jason VK2LAW
Foundation licensees twice recognised for achievements
A radio amateur has qualified for a Keith Roget Memorial National Parks Award ultimate - all 43 VK3 National Parks worked.
Adrian Addison VK5FANA has qualified for the Merit Hunter Award, with his plaque and certificate in the post soon.
Award Manager, Tony Hambling VK3XV, described it as outstanding effort, having begun in December 2014 with Julie VK3FOWL in the Coopracambra National Park in Eastern Victoria.
The final contact in April was with Rob VK4AAC portable 3 in the Burrowa-Pine Mountain National Park in Victoria's north-east.
Rob VK4AAC is caravanning around Australia with his XYL and a keen park activator.
Adrian VK5FANA was given the WIA Presidents Commendation at the Norfolk Island AGM for his wholehearted participation in the ANZAC Centenary Award, completing contacts with ANZAC stations across all States and Territories, and ZL100ANZAC.
A Milestone for ASCII
A plaque at the American Telephone & Telegraph AT & T now commemorates a 50 year milestone of the American Standard Code for Information Interchange, or ASCII, as it more commonly known.
Its first commercial use was in the AT & T Teletypewriter Exchange and the Teletype Model 33 teleprinter.
ASCII moved communications from Morse code machines to teletype, including the RTTY mode that is still used today by radio amateurs.
And its back to Felix with news of Ham's Earthquake preparedness for the Pacific Northwest
Trained individuals took part in the recent Cascadia Rising Earthquake drill in Curry County Oregon USA to work together and prepare for a major disaster.
Up to 20,000 people including radio amateurs, firefighters, the Community Emergency Response Team and Red Cross members, the medical reserve, law enforcement and others were involved.
The exercise, overseen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), was held on June 7-10 had emergency radio traffic, crowd control, rescues and many injured being treated.
For an interoperability test, FEMA had 5 MHz channels so services could talk to each other.
In a disaster, the Internet and phone service would be severed or impacted, with ham operators acting as messengers for emergency officials as they save lives and prevent more damage.
Bruce Bjerke K7BHB the Oregon Section Emergency Coordinator Amateur Radio Emergency Service says radio amateurs had a role to play in such exercises and welcome the opportunity.
They were prepared with message forms, Winlink email, HF nets, VHF and HF data traffic, repeaters and simplex.
Hams were able to set up email-type services for emergency management officials, to bridge the gaps, as emergency officials scrambled to save lives and prevent more damage.
The Cascadia zone is off the coast of Northern California runs to British Columbia and Alaska, and is long overdue to release built-up stress.
The state-wide exercise identified response improvement for a magnitude-9 earthquake and killer tsunami in the Pacific Northwest coastal communities with more than eight million people.
(Jim Linton VK3PC, Chairman IARU Region 3 Disaster Communications Committee)
OPERATIONAL NEWS 2016
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.
Australia set to activate lighthouses in August
The popularity of the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend through the world continues with nearly 250 registrations so far, which include about 40 from Australia.
In the lead are both VK3 and VK7 with 10 each, followed by VK2 with seven, VK5 on five, VK4 has four, and two from VK6.
While the final list of 500 from 50 countries is only at the half-way point, organisers expect there will be a late rush in the last two months.
If you want to see the fun-event guidelines, reports of past activations, or register one yourself on August 20 and 21, visit the website illw.et
(Jim Linton)
SOCIAL SCENE 2016
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 week Bryan,
Yes it is Rob, hope you have a good week next wee and as well always say
We report it you decide
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