OCTOBER 16 - VK NATIONAL NEWS BROADCAST ON VK1WIA
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NATIONAL NEWS FOR WEEK COMMENCING OCT 16 2016.
IN OUR 21st YEAR OF NON STOP NEWS
ROYAL HAM DEATH - HS1A. -
WIA Communications and Marketing Committee with a reminder about membership. -
WIA STEM Symposium in November. -
WIA Hot Issues - for the latest info. -
WIA RD CONTEST MANAGER VK4SN AND MORE ON THE 2016 RD CONEST RESULTS. -
THESE STORIES AND MORE IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE WIRELESS INSTITUTE
OF AUSTRALIA 2016 AND FOR WEEK OF OCTOBER 16
SILENT KEY
HS1A Buhmiphol Adulayadej the KING of THAILAND
Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest reigning monarch, has
died aged 88, the palace has confirmed.
"His Majesty has passed away at Siriraj Hospital peacefully," the palace said,
adding he died at 3:52pm (local time) on Thursday.
The palace did not give a reason for his death. His reign lasted more than
70 years.
Anxiety about the king's health and the succession has formed the backdrop to
over a decade of political upheaval in Thailand that has included two coups.
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said that an heir to King Bhumibol had
been designated since 1972, and later announced that the king's son
Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn had confirmed that he would perform his duties
as heir to the throne.
Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Princess to the throne of Thailand is reputed to hold
the Ham Call HS1D and another Prince, Titiphan, is HS1LY.
His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, HS1A, was the patron of the Radio Amateur
Society of Thailand (RAST) says an RAST page on qsl.net
His Majesty, 88, would have been 89 years old on December 5, 2016.
The Prime Minister's Office has announced that government agencies nationwide
have been ordered to fly flags at half-mast for 30 days following His Majesty
the King's death and that government officials will wear black in mourning for
a year.
His Majesty the King had been presented the callsign HS1A by the Ministry of
Communications at Chitrlada Palace on August 18, 1989 in a ceremony witnessed
by RAST officers. Five years later, in November 1984, His Majesty placed RAST
under his royal patronage.
The ninth King of the Chakri Dynasty ascended to the throne on June 9, 1946
and His Majesty the King had been the world's longest-reigning monarch.
http://www.dx-qsl.com/famous-ham-radio-operators.html
http://www.qsl.net/vu2kyp/famous.html
http://www.qsl.net/rast
Amateur Radio support for Atlantic hurricane
Hurricane Matthew began as a tropical storm near the Windward Islands,
but intensified several days later to be a Category 4 Hurricane,
unleashing its fury and resulting in hundreds of deaths and widespread damage.
It was the first major event in the Atlantic hurricane season with the
superstorm causing many deaths, mostly in Haiti, before reaching the
south-eastern United States, and causing flooding in Atlantic Canada.
Cesar Pio Santos HR2P, the Emergency Communications Coordinator for the
International Radio Union Region 2 presented on the hurricane at the
pre-arranged conference in Chile, which was attended by those from
Amateur Radio who are involved disaster response and training.
He told the gathering that when Matthew was still a Tropical Storm, the
Caribbean Emergency and Weather Net (CEWN), formed in several Caribbean
islands, activated to receive reports about floods, landslides and tidal waves.
During Hurricane Matthew, the Radio Club Dominicano (RDC) was monitoring
its course and provided more than 40 radio amateurs in the Emergency
Operations Centres.
The Federacin de Radioaficionados de Cuba (FRC) swung into full action
when the Cuban Meteorological Service determined that the hurricane
would cross several eastern provinces of Cuba.
FRC set up 505 radio amateurs in six provinces that would be affected by
the hurricane with radio stations in safe locations to operate on 2m,
40m and 80m bands.
American Radio Relay League (ARRL) began monitoring Hurricane Matthew on
September 28, and liaised with radio amateurs in Puerto Rico, Dominican
Republic, Haiti and Cuba as the storm moved through the Caribbean.
Cesar HR2P says the first impact on the United States was on October 6
in Southern Florida. Over several days the storm moved along the eastern
coast of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina before
turning east and heading out to sea.
Hurricane Matthew resulted in 900 deaths in Haiti, a count expected to
to increase as communications and cut-off areas are reached. Villages
and towns were seriously damaged or destroyed, and agricultural crops
lost. Haiti had not seen a Hurricane of that magnitude since 1964, and
is still recovering from the deadly earthquake in 2010.
In the USA the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) groups were
on standby days ahead of Matthew's landfall.
ARES staffed Emergency Operations Centres, the National Hurricane
Centre, evacuation shelters, and National Weather Service forecast offices.
Additionally several nets were activated to assist with weather reports
and emergency traffic; the Salvation Army Team Emergency Network or
SATERN was on 14.265 MHz handling emergency, or health and welfare
traffic from hurricane-affected areas, and weather reports were received
by the Hurricane Watch Net, VoIP Hurricane Net, and WX4NHC.
The ARRL activated its station W1AW to assist these nets as well as
maintain contact with federal government stations through the Shared
Resources (SHARES) network that coordinates disaster response.
Some 1.2 million US residents were without power, and thousands
evacuated to shelters, where ham radio volunteers supported communication.
Generally there was no communications emergency in the United States,
although at least 17 people were killed. Amateur Radio traffic was
primarily weather reports being relayed to the National Hurricane
Centre. The ARRL was expected to make a full report next month.
(Sources: Cesar Pio Santos HR2P EMCOR IARU R2; Mike Corey, KI1U,
Emergency Coordinator Area ́'B' IARU R2; Jeff Austin 9Y4J, Emergency
Coordinator Area 'C' IARU R2, Rafael Martinez HI8ROX Emergency
Coordinator, Radio Club Dominicano; Federacion de Radioaficionados de
Cuba; Boyd Snow VO1CBS ARES Manager Newfoundland and Labrador Section)
- Jim Linton VK3PC, IARU Region 3 Chairman, Disaster Communications Committee
In breaking news NEXT weekend a new event appears on the horizon... a pretty
High Horizon. HiHi.
October 22nd will see an increase in Summits on the Air activity between
Europe and Australasia. As has been the case for the last few years, a special
event is being organised by Andrew VK1AD and Mike 2E0YYto coincide with
improving radio propagation conditions.
This "S2S" (Summit to Summit) 'all mode' CW, SSB, Data, and even FM, event
already has commitments from VK, ZL, G, GM, DL, and OE stations with other
European stations expected to join in the climb to the top of mountains
in each region. These "activators" aim to make as many "S2S" contacts as
possible with other hams on SOTA summits in Europe and Australasia.
The timing will be from 06:30 UTC for about two hours and is planned to
coincide with long path propagation between Europe and "us down under."
Around the same time, short path communications between Europe and North
America is often possible. So if some willing SOTA activators in North America
could listen out from a night-time accessible SOTA summit, this activity has
the chance to create a World-Wide Summit to Summit event this year.
Most stations will be running low power with simple omni-directional antennas
so this event also aims to show just what can be achieved with limited
equipment from a location with a low noise floor.
WIA BOARD TALK
This is Roger Harrison VK2ZRH from the WIA Communications and Marketing
Committee with a reminder about your membership.
Many membership renewals fall due at this time of the year.
Quite a few members recall it and make their renewal via the WIA website.
But, with busy lives, inevitably, some forget and will be sent a renewal
reminder letter from the National Office.
A small number decide, for various reasons, to not renew. Some just "let it
slide" without any clear reason in mind.
Being a member of the Institute means different things to different people.
There may be many reasons to belong and, it seems, a countervailing range
of reasons to NOT belong.
In this era, in which social media and short attention spans hold sway over
many aspects of life, when membership renewal comes up, perhaps it's time to
remind ourselves about the role of the WIA in your amateur radio life - whether
you're active on-air, or in your club, or just minimally involved and
maintaining your licence for the day when you can return to the bands.
So. What does the Institute DO ?
As you can see from the inside back cover of Amateur Radio magazine, it takes
a whole page to set it all out !
However, it comes down to three key things: advocacy, education and support.
Advocacy is about representing amateurs' collective interests nationally and
internationally, to all the authorities and institutions that influence our
licensing, licence conditions and our life on-air.
Nationally, taking it top-down, this means promoting the interests of amateur
radio to government at federal and state level where necessity or opportunity
arises. The Institute has taken part in the federal government's consultation
on its Spectrum Review, which has led to the drafting of a new
radiocommunications act, soon to be considered by the federal parliament. Some
years back, you may recall the Institute supported a campaign to have the
NSW Government planning agency permit amateurs to erect antennas or masts up
to 10 metres height without needing council permission.
Next, it means working with the regulatory authority, the Australian
Communications and Media Authority, one of the most important relationships
the WIA maintains. But it also includes representing amateur radio interest
on relevant Standards Australia committees, for example.
Internationally, the WIA is a member of the International Amateur Radio Union
- the I A R U - which advocates and represents amateurs' interests to the
International Telecommunication Union - the I T U, which organises the important World Radio Conferences.
These Conferences, held every few years, determine frequency allocations and
global radio regulations. You will recall that the last one was in November
last year. From that, Australian amateurs will get to use a new amateur band
at 5.3 MHz. The WIA's ITU Specialist, Dale Hughes VK1DSH, as head of the
Australian delegation to WRC-15, played an important role in securing that
new band for amateur radio across the world.
Next on the list of what the Institute does is education.
In this sphere, the Institute develops and maintains licence assessment
syllabuses and training course material. Importantly, the WIA trains and
qualifies examination assessors. We develop and publishes the Foundation
Manual for prospective licensees and support ongoing education through
articles published in Amateur radio magazine and on the website.
Finally, we get to support.
This is everything else the Institute does, if you like !
The Institute issues Certificates of Proficiency for those who've passed their
licence exam. And provides callsign recommendations.
This weekly broadcast is another support function of the Institute. Don't
forget the website, which provides frequent news and advice on what's
happening in the world of amateur radio.
Then there's publishing Amateur Radio magazine - the ONLY Australia magazine
devoted entirely to amateur radio. The annual Callbook is a WIA production.
Awards are a significant thing for many amateurs, particularly the DX Awards
recognising on-air achievement, in addition to commemorative and special event
awards, and merit awards recognising the achievements of individual amateurs.
On-air contests have been a constant in amateur radio since the early days.
The WIA supports a range of contests covering a variety of operating interests.
The Club insurance scheme supports amateur radio clubs to meet their public
liability insurance obligations.
The upcoming STEM Symposium initiative is another example of the WIA's role
in supporting the amateur radio community.
To sum up - advocacy, education and support - that's what we do.
Think about it when your renewal come due. Consider the bigger picture.
In being a member YOU support all those things the Institute does for your
fellow amateurs, as well as yourself.
This has been Roger Harrison VK2ZRH for VK1WIA News.
WIA STEM Symposium details announced
The Wireless Institute of Australia has called for expressions of interest
in its STEM Symposium to be held in Canberra.
It will be at the Canberra Club, 9am to 3pm on November 19, 2016, with morning
and afternoon tea, and a light lunch provided, but participants need to fund
their own transport and accommodation.
The aim is to develop a role for WIA members and the radio amateur community
to use their technological expertise toward Federal and or State Government
STEM Programs.
The initiative is to enable young Australians to learn technology-based skills
and knowledge, rather than being a recruitment exercise, although some may also
want to later be radio amateurs.
The symposium will look at ideas on many areas where radio amateurs can
provide expertise in STEM-related projects, test the suggestions as to their
viability, identify project groups and leaders who will develop project briefs,
and submit these to relevant government agencies.
There has already been great interest in the Symposium, among those wanting
to attend, or send written papers on subjects and experiences.
Much more detail and how to be involved is found on the website
www.wia.org.au
WIA Hot Issues - for the latest info
A key purpose of the Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA), expressed in the
Constitution, is to seek improved conditions and privileges for amateurs.
Over the last months of 2016, the WIA has a number of important issues on the
go with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
These include the update to the Australian Radio Frequency Plan, the review of
future amateur licence conditions, and the updating of reciprocal licence
qualifications for overseas amateurs who come to Australia.
To enable anyone to read how these and other issues are progressing, the
"go-to" page on the WIA website is titled "WIA Hot Issues".
There, you can read a summary of the latest action taken, and links to stories
or actual submissions, for more complete details and information. You'll find
a link to the page in the right hand panel of the home page, immediately below
the link to the News Broadcasts.
Check out the WIA Hot Issues page to be informed about matters that affect
amateur radio now and into the future.
What use is an F-call? - WELL it's the FOUNDATIONS of Amateur Radio
We are part of an amazing hobby where inventiveness, inquiry and exploration
is part and parcel of the thing we do. It's that spirit that got me interested
in this hobby and fortunately I have enough friends in the hobby who share
that view.
Unfortunately, this hobby seems to also attract a group of
nay-sayers, people who are always denigrating others, starting from the
perspective of saying No, before asking How?
Let's call them the whingers.
These are the ones who complain about the ineffectiveness of the WIA,
the ones who complain that when the license fee goes down, jump up and down
for a refund of their five year payment which they made to save money in case
the fees went up.
These are the ones who want to quarantine callsigns for
"deserving amateurs" but have several and want to have a particular callsign
and can't wait until the holder becomes a silent key.
The ones who say that
F-calls should not be allowed on air, or should have their license expired
automatically after 12 months because they must upgrade, the ones who tell
people off on air, complain about how a contest is run, or want to continue
to submit their contest logs on paper.
I could go on, but it's depressing and this is a fun hobby.
To all those whingers I say, get real. Stand up, be an amateur and get with
the times. It used to be that you were in the forefront of exploration, but
now you're just a whinging, whining old man.
Join in or get out.
To the rest of us, I encourage you to call out these whiners and point out
to them that their complaints are misguided at best and downright destructive
and malicious at worst.
This is a hobby. You're supposed to have fun, laugh, make merry, enjoy the
community, learn, explore, and lead the way.
Sorry, just had to get that off my chest.
I'm Onno VK6FLAB.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to IARU, RSGB, SARL, Southgate AR Club, ARRL,
Amateur Radio Newsline, NZART and the WW sources of the WIA.
This week arguably the 2 'largest' stories were the bridging of the Atlantic
on 2 meters and Hurricane Matthew. Mathew we heard about from Graham VK4BB
earlier, but 2 meters across the Atlantic?
Well unfortunately after initial excitement over a two way trans-atlantic
contact the news broke that the attempt was flawed by some software bugs
still to be sorted in the weak signal communication software QRA 64.
Pieter Jacobs, V51PJ, and Marcos PY1MHZ had originally thought that they
successfully made contact over approximately 6000km on 5 October 2016, however
it would seem that some errors slipped in and the record is still not set.
Both gentlemen however agree that it is only a matter of time before the
transatlantic frontier will be bridged.
Radio hacker 'caused havoc at Edinburgh airport and hospital'
A hacker who caused 'havoc' by blocking the radio frequencies for planes,
trains, shopping centres and a hospital has had a six-month curfew imposed
on him.
It's alleged one Jamie Corrigan was but 17 when he started tapping into the
signals "as a prank". Edinburgh Sheriff's Court heard calls on the
Air Traffic Control frequency at Edinburgh Airport interfered with aircraft
and emergency vehicles.
Network Rail also reported attempts to redirect moving trains.
Corrigan, now 20, has now been banned from leaving his home between 22:00
and 06:00 for the next six months. He was also ordered to forfeit radio
equipment. He had previously pleaded guilty to charges of culpable and
reckless conduct by making repeated radio transmissions which caused fear
and alarm, potential endangerment and making abusive and offensive remarks.
His targets also included Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh,
NSL Services Group, and Westside and Cameron Toll Shopping Centres.
Read the full BBC News story
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-37584565
RTE ditches plans to axe longwave 252
RTE is set to SCRAP controversial plans to axe its longwave radio service,
aimed at saving the cash-strapped broadcaster 250,000 a year, the Sunday
Independent has learned.
As the station grapples with an unprecedented financial crisis, it was
announced two years ago that it planned to wind down longwave 252 broadcasts
before full shutdown in May 2017. But the plan caused widespread anger,
particularly among the Irish community in Britain, where the service is seen as
a crucial lifeline for thousands of older emigrants who cannot access
digital broadcasts.
But the station has confirmed it is now carrying out a "review" of its previous
announcement.
Read the full story:
http://www.independent.ie/business/media/rte-ditches-plans-to-axe-longwave-252-radio-service-after-criticism-in-britain-35096216.html
Sharon White on Communications after Brexit
Ofcom CEO Sharon White writes in the Telegraph newspaper about what Brexit
may mean for the 57bn communications sector
She notes broadcasting has become a global business. In the decades since
Shortwave Radio first crossed the "Iron Curtain", satellites have come to
beam pictures into billions of homes.
For many years, European broadcasters have been able to transmit across the EU,
so long as they comply with the rules of the country in which they are
established.
That principle should endure in the UK, so that media companies based here
don't face unnecessary hurdles. The UK is home to the largest number of
pan-European media companies.
Read her article at
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/10/04/as-britain-looks-for-the-best-eu-deal-we-must-talk-about-communi/
IARU sets WRC-19 Priorities and Strategies
The International Amateur Radio Union Administrative Council has formulated
the approach it will take to the World Radiocommunications Conference in 2019.
The plan was finalised by the Administrative Council responsible for the
policy and management of the IARU when it met recently in Chile. It assigned
priorities to agenda items for the 2019 World Radiocommunication Conference of
the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and affirmed a matrix approach
be taken in preparation. That matrix coordinates the numerous IARU volunteers
who are participating in, and monitoring the preparatory meetings of the ITU
and regional telecommunications organisations.
The agenda includes, along with several items of potential concern to radio
amateurs, a possible Region 1 allocation of 50-54 MHz to the amateur service
to harmonise with the allocations in the other two IARU regions.
The Administrative Council includes representatives of the three IARU regions
and met just prior to the IARU Region 2 Conference, October 10-14.
International coordinators reports came from the International Beacon Project,
Satellite Adviser, EMC matters, and Hans Zimmermann HB9AQS on Emergency
Communications with evidence of radio amateurs bridging communications gaps
following natural disasters.
More details on the IARU AC meeting are on the WIA website www.wia.org.au
OPERATIONAL NEWS 2016
October 15-16 it's the New York QSO Party with logs due Oct 31
October 29-30 CQ WW DX / SSB CONTEST (always Oct Last full weekend)
November 11-14 The Keith Roget Memorial National Parks Award Activation
November 26-27 WIA VHF/UHF Spring Field Day
Nov 26-27 CQ WW DX / CW Contest Always the last full weekend in November)
Dec 1 - 31 Annual Youngsters on the Air (YOTA)
2017
Jan 1 - Dec 31 The Victorian Local Government Award 2017 Challenge
January it's the WIA's Ross Hull Memorial VHF/UHF Contest
Jan 1 AMSAT CW Activity Day 24 hours. All forms of CW are welcome.
Ham Radio On The Ferries 12th of March
WIA's John Moyle Memorial Field Day 18th-19th March 2017
WIA's Harry Angel Memorial 80 meter sprint Saturday May 6 10:00 -11:46 UTC
May 13-15 Mills On The Air
VK SHIRES June 10 and 11.
Trans-Tasman Low-Band Contest 160/80/40 Saturday night July 15 and Start Time
is 08:00 UTC and finish time is 14:00 UTC
10-10 INTERNATIONAL SUMMER CONTEST Aug 5 - 6
WIA's Flagship contest the Remembrance Day Contest 12th & 13th August
Aug 19-20 ILLW the 3rd full weekend in August since 1998
Running ALL year 'til Dec 31 Victorian Local Government Award 2017 Challenge
2018
10-10 INTERNATIONAL SUMMER CONTEST Aug 4 - 5
NEW YORK'S THE PARTY STATE
FELIX/ANCHOR:
In New York, hams are urging the rest of the country, in fact the entire
world, to start getting in a New York State of mind.
Amateur Radio Newsline's Heather Embee KB3TZD tells us why.
HEATHER'S REPORT:
What if New York threw a party and nobody came?
Well, that's not likely to happen but hams in the Empire State are still
hoping for a record number of participating amateurs for the New York State QSO
Party which starts on October 15th Big Apple Time.
Clubs throughout the state are working hard to recruit as many amateurs to get
on the air from all 62 counties.
Operating modes will be mixed, phone, digital, and CW.
Amateurs may work as single operators, multi-operators, mobile, school, rookie,
youth and YL.
Any hams outside New York State are encouraged to work as many hams in as
many New York counties as possible. The party is, of course, all about being
a New York amateur radio operator.
So don't miss this party, whether you live in New York or not.
For more details, visit NYQP.org
I'm Heather Embee, KB3TZD.
MORE ON THE 2016 RD CONEST AND ALL RESULTS
just visit http://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/rdcontest/
IPARC Contest
The IPARC Contest (International Police Association Radio Club) will take
place on the first weekend of November 2016.
Participation is very welcome.
Full details and information on IPARC can be found on the homepage
iparc.de
San Francisco Radio Club special event and that club would like to let you
know of their final special event operation for this their centennial year
of 2016 by inviting VK hams and the world to participate in making contact
with them during this event.
Call Sign: W6PW/100
When: Saturday, November 12, 2016
Hours: 16:00Z-23:00Z
Frequencies: 28.300 MHz, 24.945 MHz, 21.275 MHz, 18.150 MHz 14.225 MHz,
7.178MHz (SSB)
A special QSL Card will be available for all QSOs. See sfarc.org
Nov 1-9 VI4SEA commemorates Sydney Emden Action, full details qrz.com
VI4SEA, remembering those involved with the first RAN naval action.
This commemorative call sign, VI4SEA, is in honour of the Officers and Sailors
of the Light Cruisers, H.M.A.S. SYDNEY, and S.M.S EMDEN who gallantly fought
in the first ever naval action of the Royal Australian Navy on November 9th
1914, off the coast of the Cocos Keeling Islands in the Indian Ocean.
VI4SEA will hit the airwaves on November 1st 2016, and continue through to
November 9th.
Operations will see the station transmitting between the 630m band through to
the 6m band.
Amateur Radio Operators supporting the special event are a combination of
ex naval, military and professional individuals.
The aim of the special event activity is not to seek to glorify War in any
form, but rather to commemorate the deeds of brave men at sea in a time of war.
A special webpage has been set up on qrz.com under VI4SEA.
One of the rarest European DXCC entities is Mount Athos. It is an Orthodox
spiritual centre comprising of 20 monasteries and one of the monks holds the
amateur radio callsign S V 2 ASP/A.
Monk Apollo has been active on the air from time to time and naturally attracts
many callers wishing to make a QSO with Mount Athos. The bad news is that
Monk Apollo is now in hospital and we wish him a speedy recovery and return to
his daily duties and hopefully a re-appearance on the amateur bands.
AWARDS
The Victoria National Parks Activity is near
With about four weeks to go there are at least 24 unique National Parks in
Victoria so far listed in the annual KRMNPA activity weekend.
Among the latest is from Norm McMillan VK3XCI, who will be in four parks,
one-a-day, being the Grampians, Little Desert, Port Campbell, and Wyperfeld.
Tony Hambling VK3XV has listed Lower Goulburn, Greater Bendigo,
Chiltern-Mount Pilot, Warby Ovens and Heathcote-Graytown.
John Williams VK2AWJ will be at Wilsons Promontory, Morwell, and Tara Bulga.
Also keep an ear out too for Peter Fraser VK3ZPF and John VK2AWJ at French
Island, after taking a short ferry ride.
They have a first timer in Leigh Peterson VK3SG who is to head for Kinglake
and Yarra Ranges.
All of them, the times and location are available on the Parks 'n Peak website,
look for further updates.
parksnpeaks.org
The 6th annual Keith Roget Memorial National Parks Award activation period
is Friday 11th until Monday 14th November.
(Jim Linton VK3PC)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- DEFENCE
Felix VK4FUQ brought us the past few weeks news on the WW1 special event
station VI 4 SEA now word pertaining to another boat, known as Mighty Mo
or Big M.
The ARRL-affiliated Emergency Amateur Radio Club (EARC) in Honolulu held the
first-ever Amateur Radio licensing classes and test session aboard the
battleship USS Missouri, now a World War II memorial berthed in Pearl Harbor.
Applicants included a couple that lives aboard a sailing vessel and are part
of the cruising community. They wanted to be able to stay in touch while under
way.
Four military personnel wanted to get ham tickets, "so they would be better at
their jobs," the club said. One military dependant always wanted to get
licensed and "thought it would be fun," according to the EARC. A teen who had
worked on a project in Alaska involving satellites also was among the
successful applicants.
The USS Missouri also known as "Big Mo" or "Mighty Mo" was the last
battleship that the US commissioned, and it was where the Empire of Japan
surrendered in September of 1945, ending World War II.
The battleship's radio room now is home to KH 6 BB, operated by the
Battleship Missouri Amateur Radio Club.
Oh and VI4SEA?
Nov 1-9 VI4SEA commemorates the Sydney / Emden Action.
The aim of the special event activity is not to seek to glorify War in any
form, but rather to commemorate the deeds of brave men at sea in a time of war.
A special webpage has been set up on qrz.com under VI4SEA.
TARC does the 2017 Defence Welcome and Information Expo
theTARCinc will be involved with the 2017 Defence Welcome and Information
Expo run by the Townsville office of Defence Community Organisation
North Queensland and happening on Saturday 4th February at RSL Stadium Murray
Complex from 10am to 1pm.
Townsville club hams, known as "TARCadians," will be drawing on expertise
gained from participation in other Expos at the complex to show Defence members
and their families currently residing or new to the region some of the aspects
of the wonderful world of Amateur Radio.
The club will demonstrate the hobby through a mixture of static, dynamic and
interactive displays, with members experienced in many facets of the hobby
able to provide meaningful answers and guidance for those attending the Expo.
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)
Biennial YL meeting in England
The International YL Meet hosted by the British Young Ladies Amateur Radio
Association BYLARA at Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire was a great success.
At the five-day event last week there were 50 attending including 30 YLs,
supporting 22 from the United Kingdom, seven from Germany, six from Australia
and Sweden, with Demark, France and Iceland also represented.
The activities included a full day at the famous WWII code breaking
Bletchley Park, and a visit to the RSGBs National Radio Centre.
where some tried to make a few contacts despite the bands not being
very co-operative.
The following day was spent at Woburn Abbey, the home of the current
Duke and Duchess of Bedford, and their family. The lovely gardens and
magnificent mansion were well worth seeing; not to mention the delicious
"Cream Tea" of scones, jam and cream, and tea of course!
In just a week, old friendships were rekindled, and many new ones made.
It was gratifying that so many attending had been at the 2012 International
YL Meet in Adelaide, hosted by ALARA.
Many hope to meet again in two years for the next International YL Meet.
(Jennifer Wardrop VK3WQ, ALARA Historian)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- ILLW
ILLW entries begin to trickle in
The International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend is 10 months away on the
3rd weekend of August, but those now ready to go are registering.
So far there 70 registrations that come from 17 countries, with Germany having
about 20, followed closely behind by Australia.
Whether you are Europe, Africa, Oceania, Europe and Asia, there will be plenty
to work in the fun-event that attracts about 500 a year.
(Jim Linton VK3PC)
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
Pacific Seafarer's Net in sinking yacht incident
A call of assistance from a sailing vessel taking on water saw members of the
Pacific Seafarer's Net relay vital information.
The drama on September 28, came from the Sailing Vessel Rafiki, and picked up
on 14.300 MHz by Charles KD6SPJ at sea, who then contacted Randy KH6RC in
Hawaii. The US Coast Guard was alerted that Rafiki's was south of Cold Bay,
Alaska.
Throughout the long ordeal Amateur Radio was used to coordinate the effort,
including relays by Fred W3ZU in Florida and Peter ZL1PWM New Zealand.
The Coast Guard sent a Jayhawk rescue helicopter to the scene to rescue
two crew members, and the damaged yacht was abandoned.
This real-life incident began during the daily check-in of the Pacific
Seafarers Net on 14.300 MHz just before the net's daily roll-call, when a
call is put out for medical, emergency, or priority traffic.
The Pacific Seafarer's Net convenes daily on 14.300 MHz at 0300 UTC to monitor
the progress of maritime Amateur Radio operators sailing in the Pacific.
Net control stations are located around the world. Traffic consists of
daily position reporting and automatic posting of positions on several websites
and message handling via e-mail relay, health-and-welfare traffic, phone patch
services, search-and-rescue coordination, and vessel equipment inventories for
search-and-rescue operations. Net control stations keep computer databases of
participating vessels and their movements.
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.
http://www.ham-yota.eu/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/youngstersontheair
http://www.arrl.org/youth-nets
Amateur Radio in schools
Set up in three primary school in Melbourne are clubs that give radio
communications activity, much to the delight of students, their parents
and teachers.
Behind this move are wife and husband Julie VK3FOWL and Joe VK3YSP, who are now
at Churchill National Park for the Jamboree On The Air.
A starting point is a website SARCnet.org that has free on-line resources for
anyone associated with, or thinking about setting up a School Amateur Radio
Club. The clubs provide a free school lunch-time activity for a select group
of students who would rather be tinkering with electronic gadgets and exploring
the air waves, than dodging footballs or watching cricket.
Apart from learning more about technology, the young people gain confidence
by being involved with hands-on activities. They learn how radio works,
operating protocol, engage in activities that help enrich their lives.
Jim Linton VK3PC says " We need to spark interest in wireless technology. This
an aim of the School Amateur Radio Club Network, and the WIA STEM Symposium to
be held in Canberra next month."
We end this week's special interest group news, "oh and I'm Robert VK3DN in
Melbourne" with a report on a Toby Vander Wilt KI7GBB, a newly ticketed amateur
in Washington State.
At 7 years of age, he has a lifetime of on-air challenges ahead of him.
He told Amateur Radio Newsline's Neil Rapp WB9VPG how he's starting out in his
radio career.
The Tri-Cities Amateur Radio Club near Kennewick, Washington has a new
member. His name is Toby Vander Wilt, and his callsign is KI7GBB. At first
this may not seem so newsworthy, but Toby is only seven years old. His father,
Nathan Vander Wilt, AF7TB, is his extra class mentor who has been licensed
for a year. He studied for his license along with his mother, Hannah, KI7GBA,
who also became a Technician license holder. I recently had a chance to talk
to Toby, and swap some stories about being licensed at a very young age.
"I do use my radios on my bike, but I don't have a battery I can actually put
on my bike or an antenna or anything. I, like, bring one of my handhelds and
clip in on my shirt or something."
NEIL: At first it wasn't easy, and with Dad's help he progressed.
"My dad asked me the questions and I had to answer them. Yes, I did take a
practice test. I didn't get any of the practice tests right, but some of them
I did get really close I think."
NEIL: He's been making good use of that license by talking to the people in
his life who matter most.
"I usually talk to my Mom on walks when I take my handheld with me on my bike.
I sometimes try to talk to my Dad, but sometimes it doesn't work. I talk to
Mom the most, and sometimes I talk to a ham, and his name is Bernard and his
callsign is AB7HB... and the first person I talked to was him."
NEIL: At age 7, with a lifetime of on-air experiences ahead of him, he can
rest assured this contact won't be his last. For Amateur Radio Newsline,
I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.
REWIND
Happy 60th Birthday Australian TV
Commercial television began in 1956 including coverage of the Melbourne
Olympic Games. It replaced the once dominant radio, record player, and other
home entertainment.
The Menzies Government delayed the medium in the early post-World War II years.
In fact, years earlier radio amateurs had amateur television on public display
at a Melbourne hobbies exhibition.
(VK3PC text)
SOCIAL SCENE 2016
Oct 16 VK3 BARG HamFest Ballarat (ARMAG)
Nov 6 VK5 Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society HamFest 8am (VK5KC)
Nov 20 VK3 Rosebud RadioFest tickets on sale 8am (vk3pdg)
Nov 26 VK7 Miena HamFest Saturday 26th. (vk7wi txt)
2017
Feb 26th Central Coast Field Day, WYONG enter at 8:30am (vk2dls)
March 26 VK3 EMDRC HamFest, Great Ryrie Primary School, Heathmont (VK3BQ)
Ap 28- May 1 VK4 Clairview Gathering between Rockhampton and Mackay (TARC)
May 19 VK WIA AGM Hahndorf some 25km from Adelaide (vk5kc)
Aug/Sep date to be advised - ALARAMEET 2017 in Cairns (vk4swe)
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