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MARCH 19 2017 - VK NATIONAL NEWS BROADCAST ON VK1WIA
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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!
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NATIONAL NEWS FOR WEEK COMMENCING MARCH 19 2017.
IN OUR 22nd YEAR OF NON STOP NEWS
Volunteers For WIA Monitoring System needed. -
WIA Director Roger Harrison VK2ZRH with further news re 60 metre Amateur band. -
Are you correct on the WIA membership records? -
WIA and "have you voted?" -
Grant VK5GR for the WIA AGM & Convention VK5 organising committee. -
Denis VK4AE, coordinator for the WIA John Moyle Memorial Field Day. -
THESE STORIES AND MORE IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE WIRELESS INSTITUTE
OF AUSTRALIA 2017 AND FOR WEEK OF MAR 19
AROUND VK
Comms Connect Perth on 16 March featured a line-up of Australian and
international speakers presenting great opportunities for networking.
Held in conjunction with ARCIA, the series of case studies and technical
presentations were followed by drinks and ARCIA's Western Australia industry
dinner.
The organisers arranged a comprehensive array of speakers and topics including
the changing landscape of Land Mobile, the ACMA activities and compliance
priorities and future of cyber warfare: protecting critical infrastructure.
The annual "Meet the Voice" barbecue and presentation of the Sewing Circle
Trophy is being held at Ross on the banks of the Macquarie River Sunday
the 19th.
Presentations will start at around 1130 hrs.
Please check the website and the link is one of the world's easiest to recall:-
meetthevoice.org
Oh and Justin VK7TW will be there and you can quiz him on him being a
candidate for the WIA board and I understand he will also have proxy forms
(all prim and proper) with him if you would like to avail yourself of this.
WIA BOARD TALK
Volunteers For WIA Monitoring System
Wireless Institute of Australia observers looking for intruders on the
'Primary' frequencies of the Amateur Service on high frequency bands in
2016 found more than five thousand intrusions.
FIVE THOUSAND !
These were collated and sent to the spectrum regulatory agency in IARU member
countries.
A resulting clamp down on the Indonesian 'village radio' stations was
occurring with the government regulator progressively removing offenders.
The WIA reports intruders to the Australian Communications and Media Authority, but due to the itinerant nature of some intruders this can prolong the process for their removal.
Unfortunately, some authorities seem to ignore requests for the removal of
interfering services.
Among the observers is the very active John Kirk VK4TJ with monthly reports.
Individual volunteers have also left frequent reports sent via the WIA website
electronic lodgement system, in particular ALARA's Lyn VK4SWE and Col VK4CC.
An increasing number of digital emissions are intruding, and the use of
Software Defined Receivers have identified non-amateur digital systems that
are frequency hopping. The Manly-Warringah Amateur Radio Society of New South
Wales has a five-band SDR receiver system that greatly assists in monitoring
activities.
Perhaps other clubs could help too?
For the WIA monitoring system to work volunteers are required.
Information on how to join the WIA monitoring system can be found on the WIA
website.
The latest The IARU Region ONE Monitoring System newsletter reports a
STANAG-4285 signal in the 40m amateur radio band probably from the Falkland
Islands
They say the signal on 7101.8 kHz was strong in South America, but rather
weak in Europe. STANAG-4285 is typically, but not exclusively, used by the
military.
http://www.iarums-r1.org/iarums/news2017/news1702.pdf
From 40 meter intruders to 60 meter silence.
WIA Director Roger Harrison VK2ZRH pops in with further news about the new
60 metre Amateur band which is not yet available to us.
"As most listeners already know, the word-wide allocation to the Amateur
Service of a 15 kHz slice of spectrum at 5.3 MHz was agreed at the
World Radiocommunication Conference in November 2015.
This new global Amateur Band has even been written into the latest Australian
Radiofrequency Spectrum Plan (ARSP), which came into force on the 1st of
January, ten weeks ago.
Yet, here we are, still waiting on the sidelines while our fellow amateurs in
dozens of other countries are enjoying the fruits afforded by the propagation
gods and making contacts all over the world . . . all - over - the - world,
but not here.
It seems that we're like a bunch of students trapped on a bus that is on its
way to a long-awaited school picnic, but is being held up in traffic. I can
hear the chorus that breaks out spontaneously among the student passengers.
How does it go ? Why - are - we - waiting ? !
There has been sustained interest in the 60 metre band for at least a decade.
Naturally enough, now that the decision has been made, there is a level of
frustration building among 60 metre enthusiasts.
For those of us in the WIA at the "pointy end" of dealing with the government,
it's something that we feel, too.
We are mindful, however, of the amount of work behind the scenes over years
by a small band of WIA volunteers that it took in securing formal agreement
of the Australian position by the official delegation prior to the World
Radiocommunication Conference in 2015. Achieving agreement at that Conference
was a significant thing.
Now, it certainly seems cruelly ironic that amateurs in many countries
throughout the world are able to explore the new 60 metre band while
Australian amateurs lag behind.
It's no wonder, then, that some of our very keen 60 metre enthusiasts express
a sense of embarrassment that Australia looks so "backward" to the outside
world.
But then, perhaps we're not the only amateurs "suffering".
It is notable that, in the USA, the Federal Communication Commission - the
F-C-C - is "dragging the chain" on instituting the new 60 metre band. I also
note that the FCC has not yet allocated the 2200 metre and 630 metre bands to
US amateurs.
We have been able to use the 2200 metre band for almost a decade, and the
630 metre band for four years. Both of these allocations came about from
decisions made at World Radiocommunication Conferences.
We need to keep in mind that Australia is a sovereign nation and we have our
own laws that must be followed.
Sure, the WIA would like to see a quicker path to obtaining agreement with
the government to allow Australian amateurs to use the new 60 metre band.
Other nations have their own laws and processes that can see things happen
faster where allocation and use of 60 metres is not so much of an issue as it
is here.
As listeners would be aware, the WIA and the ACMA are working on amendments
to the licence conditions, of which access to 60 metres is but one. That said
allocation of the new 60 metre band was the top priority in the WIA's
submission on licence conditions to the ACMA last year.
The WIA pressing for sensible conditions for access to the 60 metre band that
all stakeholders can agree to, including those licensees currently occupying
the band.
As with other hot-button licensing issues, I can hear the chants echoing from
keen enthusiasts at club gatherings and hamfests . . .
What do we want ? 60 metres ! When do we want it ? Now !
Einstein was right. In the continuum of time, now is a relative term.
Advocacy. Education. Support. That's what we do.
This has been WIA Director Roger Harrison VK2ZRH for VK1WIA News.
Are you correct on the WIA membership records?
The WIA has found that incorrect address details are affecting membership
renewal notices and other services through the Membership Management System
called MEMNET.
Your current postal address is required to receive AR magazine, renewal
notices and other important information from the WIA, while your current
email address is required to take advantage of the MEMNET services, such as
the digital magazine, news summaries and award certificates.
It's easy to check and update your records online through MEMNET.
Members who don't use email can update their details using the Member Inquiry
form, available from the WIA on request.
Have you voted?
This is a reminder to those eligible to vote in the WIA elections that
ballots will close soon.
A list of financial WIA members was used for the postal ballot in late
February.
An election pack of information was inserted into the Amateur Radio magazine
for March, and sent through Australia Post for those who do not receive a
paper copy of the magazine.
The result is expected by late April, with those elected to form the
WIA Board after the annual general meeting is held in Hahndorf in May.
Speaking of our AGM:-
" Good morning, this is Grant, VK5GR
Did you know that the WIA AGM & Convention in South Australia on May 19-21
is more than just an AGM? The radio clubs of South Australia putting together
an engaging program showcasing Amateur Radio and many of the interesting and
innovative things are under way within the hobby here in SA! After the AGM
meeting proper on Saturday morning, the afternoon showcase will provide
insights into many facets of Amateur Radio, from operating portable to
working on the microwave bands, from transmitting digital ATV to building
low band HF antennas for confined spaces. Along the way, you will be
introduced to a narrative that you can use to talk about this fantastic hobby
of ours with new-comers, as well as being given glimpses of what might
become your next new love within Amateur Radio!
To tell you more about one of the topics that are planned on the Saturday
afternoon, here is David VK5DGR."
" For the past 8 years I've been working on open source digital voice
for HF radio. The goal is to come up with a system that works as
well as, or better than analogue SSB, a mode that has been dominant
for 50 years.
Turns out this is a really tough task. SSB is very efficient at
getting voice messages through HF channels. To get this far I've
developed various open source, patent free, speech codecs and modems,
and bundled them up in software packaged called FreeDV.
I'm my talk at the WIA AGM I'll explain the FreeDV system, and how
you can get started with this new mode. I'll also talk about how far
we've come, what the current challenges are, and what's coming up in
the near future.
73 and look forward to seeing you soon."
"So if this or any of the other topics takes your interest, then don't delay,
make your bookings now to get to Hahndorf on the weekend of May 19th to 21st
and more information is available on the WIA website www.wia.org.au
"73 from Grant VK5GR for the WIA AGM & Convention VK5 organising committee."
DISCUSSION POINT
Hello, I'm Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I've been thinking.
After last fortnights broadcast it was apparent how difficult it can be to
get a message across. Like I tried to receive the transmission from interstate
on amplitude modulation. The news was perfectly clear on then local 2m
repeater but I like a bit of a challenge.
I know that the local AM broadcasts just don't make the trip because
of power and short distance propagation but if everything lines up
the higher powered signal from VK2 makes it out the speaker for me.
Now these sorts of facts are pretty common knowledge to the average
amateur operator. There are nice illustrations to explain graphically
just what the processes are. In the study of face to face communication
the same kinds of explanations and language are commonly used.
We have a sender and a receiver who wish to pass a message between
them. In a perfect situation, this would be done instantaneously. Except,
there always has to be that doesn't there? Except there is noise which
masks the message for the person listening. It may be physical noise, it
may be a state of mind or an attitude that makes the language appear
other than what the sender meant.
This is a problem in normal human interactions but is the meat in the
sandwich for advertising and demands the need for clarity in the caring
professions.
What I saw indicated a lot of noise was around the National News
broadcast. People took offense at a description used to show a type of
uncritical behaviour. People blamed the WIA Board for the content of the
news and it was obvious that attitudes had shaped the message received
rather than what was meant by the senders.
Being able to get a message across without error and misunderstanding
only gets more difficult when the norms of behaviour, the things we adhere
to in our Amateurs Code are left behind. Before taking umbrage or offense,
we should try and filter the QRM at our QTH just the same as we do during
a contact.
I'm Geoff Emery and that's what I think....how about you?
INTERNATIONAL NEWS, I'M JASON VK2LAW saying thanks to the IARU, RSGB, SARL,
Southgate AR Club, ARRL, Amateur Radio Newsline, NZART, WIA Local News Service
VK7, VK3PC and the WW sources of the WIA.
In ZL their Radiocommunications Regulations for Cordless Telephones has been
updated and sets an end date for the 1895-1920 MHz band.
The General User Radio Licence is valid from 1 March 2017 and the new Notice
was published in the Gazette on Thursday 2 March 2017.
Malay Mail reports the BBC's Thailand transmission towers fall silent as
junta talks falter.
The BBC World Service has stopped broadcasting from one of its major global
transmission stations situated in Thailand, after talks broke down with a
junta riled by its uncensored coverage.
Sources with knowledge of the negotiations said the BBC's Thai-language
output impeded discussions about renewing the 20-year lease on the complex,
the network's main shortwave broadcast station for Asia.
The centre's large red and white transmission towers 240km north of Bangkok
beamed local language news into tightly-controlled countries such as China
and North Korea, and into places where many still rely on radio like Pakistan
and Afghanistan.
Read the full story at
themalaymailonline.com/world/article/bbcs-thai-transmission-towers-fall-silent-as-junta-talks-falter
Swedish PTS rejects Entry Level ham radio license
Sweden's communications regulator, PTS, has rejected the idea of an
Entry-Level amateur radio license.
Sweden's national amateur radio society SSA say the proposal was
"categorically rejected".
The SSA says it must now find new ways to motivate young people, and even
older, to participate in our hobby. Amateur radio's future in Sweden is an
urgent issue that will be discussed during an upcoming meeting.
ssa.se/pts-forslag-till-delegationsbeslut-och-avslag-pa-begaran-om-instegscertifikat/
Ham radio at Vimy Ridge commemoration
At the 100th anniversary commemorative services at Vimy Ridge, France, between
April 1 and 9, 14 Canadians as well as two French citizens will run an
amateur radio station near the historic battleground to tell the world about
Canada's contribution to WW1.
The Canadians' success at the German-held Vimy Ridge, in April 1917, proved
a turning point in the Great War and put the country on the map for its
military prowess.
Vimy also holds a special place for amateur radio enthusiasts in Canada as it
was the base for the wireless operations of the Canadian Corps of Signals
after the ridge fell to the Allies.
Read the full story at
tricitynews.com/news/coquitlam-amateur-radio-operator-to-take-to-the-airwaves-at-vimy-ridge-1.11389792
New amateur radio regulations for Cuba were published on March 10
The new legal body consists of 17 chapters and 182 articles, which contain
the regulations governing radio amateurs in Cuba. It includes an important
group of modifications with respect to the previous Regulation, including new
authorized bands, extension of the expiration period of Licenses and Capacity
Certificates and regulations for the importation of equipment, antennas and
other accessories.
Cuba has adopted the approach of listing permitted modes by band with up to
31 Emission Designators specified for some bands.
A drawback of attempting to list every possible Emission Designator for each
band is that some will inevitably be missed. For example, the new regulations
do not appear to include the F7W and FXE designators for D-STAR and DMR.
Cuba has three classes of license:
1st Class - Prefix CO - 2000 watts max
2nd Class - Prefix CM - 100 watts max
3rd Class - prefix CL - 10 watts max
SHE'S A SCHOLAR - AND A TOP HAM
Ham radio may have just helped launch the physics career of one Indiana
teenager as Newsline's Neil Rapp WB9VPG reported last week.
NEIL: Maria Lysandrou, KD9BUS, is one of 150 students nationally to be
named a Coca-Cola Scholar. Maria was selected from over 86,000
applicants. The scholarship program focused mostly on community
involvement, which included her music -- and of course ham radio. The
senior at Bloomington High School South in Bloomington, Indiana, who is
the president of the Amateur Radio Club, plans to study physics next
year... partially due to her involvement in the school's ham radio
program. Maria explains how ham radio played a role in landing this
$20,000 scholarship.
MARIA: For some of the essays, they were just mainly about leadership
and how you've been a leader throughout your community... and one of my
communities was that I talked about ham radio. So, I talked about how
I'm a woman in science, and how I go to my research lab and I'm one of
the only people in my astrophysics research lab. I'm the only woman in
my research lab, and it makes me want to continue to pursue science
because I want to merge that gender gap in science, especially in
physics. And so, I talked about ham radio and how during contests I'm
like one of the only women on air, and how I went to the Dayton
Hamvention. Mr. Rapp invited me to the Dayton Hamvention, and he
contacted the people there, and I actually talked at the educator
forum... at the teachers' forum. And I talked about how to get more
women in science and more women in ham radio specifically. And so, I
talked about how I hope to, in my future, to be a leader in ham radio
and be a leader for women in ham radio especially younger women.
NEIL: Maria will be making her college selection soon, as she puts the
finishing touches on AP Chemistry.
Basking in the sunlight radiating off of Maria, I'm Mr. Rapp, WB9VPG
reporting for Amateur Radio Newsline.
Who and Where are our broadcast stations?
http://www.wia.org.au/members/broadcast/where/
HAM RADIO OPERATIONAL NEWS - IT'S A CONTACT SPORT
All major Australian contests, rules and results, are on the
Contest Section of the WIA website.
wia.org.au/members/contests/about
Good Morning,
This Denis VK4AE, coordinator for the WIA John Moyle Memorial Field Day 2017.
When you hear this news broadcast, this year's contest will be already in
progress over this weekend 18th 19th March and will conclude at UTC to 0059
today.
While you may have left your run just a bit late as a portable station for
this year's field day, there is little to stop you from taking part as a home
station.
Those portable stations that are still out in the field may be too busy to
hear this news service as it goes to air, for they will still be flat out
making contacts and logging the many stations whom they have contacted during
this year's field day.
While the contest activities will soon be over, the next part of the field day
activity will soon commence. When the contesting actually ends and the rigs
are powered down, the task of dismantling the station commences. This is not
a lot of fun as everyone is exhausted by the long effort of taking part.
However, you must remember that the job is not done until the paperwork is
completed. Your log is vital to your effort by recording all of the contacts
you have made during those long hours, but just as important in verifying all
of the contacts made by the other stations. So the log is a two part document
not just for you, but for everyone else you have contacted.
So please do not forget to complete you log and submit it either
electronically to the various e-mail addresses or by snail mail, but remember
the closing date will be midnight on the 26th April 2017
I looking forward to receiving the log of your efforts this year. Last year
there were well over 1,000 stations who took part but only 152 took the time
and effort to bother to submit a log.
I hope everyone enjoyed the field day and as soon as the logs are all
received the results will be published as soon as possible after that date.
Thank You
FURTHER CONTEST AND DX NEWS:-
WIA's Harry Angel Memorial 80 meter sprint Saturday May 6 10:00 -11:46 UTC
May 13-15 Mills On The Air
So far 13 Mills have registered for the weekend of
fun on May the 13th & 14th. Most are British, two in
Holland, another from Belgium, and the first ever in
its decade-long history is in Australia.
This is Anderson's Mill at Smeaton in Central Vic.
to be run by the Central Goldfields Amateur Radio
Group VK3BI.
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
Aug 26 ALARA Contest Start Time 1600 this is a 24 hour Contest for YL's
IARU High Speed Telegraphy world championships are 8th to 12th September.
October CQ WW DX / SSB CONTEST (always Octobers Last full weekend)
Running ALL year 'til Dec 31 Victorian Local Government Award 2017 Challenge
VI 3 FB 75
Active March 17 18 and 19 at the Lake Boga Catalina Communications Bunker in
northwest Victoria. Marking the 75th anniversary of Lake Boga Flying Boat
base during WW2.
VI 100 TRF
Rotarians of Amateur Radio (ROAR) in Australia have hit the HF bands for
3 months from 26 February to May 26, with the special event callsign VI 100 TRF.
This to highlight the Rotary Foundation's work over the past 100 years.
S 21 GM and S 21 KW is on the air from Bangladesh until 27th March.
Using the 160 to 10m bands, the team will operate CW, SSB and RTTY.
Now a few to log THIS weekend. Hop to it:-
PA 2017 BP is on the air until 20th March to commemorate Lord Baden-Powell
founder the Scout Movement, also known as the Boy Scouts.
QSL to PA 3 EFR.
The F 6 KOP expedition team will be in the Ivory Coast signing TU7C until
19th March. They will be active on all HF bands CW, SSB and digital. QSL
via F 1 ULQ.
A multinational team travelled to Niger and activated 5 U 5 R until 20th March.
They will be on all bands from 160 to 10m on SSB, CW and RTTY.
QSL to EA 5 RM.
The EI DX Group are signing 9 N 7 EI from Nepal also until 20th March.
The Swedish national amateur radio society, SSA, reports three students and
teachers from Sand Rescue College visited the DXpedition 9N7EI in Nepal on
March 11
Teacher Jonas SA3JIF writes: Our students have the privilege to visit a
DX-pedition, and take note of how the logistics and structure works when
several radio stations and operators communications around the world.
The next radio contact will take place on March 20 between the pupils
"at home" in Sweden and the students in Kathmandu in Nepal. At that point,
the radio teachers Jorgen SM3FJF and Christer SM3ESX will use the auditorium
at Sand Rescue College so that students and teachers can be together during
the radio contact.
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- DEFENCE
The full capability of the relocated C-Band space surveillance radar system
is a major project milestone for the Australian Defence Force and United
States Air Force (USAF).
The joint initiative between the US and Australia will enable better
protection of the country's space-based capabilities.
"The C-Band radar operated from Harold E. Holt Naval Communication Station
near Exmouth, Western Australia, is the first low-earth orbit space
surveillance network sensor in the Southern Hemisphere," said Minister for
Defence Marise Payne.
The C-Band space surveillance radar system was previously based in Antigua,
where it was used by the United States for telemetry tracking of space
launches from Cape Canaveral.
"The C-Band radar system was gradually relocated to Harold E. Holt from 2014
and operates as a sensor node in the US global Space Surveillance Network.
"In its new location the radar provides both Southern and Eastern Hemisphere
coverage that will lead to improved positional accuracies and predictions.
"It can accurately track several hundred objects a day and identify space
debris and satellites," Payne said.
The relocation of the radar has occurred on schedule due to the close
cooperation between Defence's Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group
and the USAF.
radiocomms.com.au/content/radio-systems/news/full-operational-capability-for-space-surveillance-radar-406933908
(vk7news)
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)
CLARA
Canadian Ladies Amateur Radio Association (CLARA) celebrates their 50th
Anniversary Celebration July 18-21, 2017 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
CLARA has arranged for five different certificates to ALL radio amateurs
who qualify, according to the following conditions.
Contact with any 10 YL's
Contact with any 10 CLARA Member YL's - (special certificate )
Contact with any 25 YL's
Contact with any 50 YL's
Contact with any 50 amateur radio stations, YLs and Oms
All contacts must have been made this year (January 1 - December 31, 2017).
Val VE5ACJ is President and for further you may email
clarionylnews@gmail.com
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP --- MARITIME
Maritime Radio Day 2017 takes place from 1200 UTC 14th April until
2200 15th April
Maritime Radio Day is held annually, on the day of the sinking of RMS Titanic,
and remembers over 90 years of professional wireless service for seafarers
from its beginning in 1900 to its close-down around 1999.
MRD is open to all Amateur Radio Stations. Special stations (like Coastal
radios and ship's call signs) can participate to the MRD only if operated by
former Commercial or Navy operators, or by radio technicians who worked in
the installation and/or maintenance of naval equipment.
Maritime related museum stations are also welcome to register participation.
So THIS radio day is April 14/15, what about April 18 ?
Every April 18, radio amateurs worldwide take to the airwaves in celebration
of World Amateur Radio Day. It was on that day in 1925 that the International
Amateur Radio Union was formed in Paris.
Amateur Radio was "in grave danger of being pushed aside," the IARU's history
has noted. Amateur Radio pioneers met in Paris in 1925 and created the IARU
to support Amateur Radio worldwide.
These, 'days', tend to be a lil confusing as World Radio Day is an
observance day held annually on 13 February
World Radio Day is about celebrating radio, why we love it and why we need it
today more than ever.
So if we have "dazed you" with these days.. once again you can "Read All About
It " in the text edition best read at wia.org.au
I'll leave you this week with Ed VK2JI, and a look at
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS SUMMITS ON THE AIR.
I'm Bryan VK3GR
SUMMITS ON THE AIR
www.sotawatch.org
www.sota.org.uk
Summit to Summit actions March 11th. 2017.
Australia calling the world! and that from Mountain tops in New South Wales,
the ACT, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.
The first of two Summits on the Air (SOTA) actions started around 0700 UTC
last Saturday, the 11th. of March. In this the Europe-Australia one, hopes
were not high with predicted propagation and the results of a test the
previous day by the organisers - Mike 2E0YYY and Andrew VK1AD, suggesting that
inter-continental contacts between summits would be very difficult.
But despite those predictions, the Amateur Spirit kicked in and early morning
in Europe and late afternoon in Asia Pacific the stations were out in force
on the summits. A total of 25 summits were "activated" in Europe, 8 in
Australia, 5 in Japan and 1 in New Zealand.
Luck was with the hardy and the band conditions, while variable, were better
than the previous day and Summit to Summit contacts were made between
Australia and Europe, Japan and New Zealand. So all in all a surprisingly
successful event. There are many comments on the SOTA reflector from those who
took part saying how much they enjoyed the event and when would the next one
be. For several activators, this was the first time they managed an
inter-continental summit to summit contact.
Then while the Europeans went home and had a nice restful evening, activators
in Australia were heading out very early on Sunday morning to take part in the
second event. This time to try for summit to summit contacts into
North America. Three Australian activators camped overnight on their summits,
so that they could take part in both events.
Again for the VK to North America path predictions were not good and in this
case, unfortunately the predictions were mainly true.
Although inter-continental summit to home station contacts were made, and
several S2S contacts made within each region, no inter-continental
summit-to-summit contacts were achieved. This might sound a little
disheartening but in fact it has increased the resolve of those taking part to
come back and try again when conditions are somewhat better and with improved
antenna set-ups. I'm sure it won't be long before the VK to North America path
will be as successful as the European to VK has been.
Active during the VK to North America event, were 5 summit stations from
Australia, 5 from the USA, and 1 from Japan. Going by the enthusiasm of those
taking part I expect there will be many more next time.
These events are organised by individuals within the SOTA community, so it
just shows how much fun can be had based simply on an idea, a date and a
loooong walk up a hill!
For VK1WIA News this is Ed Durrant VK2JI.
SOCIAL SCENE 2017
March 19 VK7 "Meet the Voice" barbecue 11:30am at Ross (vk7cl)
March 26 VK3 EMDRC HamFest, Great Ryrie Primary School, Heathmont (VK3BQ)
EMDRC HAMFEST 2017
Where will you be next Sunday morning, the 26th of march? why not head to the
Eastern and mountain district radio club annual HamFest at the great Ryrie
primary school Heathmont in Melbourne's eastern suburbs.
The doors open at 10am and tickets are only $6 per person.
The hall will be full of many interesting things, a selection of commercial
traders from around Australia, and the usual mix of tables with pre loved gear,
books, connectors, antennas and all kinds interesting gadgets to explore and
purchase.
Jacks world famous bbq will be cooking up a storm out the front for breakfast
and lunch all day long, who doesn't enjoy a sausage in bread, topped off with
all the onions you can manage. The ALARA ladies will be manning the canteen for
your complimentary coffee and tea fix and the esky will be full of cold drinks.
Plenty of tables out the front to sit and catch up with an old mate or make a
new one.
The Door prize and raffle is drawn at midday with a selection of goods from our
commercial traders. Extra tickets are available for sale on the day
For more information, head to the clubs website EMDRC.COM
http://emdrc.com.AU or search for VK3ER on Facebook.
See you next Sunday at the HamFest - thanks EMDRC
thanks
Andrew Scott
VK3BQ
QF22NC
http://www.vk3bq.com/
+61411101021
andrew@vk3bq.com <mailto:andrew@vk3bq.com>
April 9 VK6 HARGfest The Lesmurdie Hall at 96 Gladys Rd (Martin Stretton)
Ap 28-May 1 VK4 Clairview Gathering between Rockhampton and Mackay (TARC)
May 19 VK WIA AGM Hahndorf some 25km from Adelaide (vk5kc)
Jun 2-4 VK4 Theresa Creek Camp-out-day (CHARC) (tarc)
June 10-11 VK5 SERG Annual Convention / VK Foxhunting Champs. (vk5dj)
July 1 VK3 GippsTech 2017 technical conference in Churchill. (wia events)
Sep 9-10 ALARAMEET 2017 Cairns. Listen for VI4ALARA from Jly (vk4swe vk3pc)
Nov 12 VK5 Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society HamFest 8am (vk5kc)
VK3 Rosebud's annual celebration of all things Amateur Radio (wia)
Submitting news items
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A reminder when supplying HamFest info we obviously can't plug commercial
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National News compiled by VK4BB on behalf of the National WIA.
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