NOVEMBER 10 2019 - VK NATIONAL NEWS BROADCAST ON VK1WIA
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THE BEST NEWS YOU'LL GET ALL WEEK
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If It Matters To You It Matters To Us!
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NATIONAL NEWS FOR WEEK COMMENCING NOVEMBER 10 2019
IN OUR 24th YEAR OF NON STOP NEWS
WIA Past President Phil Wait VK2ASD and Foundation Licence Manual -
THIS & MORE IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE
WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA
AND FOR WEEK OF NOVEMBER 10 2019
WIA
Not a WIA Member? details email nationaloffice@wia.org.au
OR the link on bottom right of wia.org.au
https://wia.memnet.com.au/MemberSelfService/NewMemberForm/WIA/NewMemberForm.aspx
A SARC Foundation Course has finished with the candidate sitting for
the exam.
This was the first course and exam conducted by Summerland (Lismore)
since the AMC took over the exam system.
The new exam system is a little simpler than the old one. The major
change is the exam is sent to Tasmania to be marked. That means the
candidate has to wait for the result and when it comes neither the
candidate nor SARC education know what answers were incorrect.
This is unfortunate as it denies both the candidate and the course
provider an opportunity to improve.
Hopefully the situation will change as the AMC moves Amateur Radio
qualifications into the 21st century.
(sarc newsletter)
WRC-19
WRC has agreed to make no frequency allocations or other changes to
the Radio Regulations to accommodate Wireless Power Transmission
for electric vehicles (WPT-EV).
Much more work remains to be done on an urgent basis in the ITU
and other standards organizations if radiocommunication services
are to be adequately protected from harmful interference that may be
generated by WPT-EV, both at the fundamental frequency and from
unwanted emissions.
Consideration of a 50 MHz allocation in Region 1 to harmonize the
allocations in all three Regions was the subject of spirited debate
in a Sub Working Group chaired by Dale Hughes, VK1DSH, of the
Australian delegation. The four RTOs in Region 1 made disparate
proposals to the conference and a small group of administrations
proposed No Change (NOC).
An agreement has been reached, subject to confirmation by the
regional groups, that will provide administrations in Region 1
with flexibility in how to accommodate their amateurs.
Read the RSGB report at
rsgb.org/main/blog/news/gb2rs/2019/11/03/wrc-19-day-5-dont-count-your-chickens/
Other RSGB WRC-19 updates at
rsgb.org/main/blog/category/news/special-focus/wrc-19/
Read the WIA's Secretary's report on
wia.org.au
Foundation Licence Manual -
Supplement Released following Updated Licence Conditions
Hello, this is Phil Wait VK2ASD with some important information
for Foundation Licence candidates and, the clubs that provide
Foundation Licence training.
In September this year the ACMA announced wide-ranging amendments to
the conditions for the amateur Foundation licence, including the
removal of prior restrictions on the use of digital modes for
radio communication, such as DMR.
The amendments increase the flexibility, utility, and relevance of
the Foundation licence by removing unnecessary restrictions, while
balancing the risk of interference to other radio spectrum users.
Since 2005 the Foundation Licence Manual (now in its third revision)
has been the prime study resource for those wishing to gain a
Foundation licence in Australia.
The WIA Foundation Manual publication team has just released a
supplement to reflect the new Licence Conditions. The supplement is
available for download from the WIA website on:
http://www.wia.org.au/licenses/foundation/about/
A word of caution:
The Foundation syllabus is the responsibility of the ACMA, and we
believe syllabus changes are unlikely before December this year.
The supplement contains some possibilities, loosely based on the
new United Kingdom Foundation syllabus. The syllabus items are
examples only. At the time of writing they do not form part of the
Foundation licence assessment.
And another caution:
The WIA does not provide licence assessments. It is reasonably
assumed that the assessment question bank has been modified to
remove outdated regulatory items. However, examination candidates
should clarify the latest requirements with the relevant assessment
service provider.
Further supplements will be released as required.
This is Phil Wait, VK2ASD for the FLM publication team.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to IARU, RSGB, SARL, Southgate AR Club,
ARRL, RAC, NZART AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE & the World Wide sources of
the WIA.
NEW ZEALAND
Fixed Service Band plan in 80 GHz has been updated with the addition
of 500 MHz and 750 MHz channels to meet the demand of new fixed link
radio equipment.
These channels are now available for use in the NZ Register of
Radio Frequencies.
UNITED KINGDOM
Medical Pager information livestreamed
Reports say a person has been livestreaming sensitive Medical Patient
Information that was being sent to Pagers
Pagers often use the FLEX and POCSAG protocols, which are not
encrypted and are easy to receive and decode with an SDR dongle
and easily found software.
The Gizmod article by Jennings Brown in part says:
Security researcher Daley Borda said he found the video stream by
chance. The webcam was pointed at a computer monitor displaying
decoded pager messages containing "details of calls" made by NHS
and ambulance service dispatchers to on-call medics.
"You can see details of calls coming in, their name, address, and
injury"
Read the Gizmodo story at
gizmodo.com/a-radio-enthusiasts-was-livestreaming-sensitive-medical-1839480208
CDXC, the UK DX Foundation, has announced a donation of $2,600 to
Club Log for significant hardware upgrades. The grant is in addition
to the $650 CDXC donates each year to support the site.
Established in 2008, Club Log has become an essential tool for DXers
and DXPeditions.
The hardware upgrade will improve resiliency, enhance performance,
and facilitate further innovation.
"Wow, amazing! Totally amazing thank you, thank you!" was the
reaction of Club Log author Michael, G7VJR.
Supported by a team of volunteers around the world, Club Log hosts
590 million contacts and serves 69,000 active users.
USA
Researchers transmit energy with a laser-in 'historic' power-beaming
demonstration
"For the first time, hundreds of watts of power were wirelessly
transmitted hundreds of meters, with an integrated system that
ensured the safety of operators and bystanders," writes an anonymous
Slashdot reader, sharing a new press release from the U.S. Naval
Research Lab.
This could be the first step towards drones that never have to land.
According to the US Navy, the power transmitted came from
"an electrical outlet in the building"
On one end of the of the testing facility -- one of the largest test
facilities for model ships in the world -- the receiver was
converting the laser energy to DC power, which an inverter was
turning into AC power to run lights, several laptops, and a
coffeemaker
slashdot.org/story/19/10/26/1441243/researchers-transmit-energy-with-a-laser-in-historic-power-beaming-demonstration
USA
Samsung 'space selfie' satellite crashes into family's backyard
"A Michigan family was shocked to find a space satellite in their
yard," reports a local TV station:
Nancy Mumby-Welke shared the video on Facebook, walking up to a
satellite lying on its side. "You never know what's going to happen,"
Welke says in the video. "This baby fell out of the sky and landed
in our yard," she went on to say.
According to the Gratiot County Herald, Nance heard the crash around
8:45 a.m. just before they were going to let their horses out.
"Thank God none of the horses were out and it didn't land on the
house," she explained in the video. She walked up to it, the
satellite was still humming and whirring...
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7618981/Samsungs-space-selfie-satellite-crashes-Earth-landing-Michigan-familys-backyard.html
MAKING NOISE ON BEHALF OF RADIO'S 'QUIET ZONE'
This story is about a radio astronomy research facility in
West Virginia and its relationship with Wi-Fi - or should we perhaps
call it "WHY-NOT" Fi?
West Virginia's Green Bank Observatory, the first national astronomy
observatory in the U.S., has scored ground-breaking discoveries from
black holes and pulsars to neutron stars. It has even searched for
extra-terrestrial life. One wonders if it spotted that 'whirring'
satellite from our previous story!
Its centrepiece is the 485-foot-tall Green Bank Telescope, which has
an operating range from 100 MHz to 116 GHz.
For fans of radio, Wi-Fi and some electronics however one less welcome
discovery in Green Bank is the facility's longstanding need to live
without RFI affecting its delicate operations. The FCC established a
National Radio Quiet Zone 61 years ago to limit RFI.
The state itself has protective restrictions.
These bans predate Wi-Fi, however, not to mention smartphones and even
"smart" home appliances. Fear not, says an article in Popular
Mechanics.
With a nod to the march of tech progress, the observatory is looking
at a variety of possible solutions for the locals including something
called LiFi, a form of wireless communication in the terahertz range
that uses infrared and visible light.
The locals are hopeful.
They're just not texting one another about it - at least not yet.
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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
WIA DX Awards Start Dates Normalized
The Awards Committee has decided to set the start date for all
awards to the same date: 1/1/1946
All QSO's from this date onwards are now eligible for all awards.
Previously, awards had different start dates, depending on when
they were first created.
This means participants in the awards program may now qualify for
new awards and/or endorsements.
To ensure all your QSO's are now eligible, simply upload all your
QSO's between this date up to and including 1/1/1990 into the online
Awards system. Alternatively, just upload your whole log. Then
perform a "Show Award Status".
(txt by Graham Alston, VK3GA, WIA Awards Manager)
NOVEMBER
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GABON, TR8CR.
Roland will be QRV as TR8CR until December 15.
Activity will be on the HF bands using CW. QSL via F6AJA.
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Anniversary of the Federal Republic of Germany
Look for special event stations DM 70 GER and DL 70 BRD now active
until December 31st, 2019 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the
Federal Republic of Germany which was established on May 23rd, 1949.
Operations will be on CW and SSB.
(SouthGate)
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Not long to log this one!
Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Sweden's National Society for
the Active Visually Impaired is active as SF 50 CG throughout 2019.
QSL via SM 0 BYD.
(RSGB)
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Special call EI 19 RE active for 2019
The special call sign EI 19 RE will be active for the duration of
2019 to commemorate the establishment of the first Irish parliament.
It first met in January of 1919 following a landslide victory for
Irish nationalists in December 1918.
https://ei7gl.blogspot.com/2019/01/special-call-ei19re-active-for-2019.html
(SouthGate)
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In the World of DX, amateurs in Turkey are using the special call
sign TC 10 GITRAD to mark the 10th anniversary of the radio group
G.I.T.R.A.D.
They are on the air all year through the 31st of December.
No cards are required. However, if you need a paper QSL card please
mail yours directly to TA 7 AZC and include a stamped self-addressed
envelope and money for postage.
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BARTG GB60ATG special event
Members of the British Amateur Radio Teledata Group (BARTG) are
active as GB 60 ATG until June 20-20.
The BARTG is celebrating their 60th Year Diamond Jubilee anniversary
with this callsign and special awards are available for contacts with
GB 60 ATG using any Data Mode.
More information can be found on the BARTG Web site on
bartg.org.uk
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NEW CALEDONIA, FK.
QRV is FK 8 CJ from Noumea, IOTA OC-032, until the end of 2019
on 30, 20 and 17 meters.
QSL to F 6 EYB.
(arrl)
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WORLD WIDE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP NEWS
CW
FISTS Club - East Asia www.feacw.net
FISTS Club - Australasia www.fdu.org.au
FISTS Club - UK & Europe www.fists.co.uk
FISTS Club - Americas www.fists.org
Recommended FISTS calling frequencies (MHz):
1.808 3.528 7.028 10.118 14.058 18.085 21.058 24.908
28.058
Candidates with 100% CW Copy Receive an Award
Thailand's amateur radio society RAST conducted an Intermediate
amateur radio exam along with the compulsory 8 WPM Morse code test
at Bangkok University's Rangsit campus and those who passed will be
able to operate on the HF bands.
A total of 96 candidates sat the exam and 44 passed the
CW examination at 8 WPM, with 13 of those copying the Morse code
that was sent without any errors, including two boys,
one 11 years old and the other 14 years old.
Those who passed the CW test with 100% copy were awarded a world map
by RAST.
WORLD WIDE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - DStar
The News Line U.S. based broadcast of approximately 20 minutes
is on to DStar Reflector 91 C Wednesday nights
The DStar Broadcast is at 7:30 Melbourne Australian Time (8:30 UTC)
and all comments about or to New line whether inside or outside
Australia all welcomed.
VK3PG who sent in this article says it must be remembered that
Clayton VK7ZCR the Reflector 91 C Co-coordinator in Hobart Tasmania
which is the owner of Reflector 91 C is the very first in Australia
to put these Broadcasts to DStar not forgetting also the DMR services
broadcast interlink in Tasmania which he runs at the same time as
DStar Broadcast`s
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - FINAL FRONTIER
AMSAT-VK Secretary - secretary@amsat-vk.org
Tony VK5ZAI still at it!
Wednesday last, around 7pm AEST several educational institutes in
Milano, spoke to the International Space Station thanks to a
telebridge hook-up from South Australia and VK5ZAI
NA1SS astronaut Luca Parmitano KF 5 KDP was at the mike in space.
(sourced to Gaston Bertels ON4WF )
Get Ready for the Transit of Mercury
One of the biggest astronomy events of the year is a day away
The Transit on Mercury, when Mercury will pass directly in front the
sun, creating a jet black circular "sunspot" that spaceweather.com
say anyone can safely observe.
Find out when and how to look on the November 5 edition of
Spaceweather.com
(SouthGate)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- IOTA
www.iota-world.org
OC-237.
Operators Budi/YF1AR, Moh.Sofyan/YC1KK, Mohammad/YC1BIQ and
Budi/YB1MAE are active as home call/p from the Biawak Light-house
(IDO-074) on Biawak Island, Indonesia, between November 7-14th.
Activity will be on 160-10 meters using mainly FT8 with some CW and
SSB.
QSL YF1AR/P via YE1AR, ClubLog's OQRS or via N2OO.
QSL YC1KK/P, YC1BIQ/P, YB1MAE/P via their home callsigns.
For more info and updates, see:-
yf1ar.com/2019
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO SCOUTING
http://www.scouts.com.au
http://www.scout.org/jota
http://www.international.scouts.com.au
http://jotajoti.info/
Brett Nicholas VK2BNN Scouts Australia National co-ordinator for JOTA.
Lorraine O'Hare VK2FICQ is Girl Guides Australia National JOTA-JOTI
Co-ordinator.
CALLING FREQUENCIES
Please QSY off the calling frequency after establishing communication.
Australian voice calling frequencies:
3.650, 7.090, 14.190, 21.190, 28.590, 52.160
World CW calling frequencies:
3.570, 7.030, 14.060, 18.080, 21.140, 24.910, 28.180, 50.160
World voice calling frequencies:
3.690 & 3.940 MHz, 7.090 & 7.190, 14.290, 18.140, 21.360,
24.960, 28.390, 50.160
Calling frequencies for Slow Scan TV (SSTV):
3.630, 7.033, 14.227
Calling Frequencies for PSK31
14.070
Amateur Radio at the World Scout Jamboree - Free PDF
Article in December 2019 issue of ARRL's QST magazine covers
amateur radio at the World Scout Jamboree.
Scouts made contacts via the amateur satellites and spoke with an
astronaut on the International Space Station
The ARRL have made the PDF of this article available for free
download
http://www.arrl.org/this-month-in-qst
(SouthGate)
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
IARU Region 1 3760 7110 14300 18160 21360 kHz
IARU Region 2 3750 3985 7060 7240 7275 14300 18160 21360 kHz
In the USA Maine Radio Amateurs are helping to Deploy AM Band Public
Information Radio Service
It's said to be that nation's first county-wide emergency AM radio
station and all with the help of radio amateurs.
"We realized that the last option [in emergencies] most people have
for getting information is by broadcast radio," said Waldo County
Emergency Management Agency Director Dale Rowley, KC1LKI.
"We have in the past established emergency shelters, but could not
get the word to residents that the shelters were open. They couldn't
watch TV, and their smartphone batteries were dead," he said.
Rowley's agency learned about emergency radio advisory stations and
determined that they could be a solution. The RadioSAFE Wide Area
Emergency Broadcast System is by Information Station Specialists,
which has provided a similar station for Dayton Hamvention visitors.
The company developed a compact, centre-loaded whip antenna with a
small ground plane that will cover the mostly rural coastal county.
Brit, AB1KI, and Robert, W1EBA, with the Waldo County Emergency
Management Agency are handling system planning and will install
the new service at the county's tower site on 530 kHz channel.
(arrl)
WORLD WIDE INTEREST GROUPS SOTA
The SOTA 2020 (and beyond) 'Flavours' Challenge
A series of themed challenges will take place in 2020, as part of
the SOTA - Summits On The Air awards programme.
The idea is to encourage SOTA activity on bands and modes that are
popular in amateur radio generally, but somewhat under-represented
in SOTA.
The SOTA 'Flavours' Challenge 2020
January 1st-7th 2020: LF - 160m & 80m
February 1st-7th 2020: Data modes
March 1st-7th 2020: Digital voice
April 1st-7th 2020: LF - 160m & 80m
May 1st-7th 2020: Data modes
June 1st-7th 2020: 12m, 10m & 6m
July 1st-7th 2020: 70cm
Aug 1st-7th 2020: 17m
Sept 1st-7th 2020: Data modes
Oct 1st-7th 2020: Digital voice
Nov 1st-7th 2020: LF - 160m & 80m
Dec 1st-7th 2020: 12m, 10m & 6m
Scoring:
Activators:
Number of unique QSO partners worked multiplied by the number of
unique summits activated.
Chasers:
Number of unique activators worked multiplied by the number of
unique summits worked.
Only QSOs made on the nominated band or mode, on the dates specified,
will count towards Challenge scores and to take part in the
"Flavours" Challenge, simply enter your activator and chaser logs
into the SOTA Database as normal.
(SouthGate)
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - VHF AND ABOVE (The Plumbers Delight)
122 GHz ham radio band on Hackaday
Neil G4DBN has released details of his latest project on the popular
Hackaday site - A set of feed horns, reference horns and flange
couplers for use with the SiliconRadar TRA_120_002 chipset on the
122 GHz amateur radio band
Further details at
https://hackaday.io/project/168231-122-ghz-antennas-and-feeds
(SouthGate)
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REWIND - I'M JOHN KNOW VK4FJRK
"A Canadian trailblazer, Fern Blodgett Sunde was the first woman to
work as a wireless radio operator at sea, serving aboard an Allied
merchant ship during the Battle of the Atlantic."
A volunteer steering committee, along with its community partner,
the Cobourg Museum Foundation, will erect a life-sized bronze statue
commemorating Fern, who passed in 1991, the first Canadian
woman to earn a professional radio operator's licence, and the first
female radio operator - a "Sparks" - to work at sea.
Breaking naval barriers, Fern served aboard the M/S Mosdale during
the Second World War's Battle of the Atlantic, which was the long,
deadly struggle between the Allied and Axis powers to control vital
shipping lanes.
Educational materials, as well as an unveiling ceremony in
October 2020, will pay tribute to Fern, and to all Canadian
naval forces and merchant mariners who served at sea during the
Battle.
The statue and plaque will be located at the Cobourg, Ontario
waterfront.
How a young Canadian found herself the only woman on a Norwegian
merchant vessel, serving her country as a radio operator during
78 dangerous transatlantic crossings in a theatre of war, breaking
educational and maritime barriers to get there, is a fascinating
story and the Society, Radio Amateurs of Canada, (RAC), is committed
to telling that story.
A tribute to Fern Blodgett Sunde was published in the
September/October 2019 issue of The Canadian Amateur magazine
and is freely available at rac.ca
WITH REWIND - I'M JOHN KNOW VK4FJRK
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2019 Social Scene
VK3 - ROSEBUD RADIOFEST November 17
This is Andrew VK3CAH from the Southern Peninsula
Amateur Radio Club with a reminder that the Rosebud
RadioFest , will be held Sunday, 17th of November.
In addition to sales of new and pre-loved equipment
in the main hall, the Rosebud RadioFest sets itself
apart with the excellent range of technical forums
which are presented.
This year, topics being covered are Comparison and design
of Yagi matching methods. Finding and locating HF noise
and
Getting the most from the new amateur licence conditions
So come along and enjoy the equipment sales, great catering
and excellent forums of the Rosebud RadioFest.
See you in Rosebud. This is Andrew VK3CAH
2020 Social Scene
VK2 - WYONG FIELD DAY 23rd February 2020 (dd5lp)
VK4 - SEQ Amateur Radio Field Day March 10, 10am at
Landsborough Sports Complex 15 Tunnel Ridge Rd. (vk4an)
VK4 - REDFEST 2020 18th April. St. Michael's College
Old Toorbul Point Rd from 8am (vk4tfn)
VK3 - ALARAMEET 2020 Bendigo October 2 - 5 (vk5yl)
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We cannot give blatant 'plugs' to raffles. (new Jan 2019)
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