2025 FEBRUARY 16 WIA NATIONAL NEWS BROADCAST ON VK1WIA
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THE BEST NEWS YOU'LL GET ALL WEEK
THIS LINK IS A VIDEO VERSION OF NEWS COMPILED BY VK5BD BEVAN
tinyurl.com/WIA-News-Videos
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NATIONAL NEWS FOR WEEK COMMENCING FEBRUARY 16 2025
IN OUR 30th YEAR OF NON STOP NEWS
THIS WEEK:-
IN CONTEST NEWS -
WIA SUMMER VHF UHF FIELD DAY MANAGER WITH "THE GOOD NEWS" AND
VK4FUQ DRYS HIMSELF OFF AFTER THE DISASTROIUS INGHAM FLOODS AND
PRESENTS OUR OPERATIONAL NEWS AGAIN AND HOWARD VK4BS REPORTS ON
AMATEUR RADIO AND EMERGENCY COMMS. IN FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND.
ALARA PRESIDENT MICHELLE VK2AYL
GIRL GUIDE THINKING DAY ON THE AIR WITH ALEC VK2MV
I'M EDITOR GRAHAM VK4BB
AND NOW - WIA RETURNING OFFICER.
WIA
JOIN THE WIA
tinyurl.com/yyj87b9y
Pete Cherry VK2LP, WIA Returning Officer.
While I have sent an email to all WIA members eligible with a link to vote in the election for directors, I have had a number of queries on how to vote.
While the online election should be straight forward, please keep in mind these items:
Clicking on the link in the email you have received should take you to the website.
Alternately you can manually paste the link in your browser.
If entering in the above link, you will be asked for your voter ID which is your WIA membership number, and your voter key, which is in the email.
Please contact the returning officer for your Voter Key if you do not have it.
You will see five nominees for the four vacancies to be created.
The election system randomly sorts the list of options on the ballot for each voter
If you click on the blue circle with the i in the middle, you will see information about the candidates that they have supplied.
You can select up to four candidates.
To submit your vote, click on the green Submit Ballot button.
You can close the screen and return as many times as you like during the election period prior to submitting your vote.
It will be just like voting at your polling booth, once your ballot goes in that box, it is cast and cannot be changed.
So please think about your vote, and most importantly exercise your democratic right to vote!
If you have any questions, please contact the returning officer at the email in the text edition of this news.
This has been authorised and spoken by Pete Cherry VK2LP, WIA Returning Officer.
ReturningOfficer@nationaloffice.wia.org.au
https://vote.electionrunner.com/election/ANPop
ALARA
alara.org.au
50 years ago in 1975 a group of ladies led by Norma, VK3AYL decided it was
time to encourage more female participation in Amateur Radio.
Far too often Norma was asked by overseas stations as too how many
Australian YLs there were as they are seldom heard on the HF bands.
At the time USA had YLRL and WARO was the New Zealand ladies radio
association.
Norma thought it was time for Australia to have its own YL organisation.
ALARA, then known as LARA, was formed.
You can join the ALARA members as they celebrate their 50th Anniversary
on 26th July. Event registration details are now on the ALARA website.
alara.org.au
(ALARA PRESIDENT MICHELLE VK2AYL)
AUSTRALIANA
Im Howard, VK4BS.
I live some 25km West of Cairns across the McAlister Range at a place
called Kuranda. Kuranda is a hilly, rain-forested area with many small
creeks that can become flooded during the monsoon season cutting road
access for pockets of communities. If the flooding is accompanied by a
cyclone, it is normal for power and telecommunications to also be cut,
usually for 3 to 4 days.
In that situation residents are in a potentially life-threatening
situation as they have no way to seek help in case of medical and other
serious emergencies. Of less significance but important for their general
well-being is the need to assure relatives outside the area that they are
safe and well.
After cyclone Jasper in late 2023 it became obvious that an alternative
means of communication is needed: the most resilient and available comms
for this purpose is probably Amateur Radio. There are very few amateurs in
the Kuranda area but quite a number in Cairns and the Atherton Tablelands
with many being members of the Cairns Amateur Radio Club or Tablelands
Radio and Electronics Club. The problem was finding a way to utilise the
Amateur resources.
The first step was to establish a reliable radio repeater able to provide
communications throughout the area and to amateur operators in Cairns to
the East, Mareeba to the West. Given the nature of the geography and
vegetation, UHF CB was not considered suitable and mid band VHF operating
around 70MHz was chosen, emulating the way the Army uses radio in similar
environments. With the support of the Royal Flying Doctor Service a
repeater was installed in their radio hut at Mt Haren, just out of Kuranda
and the highest point in the area.
A bulk buy of second hand Simoco SRM900 E0 radio was made and these were
then resold, at cost, to volunteers in the area and amateurs in the radio
clubs. Amateur purchasers had the capability to make suitable antennas and
the Kuranda Mens Club voluntarily manufactured flower pot antennas for the
radios purchased by locals.
The volunteers, who then became the go-to points for locals needing
assistance, could pass requests to amateurs who had facilities to
communicate outside the area and thus ensure the messages reached the
appropriate authorities. Additionally, the Mareeba Shire Council, which
supports the project and has given some hardware for the antenna mounting,
added a radio to the network allowing messages to be passed to their
Disaster Management group and for condition reports to be requested from
the volunteers.
The final part of the network was to set up a means for locals to pass
their requests to the radio volunteers: for these short-range
communications UHF CB was ideal and this was backed up by publishing the
address of volunteers who could be contacted directly.
Information about the network was then disseminated by social media and an
article in the Kuranda Paper.
Fortunately, although we have had heavy monsoon rain, the perfect storm
has not arisen so far this year but we are now prepared for the next time
it hits the area.
As an aside, the Kuranda Range Road (part of Highway 1), which provides
access to Cairns and further North/South for Kuranda, Mareeba and beyond
was so severely damaged by Cyclone Jasper and the rains that it is still,
14 months later, limited to one lane in many parts, subjected to frequent
closures for repair work and expected to take at least another 24 months
for it to be fully operational again.
Although Amateur Radio is the key to success for this network, it is
probably unique in the integration of UHF CB, VHF Land Mobile and Amateur
radio to achieve the overall goal.
A final note.
The equipment used at the repeater site comprises a Motorola MX800
(rebadged Spectra) VHF Mid Band Repeater with an alternative of two
SRM9000 radios connected back-to-back on site ready to be operational if
the Motorola fails. Power is supplied by a GME 30 Amp Power Supply with
battery fall-back to a 138 Amp Hour AGM battery. The antenna, a flower pot
at about six metres giving omni-directional coverage, is fed via a
Telewave TPRD-0754 Pass/Reject Duplexer.
Im Howard, VK4BS for WIA NATIONAL NEWS.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS is with thanks to ARRL, DX-WORLD, eHam, Hackaday,
IARU, ICQPodcast, IRTS, NEWSLINE, NZART, RAC, Radioworld.com, RSGB,
SARL and the World Wide sources of the WIA.
World Radio Day, February 13th, was adopted in 2012 by the United Nations to acknowledge radio's role in people's lives everywhere. Although the focus is usually on broadcast radio services, amateur radio will be involved in some events around the world. This year's theme is "Radio and Climate Change." One of the many international events involved the Shanghai
Coast Radio Station XSG, which maintains a Global Maritime Distress and
Safety System as well as Morse code telegraph services.
The station hosted a two-day Cross band Event in which the radio station
communicated via CW with amateur radio operators, with each side
transmitting on their authorized frequencies while monitoring the other
party's frequencies. The event ran from 00:00 UTC on the 12th of February
to 00:00 UTC the next day, World Radio Day.
3521.3-3526.3kHz
7021.3-7026.3kHz
10121.3-10126.3kHz
14021.3-14026.3kHz
21021.3-21026.3kHz
Amateur Ham Radio operators have picked up suspicious late-night radio
signals in coded Bengali, Urdu and Arabic along the Indo-Bangladesh border
in South Bengal over the last two months, raising concerns about possible
extremist activities, officials said.
The development comes amidst ongoing unrest in Bangladesh and growing
anti-India rhetoric in the neighbouring country. The incident first came
to light in December last when Ham radio operators detected unauthorized
communications in code from Basirhat and Bongaon as well as from the
Sunderbanss.
Ham radio operators alerted the Ministry of Communications, which
forwarded the matter to the International Monitoring Station in Kolkata
for further investigation.
According to Ambarish Nag Biswas, secretary of the West Bengal Radio Club,
the transmissions follow an unusual pattern. "The global norm among
Ham radio users is that if a third party enters an ongoing communication,
they must identify themselves using a radio identification code or
call sign. But in these cases, whenever we asked for identification,
the signals went silent.
AUSTRIAN SHORTWAVE SITE DISMANTLED
What was once radio history in Austria is now, as expected, reduced to
rubble.
The historic short-wave radio transmitting site at Moosbrunn, Austria,
has been dismantled. The Austrian newspaper, Der Standard, reports that
the demolition in late January marks the end of a long episode in
broadcast history. The destruction was described in the newspaper as
[quote] "a precise, targeted explosion." [endquote]
The facility, built during the Cold War Era, had once been home to
Radio Austria International. After Radio Austria went off the air in 2003,
the transmitter was used by international broadcasters such as
Radio D.A.R.C. a programme produced by the German national amateur radio
society. After the closure of the Moosbrunn site at the end of December
2024, Radio D.A.R.C. moved to the short-wave station in England, which has
been carrying it since January.
(text version only)
A 10,000-dollar grant from the Frankford Radio Club will support the
development of a contest dashboard by University of Scranton students
and physics faculty members that will be used by students and amateur
radio operators including some who have served as citizen scientists
for space research projects led by Scranton physics professor
Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D.
Through the project, Dr. Frissell hopes the University's W3USR Amateur
Radio Club members, present and future, will become active radio
contesters. "The amateur radio contesters are one of the most enthusiastic
subset of ham radio operators, and participants span a range of ages from
teenagers to over 90," said Ray Sokola, past president of the 100 plus
year old Frankford Radio Club.
In addition to expanding interest in ham radio and radio contesting,
Ray hopes the grant will continue the tradition of scientific
contributions made by amateur radio operators over the past century.
The Argentine Radio Club is hosting its first international gathering of
female radio amateurs. The meeting is taking place from March 6th through
to the 8th at the Scout camp in Mar del Plata and is being held in
recognition of International Womens Day on Saturday, March 8th.
Marina, LU1VYL, who is on the national societys board of directors, told
our US counterpoint Newsline that the talks and workshops will cover a
variety of topics, including a discussion of why national radio societies
play such a vital role in defending amateurs use of the spectrum in each
country.
Radio Club YL Chile, CE4YLC, will share the story of how their club
evolved and grew. A number of DXpeditioners have presentations planned
so they can share their adventures. Workshops will include an introduction
to DX, practical ways to study CW and construction of double bazooka
dipoles and CW oscillators.
Theres good news for those who want to get on the air:
Marina said there will be a station at the camp site.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Congressman August Pfluger, alongside Congressman Joe Courtney and
U.S. Senators Roger Wicker and Richard Blumenthal, introduced bipartisan,
bicameral legislation to enhance emergency response capabilities and
safeguard US communities.
The Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act will "ensure that amateur
radio operators can continue to play a vital role in ensuring public
safety during emergencies by providing critical communication when other
systems fail." "Natural disasters and other emergency situations that
hinder our regular lines of communication are unfortunately unavoidable,
which is why we must bolster our emergency preparedness by removing the
barriers amateur radio operators often run into when installing antennas,
" Pfluger said.
"Amateur radio plays a vital role in public safety by delivering critical
information to people at all times. My district is home to dozens of
amateur radio operators ready to volunteer in the event of an emergency,
and I am proud to lead this legislation."
WHY RADIO AMATEURS SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE LEVELS OF RF NOISE
This is one of the leading discussions during the SARL Centenary Technical Symposium on 22 March 2025. In fact, it should not only be radio amateurs that should be concerned but any person or organisation that is reliant on the radio spectrum. If climate change is such a serious problem, pollution of the RF spectrum is following close on its heels.
The DARC (the German national amateur radio society) has taken the problem seriously and has developed a monitoring system with over fifty monitoring point across Germany. The system is called ENAMS, the acronym for Electrical Noise Area Measurement System. The DARC team has developed an updated version, ENAMS 2. The SARL is privileged to have one of the senior engineers on the ENAMS team, Andreas Lock, DG8AL to be present at the Centenary Technical symposium.
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OPERATIONAL NEWS - A FELIX VK4FUQ PRESENTATION
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NOW CONTEST WISE:- 2025
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This is Roger Harrison VK2ZRH, manager of the VHF-UHF Field Days.
You may recall that, a couple of weeks ago, on the broadcast of the 2nd of February, I mentioned that some well-motivated souls from the Eastern and Mountain District Radio Club in Victoria were beavering away in the background to develop a program to convert VKCL logs into Cabrillo files, so that they could be checked by the automated method that is used with other WIA contests.
Well, I am glad to report that, after several iterations, the VKCL conversion program is working to everyones satisfaction and all logs for the 2023 and 2024 VHF-UHF Field Day events have been converted into Cabrillo format, ready for log checking to proceed.
Now the conversion of logs from the recent Summer VHF-UHF Field Day can proceed.
There are a few small issues to resolve with some submitted logs so that all can be included and it wont be too long before tables of results can be compiled and published.
Resolving the format for publishing all the results is another step along the way. Rome wasnt built in a day.
We must all thank the team of two programmers from the EMDRC for stepping forward and for their diligent efforts in helping to resolving the hiatus occasioned by the passing of Mike VK3AVV.
This is Roger Harrison VK2ZRH for WIA NATIONAL NEWS.
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CQ 160 METER CONTEST
SSB February 21 - 2200Z February 23.
(cq)
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The IARU 100th Anniversary Centennial QSO Party.
The IARU CQP will be held for nine days, beginning Saturday 12 April and
ending Sunday 20 April. This event will celebrate 100 years of the IARU
(sarl)
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HARRY ANGEL MEMORIAL 80 Meter Sprint, Saturday May 3. (vk4uh)
wia.org.au/members/contests/harryangel/
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VK Shires Contest 7th - 8th June 2025
wia.org.au/members/contests/wavks/
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NZ Straight Key Night
Next New Zealand Straight Key Night will be held Sunday 8 June
from 9pm to 10pm NZDT (0800 to 0900 UTC) on 80 metres.
SKN is not a contest - but the operator who gets the most votes for the
quality of their sending will win the Bruce Scahill Best Fist Award.
This certificate honours Bruce ZL1BWG (SK), who was a dedicated
supporter of SKN. Please email your nomination to ZL1NZ within one week
following the event.
(Neil ZL1NZ, SKN Manager)
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IARU HF World Championship.
The 24-hour IARU HF World Championship starts at 12 HUNDRED UTC on
Saturday 12 July and ends at 11:59 UTC on Sunday 13 July.
This annual contest supports amateur self-training in radio
communications, improving operating skills, conducting technical
investigations and inter-communicating with other amateurs around
the world using the 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 metre bands
(SARL)
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Trans-Tasman Low Band Contest - 19 JUL 2025
The Trans-Tasman contest, held on the 3rd weekend in July, aims to encourage Low Band activity between VK and ZL
Only contest bands 160 80 and 40M are allowed with SSB, CW and Digital (RTTY OR PSK)
wia.org.au/members/contests/transtasman/
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DX WINDOW TO THE WORLD.
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FEBRUARY 2025
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Northern Arizona DX Association will be continuing with year five of the
10-year special event countdown to the 100th anniversary of the discovery
of Pluto by Clyde Tompaugh at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.
This annual 9-day event is held each February through to the 2030
anniversary. This year's event will take place February 15-23 (UTC).
(ard)
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Our I.A.R.U. celebrates its centenary this year (2025).
Since its founding in Paris, France, IARU has worked tirelessly to
promote innovation in amateur radio and to encourage the growth of
the service in communities throughout the world.
VI 100 IARU is a special event callsign transmitting from VK3 to help
celebrate the IARU Centennial.
qsl via MO 0 OXO
A team of operators from DARC is active until the 27th of April using
special callsign DA 0 IARU. The station is operating to celebrate the
100th anniversary of the IARU.
A 9 100 IARU is the special callsign for the Bahrain Amateur Radio
Society to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the International
Amateur Radio Union. Look for activity for five days each month
(which days don't ask me! HiHi) during 2025. QSL via EC6DX.
(qrz.com / 425 dx news / rsgb)
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Thierry, TK1CX is active from Cameroon until the end of February.
He is QRV as TJ/TK1CX on the 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10m bands.
He operates mainly using FT8.
QSL via Logbook of the World, eQSL, or via EA 5 ZD.
(rsgb)
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PC 80 TT is the special callsign for members of VERON Leiden to celebrate
the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands during
World War II (5 May 1945).
Look for activity now until June One
QSL PC80TT via the bureau to PI4LDN.
The special call sign honours the memory of Rudolf Tappenbeck (PCTT),
a pioneer of Dutch amateur radio who died in Neuengamme concentration
camp 1944.
(425dxn)
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This year the SARL is on the air with special event callsign
ZS 100 SARL as the society celebrates their centenary of organised
amateur radio activity in South Africa.
(sarl)
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Don, KW7R is active as V73KW from the Marshall Islands in the north
western Pacific Ocean. He is there on a work assignment until
September and in his spare time, he operates CW and FT8 on various bands.
QSL V73KW via Logbook of the World.
(RSGB)
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British Railways Amateur Radio Society is running special event stations GB0LMR and GB2SDR during 2025 to celebrate 200 years of train travel.
Operation will be mainly focused on 40m but there may be additional activity on other bands.
QSL via the Bureau.
(RSGB)
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Over in "the Motherland", the RSGBs weekly news broadcast GB2RS is
celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. As part of the celebrations,
special callsign GB70RS is active throughout the year. The callsign is
being operated by radio amateurs who help to deliver GB2RS each week and
could include Newsreaders and RSGB Headquarters staff.
Unlike here in VK , in the UK RSGB have to have separate news readers for
each frequency.
You can listen out for RSGB operators on all modes and all bands, with
activity taking place at any time, although you are particularly likely to
hear them before and after the GB2RS broadcasts.
Find out more via the GB70RS page at QRZ.com
(rsgb)
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Lonar Meteor Lake Special Event AU 6 LON.
Lonar Meteor Lake is a creator lake formed by the impact of a meteor
5 MILLION years ago. It is an astronomical wonder in itself. VU2DSI,
Datta from India will be operating/activating from this unique place in
the world of astronomy from 20 th to 24 February. Lonar Meteor Lake is in
the Buldhana district of the state of Maharashtra in India.
(ard)
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WORLD WIDE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP NEWS
SUMMITS ON THE AIR, WORLD WIDE FLORA, FAUNA PROGRAM,
PARKS ON THE AIR and other ADVENTURE GROUPS.
hema.org.uk/index.jsp
minesontheair.com/about-mota
parksontheair.com/
sota.org.uk
sotawatch.sota.org.uk/en/
facebook.com/SotaAustralia/
wwffaustralia.com/
SQUIRRELING AWAY A PERSONAL TREASURE
For this week's starting story, we tell you about one SOTA activator's
highest summit of achievement. It's actually no bigger than a card that
could fit in his wallet. We hear about him from Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.
Ray, KD8EQA, is still a few weeks away from achieving Mountain Goat status as a SOTA activator -- but even in the three-plus years he's been involved in Summits On The Air, the Colorado ham has found many kinds of meaningful recognition, most of them with a connection to animals. As a SOTA chaser, he received a Rooster Award from his friend Steve, WGAT, after 50 successful contacts with activators on Mt. Herman. This unofficial honour was granted in memory of Steve's two beloved goats, Peanut and Rooster. Ray later became an official Shack Sloth, achieving 1,000 points chasing summits throughout Colorado.
As both the elevations and Ray's point score began to soar, so did his enchantment with the natural beauty around him. Becoming a ham in 2021, it didn't take long for the avid hiker to step out with his portable gear: His first SOTA activation was on Mt. Antero [ANN TERRO], a so-called "fourteener" for its 14 thousand plus feet above sea level. Enchanted by nature's vistas and animals - from moose to hummingbird - Ray has had his share of what he considers "wow moments."
What he received in June of 2023 has no equal in his eyes. It was not the 4 points he got that day for his activation on Devil's Head summit. No, Ray was in the national forest specifically to visit the active fire tower, where Ashley, the tower's lookout officer, had promised to present him with a card bestowing membership in something the Forest Service called the Ancient and Honourable Order of Squirrels. An internet search shows that, at least since the 1940s, the forest lookouts have presented these cards at active fire towers around the US to raise public awareness of the perils of forest fires.
This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.
To Ray, there is no greater honour than being a card-carrying Forest Service squirrel. The card is a tangible reminder of all that was once good in our world so long ago and still surrounds us now. "I cherish this," he said: [quote] "It is one of the most valuable things I own." [endquote]
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - FINAL FRONTIER
AMSAT-VK Secretary - secretary@amsat-vk.org
Blue Origin Simulates Lunar Gravity on Landmark New Shepard Flight
Blue Origin successfully launched its NS-29 mission on February 4th, marking a significant milestone in suborbital research. The mission, which lifted off from the companys West Texas launch site at 1600 UTC), was originally scheduled for January 28th but was delayed due to weather and technical issues. This flight was the 29th for the reusable New Shepard vehicle and featured a unique capability: the simulation of lunar gravity in suborbital space.
The NS-29 mission proceeded as planned, with both the booster and the crew capsule executing safe returns to Earth. The booster performed a controlled vertical landing on the designated pad, while the capsule descended under parachutes, touching down in the West Texas desert approximately 10 minutes after launch. However, one of the capsules three parachutes did not fully open. Blue Origin officials assured viewers during the live broadcast that the spacecraft is designed to land safely even if not all parachutes fully deploy.
A key feature of this mission was its ability to generate lunar gravity forcesa first for New Shepard. The capsule achieved this by rotating about 11 times per minute for two minutes using its reaction-control thrusters. This capability was developed to support research on lunar-related technologies, benefiting the 30 payloads aboard the spacecraft. Among these, 29 experiments were specifically designed to test innovations applicable to the Moons environment.
(twiar)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - INTERNET, THE HAMS DOMAIN
Over the past months we have heard how our WIA is revamping the wia.org.au
website.
Now comes word how the RSGB has ADDED new material to theirs .. well worth
the visit particularly those listeners, viewers and readers who hold RSGB
membership
The RSGB has launched a new web page on how emerging technology can be
used in amateur radio. Technologies such as artificial intelligence and
3D printing offer the opportunity to broaden the definition of amateur
radio. They can also increase appeal and attract a more diverse audience.
For we existing radio amateurs, they offer the opportunity for progression
through learning new skills.
Youll also find links to two RSGB Convention presentations, including the
newly released talk on 3D printing by Tom Wardill, 2E0JJI.
Go to rsgb.org/emerging-technology to learn more.
The Society will be adding even more technologies to the web page in the
coming months.
(rsgb)
AHH THE DAYS OF DIAL UP INTERNET!
The MP3 file format was always encumbered with patents, but as of 2017, the last patent finally expired. Although the format became synonymous with the digital music revolution that started in the late 90s, as an audio compression format there is an argument to be made that it has long since been superseded by better formats and other changes.
In a world with super-fast Internet speeds and the abstracting away of music formats behind streaming services, few people still care about MP3.
The last patents for the MP3 format expired in 2012 in the EU and 2017 in the US, ending many years of incessant legal sniping. For those of us learning of the wonders of MP3 back around 98 through services like Napster or Limewire, MP3s meant downloading music on 56k dialup in a matter of minutes to hours rather than days to weeks with WAV, and with generally better quality than Microsofts WMA format at lower bitrates. When portable media players came onto the scene, they were called MP3 players, a name that stuck around.
But is MP3 really obsolete and best forgotten in the dustbin of history at this point? Would anyone care if computers dropped support for MP3 tomorrow?
Food for thought!
(twiar)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - IOTA
iota-world.org/
Bernhard, DL2GAC, is using the callsign H44MS from Malaita [MUH-LIGHT-A], IOTA number OC-047, in the Solomon Islands between the 9th of February through to the 7th of May. He will be calling QRZ on 80-6 metres using SSB and FT8. See QRZ.com for QSL details.
Marty, KE4TT, is on the air as P4/KE4TT from Aruba, IOTA number SA-036 until the 11th of March, using CW, SSB and FT8 on various HF bands. See QRZ.com for QSL details.
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- POLICING
Special event station LZ 75 IPA is active right throughout 2025
celebrating the 75th anniversary of the International Police
Association.
QSL via Club Log's OQRS, or direct to LZ 3 HI.
(425 dx news )
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO SCOUTING
VKJOTAJOTI.COM
scouts.com.au
scout.org/jota
international.scouts.com.au
jotajoti.info/
Brett Nicholas VK2BNN Scouts Australia National co-ordinator
for JOTA.
Lorraine OHare VK2FICQ is Girl Guides Australia National
JOTA-JOTI Co-ordinator.
The Bharat Scouts and Guides Diamond Jubilee Jamboree, held in Tamilnadu,
from January 28th to February 3rd, 2025, witnessed a surge of interest
in amateur radio.
The event, which brought together approximately 20,000 Scouts and Guides
from across India and beyond, featured a Ham Radio Pavilion that proved a
major attraction, particularly among students. The Rajapalayam
International Radio Communicators Club, VU2IRD, was invited by the BSG
National Headquarters to set up and operate the Ham Radio stations.
RIRCOM provided HF, VHF, and even LEO Satellite Communication
demonstrations, showcasing the diverse capabilities of this fascinating
hobby and service.
tinyurl.com/3nfr9ajw
AND dont forget that Girlguiding groups are taking part in World Thinking
Day on the Air activities over this and next weekend, the 15th and 22nd of
February.
The aim of the event is to encourage Girlguiding members to make
friendships with those in other units, using amateur radio as the means
of communication. A list of stations who have provided the RSGB with
details of their callsign can be found by going to rsgb.org/thinking-day
(RSGB and eHam)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- SOFTWARE DEVELOPEMENT
You have until the 28th of February to nominate your favourite ham radio
open source software project for the 6th annual Amateur Radio Software
Award! This international honour promotes free innovative software that
enhances the ham radio experience. Past winners include David Rowe,
VK5DGR, for Codec 2, Anthony Good, K3NG, for Arduino CW Keyer and Jordan
Sherer, KN4CRD, for JS8Call. Find award rules and the official nomination
form at A R S award dot com.
(arsaward.com)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- VIDEO.
ATV SSTV and other forms such as YouTube.
Peter VK3BFG is your WIA ATV representative. pcossins@bigpond.com
tinyurl.com/WIA-News-Videos
THAT LINK IS A VIDEO VERSION OF THIS NEWS COMPILED BY VK5BD BEVAN
In preparation for an upcoming mission to transmit SSTV images from a Space-X Dragon capsule later this year, a simulation of that event will transmit from the International Space Station beginning on February 13th.
SSTV images are expected to be transmitted from the ISS from 13 through
February 17th. Unlike previous ISS SSTV events, images will be transmitted
on 437.550 MHz rather than the standard 2 meter frequency.
This event is designed to be a practice session for educators and students that will be participating in the Fram2 event.
The practice sessions will help participants get used to the doppler effect of 70 cm as well as getting familiar with equipment.
More information on the Fram2 event later this spring can be viewed on the Fram2 website.
fram2ham.com/
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IT'S A DATE
Clubs are welcome to email text with audio for this section
Details of all WIA affiliated clubs and societies can be found
on the WIA website, including email addresses and website links.
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2025
VK3 - Yarra Valley Amateur Radio Group HamFest March One at
Mooroolbark Community Centre. (wiacal)
VK7 - MEET THE VOICE social outing Ross Caravan Park March 23 (Al vk7)
VK4 - Redcliffe & Districts Radio Club REDFEST April 12 at
Deception Bay North State School. (wiacal)
VK - WIA AGM May 3 - 4. Hosted by Bendigo Amateur Radio & Electronics
Club and their Technology Expo (vk3gtv/wiacal)
VK2 - Oxley Region Amateur Radio Club's 49th Annual Field Day Weekend
at Wauchope Showground Hall June 7 and 8 (wiacal)
VK5 - SERG Convention and Fox Hunting Championship June 7 and 8
At Scout Hall in Mt. Gambier (vk5dj)
VK - Australian Ladies Amateur Radio Association 50th anniversary
Glen Waverly July 26 president@alara.org (vk2ayl)
VK5 - AREG's Amateur Radio & Electronics Sale Sunday 26th October
at David Roche Park, Kilburn (VK5QI)
VK4 - GOLD COAST AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY 2025 HAMFEST NOV 9 (vk4dmh)
Country Paradise Parklands 231 Beaudesert Nerang Road.
VK3- Rosebud RadioFest, Eastbourne Primary School, Rosebud (wiacal)
November Sixteen.
VK8 - Darwin Amateur Radio Club DARC Xmas Party 6:30pm Dec 3 (wiacal)
Reception Reports
WIA News rebroadcasters often give Short Wave Listeners a
welcome to the broadcast as they commence call-backs
straight after the Local News. Local news follows National
news in all states. It would be great if those SWL's would
email their reception reports and location to
callbacks@wia.org.au
Submitting news items
If you would like to submit news items for possible inclusion
in the VK1WIA broadcasts, please email your item in text to
nationalnews@wia.org.au and don't JUST send url's links or
posters, but take the time to pen YOUR contribution.
To submit audio, email nationalnews@wia.org.au
and send BOTH the audio and the text
We would appreciate items certainly no longer than 1.5 mts in
length as we only have a half hour.
Remember the sooner you submit material the more the
likelihood of it being broadcast in the very next edition of
WIA National News.
Each recorded item will only be broadcast once, if you want a couple
of mentions, please submit different slants to keep your
event 'fresh' and always if the news room is to read your
item --- write it in the 3rd person. (First if YOU are
reading your own item). If you are mentioning your own name / call
in the story, say something like "and myself, Pat, vk11abc"
Promote your local rebroadcast; details on
wia.org.au/members/broadcast/contribute/
A reminder when supplying HamFest info we obviously can't
plug DEALS from commercial traders "on air", but we at the
WIA will put your supporters 'goods' in this text edition
"no worries."
We will not give blatant 'plugs' to raffles, be it raffles
at the event or "on-line".
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Oh... and to contact us with your news because
If It Matters To You It Matters To Us!
Click the links below to download the most recent edition of
National News, BUT this is ONLY the backup site!
WIANEWS backup thanks to Brendan VK4BLP can be found on
wiaq.org.au
BACKUPS OF THE BACKUP!! thanks to Tony VK7AX
www.vk7ax.id.au/wianews/
wia.org.au/members/broadcast/wianews/ (This is the link
to the original text version and original audio on wia site)
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WIANews - we've reported...YOU decide.
TWITTER twitter.com/VK1WIA
Societies and Club News Letter Editors can EXCHANGE a feed
prior to the actual broadcast date, e-mail
nationalnews@wia.org.au
Call-backs follow the RF editions, but also for text readers
you may lodge a quick reply to let us know you read it, who
knows, you might even get a "cheerio call".
Thanks to our dedicated band of broadcast volunteers who
utilize their time and equipment in bringing you this weekly
broadcast.
Who and where are they?
wia.org.au/members/broadcast/where/
Promote your local rebroadcast; details on
wia.org.au/members/broadcast/contribute/
The purpose of "WIANews" is to rapidly provide news of
interest to WIA affiliated clubs and active amateurs residing
in Australia and the globe.
We strongly encourage membership in the Wireless Institute of
Australia and participation in the activities of local clubs.
Opinions expressed in "WIANews" are those of the writers who
submit material and do not necessarily reflect those of the
rebroadcasters, nor the National WIA, but IF broadcast, are
done so in the spirit in which they were submitted."
If you would like to see the call-backs reported each
broadcast, OR have call-backs to contribute to the National
News call back tally then please send through your call-backs
to callbacks@wia.org.au
How do I join this REBROADCASTERS List?
(subscribe for an automatic feed.)
Email to vk1wia-broadcasters-join@lists.wia.org.au
from the email account that you wish the emails to go to.
How do I join this National News List?
(subscribe for an automatic weekly feed.)
Email to vk1wia-news-join@lists.wia.org.au
from the email account that you wish the emails to go to.
How do I leave this National News List? (unsubscribe your
weekly feed)
Open mail program which sends mail from the address you want
to unsubscribe from. Send unsubscribe to the list
unsubscribe address vk1wia-news-leave@lists.wia.org.au
You will be sent a confirmation mail and must follow the
instructions given in that mail to complete the
unsubscription.
Once your unsubscription has been processed, you will
probably receive a message confirming your unsubscription
from the list and at that point you should stop receiving
messages.
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