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VK7AX > NEWS 24.06.09 04:45l 543 Lines 25420 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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To : NEWS@WW
VK7 REGIONAL NEWS BROADCAST
FOR SUNDAY 21ST JUNE 2009
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Digital DX News
The First Ten Thousand Miles Award
A North American meteor scatter group "Super 7" has introduced a
"Ten Thousand Miles" award for completing FSK441 contacts over 1000
miles for a total of Ten Thousand Miles after 1 May 2009.
There are awards for single band and muli-band with 6 meters being
the easiest and 2 meters more difficult.
Full details of the award requirements can be found on the WSJTGroup's
website which can be found at the email and internet editions of
this broadcast.
http://www.ykc.com/wa5ufh/Super7/S7Index.htm.
The first award issued has gone not to North America but to VK with
Rex VK7MO completing 10,000 miles on two metres which includes four
contacts with ZL3s and ZL4s and five contacts with VK4s.
Congratulations to Rex VK7MO.
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Echoes of Apollo Project
Joining the World's Biggest Space Party
Mt Pleasant 26m Radio Telescope in VK7 Involved.
Next Saturday - June 27th will see the amateur radio community celebrating World EME or Earth Moon Earth day in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the first moon walk in 1967.
The University of Tasmania's Mount Pleasant Radio Telescope between Cambridge and Richmond will be involved with the 26m dish.
Rex VK7MO has been working with the telescope staff to mount his 1296MHz dish feed into the big dish and has undertaken some successful sun noise and SSB receiving tests with Doug VK3UM.
So next Saturday, why not come out, see and hear some signals off the moon and see what it's all about at the Mt Pleasant Radio Telescope from 11am when the moon comes up and receiving activities will continue through until about 10pm when the moon disappears.
How do you get there? Head out of Hobart through Cambridge on the road to Richmond and turn right into Denholms Rd at the Meadowbank Winery and head down the road toward the 26m dish…you can't miss it…HIHI.
We look forward to seeing you out at the Dish.
Take a look at: http://echoesofapollo.com/ for more information.
http://reast.asn.au/events.php#EchoesOfApolloMtPleasant
73,
(Rex VK7MO and Justin VK7TW)
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VK7 EVENTS CALENDAR
A summary of the events across VK7 over the coming month:
NTARC – June 20 & 21 - Museums on the Air – Flinders Island IOTA OC195 – VK7VTX operating VK7FLI
REAST – June 24th – ATV Experimenter's Nights – 7:30pm Queens Domain Club rooms.
http://reast.asn.au/events.php#ATVnights
CCARC – June 27th - Bill, VK7MX demo of squid pole HF antenna 1.30pm at the Penguin Lions club rooms.
http://www.my-x15.net/ccarc
WMBD – June 27th – World Moon Bounce Day celebrating the Echoes of Apollo 40th Anniversary of the first Moon landing – Mt Pleasant Radio Observatory.
http://echoesofapollo.com/
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NORTHERN NEWS
Northern Tasmania Amateur Radio Club
Many NTARC members turned out for the club meeting, where quite a few issues were discussed & resolved. One of these was the question about whether or not the club should incorporate.
To this end our Vice President Bill VK7MX has been busy putting pen to paper and setting up a few draft club rules for club members to consider. A lot of thought has gone into these proposed rules, and if you want to look over them, you can find them on the NTARC yahoo group.
Take a look at them and if you have any comments or suggestions, use the yahoo group forum to discuss your thoughts.
At that same meeting, human dynamo Joe VK7JG presented a visual picture of repeaters in the area. NTARC has quite a network of repeaters, and it would be a shame to not use them to the fullest. Thanks Joe for all your hard work!
Gavin, VK7VTX is going to be operating a Museum-On-The-Air from Emita, Flinders Island over this weekend. If you hear him, say hello and participate in a bit of living history.
The DX-machine known as Norm VK7AC is constructing a switchable four square antenna system using the squid poles that have proven so popular over the last few months. Norms already formidable DX'ing capabilities should be even further enhanced by this and no doubt will result in some impressive catches over the coming months… now if only we could get the sunspot cycle to co-operate hihi.
Thanks from
(Jason VK7ZJA)
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NORTH WEST News
Cradle Coast Amateur Radio Club (CCARC) News
http://www.my-x15.net/ccarc
The next general meeting of the Cradle Coast Amateur Radio Club will be will be happening at a new time - 1.30pm on Saturday, the 27th of June at the Penguin Lions club rooms, 19 Ironcliffe road, Penguin.
This will be a "social meeting" with only essential business to be covered and then to move on to the main focus of the day, a technical session presented by Bill, VK7MX. He has kindly volunteered for this meeting to do a presentation, featuring the squid pole HF antenna.
Don't miss out on this interesting display of this versatile multi-band portable HF antenna.
All members and visitors are welcome to attend.
Just again, don't forget the new start time - 1.30pm on Saturday, the 27th of June
The regular weekly broadcast relay station for the North West, Winston, VK7EM, was unable to do the news broadcast last weekend, so Wayne, VK7FWAY stepped up and offered to help out Winston. This was Wayne's first time at doing a broadcast relay and was very happy with his first effort, receiving 13 call backs at the conclusion.
Congratulations Wayne, for taking the time and effort to bring the news to the North West.
Thanks also go to Winston for his ongoing dedication in bringing broadcasts to the North West coast.
At the previous special meeting of the Cradle Coast Amateur Radio Club, a decision was made to incorporate the club. All the paper work was submitted and confirmation has been duly received that the club is now a registered incorporated organisation. Congratulations and thanks to all the members and committee, and especially Bill, VK7MX for his many efforts drafting the new rules.
http://www.my-x15.net/ccarc
(David Cleland, VK7DC, Secretary, CCARC)
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North West Tasmanian ATV Group
http://www2.vk7ax.id.au/atvgroup
The next General Meeting of the Club is scheduled for 8th. August 2009, and will be a Dinner Meeting.
Venue will be advised closer to the event.
73's until next time
(Tony VK7AX, President and News Officer NWT-ATV Group)
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Southern News
Radio and Electronics Association of Southern Tasmania
July Presentation
As heard in some previous broadcasts Harvey VK7TED has been experimenting with setup his radio to take part in the Global ALE HF Link network.
The Global ALE HF Network is the first time a ham radio net has ever functioned continuously on all 8 major HF bands simultaneously 24/7/365.
The main purpose is Emergency / Relief Communications, and the focus is to provide a framework to help the various Emcomm and relief organisations of the world inter-operate better with each other on HF.
All ham operators are welcome and invited to participate in the net on the air at any hour of the day or night, for normal QSOs and messages, soundings, or priority Emcomm use.
Harvey VK7TED has setup his IC706Gmk2 and it is happily scanning the 14MHz digital frequencies and beaconing every hour and Harvey has agreed to give us a talk on his experimentation and if we are lucky a demonstration.
This should be a great night.
See you there 8pm in the Queen's Domain Clubrooms.
http://hflink.com/
http://hflink.com/software/
(REAST Committee)
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REAST Education and Training
On Tuesday the 30th June there will be another examination session for the Advanced and Standard licenses at 7:30 pm in the Queens Domain Clubrooms.
Please let Reg VK7KK know as soon as possible if you are interested in attending.
Three attended a foundation training and practical assessment session on Saturday June 20th . The next session will be November.
Not enough people have indicated an interest in participating in a Standard training course starting around the end of June.
We'll look at alternatives to helping those interested
Contact Reg VK7KK for more information on mobile: 0417 391 607 or email: regemm(AT)ozemail.com.au
http://reast.asn.au/events.php#FoundationLicenceCourse
(Reg, VK7KK, REAST Education Officer and Assessor)
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REAST ATV Experimenters Night
Firstly a big get well for a couple of amateurs. The first is young Sam VK7FBMX who came off his skateboard recently and has a compound fracture in one of his arms. We all hope for a speedy recovery.
The other amateur who has spent some time in hospital recently is Trevor VK7TS and we also hope for a speedy recovery Trevor.
Wednesday night was another cram-packed night of experimenting and video presentations.
Justin VK7TW showed the recently acquired Phlatlight that he is experimenting with for a NLOS optical communications transmitter. This RED LED can have 2.3V and 18A continuously running through it with suitable heatsinking and can be pulsed up to 30A for almost twice the output and ten times the output of a luxeon. We will be pressing this device into service.
We previewed some great vision and sound from around Hobart thanks to Paul VK7FPAH who has been creative in putting together some great filler vision for our ATV nights.
Our main presentation was a continuation of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon walk with six NASA videos on the mission and the moon walk from 1967. There were also a couple on some of the technology projects that have successfully been implemented in the Nascar area along with a video explaining how a LIDAR works.
We then finished off with a celebration coffee as the ATV group has successfully negotiated moving the ATV studio into the second room in the garage at the Domain to enable more space for the studio and control room. You will hear more about the over the coming weeks.
Next week we hope to be able play the third and final hour of the three one hour presentations on the HPSDR project by Phil Harman VK6APH who features on the front cover of this month's AR magazine.
These lectures where given at the 2008 Digital Communications Conference held jointly by the ARRL and TAPR.
Phil is one of the designers of the Software Defined Radio project – Mercury.
This presentation honestly shows the future of radio with Digital Down Conversion techniques.
http://www.tapr.org/kits_merc.html
See you Wednesday night around 7:30pm for another great night of ATV and experimenting.
See you there.
http://reast.asn.au/events.php#ATVnights
(73, Justin, VK7TW)
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Satellite DX News
7000km contact using Lazarus
Lazarus or AO-7 that came back to life a few years ago has been involved in a remarkable contact.
The Mode B contact took place between Piraja, PS8RF in Brazil and Jean-Jacques, ON7EQ in Belgium over a distance of 4736 miles or 7622 KMs.
Jean-Jacques wrote, "As the theoretical window between both stations only lasts about 1 minute, 30 seconds, careful preparation was required for selection of the optimal window and calculation of doppler shifts both ways. The effective contact was only possible during about 20 seconds, just enough to exchange reports, while both stations met on the transponder within an offset of 500 Hz of calculated frequencies."
Well done and congratulations, gents!
PS8RF has posted a video of the Satellite DX event and the link can be found on the email and internet editions of this broadcast.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggNmQqxARWY.
(AMSAT News Service thanks Jean-Jacques, ON7EQ and Piraja, PS8RF for the above information)
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Space Weather News
Electric-blue Clouds Sweep Across Europe
Spaceweather.com reported last week that Europe is currently experiencing a remarkably intense display of electric-blue noctilucent clouds (NLCs) swept across Europe.
Wikipedia states that noctilucent clouds, are tenuous cloud-like phenomena that are the "ragged-edge" of a much brighter and pervasive polar cloud layer called polar mesospheric clouds in the upper atmosphere, visible in a deep twilight. They are made of crystals of water ice. They are most commonly observed in the summer months at latitudes between 50° and 70° north and south of the equator.
Last week sightings were made in Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Poland and the British Isles. These mysterious clouds are known to flourish during years of solar minimum--and 2009 is such a year.
This means more NLCs may be in the offing, not only over Europe but also North America and elsewhere.
Check http://spaceweather.com for images, movies, and observing tips.
(Sourced from the Spaceweather.com and Wikipedia websites)
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Satellite News
AO-51 Field Day Configuration
AMSAT's Satellite Field Day is held concurrently with the annual ARRL Field Day emergency preparedness exercise. This year the event will take place between 1800 UTC on Saturday June 27, 2009 through 2100 UTC on Sunday June 28, 2009.
AMSAT encourages stations to prepare for operations on all of the satellite modes - analog, FM, and digital. The congestion on FM LEO satellites has become so intense based on experience in prior years that we request to limit your use to one-QSO-per-FM-satellite. The ARRL rules only allow one contact per FM satellite to count. AMSAT Field Day rules allow one contact per FM repeater to count. This includes the International Space Station, if operational.
AO-51 will be configured to support Field Day operations. The Field Day configuration on AO-51 begins on June 21 to allow stations to test their equipment and antennas at home prior to the event. The satellite will remain in this mode through June 28.
AO-51 June 21 - June 28 Field Day Configuration will be:
FM Repeater, V/U
Uplink: 145.920 Mhz FM
Downlink: 435.300 Mhz FM
FM Repeater, L/U (Subject to interruption for telemetry collection)
Uplink: 1268.700 Mhz FM
Downlink: 435.150 Mhz FM
The full text of the AMSAT Satellite Field Day Rules can be found at the link that can be found on the email and internet editions of this broadcast:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/awards/amsatfd.php
(AO-51 Operations Team and Bruce, KK5DO via the AMSAT Mailing List)
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Space News
Mystery of the Missing Sunspots, Solved?
June 17, 2009: The sun is in the pits of a century-class solar minimum, and sunspots have been puzzlingly scarce for more than two years. Now, for the first time, solar physicists might understand why.
At an American Astronomical Society press conference today in Boulder, Colorado, researchers announced that a jet stream deep inside the sun is migrating slower than usual through the star's interior, giving rise to the current lack of sunspots.
Rachel Howe and Frank Hill of the National Solar Observatory (NSO) in Tucson, Arizona, used a technique called helioseismology to detect and track the jet stream down to depths of 7,000 km below the surface of the sun. The sun generates new jet streams near its poles every 11 years, they explained to a room full of reporters and fellow scientists. The streams migrate slowly from the poles to the equator and when a jet stream reaches the critical latitude of 22 degrees, new-cycle sunspots begin to appear.
Howe and Hill found that the stream associated with the next solar cycle has moved sluggishly, taking three years to cover a 10 degree range in latitude compared to only two years for the previous solar cycle.
The jet stream is now, finally, reaching the critical latitude, heralding a return of solar activity in the months and years ahead.
"It is exciting to see", says Hill, "that just as this sluggish stream reaches the usual active latitude of 22 degrees, a year late, we finally begin to see new groups of sunspots emerging."
The current solar minimum has been so long and deep, it prompted some scientists to speculate that the sun might enter a long period with no sunspot activity at all, akin to the Maunder Minimum of the 17th century. This new result dispells those concerns. The sun's internal magnetic dynamo is still operating, and the sunspot cycle is not "broken."
Because it flows beneath the surface of the sun, the jet stream is not directly visible. Hill and Howe tracked its hidden motions via helioseismology. Shifting masses inside the sun send pressure waves rippling through the stellar interior. So-called "p modes" (p for pressure) bounce around the interior and cause the sun to ring like an enormous bell. By studying the vibrations of the sun's surface, it is possible to figure out what is happening inside. Similar techniques are used by geologists to map the interior of our planet.
In this case, researchers combined data from GONG and SOHO. GONG, short for "Global Oscillation Network Group," is an NSO-led network of telescopes that measures solar vibrations from various locations around Earth. SOHO, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, makes similar measurements from space.
"This is an important discovery," says Dean Pesnell of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. "It shows how flows inside the sun are tied to the creation of sunspots and how jet streams can affect the timing of the solar cycle."
There is, however, much more to learn.
"We still don't understand exactly how jet streams trigger sunspot production," says Pesnell. "Nor do we fully understand how the jet streams themselves are generated."
To solve these mysteries, and others, NASA plans to launch the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) later this year. SDO is equipped with sophisticated helioseismology sensors that will allow it to probe the solar interior better than ever before.
"The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on SDO will improve our understanding of these jet streams and other internal flows by providing full disk images at ever-increasing depths in the sun," says Pesnell.
Continued tracking and study of solar jet streams could help researchers do something unprecedented--accurately predict the unfolding of future solar cycles. Stay tuned for that!
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/17jun_jetstream.htm?list1098418
http://www.physorg.com/news164550243.html
Author: Dr. Tony Phillips
(Sourced from the Science (AT) NASA website)
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ACMA News
ACMA to present at Ergon Energy Smart Grid Conference
The Chairman of the Australian Communications and Media Authority, Chris Chapman today welcomed Ergon Energy's timely initiative to host a two day conference on `smart grids' later this year.
The conference, to be held in Cairns, should give delegates from the power industry the opportunity to discuss spectrum access for smart grid technologies.
`ACMA will present on relevant topics and engage in discussion with electricity industry representatives on their spectrum needs, particularly for smart grids. A key issue for the Authority is whether to identify harmonised spectrum to build integrated national communications networks.
`We are working together with a number of utilities around Australia to develop consistent approaches to smart grids to ensure maximum benefit and efficiencies for the industry and consumers.
`Spectrum access will play an important part in delivering the benefits of smart grids and our expectation is to have a close and effective working relationship with the electricity industry Australia-wide as it works to define its spectrum requirements.'
The Ergon Smart Grid Conference will be held on 26-27 August 2009 at the Pacific International Hotel, Cairns.
http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/1001/pc=PC_311750
http://www.smartgridaustralia.com.au/
(ACMA Media Release 67 of 2009)
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Web & Email Edition Extra Bits!!
Oscillator Manufacturers & Great Free App Notes
http://www.wenzel.com/
Interesting Technical Library for Experimenters
http://www.techlib.com/
A BBC produced video of the Four Seasons of Titan: Weather & Climate Change on Saturn's Largest Moon (courtesy of AMSAT News Service): http://tinyurl.com/mroemf
Conversions:
http://www.calchemy.com/uclive.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_of_units
Great Amateur Radio Home brewing Site - AA1TJ
http://mjrainey.googlepages.com/radio
Original antenna patents – very interesting site thanks to Richard VK7RO.
http://www.pentodepress.com/receiving/antenna_patent.html
Want to work Meteor Scatter – the following is a list of the meteor showers courtesy of the WSJTGroup http://www.ykc.com/wa5ufh/:
Meteor Showers
Peak - Shower Name - Activity
Jan 3 Quadrantids Jan 1-5
Feb 2 (D) Cap/Sagittarids Jan13-Feb04
Feb 14 (D) chi-Capricornids Jan29-Feb28
Apr 20 (D) April Piscids Apr8-29
Apr 22 Lyrids Apr16-25
Apr 24 pi-Puppids Apr15-Apr28
May 9 (D) epsilon Arietids Apr24-May27
May 5 eta Aquarids Apr19-May28
May 16 (D) May Arietids Apr24-May27
May 20 (D) omicron-Cetids May5-Jun2
Jun 7 (D) Arietids May22-Jul2
Jun 9 (D) zeta-Perseids
Jun 27 June Bootids Jun22-Jul2
Jul 27 Aquarids Jul12-Aug19
Jul 29 Capricornids Jul3-Aug15
Aug 12 Perseids Jul 17-Aug 24
Aug 17 Cygnids Aug 3-25
Aug 31 Aurigids Aug 25-Sep 8
Sep 9 September Perseids Sep 5-17
Sep 27 (D) Sextanitids Sep 09-Oct 09
Sep 28 Aurigids Sep 18-Oct10
Oct 8 Draconids Oct 6-10
Oct 21 Orionids Oct 2-Nov 7
Nov 5 Southern Taurids Sep25-Nov 25
Nov 12 Northern Taurids Sep25-Nov25
Nov 17 Leonids Nov 10-23
Nov 21 Monocerotids Nov15-25
Dec 6 Phonicids Nov28-Dec9
Dec 13 Geminids Dec 7-17
Dec 22 Ursids Dec 17-26
Dec 29 Coma Berenicids Dec12-Jan23
(D) = Daytime
HSCW Resources:
http://www.qsl.net/w8wn/hscw/hscw.html?B1=W8WN
Ping Jockey Central
http://www.pingjockey.net/cgi-bin/pingtalk
Great G5RV Comparison Article
http://www.eham.net/articles/21682
Mid-Winter Festival Event of Interest (Thanks Warren VK7FEET)
http://www.antarctic-tasmania.info/seeinginthedark.html
Following links courtesy of CG Communicator:
Take a video tour of Radio World's "Cool Stuff" award winners (this is neat):
http://www.rwonline.com/rw-cool-stuff-awards
Electromechanical memory of up to 1 terabyte/square inch: http://tinyurl.com/ElectromagMemory
Wonderful photos from the 1950 era. Included are genuine analog TVs, Radion Rabbit Ears, a Sony Video Rover "portable" TV camera and recorder, and of course a Swanson TV Dinner -- they're all here and much more (URL courtesy of Red Blanchard):
http://www.billsretroworld.com/RETROLIFE.HTM
Do you have some interesting amateur related sites you have some across in the last week – send them in to justingc(AT)ozemail.com.au
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VK7 Regional News Group Email Addresses
Post message: vk7regionalnews(AT)yahoogroups.com
Subscribe: vk7regionalnews-subscribe(AT)yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe: vk7regionalnews-unsubscribe(AT)yahoogroups.com
List owner: vk7regionalnews-owner(AT)yahoogroups.com
VK7 Virtual BPL Tours Update
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdcY0Eetvsw - Mt Nelson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gsxpya3CnQ - North Hobart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7DfdxjRkpU - RU ready for BPL?
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If you are interested in becoming an amateur radio operator or upgrading your licence then we suggest you contact your local club for details and/or take a look at what the Radio and Electronics School has to offer. They have a range of courses that can be delivered through a variety of methods.
They can be found at: www.radioelectronicschool.com
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Finally today, a reminder to those people rostered for next week's broadcasts:
Newsreader: VK7RS
160m: VK7DM
80m: VK7ZK
40m: VK7TW
20m: VK7IL
10m: VK7ZGK
UHF CB: VK7FTAZ
HF CB: VK7TED
Thanks to all people and organisations who assisted with this broadcast.
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THAT CONCLUDES OUR VK7 REGIONAL NEWS BROADCAST FOR THIS WEEK.
YOU HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO OR JUST MISSED VK7WI. NEXT WEEK THE NATIONAL
WIA NEWS CAN BE HEARD AT 0900 FOLLOWED BY THE VK7 REGIONAL NEWS
AT 0930 HOURS.
DETAILS TO SEND NEWS FOR THIS BROADCAST CAN BE FOUND AT REAST.ASN.AU
AND THE DEADLINE FOR ITEMS IS 21:00 ON FRIDAY PRIOR TO THE SUNDAY OF
THE BROADCAST.
VK7 Regional Broadcast & News Coordinator
Justin Giles-Clark, VK7TW
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- NEWS POSTING TO PACKET -
Courtesy Tony VK7AX VK7AX(AT)VK7AX.#ULV.TAS.AUS.OC
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