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VK7AX > NEWS 19.07.09 09:46l 526 Lines 26625 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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VK7 REGIONAL NEWS BROADCAST
FOR SUNDAY 19TH JULY 2009
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Non-Commercial For Sale & Wanteds
Wanted
Mike VK7MH, formerly VK7KMH, is looking for a patch circuit that incorporates an analog VU meter.
Mike is also looking for anyone who has experience with a Yaesu MH-36 DTMF microphone and the FT-817. Mike is having some trouble getting the DTMF working with the FT-817 and would like to hear from anyone who has experience with this mike and rig.
If you have a patch circuit and/or information about the MH-36 Mic and the FT-817 rig then please contact Mike on mobile 0418 127 368 or landline: 6425 6380.
73 Mike VK7MH
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Wanted
Brian VK7FAYE is looking for a recent copy of the World Radio and Television Handbook. Up to two years old would be suitable.
If you have a copy please contact Brian VK7FAYE on 64251560, daytime only.
(73, Brian, VK7FAYE)
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Wanted
Edmund Abraham is looking a operating book or service manual for a Philips Radiogram Model Number 2262. This is a circa 1950s radiogram.
If you happen to have information in relation to this radiogram please contact Edmund on phone 6231 4135.
(Edmund Abraham)
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VK7 EVENTS CALENDAR
A summary of the events across VK7 over the coming months:
REAST July 22 & 29 ATV Experimenter's Group Queen's Domain Clubroom Studios from 7:30pm
http://reast.asn.au/events.php#ATVnights
REAST August 5th Up Close and Personal with the International Space Station 8pm Queen's Domain Clubrooms
http://reast.asn.au/events.php#UCAPWISS
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Update for 2010 CallBook
As heard on the WIA National News you have one day to let the VK7 representative on the WIA Technical Advisory Committee Rex, VK7MO know about changes to the callbook:
Repeater Directory;
Beacon Directory and
Packet Radio Directory.
For the 2010 callbook.
If you are the licensee of one of these facilities could you please check the current callbook and send any amendments or corrections to Rex by the 20th of July.
His email address is on the internet and email edition of this broadcast.
Amendments should also include advice that a facility is no longer operational and should be removed.
rmoncur(AT)bigpond.net.au
(73, Rex, VK7MO)
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NORTHERN NEWS
Northern Tasmanian Amateur Radio Club
Jason VK7ZJA has been working on a new theory that says Northern Tasmanian amateur radio operators share similar properties to electrons: their activity levels are both proportional to ambient temperature hihi.
It certainly has been very quiet on the local VHF & UHF bands the last few weeks, with even more amateurs and their partners seeking respite from the cool Tassie winter by escaping to the mainland.
Bill VK7MX is hoping to source some more mica compressions trimmer capacitors for those who need them to complete various antenna projects, including the very popular multi-band squid pole HF vertical antennae.
Lastly, if you've got any ideas you'd like to see for presentations at future NTARC meetings or perhaps you'd like to do a presentation of your latest project or particular radio-related interest then keep it in mind and let us know at the next meeting.
Thanks from
(Jason VK7ZJA, NTARC Secretary)
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NORTH WEST News
North West Tasmania Amateur Television Group
http://www2.vk7ax.id.au/atvgroup
IRLP Nodes Reactivated
As reported in last weeks news, IRLP Node 6616 / EchoIRLP Node 467772 on the simplex freq. of 147.425. was re-activated recently.
Now, in addition to 6616, Node 6124 is again operational with all the usual features.
The VoiceMail facilities on both nodes are being overhauled and reconfigured to include all Club member's details including assignment of Mailbox ID's and passwords for each user.
Members will be advised of their individual details shortly.
Node 6616 and facilities will be transferred to the Club's 2M repeater VK7RTV (146.775) as soon as the repeater becomes functional, hopefully in the next few days.
Nightly Broadcasts are again being aired automatically now via the 6616 and 6124 nodes on weeknights at 8.00PM.
If you listen to the broadcasts it would be appreciated you checking in with your call sign during the automatic call back sessions following each broadcast.
Linked Repeater Network
Work is progressing with the permanent linking of VK7RTV Repeaters at Gawler and VK4RSS 70CM. repeater in Ocean View, Queensland.
At present, the repeaters are linked `ad hoc' or on demand via IRLP. Another separate VOIP system is currently being investigated which will ultimately allow a permanent connection and link between the networks, freeing up the existing IRLP nodes for local traffic.
The UHF Repeater VK4RSS (owned and operated by NWT-ATV Gp.Club Members, Adrian VK4RV and xyl Jessica VK4FJAR) is situated approximately 15KM inland West of Redcliffe.
Its coverage includes areas of the Gold Coast, Greater Brisbane Area, Northern Cities and Suburbs, through to the Sunshine Coast as far north as Coolum Beach.
73's until next time
(Tony VK7AX, News Officer NWT-ATV Group)
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Cradle Coast Amateur Radio Club (CCARC)
http://www.my-x15.net/ccarc
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Southern News
Radio and Electronics Association of Southern Tasmania
August Presentation Night - Up Close and Personal with the International Space Station
REAST's August presentation will be a session of excellent video presentations centred on the International Space Station.
We get an up close and personal tour of the inside of the ISS with astronauts Mike and Gernady which provides a fascinating insight into life on the ISS.
There will also be a short video on the ISS contact with Barbara Morgan and her home school in Idaho USA through the Amateur Radio on the ISS (ARISS) program.
A big thank you to Tony VK5ZAI for sharing these presentations.
These will all be projected on the big screen.
See you there on August 5th at 8pm in the Queen's Domain Clubrooms.
http://reast.asn.au/events.php#UCAPWISS
(Justin, VK7TW)
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Presentations and Thanks
Gavin VK7HGO, President of REAST asks all listeners for ideas for technical, non-technical and other interesting ideas for presentations and/or visits that the members would like.
Also a big thank you to Peter VK7FTAZ for doing the Ch15 UHF CB rebroadcast in Hobart from the REAST Committee.
Peter is moving to the Wild West Coast to Queenstown and hopes to do a UHF CB rebroadcast there after he has set up home.
Thanks a million Peter and good luck to you and Fiona.
And this prompts a request to any UHF CB operators who would like to do a rebroadcast on channel 15 on a Sunday morning.
Please contact myself or Justin VK7TW if interested.
(73, Gavin, VK7HGO)
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REAST ATV Experimenters Night
As I drove up to the Domain the playschool clock said that it was about 4-5degrees and even though it was brisk - we had a phenomenal roll-up and it was a great social night.
A special welcome was given the Carl VK7CV who has got himself up and going on the airwaves again. Carl is well known to many and worked with many amateur at the ABC and other places. Carl used to run an electronics shop in Hobart about 15 years ago along with the early Dick Smith store.
Our main task during the night was to record the WIA National broadcast and a big thank you to Barry VK7TBM and Tom VK7FTWS who allowed us to use the quiet Coast Radio Hobart studio to do the recording for the National broadcast.
A big thank you to VK7OO, VK7MJ, VK7FEET, VK7FPAH, VK7TL, VK7ZGK, VK7NML and VK7FB for a very professional presentation.
During the recording Paul VK7FPAH very proudly showed us the first cut of the video he has edited on the Echoes of Apollo World Moon Bounce day event at the Mt Pleasant Radio Telescope. Thanks Paul.
We have in store many very interesting video for this week's ATV night and some interesting show and tell so
.
See you Wednesday night around 7:30pm for another great night of ATV and experimenting.
http://reast.asn.au/events.php#ATVnights
(73, Justin, VK7TW)
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Morse News
Morse Mosquito Ringtone
What frequency do you use as a receive pitch? Most rigs default to 800 Hz. If the tone is over 17 kHz audio frequency tone it is called the Mosquito tone and only the young can hear such high frequency tone.
Lately in a Japanese TV trendy drama, Morse code using the Mosquito tone was used to send a special message to a young girl in the drama. After the drama, one company started to sell the Morse Mosquito Ringtone to the young.
It uses Japanese Morse code and for example, message is "Marry me!" Nao, the author of the article hopes the young learn Morse code and become a Morse code operators. Nao comments
I will help them to learn, but I have to request them, "Please don't use the Mosquito tone or I can't hear it!"
And his story comes from the Morse EAsia magazine for July 2009 which is the FISTS EastAsia Magazine and was written by
.
(Nao, JO3HPM)
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Digital News
ARRL - W1AW to add new digital modes to its transmitting schedule
After a survey of W1AW-listeners, W1AW will begin using two different modes on August 17, 2009.
On August 17, 2009, W1AW will replace its AMTOR and ASCII transmissions with PSK31 and MFSK16, respectively.
RTTY (Baudot) will continue to be the first digital mode used in the transmission schedule.
The frequencies used by W1AW for all its digital transmissions will remain the same.
All regular 6 PM and 9 PM eastern time digital transmissions will begin with RTTY. PSK31 and MFSK16 will be sent as time allows.
The Tuesday and Friday Keplerian data bulletins will be sent using RTTY and PSK31.
The W1AW operating schedule - complete with times and frequencies can be found on the ARRLWeb pages.
http://www.arrl.org/w1aw.html#w1awsked.
(ARRL Mailing List)
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EME News
VK3UM EME Software July Updates
Doug VK3UM lets us know via the VK-VHF mailing list that he has updated his popular EME software:
The following updates are now available for InterDigitalFilter - Ver 1.67, the VK3UM EMRCalc - Ver 6.43, and the EMECalc - Ver 6.03.
Check out the website the email and internet editions of this broadcast for where to download these software updates.
http://sm2cew.com/download.htm
http://www.ve1alqcom/vk3um/
http://www.vk3bez.org/vk3um_software.htm
73
(Doug VK3UM via the VK-VHF Mailing list)
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Satellite News
Castor and Pollox Launched with STS-127
Castor and Pollox are two satellites in the Atmospheric Neutral Density Experiment (ANDE) program which flew with the launch of STS-127 from Kennedy Space Center. The ANDE mission consists of two spherical spacecraft fitted with retro-reflectors for satellite laser ranging (SLR). The constant and well-determined cross section and surface properties of the ANDE spacecraft provide an ideal set of objects for monitoring atmospheric drag and the calibration of space surveillance network (SSN) assets both radar and optical.
Castor
Castor is a 19 inch diameter aluminium sphere with a mass of 63 kg. It is as near perfect sphere as possible given the constraints of cost and manufacturability.
The sphere is split in half with e delrin disc. The hemispheres are also the satellite antenna. For power, the satellite has 112 19AH lithium primary cells. This provides about 7000 watt-hours of power which has to last for the one year mission.
The satellite has several different types of sensors. There are two main sensors, a Neutral particle wind and temperature spectrometer and an ion mass spectrometer.
Pollox
The Pollux satellite was originally to be a passive satellite with retroreflectors for laser ranging. It has been turned into a high school student project involving several schools in the Fairfax County, Virginia area.
The satellite is powered by twenty-eight 19AH Lithium-ion cells configured to provide 14 volts. The battery configuration uses the spare ANDE satellite hardware.
The electronics is based on cubesat hardware developed at the Naval Research Laboratory and Stensat Group LLC.
The communications board contains the transmitter and receiver. The transmitter operates at 2 meters and can put out up to 1 watt of signal. Power level is adjustable. The transmitter can operate at 1200 baud AFSK and 9600 baud FSK. The transmitter uses the AX.25 protocol. An experimental FX.25 protocol will be tested that adds forward error correction capability to the AX.25 protocol and still allows typical TNCs to decode the packets.
Both satellites will transmit on 145.825 MHz. Additional details about the telemetry format, as well as the FX.25 and GMSK experiments can be found at the link on the email and internet editions of this broadcast.
https://goby.nrl.navy.mil/ANDE/Main.html
(Sourced from the AMSAT News Service)
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Technology News
Lithium-Air battery with enormous capacity
A new type of air-fuelled battery could give up to ten times the energy storage of designs currently available. This step-change in capacity could pave the way for a new generation of electric cars, mobile phones and laptops.
The research work, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), is being led by researchers at the University of St Andrews with partners at Strathclyde and Newcastle in Scotland.
The new design has the potential to improve the performance of portable electronic products and give a major boost to the renewable energy industry. The batteries will enable a constant electrical output from sources such as wind or solar, which stop when the wind or sun stops.
Improved capacity is thanks to the addition of a component that uses oxygen drawn from the air during discharge, replacing one chemical constituent used in rechargeable batteries today. Not having to carry the chemicals around in the battery offers more energy for the same size battery. Reducing the size and weight of batteries with the necessary charge capacity has been a long-running battle for developers of electric cars.
The STAIR (St Andrews Air) cell should be cheaper than today's rechargeables too. The new component is made of porous carbon, which is far less expensive than the lithium cobalt oxide it replaces.
For more information on the STAIR cell take a look at the link on the email and internet editions of this broadcast.
http://www.elektor.com/news/lithium-air-battery-with-enormous-capacity.1015362.lynkx?utm_source=UK&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news
(Elektor emag website)
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SPACE News
Wide Awake in the Sea of Tranquillity
Tomorrow is the 40th Anniversary of the first moon walk and the following story is from Science(AT)NASA website.
Neil Armstrong was supposed to be asleep. The moon walking was done. The moon rocks were stowed away. His ship was ready for departure. In just a few hours, the Eagle's ascent module would blast off the Moon, something no ship had ever attempted before, and Neil needed his wits about him. He curled up on the Eagle's engine cover and closed his eyes.
But he could not sleep.
Neither could Buzz Aldrin. In the cramped lander, Buzz had the sweet spot, the floor. He stretched out as much as he could in his spacesuit and closed his eyes. Nothing happened. On a day like this, what else could you expect...?
July 20, 1969: The day began on the farside of the Moon. Armstrong, Aldrin and crewmate Mike Collins flew their spaceship 60 miles above the cratered wasteland. No one on Earth can see the Moon's farside. Even today it remains a land of considerable mystery, but the astronauts had no time for sight-seeing. Collins pressed a button, activating a set of springs, and the spaceship split in two. The half named Columbia, with Collins on board, would remain in orbit. The other half, the Eagle, spiralled over the horizon toward the Sea of Tranquillity. "You are Go for powered descent," Houston radioed, and the Eagle's engine fired mightily. The bug-shaped Eagle was so fragile a child could poke a hole through its gold foil exterior. Jagged moonrocks could do much worse. So when Armstrong saw that the computer was guiding them into a boulder field, he quickly took control. The Eagle pitched forward and sailed over the rocks.
Meanwhile, alarms were ringing in the background.
"Program alarm," announced Armstrong. "It's a 1202." The code was so obscure, almost no one knew what it meant. Should they abort? Should they land? "What is it?" he insisted.
Scrambling back in Houston, a young engineer named Steve Bales produced the answer: The radar guidance system was pestering the computer with too many interruptions. No problem. "We've got you..." radioed Houston. "We're Go on that alarm."
And on they went. Things, however, were not going exactly as planned. The Sea of Tranquillity was supposed to be smooth, but it didn't look so smooth from the cockpit of the Eagle. Armstrong scanned the jumbled mare for a safe place to land. "60 seconds," radioed Houston. "30 seconds." Mission control was hushed as the telemetry came in. Soon, too soon, the ship would run out of fuel.
Capcom later claimed the "boys in mission control were turning blue" when Armstrong announced "I [found] a good spot." As for Armstrong, his heart was thumping 156 beats per minute according to bio-sensors. The fuel gauge read only 5.6% when the Eagle finally settled onto the floor of the Sea of Tranquillity.
Houston (relieved): "We copy you down, Eagle."
Armstrong (coolly): "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."
Immediately, they prepared to leave. This was NASA being cautious. No one had ever landed on the Moon before. What if a footpad started sinking into the moondust, or the Eagle sprung a leak? While Neil and Buzz made ready to blast off, Houston read the telemetry looking for signs of trouble. There were none, and three hours after touchdown, finally, Houston gave the "okay." The moonwalk was on.
At 9:56 p.m. EDT, Neil descended the ladder and took "one small step" (left foot first) into history. From the shadow of the Eagle, he looked around: "It has a stark beauty all its own--like the high desert of the United States." Houston reminded him to gather the "contingency sample," and Neil put some rocks and soil in his pocket. If, for any reason, the astronauts had to take off in a hurry, scientists back on Earth would get at least a pocketful of the Moon for their experiments.
Soon, Buzz joined him. "Beautiful view!" he exclaimed when he reached the lander's broad footpad. "Isn't that something!" agreed Armstrong. "Magnificent sight out here."
"Magnificent desolation," said Aldrin.
Truly, much of the scene was weird. The airless landscape jumped out at the astronauts with disconcerting clarity and, as a result, the horizon felt unnaturally close. The whole world seemed to curve, a side-effect of the Moon's short thousand-mile radius. "Distances [here] are deceiving," noted Aldrin.
The sky was equally baffling. Although the Eagle had landed on a bright lunar morning, the sky was as black as midnight. An astronomer's paradise? No. Not a single star was visible. The glaring, sunlit ground ruined the astronaut's night vision. Only Earth itself was bright enough to be seen, luminous blue and white, hanging overhead.
Almost forgotten in Apollo lore are the checklists sewn to the forearms of the spacesuits. These "honey-do" memos from NASA were jam-packed with activities--from inspecting the lander to deploying the TV to collecting samples. Some of the tasks were as detailed as bending over and reporting to Mission Control how it went. They had a lot to do.
Neil and Buzz deployed a solar wind collector, a seismometer and a laser retroreflector. They erected a flag and uncovered a plaque proclaiming, "We came in peace for all mankind." They took the first interplanetary phone call--"I just can't tell you how proud we all are," said President Nixon from the Oval Office. They collected 47 lbs of moon rocks and took 166 pictures. Check. Check. Check.
Finally, after two and a half busy, exhilarating hours, it was time to go. The checklist continued: Climb back in the Eagle. Stow the rocks. Eat dinner: Beef stew or cream of chicken soup. And finally, sleep.
That was the limit. "You just are not going to get any sleep while you're waiting [for liftoff]," Aldrin said after the mission.
The Eagle was not a sleepy place. The tiny cabin was noisy with pumps and bright with warning lights that couldn't be dimmed. Even the window shades were glowing, illuminated by intense sunshine outside. "After I got into my sleep stage and all settled down, I realized there was something else [bothering me]," said Armstrong. The Eagle had an optical telescope sticking out periscope-style. "Earth was shining right through the telescope into my eye. It was like a light bulb."
To get some relief, they closed the helmets of their spacesuits. It was quiet inside and they "wouldn't be breathing all the dust" they had tramped in after the moon walk, said Aldrin. Alas, it didn't work. The suit's cooling systems, so necessary out on the scorching lunar surface, were too cold for sleeping inside the Eagle. The best Aldrin managed was a "couple hours of mentally fitful drowsing." Armstrong simply stayed awake.
When the wake-up call finally came,
"Tranquility Base, Tranquility Base, Houston. Over."
Armstrong answered with alacrity,
"Good morning, Houston. Tranquility Base. Over."
It was time to go home, to Earth, for a good night's sleep.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/16jul_wideawake.htm?list1098418
(Sourced from the Science(AT)NASA website)
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Web & Email Edition Extra Bits!!
Liquid Cooled LEDS (thanks to Ben VK7BEN)
http://www.eternaleds.com/News-a/134.htm
Having trouble with the Paparazzi ruining your night??
http://ahprojects.com/exhibitions/anti-paparazzi
More Noctilucent Clouds Experienced in Europe
http://spaceweather.com/nlcs/gallery2009_page12.htm
Excellent Presentation - We Choose the Moon
http://wechoosethemoon.org/
Is your browser compliant??
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid2
What are BNC connectors capable of?
http://www.mwrf.com/Articles/ArticleID/8993/8993.html
Restored Apollo Mission Videos
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/07/moonwalkvideo/
Rebooting RSS
http://rsscloud.org/
FireFox 3.5 Released
http://webworkerdaily.com/2009/06/30/firefox-3-5-released/
The following courtesy of the ABC Science Mailing List:
MOON LANDING 40TH ANNIVERSARY
This week we celebrate the 40th anniversary of one of the most significant science achievements of our time - the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. Share your memories and follow special coverage from ABC online, radio and TV.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/568740/957242/11003/0/
AUDIO SLIDESHOW: THE DISHES - AUSTRALIA'S ROLE IN APOLLO 11
While the images of the first moonwalk are famous, Australia's role in the Apollo 11 mission isn't. Hear and see what it was like to be part of history in the making in our audio slideshow.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/568740/957242/11004/0/
VIDEO BLAST FROM THE PAST: FOOTSTEPS ON THE MOON
Relive the moon landing as it was told on ABC TV's Quantum program in 1989 and share your memories of this historic event on our message board.
http://abcmail.net.au/t/568740/957242/11000/0/
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: VK7ZCR
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.
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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