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VK7AX > NEWS 09.08.09 08:45l 438 Lines 22585 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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To : NEWS@WW
VK7 REGIONAL NEWS BROADCAST
FOR SUNDAY 9TH AUGUST 2009
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EMCOMM/Conference News
GAREC 2009 - EmComms across Borders
The Fifth Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications (GAREC) Conference will be held on 24 - 25 August 2009, in connection with the JARL Tokyo Ham Fair at Tokyo Big Sight, Ariake, Tokyo Japan. The Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) is hosting the Conference.
The Theme of the GAREC-2009 will be "Emergency Communications across Borders" The program will include presentations about operations during disasters that occurred since last year's conference and discussions about new developments in technology and their application in emergency communications. The detailed program has been published and is on the website on the email and internet editions of this website.
All Amateur Radio Operators interested in Emergency Communications are invited to participate. The fifth GAREC continues the work of its four forerunners:
After the first and the second GAREC in Tampere, Finland, the third GAREC in Huntsville, Alabama, USA, and the fourth GAREC in 2008 in Friedrichshafen, Germany, this year's event will be the first GAREC conference in IARU Region 3.
The proceedings and the statements of the 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 conferences can be found at the GAREC web site.
http://www.rientola.fi/oh3ag/garec/index.html
The Organizing Committee for GAREC-2009 consists of Seppo Sisatto OH1VR, and Jay Oka JA1TRC. Members of the Program Committee include Keigo Komuro JA1KAB, Jim Linton VK3PC, and Hans Zimmermann, F5VKP/HB9AQS.
A provisional Agenda has been published and is again filled with many interesting items including the massive fires in Australia, the earthquakes in China and Italy and how the amateur fraternity were able to render assistance as an alternative means of communications when all else had failed!
For further details please take a look at the GAREC web-site.
http://www.rientola.fi/oh3ag/garec/index.html
(Sourced from the GAREC website and Al VK7AN)
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Contest News
Remembrance Day Contest
Next weekend is the RD Contest and it's VK's major amateur radio contest and runs for 24 hours over the 15th and 16th of August.
As heard on the WIA National broadcast the Remembrance Day Contest commemorates the amateurs who died during WWII and is designed to encourage friendly participation and help improve the operating skills of participants. It is held close to 15 August, the date when hostilities ceased in the south-west Pacific area.
This year it runs from 0800 UTC which is 1800 or 6pm local on Saturday, August 15, until 0759 UTC which is 1759 or 5:59pm local on the Sunday.
A perpetual trophy is awarded annually to the WIA Division with the best performance. The name of the winning state is inscribed on the trophy, and that state then holds the trophy for 12 months.
Take a look at the WIA website contest page for more details about this year's RD Contest.
http://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/rdcontest/
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RD Weekend - VK7 BROADCASTs
The RD weekend is the one weekend that the VK7 Broadcast Officer and Rebroadcasters get to have a rest and play radios…HIHI.
So, next weekend there will not be a WIA or VK7 Regional News Broadcast on the Sunday.
PLEASE NOTE: As heard on the WIA National News the opening address this year is 30minutes long not the usual 15minutes long. Therefore, the opening address will get underway at 5:30pm local with the contest getting underway from 1800 or 6:00pm or 0800UTC and it runs for 24 hours.
http://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/rdcontest/
And remember, you have to be in it to win it and if you are in it then please, please, please (doesn't sound to desperate, does it??) submit your log ASAP.
And also look out for those International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend stations who will be operating around VK7.
(73, Justin, VK7TW, VK7 News and Broadcast Coordinator)
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VK7 Stations OPERATING IN THE ILLW
The International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend also runs over the RD weekend and starts at 0001 UTC on Saturday and finishes at 2359 UTC on Sunday. It also coincides on the Sunday with the International Lighthouse Day which is an event organised by the International Association of Lighthouse Keepers whereby as many world lighthouses will be open to the public for the day.
The event is NOT a contest, each station's operators decide how they will operate their station regards modes and bands.
The ILLW website contains a wealth of information and well worth a look, the address can be found on the email and internet editions of this broadcast.
http://www.illw.net/
The VK7 stations that are currently registered for participation are:
Winston VK7EM who will be operating from Mersey Bluff Lighthouse and is number AU0040.
Wayne VK7FWAY and Eric VK7FEJE who will be operating from Table Cape Lighthouse and is number AU0039.
Bill VK7MX, Duncan VK7FLAK and XYL VK7FYMX will be operating from Low Head Lighthouse which is number AU0048.
Gavin VK7VTX will be operating on Flinders Island at the Pot Boil Channel lighthouse which is number AU0062 and IOTA number OC-195, and,
John VK7ZZ will be operating from Cape Bruny Lighthouse which is number AU0005.
Make sure you give these stations a special call if you here them during the weekend and in the RD.
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VK7 EVENTS CALENDAR
A summary of the events across VK7 over the coming months:
NTARC – August 12th – Special General Meeting to consider motion to incorporate and the adoption of new set of rules at Alanvale Polytechnic Block B – 7:30pm
REAST – August 12th, 19th & 26th – ATV Experimenter's Group Queen's Domain Clubroom Studios from 7:30pm
http://reast.asn.au/events.php#ATVnights
WICEN Tasmania (South) - 14th & 15th August – Horse Endurance Ride safety checkpoints - Clifton Vale between Dysart and Elderslie – survey on Friday afternoon, ride on Saturday - 6.45 am start
http://tas.wicen.org.au/
RD CONTEST & ILLW – 15-16th August – Remembrance Day Contest and International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend – Please Note: No broadcasts that weekend.
http://reast.asn.au/events.php#RDContest
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NORTHERN NEWS
Northern Tasmanian Amateur Radio Club
This Wednesday NTARC is going to have a Special General Meeting, where we will consider a motion to incorporate and the adoption of a new set of rules accordingly.
We want as many members as possible to turn out to this meeting and contribute to the discussion and then make a final motion on the issue. Bill VK7MX has been working very hard on tweaking the new set of rules for NTARC, and if you have access to the NTARC Yahoo news group via the internet, Bill has placed the proposed rules there for viewing.
Come along, be informed, discuss & contribute, and be part of NTARCs future, this Wednesday night at 7.30pm, Alanvale Polytechnic at the usual meeting room.
Bill has also managed to get hold of a good quantity of 20pF mica compression trimcaps which are suitable for the traps of a HF multiband vertical and other antennae projects, so see Bill if you need any of these.
If you're looking to get a coffee fix this Monday, NTARC members will be gathering at the Lilydale where David VK7YUM will be looking after us with some tasty take aways and coffee at his café there. We'll meet from 11am.
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
Club Nets via VOIP
The Club now has two new nets available for interested amateurs.
They are available via the Club's 2 IRLP Nodes 6616 and 6124 connected to the "SOUTH COAST AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE" (known as SOUTHCARS) Servers and reflectors.
The first of these is a new net via the SOUTHCARS Net, known as the "Australian Connection". The net takes place each Thursday 11.00 – 12.00 AM Local. Last Thursday was the 3rd. Net initiated by South CARS and has proved very popular with stations checking in from all parts of the Globe. To participate, interested amateurs only need to check in with their call sign when invited to do so. The IRLP Nodes will connect to the Net automatically at around 10.55 AM.
The second net is the VK AMSAT NET and is available for checkins from around 8.15PM on the second Tuesday of each month. The next net is scheduled for this Tuesday 11 Aug. The same principles apply in that the IRLP Nodes will be connected to the Sydney IRLP Reflector.
Note that the nightly broadcast "Solder Smoke" on this particular Tuesday will be played earlier at 7.30 PM in lieu of the normal time of 8.00 Pm to ensure that the nodes are available for the VK AMSAT Net.
ALL amateurs are welcome and invited to join in to these VOIP Nets.
73's until next time.
(Tony VK7AX, News Officer NWT-ATV Group)
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Cradle Coast Amateur Radio Club (CCARC)
CCARC News
http://www.my-x15.net/ccarc
From the Presidents desk.
On Saturday the 1st of August, the Cradle Coast Amateur Radio Club Inc held it's inaugural Examination assessments, this was held at the home of Keith Winkler VK7KW the clubs learning facilitator, also in attendance was the clubs newly indorsed examination assessor Vernon French VK7VF.
Two candidates sat for their Foundation Licence and passed with flying colours, the candidates are, with their permission, Steven Lloyd who has applied for the callsign of VK7FXXX, and James (Hamish) Carnegie who has applied for the callsign of VK7FHAM.
Both Steven and Hamish expressed to me how professional and relaxing the exams were conducted and thank the team for providing the service.
We look forward to hearing the new callsigns on air in the very near future and when you do please make contact and welcome them to this wonderful hobby of ours.
To all radio and electronic enthusiasts out there who listen to our bands and have thought you would like to become an Amateur Radio Operator then the Cradle Coast Amateur Radio Club Inc can offer learning and examination facilities to anyone who wishes to have a go, you do not have to be a member of our club to use these facilities and all contacts and exam information is available on our web page but if you would like to become a member of our progressive, active and open club you would be made most welcome, the membership application form and club rules are available to anyone from our web site.
All grades of licences are available on demand and our exam team are happy to conduct assessments at your home.
Cheers from
(David, VK7EX, President, CCARC)
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Southern News
WICEN Tasmania (South)
A reminder that WICEN Tasmania (South) will be helping with the provision of safety checkpoints for the Southern Tasmania Endurance Riders next weekend 14th and 15th of August. The ride takes place on the Clifton Vale property between Dysart and Elderslie.
If you are interested in helping out in this great outdoor event then contact Chris VK7FCDW or Roger VK7ARN for all the info.
PS - The Brighton Pony Club are catering on Friday evening and Saturday, so you won't have to take a heap of food, just a snack for lunch if you're not at the Base.
(Roger, VK7ARN, Secretary WICEN Tasmania (South))
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Radio and Electronics Association of Southern Tasmania
World Moon Bounce Day QSL
Justin VK7TW & Rex VK7MO have produced some commemorative QSL cards for the Echoes of Apollo – World Moon Bounce Day event that happened out at the Mt Pleasant Radio Telescope on 27th June 2009.
So, if you came out to the big dish at Cambridge then drop us a line and we will pass on one of these great full colour QSL cards.
(73, Justin, VK7TW)
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Up Close and Personal with the International Space Station
We had a great roll-up to REAST's August presentation which was a wonderful couple of video presentations on the big screen centred on the International Space Station.
We got a personalised your through the space station with Mike Fincke and got a fascinating insight into everyday life on the ISS. It must be fun in micro gravity – everything takes on a whole new perspective…HIHI!
We watched a great presentation in the building of the station and heard a amateur radio on the international space station contact between astronaut Barbara Morgan and her home district in Idaho USA through the ARISS program.
And a big thank you to Tony VK5ZAI for sharing these presentations.
http://reast.asn.au/events.php#UCAPWISS
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REAST ATV Experimenters Night
This week we get back underway with the ATV Experimenter's Nights.
We have an action packed evening with some great show and tell and our feature video will be a look the Echoes of Apollo – World Moon Bounce Day activities with some of the video taken on the day by Justin VK7TW.
We will also be playing some great videos that have been sent through from PA1CAM about the Dwingeloo Radio Telescope that we made the 3mW WSJT contact with on the World Moon Bounce Day.
The Dwingeloo telescope is being restored by a group of amateurs in Holland and these videos provide some great insight into the restoration task.
We get underway 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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EMCOMM News
SARL Hamnet EMCOMM Bulletin Highlights
HAMNET is a voluntary group of South African amateurs who make their unique communication skills available to assist and help others in distress during and after disasters.
The HAMNET objectives are to provide an alternative means of radio communication during and after disasters or when normal services fail.
This is achieved by a qualified and effectively trained team of amateur radio operators either working together as a group or a country-wide team.
Hamnet needs no special call signs to be activated - we are just a phone call or a cell call away - and the rest will be regarded as history!
Also not forgetting that Hamnet works very closely with our local authorities around the country!
More information can be found on the email and internet editions of this broadcast.
http://www.sarl.org.za/public/hamnet/hamnet.asp
www.zs6ro.co.za/podcast
(Bulletin compiled by Francois Botha - ZS6BUU via Al VK7AN)
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Physics News
1981 theory confirmed: electrons split in spinons and holons
A team of physicists from the Universities of Cambridge and Birmingham have shown that electrons in narrow wires can divide into two new particles called spinons and a holons. The electron is responsible for carrying electricity in wires and for making magnets. These two properties of magnetism and electric charge are carried by electrons which seem to have no size or shape and are impossible to break apart.
However, what is true about the properties of a single electron does not seem to be the case when electrons are brought together. Instead the like-charged electrons repel each other and need to modify the way they move to avoid getting too close to each other. In ordinary metals this does not usually make much difference to their behaviour. However, if the electrons are put in a very narrow wire the effects are exacerbated as they find it much harder to move past each other.
In 1981, physicist Duncan Haldane conjectured theoretically that under these circumstances and at the lowest temperatures the electrons would always modify the way they behaved so that their magnetism and their charge would separate into two new types of particle called spinons and holons.
The challenge was to confine electrons tightly in a 'quantum wire' and bring this wire close enough to an ordinary metal so that the electrons in that metal could 'jump' by quantum tunneling into the wire.
By observing how the rate of jumping varies with an applied magnetic field the experiment reveals how the electron, on entering the quantum wire, has to fall apart into spinons and holons.
At the University of Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory technology was developed to pass a current between a wire and a sheet only 30 atomic widths apart, with the measurements made at extremely low temperatures, about a tenth of a degree above absolute zero.
The new experiment not just clarifies the observation of the spinon and holon, which confirms some earlier studies, but also confirms that the spinon and holon are seen well beyond the region that Duncan Haldane originally conjectured.
http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/
http://www.elektor.com/news/1981-theory-confirmed-electrons-split-in-spinons.1032879.lynkx?utm_source=UK&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news
(Sourced from the Elektor and the University of Cambridge Website)
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Technology News
Ground Penetration RADAR looks deeper
In an ABC News report an Australian mining company says it is using Russian technology to make opals easier to find.
The company called Midnight Opals says the technology can detect objects up to 500 metres underground compared with about 25 metres using previous radar methods.
Company official Anthony Melonas says it is in partnership with Russian scientists who have developed the geo-radar equipment.
"One of the main things that's been holding opal back is the fact that opal's a very hard gemstone to find and now that we can use this geo-radar, we can locate the opal a lot faster - that's less harmful to the environment," he said.
Optimal penetration of traditional GPR technology is realistically about 25 m in dry conditions and sometimes only centimetres in moist heavy conditions, making it virtually useless within the mining industry.
The company, the exclusive licence holder of the latest technology, has reached depths of up to 500 m in dry conditions and up to 100 m in heavy moist soils, which is claimed to make this GPR the most advanced in the world.
It is predicted to become a tool for finding minerals, hydrocarbons and water. It can detect objects, changes in material, cracks and voids and can be used above or below ground.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/06/22/2604827.htm
http://www.radiocomms.com.au/news/33657-Ground-radar-looks-deeper
(Sourced from the ABC News and Radio Comms Websites)
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And we finnish (not Danish!!) this week with a reminder that there will be no WIA or VK7 Regional news broadcast next week as it is the RD Contest.
See you on the air and happy contesting.
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Web & Email Edition Extra Bits!!
ABC Science Show Trip to the Southern Ocean
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/scienceshow/galleries/2008/2270101/
Homebrew RF Test Equipment
http://www.qsl.net/n9zia/wireless/appendixF.html
Homebrew Spectrum Analyser
http://www.nitehawk.com/rasmit/sa50.html
Dubus Archive
http://dpmc.unige.ch/dubus/index.html
http://www.dubus.org/
QEX Files:
http://www.arrl.org/qexfiles/
Ham Radio Index
http://webhome.idirect.com/~griffith/hrindex.htm#index
Nuts & Volts Magazine
http://www.nutsvolts.com/toc_Pages/
The current solar minimum - Were We There, Yet? There's an update . . . and some amusing commentary by Roger VK2ZRH that can be found at: http://www.vklogger.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=8661
Top Gear Space Shuttle – Reliant Robin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b4WzWFKQ20&NR=1&feature=fvwp
ACMA Announces RadComm 2010
http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=ACMA_EVENTS
The following links are courtesy of CG Communicator:
Make the frogs swap sides, one jump at a time. It's fun figuring this one out: http://funstufftosee.com/frogleaptest.html
Saturn 5 rocket launch, scale model style: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj4lj6YSwzg
Tennessee Ernie Ford with his son and other children. Watch his son, on his right: http://tinyurl.com/FordSon (never go on stage with animals or children!!!)
Silhouette art set to music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW-3KwXpkkM
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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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 IS THE RD CONTEST.
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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