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VK7AX > NEWS 09.08.10 13:30l 482 Lines 22037 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: VK7 Regional News Broadcast for 8 August 2010
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From: VK7AX@VK7AX.#ULV.TAS.AUS.OC
To : NEWS@WW
VK7 REGIONAL NEWS BROADCAST
FOR SUNDAY 8 August 2010
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Central Highlands Hamfest
4 December 2010 at Miena
Sponsored by the Central Highlands Amateur Radio Club of Tasmania this biannual event is centered literally in the middle of Tasmania in the thriving Central Highlands town of Miena.
Held in the great facilities of the Miena Community Hall, this is an event not to be missed.
Dave VK7OB has got in early and raised the idea of hiring a bus to take people from Hobart to Miena. This is a great way to sit back and see the scenery, let someone else drive and be able to chat with people on the way up and back from this great event. The Northern and North West clubs may like to consider a similar arrangement.
Last hamfest the arrangements were left a little late and as such there was not enough interest to make it viable.
We are again considering this option and would like to hear from anyone interested in a seat on the bus from Hobart to Miena and back.
If you are interested and you would like to book a seat on the bus then please contact Tony VK7FTCL on 6249 1949.
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International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend
In a fortnight's time it will be the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend and according to the ILLW website log there are currently six VK7 lighthouses being covered.
These included: VK7WCN operating at the Point Home lookout at Triabunna and this is the first time for this light, VK7KW at the Mersey Bluff lighthouse, VK7VTX at Pot Boil Channel on Flinders Island, VK7FWAY and VK7FEJE at the Table Cape lighthouse, VK7MX, VK7FYMX & VK7FLAK at the Low Head lighthouse and VK7ZM at the Rocky Cape lighthouse.
Listen out and make contact with these stations over the weekend of the 21 & 22nd of August 2010.
http://www.illw.net/
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RD Weekend Broadcasts
Please Note
There will be no WIA National News broadcast or VK7 Regional News broadcast next weekend.
This is due to the Remembrance Day contest and it is the one weekend that the VK7 Regional News Broadcast Officer gets to put his feet up and play radios all weekend….Don't let that get back to the XYL…HIHI.
The RD Contest opening address will be broadcast from 1730 local time or 0730 UTC and is 30 minutes long. There is one minutes silence at the end of the opening address and the end of the one minutes silence is signalled by three dits or pips.
Good luck in the contest and good DX.
http://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/rdcontest/
(73, Justin, VK7TW)
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VK7 EVENTS CALENDAR
A summary of the events across VK7 over the coming months:
NTARC – August 11 – Dinner meeting at the Royal Oak on Brisbane Street, Launceston for a 7pm start.
www.ntarc.net
REAST – August 11, 18 & 25 - ATV Experimenter's Night - starts around 7:30pm in the Queen's Domain Clubrooms.
http://reast.asn.au/atv/index.php
WIA – August 14 & 15 – 2010 Remembrance Day Contest – Note: No WIA or VK7 Regional News Broadcasts.
http://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/rdcontest/
ILLW – August 21 & 22 – International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend.
http://www.illw.net/
REAST – September 1 – Southern Water RF Telemetry network presentation – starts 8pm in the Queen's Domain Clubrooms.
http://reast.asn.au/events.php#showandtell
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2011 CallBook
VK7 Repeater, Beacon and Packet Radio Listing
Rex VK7MO is seeking additions or corrections to the Callbook in relation Repeaters, Beacons and Packet radio lists for VK7.
If you are responsible for one of these items please check the entry in the 2010 call book and email any corrections, deletions or additions to Rex at his email address in the email and internet editions of this broadcast.
rmoncur(AT)bigpond.net.au
(73 Rex VK7MO)
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Non-Commercial For Sales and Wanted
Wanted.
Winston VK7EM is looking for an FTDX400 or similar transceiver in any condition….for restoration.
Contact Winston VK7EM on 64372582 or QTHR.
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Wanted
To purchase or borrow - a copy of Fred Swainston's Radio Theory for Amateur Operators.
Alex is keen to upgrade and as he travels would like to have the book to carry with him.
Alex can be contacted on mobile 0428216856 or by email to: alex.conchem(AT)iinet.net.au
Regards
(Ray, VK7VKV)
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Northern News
Northern Tasmanian Amateur Radio Club
www.ntarc.net
This Wednesday, NTARC invites you to come along and have dinner with us at the Royal Oak, corner of Brisbane and Tamar streets in Launceston, from 7pm onward for an evening of a la carte dinner, fun & sharing of stories. No bookings are necessary, just come along and ask for the `NTARC' table. If you look in Wednesday's local newspaper, The Examiner, you might be lucky enough to find a discount coupon in there that you can use on the night too.
Jason VK7ZJA has once again been playing with cheap Chinese made handheld radios suitable for amateur use, this time a Wouxun KG UVD1P has come under scrutiny. First impressions are that they're a well built, reasonably sturdy, yet quite light in weight handheld that has many features that will appeal to the ham on a budget, or simply looking for a value packed transceiver. With 128 memories, a very wide receive coverage, good recovered and transmitted audio, and a nice clear display they are already good value, but some surprising features lurk within that make the little Wouxun an absolute wonder given their modest price tag. Rumour has it that with the right software, you can broaden the receive coverage even further to include airband receive… but unfortunately no reception of the VHF two way radio bands below 85 MHz.
While we're not sure of how the name of this manufacturer is pronounced, whether it be woe-ucks-soon or woe-zoon or something entirely different, one thing is certain: they're excellent value radios for the value conscious ham.
Thanks from
(Jason VK7ZJA, NTARC Secretary)
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NORTH WEST News
Centenary Awards Continue to Flowing into VK7
Vince VK7VH was the first, Warren VK7FEET was the second and we now congratulate Winston VK7EM who is the third VK7 recipient of the prestigious WIA Centenary Award.
According to the log there are many VK7s out there who have enough contacts and points to claim the award!
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Cradle Coast Amateur Radio Club (CCARC)
CCARC News
http://www.my-x15.net/ccarc
VK7FWAY – First CGARC – VK100WIA Contact
As reported on WIA National News report about the Central Goldfields ARC operating VK100WIA from the Talbot Radio, Arts and Historical Museum in Maryborough.
Congratulations to Wayne Hays VK7FWAY in the North West who was the first to contact the CGARC activation of VK100WIA and talked with WIA President Michael Owen VK3KI.
http://www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2010/20100804-2/index.php
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Equine Endurance Riders
Last Saturdays Tasmanian Equine Endurance Riders Association, Beaconsfield Bash, went off without a hitch thanks to the efforts of all those that attended.
The event start time was 7:30am, and the 40k riders started 15 minutes later. David, VK7DC and Keith, VK7KW did an initial survey of the course with the organisers, and once Dick, VK7FORF arrived, the base antenna was erected and radio trials were then conducted to all the checkpoints. Coverage was better than expected and the base was able to work all checkpoints with relative ease.
The Friday night briefing was conducted in pleasant surroundings at the Club Hotel over a hot meal and an ale or two before retiring for the night. Saturday morning was a little bleak after a few downpours during the night and the main access to the event base was the scene of a few vehicles getting bogged.
After the arrival of Peter VK7KPC and Steve VKFXXX a final briefing was conducted. Once the event started, the days proceedings ran like clockwork and was all finished by about 4pm. Despite a couple of spells of rain, it was a mostly pleasant day for all those providing comms. Five different checkpoints were used, with two getting used in both legs of the event and one of those happening simultaneously. Luckily the field was spread out by that time.
Many thanks to those who attended and their excellent work that made the event run so smoothly.
International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend
The time is now here to focus on what happening this month, with the International Lightship and Lighthouse weekend on August 21st & 22nd.
In the North-West we have Keith VK7KW activating Mersey Bluff Lighthouse, and Eric VK7FEJE and Wayne VK7FWAY activating Table Cape lighthouse. If anyone has a few moments to spare on Saturday or Sunday morning, then call in and see them in action. I am sure they will appreciate the company and moral support as they go about their business. For anybody wanting to become a new amateur, this is the ideal opportunity to see what it is all about.
VK100WIA Activation in NW VK7
Just after that, early in September we have the use of the VK100WIA callsign for three days and will be operating from the Devonport Maritime Museum. More details about this will be provided closer to the time
Amateur Radio Assessments
Prospective amateurs and amateurs wishing to upgrade can contact the learning facilitator Keith Winkler VK7KW who can help you along the path to a new licence. Contact details are available on the Cradle Coast Amateur Radio Club website, which is easily found by a Google search for CCARC Tasmania
Regards from
(David, VK7DC, Secretary, CCARC)
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North West Tasmania Amateur Television Group
http://www2.vk7ax.id.au/atvgroup/
New Amateur on our bands
We welcome Greg VK7FJFJ, our newest amateur to our bands.
Greg received confirmation from the ACMA early in the week that his call VK7FJFJ has been issued. Greg has been heard on 80M. and 70CM.
Great to hear you on the air waves Greg and congratulations on achieving your Foundation Licence.
Amateur Radio Licence Assessments and Training
Persons in the N/West Area of VK7 interested in Training and Assessments for all classes of Amateur Radio are advised that the Club can provide all these requirements and in addition provision of Facilitators via the Radio and Electronics School if candidates so desire.
Potential candidates and interested persons in the North West and Central Coast Areas should note that it is NOT necessary to have to travel relatively long distances (such as Launceston) to attend assessments or training, as all these facilities can and are handled at a central location within the North West.
For more information regarding these facilities, please contact the Club's Learning Organizer Tony VK7AX, or the Club. Contact details can be found on the Club Web Site or the WIA site under VK7 Clubs.
73's until next time
(Tony VK7AX, News Officer – NWTATVG)
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Southern News
Repeater Update
A quick reminder that the 70cm repeater VK7RCH has moved to Grey Mountain in the Huon Valley covering the Huon and Channel areas
A big thank you to Tasmanet for the space for the repeater and the frequencies are Tx: 438.575 and Rx: 433.575.
Regards from
(Hayden, VK7HAY)
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Radio and Electronics Association of Southern Tasmania
http://reast.asn.au/
RD Contest – Club Station
VK7OTC will be operating as a club station over the 24 hours of the RD.Goto Top of Page
We are looking to run a multi-operator station on multi-frequencies and the activation of VK100WIA was a great test of this capability.
If you are interested in being involved then let Justin VK7TW know by emailing him at: Vice.President(AT)reast.asn.au
http://reast.asn.au/events.php#RDContest
(73, Justin, VK7TW)
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August Presentation Night - Show and Tell
We had a great roll-up to last Wednesday night's homebrew/constructed night.
Many interesting items made their way into the clubrooms and sparked much discussion and interest.
We started with Bob VK7ZL who demonstrated his regenerative and TRF valve receivers that he built. Bob also showed his homebrew attenuators that he has been using with his QRSS experiments and a HF receiving splitter using a toroid for two receivers on the same antenna.
This lead to a discussion about front panel lettering that sparked Martin VK7GN into action. Martin presented a technique for making professional looking front panel designs and techniques for mounting them on the box. Martin showed tow he had made and advantages of the techniques, this sparked much discussion.
Then we went onto Graham VK7ZGK's two metre three stage class c power amplifier using PT4167B RF transistors that he build back in the UK in the 1970s.
Tom VK7TL then showed the group his experiments with Peltier devices to cool a instrument under test. Tom took the group through the issue that confront you when playing with these devices, including the need for substantial cooling to remove the heat. Tom achieved -8 degreesC in the demonstration.
Rex VK7MO then took the group through his portable 10GHz offset feed dish Az/El mounting issues and the issues he had on his recent trip around Australia making contacts and how he was aligning the dish using Sun noise, a GPS or peaking on available signals.
Justin VK7TW then took the group through his recently constructed portable Az/El mount that he has constructed from many recycled items. This leads to a demo of an simple device for helping solder SMT devices. Justin also showed an optical encoder and a 1250MHz PA created from Minikits kits.
Mike VK7MJ then took the group through his recently re-constructed Candlestick Microphone complete with new insert and two transistor preamp. Mike then showed the many optical test instruments both transmitters and receivers that he has built over many year to assist with his optical experiments.
We finished up with Warren VK7FEET who demonstrated his impressive four 115VAC fan bank with them all in series that he uses to draw the solder fumes away from the work bench. It is nice and quiet and provides a gentle breeze. The feet were provided by threaded rod and corks.
Following a final discussion about LED lighting the night finished off with the obligatory cup of tea and much more discussion!
A great night of sharing and ingenuity and thanks to all involved. I suspect we will be having another one of these nights in the future!
http://reast.asn.au/events.php#showandtell
(73, Justin, VK7TW)
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September Presentation - Southern Water RF Telemetry Network
Our very own Matthew Richardson VK7MR has agreed to give a presentation on the Southern Water RF Telemetry network that he looks after.
This should be a fascinating look at the complex systems that are in place to monitor and feedback data from throughout the water network in Southern Tasmania.
Matthew will even be bringing along some of the RF and computer gear that is in use for a demonstration.
This should be a fascinating presentation and it occurs on Wednesday September 1, 2010 at 8pm in the Queen's Domain clubrooms.
http://reast.asn.au/events.php#SWTelemetry
See you there.
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October Expressions of Interest
Grote Reber Museum and 3D Virtual Reality Cinema
For the October REAST presentation we are looking at going on a visit to the Grote Reber Museum at the Mt Pleasant Radio Observatory at Cambridge.
The museum has many wonderful artefacts and information about Grote Reber and his experiments mapping the Milky Way using HF from his square kilometre array at Bothwell.
As we wanting to visit the museum out of normal business hours there will be a charge to cover the Universities costs and this will be $150.
Therefore, we are looking to find out how many people would be willing to pay between $5 and $10 to visit the museum and 3D virtual reality cinema and the charge would be dependent on how many come along.
Given it will be at night visit I am sure we can organise vehicle pick-ups for those amateurs who do not like or cannot drive at night.
Please let me know if you are interested in attending the visit over the next few months and if we get enough interest then I'll let the University know.
I can be contacted on email: VK7TW(AT)wia.org.au or phone: 0439 016 622.
http://www.groterebermuseum.com.au/
(73, Justin, VK7TW)
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Licence Examinations
Please note there will be a Foundation Licence assessment either this week or next week for anyone interested in sitting a Foundation Assessment session. Please advise Reg VK7KK on 0417 391 607, or email on regemm(AT)ozemail.com.au.
(73, Reg VK7KK, REAST Education Officer and Assessor)
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ATV Experimenters Night
Firstly a big thank you to Kim VK7KB who donated a Tektronix 545B, two additional plug in modules and stand to the club for its test bench. Much appreciated.
We get back underway next Wednesday night with some great show and tell and then play the video of last Wednesday night's great Show and Tell session for those that missed it.
We get underway around 7:30pm and we broadcast on 444.25MHz analog ATV which is just below SBS on the UHF TV band.
Hope to see you along.
http://reast.asn.au/events.php#ATVnights
(73, Justin, VK7TW)
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Web & Email Edition Extra Bits! !
SMT Techniques
http://www.amqrp.org/kits/micro908/smt_construction.pdf
Neat device for holding SMT devices
http://www.speleogroup.org/files/SMT-boards-sg.pdf
SMT Soldering Tip Videos
http://www.solder.net/technical/tips.asp
SMT Soldering Techniques
http://www.curiousinventor.com/guides/Surface_Mount_Soldering
Smallest PC yet.
http://www.elektor.com/news/smallest-mini-pc-to-date.1460483.lynkx?utm_source=UK&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news
Fast & Reliable Vias
http://www.elektor.com/magazines/2010/july-047-august/fast-reliable-vias.1391492.lynkx
Front Panel Design program
http://www.elektor.com/magazines/2010/july-047-august/front-panel-design-program.1391509.lynkx
Hexadocube 2010
http://www.elektor.com/magazines/2010/july-047-august/hexadocube-2010.1391577.lynkx
Valve Information:
http://www.tubebooks.org/
Huge Number of Technical Books Online
http://www.pmillett.com/tubebooks/technical_books_online.htm
Great Source of Home-brewing Valve Information:
http://www.pmillett.com/
iPod Touch into a Phone!
http://micgadget.com/6752/apple-peel-520-review-with-video/
How many books are actually out there???
http://booksearch.blogspot.com/2010/08/books-of-world-stand-up-and-be-counted.html
It's Patch Tuesday Again!!!
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/08/05/microsoft_august_2010_patch_tuesday/
How to build a Linux Media Centre
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2367455,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+ziffdavis/extremetech+%28Extremetech%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
These are Neat Devices
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2331109,00.asp
OMG – Dr Who was Right!!!!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/ufo/7926037/UFO-files-Winston-Churchill-feared-panic-over-Second-World-War-RAF-incident.html
This is Scary!
http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/04/android-activations/
Do you have some interesting internet 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
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 that there will not be a WIA National or VK7 Regional News Broadcast next week as it is the RD Contest.
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.
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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