| |
VK7AX > NEWS 12.09.10 06:05l 473 Lines 21985 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : VK7AX1209TA
Read: GUEST
Subj: VK7 Regional News Broadcast for 12 September 2010
Path: IZ3LSV<IW0QNL<IR2UBX<HB9TVW<DB0ANF<CX2SA<VE2RXY<VK7AX
Sent: 100912/0358Z @:VK7AX.#ULV.TAS.AUS.OC #:11292 [Ulverstone] FBB7.00g $:VK7A
From: VK7AX@VK7AX.#ULV.TAS.AUS.OC
To : NEWS@WW
VK7 REGIONAL NEWS BROADCAST
FOR SUNDAY 12 September 2010
---------------------------------------------------------------------
VK100WIA Activation in Devonport
Cradle Coast Amateur Radio Club
Last Sunday, September the 5th, through to 0959 local Wednesday morning, the CCARC had the use of the VK100WIA call-sign to celebrate 100 years of the WIA. The major public operation was from the Devonport Maritime Museum, where the general public were wandering through, seeing what was happening and also looking at the various exhibits of both the museum and the CCARC.
The museum operation hours were 10am to 4pm. For the out of hours operations we had a roster from various amateur's home stations.
The summary of the contacts reveals the following:
A total of 729 contacts
VK1 - 21
VK2 - 138
VK3 - 214
VK4 - 86
VK5 - 93
VK6 - 20
VK7 - 82
VK8 - 2
ZL's - 36
37 - DX contacts, and if you add ZL's - 73 DX contacts
22 - DXCC countries.
Bands used: 160m through to 20m plus 2m and 70cm
The Devonport Maritime Museum went out of its way to provide help in many ways with tea, coffee and biscuits available and the staff put up a flag message on the 20m tall signal mast in front of the main building. The flags read "WELCOME CCARC BZ WIA 100 YEARS" the letters BZ is international Naval Code stands for "WELL DONE"
Also the Devonport Maritime Museum is well worth the look through. Entry is $5 per adult and $10 a family. It has an extensive array of maritime exhibits, including some old ship radio, direction finding, and echo location equipment on display.. If any listeners have an interest and knowledge in the historic radio equipment area, the curator, Dave Melhuish, would welcome any information on his radio equipment that he can get.
Many thanks to the Devonport Maritime Museum, Keith VK7KW, Dick VK7FORF, David VK7EX, Winston VK7EM, Bryan VK7KBE, Anne VK7BYL, Wayne VK7FWAY, and Scott VK7FTTT, who all contributed to make this event so successful.. Apologies if I have missed anyone.
http://www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2010/20100909-1/index.php
Regards from
(David, VK7DC, Secretary, CCARC)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Open Invitation to All VK7 Amateurs
Grote Reber Museum and 3D Virtual Reality Cinema
For the October REAST presentation we have booked 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 along with radio astronomy displays and a 3D Virtual Reality Cinema where you can fly in 3D to the planets in the Solar System.
We will even have members from the Astronomical Society of Tasmania with their Solar Telescopes looking at the sun and seeing those elusive sun spots!
We have booked Saturday the 16th October 2010 starting at 1:00pm to allow interested people to time to travel down to Cambridge and travel back afterwards.
The cost will be $5 per person as we need to cover the opening of the museum after normal weekday business hours. The more we get may mean the cost will be less per person.
We can also organise vehicle pick-ups for those amateurs who cannot drive and would like to come along.
As they say in the advertising – "But wait there's more!!" The Astronomical Society of Tasmania and the University of Tasmania are holding and open night at the Mt Canopus Optical Astronomy Observatory on the night of the 16th of October and has invited us along. They will even have images from the 1 metre optical telescope being displayed along with many other types of telescopes looking at stars, planets and all sorts of astronomical features.
Please let me know if you are interested in attending the visit over the next couple of weeks so we can get an idea of the numbers.
I can be contacted on email: VK7TW(AT)wia.org.au or phone: 0439 016 622.
A great big thank you to Karen Bradford and Dr Stefan Deiter, the curator of the museum who have made this visit possible.
http://www.groterebermuseum.com.au/
(73, Justin, VK7TW)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
VK7 EVENTS CALENDAR
A summary of the events across VK7 over the coming months:
WICEN South – September 10-12 - Pyengana for the Portland Endurance Riders - 80 and 40kms rides.
http://tas.wicen.org.au/
REAST – September 15 & 22 - ATV Experimenter's Night - starts around 7:30pm in the Queen's Domain Clubrooms.
http://reast.asn.au/atv/index.php
CCARC – September 25 - Meeting at Penguin Lions club rooms, 19 Ironcliff road, Penguin starting 1:30pm.
http://www.my-x15.net/ccarc
REAST – September 29 – A Round Trip to Macca (Macquarie Island) with Warren VK7FEET – 8pm in the Queen's Domain Clubrooms. PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN DATE FOR THE PRESENTATION NIGHT.
http://reast.asn.au/atv/index.php
NWATVG – October 2 - General meeting with surplus equipment to be held at Ross VK7WP's QTH.
http://www2.vk7ax.id.au/atvgroup/
ALL CLUBS INVITE – October 16 – Saturday Tour of the Grote Reber Museum and 3D Virtual Cinema at Cambridge starting 1:00pm - Entry Fee: $5
http://www.groterebermuseum.com.au/
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern News
Northern Tasmanian Amateur Radio Club
www.ntarc.net
Following on from Jason's report several weeks ago, Bill VK7MX can report that while the Wouxon KG-UVD1P is indeed a great little radio, it has an Achilles heel in the form of its battery charger.
Unlike the more recent offerings from Quansheng, which uses an AC transformer, with rectification and all the charger "smarts" in the charging socket, the Wouxon uses a switchmode power supply to supply DC to its charging socket, which otherwise contains the appropriate charging "smarts". That switchmode power supply is very tightly housed in the mains plug, so tightly in fact that there is little scope for heat dissipation.
If the charger is left on for an extended period, with a battery or radio and battery attached, it can overheat and the switchmode power supplier controller chip then self-destructs, in grand fashion. VK7MX suffered this fate with 2 of the Wouxon chargers over the past summer.
While they were replaced under warranty, he no longer leaves batteries in these chargers longer than overnight.
The faulty units were dismantled to see what had happened, and to see if repair was feasible. It certainly would be, if the chip can be sourced locally. However, since it is only required to produce 12 volts DC at 1 Amp, it is probably simpler to press into service any other plugpack power supply capable of delivering such an output. These are commonly used and readily available. Indeed, here in Launceston, the major charity Op-Shop has a bin full of suitable candidates, on sale for just a dollar or two.
Further research reveals that while packaged with the Wouxon, these plugpacks are sourced from another Chinese manufacturer and used in numerous other products and offering different outputs. In addition to the 2 Wouxon units that failed, VK7MX also experienced an identical failure in an otherwise identical 10.4 volt 1 Amp unit last summer. On dismantling that, the internal pcb was found to also be identical, with just minor component changes to produce the different output. In 2 cases, the SMPS chip had blown its little plastic top but just for a bit of variety, the third example had lost several of its little legs!
A final caution from VK7MX. Just in case you hadn't grasped the significance of the difference between the Wouxon and Quansheng charger design philosophies, Bill does not recommend that you attempt to power the Wouxon charger from a Quansheng plugpack. It's output is A.C.
Winter time bugs, chills and ills kept numbers down at NTARC's monthly meeting on Wednesday, where a small and hardy group gathered at The Skills Institute Alanvale Campus. Jason VK7ZJA talked about how to hide from radio waves using stealth technology, and spoke briefly about Gunnplexer modules and how easy it could be to create a 10 or 24 GHz full duplex FM microwave link.
NTARC members will have to get used to another name for our usual coffee café gathering place. Formerly known as Lo-Ena Café, the new owners have re-christened it as the Friends Café. The name may have changed, but I'm certain it will remain a favourite place for NTARC members to informally gather, chat and discuss all manner of things over a hot cuppa.
With thanks from
(Jason VK7ZJA, NTARC Secretary)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
NORTH WEST News
Cradle Coast Amateur Radio Club (CCARC)
CCARC News
http://www.my-x15.net/ccarc
Training news.
The CCARC has a new WIA assessor. Keith Winkler VK7KW has upgraded his status from Learning Facilitator to WIA Assessor.
He will still be the club Learning Organiser and a point of contact for licencing needs.
---------------------------------
VK100WIA Activation
As heard at the beginning of the bulletin the activation was very successful and many thanks to the Devonport Maritime Museum,
Keith VK7KW, Dick VK7FORF, David VK7EX, Winston VK7EM, Bryan VK7KBE, Anne VK7BYL, Wayne VK7FWAY, and Scott VK7FTTT,
who all contributed to make this event so successful.. Apologies if I have missed anyone.
---------------------------------
WIA national Field day
The CCARC is planning to operate a field day station from the Ulverstone area on Saturday 23rd October 2010, as part of WIA National Field Day. Amateur radio enthusiasts from all over Australia will be showcasing amateur radio in prominent locations throughout the country. We hope to be able to talk to these other field day stations.
This activity will be a good opportunity to break out your field day equipment, demonstrate emergency preparedness,
but most importantly engage the public. Most people in the general public would give our hobby a second thought,
if they knew a little more about it. This is the opportunity to showcase our capabilities.
So come along and see what you can do on the day and enjoy the CCARC hospitality.
More details will be announced closer to the date.
---------------------------------
Next Meeting
Members and the general amateur public are advised that the next meeting of the Cradle Coast Amateur Radio Club will be held on Saturday, September 25th, 1.30pm at the Penguin lions club rooms, 19 Ironcliff road, Penguin.
Regards from
(David, VK7DC, Secretary, CCARC)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
North West Tasmania Amateur Television Group
http://www2.vk7ax.id.au/atvgroup/
A large quantity of used and surplus two way radio equipment and accessories have been kindly donated to the Club by Graeme Vk7AQ.
Among the goodies are RT85's & PRM8030's models, to name a couple, plus other miscellaneous bits and pieces. The Club will make some of these available to members for a small donation at it's next general meeting on Saturday 2nd October 2010 to be held at Ross VK7WP's QTH.
It is anticipated that some RT85's will be kept for another 6Meter Conversion day project.
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 these requirements.
For more information, 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)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern News
Congratulations
Congratulation to Martin VK7GN for being the 15,000th contact with VK100WIA. As heard on the WIA News, Martin contacted the VK100WIA activation by Port Stephens Amateur Radio Club on New South Wales central coast.
Congratulations also goes to Vince VK7VH who scored 484 points and won the QRP May Marathon in the phone section. Thanks to Jim VK3PC for that information.
http://www.users.on.net/~zietz/qrp/club.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Radio and Electronics Association of Southern Tasmania
http://reast.asn.au/
Grab a Bargain.
Gavin lets us know that he has 2 only 2010 Call Books at the bargain basement price of $20.00 each and one only 2009 Call Book at $15.00. Foundation Manuals are also available for $25.00.
Where do we get them from? See Clayton VK7ZCR at Caltex Service Station Cnr Main Rd. & Amy St. Moonah.
http://reast.asn.au/amateurradio.php#flmanual
Cheers
(Gavin, VK7HGO, REAST President)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
September Presentation
A Trip to Macca (Macquarie Island)
Warren VK7FEET has agreed to give a presentation with pictures on the big screen about his recent trip to Macquarie Island and back as part of the Pest Eradication program.
This should be a fascinating insight in to Tasmania's most Southern island.
29 September - 8pm in the Queens Domain Clubrooms.
See you there.
http://reast.asn.au/events.php#Macca
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Licence Examinations
If there is anyone interested in undertaking an amateur radio exam and this could be for foundation, standard, advanced, regulations or practical. Then please contact Reg VK7KK on 0417 391 607, or email on regemm(AT)ozemail.com.au.
(73, Reg VK7KK, REAST Education Officer and Assessor)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
ATV Experimenters Night
We had a full ATV studio of support staff, switchers, floor managers, camera operators and presenters.
We started with a wonderful show and tell about a voice powered CW 80m transmitter that was featured in the latest copy of the CW Operators QRP Club magazine – Low-Key. The design was made by Michael Rainey AA1TJ and takes the vocal pressure through a waveguide onto a speaker to generate a voltage and rectified this is stepped up filtered and modulates a 80m RF oscillator, then through a low pass filter and out to the antenna. Michael has logged many contacts up to 1486km and calls it the "New England Code Talker" after the Navaho Code Talkers in WW2.
The next show and tell item was a CDROM where the recorded material had peeled off the plastic substrate. A discussion was then held with Graham VK7ZGK and Tom VK7TL who let listeners and watchers know about the various archive grade CDROM and DVDROMs that were available.
We then went to our video feature for the night which is the 1 hour and 25minute presentation of the WIA Centenary AGM weekend in Canberra back in May 2010, thanks to many people who contributed video and stills to put together a comprehensive DVD of the whole weekend.
We get underway again next Wednesday night around 7:30pm and we broadcast on 444.25MHz analog ATV which is just below SBS on the UHF TV band.
http://reast.asn.au/events.php#ATVnights
Hope to see you along.
(73, Justin, VK7TW)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Techonology News
Schrödinger's cat in photons
The following is an article sourced to the OptoIQ ezine of September 2, 2010.
Boulder, CO--Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have created "quantum cats" made of photons, boosting prospects for manipulating light in new ways to enhance precision measurements as well as computing and communications based on quantum physics.
The NIST experiments repeatedly produced light pulses that each possessed two exactly opposite properties--specifically, opposite phases, as if the peaks of the light waves were superimposed on the troughs. Physicists call this an optical Schrödinger's cat. NIST's quantum cat is the first to be made by detecting three photons at once and is one of the largest and most well-defined cat states ever made from light (larger cat states have been created in different systems by other research groups, including one at NIST).
A "cat state" is a curiosity of the quantum world, where particles can exist in "superpositions" of two opposite properties simultaneously. Cat state is a reference to German physicist Erwin Schrödinger's famed 1935 theoretical notion of a cat that is both alive and dead simultaneously.
"This is a new state of light, predicted in quantum optics for a long time," says NIST research associate Thomas Gerrits, lead author of the paper. "The technologies that enable us to get these really good results are ultrafast lasers, knowledge of the type of light needed to create the cat state, and photon detectors that can actually count individual photons."
The finding, says NIST, may enhance measurement techniques such as interferometry. The research also may contribute to quantum computing--which may someday solve some problems that are intractable today--and quantum communications, the most secure method known for protecting the privacy of a communications channel. Larger quantum cats of light are needed for accurate information processing.
www.nist.gov/eeel/optoelectronics/cat_083110.cfm
(Sourced from the OptoIQ Web-zine)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Humour
Does Electronic Equipment Hold a Grudge?
We finish today with a wonderful true story from Geoff VK7HAL.
<audio from VK7HAL_3m6s>
(73, Geoff, VK7HAL)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Web & Email Edition Extra Bits! !
VK7JG-15 APRS Tracking for the last 24Hours through the Simpson Desert
http://aprs.fi/?call=vk7jg-15&mt=roadmap&z=8&timerange=86400
Archive quality DVD from Verbatim (thanks to Tom VK7TL)
Put in Verbatim 94949 and 94938 - these are verbatim part numbers and should get you started - website www.verbatim.com.au has lots of info etc.
Ancient Nubians drank antibiotic beer
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2010/09/06/3003708.htm
NZ quake reveals unknown fault
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2010/09/06/3004052.htm
The fishy quiz
http://www.abc.net.au/science/games/quizzes/2010/fish/
Voice Operated 80M CW Transmitter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6Rj4aVObCk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtcvzGS4fKs&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guIRbb8ETGg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZdJEz2Dt18&feature=related
-------------------------------
AMSAT National Satellite Net
Date: Tuesday 14 September 2010
Time: 20:30 - 21:30
Repeats: This event repeats every month on the second Tuesday.
Location: Various
Notes: The Australian National Satellite Net is on this coming Tuesday, at 8.30pm eastern, that's either 9.30 or 10.30z depended on daylight savings. Please note we will be taking check-ins from 8.20pm-ish.
In Tasmania
VK7RTV 6M. Repeater Gawler 53.775 MHz IRLP 6124
VK7RTV 2M. Repeater Gawler 146.775 MHz. IRLP 6616
-------------------------------
DX News
ANTARCTICA. Mike, VP8DMH/p is QRV from Adelaide Island, IOTA AN-001, until September 11. Activity is mostly on 20 meters using SSB, depending on conditions and his work schedule. QSL via G0VGS.
(ARRL News)
-------------------------------
'Immune' Tasmanian devil dies of cancer
http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/3703
Spinning stars act like cosmic GPS
http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/3669/cosmic-gps-find-unknown-planets
Philips unveils first mains-powered white-light OLED module
http://www.elektor.com/news/philips-unveils-first-mains-powered-white-light.1522976.lynkx?utm_source=UK&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news
Silicon photonic devices use vapour-filled waveguides
http://www.elektor.com/news/silicon-photonic-devices-uses-vapour-filled.1522974.lynkx?utm_source=UK&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news
Do you have some interesting internet sites you have some across in the last week – send them in to justingc(AT)ozemail.com.au
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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?
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Finally today, a reminder to those people rostered for next week's broadcasts:
Newsreader: VK7RS
80m: VK7ZK
40m: VK7TW
20m: VK7AR
10m: VK7ZGK
UHF CB: VK7ZCR
HF CB: VK7TED
Thanks to all people and organisations who assisted with this broadcast.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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
*************************************************
- NEWS POSTING TO PACKET -
Courtesy Tony VK7AX VK7AX(AT)VK7AX.#ULV.TAS.AUS.OC
*************************************************
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
