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VK7AX > NEWS 17.02.09 04:44l 733 Lines 23883 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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THE BEST NEWS YOU'LL GET ALL WEEK
Oh... and to contact us with your news because
If It Matters To You It Matters To Us!
email nationalnews(AT)wia.org.au
Please.. write your story as you would expect to hear it being read back
do NOT send us links and url's!!
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WIANews 24/7 with the following bulletin in Audio
when you visit the MEMBERS AREA on www.wia.org.au
This weeks WIANews available in Audio after 0100hrs UTC Saturday.
http://www.wiaq.com/ftp/wianews_64.mp3 FM Radio quality
http://www.wiaq.com/ftp/wianews.mp3 AM Radio Quality
http://www.wia.org.au (news in member area) Submit your audio news
http://www.wiaq.com/admin/pandaupload.php Submit your Audio (backup)
http://www.wiaq.com and click the QNEWS link to see weekly news stats
free emailed script http://lists.wia.org.au/mailman/listinfo/vk1wia-news
Now you can dial this WIANews wherever you are on the
"gateway dot net dot au" 1300 phone service.
Dial 1300 558 592 and at the prompt type W.I.A.N. (That's 9426).
"Standard call rate from fixed home phone, higher from mobiles".
This is WIANEWS for week commencing February 15 2009
The bushfires in Victoria have caused massive loss of life, and loss of
property. The death toll has risen rapidly, approaching the un-believable
200 figure.
The WICEN Victoria website is providing regular updates on the 2009 Bushfire
activation in VK3.
The WICEN Victoria website can be found at: http://vic.wicen.org.au/
Please note the WICEN HF net will operate on 3.6 MHz at 1000 and 2130 hours
daily.
In the audio edition of this news broadcast, thanks to Robert Broomhead we
hear of many MANY amateurs who have been involved and / or have suffered
in the Victorian Disaster. That news broadcast best heard by downloading
the news from our official audio site; http://www.wiaq.com/ftp/wianews_64.mp3
For a more in-depth listen, a 20 minute Bushfire News Audio exists, visit
http://www.wiaq.com/ftp/bushfiresfeb09vk3.mp3
We have had no word of any WICEN involvement in the Queensland (VK4) floods.
HAMS ACROSS AUSTRALIA.
VK3
web service:- http://www.amateurradio.com.au/news/
VKC Roundup http://www.police
Sunday 22nd March: EMDRC Annual White Elephant Sale, 10am-4pm at the
Great Ryrie School Great Ryrie Street, Heathmont.
VK5
www.qsl.net/vk5bar/
VK5HAY, checked into the S.E.R.G. broadcast of this news last Sunday
from Mt. Gambier conducted by Bill VK5WCC and in so doing became their
500th RF check in this WIA year.
Congrats Bernard!
VK6
The Hills Amateur Radio Group would like to invite all Radio Hams,Short Wave
Listeners,and Radio Hobbyists to their Swapmeet on Saturday 14th March 2009.
The swapmeet will be be held at the Paxhill Girl Guides Hall,on the corner of
Sanderson and Brady Streets Lesmurdie the cost of entry will be $2.00.
There will be a raffle on the day with a prize yet to be announced. Visitors
will be admitted from 2pm, and sellers will be admitted from 1pm allowing them
1 hour to prepare. The cost to sellers will be $5.00 which includes the hire
of a table. Also there will be space available at the rear of the hall for
people who wish to offer items for sale from their vehicles at a cost of $5.00.
There will be soft drinks,tea,coffee,biscuits,and a sausage sizzle for sale
on the day.
If you wish to book a table or a parking place to trade from, or you require
further imformation,please call Mick VK6YXL on 0419240751 or email him at
crowley-(hyphen)ent(AT)eon.net.au. The HARG members are expecting to have a real
fun day and hope to see you there.
VK7
local area news :- http://reast.asn.au/news.php
vk7 local news, email vk7regionalnews-subscribe(AT)yahoogroups.com
Meet the Voice - Bargain Boot Bonanza
Do you have pre-loved amateur radio related equipment that is surplus to
requirements? If so, as part of the Meet the Voice/Sewing Circle BBQ at
Ross on 22nd March, a Bargain Boot Bonanza has been organised to allow
you to part with the equipment you no longer have room or use for.
Participation is covered in your registration fee, the only condition is
that you provide your own car boot or table on which to display the
treasures.
We Hams are always looking for a bargain or four so this is a great
opportunity to do a deal.
(Sourced to Ray VK7VKV)
EDUCATION YOUTH AND ADVANCEMENT OF AMATEUR RADIO
www.hamcollege.com.au
Reg VK7KK lets us know that there will be a Foundation Licence training day
on Saturday February 21st with the assessment night on Tuesday February 24th.
If you are wanting to participate in the training and/or assessment and the
assessment could be for any licence (foundation, standard, advanced or
practical) then let Reg VK7KK know on mobile: 0417 391 607
or email: regemm(AT)ozemail.com.au
Reg also reminds those wanting to take the Foundation licence course that
Foundation Training Manuals are available at the Caltex Service Station
corner Amy St and Main Rd Moonah.
(Reg, VK7KK, REAST Education Officer and Assessor)
SILENT KEYS
Sadly Jim Smith VK9NS is now SK.
VK9NS passed peacefully away on Norfolk Island February 10 after a short
illness.
Jim is survived by his wife Kirsti (VK9NL) and his four children:
Bruce (G3HSR), Stuart, Sheena and Fraser (all living in the UK).
Jim's contribution to Amateur Radio, DX-ing and IOTA is inestimable.
He will be sadly missed.
Further condolences can be sent to Kirsti at jimkirsti(AT)ni.net.nf
(Bruce (G3HSR))
INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to RSGB, Southgate AR Club, the ARRL,
Amateur Radio Newsline, NZART and the WW sources of the WIA. I'm VK5MM Rob.
ACROSS THE WORLD - HAMS HELP RESCUE AND EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS.
In Brunei, their current bad weather and disasters have hit homes and
depriving some residents around the country of their essentials, so the
Brunei Darussalam Amateur Radio Association (BDARA) is extending their
assistance by providing services of emergency communication using amateur
radio to remote areas that had conventional communication system breakdowns.
According to BDARA, they have installed a radio set complete with antenna at
the National Disaster Management Centre in order to be able to receive
instantaneous reports from the remote villages in the Belait District.
These radios manned by members of BDARA.
Missing Saker Falcon
In Dublin, a request has been made to try to find a missing Falcon.
The Saker Falcon went missing in Dublin and it has been suggested that if
anyone can monitor 216.10MHz FM to pick up her signal, which is a constant
beep they should be able to zero in on her.
There will be NO "zero-ing" in in space for tourists after this year.
Russia says that the International Space Station will be off limits to space
tourists after 2009. This, as its crew grows from three to six.
The last commercial flights would be made this year. This will include the
second flight by American millionaire Charles Simoni, KE7KDP, and another by
a yet-to-be-named Kazakh national.
In business news, word that mobile radio and handset maker Motorola will cut
4,000 more jobs in 2009. This, in addition to 3,000 it announced last year.
The company said the move will save about $700 million a year starting in
2009, and totalling $1.5 billion in annual savings when combined with the
previous cut.
RADIO IN SPACE: NASA'S LRO MADE READY FOR LAUNCH
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has successfully completed thermal
vacuum testing, which simulates the extreme hot, cold and airless conditions
of space.
The orbiter was built at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre in
Greenbelt, Maryland. The now-completed thermal vacuum testing subjected
it to the extreme temperature cycles of the lunar environment as
engineers conducted simulated flight operations. Previously, the LRO
had been put though spin and vibration tests. The orbiter was also
subjected to acoustics testing where the bagged spacecraft was placed
near wall-sized speakers that simulate the noise-induced vibrations of a
launch.
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will now be shipped to NASA's Kennedy
Space Centre in Florida to be prepared for its April 24th scheduled
launch aboard an Atlas V rocket. Accompanying the spacecraft will be
the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite. The latter will
impact the moon's surface in a search for water-based ice. Both
vehicles will radio their findings back to Earth. (NASA Goddard
Release)
RADIOSPORTS: ARRL APPROVES LIMITED USE OF CW SKIMMER
A big change in the world of contesting. Following months of review, the
ARRL has decided to allow the use of the controversial CW Skimmer
program, but only for multi-ops and single operators using assistance in
ARRL contests.
The rules change on multi-channel decoders like CW Skimmer was approved
by the ARRL Program and Services Committee, which met just before the
mid-January 2009 meeting of the ARRL Board of Directors. In an
interview with Radio-Sport dot net, ARRL Contest Advisory Committee
Chairman Dick Green, WC1M, said that this emerging technology will be
permitted in ARRL contests, but not in the Single Operator category.
This decision mirrors a similar one made last year by the CQ WW DX
Contest. The ARRL decision means that all major contests have now dealt
with the CW Skimmer issue. (W0WI via VHF Reflector)
=============================================================================
WEIRD N WONDERFUL, I'M JOHN VK5BUI
GB50BH COMMEMORATES THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF BUDDY HOLLY
The 50th anniversary of the death of Rock and Roll legend Buddy Holly is
being memorialised on the ham radio bands. This, with a commemorative
operation by G4STH and G4YLO using the special commemorative call
GB50BH.
Holly, along with fellow rock icons Ritchie Valens, and "The Big Bopper"
were killed in the crash of a chartered plane in Iowa, 1959.
In Rock and Roll music circles, that became known as "the day the music
died."
Now, five decades later, GB50BH is on the air from on February 3rd from
Sommerset, in the United Kingdom, and will remain in operation through
March 3rd.
Arguably one of Buddy Holly's biggest hits was "Peggy Sue"..
I wonder how many people know that "Peggy Sue" had/has an interesting hobby -
ham radio.
Her callsign is K5PSG.
Perhaps some WIA readers have spoken to her over the air without realizing it.
In 2004, a special amateur station W5B was activated from Lubbock Texas to
honour the 45th anniversary of Buddy Holly's death, and Peggy Sue was one of
the operators.
But for now till March 3, keep it "locked" for GB50BH
OPERATIONAL NEWS -
SPECIAL EVENTS AND ON AIR CONTEST COLUMN - D A T E L I N E 2009
FEB 14 NZART - PAPAKURA PHONE SPRINT
FEB 28 - Mar 1 JOCK WHITE MEMORIAL FIELD DAY
MAR 7 - 8 ARRL Int DX PHONE CONTEST
MAR 14 - 15 JOHN MOYLE FIELD DAY
MAR 14 - 15 BERU
MAR 28 - 29 WPX SSB (Worked All Prefixes)
JUN 6 - 8 WORKED ALL VK SHIRES LONG WEEKEND CONTEST
AUG 15 - 16 WIA Remembrance Day Contest
Running till Dec 31 2009 is the 4th CQ DX Marathon
The John Moyle National Memorial Field Day 2009 on the 14th - 15th March this
year is fast approaching. The time for planning where you are going to go
to set up your field station is getting a lot shorter.
It is completely understandable that many stations, especially in the
southern states, may not plan to take part this year and it is hoped that
next year they will be back in force.
To make matters worse many of the really great spots for a field day location
in VK2 and VK3 are now nothing but charred ruins and the road access to these
sites is not open.
Perhaps the opportunity could be taken to set up in a local park, or some
other less ideal, but nonetheless public area so that the general public can
see that there are people who can put a fully equipped station into operation
anywhere.
Now as previously reported, there are a few changes to the rules this year.
You are well advised to consult the latest rules at www.wia.org.au
Look for the contest link.
Firstly, to do with VHF, UHF Scoring.
The bonus scores for the various distances have been reduced to balance the
scores versus effort.
Secondly, the rules regarding digital operation has been clarified and are
now much clearer.
Thirdly, the other significant rule change is in relation to the President's
Cup. The lack of interest in CW with only one entry last year, the WIA has
agreed to change the rule. The Cup will be awarded to the WIA Affiliated
Club Station that gains the highest aggregate score in the All Band,
All Mode, 24 Hour Category.
So keep on getting your efforts planned and ready for the big event.
(sourced to Denis Johnstone (VK4AE/VK3ZUX))
The nine day activation of the VI2BV90 callsign by the Waverley Amateur
Radio Society to celebrate its 90th anniversary finished on February 1st,
A total of 631 contacts were made covering HF bands on SSB, PSK31 and CW
and VHF and UHF bands on FM. 17 contacts were made via satellite
including 2 to the International Space Station. Despite generally poor
HF conditions, 110 DX contacts were made.
Commemorative QSL cards will be sent to all stations that contacted the
club. Those sending return envelopes will receive theirs by post and
others via the QSL bureau.
See the club website at VK2BV.ORG for an illustration of the QSL card
and details of other activities relating to the 90th anniversary.
The club would like to thank all those who supported the event by making
a contact with it during that time.
(Simon Buxton, VK2UA Publicity Officer Waverley ARS)
International Museums Weekend 2009
The 2009 International Museums Weekend special event will be a double
weekend and will take place on 20th and 21st June plus 27th and 28th June.
Radio amateurs are encouraged to participate in this event by
setting up stations in their local museums. Harry, M1BYT, who is
organising the event, asks that all those intending to take part
should register their museum via e-mail to
harry.m1byt<at>tiscali.co.uk. Full details of the event can be
found on the International Museums Weekend website at
www.ukradioamateur.co.uk/imw
BEACON DX AND NET ADVICE
hf nets ON the net, www.timroberts-vk4yeh.id.au/
GB 40 WAB 40th anniversary of the WAB Till Dec 31
GB 50 BH (Death of Buddy Holly) Until March 3
International Museums Weekend(s) 20 and 21 plus 27 and June 28
LY 1000 ** Millennium of Lithuania, QRV til March 1
OP 0 LE (O-POLE) Princess Elizabeth Base Antarctica Till Feb 15
OZ 1658 ROS 350th anniversary of the Treaty of Roskilde Till Dec 31
VARIOUS SM STATIONS USING 1658 (Treaty of Roskilde) Till Dec 31
VP 9 400 /home call 400th Anniversary of Bermuda Till Dec 31
CANADIAN SPECIAL EVENT CALLSIGNS.
To celebrate 50th anniversary of the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway,
look for Canadian amateurs to use the following prefix between
April 1st and May 31st:
XL -> VA XN -> VO
XM -> VE XO -> VY
HA13Ø, HUNGARY (Special Event).
Members of a high school radio club called "Puskas Tivadar" (HA5KHC) in
Budapest will activate HA13ØHALLO until March 31st.
Activity is to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the first appearance of the
telephone in Hungary.
Operations will be on all bands, mostly on CW, but some activity on SSB, PSK
and RTTY.
QSL via HA5KHC, by the bureau.
(sourced to Ganesh VU2TS)
MEDIA
AUDIO INTENSIVE
In our audio version, http://www.wiaq.com/ftp/wianews_64.mp3 you will hear
a small snippet of a 10 minute interview conducted by NSW Regional ABC
with the David Myers, President of the Westlakes Amateur Radio Club.
Amateur Radio Previews
January/February 2009
The first issue of Amateur Radio magazine for 2009 is already down at the
newsagents. Like the Christmas issue, it has extra pages and more of them
are in colour. Nip down the street and get your copy now, before they are
all gone.
No, those are not microwave dishes on the front cover; they are handling a
great deal more power than that. Around 35 kW per dish! Nearly 14 metres
across and comprising 112 mirrors each, these giant dishes track the sun
across the sky every day. And they will save about 100,000 litres of diesel
fuel annually, which would otherwise have to be hauled out past Birdsville
in tankers. Pretty modern technology - read all about it on page 27, thanks
to Don Marshall VK4AMA.
Are you active on 10 metres, running FM. Some amateurs are working DX across
the Pacific on this band, thanks to the repeater network. Turn to page 6 for
an excellent article by Dale Hughes VK1DSH, which tells you all you need to
know to build your own 10 metre transceiver. In his usual thorough style,
Dale provides the lot - schematics, circuit description, construction details
and advice on components, plus the essentials for setting up and getting on
the air.
Antennas - every amateur has at least one of them, and they are mostly
home-brewed. So you will need to check out the article by Ron Bertrand VK2DQ
about the OCF dipole. That means Off-Centre Fed and it is an antenna design
that suits multi-band requirements at low cost. Ron offers an authoritative
description on how these antennas work, and how to get them working for you.
A balun is part of the story and you will find it gets the same thorough
treatment.
How about a bit of DX on 2 meters? Thanks to sporadic E-layer (Es) activity
at this time of year, many really great QSOs have been logged on this band,
even out to VK6 and ZL. All the details are on page 53, where David Smith
VK3HZ has his regular column on VHF/UHF. Here, he also includes an
interesting little anecdote on the fleeting world of aircraft enhancement
contacts.
Second-hand amateur equipment is always in demand. On page 13 there is a
knowledgeable, "been-there, done that" article by Jim Linton VK3PC to guide
you around the pitfalls when you go shopping for pre-loved gear. What to
buy, what not to buy - it's all there. Over the last two years, Amateur
Radio has published a number of articles featuring particular radios - maybe
old, but still going strong.
Have you got a good eye for taking photos? Amateur Radio magazine is looking
for top-quality digital photos featuring amateur radio activities - the gear,
the operators, the triumphs, the catastrophes. Read the Editorial by
Peter Freeman VK3KAI where he is seeking contributions of photos and articles
maybe you could help.
The 2009 Callbook has been flying off the shelfs since early December. Widely
judged to be the best issue yet, it has grown to 172 pages. It includes all
the new 2-letter calls that ACMA had registered by 1 October, plus all kinds
of other useful information for the radio amateur. Order your copy from the
WIA Bookshop, on-line or by phone - see details inside the back cover of
Amateur Radio.
(Tom Potter VK3UBS)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- STAMP COLLECTING OPERATORS
radiostamps(AT)yahoogroups.com
Korea Unveils Stamp Celebrating ARDF:
Korea has issued a postage stamp commemorating the 2008 Amateur Radio
Direction Finding World Championships.
The ARDF World Championships, held in Korea and hosted by the Korean Amateur
Radio League, were September 2-7, 2008. More than 450 participants from
28 countries visited Korea to compete.
See the stamp here:
www.koreastamp.go.kr/sp/eg/speg0101.jsp?page_num=2
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- VIDEO
HAMRADIOTUBE.COM
youtube.com
Jack Binns CQD videos on YouTube
On January 23rd Radio Amateurs around the world celebrated the centenary of
Jack Binns using wireless to save the lives of over 1500 people. Videos of
EI 100 CQD and other stations participating in the centenary are now on
YouTube.
REWIND - A LOOK BACK IN HISTORY
(Will McGhie VK6UU is WIA National Historian)
AND AGAIN REWINDING - THE RADIO SHACK OF THE PAST
In 2006 Radio Shack announced that the company would no longer sell
amateur radio gear. But back in 1930's the "shack" was one of the
prime mail order suppliers of ham gear and accessories.
Now an animated 1939 Radio Shack catalogue I on line for you to browse.
You can find it at www.radioshackcatalogs.com/catalogs/1939
You turn pages by the use of the cursor. Just click on the lower
right corner of the page, move it to the left.
(ARNEWSLINE)
Amateur Radio Nostalgia
There are many Ham blogs on the Internet.
We recently ran across one by Jeff KE9V which raised the question
Is Amateur Radio nostalgia putting off newcomers?'
Makes for interesting reading, and as with all stories you have heard today
on WIA National News, web address's, in fact ALL points of contact are found
in print when you read our text edition at wia.org.au
Read the KE9V blog - My Big Fat Ham Radio Epiphany at
http://ke9v.net/2009/01/my-big-fat-ham-radio-epiphany/
THE FINAL FINAL
As we leave this week, if any listeners have recordings of
Amateur Radio activity to do with the bush fire disaster,
let nationalnews(AT)wia.org.au know as we will be compiling
our news and other important archival broadcasts
relating to the disasters in the VK3/4 areas.
These will form an important research and news resource
for the future and they will in time be passed to
Nick Weare of the National Film and Sound Archive in
CANBERRA.
www.nfsa.gov.au
Please think of the environment before printing this email
=============================================================================
WIANews - we've reported...YOU decide.
Societies and Club News Letter Editors can EXCHANGE a feed prior to
the actual broadcast date, e-mail nationalnews(AT)wia.org.au
Call-backs follow the RF editions, but also for text readers you may
lodge a quick reply to let us know you read it, who knows, you might
even get a "cheerio call".
Thanks to to our dedicated band of broadcast volunteers who utilize
their time and equipment in bringing you this weekly broadcast.
The purpose of "WIANews" is to rapidly provide news of interest to
active amateurs residing in Australia and the globe.
We strongly encourage membership in the Wireless Institute of Australia
and participation in the activities of local clubs.
Opinions expressed in "WIANews" are those of the writers who submit
material and do not necessarily reflect those of the rebroadcasters,
nor the National WIA, but are broadcast in the spirit in which they were
submitted.
Material may be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form, a credit to
WIANews wouldn't go astray...
Compiled by VK4BB on behalf of the National WIA.
************************************************************************
- NEWS POSTING TO PACKET -
Courtesy Tony VK7AX VK7AX(AT)VK7AX.#ULV.TAS.AUS.OC
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