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VK7AX > WIA 19.04.14 04:16l 333 Lines 11132 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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From: VK7AX@VK7AX.#ULV.TAS.AUS.OC
To : WIA@WW
Weekly news from the WIA:
MP3 edition of news available at:
http://www.wia-files.com/podcast/wianews-2014-04-20.mp3
Text edition:
WIANEWS - APRIL 20 - VK NATIONAL NEWS
(Please remove S P A C E S in Email Addresses before using)
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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 @ wia . org . au
http://www.wia.org.au (click news in member area) Submit your audio news
TWITTER http://twitter.com/VK1WIA
Please... If you are only submitting text and not audio, write your story as
you would expect to hear it being read back and NEVER send just links &
url's. When you upload audio email us the txt version.
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WIANEWS WEEK COMMENCING APR 20 2014.
OUR 19TH YEAR OF NON STOP NEWS
WIA Director Roger Harrison VK2ZRH re AGM
WIA PR4AmateurRadio EXPO
AX Special prefix for ANZAC Day
AM and CW on ANZAC Day Event
THESE STORIES AND MORE IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE WIRELESS INSTITUTE
OF AUSTRALIA FOR WEEK COMMENCING APRIL 20 2014.
TRENDING ON VK1WIA TWITTER ACCOUNT
http://twitter.com/VK1WIA
#WIA ITA WICEN
#WIA PR4AmateurRadio
Breaker breaker, can I get a call back?
The language of amateur radio is almost an art-form, opening lines of
communication across the world said a pair of ABC presenters in Bundaberg,
where, as they said, a dedicated group of enthusiasts are keeping these
unique skills alive.
Some of the aims of last weekend's PR4Amateur Radio Expo were community
interaction and media coverage for Amateur Radio, with many successful
examples occurring. ABC Regional Radio Bundaberg got into the spirit of
things for the WIA's PR4AmateurRadio EXPO when Ross Kay and Wayne Shearman
interviewed VK4HAX Dave Nebe.
"There are 2 million amateurs worldwide, we've got 20,000 amateurs in
Australia, and people still keep the tradition alive, like Morse code and
that sort of thing."
In Bundaberg there are about 40 members in the club, with over 100 people
regularly on amateur radio bands."
David says the availability of modern electronics means that whatever your
interest, you can usually build it yourself.
He told the ABC that Amateur Radio is different things to different people.
Some like working on antennas, so they like to put an antenna to communicate
with someone far afield. Dave VK4HAX enjoys building things, trying out a
project, and sharing it with others.
http://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2014/04/14/3984993.htm
PR4Amateur Radio Expo reports are still coming in, but initially include
indications of some potential recruitment, and that a greater understanding
now existed among the public who visited.
Ipswich and District Radio Club President, Glen Woodrow VK4FARR, in the
Ipswich Advertiser, reports social media has not damped the enthusiasm of
those engaged in Amateur Radio.
The club marked World Amateur Radio Day with an Expo, calling on residents
to get involved in the fun.
Glenn VK4FARR said, "It has never been easier to enter the hobby through
the basic Foundation Licence, and the club can show you how to join in the
fun."
He was speaking as modern Amateur Radio was showcased across the nation to
the public at demonstration stations.
A few visitors to the Expo had seen an antenna in their neighbourhood and
wondered what it meant. Some thought we'd gone out of existence, had a
former relative involved, or held an old fashioned view of it. Others have
not even heard of us.
The WIA CQ Expo stations have generated interest and stimulated much
discussion on public relations among existing radio amateurs.
PR4Amateur Radio Expo reports are still coming in, but initially include
indications of some potential recruitment, and that a greater understanding
now existed among the public who visited.
Talking of recruitment,
All in The Family
Sunshine Coast Amateur Radio Club recently conducted exams for some
prospective amateurs, including a mum and her three sons. Sunnycoast are
happy say they were all successful and very soon dad will sit the exam!
Super Tropical Cyclone
It has been a week since Tropical Cyclone Ita with winds of 230km/h came
ashore near Cooktown in Far North Queensland, and then swept south before
heading out to sea.
Initially rated Category 5 when making landfall late on Friday April the
11th to damage buildings, down trees and cut infrastructure.
Dale McCarty VK4DMC reports that no Wireless Institute Civil Emergency Network
(WICEN) activation occurred to his knowledge, although 7.088 MHz and 3.588
MHz were monitored, with hams checking in to support the welfare of others.
Tropical Cyclone Ita was downgraded to a Category 1, but on its southward
track continued with strong winds and heavy rain, isolating many areas, and
leaving some without electricity.
Sugar cane and banana crops were flattened. The tourism industry faces cancellations
despite pleas that Queensland was still open for business. The population was
prepared, but with Ita rated at Category 5 many took refuge in community
shelters.
Communication losses:-
loss of landline and mobile services at Hope Vale.
loss of some ADSL services at Cooktown
loss of 2G mobile base stations at Mt Piebald and Cape Flattery.
Mid-week 2G and ADSL was still out in Cooktown. However on the whole, mobile
phones remained mostly intact and fibre optic cables provided communication
with some areas.
ABC Radio in Queensland and RadioTAB (where we prepare the WIA news) had
in place a community service whereby if in any cyclone area where only the
TAB radio service was the one 'on air', ABC had the codes to enable their
cyclone information program to take over the RadioTAB transmitters.
Radio Australia activated its purpose built shortwave outlet in Shepparton
Victoria to beam the latest cyclone information into Queensland thousands
of kilometres to its north.
(Jim Linton VK3PC, Chairman IARU Region 3 Disaster Communications Committee)
Heads in the Cloud.
The Queensland (VK4) state government is rolling out Microsoft's cloud-based
Office 365 service across its 149,000 person workforce.
The partnership was made in pursuit of Queensland's Renewal Agenda and
"ICT Strategy 2013-2017" blueprint and Renewal Agenda, which seeks to
streamline and standardise ICT across the organisation.
The government will use Office 365 for messaging and email, as well as
utilising the enterprise social network Yammer.
Queensland's IT and Innovation Minister Ian Walker said the partnership
would benefit Queenslanders and was a significant step towards modernising
the government's ICT infrastructure as it moved "toward the vision of ICT
as a service".
(The Australian)
Special prefix for ANZAC Day
All Australian radio amateurs may substitute their VK prefix with AX on ANZAC
Day, April the 25th.
The WIA recommends that those who choose the alternative also confirm QSOs
using a QSL card with the AX callsign. This also satisfies both prefix and
card hunters.
For example, the Hellenic Amateur Radio Association of Australia will have
a special event station AX2CL at Bare Island in New South Wales.
Bare Island is in Sydney's south, near La Perouse, and accessible by a
footbridge. An historic military fort and tunnels there can be visited only
by a guided tour.
Under a permanent agreement the Australian Communications and Media Authority
allows the alternative AX callsign prefix to be available on ANZAC Day,
Australia Day January 26, and ITU International Telecommunications Day, May 17.
(Jim VK3PC)
WIA BOARD TALK
President Phil Wait VK2ASD vk2asd @wia . org . au
Vice President Chris Platt VK5CP vk5cp @wia . org . au
Secretary David Williams VK3RU vk3ru @wia . org . au
Treasurer John Longayroux VK3PZ vk3pz @wia . org . au
This is WIA Director Roger Harrison VK2ZRH
I’m looking forward to attending the 2014 WIA Annual Conference on the
Queensland Sunshine Coast over 16 – 17 and 18 May.
My top four interests in life are – art, science, technology and tomfoolery !
So – amateur radio has all four covered !
I did some homework on the attractions of the Sunshine Coast, and I’m really
looking forward to the sun, surf, sand and shenanigans to go along with the
weekend’s activities organised by the Sunshine Coast Amateur Radio Club.
I’ll be looking to top it all off by throwing a bream on the barbie on Sunday
night at the Club’s headquarters.
See you there !
This has been a shameless plug for the 2014 WIA Annual Conference
by Roger Harrison VK2ZRH.
HAMS ACROSS AUSTRALIA.
VK2
web service:- http://www.arnsw.org.au/html/news_vk2wi.htm
Meccano Exhibition.
The annual exhibition by the Meccano Modellers Association will be held on
Saturday the 26th of April. If you have fond memories of making Meccano
models in your youth, then pop along and see over 100 models of all sorts
of prototypes, made using Meccano parts from the earliest sets to the latest
offerings.
It is hoped this year to have a large working model of the Hammerhead Crane
at Garden Island.
The date is Saturday the 26th of April.
The location is Frenchs Forest Baptist Church in Sydney.
Opening hours are 10 to 4.
(vk2wi)
Sydney P25
P25 in Sydney is growing, with 10 repeaters now on-air, and plans well
underway by Matt VK2LK, to link in other P25 repeaters from around the
world.
A group of active P25 users have recently started a Facebook group, and
invite other P25 users to join their group, just search for
"Sydney P25 HAM Radio User" and also join them on their weekly
net, held at 8:00pm each Tuesday evening for half an hour on the Horsley
Park P25 repeater 438.1375MHz with a NAC of 293.
(vk2wi)
VK3
web service:- http://www.amateurradio.com.au/news/
VK3 Home brewers to meet
The next meeting of the Homebrew Constructors Group will be at the Amateur
Radio Victoria rooms, 40g Victory Boulevard, Ashburton, on Saturday May the
3rd.
The day will be devoted to "tuning and testing" so bring along a project
that needs a tweak or some serious analysis. A range of test equipment will
be available on the day to meet most needs.
All are welcome to attend the meeting on Saturday May the 3rd at 2pm. The
group may be contacted by email at ns 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.
(Posted to the Packet Radio Network courtesy Tony VK7AX)
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