attached
SB NEWS @ WW $VK1WIA090419
WIANEWS - Apr 19 - VK NATIONAL NEWS

ALWAYS ENSURE ORIGINAL BID # AND TITLE ARE USED.
Packet uploads with thanks to vk7ax Tony



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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


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_128.mp3 HD Radio quality
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http://www.wia.org.au (click news in member area) Submit your audio news
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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".



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This is WIANEWS for week commencing April 19 2009



ARISS AUSTRALIA AND A SNEAK PREVIEW AT THEIR WIA AGM REPORT


QUEENSLAND SES HF COMMS COMPROMISED DURING RECENT EMERGENCY


BORDER PATROL - A NEW HAM RADIO CLUB IN THE BORDER RANGES OF VK2/4


ANOTHER HAM RADIO OPERATOR MURDERED IN THE USA


ULTRA THIN , IN FACT PAPER THIN, SPEAKERS SET TO REVOLUTIONIZE PA WORK.


MOONWALKING WITH HAM RADIO OPERATORS!


All up and coming in WIANEWS for week commencing April 19



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ONE SMALL STEP

A group of radio amateurs are planning a commemorative event to mark this
years 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

Called 'Echoes of Apollo,' various activities are planned around June & July.

The organisers of the event are negotiating with some of the world's largest
and most capable amateur radio moon-bounce stations, and also some radio deep
space radio facilities. The idea is to hook-up people from various locations
using moon-bounce and, if the antennas are large enough, possibly achieving
near broadcast quality audio. You might say, a kind of
'Back-to-the-Moon'day.

Also planned is an HF radio weekend, with HF stations set up near sites that
took part in the original support for the Apollo 11 mission. The WIA has
agreed to publicise the event and to also issue certificates to those
amateurs making contact with commemorative event stations.

The EME event is planned for the 27th June this year and the HF event is
planned for the weekend and the Monday of 18-20th July, so time is very short.



GippsTech - WIA AGM

Special Edition bringing together Australia finest technical speakers to the
2009 WIA AGM weekend of activities.

Yes you can participate in wide range of fascinating and highly informative
technical presentations. The annual GippsTech conference has earned a well
deserved reputation as Australia's Number 1 technical conference attracting
hundreds of VHF, UHF and SHF enthusiasts from right around Australia.

GippsTech - Special Edition extends well beyond the scope of the traditional
conference. Friday 1st till Sunday 3rd of May at the Gippsland Campus of
Monash University. Registrations are filling quickly, reserve you place
today, full details and secure online booking are available via
www.wia.org.au

look under the "About WIA" tab.



Southgate Amateur Radio Club in the UK are carrying a report on ARISS and
Tony VK5ZAI the VK Coordinators forth coming WIA AGM Report.

In it Tony says " Due to the number of schools that Mike has worked during his
6 months on the ISS the waiting time for schools applying has narrowed
considerably, at present we only have two Australian schools on the waiting
list and we require more.

I would like to see more amateurs take an interest in ARISS by getting their
local schools involved. If we want our hobby to survive and grow in the years
to come it's up to us to advertise it now.

What better way is there to stimulate the minds of our next generation in the
fields of science, technology, and electronics, than suggesting to your local
school that you can setup an Amateur Radio link to the ISS so students can
speak direct to crew members on board as they circle the Earth. By introducing
a school to ARISS and getting them to apply for an educational contact with
the crew on the Space Station does not mean that you personally have to become
involved, however you will be encouraged to do so if you wish, and will be
given all the information and backup that you may require to work with the
school. All those that have assisted have found the exercise most rewarding

If you should need any assistance with this please contact Tony VK5ZAIf or any
member of the ARISS team.

73's Tony VK5ZAI.
National ARISS coordinator."



OUR FATHER

International Marconi Day is the UTC day of Saturday 25th April. To celebrate
his birthday, about 50 stations around the world with a connection to Marconi
will be operating on MF and HF bands.

Due to their proximity to the Ernest Fisk's house in Wahroonga, where the
first signal from Britain to Australia was received, HADARC, the Hornsby
and Districts Amateur Radio Club, will be activating VK2IMD.

Oh and Marconis Message to Australia was transmitted from Wales.

Global IMD page: http://www.gb4imd.org.uk/http://www.gb4imd.org.uk/
HADARC page: http://www.hadarc.org.au/
HADARC on Facebook: Seach for "VK2MA"



World Class ACMA Monitoring Facility helps eliminate interference

Some great work recently between the ACMA in Brisbane and Hobart saw the world
class Quoin Ridge High Frequency (HF) Monitoring and Investigation facility
successfully identify and eliminate severe interference to the Queensland's
State Emergency Service (SES) flood co-ordination frequency of 14.745MHz.

Quoin Ridge is about thirty-five kilometres north of Hobart, Tasmania and is
one of only three ITU HF monitoring stations. The others are in Baldock in the
UK and Maryland in the USA making it a key linchpin internationally for
tracking HF interference. . In the majority of HF interference complaints, the
investigation process will involve the use of the Quoin Ridge HF Monitoring
and Investigation facility to help identify, locate and ultimately eliminate
the interfering signal.

ACMA field staff were able to monitor, measure and decode the interfering
signal and trace its source of to an emission originating in the vicinity of
Fukushima, Japan. The ACMA contacted the Japanese Administration advising the
details of the harmful interference and asking for their assistance in
eliminating its source. Within just a few days and with further assistance
from the Quoin Ridge facility, the Japanese Administration had located and
eliminated the source of the interfering signal.

(Justin, VK7TW)



EDUCATION YOUTH AND ADVANCEMENT OF AMATEUR RADIO
www.hamcollege.com.au

Another successful foundation licence training course was held at S.A.R.C.
recently with 3 candidates and 3 passes.

Congratulations to their three students. One of them fulfilled a 40 year old
prediction of Keith Blanch VK2GI (now SK) of Maclean who told a then young
teenager that "one day you'll get your amateur radio licence".

The course was run just a little bit differently this time.

The Saturday was devoted entirely to studying theory and regulations.

This gave the candidates a solid foundation to start their journey into
amateur radio. Sunday started with a solid block of revision and exam
technique.

The candidates sat for their multiple choice paper exam while the revision
was fresh in their minds. The papers were then assessed. This was followed
by a training session for the practical assessments followed by the
assessments themselves. Last but certainly not least the paper work was
completed. Many thanks to Bernie VK2BLW, John VK2JWA, Chris VK2LCD, Bruce
VK2VA, Dave VK2FDTM and Duncan VK2DLR.

A few of the team are starting to feel a bit weary after a string of
assessments. Unless there's a demand for more Foundation courses in the
immediate future Summerland might hang fire on setting the date for the next
course for a while.



HAMS ACROSS AUSTRALIA.

VK0

Don't forget to listen out for Bob AX 0 BP at Davis Station in Antarctica
ANZAC Day 25th April with Bob once again using the AX prefix.



VK1
vk1 local news email and ask for subscription.

Monthly Meetings:
Well the big news is the monthly meetings are on the move again, yep Just when
you thought life was getting boring and predictable CRARC have re-arranged
their General Meeting nights to Wednesday evenings instead.

There will be a couple of months grace then from July 29th meetings will be
held on Wednesdays evenings commencing at 8.00PM.

Please let your fellow "Ham's" know so that they don't roll up on Monday
July 27th and expect to attend a CRARC General meeting as they will be
disappointed!

In the mean time, there are only 3 Monday Meetings left until the permanent
change to Wednesday nights.



The Tuesday night Technical Night and Monday Night Committee meetings will
remain as they are...

For the coming meetings CRARC haves:

April 27th TEX VK1TX - DX expedition from LORD HOWE Island

May 25th Dean VK1DW - "SDR the fun way and a brief introduction to doing
SMT"

June 22nd Mark Roberts -Franchise Owner of Battery World talking about
"Correct battery disposal procedures".

Keep an eye on CRARC web site for further details and updates.

www.crarc.ampr.org



VK2
web service:- http://www.arnsw.org.au/html/news_vk2wi.htm
VKG Roundup http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/news

NEW CLUB FOR BORDER REGION AMATEUR RADIO ENTHUSIASTS

Amateur radio enthusiasts of the border ranges of northern NSW and south
eastern Queensland are promoting our hobby by launching their own club,
the Border Ranges Amateur Radio Club.

A group of radio enthusiasts from the region met in Stanthorpe VK4 to
organise better support for technical and social interests.

Amateur radio enthusiasts are widely scattered around the region, and often
meet only on the airwaves, but the meeting had attendance from Tenterfield,
Stanthorpe and Warwick.

Founding club office-holders include Paul Thompson of Tenterfield (President)
with Graham Selwood of Warwick (Secretary) and John Cowburn of Stanthorpe
(Treasurer).

Club President Paul Thompson says the prime objective of the Border Ranges
Amateur Radio Club is to promote the hobby of electronics and amateur radio
throughout the border ranges of northern NSW and southern Queensland.

B.R.A.R.C. welcomes everyone interested in electronics, amateur radio, or in
exploring a new and interesting hobby to attend its meetings held at
the Royal Hotel, Tenterfield.

Their website is http://sites.google.com/site/brargu/



VK3
web service:- http://www.amateurradio.com.au/news/
VKC Roundup http://www.police

The Moorabbin and District Amateur Radio club are please to announce, this
years Hamfest will be held in the usual location, at the Brentwood Secondary
College, Watsons Rd, Glen Waverly on Saturday 9th May - doors opening at
10am.

The Moorabbin Radio Club's annual Hamfest is proud to be Victoria's biggest
and this year will be no exception with displays and sales of new or preloved
equipment.

A must come must see event for anyone interested in Radio Communications and
electronics.

Major door prizes, free tea and coffee, light refreshments and a sausage
sizzle will also be on offer.

Trader table bookings and general enquires can be made be emailing
Graeme Lewis VK3GL ) or by phoning mobile 0418 171601.



VK7
local area news :- http://reast.asn.au/news.php
vk7 local news, email

A summary of the events across VK7 in the next month:

REAST - April 22 & 29th - ATV Experimenter's Nights 7:30pm Queens Domain
Club rooms and those Gnat QRP tranceivers are coming along nicely
http://reast.asn.au/events.php#ATVnights

TARGA TASMANIA - April 28th to May 3rd.

NWTARIG - May 2nd - General Meeting - Penguin Lions club rooms

REAST - May 6th - Presentation on Landline Telegraphy or "how to
send both ways at once", should be a great presentation thanks to
Richard VK7RO
see you at 8pm



NTARC - May 13th - Royal Flying Doctor Service depot - Launceston
Airport at 7:30pm with Ian VK7KIH.

NWT-ATVG - June 6th - General Meeting and discussion on radio history.



INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to RSGB, Southgate AR Club, the ARRL,
Amateur Radio Newsline, NZART and the WW sources of the WIA.

Reading Rattle

After providing recorded audio magazines for the visually impaired
for over thirty years, the Reading Rattle continues to grow.

April sees the welcome return of BB. Originally known as Brian's
Broadcasting Bits, the new BB is now read by Ron Price, GW4EVX and
his wife, Sue. It's a digest of items that are of sure-fire interest
to radio amateurs, SWLs and the general population, too. The first
edition of the new show includes items on radio in the international
news, a fascinating piece on jamming, a track entitled "A Hobby for
the Blind" and coverage of captioned radio and its benefits for deaf
listeners. It's a half-hour recording filled with interesting and
important pieces.

RAIBC, the charity working for blind and disabled amateurs and SWLs, at
www.raibc.org.uk


EARLY READERS ONLY

1st ever RSGB AGM Web cast Newcastle 1000GMT April 18th 2009

This year's RSGB AGM is taking place in Newcastle upon Tyne

The whole day is geared to bringing the RSGB to you and is an ideal
opportunity for local clubs to socialise and meet with each other and
meet with senior RSGB officers.

But as 73 Ian G3ZHI says the BIG news is it has been deemed worthy of a
BATC Live Steaming video event!

Yes for the first time, it is planned to live web cast the RSGB AGM over the
internet via the BATC Streamer website.

For those unable to travel to the venue, you will be able to watch the
proceedings via the live streams, by going to the BATC website, clicking on
Live Events and choosing the correct stream.

Check out
www.batc.tv
www.batc.org.uk/



When broadband technology failed hams helped out

On Easter Thursday vandals cut a vital fibre-optic cable bringing down
telephone services, mobile phone and internet services in San Francisco's
South Bay Area of California.

It stopped telephone, mobile phone and internet services. Affected were
50,000 residents, many businesses were forced to close their doors and the
emergency 911 system was not available for most of the day.

Within an hour of learning of the outage police vehicles were dispatched to
knock on the pre-dawn doors of members of the local emergency response team.

Everything went to plan and radio amateurs were quick to activate to
provide communications between the most affected areas of the outage.

Officials are praising ham radio operators not only for their quick
response, but also for coming through when state-of-the-art technology
failed.

Proving once again - When All Else Fails, Amateur Radio Works.

The ham radio operators became the eyes and ears of police and fire
services on the streets. No deaths or injuries were reported related to
the outage.

The Telecommunications company AT&T has posted a $250,000 reward for
information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for
the crime.

(Jim Linton VK3PC)



================================================== =======================

NEWS FROM ARNEWSLINE


FLORIDA HAM MURDERED IN ROBERY OF HIS HOME

A Florida ham radio operator allegedly has been killed by his neighbour in
what appears to be a murder and rob crime. Amateur Radio Newsline's
Mark Abramovich, NT3V, is at our East coast bureau with mo


Authorities say less than a day before he was to celebrate his 57th birthday,
Sterling Howell, KG4KIU, a widower who lived alone in a trailer home in
Glenn St. Mary was brutally stabbed to death by his neighbour.

Investigators in Baker County at the north-eastern tip of Florida say Howell
was stabbed by 25-year-old Aaron Fox the evening of April 1st.

Baker County Sheriff Joey Dobson told local media outlets Fox, who had lived
next door with his mother, stabbed Howell several times in the chest and head
area.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mark Abramowicz, NT3V, in Philadelphia.


Aaron Fox is expected to be charged with capital murder. If convicted he
would face the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of
parole. (ARNewsline(tm) from various published reports)



================================================== =======================

WEIRD N WONDERFUL

As part of the recent simulated Catastrophic Disaster, members of the
Maryborough Electronics & Radio Group, "MERGE", gathered with the usual
collection of bits and pieces which could conceivably be lying around after
such a disaster.

They had, on previous exercises, exhausted the more common HF antenna
designs, so Van, VK4VAN, suggested that they try to utilise a tree as the
radiating element.

This idea was part of a British patent in 1917, but it was not useable as it
involved driving a spike into a tree in the park, totally against Council
regulations.

http://www.rexresearch.com/squier/squier.htm

An article by W5JGV, about a toroidal feed to a tree antenna on the 40m band,
seemed more useful.

http://w5jgv.com/tree_antenna/index.htm

Among Ray, VK4TPT's, collection of antenna documents were both articles in
printed form, so a length of flexible water pipe was quickly converted into
a coil and wrapped as a yoke around a nearby Gum tree.

Conveniently, there was a water tap at the base of the tree and one end of
the coil was connected to it as an earth.

From VK4TPT's box of bits came an old tuning capacitor which was connected in
series between the other end of the coil and the antenna socket of Ray's
trusty TS-520S.

A little adjusting of the coil and capacitor soon caused a solid noise signal
from the 520S and a quick tune across 40m brought in signals from VK2, 3, 5
and 7.

Further adjustments produced a useable match and a 4/1 contact was made with
VK2JE, Brian, who was MOBILE near Tuncurry, NSW.

This was followed by a 5/6 contact with Seth, VK2CJA in Coffs Harbour, and
several 5/9+ contacts locally.

Ray and Van would have liked to try other bands, but the BBQ, in conjunction
with the Woocoo SES, was under way, and the lads were just a little hungry.

It's obvious that tree antennas do work, but the big question now is:

What will "MERGE" try next year?



OPERATIONAL NEWS -

SPECIAL EVENTS AND ON AIR CONTEST COLUMN - D A T E L I N E 2009

APR 18 ZL/VK RTTY SPRINT (80M)
APR 25 ZL/VK RTTY SPRINT (40M)

MAY 01 - 08 VK CQ REPEATER CONTEST (Westlake's Club)
MAY 09 - 10 ZL SANGSTER SHIELD 80M CW

JUN 6 - 8 WORKED ALL VK SHIRES LONG WEEKEND CONTEST
JUN 20 - 21 MUSEUMS WEEKEND PART a
JUN 27 - 28 MUSEUMS WEEKEND PART b



JUL 04 NZART MEMORIAL CONTEST 80M
2000 NZST until 2300 NZST
80m
Phone, and CW
Please refer to the 2007/8 NZART Callbook, Contest Section for full details
of the Contest Rules and other operating Information., or the NZART Website:
www/nzart.org.nz/contests/


2009 CQ WW VHF Contest, July 18 - 19.
CQ-VHF is part of the WORLD-WIDE family of contests sponsored by CQ magazine.



AUG 15 - 16 WIA Remembrance Day Contest
AUG 15 - 16 ILLW

Running till Dec 31 2009 is the 4th CQ DX Marathon



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


HG 160 FNY Commemorates 1848 attack on Hungary
that prompted their independence. until July 31


International Museums Weekend(s) 20 and 21 plus 27 and June 28


OZ 1658 ROS 350th anniversary of the Treaty of Roskilde Till Dec 31


VARIOUS SM STATIONS USING 1658 (Treaty of Roskilde) Till Dec 31


CANADA, VE. In celebration of the 50 years since the opening of the
St. Lawrence Seaway, Canadian amateurs can use special callsign
prefixes XL, XM, XN, and XO until May 31


VP 9 400 /home call 400th Anniversary of Bermuda Till Dec 31



VO1MGY COMMEMORATES THE TITANIC

Ham radio once again commemorated the loss of the fabled luxury liner the
Titanic that sank in the North Sea on the morning of April 15, 1912.
In remembrance of this disaster the Society of Newfoundland Radio Amateurs
operated on April 15th 2009, using the historic Titanic call sign suffix of
MGY. This, from the Society's ham station located in the former British
Admiralty wireless telegraphy station.



International Year of Astronomy

The first amateur radio special event station for IYA has been announced
and its VE7IYOA located in Victoria, British Columbia Canada.

It will be active 1-30 June to celebrates the 400th Anniversary of Galileo
di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei's first look at the sky through an
optical instrument.

This Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, philosopher and is
acclaimed as the father of modern observational astronomy.

VE7IYOA has a unique QSL card on offer.

(Jim Linton VK3PC)



Greek Special Event Station

Greek operators from Veria (SV2/Macedonia region) will activate the special
callsign SY2DDAY between June 4-7th.

Unfortunately they will not QSL via the bureau

Activity is to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the greatest landing
operation in history during WWII, with the participation of seven countries
on the beach of Normandy. Greece participated with 2 warships and 4
commercial freighters.

To see the QSL card, go to: http://www.qrz.com/sy2dday



This is Bill VK4FW with the VK9LA wrap up

Despite the worst sunspot figures since 1913 we managed to work some
30,160 QSOs with 149 dxcc entities and all 40 zones. This included 17 dxcc
entities on 160m and 80 dxcc entities on 80m.

All operators are now back at their respective homes and all equipment
should be back on the mainland in another week.

On behalf of the team members I would like to thank all those that made this
operation possible.

The sked that was set up on 80m to work all the VK and Pacific was for the
most part ruined by certain clowns who think that they can just take over a
frequency despite it being in use for 20 minutes before they arrive.

No one person or so called net has the right to commandeer a frequency at
any time except in an emergency situation. What is worse is that the
perpetrators are newer operators that did not even care let alone bother to
listen to reason.

To those of you that managed to get into the log the qsling will begin as
soon as the cards are back from the printers.

Cu from the next dxcc entity --



BROADCAST MONITORING SWL AND SCANNER NEWS

http://www.scanaustralia.bigpondhosting.com
www.scanvictoria.com
www.tinyurl.com/BITS-026 (A receiver located in NY USA)

Shortwave broadcasters thanked

The International Amateur Radio Union has thanked the shortwave broadcaster
community for achieving a high degree of migration by 29 March from the now
worldwide amateur exclusive band of 7100 to 7200 kHz.

IARU Secretary David Sumner K1ZZ has been quick to acknowledge the
compliance by most broadcasters to QSY out of that band, as required by a
decision of the World Radio Conference in 2003.

The departure of broadcasting has resulted in an enormous improvement in the
usefulness of the 40-metre band for amateur radio communication.

David K1ZZ said, "I am certain that the few remaining BC transmitters
operating on 7200 kHz and below will be addressed in the coming weeks.
Thank you again for your exceptional cooperation."

His letter of appreciation was sent to the High Frequency Coordination
Conference, the group representing 60 organisations from more than
30 countries accounting for up to 80% of the global output of short wave
broadcasting.

A month before 29 March, the IARU Region 3 Monitoring Systems Coordinator
B.L. (Arasu) Manohar VU2UR had identified 58 broadcasts in the segment
7100 to 7200 kHz.

A follow-up scan will be made in the next few weeks to identify any residual
broadcasting activity.

(Jim Linton VK3PC)




THE QNEWS WORK BENCH - the nuts and volts report -
(Measure twice - Cut once!)

Thin speaker offers 'crisp sound'

Anyone who has struggled to understand speaker announcements at train
stations will be heartened by work initially done at Warwick University
in the UK.

Engineers claim their new ultra-thin speakers, as well as looking good and
being easy to conceal, will also deliver clearer, crisper sound.

They are so thin, "paper thin" that they could be used as speaking posters
to deliver adverts.

The system, dubbed flat, flexible loudspeaker (FFL), started life as a piece
of tin foil and some baking paper.

Car manufacturers are also interested in the speakers because they allow
sound to be directed which means, for example, music could be heard in the
back of the car but not the front.

But the design could make the speakers particularly useful for PA systems
as the sound produced by FFLs can be directed straight at its intended
audience. The sound, volume and quality does not deteriorate as it does in
conventional speakers which means that public announcements in passenger
terminals could be clearer, crisper and easier to hear."

The firm hopes to launch its first commercial product later this year



WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - ASTRONOMICAL

On April 11th, the loudspeaker of Thomas Ashcraft's 21 MHz radio telescope in
New Mexico suddenly began to hiss and crackle. The sounds grew louder as
Jupiter rose in the blue morning sky. "I am pleased to report," says Ashcraft,
REPORTING TO SPACEWEATHER DOT COM "a successful recording of Jovian S-bursts
the first of 2009."

The staccato pops sound like lightning in the loudspeaker of a car radio, but
lightning did not make these sounds. S-bursts are caused by natural radio
lasers in Jupiter's magnetosphere that sweep past Earth as Jupiter rotates.
Electrical currents flowing between Jupiter's upper atmosphere and the
volcanic moon Io can boost these emissions to power levels easily detected by
ham radio antennas on Earth. Jovian S-bursts and L-bursts can mimic the
sounds of woodpeckers, whales, and waves crashing on the beach.

(TO WIA NEWS COURTESY Ganesh VU2TS)



WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- ATV (Every pixel tells a story)

YouTube - Amateur Radio in emergency situations
There are a number of videos on YouTube that highlight the important part
Amateur Radio can play in emergency situations.

Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLA8p-N3ujA


N7RUE - Ham Radio at its finest.....Earthquake on a tiny island during the
Maritime Net on 14.300. Whilst monitoring the daily Maritime Net on
20 Meters an operator reports a large Earthquake in the Pacific. This
is the True Meaning of Amateur Radio.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sshNPKxf7k


Ham Radio and Disasters
CNN report on 2004 Tsunami
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEJUHVfrhn8


Katrina Ham
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pejhtY1pMig


Ham Radio Emergency Communication Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-hRI7KpJtw


Dominic M0BLF - Amateur Radio in Emergency Situations
Following the Chinese earthquake of 12th May 2008, amateur
radio operators played a role in the immediate rescue attempts.
This vlog entry discusses some of what they did, some
criticisms of the part amateur radio can play in disaster
relief, and looks back at the work carried out in the Andaman
Islands following the tsunami of 26th December 2004.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRCNTkb7QHM



The project to convert the Melbourne ATV repeater VK3RTV to digital
transmission has made further progress with Peter Cossins VK3BFG having
started design and building the complex video and audio switching networks.

Peter VK3BFG says the plan is to have two channels operational using a
digital MPEG multiplexer, making it possible to have two simultaneous QSO's.

Suitable digital amateur television exciters from Germany have been held up by
a lack of supply but work is continuing on other elements of the project.

The upgrade to VK3RTV is mostly funded by Amateur Radio Victoria with
other financial support including $1,000 from the WIA which has recognised
it as a worthy innovative project.

(Jim Linton VK3PC)



WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- FEMALES IN RADIO
ALARA - AUSTRALIAN LADIES AR ASSOCIATION
http://alara.org.au
Net is held each Mondays on 3.580 MHz, commencing at 1030 UTC.
(1000utc during daylight saving)


The next Alara lunch (vk4) will be held Saturday 16th May at 11.30 am
"Gordonio's On The Broadwater" restaurant 44 The Esplanade, Paradise Point,
Gold Coast.

$20 per person for 2 course lunch which includes a glass of wine or soft
drink and a special door prize as well, so please contact Pam VK4PTO by the
end of April if you would like to attend

(73 Pam VK4PTO ALARA VK4 STATE REPRESENTATIVE)



WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- FINAL FRONTIER

AMSAT-VK UNOFFICIAL HF Net.
2nd Sunday each month.
November through March 0900 UTC 7.068 MHz
April through October 1000 UTC 3.685 MHz

Astronaut Mike Fincke sets ARISS record

Congratulations to Mike Fincke KE5AIT.

He now holds the record for the most ARISS contacts on a single expedition
as well as the most for multiple missions.

Expedition 18 has now set the record for ARISS contacts by an expedition.

Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 426.

Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 22.



WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- INTERNET --- THE HAMS DOMAIN

Sitting in the shack, winding the VFO looking through ALL the HF bands
there's almost no DX on any band. With the sun spot activity at an all
time low, imagine a virtual ionosphere that suffers none of the conventional
difficulties that hams around the world face trying to work DX stations with
no propagation!

The solution to this age old problem has finally been found! And it's called
cq100.

Cq100 uses the internet to receive audio signals from a ham radio
transmitting station, then instantly reflects the audio back to all stations
listening on that frequency. There is no RF.

Everything is done over the internet.

The result is a virtual ionosphere for worldwide amateur radio communication.
Stations can use voice, CW PSK and FSK modulation.

How does all this work?

Cq100 works with dialup, ADSL and cable internet connections. There is no
need to configure router ports. The network consists of an array of internet
servers which provide streaming VOIP audio between stations. After installing
the transceiver software, cq100 stations are connected to a central server by
a single, outbound TCP connection.

Cq100 is excellent software, that gives you a control interface on your pc
that looks and feels like a hf radio in a VOIP world, it even has a VFO to
spin!

Take the time to have a look at QSONET.com for information and download a
free trial of the cq100 software. It is absolutely free to use for 90 days
to see if you enjoy it. And you can download it at QSONET.com

I'm JASON, VK2FEDS reporting for the WIA NATIONAL NEWS



WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RESCUE RADIO

EMERGENCY FREQUENCIES ALL REGIONS
21.360 - 18.160 - 14.300 - 7.060 - 3.760 MHz.
REGION 2 TRY ALSO 3.985 - 7.240 - 7.290


WICEN (Vic) Reporting on the recent MAD Bike Ride in the Woodend area said
it was a successful event in spite of the weather turning in the afternoon.
Just one mishap during the MAD bike ride causing one entrant to get bogged
and in water. But retrieved successfully.

Forthcoming events:

Sun 26/4: Debriefing from the 2009 Fires.

Sat May 16th East Gippsland Stages

Sun May 24th Kenda Rally, Eildon Area.

Sun June 7th. Mallee Rally, Sealake.



There are some Communications Support events out of Townsville soon that
need help from operators, such as

Hillclimbs with the Townsville City Auto Sports Club Sunday May 7th, Sunday
July 19th.

Tarmac Rally with the Townsville City Auto Sports Club June 6 and 7.

Horse Endurance Rides with the Townsville Endurance Riders and Arabian Horse
Association Bluewater May 23 and May 24.

If you can help out with any of these events or more please contact
Blue VK4FBLU on 47754184 soonest !



SOCIAL SCENE


2009

International Telecommunication Union's Telecom World 2009.



April 18 WW
World Amateur Radio Day

April 19 vk2
Westlake clubs Mini Field Day.



May 1-3 vk3
WIA AGM Churchill Victoria

May 9 vk3
Moorabbin and District Radio Club Hamfest 10AM Brentwood Secondary College,
Watsons Road Glen Waverley, Melways reference 71 D7, enter via Heath street.



May 9 VK4
BARCFEST (the Brisbane HamFest) 9:30am Mt Gravatt Showground.





May 18 WW
World Telecom Day



June 5 - 8 VK4
FNNQARG at Cardwell Village Beachcomber Resort book on 1800 005633
Contact FNNQARG co-ordinator Gavin VK4ZZ for site booking guidance.


June 6-7
South East Radio Group Convention
Margret Street Scout Hall in Mount Gambier behind the Police Station.


July 11 - 12 VK3
GippsTech 2009, the technical conference with a VHF, UHF & microwave focus.


July 18 VK3
Gippsland Gate Radio & Electronics Club Hamfest 10.00 am
Cranbourne Public Hall


August 2 vk6
Northern Corridor Radio Group's WA Hamfest. Cyril Jackson Rec Centre
Fisher st Ashfield, WA email


SEP 13
Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society Hamfest 9:30am.
Goodwood Community Centre, Rosa St Goodwood.


OCT 12 - 16 ZL
14th IARU R3 Conference Christchurch 12 ? 16 October 2009.
Details at www.christchurch.org.nz/
The Region 3 Web Site: www.jarl.or.jp/iaru-r3/



JAN 24 VK2
Mid North Coast Amateur Radio Group's Radio Expo 2010 8.30am St Johns Church
Hall, Mc Lean Street Coffs Harbour.
(The largest Amateur Radio Event on the Mid North Coast of NSW. 20 plus
exhibitors, Trade tables, Major brands, Home brew, Historic radio display,
ATV display, WIA, ALARA, WICEN, Volunteer Coastal Patrol, Club Displays,
WIA Book Sales, Disposals tables, Lucky door prizes on the hour, Hot and cold
food, Free tea, coffee. Fee Parking, Disable access, Clean amenities,
www.mncarg.org on rain, hail or shine )



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

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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SB QNEWS @ WW $QNEWS090419
QNEWS - APR 19 - VK4 ON AIR
--------------------------------------------------
DID YOU TELL ANYONE ABOUT AMATEUR RADIO THIS WEEK?
--------------------------------------------------


QNEWS BROADCAST APRIL 19 2009

BARC
http://www.qsl.net/vk4ba
or, by E-mail to

The Brisbane amateur Radio Club will be holding its annual BARCFEST on
Saturday 9th May 2009 at the Mt Gravatt showgrounds Logan Rd Mt Gravatt.

Doors will open at 9.30am this year.

(Les VK4SO Barcfest co ordinator)



BORDERLAND (VK2/4)

NEW CLUB FOR BORDER REGION AMATEUR RADIO ENTHUSIASTS

Amateur radio enthusiasts of the border ranges of northern NSW and south
eastern Queensland are promoting our hobby by launching their own club,
the Border Ranges Amateur Radio Club.

A group of radio enthusiasts from the region met in Stanthorpe VK4 to
organise better support for technical and social interests.

Amateur radio enthusiasts are widely scattered around the region, and often
meet only on the airwaves, but the meeting had attendance from Tenterfield,
Stanthorpe and Warwick.

Founding club President Paul Thompson says the prime objective of the Border Ranges
Amateur Radio Club is to promote the hobby of electronics and amateur radio
throughout the border ranges of northern NSW and southern Queensland.

B.R.A.R.C. welcomes everyone interested in electronics, amateur radio, or in
exploring a new and interesting hobby!

google.com/site/brargu/



GYMPIE
www.gceginc.org.au
Geoff Emery vk4zpp


Once again the vagaries of the weather have caused the call out of emergency
services to assist people effected by the torrential rains that fell across
the south east corner of the state. Around the Gympie area, it was reported,
a group of British tourists had to be rescued after driving into a flooded
section of road, at night.

At this QTH, the rain gauge overflowed and the local creeks could not handle
the amount of run off for many hours. As this broadcast is prepared there is
still a flood warning current for the Mary River north of Gympie through to
Maryborough. Many of the low sporting fields in Gympie have been covered
with silt filled water - perhaps after several years of drought, this
drenching and top dressing will help these areas regenerate to former glory.

Currently, GCEG Secretary, Greg, VK4FGDW, is participating in an
international event near Munich, Germany. One of Greg's interests is
genealogy and another is flying. As a result of a combination of events,
Greg become involved in the research into an allied bomber which was shot
down in Germany towards the end of WWII. The crew of this bomber was
composed of personnel from the UK and downunder. The remains of the aircraft
were discovered in a field near Munich and in conjunction with a local air
history enthusiast, many hours of research and consultation with military
archivists and historians, surviving members and relatives have been located.

With co-operation of both Australian and British military authorities and the
support of the local authorities in Germany a memorial service is being
conducted at the crash site. We hope to bring you more news of this event
when Greg returns.

Remember that the AX prefix can be used on ANZAC day.

Now let us hear from the arboreal specialist, VK4 Tree Powered Transmitter,
Ray in Maryborough.



MARYBOROUGH RADIO AND ELECTRONICS CLUB
For more info, call Secretary Kathy Johns 040-939-8853
Email:
Channel 14 UHF CB call "CQ MERG"

As part of the recent simulated Catastrophic Disaster, members of the
Maryborough Electronics & Radio Group, "MERGE", gathered with the usual
collection of bits and pieces which could conceivably be lying around after
such a disaster.

They had, on previous exercises, exhausted the more common HF antenna
designs, so Van, VK4VAN, suggested that they try to utilise a tree as the
radiating element.

This idea was part of a British patent in 1917, but it was not useable as it
involved driving a spike into a tree in the park, totally against Council
regulations.

http://www.rexresearch.com/squier/squier.htm

An article by W5JGV, about a toroidal feed to a tree antenna on the 40m band,
seemed more useful.

http://w5jgv.com/tree_antenna/index.htm

Among Ray, VK4TPT's, collection of antenna documents were both articles in
printed form, so a length of flexible water pipe was quickly converted into
a coil and wrapped as a yoke around a nearby Gum tree.

Conveniently, there was a water tap at the base of the tree and one end of
the coil was connected to it as an earth.

From VK4TPT's box of bits came an old tuning capacitor which was connected in
series between the other end of the coil and the antenna socket of Ray's
trusty TS-520S.

A little adjusting of the coil and capacitor soon caused a solid noise signal
from the 520S and a quick tune across 40m brought in signals from VK2, 3, 5
and 7.

Further adjustments produced a useable match and a 4/1 contact was made with
VK2JE, Brian, who was MOBILE near Tuncurry, NSW.

This was followed by a 5/6 contact with Seth, VK2CJA in Coffs Harbour, and
several 5/9+ contacts locally.

Ray and Van would have liked to try other bands, but the BBQ, in conjunction
with the Woocoo SES, was under way, and the lads were just a little hungry.

It's obvious that tree antennas do work, but the big question now is:

What will "MERGE" try next year?

From Maryborough Queensland this is Ray, VK4TPT / Tree Powered Transmissions.



Redcliffe and District Radio Club
www.redclifferadioclub.org.au/


Hello I'm Ray VK4CF

The third Monday of each month the club conducts a series of Technical Talks
for members and visitors. The next 3 tech talks will be:-

April, by Phil VK4IIO on Amateur satellites;

May, VHF amps from Ron Merring VK4DD

June will be by Cory VK4BTK and Peter VK4EA on Dstar.

The club will be conducting a Working bee Sat 30th May. This will finish the
laying of the remaining concrete paths around the club house that have been
held up by rain over the last few months. On the Afternoon of Friday 29th
starting at 2.30pm, the site will be prepared, ready for the arrival of the
concrete early Saturday morning. Members available should contact club
secretary Peter, VK4TAA as soon as possible.

The Murrenbong working bee details are yet to be finalized with a date
sometime in early June.

The club has accepted an invitation to provide a stand to display the hobby
of amateur radio at the Warbirds museum, Caboolture Aero club on the
2nd August.

10,000 plus people are expected at the Caboolture Aero club from around
9am to 4.30pm. Members will man the display through the day.

An advanced licence course began at the Redcliffe Radio club rooms, at
Kippa Ring clubhouse on this weekend. They will be conducted every Saturday
mornings from 8 am -12 noon, running for about 6 months.

Foundation licence will be conducted on Sunday mornings from 8 am - 12 noon
for about 6 weeks (including assessment weekend).

If you wish to join the course contact Allen on his Email address,


Until next week, this is Ray VK4CF.



TOWNSVILLE
contacting theTARCinc
email address
phone contact 07-47731196 or 0408 001142
snailmail po box 333 Garbutt East, QLD 4814
homepage http://www.tarc.org.au



TARC Social Evening this Tuesday

This Tuesday April 21st the TARC Social Evening will be happening
at the Club Rooms atop SES HQ Green Street West End from
7-30pm. Come along and lend a helping hand to put the magazine of renown,
Back-scatter together and socialise with fellow hams.

All welcome !



The 26th Far North and North Queensland Amateur Radio Gathering (FNNQARG!)
takes place from Friday 5th to Monday 8th June at Cardwell Village
Beachcomber Motel and Tourist Park.

Campsites, Caravan sites, Motel rooms, Villas and Cottages are going fast
and management advise that these would be booked out pretty quickly during
the next month or so.

If you haven't already booked your accommodation then you need to get
cracking !

Contact the Cardwell Village Beachcomber Motel and Tourist Park to book!
1800 00 56 33




SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP NEWS

The next Alara lunch (vk4) will be held Saturday 16th May at 11.30 am
"Gordonio's On The Broadwater" restaurant 44 The Esplanade, Paradise Point,
Gold Coast.

$20 per person for 2 course lunch which includes a glass of wine or soft drink
and a special door prize as well, so please contact Pam VK4PTO by the end of
April if you would like to attend

(73 Pam VK4PTO ALARA VK4 STATE REPRESENTATIVE)


**************************************************



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**************************************************
- NEWS POSTING TO PACKET -
Courtesy Tony VK7AX VK7AX(AT)VK7AX.#ULV.TAS.AUS.OC

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