NZART Headquarters Infoline Issue 231
05-JUNE-2011
NZART Website: http://www.nzart.org.nz/home/

In This Issue
*Notes From Conference in Upper Hutt
*FMTAG Notes For HQ Infoline-231
*Interesting Links From John ZL1GWE
*VHF/UHF/SHF Contest Notes
*Housekeeping
*Attachment for Infoline Branches Subscribers: infoline-231.doc

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Notes From Conference in Upper Hutt
As usual the weekend commenced with a meeting of Council here on Friday
morning, the following is a report on business discussed:

Incoming Council members, Warren Harris ZL2AJ, Stephen Hayman ZL1TPH, Simon
Lewis ZL4PLM and Terry Thomas ZL4TAE were welcomed. Michael Owen VK3KI,
President of Wireless Institute of Australia, and John Longayroux VK3PX,
Treasurer of the Wireless Institute of Australia, were invited as special
guests.

Next Council elected Vaughan Henderson ZL1TGC as vice-president. Vaughan was
elected unopposed.

Following a suggestion from Evan Sayer the Association Treasurer, Council
agreed that a review of the current NZART Constitution is to be undertaken.
One of the main aims of this review is to gain charitable status and
potentially save having to pay tax.

Council formally approved a submission from the Radio Electronics Group
granting them NZART Branch status.

Council again thanked Evan Sayer for ensuring the Associations financial
audit was completed in a timely and professional manner.

Council resolved that subscriptions for 2012, will remain at $95 for
Transmitting/Non-Transmitting individual memberships. Those members who pay
their subscriptions before 30 November, will go in a draw to win a dual band
hand held radio.

A membership promotion will be undertaken this year, with a further handheld
being offered as a prize. Payment for the new members must be received by
the 31 December. Council are very conscious of falling membership and
encourage newcomers to the Association and feel a membership drive with the
opportunity to win a prize may assist in increasing members to the
Association.

More about these special prize draws will be advised in HQ Info-Line once
Council has finalised the detail.

Council also wish to emphasise the need for all Branches and members to
subscribe to HQ Info-line. This was an initiative by Jim ZL2BHF some years
ago and is now scribed by Jamie Pye ZL2NN, as a form of communication to
members between the bi-monthly issues of Break In and the monthly NZART
Official Broadcast. HQ Info-line is sent via e-mail fortnightly and contains
many updates from Council, FMTAG, Awards etc so that members get the most up
to date information. To make sure that you receive HQ - Infoline, just
complete the details on the NZART webpage.

Saturday morning proceedings commenced promptly at 8:30 am, having confirmed
a quorum of 1145 members being represented.

Life Membership Awarded
Following a report from Council, that concluded with a recommendation to the
AGM, that ZL2TAR be award Honorary Life membership to NZART, This was
received with acclamation by attendees of the AGM.

Chris Hipkins MP For Rimutaka Welcomed All to Upper Hutt
At this time, just prior to morning tea, there was a small adjournment where
the Chris Hipkins MP for Rimutaka welcomed everyone to Upper Hutt, followed
by Stuart Watchman ZL2TW who gave a very insightful account of his traumatic
experience during the 22nd February earthquake in Christchurch, where he was
attending a medical conference at the Grand Chancellor Hotel. As usual
Stuart was able to make all smile even about such a catastrophic event.

Those in attendance at the AGM from Christchurch, appreciated Stuart's
presentation, as it was not only very graphically informative, but typical
of how us kiwi's are able to keep going in trying times and keep a sense of
humour.

The minutes from the AGM in Auckland were confirmed, then Evan Sayer, the
Association Treasurer briefly detailed the annual reports, further
emphasising a need to review our Constitution in order to gain charitable
status. Evan also reminded those present that in 1998, the Association was
operating with a deficit of over $200,000, however now we have reserves of
over this amount. He did warn that while this shows that financial
difficulties have been overcome, there still remains the need to increase
membership.

All officers reports were presented and accepted. The hard working Officers
of the Association, who are obviously undertaking their roles with
professionalism and effectiveness, are to be thanked as there were no
questions from the floor seeking clarification of any reports.

REMITS
Remit discussions commenced, with some very robust discussion. It was great
that so many branches had actively considered each remit, as 4 of the 13
presented, required a count of votes.

The results are as follows:
Remit 1, Carried, on vote count,
Remit 2 Lost on vote count,
Remit 3 Lost on voices
Remit 4 Lost on voices
Remit 5 Lost on voices
Remit 6 Lost on voices

Remit 7, having received an amendment to include 160m, which was passed by
the floor, Carried on vote count.

Remit 8 Lost on vote count
Remit 9 Lost on voices
Remit 10 Lost on voices
Remit 11 Lost on voices
Remit 12 - withdrawn
Remit 13 - withdrawn

Throughout the remit discussions, some presentations of awards were made, to
break the intensity of the meeting.

Arthur Godfrey ZL1HV Branch Award
The recipients of the Arthur Godfrey ZL1HV Branch Award we

Neil Gibbons ZL2TNG, Maurie Vile ZL2ADP both from Upper Hutt branch, Paul
(Jono) Jonassen ZL1UP Hamilton branch, Topsy Scott ZL2LS Nelson branch and
Maurice McNab ZL3MEM from Christchurch West Branch.

Branches who have taken time to submit these very worthy nominees for
consideration are thanked and the opportunity to reward and publicly
recognise the efforts of their members is very timely.

The citations for these awards will be appear in the August issue of Break
In.

Rothschild Cup
North Shore Branch received the Rothschild Cup this year, with a total of 13
successful candidates passing their amateur radio examination in 2010.

Next Conference
Letitia (Topsy) Scott, took the floor, inviting all to attend the annual
conference in Nelson next year. Topsy and the Branch President Paul ZL2CQ
have considerable plans underway for what promises to be a very entertaining
and fun event.

New Award
This year, from a Nelson branch initiative and sponsorship, a new award was
introduced, to recognise a 100% pass mark (that's 60/60 result) in their
examination, in the year preceding conference, for amateurs not otherwise
eligible in the Best Examination/Youth Achievement Award. There were three
recipients of this award for 2010, Suzette James ZL2SGC, Nelson Branch,
Jonathan MacKenzie ZL3JDM, Christchurch Branch and Murray Smith ZL2MJS Lower
Hutt branch. Well done to you all.

The Best Examination Result
The Best Examination result went to Thomas Fellows ZL3PSG aged 16 for a pass
of 55/60.

There were no nominations for Young Amateur of the Year award, therefore
Nelson Sound, who have offered to sponsor this in future years, generously
agreed to offer it to our Best Examination result recipient. Congratulations
Thomas on receiving a dual band hand held.

General Business
The meeting proceeded to general business with a motion being put from
ZL3BM: "That a vote of No Confidence be placed on all current Councillors".
This was seconded by ZL2TDD but was lost on voices.

Stephen Cooper ZL2WAU of Tararua Branch asked branches to look through their
archives for any amateur radio videos or DVD's here in New Zealand, that can
be used on their Tararua Regional TV station which will soon also be
broadcast on other Regional TV stations.

Finally it was announced that this year's very worthy recipient of the
Amateur of the year Award, was David Searle ZL3DWS for the tremendous
results he achieved in his Buildathon projects. David has recently moved
from Christchurch for obvious reasons to Bondi in Australia.

David was contacted later in the evening by Terry Carrell ZL3QL. Terry
reported David was overwhelmed at the recognition of his work and has asked
that this message of his thanks be sent to you all.

Warm fraternal greetings from North Bondi Sydney.

I was greatly surprised, yet proud, to learn that I had become NZART Amateur
of the Year.

Proud, because it acknowledges the success achieved by so many Canterbury
radio amateurs and beyond, with the ZL3 Radio Buildathon project.

Hundreds of Canterbury kids now know what amateur radio is, and which end of
a hot soldering iron to grab to build a simple radio!

So does mum and dad, school friends and all the others who would listen to a
kid so proud that his or her first radio really works!

If we each share our enthusiasm for a great hobby with just one young
person, their interest in radio, communicating and electronics could last a
life time.

When you return to your branch, wouldn't it be great to hold just one event
each year when you invite the local kids, parents, anybody; to build
something with your members.

It's fun, it builds community and it could spark an interest that lasts a
life time.

73's - have a great evening and a most successful conference.

David ZL3DWS / VK2DWS"

Hasn't taken David long to get himself a VK call sign! Many thanks to David,
you are missed.

KORDIA
As was mentioned in the May Official Broadcast, we have had some very
excellent news that KORDIA will not be charging NZART for the rental on
their sites, for the next 5 years. Although we have yet to confirm this in a
formal contract, Vaughan Henderson ZL1TGC and Otago Branch 30 are to be
heartily congratulated for their by no means small involvement in bringing
this about. Thanks to you all.

WIA President Michael Owen VK3KI Spoke to The Meeting
The WIA President Michael Owen VK3KI spoke to the meeting, informing all of
the events of the Wireless Institute of Australia in the past year. Michael
is very keen to promote VK attendance at the NZART conference weekend and
encourages ZL hams to do the same in Australia.

Stirrers Award
The final order of the day was to appoint the stirrers award...this year the
recipient was Topsy ZL2LS for appearing in her very skimpy red night attire
and almost causing the President to return to smoking, having received such
a shock.

The meeting concluded at 2:59pm followed immediately by the AREC forum.

AREC Forum
The forum commenced with a presentation from Geoff Chapman ZL3PX on AREC's
involvement in the Christchurch earthquake.

Matthew Lloyd then gave a presentation on his role with the Red Cross
telecom response unit.

Then Jeff announced their new National Training Officer, who is Brian Purdie
ZL2ADL.

Richard ZL1BNQ gave a brief overview on the old training modular system AREC
have used in the past, with a view of modernizing it.

Finally Bill Olsen ZL4AE, gave a presentation on his 6 week trip with Red
Cross to Tunisia.

IARU
Running concurrently was a forum by the IARU committee, who are busy
preparing budgets to submit to Council for delegates to attend the WRC
conference in Geneva in 2012 and the IARU Region 3 triennial Conference in
Ho Chi Minh City 2012.

Saturday Evening
The evening commenced with a wonderful talk from guest speaker Ian
Johnstone, known for his presentation of the original Crimewatch series and
various radio and TV broadcasts.

After a sumptuous meal, we could dance the night away with a rock and roll
band featuring songs from the 50's, 60's and 70's.

Sunday
Sunday morning saw a little more precipitation than was expected, however
the usual AGM's and forums were not deterred.

WARO AGM
At the WARO AGM Margaret ZL1MB was re-elected as President, Cathy ZL2ADK was
elected Vice President, Lynnette ZL1LL Secretary and Janet ZL1JAN Treasurer.

Topsy ZL2LS won the Thelma Souper Memorial Contest, with Sharon ZL2BQ second
and Catherine VK4GH third.

The OM section went to Bill cousins ZL2AYZ.

SPAM and OTC
The SPAM and OTC AGM's were also held on Sunday morning , with no change in
either.

AMSAT - ZL AGM
25 members attended the AGM, chaired by President Terry Carrell ZL3QL -
there were no changes to the committee. Kiwisat progress is now very near
completion hardware wise and software is progressing well.

Kiwisat Update
Over 45 members attended the Kiwisat forum. Ian ZL1AOX ran a presentation
which included a short video by Fred Kennedy ZL1BYP on the clean room at
Massey University in Albany showing the almost complete Kiwisat.

Ian then introduced via Skype, Clayton Gumbrell VK1TKA in Canberra
Australia, who described the software development - a first at an NZART
conference.

Terry Osborne ZL2BAC completed the presentation showing his progress with
the Ground Station Telemetry decoding software.

Other forums
Included in the Sunday afternoon programmes were forums on Police Digital
Radio by ZL2FY, STSP Repeater Build by ZL2TW, Voice Over Internet Protocol
by ZL2UDF, VHF/UHF by ZL4PLM, APRS by ZL2MAX, PIXIE 11 - JOTA Construction
Project by ZL1TGC, and D-Star by Eddie Ross from ICOM.

Sunday evening is to be entertainment by Don Wilson whose claim to fame was
the song BIG NORM back in the 1970's.

Upper Hutt Branch
Finally thanks goes to the Upper Hutt Branch for putting on another
excellent annual conference.

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FMTAG Notes For HQ Infoline-231
Outage of Web-Based MED Services
Members will now be aware that all of the MED's web-based services were
offline on the 18th, 19th and part of the 20th of May.

The impact on the Amateur Radio Service was relatively minor: repeater
licence applications could not be processed during the outage.

However, the same problem that affected the Callsign list, provided by the
MED for Call Book, has re-appeared: all of the Temporary Callsigns that have
expired in the last two years are displayed as if they are still current.

We await an updated report from the MED.

Final Recommendations
NZART Council, at its face-to-face meeting on 3rd June, approved the
following applications, which can now proceed to licensing by the MED.

1.. Branch 63 Upper Hutt has applied to add the D-STAR DV digital mode to,
and change the location of, its Mount Climie 860 repeater. The new location
will be Topo50 map reference BP32 798.83 423.94. An Engineering Evaluation,
in accordance with the MED's Radio Licence Certification Rules (PIB38),
shows that the repeater's transmit frequency can remain on 438.600 MHz and
the receive frequency can remain on 433.600 MHz, and that there will be no
interference to other stations.
2.. Branch 74 Wellington VHF has applied to increase the power of, and add
the P25 digital mode to its 6625 repeater located at Hawkins Hill, Topo50
map reference BQ31 449.78 236.89. An Engineering Evaluation, in accordance
with the MED's Radio Licence Certification Rules (PIB38), shows that the
repeater's transmit frequency can remain on 146.625 MHz and the receive
frequency can remain on 146.025 MHz, and that there will be no interference
to other stations.
3.. Branch 74 Wellington VHF has applied for a 32 cm repeater located at
Colonial Knob, Topo50 map reference BP31 513.58 426.16. FMTAG has chosen a
repeater transmit frequency of 927.800 MHz and a receive frequency of
921.200 MHz. An Engineering Evaluation, in accordance with the MED's Radio
Licence Certification Rules (PIB38), shows that there will be no
interference to other stations.
4.. Branch 74 Wellington VHF has applied for a 6 m repeater located at
Colonial Knob, Topo50 map reference BP31 513.58 426.16. FMTAG has chosen a
repeater transmit frequency of 53.750 MHz and a receive frequency of 52.750
MHz. An Engineering Evaluation, in accordance with the MED's Radio Licence
Certification Rules (PIB38), shows that there will be no interference to
other stations.
5.. Branch 85 Mercury Bay has applied for a National System repeater
located at Opito Bay, Topo50 map reference BA35 513.81 313.73. FMTAG has
chosen a repeater transmit frequency of 434.800 MHz and a receive frequency
of 439.800 MHz. An Engineering Evaluation, in accordance with the MED's
Radio Licence Certification Rules (PIB38), shows that there will be no
interference to other stations.
6.. Branch 85 Mercury Bay has applied for a National System UHF Linking
Station (ULS) located at Opito Bay, Topo50 map reference BA35 513.81 313.73,
to link to Mt Edgecumbe. The link transmit frequency will be 434.975 MHz and
the receive frequency will be 439.975 MHz. An Engineering Evaluation, in
accordance with the MED's Radio Licence Certification Rules (PIB38), shows
that there will be no interference to other stations.
Comments and Applications
Please send your comments and suggestions on the above matters and
recommendations, and on any other FMTAG matters, by e-mail to:


Applications for repeaters, beacons, digipeaters, point-to-point links, and
so on, should be made on the latest version of FMTAG Form 10. The latest
versions of FMTAG Form 10, and the explanatory Form 10A, are available on
the NZART web site:
http://www.nzart.org.nz/nzart/fmtag/

Completed forms should be sent by e-mail to

*******

Interesting Links From John ZL1GWE
Amateurs Assist American Red Cross
Served Agencies After Joplin Storm:
from The ARRL Letter on May 26, 2011

Website: http://www.arrl.org/

Radio Amateurs Assist American Red Cross, Served Agencies After Joplin
Storm:

On Sunday, May 22 at 5:41 PM, the single deadliest twister in almost 60
years -- and the second major tornado disaster in less than a month -- swept
through the southwestern Missouri city of Joplin, slamming straight into St
John's Regional Medical Center. The tornado killed at least 117 people. As
soon as the storm cleared, area Amateur Radio operators responded to
requests from the American Red Cross and local hospitals to provide
communications support.

http://www.eham.net/articles/26108

FEMA Administrator Calls Amateur Radio
“The Last Line of Defense”
In an FCC forum on earthquake communications preparedness, Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate described the Amateur
Radio operator as “the ultimate backup, the originators of what we call
social media.” The forum-- held May 3 at FCC Headquarters in Washington,
DC -- brought together officials from the White House, the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS), the United States Geological Survey (USGS), FEMA,
the FCC and the private sector. Fugate and FCC Bureau of Public Safety and
Homeland Security Chief Jamie Barnett gave the opening remarks.

http://www.arrl.org/news/fema-admini...o-the-last-lin
e-of-defense

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Contest News
VHF/UHF/SHF Contest
VHF++ Hibernation Contest (1st SAT JUN 2nd if Conf) 11/12-JUN-2011


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Please think of the environment before printing this e-mail
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Housekeeping
1.. Break-In-Closing Date Reminder: Copy for the JULY/AUGUST issue of
Break-In-closes on 10-JULY-2011
2.. Copy for Break-In: Copy is welcome in most electronic formats but
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All received copy will be acknowledged to confirm receipt.
Thank you for your cooperation.
John Walker ZL3IB Editor.
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articles for publication in the AREC COLUMN OF BREAK-IN. Photos, if
available, to be on a separate floppy or CD (with captions), posted DIRECTLY
TO US. Use Call Book address. All other material can go to e-mail:
or
5.. The ARRL and WIA Weekly News
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Next NZART Official Broadcast is on SUNDAY 26-JUNE-2011

Next HQ-Infoline e-mailed on SUNDAY 19-JUNE-2011

Headquarters-Infoline is a twice-monthly bulletin of news from NZART
Headquarters. News and items of a general or technical interest are also
included. These are obtained from various sources. The bulletins are
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Regards, Jamie Pye ZL2NN, Editor