Weekly Broadcast 31st January 2010.
This is a summary of news and events for Amateur Radio Operators on behalf of
Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc.
The Broadcast can be heard at 09.00 hrs Each Sunday on 146.775 MHz and is
followed by the VK1WIA news. There is a replay on 80 metres Sunday morning and
again at 19.00 hrs courtesy Warren VK2UWP. Tune to 3.565 +-.
Westlakes first magazine for 2010 was assembled yesterday and made ready for
posting. Apologies for the quality of the cover picture in the posted copy. Those on
the email list should receive their edition as an attachment to this cast.
For those who have not already done so there is a membership renewal reminder
enclosed in this months magazine.

This week meat tray found a home with VK2BZ who claims that he has been
keeping a vacant place in his fridge just on the off chance. If memory serves that
place would not have had time to cool from the last time. Amazing what a few
cucumbers can achieve.

Fingers crossed, that annoying sound burst has been laid to rest . Thanks in the
main to the effort of Pete VK2ZTV , ably assisted by several club members.
The following receive yesterday afternoon
Hi Barry

We have isolated the Mount Arthur 148.5625Mhz Paging tx, problem seems to have
stopped.
It appeared that the tx was keying up for a brief period only not the full length of a
page, but when manually keyed it put a full quieting signal into sugarloaf.
Tx is now disabled until their tech can replace it.

Regards
Peter S. VK2ZTV

VK2BZ our resident Sherlock Holmes was on the hunt yesterday for yet another
errant Epirb. Even without Watson  he collared the villain in short time.

As announced Gloria was not in attendance yesterday however those present were
well catered for by both Barry and Dave. On occasion they even provided table
service for the humble pie or sausage roll.

Geoff VK2EO made one of his rare appearances yesterday and informs us that he is
about to upgrade the webpage. By the way, in the absence of Dennis VK2XDW
Geoff was responsible for the meat tray draw.

The club has been the recipient of a generous donation of bits and pieces from Noel
VK2BCA. Thanks Noel.

Yesterday was another afternoon of antenna experimentation where the latest
innovations  from Col VK2YP, namely the "OzzieHams Maxi Pole" were put
through their paces. With very slight adjustment,  yours truly VK2FJL was more
than pleased with the results, very acceptable readings were recorded across a wide
section of 40, 80 and 160 metres.
There will be an article describing this antenna in the March issue of Westlakes
magazine.

Mark the 20th March on your calendar for a follow up lecture on Linux by Marcel
VK2FMDB.

International and National  News..
In a new report, a major hurdle to producing fusion energy using lasers has been
swept aside.
The controlled fusion of atoms - creating conditions like those in our Sun - has long
been touted as a possible revolutionary energy source.
However, there have been doubts about the use of powerful lasers for fusion energy
because the "plasma" they create could interrupt the fusion.
An article in Science magazine showed the plasma is far less of a problem than
expected.
The report is based on the first experiments from the National Ignition Facility (Nif)
in the US that used all 192 of its laser beams.
Along the way, the experiments smashed the record for the highest energy from a
laser - by a factor of 20.
Construction of the National Ignition Facility began at Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory in 1997, and was formally completed in May 2008.
Star Power's goal, as its name implies, is to harness the power of the largest laser
ever built to start "ignition" - effectively a carefully controlled thermonuclear
explosion.
It is markedly different from current nuclear power, which operates through splitting
atoms - fission - rather than squashing them together in fusion.
Proving that such a lab-based fusion reaction can release more energy than is
required to start it - rising above the so-called breakeven point - could herald a new
era in large-scale energy production.

The US space agency (Nasa) has admitted defeat in its battle to free the Spirit rover
from its Martian sand trap.
The vehicle became stuck in soft soil back in May last year and all the efforts to
extricate it have failed.
Nasa says Spirit, which landed on the Red Planet just over six years ago, will now
live out its remaining days as a static science station.
The robot geologist has taken thousands of images and found evidence in Mars'
rocks of a wetter, warmer past.
"Spirit has encountered a golfer's worst nightmare - the sand trap that no matter
how many strokes you take, you can't get out of it," said Doug McCuistion, director
of the Mars exploration programme at Nasa headquarters in Washington DC.
The robot's predicament has been exacerbated by the failure of two of its six
wheels. Without the additional traction, the agency now accepts that further efforts
to try to escape the soft soil will be fruitless.
Spirit was one of two rovers that Nasa landed on the planet in the January of 2004.
The second vehicle, Opportunity, continues to roll freely on the surface.

Satellite TV 'making humans invisible to aliens on other planets'
A Telegraph article reports on a claim by the world's leading ET hunter that
Satellite television and the digital revolution is making humanity more and more
invisible to inquisitive aliens on other planets.
The article continues: That might be good news for anyone who fears an
''Independence Day'' - style invasion by little green men. But it is also likely to
make the search for extraterrestrial intelligence by Earthly scientists harder, Dr
Frank Drake believes.
Dr Drake, who founded the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence)
organisation in the US 50 years ago, said the digital age was effectively gagging the
Earth by cutting the transmission of TV and radio signals into space.
At present, the Earth was surrounded by a 50 light year-wide ''shell'' of radiation
from analogue TV, radio and radar transmissions, he said.
But although the signals had spread far enough to reach many nearby star systems,
they were rapidly vanishing before the march of digital technology.
To a race of observing aliens, digital TV signals would look like noise, said Dr
Drake. Digital transmissions were also much weaker than their terrestrial
equivalent.
While old-style TV transmitters might generate one million watts, the power of a
satellite signal was around 20 watts. Satellites also aimed their transmissions at the
Earth, with almost none being allowed to escape into space.


If you want to learn what is happening at your club in the coming week join us each
Saturday at 8am for the EZB net on 146.775 MHz

Early risers are reminded to tune to 3.588MHz each Saturday mornings at 6am for
the Stone the Crows Net.

That  concluded Westlakes segment of this week news.

To find out more about Westlakes Amateur Radio Club, or Amateur Radio in
general, leave a message on our 24 hour voice mail box on 02 49-581588. Please
wait for instructions before leaving your message. All correspondence should be
addressed to The Secretary, Box 3001, Teralba, NSW, 2284 or email:
secretary at westlakesarc.org.au 

Further information is available on our website at    www.westlakesarc.org.au    

Westlakes Amateur Radio Club is located in York Street, Teralba and is open for
business on Saturday from 12:00 midday and from approximately 6.00pm Tuesdays
Call in and say Hello.....Tea and Coffee are always on! 
                   Amateur Radio is a great hobby become active and enjoy it.    
                                  And remember Walk Tall.       De VK2FJL