WESTLAKES AMATEUR RADIO CLUB Inc.
Weekly Broadcast 14th February 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 Monthly meeting was held yesterday and attracted a pleasing number of members.
Among matters discussed was the acceptance of a membership application from past member John Murphy VK2PJM. John we trust that your renewed association with Westlakes will be a long and enjoyable one.

The Central Coast Field Day at Wyong is on the 28th February. The QSL Bureau will once again be in full swing thanks to Geoff VK2GL who has volunteered to transport the hundreds of cards and cabinets to the event. Hope to see you there.

Yesterdays meat tray went home with Bob VK2FULL while the Rickety Kate prizes were shared byVK2BRI,VK2FLTP and VK2FVON.

Following the news that long time tutor Paul VK2ATR has decided to take a well earned break from conducting the Radio classes on a Tuesday evening.
We are pleased to announce that John Trenning VK2BAR has agreed to take on the role of instructor. As a result Westlakes ARC is inviting candidates who wish to study for any of the current grades, from Foundation to Advanced to contact the Secretary. If sufficient numbers are found, these classes will be held Saturday afternoon at Westlakes club rooms suggested times are from 13.00 to 15.00 hrs.
Port Stevens ARC are celebrating their 2nd Anniversary next Sunday 21st February with a BBQ at Henderson Park commencing 09.00. All are welcome BYO. Contact Di, VK2FDNE for further details.

Mark your calendar for the following Westlakes events..
Lectures Library:-
February 20 An insight into Amateur Radio Digital modes by Dave VK2RD
March 20 Follow up lecture on Linux by Marcel VK2FMDB.

Project days Activity Room:-
February 27 Constructing simple Foxhunt antennas. Col VK2YP and VK2FJL
March 27 Assembly of a Signal Injector probe Les Smith
April 24 TBC. Assembly of an AF-RF Signal Tracer Les Smith
May 29 TBC. Demo of above projects
June 26 TBC. Members Radio “FIX it DAY” bring in your suspect rig.
Members are requested to suggest possible future projects that may be of interest.

Due to past and possibly future interference problems the meeting agreed to the following script.. which will be advertised at regular intervals on VK2RTZ in coming weeks.
“ This is Westlake’s ARC repeater VK2RTZ. Due to recent interference and the need to protect from future interference this repeater will soon require a 91.5 Hz sub audible tone to gain access”.

Tone generating kits will be made available for those who have transceivers not fitted with his option. These kits, plus installation if required will be made available to members at a reasonable cost.

International and National News..

Lithium-ion battery life could reach 20 years
Japanese research and development firm Eamex claims to have found a new way to increase the typical average life of a high-capacity lithium-ion battery. Eamex’s new technology will allow the demanding batteries to sustain over 10,000 recharges over the course of 20 years.
This rather dramatic increase in performance is made possible by new techniques such as a stabilization process of the battery’s electrodes, which in-turn puts less stress on the battery. This maintains the bonding of particles for a longer period of time and reduces the overall deterioration process. The result is a battery that lasts up to 10 times as long as most current batteries.
Lithium-ion batteries are broadly popular within various consumer electronics. They tend to hold their charge when not in use, and have a high energy-to-weight ratio. Current lithium-ion batteries can hold their charge for up to 1,000 charge cycles.

Eamex’s technology is currently designed with heavy-duty batteries in mind, such as those used in electric vehicles. However, this technology should eventually find its way into smaller devices, such as cell phones, laptops, and MP3 players.

The advantages beyond the obvious increase in battery life are also welcome, such as lower costs over time and reduced waste.
Thanks Dave VK2RD for that article.

Bad weather at Cape Canaveral, Florida, has prevented the US space agency from launching its latest Sun probe.
An Atlas rocket was due to carry the Solar Dynamics Observatory into orbit on Wednesday, but controllers abandoned the countdown because of high winds.
By now however, the SDO should be well on it way
The spacecraft is designed to acquire detailed images of our star to explain how its activity varies over time.
An active Sun can disrupt satellite, communication, and power systems on Earth - especially when it billows charged particles in our direction.
Scientists want to see if they can forecast this "space weather" better.
The Solar Dynamics Observatory will assist this drive by investigating the physics at work inside, on the surface and in the atmosphere of the Sun.
It is going to revolutionise our view of the Sun and it will reveal how solar activity affects our planet, and help us anticipate what lies ahead.

"It will observe the Sun faster, deeper and in greater detail than any previous observations, breaking barriers of time, scale and clarity that have long blocked progress in solar physics."
SDO's instruments will return images with a resolution 10 times better than the average high-definition television camera, and those pictures will come back at a rapid rate, every few seconds.
The mission will try to unravel the factors that drive the Sun's cycles of activity.
A key goal will be to probe the inner workings of the solar dynamo, the deep network of plasma currents that generates the Sun's tangled and sometimes explosive magnetic field.
It is the dynamo that ultimately lies behind all forms of solar activity, from the solar flares that explode in the Sun's atmosphere to the relatively cool patches, or sunspots, that pock the solar disc and wander across its surface for days or even weeks.
SDO is being launched at an opportune moment. Recent years have witnessed a very quiet star and the spacecraft will be able to monitor the Sun as it stirs into life.
Sat-nav devices face big errors as solar activity rises
Researchers say the Sun is awakening after a period of low activity, which does not bode well for a world ever more dependent on satellite navigation.
The Sun's irregular activity can wreak havoc with the weak sat-nav signals we use.
The last time the Sun reached a peak in activity, satellite navigation was barely a consumer product.
But the Sun is on its way to another solar maximum, which could generate large and unpredictable sat-nav errors.
It is not just car sat-nav devices that make use of the satellite signals; accurate and dependable sat-nav signals have, since the last solar maximum, quietly become a necessity for modern infrastructure.
Military operations worldwide depend on them, although they use far more sophisticated equipment.
Sat-nav devices now form a key part of emergency vehicles' arsenals. They are used for high-precision surveying, docking ships and plans are even underway to incorporate them into commercial aircraft.
Closer to home, more and more trains depend on a firm location fix before their doors will open.
Orders are at present being taken for both Club Shirts and caps. At this stage only 3 caps have been ordered and at least 5 are required to allow the order to be filled, shirts are not a problem all we need is the size.
Contact VK2FJL.

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@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