Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc.: 2012

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Broadcast News for December 16th 2012.

Yesterday was Westlakes A.R.C.'s Christmas Frolic at the club and around 40 members including their wives were in attendance. The BBQ was fired up around 1100 by Michael vk2ccw who did an excellent job feeding everyone. Thanks Michael, will you be free again next year to cook. Various members were there taking pictures with their cameras and tablets so we should be getting some great pics for the club magazine. Life Member Peter Sturt ( VK2ZTV ) and his wife were also there. After lunch the darts competition commenced with everyone having 2 goes to obtain the highest score in total. There were some pretty shocking shooters I tell you. The winning Female was Sonya and the winning male was Alley VK2AFZ. Congratulations to the both of you. Now Greg VK2CW was going around trying to flog off tickets for someone to win a ham. After Greg has sold as many tickets as he could a draw took place. The winning ticket was none other than Steve VK2LW. Looks like everyone missed out again. Now the regen receiver was judged by Peter VK2ZTV after checking the receivers out carefully, testing to see if they all worked etc etc a decision was made. The 1st place went to David Lawerence VK2PIRATE, 2nd place went to Ken VK2KJ, and 3rd place went to Greg VK2CW. A 4th prize went to Geoff VK2GL in the category of Honary winner ??? Congratulations everyone for taking the time to build this great receiver. Garry VK2DBI was out there also selling Rickety Kate tickets for a chance for someone to win some money. When all tickets were sold the draw for 3 winners took place. 3rd place went to Karen VK2NYL, ( this prize was a bit dodgy ) but Garry won 2nd prize and 1st prize went to Herb. Congratulations winners. A great day was had by all and thanks to the organisers as this was a great day. Wonder what we will do next year. Just a reminder that club membership fees are now due. Please send your payments either to the club P O Box c/- of the secretary or bring them to the club in person on Saturdays. Not a member of Westlakes A.R.C. now is the time to join. Our next club meeting will be in February on the 2nd 2013. Everyone welcome. The clubs next project is the 40 metre QRP set made by OZQRP. Norm VK2KNC has already completed his kit and it works fantastic. 3 kits have been ordered by other members of the club. Now wait for the 40 meter QRP westlakes contest. VK NEWS: A slim key for pedestrian mobile CW. Operating CW when pedestrian mobile can be tricky so Peter Parker VK3YE devised this portable Morse key. A super slim key for pedestrian mobile CW. Also great for portable use as it's so cheap to make. Parts needed are as follows: * thin strip of PC board material * momentary pushbutton normally open switch * lead to plug * plug to suit transceiver I'll mention something you should definitely avoid doing and demonstrate the key in use making HF pedestrian mobile contacts. Watch the Youtube video by Peter Paker VK2YE. WORLD NEWS: Barcode inventor dies. The co-creator of the ubiquitous barcode, Norman Joseph Woodland, has died aged 91. He and a classmate Bernard Silver created a thin and thick line system in the 1940s. The only code Woodland knew was the Morse code learnt from the Boy Scouts. One day he drew Morse code dots and dashes as he sat on a sandy beach and traced a series of parallel lines. Woodland and Silver submitted their patent in 1949 for a code patterned on concentric circles. The idea was patented. When the patent expired in the 1960s, IBM where Woodland was working, tweaked the design into the one we recognise today. He joined IBM in 1951 wanting to develop the barcode, but it was not for two decades when lasers made it possible to read the code readily. Then IBM developed a bar-code-reading laser scanner system in response to a demand from grocers wanting to automate and cut costs. IBM promoted a rectangular barcode that led to a standard for universal product code technology. The first item scanned was a packet of chewing gum in an Ohio supermarket in 1974. It is now on millions of everyday devices worldwide. Woodland and Silver were both last year inducted into the US National Inventors Hall of Fame. Bernard Silver died in 1963. End of the portable cassette player. The consumer electronics giant Sony has announced that after 33-years it will next month stop making the iconic tape cassette player. However it will continue to sell blank cassettes, tape decks, and boom boxes with cassette support for the foreseeable future. Sony sold its first cassette tapes in 1966 along with its first cassette tape recorder. Consumers caught on to the new medium, particularly those bent on live recording with a device that has a high audio quality. The popularity of the cassette began to fall off in the 1980s with the arrival of the CDs, MiniDisc, and MP3 players giving bigger storage, faster and improved recordings. Sony is also discontinuing its Walkman DVD players due to low sales, with consumers turning to smartphones, tablets, and MP3 players for of digital music. The play-only Sony Walkman had its day but it was now time for it to retire as newer technology has taken over. ZL9HR delights DX chasing radio amateurs. The Hellenic Amateur Radio Association of Australia scored 42,922 contacts during its recent two week DXpedition to Campbell Island. After a delay at sea reaching their destination, ZL9HR with its ten operators activated the remote, uninhabited, subantarctic island of New Zealand on all bands from 160m through to 10m. In the period from 0425z on December 1 through to the last on December 12 at 1604z the team contacted 15,487 unique callsigns. On the popular 20m band were 13,899 QSOs. Breaking that down we find in CW it had 7,530 contacts working 118 DX entities, while for SSB it had fever contacts at 5,821 but more countries on 123. A ClubLog may be found at: http://www.campbell2012.com/index.php/log Well that's all the news I have this week. Do you have a news items that you would like read out on a broadcast? Contact Richard VK2FRKO on email address vk2frko@tpg.com.au or give the item to Richard at the club. Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc. is located in York Street, TERALBA - and is open on Saturday Afternoons from around 12 noon. Also on a Tuesday evening from around 6pm. To make contact at other times, try dialling (02) 49 581588 where an answering service operates. Visitors are always welcome at the club. We have plenty of tea, coffee, long-life milk, and an interesting selection of biscuits.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

WESTLAKES BROADCAST NEWS FOR 9TH DECEMBER 2012

Sunday, November 4, 2012

WESTLAKES NEWS FOR THE 4th NOVEMBER 2012

CONDITION OF ENTRY TO WESTLAKES CLUB HOUSE: Westlakes club members and visitors: It is very important that everyone signs the members/visitors book which is in the hallway adjacent the main doorway. This has come about due to requirements made by our Insurance provider. It also helps the club in any insurance claim that a person has made against the club. Yesterday was the monthly meeting of the club in the library. There were a small number of members in attendance. Did you forget the meeting was on. Items coming out of the meeting were the up and coming Boot Sale next weekend.This will be FREE so please tell all your friends and spread the word around. Anything that you wish to get rid of bring it along. Your unused items may be someone elses treasure. The starting time will be 1200 so people who work in the morning will have time to get to the club. There will be a BBQ for anyone who maybe hungry. Remember any items that you bring and don't sell MUST be taken home with you. This includes your rubbish. Westlakes Cup results with ONLY 4 logs being submitted. Results so far are 1st Place in the Advanced and Standard Licence division goes to VK4UH Kevin and in the Foundation licence class 1st place goes to Richard VK2FRKO. Next year the club will start advertising 6 months earlier to try to attract more participants in this contest. If after next years contest the numbers haven't increased the club will consider NOT running the contest. A working bee will be held this Wednesday so if you have a few hours that you can spare please be at the club at 9 am. Many hands make light work. At the end of the meeting Dave VK2RD rumbled the ticket tumbler, reached into it and selected a ticket. The ticket was then given to Greg VK2CW who read out the name on the ticket. Oh no he said its VK2CCW. Greg thought it may of been his. You see everyone, you have more chances of winning a meat tray if you have a W at the end of your callsign. Congratulations Michael - enjoy the meat tray. A feast was prepared in the kitchen by Diane and Penny. Once again - thank you Penny for your help yesterday. Yesterday, at the club the projects officer was assisting Richard VK2FRKO put his 40 meter QRP kit. It's coming along nicely and with a few modifications to case should be finished soon. Thanks Norm for your help - Richard. VI6ARG30 - Peel Amateur Radio Group celebrates 30 year history in VK6 with special call sign. Peel Amateur Radio Group have a special Anniversary coming up that we would like to share; we're celebrating our 30th Anniversary! To help celebrate we will be using our specially assigned call sign VI6ARG30. We will be operating between 5th November until 18th November. QSL cards will be issued for stations worked. Further details can be found on QRZ.com We will also be having celebrations on Sunday the 11th & 18th November which will include the club setting up in a local park in Mandurah. Everyone is welcome to swing past and say hello. BYO Picnic; please contact us for further details or head to our club page on the WIA website. http://www.wia.org.au/clubs/vk6/PeelAmateurRadioGroup/ We're a growing club with approx 20 members and embrace all areas from Kwinana though to Waroona, incorporating Rockingham and Mandurah in VK6. PARG has been working on a Mobile Communications Trailer for the past couple of years which was obtained through generous donations from sponsors such as SES Mandurah, Mayday and Alcoa. Our trailer is primarily used for emergency radio communications back-up to the SES in Mandurah and Club field days. We are currently in early stages of sourcing a suitable club house in the Peel region. Please do not hesitate to contact any one of our committee members for more information on us and our activities. 73 Michelle VK6MLW President Antenna masts and NSW planning law reform: New South Wales amateurs will recall that, since October last year, the New South Wales Government has been conducting comprehensive reform to the planning laws. As this is the first review of the State’s planning laws for more than 30 years, a golden opportunity was presented to get some consideration for Amateur Radio antenna masts. You will remember that we called for NSW amateurs to make submissions to the planning review last year. The NSW amateur fraternity responded magnificently with a barrage of submissions, wanting Amateur Radio antenna masts to be included in the laws as exempt or complying development. In fact, so many amateurs made submissions that the NSW planning department commented about it on their website in November last year. Draft legislation has recently been posted on the NSW Planning website and the department has invited all interested parties to comment. Disappointingly, Amateur antenna masts have not been included in the draft. I spoke to a policy officer in the department and asked – what do radio amateurs have to do to get some consideration on this issue? The answer – make (more) submissions ! It’s time to express your disappointment and send submissions again. You have until close of business on Friday 9th November. You can email your submissions to codes@planning.nsw.gov.auYou can find the draft legislation on the NSW planning website, at www.planning.nsw.gov.au click on the “Development” tab and select “On exhibition”, and then select “Draft Policies and Plans”. Information on putting together a submission is on the WIA website. The advice we gave last year can be found by typing “antenna masts” into the search field on the WIA website. The battle isn’t over. Amateurs of NSW – get cracking ! Roger Harrison VK2ZRH Wireless Institute of Australia The hidden costs of amateur repeaters. From time to time we hear about the funding difficulties experienced by clubs who run a repeater often not for the benefit of their own members, but for the wider amateur radio community. In New South Wales the Lands Department is continuing on its campaign of introducing high site lease charges all in the name of cost recovery and getting a commercial return for access to sites. Similar things are happening in other parts of Australia which are making repeater operators very anxious. Amateur Radio Victoria funds and licences most of the repeaters in its state, the annual ACMA licence fees are nearly $4000. In addition to this are site fees, take for instance the Mt William repeater VK3RWZ in Western Victoria, the site fees for this repeater are around $1,000 a year. Recently VK3RWZ was restored to service after a major antenna failure; rigging costs alone were in excess of $5,000 for that job plus the new feeders, aerials and radios. A considerable number of complaints were received when the repeater was not on air, most came from non members of Amateur Radio Victoria and since it has been returned to service only a couple of loyal and understanding members have expressed their thanks. Another major new cost for repeater operators is the D-STAR network. Amateur Radio Victoria has spent several thousand dollars to get VK3RMM D-STAR Mt Macedon on air. We now find it has few users, most are not even members of Amateur Radio Victoria. Also with D-STAR comes the monthly expense of internet access for the D-STAR internet gateway. Most amateurs don’t understand the amount of effort made by a small number of dedicated people to continually upgrade installations to meet new commercial technical requirements and the continual replacement program for obsolete equipment initiated by Amateur Radio Victoria. WORLD NEWS: COULD THIS HAPPEN HERE IN AUSTRALIA? Impact of 4G phones on TV. The BBC Radio 4 Today show reports on the possible impact of 4G mobile phones on poorly designed TV systems. The use by some households of poor quality broadband TV boosters that lack adequate filtering means that hundreds of thousands of households risk losing their TV picture when 4G phones start using the 800 MHz frequencies in Spring 2013. A Parliamentary debate on 800 MHz 4G and the problems that badly designed TV systems could face was initiated by Essex MP John Whittingdale (Maldon) and a transcript can be read at http://www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=2012-10-30a.61.0&m=40134. Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited, originally called MitCo, will be responsible for ensuring that consumers continue to receive clear Freeview TV signals following the launch of 4G mobile services in the 800 MHz spectrum band next Spring. DMSL will be supplying filters to reduce interference problems although it is still unclear whether these will be high-quality Bandpass filters which will also attenuate signals below 475 MHz or cheaper Low-pass filters that just filter out signals above 790 MHz. Up and coming Events and demonstrations: Maurie VK2CD - a demonstration of his magnetic loop on a date to be organized. Also a demonstration outside using the new 40 QRP rigs. On a date to be organized as well. Well that's all the news I have this week. Do you have a news items that you would like read out on a broadcast? Contact Richard VK2FRKO on email address vk2frko@tpg.com.au or give the item to Richard at the club. Now to wind up. Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc. is located in York Street, TERALBA - and is open on Saturday Afternoons from around 12 noon. Also on a Tuesday evening from around 6pm. To make contact at other times, try dialling (02) 49 581588 where an answering service operates. Visitors are always welcome at the club. We have plenty of tea, coffee, long-life milk, and an interesting selection of biscuits.

WESTLAKES NEWS FOR THE 28TH OCTOBER 2012

Monday, October 22, 2012

WESTLAKES BROADCAST FOR OCTOBER 21ST 2012

Last weeks lucky meat tray winner Herb VK2ZVF was at the club yesterday to draw this weeks lucky winner. In went the big hand into the ticket tumbler and on the ticket of this weeks winner was Stella, our magazine proof reader. Enjoy the meat tray. Please make a note on your calender that on the 10th NOVEMBER is a CAR BOOT SALE at the club. This will be FREE so please tell all your friends and spread the word around. Anything that you wish to get rid of bring it along. Your unused items may be someone elses treasure. The starting time will be 1200 so people who work in the morning will have time to get to the club. There will be a BBQ for anyone who maybe hungry. Remember any items that you bring and don't sell MUST be taken home with you. While large scale Broadband over Powerlines has all but gone, its cousin which uses internal mains wiring is still being promoted to users in various countries. For example the D-Link adapter promises through advertising a no-hassle network in places WiFi won't reach. It offers a PowerLine AV plus Mini Adapter Starter Kit as the solution for those in need of powerline networking, such as a basement home theatre or similar purposes. The kit enables a direct connection or graft of powerline technology into an existing network, at a really cheap price. Performance is enhanced claimed D-Link by delivering speeds up to 35 per cent faster than standard powerline devices, enabling fast access to email, files, and the Internet in the farthest reaches of the home.D-Link claims that powerline technology delivers a high-performance, stable and secure signal throughout the home and connects a desktop, laptop or wired entertainment device in those hard-to-reach spots inside or in outdoor entertainment areas.Connectivity is important throughout the home according to D-Link, whether it be a basement, in the kitchen, a teenager doing homework in a bedroom, the product is the solution installed in a few minutes. Did you know that The barcode patent turns 60. The now-ubiquitous barcode patch was first patented in 1952, by Norman Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver, but it resembled a circular bullseye. It is the distinctive black-and-white stripes that provide details on everything for purchase and even identification. There are more than five million individual barcodes in use around the world. Although patented on October 7, 1952, they did not make their first appearance until 1974 because they needed laser technology to be easily read. SKA takes shape. In remote Western Australia the world's fastest radio telescope has been launched which will greatly increase the ability to survey the universe. The Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder already has 36 antennas each 12 metres across, started peering into the universe to map holes and new light on the origins of galaxies. The telescope costing $152 million will pick up radio waves from the cosmos, spans an area of 50,000 square kilometres in a designated radio quiet zone. It was also the first in the world's largest telescope, the Square Kilometre Array, based in both Australia and South Africa. Construction of the SKA will begin in 2016 and Australia will add another 60 antennas Westlakes club members and visitors: It is very important that everyone signs the members/visitors book which is in the hallway adjacent the main doorway. This has come about due to requirements made by our Insurance provider. It also helps the club in any insurance claim that a person has made against the club. Yesterday, at the club- Project officer Norm VK2KNC has his partly built 40 meter QRP set. Some components are yet to be ordered so that the kit can be completed. WORLD NEWS AND DEVELOPEMENTS. New organic solar cell offers high voltage to recharge a lithium-ion battery directly. University of Warwick researchers in collaboration with spin-out company Molecular Solar, have created an organic solar cell that generates a sufficiently high voltage to recharge a lithium-ion battery directly, without the need to connect multiple individual cells in series. The new solar technology development will enable portable electronic devices such as e-book readers to be re-charged on the move in low light levels and partial shading. Modules of the high voltage cells perform well in different light conditions including partial shade making them well matched to consumer electronic devices such as e-book readers, cameras and some mobile phones. Organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells offer new opportunities thanks to the potential for cheap manufacture, lightweight, low profile photovoltaics compatible with flexible substrates, which means they are ideally matched to portable electronic device applications. The new OPV technology is a breakthrough as scientists have addressed the problem of low out-put voltage when the module is in low light levels or partial shading taking an important step towards rolling out cheap OPV cells in low-power portable electronics. The scientists, from the University’s Department of Chemistry, have demonstrated a cell with an open circuit voltage of more than 7 V which delivers maximum power at more than the 4.2 V needed to power a standard lithium ion battery. The scientists claim it is the first time these features have been demonstrated using ultra high voltage OPV cells. Professor Tim Jones, one of the lead researchers at University of Warwick, along with Dr Ross Hatton and Professor Mike Shipman, said: “We have taken a big step towards cheap-to-make solar chargers which can top up your devices whenever they are being used – both indoors and out”. “A small light-weight solar charger no bigger than a credit card can be fitted to the battery of an e-book reader for example, and constantly top it up with power while you are reading it - even if you are sitting inside on the sofa”. “Alternatively, this kind of solar cell could be ideal for outdoor use as it is light-weight and portable”. “The next step is to extend this technology outside the laboratory to make cheap OPV chargers available on a commercial scale through Molecular Solar.” The research is detailed in the paper Ultra-high voltage multijunction organic solar cells for low-power electronic applications and was published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials. Crucial pieces of equipment used in this research were funded through the Science City Research Alliance (SCRA) Energy Efficiency project. Molecular Solar is soon to launch a new round of fund-raising to support the commercialisation of this technology. The University received funding from the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) to go towards this research. Mobile phones news. The International Telecommunication Union reports that six billion mobile phones are in use around the world. China and India account for one billion each as it brings us closer to having the equivalent of one subscription for every person on earth with its population being seven billion. From novelty to ubiquity to become near essential devices over the last two decades they have created new industries themselves.With smartphones and mobile internet connectivity, the number of people online has increased considerably with there being twice as many mobile broadband connections than fixed ones. Papua New Guinea 5 island tour. An international team of amateur radio operators will visit 5 islands belonging to Papua New Guinea between 20 October and 4 November, 2012. The team will be: Derek G3KHZ, Hans SM6CVX, Hans-Peter HB9BXE, Eddy K5WQG, Axel DL6KVA and non-ham Stig Nyman. M/V Barbarian will convey the team, starting from Kokopo in New Britain on 18 November sailing via Kavieng to Emirau. Their schedule is as follows - 20-24 October from Emirau island (OC-103) using the callsign P29VCX; 27-31 October from Tatau island (OC-099) using the callsign P29NI; 02-04 November from Lihir island (OC-069), callsign P29VPB. The main team fly home on 6th November. Hans and Stig then continue to Buka island on the M/V Barbarian. The remaining journey will be by air. The plan the following activity as P29VCX - 06-09 November from Buka island (OC-135); 09-12 November from Manu island (OC-025) and 12-13 November from Loloata Island (OC-240). QSL P29NI and P29VPB via G3KHZ. QSL P29VCX via SM6CVX. Well that's all the news I have this week. Do you have a news items that you would like read out on a broadcast? Contact Richard VK2FRKO on email address vk2frko@tpg.com.au or give the item to Richard at the club. Now to wind up. Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc. is located in York Street, TERALBA - and is open on Saturday Afternoons from around 12 noon. Also on a Tuesday evening from around 6pm. To make contact at other times, try dialling (02) 49 581588 where an answering service operates. Visitors are always welcome at the club. We have plenty of tea, coffee, long-life milk, and an interesting selection of biscuits.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

WESTLAKES BROADCAST FOR OCTOBER 14TH 2012

Yesterday, was the clubs general meeting and with a small number of members in attendance some of the items that were discussed were - Possible grant to get installed EMERGENCY exits at two other parts of the club building.( have to install safety ramps ). A very important matter is in regards to the signing of the ATTENDANCE book. This is very important as it covers the event of a fire as record of the number of people that are at the club at the time as well for any insurance matters. I know its pain BUT please do it for the clubs sake. The club is also looking at erecting an EVACUATION ASSEMBLY POINT sign to be put up near the container. The Westlakes Cup contest was talked about as the number of people taking part in the contest is less and less each year. The cups and engraving cost the club $100 and there were only 11 people this year. Only 2 logs have been submitted so far. Something the club is going to trial on the 10th NOVEMBER is a CAR BOOT SALE. This will be FREE so please tell all your friends and spread the word around. Anything that you wish to get rid of bring it along. Your unused items may be someone else’s treasure. The starting time will be 1200 so people who work in the morning will have time to get to the club. There will be a BBQ for anyone who maybe hungry. Remember any items that you bring and don't sell MUST be taken home with you. After the meeting there was a feast put on and prepared by Diane VK2FDNE, Penny and Leigh VK2KAL. It was superb. Thanks from everyone who was there. The next club general meeting will be held on the 3rd November commencing at 1300 hrs in the library. Please come along and support the club. Now a good news story for someone. The ticket tumbler was spun by Norm VK2KNC and a winner selected. There can only be one winner and that was Herb VK2ZVF. Congratulations Herb enjoy your winnings. The project officer Norm VK2KNC has advised the the current project now has 11 members making up the broadcast receiver. Just a reminder that judging day will be at our xmas party and yes there is a 1st prize donated by Geoff VK2GL. Norm also announced that the next club project will be QRP 40/80 meter transceiver. Richard VK2FRKO and Norm VK2KNC have just received their kits and with the purchase of some extra componets we hope to have the kit finished before Christmas. The kit is Australian made. You would be looking at about $140.00 -150.00 for everything. It is a very compact transceiver. Listen and watch out for further reports on this next project. Maurie VK2CD was at the club yesterday to show us his homebrew variable tuning capacitors for his magnetic loop which he is constructing. It just goes to show that yes homebrewing is still around. Congratulations Maurie and well done. Yesterday,Alan ex VK2PNC and now VK2ALL was at the club. Did you manage to congratulate Alan on his upgrade? I am sure he will be at the club again in the near future for you to congratulate him. JOTA around the corner. Scouts throughout the world are getting ready for the 55th Jamboree On The Air which occurs on the weekend of October 20 to 21. This year's JOTA theme is -- How Big Is Your World? -- is an invitation to scouts to reflect on how they can enlarge their own world by interacting with others, while using modern methods of communication. Stations will call 'CQ Jamboree' on preferred calling frequencies but may also pop up anywhere in the band. Most of the contacts will be via voice with scouts talking to others in the movement. Specialised communication can also be used such as video, digital, satellite, IRLP or repeater. Some individual members of scouts already have their own Foundation Licence or a higher grade, while most of those being supervised on air are mostly microphone- shy newbies. The World Scout Bureau had more than 700,000 scouts involved last year from about 6,000 amateur radio stations. New qualification for recreational boaters. A mandatory qualification for recreational boaters using VHF marine radio channels within Australian territorial waters is to be introduced and expected to start in 2013-14. The Australian Communications and Media Authority which reviewed the VHF marine radio operator qualification arrangements has found a new qualification is needed, based on submissions it has received and its own spectrum responsibilities. The ACMA will coordinate the development of the Australian Waters Qualification which will become the new mandatory qualification for recreational boaters using VHF marine radio channels. If you hold the Restricted Radiotelephony Operators Certificate of Proficiency and the Third Class Commercial Operators Certificate of Proficiency, you are still legally qualified to operate a marine radio. You may need to obtain a Satcom if operating certain types of marine satellite equipment. A person operating a VHF marine radio without an appropriate certificate of proficiency or being under the supervision of a qualified person, may be in breach of the Radio Communications Act. Penalties include significant fines and imprisonment. WORLD NEWS: Sprite satellites to be launched. A project called to KickSat plans to send into space 200 satellites in one hit to show off ChipSats called Sprites and developed at the Cornell University in the USA. A CubeSat is being built to carry and deploy the Sprites, spacecraft that include power, sensor, and communication systems. Sprites are the size of a couple of postage stamps but have solar cells, a radio transceiver, and a microcontroller with memory and sensors. After their deployment, telemetry and sensor measurements from the individual Sprites are to be received through Cornell's ground station in New York, as well as several other amateur radio ground stations. The launch date from Cape Canaveral is planned for next July. They are expected to re-enter the atmosphere and burn up within weeks. Intrusions on our bands. The Russian military using the F1B and PSK modes seemed to have increased presence on the 7, 10, 14 and 21 MHz bands with complaints being filed by the German administration BNetzA. The IARU Region 1 reports that between 7000 and 7200 kHz alone, the Russian military occupied 26 frequencies in September. To re-emerge on 40m is the Chinese over-the-horizon radar even stronger than before with 10 Hertz-wide very strong burst signals. They have also been heard with OTH radar signals on 20m and 15m. OTH radar signals have been heard from Australia, Cyprus and Turkey as well. The 10m band is being used by CB operators, taxi service, fish boats and sea pirates in many countries. Raytheon Company has received a $349 million five-year, multi-year contract to provide heavy anti-tank, wireless precision-assault missiles for the U.S. government. Under this contract, Raytheon will deliver 6,676 of the new wireless TOW (tube-launched, optically tracked, wireless-guided) missiles that receive commands from the gunner through a wireless guidance link, eliminating the wire connection in early generations of the missile. With the wireless system built into the missile and the missile case, the next-generation TOW works with existing launch platforms, including the Improved Target Acquisition System, Improved Bradley Acquisition System, TOW2 Subsystem and M220 Ground TOW. The system performs exactly like the wire-guided version, enabling soldiers and Marines to continue using the proven weapon without changing tactics or incurring additional training. The tube-launched, optically-tracked, wireless-guided (TOW) weapon system, with the multimission TOW 2A, TOW 2B, TOW 2B Aero and TOW Bunker Buster missiles, is the premier long-range, precision anti-armor, anti-fortification and anti-amphibious landing weapon system used throughout the world today. TOW is in service in more than 40 international armed forces and integrated on more than 15,000 ground, vehicle and helicopter platforms worldwide. The TOW weapon system is expected to be in service with the U.S. military beyond 2025 Well that's all the news I have this week. This is VK2ATZ. Is there anyone with any late news items? Do you have a news items that you would like read out on a broadcast? Contact Richard VK2FRKO on email address vk2frko@tpg.com.au or give the item to Richard at the club. Now to wind up. Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc. is located in York Street, TERALBA - and is open on Saturday Afternoons from around 12 noon. Also on a Tuesday evening from around 6pm. To make contact at other times, try dialling (02) 49 581588 where an answering service operates. Visitors are always welcome at the club. We have plenty of tea, coffee, long-life milk, and an interesting selection of biscuits.

WESTLAKES NEWS FOR THE 7TH OCTOBER 2012

The lucky winner of the clubs meat tray yesterday was Leonie VK2FHRK The winning ticket was drawn out of the ticket tumbler by new member Peter. Enjoy the meat tray Leonie. In this months edition of A.R. Magazine, the WIA are seeking input from Amateur radio operators around Australia on the current Foundation licence concept/ time for a review. Some of the ideas that have been put forward are use of Digital modes but with this brings more questions in an exam which is meant to be an entry point into Amateur radio - the hobby. Extra power etc are some of the other issues that have been put forward. If you would like to put in a submission please send it to WIA P.O. BOX 2042 BAYSWATER VICTORIA 3153 or by email to nationaloffiLeoniece@wia.org.au Next weekend Diane will be back to man the canteen. I have no idea what she will cook - just have to wait and see. The clubs next general meeting will be held on the 13th October commencing at 1330 hrs in the library. Please come along and help make some decisions as this is your club. As I write this broadcast I am not sure if the club is doing the Oceania contest or not but below are the new rules and guidelines in brief for those who are taking part in it or just given numbers away. 2012 Oceania DX Contest A reminder that the 2012 Oceania DX Contest will be bringing plenty of action to the HF bands over the next two weekends. The PHONE section is on this coming weekend (6/7 October) and the CW section is on the following weekend (13/14 October). This contest provides a unique opportunity to contact a large number of Oceania stations using SSB and CW modes on all of the non-WARC bands between 160M and 10M. As well as VK, ZL and YB stations we are expecting a good turnout from some of the rarer Oceania entities. Note: Oceania 40M PHONE operators are reminded to listen above 7125 kHz for North America stations (and above 7175 kHz for USA General Class licensees). NEW PLAQUES FOR 2012 CONTEST The contest committee is pleased to announce that a number of new plaques are being sponsored for winners in the 2012 contest, as per the following list: - Top entrant from Oceania in the PHONE M1 category (sponsored by Northern Corridor Radio Group in memory of VK6NE) - Top entrant from Oceania in the PHONE Single Operator Single Band 40M category (sponsored by Mike Mather ZL2CC) - Top entrant from Oceania in the CW Single Operator Single Band 40M category (sponsored by Mike Mather ZL2CC) - Top entrant from Oceania in the PHONE M2 category (sponsored by the South Pacific Contest Club) - Top entrant from Oceania in the CW M2 category (sponsored by the South Pacific Contest Club) - Top entrant from Asia in the PHONE M2 category (sponsored by QRO Communications and OM Power) - Top entrant from Asia in the CW M2 category (sponsored by QRO Communications and OM Power) - Top entrant from VK in the PHONE Single Operator All Band Low Power category (sponsored by the Australia Central Coast Amateur Radio Club) - Top entrant from VK in PHONE Single Operator All Band HIGH Power category (sponsored by Tony Hambling VK3VTH) Additionally, Lee Moyle VK3GK is the new sponsor of the the plaque awarded to the top entrant from Asia in the PHONE Single Operator ALL Band category, and the rules for the Australia Club plaque have been updated so that an Australian club now only requires 3 participant stations in order to compete for this award. 2012 RULES Oceania stations can work other Oceania and non-Oceania stations. Non-Oceania stations can only work Oceania stations. PHONE: 08:00 UTC Saturday 6 October to 08:00 UTC Sunday 7 October CW: 08:00 UTC Saturday 13 October to 08:00 UTC Sunday 14 October Bands: 160M to 10M (excluding WARC bands). Exchange: RS(T) + serial number. QSO points: 20 points per QSO on 160M; 10 points on 80M; 5 points on 40M; 1 point on 20M; 2 points on 15M; and 3 points on 10M. Final Score: The sum of the QSO points multiplied by the number of prefixes worked (the same prefix can be counted once on each band). Entry Categories: Single Operator All Band Low Power (max 100W) Single Operator All Band High Power Single Operator Single Band Low Power (max 100W) Single Operator Single Band High Power M1 Multiple Operators and Single Transmitter (only one transmitted signal at any time) M2 Multiple Operators and Two Transmitters (no more than two transmitted signals at any time and on different bands) MM Multiple Operators and Multiple Transmitters (no more than one transmitted signal at any time on each band) Shortwave Listener (receive only) All Band Log Submission: All logs must be emailed or postmarked NO LATER than 12 November 2012. Electronic logs are to be in Cabrillo format. Email PHONE logs to ph@oceaniadxcontest.com and CW logs to cw@oceaniadxcontest.com 73 and we look forward to seeing you in the pile ups! Oceania DX Contest Committee ZL1AZE/VK3MI, ZL3GA, VK2HN, VK3TZ, VK4TS, VK6DXI, VK7GN IARU News: Peter Lake, ZL2AZ, Appointed Chairman of IARU Region 3 The Directors in IARU Region 3 have voted to appoint Peter Lake, ZL2AZ, of Wellington, New Zealand, as the Chairman of IARU Region 3. He replaces Michael Owen, VK3KI, who passed away unexpectedly last month. Owen, who was also President of the Wireless Institute of Australia, had served as Region 3 Chairman since 2006. "I am extremely grateful to my fellow Directors for their support in this difficult time, and for the procedural work by [IARU Region 3] Secretary Ken Yamamoto, JA1CJP, to formalize an appointment," Lake said in a statement. "I will do my best to carry through all the work that we have in progress, much of it due to items and ideas put in place by Michael. It is my privilege to have the opportunity to serve you, the Member Societies and fellow amateurs in Region 3. Lake -- who has been a licensed amateur for more than 50 years -- has been involved with IARU activities for more than 25 years and a Director of Region 3 since February 2005. He began his professional career as an engineer, first with the New Zealand Post Office and then with Telecom New Zealand. He followed this with 14 years at a small and specialized telecommunications consulting company in Wellington that included a wide variety of assignments in the Pacific, Asia and Southeast Asia. “My ‘style’ will probably be different from Michael’s in some ways,” Lake explained, “but our goals are the same -- to ensure a growing and successful IARU Region 3.” Well that's all the news I have this week. Do you have a news items that you would like read out on a broadcast? Contact Richard VK2FRKO on email address vk2frko@tpg.com.au or give the item to Richard at the club. Now to wind up. Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc. is located in York Street, TERALBA - and is open on Saturday Afternoons from around 12 noon. Also on a Tuesday evening from around 6pm. To make contact at other times, try dialling (02) 49 581588 where an answering service operates. Visitors are alway welcome at the club. We have plenty of tea, coffee, long-life milk, and an interesting selection of biscuits.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

WESTLAKES NEWS FOR SEPTEMBER 23RD 2012

First of all I would like to apologise for not getting the news up on the blog over the last while. There are reasons for the omission (none of them sinister) but no excuses. Hopefully things will be on track again from now on. Well the Field day has come and gone and he Committee would like to thank all the members and visitors who attended to make it a great success. Now the collecting of items for the clubs 2013 field day starts again. Remember anything of any value may be someone elses treasure. If you have anything, please contact the secretary. A big thanks must go to all the people involved in keeping the grounds looking tidy for the field day. Job well done. If you would like to help maintaining the lawns and surrounds at the club please make contact with a committee member. The library was a buzz yesterday with the drawing of he meat tray. Alex was on hand to reach into the ticket tumbler and select a winner. This weeks lucky meat tray winner was Penny . Congratulations and enjoy your prize. The clubs next general meeting will be held on the 13th October 2012 commencing at 1330 hrs in the library. This is your club so come along and have some input. Don't leave it to the others to make a decision. Guiding Light. The Wireless Institute of Australia Board invites clubs, groups of clubs and even groups of individuals to consider conducting the WIA Annual Conference. The Annual Conference in 2011 was in Darwin and the host club was the Darwin Amateur Radio Club and the Annual Conference this year was in Mildura and the host club was the Sunraysia Radio Group. The "Guidelines for Hosting a WIA Annual Conference Weekend" is based on the experience of those involved in those two conferences, and Spud Murphy (Darwin) and Noel Ferguson (Mildura) have contributed to the "Guidelines". The Board hopes the pattern set by these two highly successful events can be continued, with different clubs in interesting areas hosting weekends, usually in the latter half of May. The 2013 Conference will be in Perth, but clubs are urged to think about Conferences after that. The "Guidelines" set out the general procedures for a Conference, some of the issues that should be considered and the approach to actually coordinating and managing a Conference. Oceania DX Contest: Jointly held by the WIA and NZART since 1935 there are two contests held on the first full weekend of October. Now called the Oceania DX Contests (OCDX), they run for 24 hours from 0800 UTC on Saturday October 6 for the Phone Contest, while the CW Contest starts on October 13. One of the longest running DX contests it aims to promote HF contacts with stations in the Oceania region. Now if the club can get enough interest and from what I have heard there is some interest BUT we need more operators so that the burden is not on the same people all the time. So feel like helping out please contact VK2RD or VK2ABD. Common show what help you can give us. Illegal radio VKHAM advertising stopped and hams visited. The ACMA campaign against what it calls illegal radios includes inspection visits to hamfests and radio shacks, retailer compliance sessions and the advertising of equipment. It declares that the supply of non-standard radio communications devices is an offence under the Radiocommunications Act 1992, and the latest medium caught up has been the trading website VKHAM. The ACMA at the Centre Victoria RadioFest and elsewhere said that amateur radio transceivers that cover the frequencies allowed by the Amateur Services only do not have to meet Australian standards. However if a radio covers frequencies, or has been modified to cover frequencies outside of internationally recognised amateur bands, then it must according to the ACMA meet the appropriate standards. The ACMA mostly relies on the Land Mobile Radio provision of the regulations and only licences equipment that it has been approved to meet those standards. The ACMA said suppliers had an obligation under section 301 of the Act to ensure that equipment is not supplied to anyone who is not appropriately licensed to operate or possess the device. The ACMA field staff were visiting radio amateurs while in the location and during a recent visit took possession of several radios and issued warning notices. It will take possession of Chinese made transceivers or any other brand that does not meet its standards where they are found during routine inspections or in response to complaints about unauthorised frequency use. Recently VKHAM reminded all it had been advised that the ACMA that they may take action directly with the individual advertisers that are in breach of the Radiocommunications Act. One retailer is understood to have a stock of some hand-held Chinese made radios that usually transmit from 136MHz through to 174MHz as well as the 420MHz to 450MHz band. These would be illegal under the ACMA interpretation of the Act. VKHAM undertook to remove all advertising that was deemed to be in breach of the relevant Act. The ACMA continues its education and enforcement campaign and doesn't have much of a chance of stopping imported equipment at the border through customs. ZL9HR equipment shipped. It's on its way! The ZL9HR 'Logistics Team' are very pleased to announce that the packed equipment crates have left the DXpedition's Sydney base heading south to New Zealand, on schedule and in plenty of time to progress through the required quarantine formalities with the authorities on the New Zealand mainland before the final leg of the trip by sea with the operations team down to Campbell Island in the great southern ocean for the activation between November 28th. and December 9th. WORLD NEWS: South Sudan on air. The amateur bands are active with the first two amateur stations in the Republic of South Sudan. The first is James Pratt Z81A followed by Diya Al - Asadi who works for the UN-WFP (World Food Program). South Sudan gained its independence in July 2011 and ITU has given it a group of callsigns. Diya Z81D will be involved in spreading the callsigns throughout South Sudan. For now, only Z81A and Z81D are active so please be patient. Both can be found on the website http://qrz.com Well that's all the news I have this week.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

WESTLAKES AMATEUR RADIO CLUB BROADCAST NEWS FOR 5TH AUGUST 2012.

Welcome to this week's local news broadcast. This is VK2ATZ, The callsign of Westlakes Amateur Radio Club located at Teralba, Lake Macquarie. Your reader this morning is Barrie. There may be a simulcast being transmitted this morning on 3.565 MHz courtesy of Warren VK2UWP Callbacks follow at the conclusion of this news.Then at 9.30am is a relay of the Australia-wide amateur radio news from VK1WIA. It was meeting time again at the club for our August monthly meeting and some of the items discussed were - Emergency exits for radio room and library, on going for costings etc, Lighthouse weekend away ( NORAH HEAD LIGHTHOUSE )in a fortnights time. Richard vk2rko will be bringing his antennas down and the club will bring down the transceivers,ATU's and power supply and laptop computer for logging the contacts that we make. It should be a good weekend away. Garry VK2DBI will be looking after the running of the Rickety Kate so please support him as all money raised will go to help pay our lease that we have with Lake Macquarie Council. Next weekend, the RD Contest will be held and radio operators are required as this is a 24 hrs contest. Please note the new time that the contest will start 1300 hrs Saturday until 1300 hrs Sunday. Can you spare an hour or so to help log the contacts or operate a radio, please contact Barrie VK2ABD and register your name. After the meeting the meat tray raffle took place and last weeks meat tray winner Garry VK2DBI was at the club to draw out of the ticket tumbler this weeks winner. This weeks lucky winner was Alec VK2ZM. Congratulations Alec enjoy your meat tray. After the drawing of the meat tray, Diane VK2FDNE with the excellent help of Penny and Leigh VK2KAL laid out on the table a fantastic spread of nibblies which was enjoyed by all. There were a number of birthdays being celebrated this month and we wish them all a happy birthday and yes the cake was very nice. The September monthly meeting will be held on the 8th September and NOT on the 1st Saturday as normally held. Both President and Vice President will be away so please take note of the next meeting date. At the club yesterday there was a hive of activity. Some members were showing off their new project( broadcast receiver) and one member had quiet an impressive unit. This project for members who have missed what the project is, it is a broadcast receiver with most of the components been able to be purchased from our store. A prize for the best looking and working unit will get a prize donated by Geoff ( VK2GL). So come on, come to the club and get your bits for the receiver and have some fun. Last Thursday Les VK2RJ was at the club house to show a number of members how to use and operate WINDOWS 7. About 15 people were there and came away with much more knowledge on how to use this operating system. It has been suggested that Les run another class on a Saturday so that other members that could not be there last Thurday can come along and learn more about WINDOWS 7. Please register your name with the club secretary or see Les at the club. Are you a Amateur Radio operator living in the Hunter? Why not join our club and take part in future events. Please contact our club secretary Barrie at our postal address. New members most welcome. Reminder of our Field Day which will be held on the 16th of September. This is a Sunday. All the usual stall holders will be there as well as Andrews Communications. Westlakes famous jelly bean guessing competition, BBQ and raffles will be there. This is your club so if you have anything which you would like to donate ( no TVs, VCRs or computer monitors). Ring the club for further details. Stall holders as well as boot sales are most welcome. VK5DGR to receive ARRL Technical Innovation Award. The ARRL Board has awarded the 2012 ARRL Technical Innovation Award to David Rowe VK5DGR for his work on the amateur radio Codec2 low bit rate speech codec. The ARRL Board minutes for July 20-21 say: 32. On motion of Mr. Norris, seconded by Dr. Weaver, the following was ADOPTED with applause: Whereas David Rowe, VK5DGR, has been a major leader and the primary technical author of an open-source CODEC2 protocol, designed to address the impediment to the development of amateur digital-voice posed by closed sources protocols; and Whereas the open-source nature of this work is a major step forward in the development of digital voice communications; Therefore, the ARRL Board of Directors awards the 2012 ARRL Technical Innovation Award to David Rowe, VK5DGR. On hearing of his award David Rowe VK5DGR said: When I first became interested in Ham Radio as a 12 year old in the late 70's my grandfather bought me the 1979 ARRL handbook. Quite an honor to one day be contributing back to this fine hobby that was my start in a communications and electronics career. That version of the handbook even had a chapter on "Narrow Band Voice Modulation" - an esoteric analog technique to compress speech by removing chunks of audio bandwidth. Who would have thought that 30 years later I 'd be contributing in the same area....... Record year for the ILLW With less than two weeks to go, the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend has already exceeded last year's total of 470 registrations in its 15th year and is headed for a new record. The 48 hour fun event has steadily grown from the 158 in its first year and most of those early registrations continue to be involved. In the United Kingdom there are 60, and half of those can be found in England. There are plenty throughout Europe including Germany on 52 and The Netherlands 25. North, Central and South America have more than 80 stations registered with Argentina, Canada, Chile, Curacao, Honduras, Mexico,Panama and Puerto Rico plus 55 in the USA. Nearly 70 been received from Australia and New Zealand, South Africa has 15 and no matter where you are there will be plenty to work. Most issue special QSL cards. The mainstream media continues to run the story. The Clare Herald reports that the Loop Head Lighthouse in County Clare will be on air courtesy the Limerick Radio Club EI0LHL. It will join others to participate in promoting public awareness of lighthouses and lightships and their need for preservation and restoration. On leaving the Club yesterday, 1 member in his car was heard tooting his horn 3 times before reversing his car. Greg VK2CW was seen laughing his head off. Good on you Richard. WORLD NEWS: Ultra-low power 2.4GHz transceiver platform draws less than 10mW. August 03, 2012 // Julien Happich reports. The IcyTRX developed by CSEM is a new transceiver platform that consumes less than 10mW and is well suited to ultra-low power RF applications such as Bluetooth low energy, WirelessHART, and IEEE802.15.4. The IcyTRX platform has been designed with the goal of reducing power consumption well beyond the state of the art, as well as allowing the use of small coin cell batteries, thus extending battery life and miniaturization far beyond that obtainable today. In addition to a market-leading power consumption of less than 8mA at 1.2V, IcyTRX offers a highly integrated design avoiding external matching components. With a footprint under 2mm2, the chip supports a variable data rate of up to 2MBits/s. Designed in a standard digital 90nm CMOS process, the IC is available as a silicon-proven IP and under license for integration into RF SoCs. In the world's worst blackout in recent times power was cut to 700 million people in India. Jayu Bhide VU2JAU reports that the North-East grid failed due to a fault in the plant and 20 states were affected by the power failure. Work to restore the power was in progress. National Coordinator for Disaster Communication in India, Jayu VU2JAU said that New Delhi had its power cut for 12 hours yesterday. He said in the evening power was restored to some parts of Delhi and the surrounding areas. The work to restore was still in progress. "Hams in and around the affected areas were ready for the emergency communication required during power cuts," said Jayu VU2JAU. They provided emergency communications during the outage, all voice repeaters were in order and did not fail despite the heavy duty back-up power needed. He said, "Hams will still be on their toes until completepower is restored." Further reports on the crisis are expected later. Luckily, said Jayu VU2JAU, "Everything went well and no major casualty was reported". Up to 20 of India's 28 states were plunged into darkness as suppliers failed to meet the growing demand caused by air-conditioning units, flat-screen TVs and other gadgets. Hundreds of trains failed, traffic lights were out, surgical operations cancelled, and underground miners were trapped when their lifts broke down. The blackout raised concern about India's infrastructure. Well that's all the news I have this week. Do you have a news items that you would like read out on a broadcast? Contact Richard VK2FRKO on email address vk2frko@tpg.com.au or give the item to Richard at the club. Now to wind up. Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc. is located in York Street, TERALBA - and is open on Saturday Afternoons from around 12 noon. Also on a Tuesday evening from around 6pm. To make contact at other times, try dialling (02) 49 581588 where an answering service operates. Visitors are alway welcome at the club. We have plenty of tea, coffee, long-life milk, and an interesting selection of biscuits.

Monday, July 30, 2012

WESTLAKES NEWS FOR 29TH JULY 2012:

Welcome to this week's local news broadcast. This is VK2ATZ, The callsign of Westlakes Amateur Radio Club located at Teralba, Lake Macquarie. Your reader this morning is Barrie. There may be a simulcast being transmitted this morning on 3.565 MHz courtesy of Warren VK2UWP. Callbacks follow at the conclusion of this news.Then at 9.30am is a relay of the Australia-wide amateur radio news from VK1WIA. The activity room was buzzing with activity once again yesterday with the latest project been built. That is the receiver built with 1 valve and parts from the club store or from members junk boxs. The competition is going to be close for the judging with almost completed projects. This is what the club needs - more members getting involved in club activities. Also Herb was there demonstrating his audio amp with parts bought from the club store. Next Thursday commencing in the classroom (1000 hrs) VK2RJ Les with applying his knowledge to interested members who wish to know more about the WINDOWS 7 operating system. So far there are about 8 people who will be going. If you have a laptop with Windows 7 on and you wish to come along please contact Les VK2RJ. Make sure your laptop has a fully charged battery. The canteen will be open for lunch as Diane will be there. The meat tray this week was carefully selected from the ticket tumbler by Gloria who just happened to be in town with Keith - VK2PKT. You will be thinking that either Gloria or Keith won the meet tray. Well the lucky winner was Garry VK2DBI. Well done Garry and enjoy the meat tray. On the lunch menu yesterday other than pies and sausage rolls was a stew served up with mash potatoes and slices of a French bread roll. From the members who ate it came great reports. Next weeks menu will be sausages either on a roll or bread. If you have something you want put on the menu please see Diane in the canteen. Diane likes to provide a different meal each weekend. Reminder of our Field Day which will be held on the 16th of September. This is a Sunday. All the usual stall holders will be there as well as Andrews Communications. Westlakes famous jelly bean guessing competition, BBQ and raffles will be there. This is your club so if you have anything which you would like to donate ( no TVs, VCRs or computer monitors). Ring the club for further details. Stall holders as well as boot sales are most welcome. The next Westlakes Club general meeting will be held on the 4th AUGUST as both the President and Vice President Geoff VK2GL will be in the chair. Ricketty Kate is once again been run at the club and this fund raiser will basically cover the clubs Council Rates. Please support this raffle. Confidence of a record ILLW year. With nearly 340 registrations so far in the 15th annual International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend in August, what will be the lucky 400th entry? We have seen the Moritzburg light in Germany score the 100th followed by Point Fermin in the USA as 200th and St Tudwal's lighthouse in Wales as the 300th. Organisers of the fun event held on the third weekend of August are ready for the 400th registration and as it seeks to break last year's record of 470 from 55 countries. Several nations are meeting their total at this time with a virtual flood of registrations in the final weeks. Westlakes A.R.C. will once again be operating from the Norah Head Lighthouse. All the beds are full but you still can come down and operate the radios. Tea and coffee will be available as well as sandwiches for lunch. Plasma TV interference: There is a video on Youtube that shows you what Plasma TV interference sounds like. Take a look as it is very interesting. WORLD NEWS: With a new technology dubbed nPola, Seoul Semiconductor claims it has achieved a breakthrough in LED lighting: nPola LEDs produce 5 times more light that standard LEDs with the same surface. What's more, Seoul sees the potential for a further tenfold light intensity increase. The new product, which SSC holds the unique patented technology rights to, has been under development by SSC for over 10 years. The brightness has been dramatically improved by 5 times over the conventional LED on a same surface area and will be improved up to more than 10 times in the future. Currently, the brightness of a power chip LED in mass production is around 100 lumen but this new product, introduced by Seoul Semiconductor, produces 500 lumen which is 5 times better than a conventional product. As an example, when making a LED bulb for a 60W household bulb replacement, generally, 10-20 LED packages are used but when this new product is applied, the same brightness can be achieved with only 1-2 packages. During the technology presentation in Jong Lo Gu (Korea), Seoul Semiconductor CEO Jung Hoon Lee expressed strong confidence in the new product by saying "For the past 20 years, I've worked very hard in this industry and it is safe to say that this new product is the culmination of 20 years of core technologies. It is the final stage of the LED development process." SSC will immediately begin production of this new product, and it will start sales in strategic markets abroad. Professor Nakamura Shuji, who is also known as the father of LED, was also present at this event to comment on the technology of SSC. Professor Shuji Nakamura, continuously discussed as a candidate for the Nobel prize in physics, is currently a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and is also an advisor to SSC. Cree expands CR series LED downlights for residential and commercial applications July 24, 2012 | Christoph Hammerschmidt | 222908040 Cree expands CR series LED downlights for residential and commercial applications LED lighting technology company Cree, Inc. introduces a new 4-inch CR4 LED downlight and a higher lumen output 6-inch downlight. The new six-inch CR6 downlight uses 87 percent less energy than comparable incandescent lighting and delivers payback in less than one year in many commercial installations, the company claims. Both new products are powered by Cree's proprietary TrueWhite technology to deliver exceptional 90+ CRI. This technology delivers high light quality and maintains color consistency over the rated lifetime of the product, all while maintaining high luminous efficacy, the company claims. The downlights can easily be installed into most standard 4-inch and 6-inch recessed housings – making them suitable for use in both residential and light commercial, new construction or retrofit, applications. The CR4 LED downlight delivers 575 lumens and more than 60 lumens per watt and is a direct replacement for a 50 Watt 4-inch incandescent downlight. The new CR6 LED downlight delivers up to 800 lumens and up to 67 lumens per watt and is a direct replacement for a 90 Watt 6-inch incandescent downlight. The CR Series is dimmable to 5 percent, is designed to last 50,000 hours and features a five-year warranty. The new CR Series is qualified for both residential and commercial Energy Star standards. This higher standard of performance opens up opportunities for more incentives and rebates available from utilities and other entities – further lowering price and barriers to mass LED adoption. The CR6-800L can replace up to 90 Watts incandescent lights and uses only 12 Watts of input power. With typical commercial usage of 12 hours per day and the U.S. national average $0.11 per kWh electric costs, lighting-related HVAC impact and relamp maintenance reductions, many upgrade installations will pay for themselves in less than one year. In European markets with their typically higher energy costs, the lamps most likely will return the investment even faster. Heathkit Declares Bankruptcy, Closes for Good (Again) The July 19 edition of The Herald-Palladium -- a newspaper serving the communities of Benton Harbor and St Joseph, Michigan -- is reporting that Heathkit Education Company has declared bankruptcy and has officially closed its doors after defaulting on its lease. According to the paper, Heathkit employed more than 1800 people in its heyday after World War II; when it finally closed, its workforce totaled fewer than six people. This is the second time since 1992 that Heathkit Educational Services has shuttered its doors. In August 2011, Heathkit announced it was returning to the kit building business, and in September, that it would once again be manufacturing Amateur Radio kits. Heathkit owner Don Desrochers told the newspaper that he has filed for bankruptcy and a bank now owns what’s left of Heathkit; the bank is disposing of some items via online auctions. “The situation was purely one of the economy,” he explained in the article. “Heathkit was primarily dependent upon federal and state funding for schools. Spending in education continued to drop down, and it was economically unfeasible to continue operating. When we got back into the kit business, we were losing the education business faster than we were growing the kit business. It was not sustainable.”Desrochers -- who served as Heathkit’s President and Chief Executive Officer from 1995-2000 before purchasing the company in 2005 -- told The Herald-Palladium that closing Heathkit was hard for him: “It was a tough decision, but you can’t operate and lose money. Hopefully the employees will find other employment. They were great, loyal employees for a long time.” . Do you have a news items that you would like read out on a broadcast? Contact Richard VK2FRKO on email address vk2frko@tpg.com.au or give the item to Richard at the club. Now to wind up. Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc. is located in York Street, TERALBA - and is open on Saturday Afternoons from around 12 noon. Also on a Tuesday evening from around 6pm. To make contact at other times, try dialling (02) 49 581588 where an answering service operates. Visitors are always welcome at the club. We have plenty of tea, coffee, long-life milk, and an interesting selection of biscuits.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

WESTLAKES NEWS FOR 22ND JULY 2012

Yesterday at the club was fairly quiet but you may of seen someone walking around with a new callsign. Yes, it was Barrie ex (vk2bxd). Barrie now has the call of VK2ABD.Congratulations Barrie on your new callsign. The meat tray raffle ticket was carefully chosen from the ticket tumbler and the winner was Penny (XYL of VK2CW). So embarrassed was she the tray was handed back and the re-draw was won by that new-fangled Barrie VK2ABD. I wonder how many of you managed to write to your local Federal member and complain about the cost of Amateur radio licences. They say its how much its costs the A C M A to handle the paperwork related to Amateur radio. I wonder when they will out source their work overseas. Something new for the computer. Hitachi have come up with a 1st. It's a 4TB HARD DRIVE that is the same physical size as your old Hard Drive. Now you can't complain about not having enough disk space. While on the subject of Hard Drives why not check out SSD - SOLID STATE DRIVE that’s no moving parts. At the moment the drives are quite expensive but in time the prices will come down. They perform much faster and are more reliable. Also you have to defrag them. The Activity room was a buzz with action. Our projects officer Norm was busy showing the new receiver to budding experimenters and builders. Also in the Activity room was Herb VK2ZVF who had a FM ( could of been AM ) radio built out of bits and pieces from the store and his junk box. Will this end up as another project for WESTLAKES? Also in the Activity room was David VK2UDW. Now you are most probably wondering what David was doing in there as well. He was getting expert advice from Norm VK2KNC on how to make his brand new computer operated antenna analyser work on his laptop. Not sure how David ended up whether Norm got it working or not. Also at the club was Penny. Now was Penny there to win that fabulous Westlakes meat tray again? No Penny was their to man the canteen in the absence of Diane. Diane also made a brief visit to drop off fresh biscuits for the biscuit barrel. Thanks for your help Penny. Last night several clubs in the Hunter took part in the VK TRANS TASMAN 160 and 80 meter digital modes contest. Voice and digital on 160 meters and digital on 80 meters as the Phone section on 80 meters has already taken place. Hope you went well in the contest guys. Reminder of our Field Day which will be held on the 16th of September. This is a Sunday. All the usual stall holders will be there as well as Andrews Communications. Westlakes famous jelly bean guessing competition, BBQ and raffles will be there. This is your club so if you have anything which you would like to donate ( no TVs, VCRs or computer monitors). Ring the club for further details. Stall holders as well as boot sales are most welcome. The next Westlakes Club general meeting will be held on the 11th AUGUST as both the President and Vice President will be away. I am sure we can another week. ILLW continues to grow. With 315 registrations so far, the 15th annual International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend in August is headed for another record year. Australia has the most registrations followed by the United States and Germany, with lots of nations represented. Being among the new ones are Austria, Chile, China, Curacao, Gibraltar, Honduras, Island of Man, Italy, Northern Ireland, Romania, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland and the Ukraine. A month to go and now is the time to register a lighthouse or lightship for the 48 hour fun event held on August 18 and 19, or even part of the weekend. WORLD NEWS: FCC fines Alaskan CBer for interfering with Air Traffic. The ARRL reports on FCC action against a CBer accused of interfering with air traffic on 21.964 MHz. On July 17, the FCC announced that it had issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture and Order ( NAL) in the amount of $12,500 to Glenn S. Yamada, of Kenai, Alaska. Yamada is accused of “apparently wilfully and repeatedly violate[ing] Section 301 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, and Sections 95.409(a) and 95.411(a)(1) and (b)of the FCC Rules by operating his CB radio “without requisite Commission authorization.” In January 2012, the FCC received a complaint regarding interference to an authorized user in the aeronautical band -- a safety of life service -- on 21.964 MHz. According to the FCC, the complaint “Concerned a male subject talking and interfering with the control and monitoring of air traffic over the North Atlantic.” The FCC’s High Frequency Direction Finding Center (HFDFC) monitored the frequency over the next few days, and on January 31, “observed a subject matching the details of the compliant transmitting on the frequency 21.965 MHz. ” The HFDFC noted that the subject was using the call “1600 Alaska,” that the actual operating frequency was 27.025 (CB channel 6)and that the transmissions were coming from Kenai. Haraoa ZL9HR DXpedition to Campbell Island Things are moving quickly on preparations for the Hellenic Amateur Radio Association of Australia's ZL9HR DXpedition to Campbell Island (650 km or 400 miles south of New Zealand in the Southern Ocean). For those who hate all the hype of the Olympics, Campbell Island is the furthest point on earth that you can stand on, away from London, England! The complete crew of 10 operators is now set (with some reserves in the waiting list should a member have to cancel). The operators are: Tommy VK2IR, John VK3YP,Les W2LK, Gene K5GS, Don VE7DS,Istvan HA5AO, John 9M6XRO, David K3EL, Jacky ZL3CW and Tom KE4KY. A list of equipment that will be taken is already on the web site and the first of the Yamaha generators is due to arrive in Sydney in the next few days. This along with some of the other equipment will be put to the test in the upcoming “Trans-Tasman” 160m SSB contest that the HARAOA won last year and are eager to win again. Heavy workloads on the equipment will also occur in the 80m RTTY section of the same contest. Keen DX-ers who may be looking to get ZL9 on a particular band and mode to move towards a DXCC or other award, should go to the survey on the website at ZL9HR.com and vote for which bands and modes they would like to hear ZL9HR operating on! Well that's all the news we have this week. Do you have a news items that you would like read out on a broadcast? Contact Richard VK2FRKO on email address vk2frko@tpg.com.au or give the item to Richard at the club. Now to wind up. Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc. is located in York Street, TERALBA - and is open on Saturday Afternoons from around 12 noon. Also on a Tuesday evening from around 6pm. To make contact at other times, try dialling (02) 49 581588 where an answering service operates. Visitors are alway welcome at the club. We have plenty of tea, coffee, long-life milk, and stale biscuits. Thank you for reading.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

WESTLAKES NEWS FOR 15TH JULY.2012

Well the meat tray raffle was carefully selected from the ticket tumbler by Leonie VK2FHRK. On the winning ticket was the name Julie. Some of you are going to be thinking- who is Julie. Well Julie just happens to be the daughter of Greg (VK2CW) and Penny. Well the meat tray was once again went to the Smith house hold. Congratulations Julie enjoy the meat tray. News on the Lighthouse and Lightships weekend. The Saint Tudwal's Lighthouse in North Wales is the 300th entry in next month's International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend. A group from the Strumble Head Contest Group GC0OBS, led by Warwick Hall G4WMH will activate the lighthouse on a small archipelago lying south of Abersoch at the western end of Tremadog Bay. The white light and shorter range red flash navigation device was built of stone in 1877 after the island group was bought by Trinity House, the main lighthouse authority for England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar. Despite the economic and political change occurring around the globe, this fun weekend, now in its 15th year, continues to be on course. The basic objective is to promote public awareness of lighthouses and lightships, their need for preservation and restoration, and to give amateur radio some publicity. In the lead on 50 registrations is Australia, followed by the USA (48), Germany (44), and then England (24), Netherlands (19), Scotland and South Africa (12), Argentina (9), Sweden (8), Portugal and Puerto Rico (7), Finland, Poland and Wales (6). The registrations so far come from more than 30 countries made by clubs, groups and individuals.Recent new entries include those from Mexico and Spain, with many more sea-going nations to join in the event on August 18 and 19.While on the lighthouse weekend, a group of Westlakes members will be attending Norah Head Lighthouse on that weekend so the club is looking for radio operators to man the radios during the day and night. If you are interested please contact Barrie, the club Secretary to register your name. Sun unleashes X-Flare. Space Weather reports that sunspot AR1520 unleashed an X1.4-class solar flare on July 12 at 1653 UT. They say: Because the sunspot was directly facing Earth at the time of the blast, this is a geoeffective event. Stay tuned for updates about possible CMEs and radio blackouts. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) recorded a flash of extreme ultraviolet radiation from the blast site. The UV and X-ray pulse from the flare will have partially ionized Earth's upper atmosphere on the dayside of our planet, disturbing the normal propagation of radio signals. Haraoa ZL9HR DXpedition to Campbell Island announcement. The team at the Hellenic Amateur Radio Association of Australia are pleased to announce that the landing permit for the ZL9HR DXpedition to Campbell Island has been issued by the New Zealand Department of Conservation. The DXpedition will take place between the 28th. of November and the 9th. of December. An international team is being assembled for this event on the sub-Antartic Campbell Island. This will be the biggest DXpedition by an Australian club in 25 years and the biggest one in 2012 worldwide. For all information please go to the DXpedition website at ZL9HR.com. 10 year-old Radio Ham on TV Jason Brand VK2FJAB (10) was interviewed for the morning 'Today' show on Channel 9 in Australia. He talks about amateur radio and his Do-It-Yourself space projects. Check his full story on youtube. For those Amateur radio operators who like Space stories, this story is for you. Space Shuttle Grand Finale 2010-11. McLean Fahnestock has produced a High Definition video work showing all 135 space shuttle launches. Watch Grand Finale 2010-11. Google the above and have hours of viewing. Norm (VK2KNC ) has a project in the making. It,s a 1 valve broadcast receiver( plus other components).Norm had the working prototpe on air in the Westlakes activity room yesterday. All parts are available from the Westlakes store. As reported last week, Geoff ( VK2GL) will donate a prize to the winning receiver. All projects will be judged at our Christmas party. Listen to future broadcasts for Norm's up and coming projects. Reminder of our Field Day which will be held on the 16th of September. This is a Sunday. All the usual stall holders will be there as well as Andrews Communications. Westlakes famous jelly bean guessing competition, BBQ and raffles will be there. This is your club so if you have anything which you would like to donate ( no TVs, VCRs or computer monitors). Ring the club for further details. Stall holders as well as boot sales are most welcome. Well that's all the news we have this week. Do you have a news items that you would like read out on a broadcast? Contact Richard VK2FRKO on email address vk2frko@tpg.com.au or give the item to Richard at the club. Now to wind up. Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc. is located in York Street, TERALBA - and is open on Saturday Afternoons from around 12 noon. Also on a Tuesday evening from around 6pm. To make contact at other times, try dialling (02) 49 581588 where an answering service operates. Visitors are alway welcome at the club. We have plenty of tea, coffee, long-life milk, and a rather dull selection of bland biscuits. Thank you for reading.

Monday, July 9, 2012

BROADCAST NEWS FOR THE 8th JULY 2012.

The July meeting of the club took place yesterday and some of the topics discussed at the Committee meeting were passed via those in attendance at the General meeting. An Emergency exit for the Library and radio room discussed and passed and now costing of these doorways will be sort. Australia Day 2013 discussed and once again Westlakes ARC will be in attendance. Volunteers required. Two new members were accepted into the club - Welcome Rob and Peter. They both want to do their Foundation licence when the next course comes around. After the meeting Barrie, ( last weeks meat tray winner ) reached into the ticket tumbler and drew the ticket belonging to June Webb. Congratulations June and enjoy the meat tray. The clubs new project officer has submitted his 1st new project to the club. Norm has chosen to build a broadcast receiver with 1 of the components being a 12AT7 or 12AU7 valve. This project was in the May Edition of Amateur Radio. The valve is available from the Westlakes store but the same valve is available from Jaycar for $30 if you wish to pay that price. Some of the other components will also be available from the store. At the end of the year and at the clubs xmas party Geoff VK2GL has donated a prize for the best receiver. So get going on this great project and bring it along to the club. The club will once again be taking part in this years RD CONTEST. This is a 24 hrs contest and the club is looking for members to assist work the radios and computers. Please see Allan ( VK2JED ) if you can assist in this contest. While on contesting Westlakes A R C came 2nd in the John Moyle Field Day contest and equal 8th place in the 80 meter Trans Tasman contest. Congratulations to all members who assisted us in these two contests. The Westlakes Cup will once again be run and the date set down is the Saturday 15th September. Rules of the contest will appear in AR and the club magazine shortly. Rules are also on the Westlakes webpage. This contest runs for 1 hour only so why not get involved and have some fun. WINDOWS 7 lecture: Les VK2RJ has offered to run a lecture and demonstration on a date to be set. Les has asked that interested persons make contact with him either by email or see Les down at the club. The weekend at Norah Head light house is fast approaching and operators for the radios are needed. All accomodation has been filled but I am sure that in a pinch we could find you some space on the floor somewhere. Please contact Barrie or see Diane if you can assist. A new power point has been installed in the radio room thanks to Dennis VK2XDW. A possible Trash and Treasure day for members will be held after our Main Field day in September. Remember, whatever you bring and don't sell you must take all items home with you. There will be no skip bin available on the day. A discussion was held on a new multiband loop antenna for the club and will be installed in the next month or so. SAFETY RECALL: An electrical safety recall has been issued by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for a selection of HPM white extension cords. According to NT WorkSafe, the extension leads were sold nationally between 1 March and 14 June 2012 in the following retail outlets: Mitre-10, Officeworks, Dick Smith Electronics and Big W.NT WorkSafe executive director Laurene Hull said the wires in the leads had been accidentally transposed during manufacture, meaning the pins on the plug may not be wired to the correct aperture on the socket, leading to a risk of an electric shock. The recall recommends consumers who have purchased the extension leads should immediately unplug the item and discontinue use. Identifying features are... R2702 - 2 metre white extension lead R2703 - 3 metre white extension lead R2705 - 5 metre white extension lead R2707 - 7 metre white extension lead R2710 - 10 metre white extension lead R2715 - 15 metre white extension lead R2601 - 1 metre white extension lead with piggy back plug R2602 - 2 metre white extension lead with piggy back plug R2604 - 4 metre white extension lead with piggy back plug R2606 - 6 metre white extension lead with piggy back plug R2610 - 10 metre white extension lead with piggy back plug Affected products have the date code 02/12, 03/12, and 04/12. What are the hazards? If the Active and Earth wires are swapped, there is a risk of electric shock if the extension lead is used with a Class 1 (earthed) appliance. What are the defects? The wires have been accidentally transposed during manufacture, meaning the pins on the plug may not be wired to the correct appature on the socket. 420-430 MHz in Australia: WIA President Michael Owen VK3KI has released an update on the 70 cm amateur radio band. Internationally, the 420 - 430 MHz part of the 70 cm band exists by a footnote allocating the band on a secondary basis to amateur only in the USA, Jamaica, the Philippines and Australia. In fact, use of the part of the 70 cm band 420 to 430 MHz in Australia has been restricted to Advanced licensees and further restricted by various exclusion zones in NSW, the ACT, and the Jervis Bay area, Sydney, Perth and Melbourne. In April 2008 the WIA reported on the public consultation by the ACMA in respect of its review of the band 403 – 520 MHz. From the outset it was obvious that the amateur band 420 – 450 MHz would be affected. Fairly early on, the bands 430 – 450 MHz was announced to be “out of scope” for the review. However, the ACMA has indicated that segment from 440-450 MHz may be used on a temporary basis by displaced land mobile services until they are relocated during the transition phase. In September 2008 the WIA reported on the release of the submissions received by the ACMA, and in June 2010 the WIA further reported on the ACMA’s announcements. An examination of the WIA 70 Cm Band Plan shows that the band 420 – 430 MHz is largely “Restricted”. The band is allocated in Australia to radiolocation and mobile as primary, and that primary mobile use is by government networks supporting essential and emergency networks supporting police, fire and ambulance. That use commenced in 1999, and since 2009 the Council of Australian Governments has supported interoperability and harmonisation of those services. The only real problem that the withdrawal of this segment creates is that there are a number of repeater link assignments that will need to be moved by 1st January 2013. There are some 34 licensees affected, mainly clubs. In addition, there are other amateur repeater links that may be able to operate beyond that date, and the WIA is currently negotiating with the appropriate parties. When the matter is clarified, the WIA will also be in contact with the relevant licensees. While the ACMA will be formally writing to the affected licensees, the WIA has undertaken to contact each licensee as soon as it is able to do so, to ascertain whether there are any special difficulties in moving and to ensure that the WIA repeater frequency coordination is available to assist as required. Despite the issues yet to be resolved, the ACMA has advised the WIA that the band 420 to 430 MHz will be withdrawn as a secondary allocation at least for general amateur use from 1st January 2013. WORLD NEWS: Computer Virus Could Leave Thousands Unable to Use Internet. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world could be in for an unwelcome surprise Monday, unless they check their computers now for malware that infected their machines a year ago. The virus caused by Eastern European computer hackers will make it impossible to access the Internet. • DNS is Domain Name System, an Internet service that translates user friendly domain names into numerical IP addresses • DNS and DNS servers are necessary to access websites and send e-mail. • Criminals who control a user's DNS server can control the sites that user connects to on the Internet. • The DNSChanger malware lets criminals infect computers. • The malware replaces user's DNS server settings with servers operated by the criminal. Facebook and Google, websites used by billions of people every day, are alerting users who they suspect may have infected computers. They also provide information on what people can do to fix the problem.The hackers used an online advertising scam to take control of nearly 600,000 computers last year, harvesting information about users and directing them to fraudulent websites. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation smashed the computer ring and temporarily set up two Internet servers so that users can remain on line. But that temporary fix will be closed down at 0401 UTC Monday. Well that's all the news I have this week. Do you have a news items that you would like read out on a broadcast? Contact Richard VK2FRKO on email address vk2frko@tpg.com.au or give the item to Richard at the club. Now to wind up. Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc. is located in York Street, TERALBA - and is open on Saturday Afternoons from around 12 noon. Also on a Tuesday evening from around 6pm. To make contact at other times, try dialling (02) 49 581588 where an answering service operates. Visitors are alway welcome at the club. We have plenty of tea, coffee, long-life milk, and an interesting selection of biscuits.

Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc.

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