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.