WESTLAKES NEWS BROADCAST FOR APRIL 28TH 2013

Good Morning and welcome to this week's local news broadcast. The drawing of this weeks meat tray went ahead at about 2pm and last weeks winner Warren was not at the club to draw this weeks luck winner. However a ticket was drawn and Congratulations to Alex VK2ZM. Enjoy the meat tray Alex.... Quite a good rollup at the club yesterday where we had a visit from Keith VK2BKF who is downsizing and moving away to Dural. As a result, the club was the recipient of some very nice gear donated by Keith. Great to see you again Keith and thank you. Also Geoff VK2GL arrived with the back of his ute filled with large cartons of all radio related magazines that came from the late VK2BSC. There are AR back to 1955, 73 magazine, Amateur Radio Action etc, Some very good articles amongst these so have a look and take what you want. As usual Michael had his famous hamburgers on the menu and they were well received by the hungry mob lined up to put their order in. Thanks Mike. We are looking for a donation of a set of Car Ramps so we can service the Ride On Mower. If anyone has a set they no longer use they would be most appreciated. Next Saturday is the clubs A.G.M. so if you have the time please attend the club for this meeting. This is where members vote for their club President/Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer and their Committee for the next 12 months. The meeting will commence at 1:30 pm in the library. Last Tuesday sometime someone dropped off 3 VERY heavy fire doors at the club. Thank you Denis VK2XDW for your donation. They will make great Trestle tables... Amateur Radio Antennas and Masts in NSW Date : 19 / 04 / 2013 Author : Roger Harrison - VK2ZRH For all New South Wales amateurs waiting to hear what the NSW planning department is doing about amateur radio antennas and masts, I have some news for you. Last week I had a discussion with one of our contacts in NSW Planning & Infrastructure. There’s some good news and some not so good news. The good news is: NSW amateurs will get pretty much what was wanted. That is – antennas and masts up to 10 metres height will be an exempt development within residential zones R1 to R5. There will be no need for a development application to your local council, or a consent certificate, provided the structure meets a few simple parameters – such as complying with Australian Standard AS 1170, footings to comply with Australian Standard AS 3600, the structure positioned at a specified set-back from the nearest boundary depending on its height, and so on. Because it will be a code within a State-wide Environmental Planning Policy, it cannot be overridden by local councils. We will know more about the detail later, and hope there aren’t too many devils in that detail. You will have to be patient for it to become law – that’s the not so good news. I was informed that, in relation to the planning regulations that affect us (and many other stakeholders as well), the legal branch of the department will be submitting the revisions to the parliamentary counsel – the people who actually draft the legislation – by the end of the second quarter this year. That means June. When the parliamentary counsel completes it work, it will be recommended to the NSW Governor, who will make the legislation, which will then be gazetted some time later this year. However, the legislation will not come into effect for another six weeks after that, to allow time for local councils and other organizations to become familiar with it. Maybe, just maybe, amateurs in NSW will have a Christmas present! Our contact in the planning department said that they had enjoyed the input from the "amateur communications lobby". However, he did say that it would not be productive for you all to continue writing. Further letters to the department, the NSW Minister for Planning, or your local member - even just "thank you" letters - would only necessitate them taking time out to write replies, rather than concentrating on the important work of completing the legislation. If you want to write or email your thanks or comments, send them to WIA President Phil Wait VK2ASD. The Institute will, at the appropriate time, convey everyone’s thanks to the planning department and the minister. I must congratulate and thank everyone – individual amateurs and radio clubs alike – who went to the effort of making a submission during all the phases of the NSW Planning System Review over the past 18 months and also writing to your local members last year. All the effort has paid off. I expect that, in a few years, amateur antennas and masts will rise up across metropolitan and regional suburbia like the quills on a feral echidna! Or, to paraphrase a famous misquote: "Let a thousand antenna masts bloom"! The average Australian Internet speed has fallen in 2012 with it now ranked at 41 out of 98 nations, or a third of top ranked South Korea. On average Australia fell 23 per cent while worldwide it rose five per cent in the latest State of the Internet report by Akamai Technologies, a US-based computing firm. Australian’s had an average connection speed of 4.2 megabits per second, compared to the global average of 12.9 megabits per second. The slip in Australia is high given the progress of the National Broadband Network (NBN) that currently promises to delivers 100 megabits per second by 2021. Worldwide Internet subscribers grew 9.8 per cent in the year. WORLD NEWS: Birthday of Samuel Morse. Samuel Morse, who introduced telegraph communications in the United States, was born 222 years ago today on April 27, 1791 in Charlestown, Massachusetts. On 24th of May 1844, he famously sent the message "What hath God wrought" (quoting Numbers 23:23) by telegraph from Washington D.C to Baltimore. Smartphone becomes a two-way radio. Hailed as the first docking device that turns a smartphone into a traditional multiband hand-held radio, has been revealed by Bricom Solutions. Promised to be available in December, the company claims it wants to bring together the best of both worlds in the communication industry. The Alianza DXB by Bricom Solutions is said to allowing users to seamless communicate with other two way radios. The smartphone gives a multiband feature allows seamless interoperability across VHF and UHF bands. It would be targeted at anyone needing to communicate even when no mobile network is present. 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 for Call backs... Firstly from Mobile or Portable stations ONLY. Now from Base stations to acknowledge they were listening... Finally from anyone with comments to this mornings news... Now to wind up. Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc. is located in York Street, TERALBA - and is open on Saturday from around 11:00 am. 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, a good Canteen and an interesting selection of biscuits.

WESTLAKES NEWS BROADCAST FOR APRIL 21ST 2013.

At the club yesterday was the annual car boot sale. Not many car boots were open due to the weather which was absolutely terrible. There were about 10 tables selling off various goodies. An estimated 50 - 60 members and visitors were at the club. One visitor was Tim VK4HFO long time friend of Paul VK2HV. On display were brand new screwdriver type HF mobile antennas. Very well constructed and the quality was of a very high standard. Details of the vendor can be obtained from the club secretary if anyone is interested in purchasing one. Michael VK2CCW was busy cooking on the BBQ while Diane VK2FDNE and Penny prepared the salad and bread for the steak and sausage sandwiches. On behalf of the Westlakes Committee we would like to thank everyone who attended and made the day a great success. The weeks lucky meat tray winner was Warren VK2UWP. Yes, you can smile Warren as it is a great prize to take home. Enjoy the meat tray. Also sold out was the clubs Rickety Kate tickets. 1st prize went to Richard VK2FRKO, 2nd prize went to Joe VK2JHB and 3rd prize went to Karen VK2NYL. Congratulations winners and thanks to all members and visitors who bought numbers in the Rickety Kate. Thanks must go to Garry VK2DBI who sold all the tickets. A message from our friends THE A.C.M.A. ACMA advised on Friday that the Licence fee has increased to $73.00 effective immediately. A new 2 metre repeater came on air during the week. It is VK2RWH located on the Sugarloaf Range, west of Newcastle. The frequency is 147.150 MHz with a 600 positive offset. Please note that to access this repeater a CTCSS tone of 123HZ is required. The repeater is operated by WICEN NSW. This item was supplied by Dennis VK2XDW. The ILLW reaches a milestone. The honour of being the 200th registration in the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend in August, goes to the Whitby High Light GB2WHL in England. The special event station GB2WHL, by the Denby Dale Radio Club, is on the North Yorkshire coast near the historic fishing town of Whitby - well known as the place Captain James Cook became a seaman before leading his epic voyages of discovery. Built in 1858 it helped ships avoid the Whitby Rock, close to the harbour entrance. The lighthouse, now on private grounds, is reached with its owner's permission via narrow roads. A special QSL card is available on request. So far there are registrations from 29 countries. To read the guidelines for the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend on August the 17th and 18th or to register online a lighthouse, lightship or maritime beacon, visit the website at illw.net That Item From Jim Linton VK3PC HF radio call gets accident scene help. Recently a mobile radio amateur was in an emergency communications exercise deep in a remote Victorian forest. The drama unfolded as Terry Murphy VK3UP and several others were on a day outing to Mount Disappointment, an hour north of Melbourne. They were accompanied by a crew from 4WD TV, the program with around half a million loyal weekly viewers across Australia and New Zealand. The TV crew was interviewing the vehicle owners when a trail biker arrived to announce that his mate had come off his bike, injured himself and was bleeding profusely. Terry VK3UP drove 7 km down to the accident site where he and a mate performed first aid. There was no mobile phone coverage at the accident scene so Terry set up his mobile transceiver on 40m. He contacted Andrew Davis VK2UH of Yass, New South Wales, who made the phone call to emergency services. Paramedics were transported by Terry VK3UP in his 4WD vehicle. Hours after the accident, the patient was taken to hospital. It will be some time before he can start his new job as a plasterer. AX prefix available on ANZAC Day. The Australian Communications and Media Authority allows radio amateurs to substitute their normal VK callsign prefix with the letters AX every ANZAC Day April 25. Those radio amateurs using AX are strongly encouraged to have a QSL card under their alternate callsign. To help commemorate ANZAC Day, the use of CW and AM is used to keep alive those modes used during World War 1 and 11, the Korean, Malaysian and even in early Vietnam conflicts. The Port Stephens A.R.C. will be once again be operating out of Fort Scratchley next Thursday (ANZAC DAY )from around 1200 onwards until about 3 pm. Give them a call either on 40 or 20 meters. Everyone is welcome to come along. WORLD NEWS: GPS jammers used by taxi drivers. To track of the modern taxi by finding the closest one vacant to a job and for security reasons, cabs are fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. The supply and use of a GPS jamming device has been outlawed in Australia since 2004. Certain intelligence received by the ACMA indicated the illegal devices may be in use by some drivers to block signals. An initial investigation was held in Melbourne. Then in a joint initative called Operation Signal, the ACMA joined with the Victorian Taxi Directorate at the Melbourne Airport taxi holding yard to re-educate drivers about the unlawfulness of GPS jammers. ACMA field staff were armed with fact sheets and a spectrum analyser, where they spoke to drivers. The information given out was well received, with drivers engaging in conversation and asking questions. The operation was a success and hundreds of taxi drivers should now know that GPS jammers are prohibited. Google makes a bold prediction. Everyone will be online by the year 2020, according to search engine Google that has 2 million connected to the Internet and other 5 billion in the next decade. Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt reveals that for every person on the net there are two without it. The International Telecommunication Union figures had about 38 per cent of the world's population is using the Internet in some way. Google supports a not-for-profit group Geeks Without Frontiers, that donates computers and related wireless access technology to poor areas. Its currently helping to bring WiFi access to parts of Mexico, Central America and Africa. Google rarely makes predictions that they know won't come true. Time will tell whether it is wrong in 2020. 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 from around 11:00 am. 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, a good Canteen and an interesting selection of biscuits.

WESTLAKES NEWS BROADCAST FOR APRIL 7TH 2013

It was the clubs meeting day yesterday and a good number of members attended it. In the absense of President Steve, Vice President Geoff took the chair and was assisted by Dave VK2RD who had the Treasurers report as Greg was away. The club insurance for the building was reduced by at least $500 by switching to another insurer, extra exits were spoken about and Geoff is going to do a costing on them. Projects - Norm VK2KNC spoke on a number of new projects that he will introduce to the club in the next few months, Morrie VK2CD will do a demonstration of his magnetic loop antenna soon. Two new membership applications were accepted and they were John Shroder and Fred Farrer. Welcome aboard. After the meeting the drawing of the meat tray took place. Leonie VK2FHRK was at the club and she reached into the ticket tumbler and pulled out another female radio operator. Yes, it was Diane VK2FDNE. How did this happen? Congratulations Diane - enjoy the meat tray. After the meeting Chris prepared a feast for everyone present. On behalf of the members yesterday thanks Chris for a job well done. At the club yesterday was Leigh VK2KAL/VK2KY after his extended stay in the John Hunter Hospital last year as well as this year. Welcome back Leigh. A number of members have put there hands up to take up positions as Examiners and Testers with the WIA. They are waiting on Police checks before they can be accepted by the WIA. Please remember the clubs car boot sale on the 20th April commencing at 12 midday. Got something to sell - can be anything BUT REMEMBER what ever you don't sell you must take back home. Russell VK2VK is looking for a couple of 886A mercury rectifiers for a project he is doing or rebuilding. If you can assist please contact the club or Russell. Now this is very important information for everyone that users VK2RTZ repeater 146.775 MHz. To gain access you will need to have the 91.5 CTCSS tone programmed into your radio. If you don't have this tone you will not be able to use it. This has come about due to the increasing incidence of interference that has been interfering and locking up the repeater. Now those members and non members who have older radios and require TONE BOARDS the club is about to order and obtain circuit boards and parts to make these boards as kits. If you would like to order one of these tone board kits please register your name with a committee member. The cost of the kit is unknown at this stage. The Hunter group also have kits for tone boards and the cost of the boards were around $15.00. I will get in touch with the Hunter Group and see how many boards they have and an updated price. Remember no 91.5 tone no repeater access to 146.775 MHz. UP FOR TENDER - 2 AIRCRAFT RECEIVERS: The club has obtained 2 Watkins-Johnson which are rack mounted and cover the frequency range 20MHz - 300MHz. These are fully transistorized and are built to military specs. The condition is unknown at this stage but will be tested. The tender will be for the pair of receivers and anyone interested should write to the club and place their bid in an envelope. Tenders will close at the clubs A.G.M. meeting. Also up for tender are 2 HP frequency counters. The 1st is a 516B 100MHZ and the 2nd 0-500 MHz measures Period and frequency. Has a module in it. Once again the condition is unknown but we have been told they worked. Once again tenders must be in writing addressed to the club with your bid. The lawns at the club were once again mowed. If you would like to help please give your name to a committee member. I am sure some of you could spend an hour helping your fellow club members mow the lawns. WORLD NEWS: Best Handheld Radios. Bill Carmichael has launched a website to provide information on the latest handheld technology, product reviews, and articles from radio enthusiasts globally on their own best handheld radio . The Quad-Band Yaesu VX-8DR and the Yaesu FT-60R Dualband Handheld are among the radios featured on the site. Best Handheld Radios http://www.besthandheldradios.com/ HOW ARE YOU AT DOING CW? French CW Society - Special Event. Look for special event callsign TM28UFT to be active during the 28th annual meeting of the French CW Society, the Union Francaise des Telegraphistes UFT, which will be held in Panazol, Région Limousin, Centre France, between April 7-21st. Activity will be on the HF bands and possibly more, for this CW only operation. QSL Manager is Bernard, F9IE. All QSOs will be confirmed by the Bureau. SWL QSL cards should go also via the French Bureau. After the operation and before you QSL, please check your QSO online at the UFT Web site www.uft.net. However, those who would like to have a direct card, should ask for it not before July 15th, to Bernard, F9IE, (QRZ.com address is correct). In such a case, don't forget SAE and 1 valid IRC or 2 USDs. ARE YOU CHASING A BIT OF DX? Samoa DXpedition A team of 15 German amateur radio operators will be active as 5W0M from Le Lagoto between April 4-18th. Activity will be on 80-6 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY plus 2 meter EME. They plan to have four stations active simultaneously on the air with amp and various antennas. QSL via DL4SVA, direct or by the Bureau. QSL EME QSOs via DL9MS. A OQRS will be available for QSL requests for Bureau QSLs or direct cards. A Web page is available at: http://5w0m.hkmann.de Fall in UK amateur radio exams. The February 16 RSGB board proceedings report the number of exam entrants was 17% lower than the same period last year. The proceedings also say a proposal had been submitted to the Warwick Business School for an MBA project to review the Society's branding. Is the same thing happening in Australia? We have higher Examination fees and the cost of licences have rising again. Are we a dying hobby? I hope not. The Buzz - Electric car and 52MHz. Peter Ellis VK1PE has found a story that may have a hidden threat for 6 metres, in Japan and potentially elsewhere. From "What's new in Electronics" magazine for March/April 2013, comes this story. Conventional battery-based electric vehicles are not popular with drivers because of drawbacks that mostly stem from the need to store large batteries on-board cars, so there are strong demands for alternative means of powering electric cars. In a novel approach, Takashi Ohira at Toyohashi University of Technology and colleagues are developing an innovative method for powering EVs that drastically reduces the number of batteries. The approach exploits the steel belt usually embedded in rubber tyres. The steel belt collects power excited from a pair of electrodes buried beneath the road surface. And, since the steel belt is electrically insulated by the rubber tread, the researchers used a displacement current at high frequency to penetrate from underground to the steel belt. The researchers constructed a 1/32 scale electric vehicle to prove their concept. The car moved successfully with a power penetration efficiency exceeding 75% at... 52MHz. This is the world's first demonstration of electric power transfer via the car wheel to the vehicle. So, will the frequency scale, too? Up, to 1.664GHz; or, down, to 1.625MHz. Or, will it just stay on 6 metres? For National Radio News, Peter Ellis VK1PE BPL gets home entertainment application: Broadband over powerlines (BPL) is now being claimed as the way to go for multi-room audio systems and superior than existing wireless solutions. At the prestigious CeBIT trade show for information and telecommunications technology in Hannover Germany (3-8 March), a product has been launched by Arkados and devolo AG that is called a dLAN Audio World. It is an in-house BPL HomePlug based system that extends music throughout a building via the mains power wiring. Arkados and devolo AG claim their product delivers a ‘longer range and more reliable quality-of-service than any other wireless solutions in the market’. It transfers digital music directly from an iPod, internet radio, computer of any sources and connects it up to four rooms. One of the world’s suppliers of BPL products, devolo, has teamed up with chip maker Arkados to create the new product they claim is the solution offering ‘whole-house music that sounds great’. Arkados has also commended US President Barack Obama and the Congress for ear-marking $4.5 billion towards smart grid technology and $7.3 billion to expand broadband into rural or under-served communities. The company claims to have already done the required research and development to enable it to deliver smart grid (including smart meters) and rural BPL broadband systems. IBM which is in partnership with International Broadband Electric Communications is also vying for a slice of the US Government’s economic stimulus package to also roll out BPL into rural communities. 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 from around 11:00 am. 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, a good Canteen and an interesting selection of biscuits. Handle every Stressful situation like a dog. If you can't eat it or play with it, Pee on it and walk away