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.