WESTLAKES NEWS FOR THE 9th MARCH 2014.

Yesterday at the club there were 3 meetings, the 1st being a Committee meeting followed by a Newcastle show debrief and then our monthly meeting. Barry VK2VBF chaired the debrief and took notes and wrote them on a white board and in time will write up a summary of the pertinant details. In the absence of our President, Vice President Geoff VK2GL chaired the meeting and some of the discussion points were – grass cutting of the grounds of the club by our mower boy. Next the roof will be looked at and repaired so that no more water enters the building near where the attendance book is situated. This will require a complete new Box gutter and a covering mesh to prevent leaves from blocking the gutter. Richard and John, (one of our new members who is a Builder) are looking after this project. An offer of some new security camera’s was made and will be looked into where they will be installed. After the meeting the meat tray draw took place by Ally VK2AFZ and on the winning tickets was the callsign of Lloyd VK2XAA . Congratulations Lloyd and enjoy the meat tray. In the common room Penny had prepared a feast and with a new rattler of the can, (VK2FDNE) for donations for the feast everyone was seen enjoying an excellent selection for afternoon tea. A BIG thank you Penny from everyone yesterday. There will be no involvement in the John Moyle field day by Westlakes as nobody has come forward to offer their assistance. VI2ATZ50 will be aired during April at various times from the club shack and also in a portable capacity by allocated club members to give the most exposure to the Amateur population. Requirements to qualify for the Award will be... 1) 5 contacts with VI2ATZ50 2) 3 contacts with VI2ATZ50 and 3 club members 3) 10 contacts with WARC members A station could easily qualify on one of our morning club nets... eg: 10 members on air or VI2ATZ50 controlling a net and required members etc... VI2ATZ50 could visit another club’s net and allow points toward the award. A special QSL Card will forwarded to all stations who make a contact with VI2ATZ50. All operations of the special call MUST keep an accurate log of all contacts so that contacts can be entered in a Master log for award scoring. Station ID: VK2ATZ/P Along with the special event callsign comes our Luncheon at the Cardiff RSL club. The date of this luncheon is April 6th and meeting at the Cardiff RSL at 1100 for all you can eat. The cost is $27.50 per person BUT... Westlakes will subsidise the rest of the cost. That means you ONLY pay $25. The club has a bulk seating arrangement with the club so you must have lodged your name with Greg VK2CW or Diane VK2FDNE by the end of this month. JOHN MOYLE FIELD DAY 2014 This year the contest will occur over the weekend of Saturday the 15th to Sunday the 16th March, the duration of the contest will be from UTC 0100 on the Saturday to 0059 UTC on Sunday. That’s next weekend so listen out on all bands - you just might hear some familiar callsigns. The Port Stephens A.R.C will be operating out of Pioneer Park, Somersby. Today ARNSW are holding a HF ANTENNA DAY and Richard VK2FRKO and Leigh VK2KAL will be there. I am sure they will come back with a heap of knowledge. Either that or Richard will show them how it's done. WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- ILLW Set for International Lighthouse & Lightship Weekend. Australia on course for another very successful weekend in August with 35 registrations so far, including a lightship moored at Brisbane. Around the coast VK3 is in the lead with 11 registrations, VK4 has eight, VK7 on five, VK2 and VK6 tied on three, and in VK5 there's two registered. Cape Todd Lighthouse, popular last year as VK8GM at Alice Springs, is also ready for the Todd River Regatta. In Queensland, the Bunya Mountains and District Amateur Club has registered the Carpentaria Number 2 light-vessel at the Queensland Maritime Museum. The club will issue a special QSL card. Identical riveted steel acetylene powered barge-mounted lights were built in Sydney in 1917. They served as ship navigation in the Gulf of Carpentaria. The label of 'Carpentaria' stuck, even when later stationed in Victoria's Bass Strait oilfields. The sister Carpentaria Number 4 lightship at Sydney's Darling Harbour was in last year's event. Plan now to join in and register a marine beacon on-line for August the 16th and 17th weekend, by visiting the dedicated website www.illw.net ARE YOU A CW SPECIALIST? Then this contest is for you. Maritime Radio Day 2014 April 14th to April 15th. The Maritime Radio Day is held annually to remember the nearly 90 years of wireless service for seafarers. Since its beginning in 1900, Maritime Radio was in use mainly until the end of 1998. The MRD is open to all Amateur Radio Stations. Special stations (like Coastal radios and ship callsigns) can participate to the MRD only if operated by former Commercial or Navy operators, or by radio technicians who worked in the installation and/or maintenance of naval equipment. If you are a former merchant marine Wireless Operator (or former technician) please register to this event by communicating your certificate type/year and the details about your MRD activation to R/O Rolf Marschner at: dl9cm@t-online.de Rules: 1 Bands: 160m, 80m, 40m, 20m, 15m & 10m & WARC 2 Mode: CW only 3 Power: not limited Full Rules are available at www.trafficlist.net/mrd/‎ SWLs have to send a complete log entry. Licensed operators can send their contact list with naval, coastal, special stations to dl9cm@t-online.de IC-7700 Firmware upgrade. ICOM has announced a firmware upgrade for the IC-7700 HF/50MHz base station transceiver. The upgrade will provide the same additional features as made available to its big brother transceiver, the IC-7800. The new firmware will be available for download from the ICOM website during March.