WESTLAKES NEWS BROADCAST FOR 4TH AUGUST 2013.

Yesterday at the club was the monthly meeting and some of the topics up for discussion were. The egress doors were discussed and hopefully by our September meeting we will have them completed thanks to Dave VK2RD and Maurie VK2CD who will put their wood working skills to task. The coming weekend at the Norah Head was discussed, rates for Lake Macquarie Council were discussed, the 160 meter tower in the swamp was discussed as the club pays rent on the ground in the swamp,the ride on mower is now usable buts needs a little more work done on it and thanks to Herb VK2ZVF, there was some talk THE IRLP computer which is now completed and operating. The move to the club will give access so maintenance can be done more easly. Geoff VK2EO made a request that he chase up a better deal for internet and that the club moves towards a internet phone and this was granted.Also discussed was Westlakes A.R.C. 50th Anniversary so if anyone has any ideas please contact a committee member with your ideas. Some ideas put forward so far are that the club applies for the a special callsign to be used for 1 year or for a period and let the members use the callsign at their own QTH using the clubs special callsign. At the end of the meeting the draw for the meat tray went ahead. Diane VK2FDNE spun the ticket tumbler and the winner of the clubs last 2 meat trays reached in and selected a ticket. It just happened to be the oldest person at the meeting yesterday... Ted VK2UI... congratulations and enjoy the meat. Just to add a foot note to this, Ted left the club without the meat tray and Diane VK2FDNE kindly dropped off the tray to Ted's QTH. After the drawing of the meat tray a grand feast was then presented to everyone to eat. Thanks Penny for a job well done. During the afternoon Geoff VK2EO connected back up the clubs internet with a brand new modem. Geoff with the help of VK2JJW and VK2RD were seen carrying in a pc - most probably the IRLP pc and soon afterwards Geoff was seen walking around with a yagi's folded dipole section to be used as the antenna as temporary measure. In the activity room Marcel VK2FMDB was demonstrating to Richard VK2FRKO and Geoff VK2YFA his voice recorder that he had constructed to be used in contesting. With a press of a button Marcel's CQ message came to life. The recorder has a delay in which his message could be repeated at certain intervals. If someone answers him, just by pressing the PTT button stops the recorder and then you can pass on each details. If anyone is interested in Marcel's voice recorder please contact Marcel or see someone on the committee. Marcel also had a signal generator which can be used to work a relay on another transmitter. Good to see some great ideas been developed by club members. MORSE CODE CLASSES TO COMMENCE: Anyone wishing to learn morse code or pick up their pace a bit John Trinnie will be holding classes shortly so if you are intersted please pass on your details to our club secretary. Who invented the mobile phone? Nathan Stubblefield was granted a patent May 12, 1908 for a wireless telephone able to transmit calls using radio giving him the recognition he deserves. The large transmitter used is the first proper long-distance phone network. It made possible to broadcast and receive voice and music without wires from home, a car, ships and trains. Stubblefield, a Kentucky melon farmer also invented devices that worked through audio frequency induction. Lighthouse in the middle of Australia. Known as a very big island nation, at the geographic centre of Australia and 1,500 kilometres from the coast is Alice Springs, which hosts the famous Henley-On-Todd Regatta each August - albeit on a usually dry river bed. The Northern Territorians and many visitors take the annual iconic event very seriously with up to 3,000 witnessing the regatta, which began in 1962. There is an interesting story of how this location, in one of the driest parts of Australia, deserves a registration this year in the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend. Greg Mair VK8GM explains that with the help of the Henley-On-Todd team, a lighthouse has been built to promote the spirit of amateur radio and lighthouses. The Alice Springs lighthouse joining nearly 500 others around the world this year and is certain to attract the attention of local, national and international news media. Australia on 62 and Germany 61 remain the leaders, followed by the USA (46), England (34), Argentina (24), Malaysia, Sweden and Netherlands (15), Scotland and South Africa (14), Canada (13) and Ireland (10). Organisers expect many more registrations in the annual fun event that publicises both the old sea-going navigation methods and portable amateur radio. If you want to register a lighthouse, lightship or marine beacon in this year's event on August the 17th and 18th then visit the website www.illw.net New AOWA yagis for 2m band. Following on from G4CQM's R&D work during 2013, five new AOWA designs for the 2M Band are revealed on Derek's website. These latest designs offer extraordinary performance by any standard. With straight elements, construction is uncomplicated and repeatable. If you are a keen 144MHz Dxer looking for an advantage, you can check out the new beams here...http://g4cqm.www.idnet.com/144NX14X/index.html FOR THE AVID SPACE WATCHER: Curiosity first anniversary event NASA officials and crew members aboard the International Space Station will observe the first anniversary of the Curiosity rover's landing on Mars at a public event in Washington from noon-1:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday, August 6. The event will be broadcast on NASA Television and streamed live on the agency's website. Media and the public are welcome to attend to hear highlights from the Mars Science Laboratory's first year of investigations, learn about upcoming NASA robotic missions to the red planet, and speak with astronauts conducting experiments in space that will enable human exploration of Mars in the 2030s. Those interested in attending should plan to arrive at NASA Headquarters, 300 E St. SW, by 11:30 a.m. Seating is limited. Participating will be: • Charles Bolden, NASA administrator • Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR and Karen Nyberg, NASA astronauts, live from the space station • Jim Green, director, Planetary Division, NASA's Science Mission Directorate • Sam Scimemi, director, NASA's International Space Station Program • Prasun Desai, acting director, Strategic Integration, NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate The Mars Science Laboratory mission successfully placed the one-ton Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars on Aug. 6, 2012, UTC and EDT (evening of Aug. 5, 2012, PDT), about 1 mile from the center of its 12-mile-long target area. Within the first eight months of a planned 23-months primary mission, Curiosity met its major science objective of finding evidence of a past environment well-suited to support microbial life. With much more science to come, Curiosity's wheels continue to blaze a trail for human footprints on Mars. To follow the conversation online about Curiosity's first year on Mars, use hashtag #1YearOnMars or follow @NASA and @MarsCuriosity on Twitter. For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv HERES AN IDEA FOR YOU. The G8VHI tower cam. Reg, G8VHI has installed a video camera on the top of his tower.This video shows the 360 degree view and take off seen from the top of Reg's 23cms beam. The beam is on top of his 40ft tower and 20ft pole out the top at 145 meters asl from his QTH in IO92FM Blue Mountains rescue efforts continue As many readers in Australia's VK2 area are aware, there has been an ongoing and prolonged search in the Blue Mountains, West of Sydney, for a missing person from the Fairmont resort near Leura. The search has been reported as one of the largest searches undertaken by NSW Police rescue. WICEN has been providing communications support for the BWRS who are being tasked into the difficult to access areas within the search area. These include canyons and cliffs which are being searched by repetitive abseiling. WICEN has contributed well over 250 hours so far of operational time. Steven Heimann, VK2BOS is the WICEN commander. 5-6 WICEN operators are involved each day and set up radio points that can look into the areas the BWRS are operating in so that comms with BWRS and the command post at the Fairmont resort are maintained. WICEN has a radio point at Sublime Point which is logging the radio traffic between the search teams and the command post utilising relays as needed from the 3-4 WICEN radio points in use. There are many news items on this search in the media. The following is a typical one. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-22/still-hope-for-man-missing-in-blue-mountains/4834468?section=nsw WHO STARTED YOUTUBE: YouTube was invented by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim out of a garage in Menlo Park. The inventors became millionaires when they sold their invention for 1.65 billion dollars to the search engine Google. According to their fact sheet, YouTube was founded in February 2005, as a destination to watch and share original videos worldwide through the Web. Users can upload and share video clips on www.YouTube.com and YouTube enables video embedding that allows YouTube videos to be placed on non-YouTube pages. REMINDERS: Not forgetting our club Field Day which will be held on the 15th September ( this is a Sunday ) and the club is looking for donations of equipment for the auction table. Remember no TVs, computer monitors, VCRs. Why not come and have your stall. If you are interested please contact Barrie VK2ABD to book your spot and remember to bring your own table for your goods. The famous Westlakes BBQ will be cooking steak and sausages and serving fresh salad for sandwiches. The guessing competition for the number of jelly beans in the jar will once again be there as a fund raising venture. Andrews Communications WILL NOT BE HERE THIS YEAR AND THIS IS DUE TO OTHER COMMITTMENTS. 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. Have a safe week and we hope that you can all join us again next Sunday......

BROADCAST NEWS FOR 28TH JULY 2013.

This weeks lucky meat tray winner was carefully selected from the ticket tumbler by Barry VK2BZ. This weeks meat tray winner is, you Guessed it, Barry VK2BZ. Congratulations Barry and enjoy the meat tray. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What happened at your club yesterday. It was all go on a few fronts. In the classroom, Geoff VK2GL took a couple of prospective "F"calls through the Foundation Licence Manual in preparation for their assessment which should be in a week or two. Andrew VK2UAI demonstrated that his eyesight is spot on when he replaced the finals board in his FT817 in the activities room. And the August club magazine was assembled and posted. Keep an eye on your letter box tomorrow for the Australia Post black and white version or you email inbox for the version in colour. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Things coming up. Next Saturday, 3rd August is Westlakes Monthly Meeting commencing at 1.30 pm in the club library. And Look for a lecture by Maurice VK2CD on how he makes his popular "screw driver" antenna. The date will be set at this meeting and will be advertised in the September Magazine. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ILLW is only a month away. The online registrations for the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend on August 17-18 this year stands at 350 - with more to come setting the scene for another record year. In the lead is Germany on 53, just ahead of Australia with 52. Those arch rivals are followed by the USA (40), England (31), Argentina (21), with Sweden and a lot of late interest from Malaysia (both 15). So far portable amateur radio stations are lined-up in 34 countries. The aims of the fun event include raising the public awareness of the old structures, their need for preservation, and engender goodwill. A small but important representation comes from Belgium (2), Chile (2), Curacao (1), Gibraltar (1), Honduras (1), Panama (1), Sri Lanka (2), Taiwan (1), Turkey (1) and Ukraine (2). Westlakes A.R.C. will once again be operating out of Norah Head Lighthouse from Friday night till about 10am on the Sunday on the weekend of 16th -18th August and yes that is less than 1 month away. Everyone is welcome to come down and assist operate the radios or just come down and enjoy the scenery. You never know you might just see a whale or two swimming out there. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Not forgetting our club Field Day which will be held on the 15th September ( this is a Sunday ) and the club is looking for donations of equipment for the auction table. Remember no TVs, computer monitors, VCRs. Why not come and have your stall. If you are interested please contact Barrie VK2ABD to book your spot and remember to bring your own table for your goods. The famous Westlakes BBQ will be cooking steak and sausages and serving fresh salad for sandwiches. The guessing competition for the number of jelly beans in the jar will once again be there as a fund raising venture. Andrews Communications WILL NOT BE HERE THIS YEAR AND THIS IS DUE TO OTHER COMMITTMENTS. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WIA NEWS High Power Trial - Compliance Level Re-assessment.As part of the evaluation of the High Power Trial over 2012-13, the ACMA has been auditing the applications of amateur licensees holding temporary high power licence variations. As a result, the EMR Calculator, developed by Doug McArthur VK3UM and available via the WIA website, has been updated to provide improved guidance to all amateurs undertaking assessment of their stations’ compliance with electromagnetic radiation (EMR) requirements, whether or not they hold or wish to seek a high power licence variation. The ACMA’s intention from the audit is to gauge Amateurs’ level of understanding of, and compliance with, the EMR exposure requirements as part of its decision in considering a permanent power increase for Advanced amateur licensees. The requirements of EMR compliance are complex, and the audit found that a number of stations that believed they were operating under a Level 1 (low risk) Compliance should have, in fact, been classed as Level 2 (medium risk) Compliance. Many of these licensees used the EMR Calculator on the WIA website, developed by Doug McArthur VK3UM. Upon investigation, it was found there was a discrepancy between the requirements of the Amateur Licence Conditions Determination (the LCD) and the output of the EMR Calculator, with respect to antenna accessibility. This discrepancy appears to have arisen from the exposure levels specified in the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) Standard, on which the EMR Calculator’s results are based, and the exposure compliance requirements in the Amateur LCD. The EMR Calculator provided an accurate calculation of exposure levels for various station scenarios and drew a conclusion about the ACMA compliance, based on the actual calculated exposure levels. However, in the LCD, the exposure compliance level is determined by a set of simplified station conditions, rather than actual exposure levels, and this is the requirement that the ACMA determined should apply. For more information on the Power Trial please check out the WIA website. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ACMA looks for a rogue signal. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has found that mostly the source of rogue signals that make some car remote locks useless are traced to a faulty continually transmitting electronic device. For about a month now motorists have had trouble locking or unlocking their cars, which also involves the vehicle immobiliser, when in part of Sydney. Strangely this happens only during business hours. While the ACMA, Southern Downs Regional Council and the Warwick Police are unable to immediately stop to the signal, the hunt continues. Maybe the interference time is a clue, with checks on shop entry sensors, and anything operated by wireless including doorbells, fans and possibly a weather station. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Are You at Risk by Using your Smartphone. People have suffered an electrical shock while they claimed to be using their Smartphones. The latest is a 28-year old Sydney woman who was hospitalised. It was not known whether her shock occurred while charging the mobile phone or just using it. The first two victims in China were charging allegedly using fake chargers, with the death of an airline cabin crew member, and a 30-year old last reported in a coma. Always remember to make sure that you have dry hands when plugging in your phone charger into 240 volts. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Emergency services bid for more spectrum. A Senate Committee has called for a 30 MHz slice of the 700 MHz band to be given for public safety and emergency use with money raised by the digital dividend auction. The Committee was asked to look at how much spectrum would accommodate the mobile data needs of the police, fire and ambulance services. During the inquiry the emergency services claimed that the ACMA, in opposing their bid for a bigger share of the spectrum, was influenced by the views of commercial mobile operators. The Committee recommendation is to ‘allocate 20 MHz of contiguous spectrum in the 700 MHz band’ for the public safety network, and emergency services be given ‘priority access to an additional 10 MHz’ in the same band. The emergency service groups wanted 2x10MHz spectrum in either the 700 MHz or 800 MHz bands. The Committee’s primary recommendation was similar to the approach taken in the United States in allowing emergency services on the former analogue television spectrum. If the recommendation was rejected by the Australian Government, the Committee identified an expansion of spectrum for the emergency services at 800 MHz. The ACMA is understood to be reviewing the spectrum allocation recommendations before a final decision is made by the Minister. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 always welcome at the club. We have plenty of tea, coffee, long-life milk, a good Canteen and an interesting selection of biscuits. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IRLP News

I took the oppotunity to visit the club yesterday with a view to reinstalling the IRLP node at the club. I finally got the chance last week to retrieve the crook unit from the ISP who had been very generously, letting us use his facilities. This caused its own problems in not being able to access the building over a weekend to carry out any repairs needed. John VK2JJW volunteered to have a look at the node radio and computer and give it a spruce up. My thanks to him for his efforts. Given there are a couple of other issues with the internet at the club the IRLP won't be installed there just yet. John has kindly let us set it up at his place obstensibly for testing purposes. When we sort the issues out at the club.

NEWS FOR JULY 21ST 2013

The first item today is news of a Silent Key. I regret to advise of the passing of Frank Lusa VK2FJL. Frank was a true friend to Westlakes Amateur Radio Club being its past President, magazine editor, news reader, and Life Member. He passed away in Lithgow Hospital on 15 July. The funeral service will be held at 11 am next Wednesday 24 July at Hoskins Memorial Church on the corner of Mort and Bridge Streets Lithgow. A moment's pause please in memory of Frank VK2FJL Thank you. Vale Frank Lusa VK2FJL. Also we have received news that Don Berry VK2DJB has passed away and the funeral was held during the week. Don was as an active member with WICEN and a member of Marine Rescue NEWCASTLE. VALE DON BERRY VK2DJB ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last weeks meat tray winner Leonie VK2FHRK was not at the club to select this weeks meat tray winner so the draw was made by Allan VK2JED. The winner this week was Barry VK2BZ. Enjoy the meat tray Barry. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Westlakes August Magazine has been completed and will be dispatched to members next weekend via email (in colour) or via Austrlia Post (in black and white). The next Monthly club meeting will be held on Saturday 3 August. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Australian Remembrance Day Contest August 17th and 18th. Again this year, Remembrance Day falls on the same weekend as the International Lighthouse weekend. Alan VK4SN says "Unfortunately the RD cannot be moved. Lighthouse stations are welcome and encouraged to submit logs for the RD while having enjoyed both activities. " Remember that the new start and finish times are 0300z or 1PM eastern states. This time will let you have half a day free on both days of the weekend. Teams were very successful last year, so please notify vk4snwia.org.au of your team members prior to the start of the contest. 73 de Alan VK4SN ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ILLW is only a month away. The online registrations for the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend on August 17-18 this year stands at 350 - with more to come setting the scene for another record year. In the lead is Germany on 53, just ahead of Australia with 52. Those arch rivals are followed by the USA (40), England (31), Argentina (21), with Sweden and a lot of late interest from Malaysia (both 15). So far portable amateur radio stations are lined-up in 34 countries. The aims of the fun event include raising the public awareness of the old structures, their need for preservation, and engender goodwill. A small but important representation comes from Belgium (2), Chile (2), Curacao (1), Gibraltar (1), Honduras (1), Panama (1), Sri Lanka (2), Taiwan (1), Turkey (1) and Ukraine (2). For the online registration of lighthouses, lightships and maritime beacons check out the website www.illw.net Jim Linton VK3PC And while looking at the lighthouse website, view the registered entrants for the 2014 event. There is only one so far and it's VK2ATZ booked in at Norah Head Lighthouse. Talk about quick off the mark! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Australia’s large concentrated solar power plant. In what is the largest concentrated photovoltaic solar power plant in Australia has been officially opened near Mildura and far north-west of Victoria. The plant in its first stage of a multi-million dollar facility uses new technology to efficiently produce energy, with its operators to build an ultimate 2000-dish station that could power about 40,000 homes.The array now has 40 dishes, collecting sunlight in more than 100 curved mirrors focused on ultra-high efficient photovoltaic cells, has fed the national grid for a month.The opening is a step toward progress on commercially viable large-scale solar energy generation.The technology was originally developed by Boeing to power satellites. The project has already received a $15 million from the State Government, and financial support of the Federal Government. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pirate radio station 3DR. For three days in September 1971 university students and draft resisters, protesting Australia’s involvement in the Vietnamese War, set up a pirate radio station on the AM band called 3DR – draft resist. The equipment also was used is Sydney via weather balloon antennas. At the Melbourne University the pirate broadcasts coincided with blockades and an infamous police raid that left most empty handed. The blockade came to an end, the transmitter and the four draft resisters escaped capture. Now we learn that the transmitter, built with help by radio amateurs, has been in storage and is looking for a home. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PRODUCT REVIEWS: TS-990 Accessibility Review: Just posted onto the Active Elements web site is a new accessibility review of Kenwood's new flagship radio, the TS-990. Kelvin, M0AID has put the new radio through its paces over the past couple of weeks. He has put together a full and informative accessibility review of the radio. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Preview days for the eagerly awaited IC-7100 touch screen HF-70cm (including 4 metres!) transceiver. Icom UK will be providing customers with full “hands on” experience of the IC-7100 touch screen at three of their leading Amateur radio dealers this month. Both these radios are can be looked up on the web for further information. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the DX chasers: Belgium Special callsigns from 21 July. In commemoration of 20 years since the ascension to the throne and the upcoming coronation of King Filip, Belgian Amateur Radio operators may use the OO prefix instead of the ON prefix starting July 21st through September 20th. “A commemorative award will be available for working a number of these OO stations” says Egbert Hertsen, ON4CAS, UBA Treasurer and Award manager. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WORLD NEWS: Airport black box developed by radio ham. The Kennebec Journal reports radio amateur Ron Cote N1SVC and John Guimond have developed a unit that could help prevent airplane crashes at small regional airports. The newspaper says that G.A.R.D, or General Audio Recording Device, was created and developed by John Guimond’s business partner, Ron Cote, of West Gardiner, through their new commercial venture, Invisible Intelligence LLC. The device aims to assist in the investigation of crashes by providing a recording of all radio traffic at smaller general aviation airports, without control towers, where currently no mechanism for recording exists. Ron Cote got his amateur radio licence at the age of 12. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.

WESTLAKES BROADCAST NEWS FOR THE 14TH JULY 2013.

Last weeks lucky meat tray Herb (VK2ZVF) reached into the ticket tumbler and drew this weeks lucky winner. It was Diane"s duty to read out the call sign on the winning ticket. The meat tray winner was Greg VK2CW - enjoy the meat tray Greg and see you next week. In the library yesterday afternoon Marcel ( VK2FMDB) gave a very interesting talk on programming of the AT Tiny 85 chip. The AT Tiny 85 chip is used for menu processing and an example that was demonstrated was a beacon. A small group of members attended the lecture. The program is written in C language. These little programming chips are available on the web and Marcel said he bought 10 for $20.00 delivered to his door step. Marcel then showed everyone how the program is entered and what the different symbols meant. This chip has unlimited uses. Thanks Marcel for a great lecture. Diane and Michael would like to advise all members that visit the club that he only supplies a limited amount of fresh mince meat and salad for hamburgers. They ask that in the future anyone who wants a hamburger could you please pre book one with your name. That way no one misses out and this also stops wastage. Please contact Richard VK2FRKO via his his email address or contact Diane VK2FDNE at worley51@tpg.com.au Just a reminder that the canteen will only be serving pies and sausage rolls and as next Saturday as this is meeting day and a feast will be held afterwards. While speaking of meetings next Saturday commencing at 13:30 hrs will be the clubs General meeting. Everyone is invited and remember this is your club so come along and have your say. Not forgetting our club Field Day which will be held on the 15th September ( this is a Sunday ) and the club is looking for donations of equipment for the auction table. Remember no TVs, computer monitors, VCRs. Why not come and have your stall. If you are interested please contact Barrie VK2ABD to book your spot and remember to bring your own table for your goods. The famous Westlakes BBQ will be cooking steak and sausages and serving fresh salad for sandwiches. The guessing competition for the number of jelly beans in the jar will once again be there as a fund raising venture. Andrews Communications WILL NOT BE HERE THIS YEAR AND THIS IS DUE TO OTHER COMMITTMENTS. Richard VK2FRKO is looking for a circuit diagram for a WAGNER 829 MR. This is a MARINE HF TRANSCEIVER. You may have one in your garage collecting dust. Either as spare parts or in working order. Please contact Richard if you can help. A MESSAGE TO ALL AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS. Richard- VK2FRKO would like to know if there are any amateur radio operators who would like to have lunch at a central point to most of us. There are many amateur operators from various clubs,areas and districts and this is one way that we can get together and meet and greet others that we just talk to on air. Possible venues could be the Cardiff RSL or Club Macquarie. It could be that we all meet at a Park for a BBQ and perhaps play a bit of radio or it could be a radio free day. If anyone is interested please contact me direct via my email address which is vk2frko@tpg.com.au So think about this and let him know please. NEWS FROM AROUND VK. W.I.A. NEWS. At its first meeting this past week, the new Board of the WIA for 2013-2104 re-elected the outgoing executive that steered the Institute since October last year, since the untimely death of Michael Owen VK3KI. Remaining in their former roles are Phil Wait VK2ASD as President, Chris Platt VK5CP as Vice-President, John Longayroux VK3PZ as Treasurer, and David Williams VK3RU as Secretary. For the first time, the Board got together via an online application known as "Go To Meeting". Investigated and set up by Treasurer, John Longayroux VK3PZ, it proved a great success, with directors joining the online meeting from locations scattered across the country. The system offers significant cost-savings. The four newly-elected directors were welcomed by President Phil Wait VK2ASD, being Roger Harrison VK2ZRH, Ewan McCleod VK4ERM, Fred Swainston VK3DAC and Robert Broomhead VK3DN. High on the Board’s agenda for discussion at its first meeting were the Foundation Licence Review, which is ongoing and with many issues to consider, the Institute’s next steps in progressing the WIA submission to the ACMA concerning retention of spectrum at 2300 MHz, and progress with the High Power trial, which is under way. Crane depletes microwaves. Optus mobile services were cut for almost four days recently because of a construction work crane at the Rockhampton Hospital blocking the microwave path on the Capricorn Coast in Queensland. Customers in the Yeppoon, Emu Park, Great Keppel Island, Capricorn Resort and Byfield areas suffered intermittent mobile coverage. Optus restored coverage by installing additional fibre connections between Rockhampton and Yeppoon. The crane had blocked the line-of-sight between two towers, and due to occupational health and safety reasons the wind mitigation function of it could not be changed. SPECIAL STATION. VK0JJJ at Mawson Station, Antarctica. Craig Hayhow VK0JJJ at Mawson Station, Antarctica. QSL via VK3ZAZ. Event date: Sunday, February 10, 2013 Event end: Friday, January 31, 2014 WORLD NEWS: FCC reviewing HF CB Radio. The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is have a close look at the 27MHz CB band. A particularly focus is to look at CB radio that is supposed to be a short range service, while some are using it over long distances during ionosphere propagation (skip) openings. The FCC is considering a ban on directional antennas in order to bring it back to the intended short range only communications. While power amplifiers are illegal to use and even sell in the US for use on 27MHz, this latest development appears to herald a tougher stance on CB Radio. CB Radio now exists in various forms in a number of countries but appears to have begun in the United States in 1945. In later decades in the US it had both commercial and hobbyist users. In the 1970s it gained popularity following due to a number of movies such as Smokey and the Bandit (1977), Convoy (1978), and television shows like The Dukes of Hazzard. In 1973 there was an oil crisis being experienced in the US that hit the trucking industry hard with government imposed restrictions. As a result few new CB radio were being sold. Stockpiles of CB radios languished in warehouses in Hong Kong and Japan and needed to find new markets. Could this happen in AUSTRALIA. Morse code gets another turn off. The Indian army has dropped Morse code considering it to be an obsolete communications means in this electronic era. The Signal Corps had until recently included it as a compulsorily subject, but now modern means including the internet are only taught. Once a predominate means of passing messages by the army during conflicts and disasters, it no longer uses that means of signalling. Still keeping it alive are radio amateurs around the world that use Morse code or CW mode on the bands. Now a pill for passwords. Phone company Motorola is about to offer a swallowable device that has a multitude of passwords that we use each day to restart or open devices. Powered by stomach acid it sends details to code readers. It comes from ‘America's smartest engineer’, Regina Dugan, who unveiled to pill at the recent at the All Things Digital conference in California. The pill has a tiny chip powered from the acids in your stomach. She was the first female director of the US government's spy technology agency - Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency - before joining Google's Motorola Mobility Division. The password pill will give people more power over their online activities. Regina has a sticker with an antenna and sensors broadcasting security details. The experimental technology needs US Food and Drug Administration approval for medical use, and efforts led by Motorola seek to make it more widely available by just touching a password protected device. SMALLEST TRANSMITTER. Murata Manufacturing has developed what it says is the world's smallest transmitter module (PAD) integrating a 3G power amplifier, coupler and duplexer. The company says it has achieved this by integrating the previously separate power amplifier, duplexer and coupler into one unit. Designed for mobile phones and smartphones, Murata says the devices have been created to address the growing number of frequency bands supporting 3G networks – with the more complicated circuit board layouts making it more difficult to achieve compact design. The modules support gain switching, for energy conservation and four types have been developed to support each single band – B1, B2, B5 and B8. Each module incorporates enhanced battery usage efficiency with power amplifier efficiency conversion. 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.

BROADCAST NEWS FOR SUNDAY 2ND JUNE 2013.

The father of Warren Payne VK2UWP passed away at approximately 9am on the morning of Wednesday 29th May 2013. He passed away peacefully in Coffs Harbour surrounded by his family. He will be sadly missed. May he Rest in Peace" From the Committee and Members of Westlakes Amateur Radio Club please accept our condolences Warren. SILENT KEYS: Gwen Tilson ( VK3DYL ). Sadly I must inform you that our long time friend and Life Member of the Eastern and Mountain District Radio Club in Melbourne (EMDRC) Gwen Tilson VK3DYL passed during the week in the Ballarat Hospital. As many will know, Gwen was an avid DXer and her callsign appeared near the top of the DXCC Honour Roll. Over the years she also achieved many meritorious Awards which for a long time were displayed on the walls and in the stairwell leading to her downstairs shack. For many years Gwen was the QSL distribution officer for EMDRC and my earliest llections of her are with the large box of QSL cards she regularly brought to club meetings. As an active member of ALARA she personally sponsored many overseas YLs and regularly attended the international gatherings. As a consequence she was very widely travelled and was well known to amateurs around the world. On behalf of the Club I have extended our condolences to David VK3UR and his family. Regards, Max VK3WT Also the passing of Club member Noel Cherry VK2BCA who passed away last Tuesday. Noel was a long time member of our club. In the library was the clubs monthly meeting and some 25 members took time out to be at the club and have their say. Some issues on club security were dealt with including keys to the premises and replacement of some of the cameras. Some bills had to be paid been Lands Dept for rent of the area of land where the 160 meter tower is. The ride on lawn mower is been repaired by Herb VK2ZVF, Michael spoke on problems with the internet and looks as though the ADSL modem has died. Does anyone have a ADSL modem come router laying around that they can donate to the club, if so please contact Barrie VK2ABD. Last weeks meat tray winner was not at the club, nor was her Dad Greg VK2CW. In the absence of VK2CW Michael VK2ZEN was asked to reach into the ticket tumbler and select this weeks lucky meat tray winner. This weeks lucky meat tray winner was Allan VK2JED. Congratulations Al enjoy the meat tray. There will be no meat tray next weekend as quiet a number of members will be away for the long weekend so it is up to you wether you go to the club or not. Next Sunday there will be no BROADCAST due to most readers being away. Are you a shortwave listener? The club is once again going to conduct Foundation Licence training and conduct examinations so now is the chance to get that licence and talk to the world. Please contact Geoff VK2GL or leave a message on the club answering machine. We only check the answering machine on Saturdays. AS an addendum for those who might be new to the Amateur Fraternity and have not heard of Gwen in recent years, Gwen was one of very few Australian Amateur operators who had actually spoken with King Hussein of Jordan JY1 on the radio and in fact, had a personally signed photograph of him which adorned her shack wall. Gwen travelled quite widely and an insight into her amateur radio travels can be found at the following website: http://www.qsl.net/vk3dyl/._,_.___ A "RADIO pirate" has infiltrated the police radio network and masqueraded as a police unit, exposing vulnerabilities in the communications system and putting lives at risk. One Sunshine Coast district police job was mistakenly assigned over the police radio channel to a civilian, who volunteered. The result was a delay in response time to the job. While police insist nobody was harmed, radio technology experts warn the breach is simple to do - with fears it could jeopardise safety or be used by criminals. Police radio communication outside of Brisbane is not digitally encrypted, enabling anyone with the equipment or software to listen in. But Sunshine Coast district police grew concerned when a member of the public began participating on the airwaves - going as far as answering and accepting calls for assistance. They mounted an investigation with the Australian Communications and Media Authority, and a fortnight ago issued a 24-year-old Mooloolah man with a notice to appear in court for unlawfully possessing radio communication devices. He will front Maroochydore Magistrates Court on June 11. Sunshine Coast District CIB Officer in Charge, Detective Senior Sergeant Daren Edwards, said the radio transmissions were a serious matter. Radio design engineer Jos Hahn, from Syncro Australia, warned people had turned to the internet to source cheap two-way radio equipment. "Just one quick look at (the internet) will tell you how easy it is find a radio doing police frequencies," he said. The activity room was busy with Marcel VK2FMDB showing Norm VK2KNC the next project. Richard VK2FRKO, Geoff VK2GL were there to see the device working. This device can be used as beacon as well as other projects. A copy of the circuit will appear in an edition of club magazine soon. Oxley Region Amateur Radio Field Day. This field day will be on the weekend of Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th of JUNE with the main day been on the Sunday. So why not pack your bags and go to Port MacQuarie. The venue is the Tacking Point Surf Lifesaving Club in Mathew Flinders Drive. Write this date in your diary. Not forgetting our club Field Day which will be held on the 15th September ( this is a Sunday ) and the club is looking for donations of equipment for the auction table. Remember no TVs, computer monitors, VCRs. Why not come and have your stall. If you are interested please contact Barrie VK2ABD to book your spot and remember to bring your own table for your goods. The famous Westlakes BBQ will be cooking steak and sausages and fresh salad for sandwiches. The guessing competition for the number of jelly beans in the jar will once again be there as a fund raising venture and Andrews Communications will once again be there. So start saving your money. What’s a Raspberry Pi? The Raspberry Pi is a credit-card sized computer that plugs into your TV and a keyboard. It’s a capable little PC which can be used for many of the things that your desktop PC does, like spreadsheets, word-processing and games. It also plays high-definition video. We want to see it being used by kids all over the world to learn programming. The GPU provides Open GL ES 2.0, hardware-accelerated OpenVG, and 1080p30 H.264 high-profile decode. The GPU is capable of 1Gpixel/s, 1.5Gtexel/s or 24 GFLOPs of general purpose compute and features a bunch of texture filtering and DMA infrastructure. That is, graphics capabilities are roughly equivalent to Xbox 1 level of performance. Overall real world performance is something like a 300MHz Pentium 2, only with much, much swankier graphics. You have to boot from SD but a USB HD can “take over” after the initial boot. You cannot boot without an SD card.Debian as our default distribution. It’s straightforward to replace the root partition on the SD card with another ARM Linux distro if you want to use something else (there are several available on our downloads page). The OS is stored on the SD card. WORLD NEWS: The mouse turns 40. Just imagine a personal computer without a mouse? That may happen in a few years time but more about that later. The first public demonstration of a mouse was by the Standford Research Institute in San Francisco California on 9 December 1968. At an event attended by 1,000 computer professionals the mouse made its debut, shown off by Douglas Engelbart and his team of fellow researchers. It looked like a real mouse in shape and its attached ‘tail’ cord resulted in it gaining its name. Four years later Bill English developed the 'ball mouse' replacing the external wheels on the original mouse with a single ball that could rotate in any direction. It hit the market place with the Zerox Alto computer in 1981. In more recent years wireless technology has turned the ubiquitous mouse into a more sensitive and capable tool. However there are now predictions that within five years the mouse will be obsolete, being replaced by the new and emerging touch screen and facial recognition technology. A radio for all frequencies From Great Scott Gadgets, Michael Ossmann is developing a HackRF, a software-defined radio that lets you survey in frequency between 100MHz to 6 GHz. The range includes broadcasts, amateur radio, through to previously out of bounds channels. In showing the device recently at ToorCon in San Diego, California, he described the device as very much a work in progress. While other SDR devices exist, the HackRF is around the size of a USB hand-drive with its low price aimed at consumers. HackRF is designed to meet the needs of wireless communication security professionals, researchers and hobbyists. ARE YOU A MORSE CODE FANATIC: Titanic Morse key replica. A replica of the Morse code key used on the Titanic is going to be produced by well-known Kent Morse Keys. This will be the most accurate copy that can possibly be made. The new anniversary replica will be available soon from Kent Engineers of Germany. Would you like to be the first to know when the Titanic replica will be available and receive a pre-launch discount? Then add your email address and name by visiting the webpage www.kent-engineers.com/titanicinfo.htm 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 12TH MAY 2013

What happened at your club yesterday. The club was very busy, the QSL HQ team was busily sorting cards, the radio shack was testing out the donated radio that will be put out to tender, in the library were some of the Committee members doing what’s best - having a good old QSO. What were they talking about, well that would be secret mens business. This is the best part of the day and is when the club meat tray raffle is drawn. In the absence of Col ( VK2YP ) A MYSTERY HAND went into the ticket tumbler and written on the ticket was VK2FDNE. Diane would like to thank the owner of the mystery hand for pulling her ticket out. The club has a large selection of Amateur Radio magazines and PC magazines that need new homes. So next time you are down at the club, grab a hand full and take them home. In the kitchen- Chef Michael was cooking the VK2CCW hamburger - ONLY available from the club on Saturdays ( except meetings days ) so why not come to the club for lunch next Saturday. Reminder that the clubs ONLY FIELD DAY has been set down for Sept 15th so gather up anything that you wish to sell and have a stall on the day. Westlakes BBQ and jelly bean guessing competition will once again be in operation. Contact Barrie if you wish to have a stall. Reminder that you must bring your own table to put your goods on. Andrews Communications will be there so start saving your money. Last night was the 80 meter TRANS TASMAN phone contest. I wonder how many members had late nights or just gave numbers out. The club did not take part in this contest due to the lack of radio operators. Maybe next year. Have you enabled your radio with the CTCSS tone for the clubs repeater? The clubs repeater now requires a 95.1 Hertz tone so you can access it. WICEN is please to announce yet another NEW REPEATER. Yes, this time it is a 70 cm repeater and located at Nelson Bay on a high Hill. Some of you may know of the hill as GAN GAN lookout. The frequency is 439.625 MHz with a negative offset and you will need a CTCSS of 123 Htz. So why not program your radio up and see if you can access it. Reports say it can be access from some areas of Maitland and up into the Kuruah area. Reports are needed so a coverage plan can be obtained. Don't forget about the other 2 meter repeater that WICEN has just installed on the Wattagan Ranges. The frequency that you will need is 147.150 MHz and a CTCSS tone of 123 hertz Australian police maps warning. A continuing problem with GPS and online mapping is that motorists are being given a bum steer. This can be by turning on to a freeway that is not yet operational, taking the shortest suggested route only to find you are on a rough steep fire track, scorching desert-like national park, without warning. Now the police at Colac in the southwest of Victoria are warning that motorists using Google Maps are being sent down Wild Dog Road, which was not designed for traffic. Similar things are happening to GPS users throughout the country, as ordinary motorists and professional delivery drivers ditch the old street directory, or ignore directions, and rely on GPS navigation. Australian breakthrough in solar efficiency Scientists at the University of New South Wales can now greatly increase the efficiency of solar panels and cut their manufacturing cost. The improvement is ahead of their time uses hydrogen atoms to counter defects in silicon cells used in solar panels. The development enables poorer quality silicon to act like high quality wafers, and reduces the cost by at least half. Solar panels have fallen in price by about 65 per cent in two years and more than one million Australian homes have them. European producers predict a further 60 per cent fall in price by 2020, and with new technology being developed we can see why. Radio Australia could give Asia a miss Shortwave broadcasts of news, current affairs and information from Australia to China and Asia generally could end. Like a budget-caused recent close down of Radio Netherlands Worldwide, the greater use the mobile phone and the internet is being blamed. The actual Radio Australia audience in China is difficult to know, but the digital revolution has shrunk shortwave audience in Asia. There is no intention to pull the plug on Radio Australia to PNG, Fiji or the Pacific. On the eve of World War II in 1939, the broadcaster was launched by the Prime Minister Robert Menzies who declared that it was time for Australia to speak for itself. ILLW becomes interesting The battle for the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend leadership, held in August, is tied between Australia and Germany with 40 registrations each, out of more than 220 from 30 nations around the world. The USA has 23, England 18, Argentina 12, Ireland and Scotland 9, Canada, Netherlands and Sweden on 8, Portugal and Puerto Rico 4, while Finland, Poland, Northern Ireland and New Zealand each has 3. They are followed by Belgium, Denmark, Cuba, Malaysia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Ukraine and Wales on 3, and single entries from Curacao, Chile, France, Honduras, Italy and Spain. With registrations and countries numbers only at about the half-way mark, but ahead of this time last year, things are really starting to heat up. To register a lighthouse, lightship or marine beacon on August the 17th and 18th of August online, visit the dedicated website www.illw.net From Jim Linton VK3PC First SOTA Summit to Summit contact with VK9/NO-001 Norfolk Island. Congratulations to Wayne VK3WAM who gathered his gear together quickly and headed up to a local summit when he heard that the Norfolk Island VK9NT DXpedition had decided to activate the new SOTA summit today (Thursday), earlier than the originally planned Saturday. Wayne has already posted a blog with pictures describing the action here http://waynemerry.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/activation-of-mt-dandenong-first-summit-2-summit-with-norfolk-island/ Once again well done Wayne From Ed VK2JI. WORLD NEWS: New world record with digital modulation A 24 GHz EME world record of a huge 16,383 km has been made between Tasmania and the Czech Republic. Rex Moncur VK7MO, a multifaceted exponent on microwaves, used with a 1.14 metre dish and 10 watts to contact the radio club OK1KIR using its 4.5 metre dish and 22 watts. While Rex VK7MO had planned the contact for a year, the club is making itself well-known through participation in VHF, UHF, SHF contests and EME from 432 MHz up to 24 GHz, plus earlier setting records. For example, on March 13, 2013, the first VK-OK QSO on 24 GHz and a then EME world 24 GHz distance record of 15,931 km was claimed by Alan Devlin VK3XPD. Rex VK7MO tried last month to make contact with OK1KIR, reporting firstly that he was able to receive the station during JT4F tests. OK1KIR reports having then decoded Rex, but then had a sudden transmitter failure preventing a complete QSO. Finally on Tuesday, April 23, a two-way contact was made setting a new world distance. The contact needed a Moon elevation at least about 15 degrees, a clear sky without clouds on both sides, and the result is a really an exciting EME challenge. Rex VK7MO and Joe Taylor K1JT in man behind the software used have long been friends through a bond with weak signal working. The pair will jointly publish the latest achievement in the DUBUS magazine devoted to VHF and Microwave bands. 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 biscui