WESTLAKES NEWS FOR SUNDAY 16TH February 2014

What happened at your club yesterday? Well, the reported mock display for our 3 days of Amateur Radio promotion at the Newcastle Show was was a non event due to the persisting rain. So... a discussion and a practise run on paper was done in the library. A volunteer to stay overnight in Dave's campervan on Saturday is still required. We have a member that will double up( that means will do 2 nights) so if you can help please contact Geoff VK2GL by emailing him at leage@optusnet.com.au The meat tray draw took place in the library and Geoff VK2YFA was there to draw the lucky ticket. The ticket tumbler was sent tumbling and when the tumbler stopped turning, Geoff reached in and written on this weeks ticket was the callsign of VK2CMS. Congratulations Mark - enjoy the meat tray. In the activity room, Norm, Geoff and a number of other members were trying to repair some soldering stations. Not sure how many out of the three are now working. We can say definitely that one is working. Thanks to Ian from Jaycar - Warners Bay. Also in the activity room was Dave VK2RD who was putting together Diane's new computer - well it will be when we finish installing the new components. Diane unfortunately got caught in a scam on the Internet by a company selling cheap computers from CHINA. 5 weeks later still no pc – Be careful everyone. From the Desk of the WIA. Summer ducting blamed for TV interference. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has investigated complaints of poor TV reception in the Shoalhaven and Nowra areas on New South Wales south-eastern coast. The ACMA visited the Illawarra Knights Hill transmission site. It found that the most likely cause to be summer time tropospheric ducting. Distant television transmissions operating on the same channels from Newcastle, more than 300 kilometres away, have caused reception interference in Shoalhaven and Nowra. Viewers in marginal coverage areas, or those with inadequate antennas, are more likely to be affected. Telecasters are now looking at options to improve coverage to give more reliable services from Knights Hill. The WIA has announced that its PR4AmateurRadio Expo is to be held through the clubs or groups, during April the 11th, 12th and 13th. Expo details and on-line registration are on the WIA website. With only ten weeks to go - now can be the time to make the necessary preparations. AUSTRALIA'S MOST WANTED FIELD DAY Hey! it's only ONE WEEK to go to the Wyong Field Day! Here's the final lists of traders, exhibitors and seminars, don't forget the big flea market of course. The traders attending with the widest range of gear for you to buy are: Andrews Communications, Radio Supply Limited, Jaycar, Softmark, RF Solutions, Cro-tek Instruments, NBS Antennas, Oakley Electronics and this year we are very proud to welcome back ICOM Australia. The exhibitors you'll find at Wyong are: The Summits on the Air association, The historical radio society of Australia,The Australian radio DX Club,The WIA QSL Bureau ( not there last year due to the heavy rain storms at Newcastle), Hornsby & District amateur radio club, ALARA, WICEN New South Wales, Norah Head Marine Rescue, AMSAT VK, ARNSW Homebrew & experimenters group The Wireless Institute of Australia and an exhibition of many things amateur television. Up and coming contests WIA John Moyle Field Day weekend March 15-16, WIA VK Harry Angel Memorial Sprint May 3rd. SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS, DX, BEACON REPEATER AND NET ADVICE New Mildura beacon NOW on air. After delays caused by heatwave conditions and antenna tuning, the new 630 Metre band beacon is now operating at Mildura in Victoria's northwest - at the cross-roads of Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney. The project, the work of Noel Ferguson VK3FI, is a 473 Kilohertz beacon based on the Drew Diamond VK3XU circuit with changes made mainly for available components. What a job, but it now radiates from an L-antenna against a mast, plus seven radials and some 27 earth stakes. The beacon on a part-time basis when VK3FI is present, currently about 22:00 hours Australian Eastern Daylight Time. Reception reports will be appreciated. vk3fi@wia.org.au UK AMATEURS HEAR JADE RABBIT FROM THE MOON. Beijing’s Jade Rabbit lunar rover had been thought to be dead but its radio signal on 8.4GHz was received by radio amateur Paul Marsh, M0EYT on 12 February. This is a remarkable achievement as the relatively low-power transmitter was never intended to be received by amateurs on Earth. News outlets including CNN have reported on Paul’s feat. Pictures and the full story can be found via the AMSAT UK website. New amateur bands have been allowed in Bulgaria. In the future, LZ amateurs will be able to use bands 472-479kHz, 525-545 kHz and 70.00-70.50 MHz. In addition, the 1.8MHz band has been extended up to 2MHz. All those bands have to be used on secondary basis. DX NEWS Mellish Reef DXpedition Ready to Pick Up the Post-FT5ZM Slack.When the hubbub generated by the FT5ZM Amsterdam Island DXpedition is still echoing in our ears, the Mellish Reef VK9MT DXpedition will be waiting in the wings to launch its own adventure on the Amateur Radio airwaves. VK9MT will be handing out another rare one March 29 through April 9 from the Coral Sea atoll.The team said that one of its biggest logistical challenges will be the purchase of 1400 liters of “petrol” (gasoline) to fuel generators. The team has selected the 25 meter passenger expedition yacht Evohe from New Zealand to transport operators and gear to Mellish Reef. Given the paucity of dry ground at the operating site, DXpedition participants plan to take their meals and sleep on the vessel.The schedule calls for 10 full days of operation on 160 through 10 meters, CW, SSB, and RTTY, with 10 operators. Six members of the successful ZL9HR operation from Campbell Island in December 2012 are among the team members.The DXpedition budget is estimated at $110,000 — a bit more modest than the $450,000 FT5ZM budget. That figure does not include operators’ individual expenses. The team has pledged “full financial transparency” for all aspects of the DXpedition. “When the books are closed, clubs and foundations that supported the project will receive a financial accounting,” Team Mellish has said. Contact the DXpedition via e-mail. The DXpedition also has a Facebook page. The shirts are here: The long awaited Westlakes dress shirts have arrived from the Embroidery company and look really sharp. If you have ordered one then contact Greg VK2CW, pay the required money and it is all yours. If you are going to Wyong Field Day then make a point of wearing the new shirt for a united effort for Westlakes. 50th Anniversary Luncheon: Numbers are still being taken for those members who wish to attend our 50th Anniversary Luncheon at Cardiff RSL on the 6th April next. Contact Greg VK2CW or Dianne VK2FDNE to register. The subsidised cost is $25.00 per head and the club will pick up the difference. MAP READING COURSE: Geoff’s map reading course requires two more people to join. You will be given a full set of notes. The date for this is March 15th. The first 2 people to contact Geoff will get in. Please contact Geoff VK2GL at leage@optusnet.com.au Well that's all the news we have this week. Do you have a news item that you would like read out on a future broadcast? Then 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 6:00 pm. 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.

WESTLAKES NEWS FOR THE 9TH FEBRUARY 2014.

At the club yesterday Michael VK2FMAG who was asked by Barry VK2BZ to have a look at at our telephone line in our alarm system and see if he could find a fault. Michael did indeed find a fault- a broken wire plus it was wired opposite to what it should of been. After a couple of tests, all connections were tested. Telephone works, alarm works and the internet is back up and running again. Hopefully the club will have no more trouble for awhile. Bad luck the Telstra man located a fault in the building. Bet the club gets a bill from Telstra. Thanks Michael from the Committee and the club members. last weeks meat tray winner Les was at the club to draw the this week lucky meat tray winner. The ticket tumbler spun, and Les reached in and selected a ticket. The callsign on the ticket was VK2YFA Geoff. What time is the barbie Geoff? Enjoy the meat tray. NEWCASTLE SHOW UPDATE: This is what is happening at the moment. The club needs members to assist with the setup which will happen on Thursday at 1300 hrs. Dave VK2RD has kindly lent us his campervan for the night crew to sleep in. I believe that it is 5 star accommodation ( you look out the window at night and should be able to count 5 stars at least). Thursday night watch keeper is Greg VK2CW, Friday nights watch keeper is Diane VK2FDNE ( and possibly Richard VK2FRKO ), Saturday still requires a VOLUNTEER. Can anyone assist please.You don't have to be there until around 8 pm. If you can help please contact Geoff URGENTLY at leage@optusnet.com.au Show start times are Friday 9:00 am till 8:30 pm, Saturday 9:00 am till 8:30 pm and Sunday 9:00 am till 5:00 pm. 3 Personnel are required for each shift which will go for 4 hrs but 4 persons would be better. Next Saturday at the club will be a rehearsal and this will start at 12:30 pm. The club will be selling digital multimeters for $15.00 during the show. This is a BARGAIN price. MAP READING COURSE: This map reading course requires two more people and you will be given a full set of notes. The date for this is March 15th. The first 2 people will get in. Please contact Geoff VK2GL at leage@optusnet.com.au During the afternoon yesterday, outside was Michael VK2CCW testing Michael VK2FMAG HF vertical antenna which was strapped to the tree and with Michael using his man pack managed to tune the antenna which had a 9:1 UNUN at the bottom of the antenna. Not sure if any contacts were made but Richard advises a lot of stations were heard while he was standing nearby. BIGGEST FIELD DAY IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE: Yes, in 2 weeks from today the Central Coast Amateur Radio Club will once again be hosting their field day at the Wyong Race Track on the 23rd of this month. Traders and Commercial traders plus heaps of boot sales ( we hope ). Its the place where you can catch up with your old mates, check out the new equipment and perhaps go home with something new. The CCARC welcomes everyone. Apr 13-15 VK PR4 AmateurRadio Expo. What extra can the club do to promote amateur radio? Any ideas? ILLW TALLY BUILDS UP. So far 25 countries have registered for the 17th annual International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend in August. In the lead of this 48 hour fun-event is Germany on 38 followed by Australia with 33, United States of America 14, England 11 and Argentina 7. The aims are to increase public awareness, preservation and restoration, plus promotion of Amateur Radio and to foster goodwill. It's not a contest activity - although contesting as an activity does have a major role in gaining skills and measuring individual station performance. With 6 months to go start planning now to set up portable at a marine beacon under guidelines, and register on-line for August the 16th and 17th by visiting the website www.illw.net WORLD NEWS: The Mellish Reef DXpedition is scheduled for March 28, 2014 to April 9, 2014. The team are on schedule and will soon be on autopilot. Listen out here for frequencies used in this DXPEDITION. NEW CALEDONIA IN LATE FEBRUARY FK/K1HP between February 18th and the 26th. Operations will be on all the HF bands plus 6 meters, using CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL via his home callsign which is JE2EHP either direct or electronically via ClubLog or Logbook of the World. Russian special event R 0000 O R (4 zero's) and letter O symbolising the Olympic rings is on the air in the context of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games and 2014 Paralympic Games. QRV until March 31 in 2014. QSL via UA1OJL, LoTW, eQSL. http://ok2014.ru/ ANTARCTICA. RI 1 ANR from Novo Runway until March 2014. Activity is on the HF bands with a focus on the low bands. QSL via RK 1 PWA. HAVE HEARD ABOUT THIS OR SEEN THIS FLYING UP IN SPACE. A US Air Force secret X-37B space plane has been in space for more than 400 days. Why? T'S the US Air Force's most "hush-hush" project: A space-plane that has been quietly orbiting the Earth for more than 400 days. It's still up there. Just what is it, and what is it up to? The unmanned X-37B is reminiscent of NASA's retired space shuttle. It has the familiar black tiles on its undersides. The upper surface is white - and there's a set of large doors set in its back. There the similarities end. This secretive craft is only the size of a bus at 8.8m long. And it carries no crew. And its purpose is unknown - although theories range from surveillance to weapons delivery. The US Air Force has two of the Boeing-built robotic vehicles. One of them was launched into space on top of an Atlas 5 rocket on December 11, 2012. It's been up there ever since - but exactly where or why is unknown. The space plane is able to sustain itself on such a long flight through the solar cells built into its wings which charge internal banks of lithium-ion batteries. It's only the second time such a craft has been sent into space. You can say that you heard this first on WESTLAKES. Well that's all the news we have this week. Do you have a news item that you would like read out on a future broadcast? Then 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 6:00 pm. 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 FOR SUNDAY 2nd February 2014

Last week there was no broadcast and as it was Australia Day all/most of our news readers were away. Yesterday, was the clubs February meeting. Some of the topics up for discussion were our clubs involvement at this years Newcastle Show, repainting of the outside of Eastern wing ( common room to the education end ), fitting of timber work to finish off the exit door in that wing and make it water proof. If anyone can help in any of these activities please see a committee member. There were 4 new applicants for membership approved and welcome to the club guys and don't be shy to ask questions. About 40 special 50th Anniversary shirts have been ordered so if you have ordered one please pay the club treasurer. The clubs special callsign VI2ATZ50 has been issued in readiness for our 1 month of on air activity. You never know the club may even have a special QSL card printed. Our last meat tray winner, Maurie ( VK2CD ) was not at the club to draw a winning ticket from the ticket tumbler. The ticket tumbler was spun, Jason ( a new member to the club ) was asked to reach and select a ticket. Jason's hand went in and out came the ticket belonging to Les VK2RJ. Congratulations Les enjoy the meat tray. After the meeting the members enjoyed a VERY DELICIOUS spread prepared by Penny and assisted by Leonie. Thanks Penny and Leonie job well done. What can our club do to promote Amateur radio further? The club is about to embark in 3 days of promotion at the Newcastle show. Perhaps you have some ideas that you can share with us. WIA AGM AND CONFERENCE MAY 17 and 18 2014 to be held in VK4. GREAT AUSTRALIAN LIFESAVER: Brisbane duo Ken Macken and Hugh Geiger are counting on a rush to buy their CloudPhone, a one button cell phone. It won't hit the marketplace until August at the earliest, but confident of its success particularly with the aged they are. CloudPhone has been touted as a life-saving device. CloudPhone - which has one button and doesn't have a screen - is a voice-controlled phone worn around the neck. It has a 10-day battery and can make calls to designated contacts, track the movement and location of wearers, and detect if they have taken a tumble. If that occurs, the CloudPhone asks the user if they are ok, and if the person says they are injured or doesn't reply, the device sends an emergency alert to saved contacts' smartphones. If that fails, it can be programmed to ring 000. WORLD NEWS: From the ARRL. KAY CRAGIE, N3KN, RE-ELECTED AS ARRL PRESIDENT. Congratulations to ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, on her election to a third two year term in that leadership position. N3KN is the League's 15th president,. She lives in Virginia, and has been in office since 2010. Listen Before Transmit software. It can be annoying when someone transmits over the top of an existing contact, now Steve N2CKH has developed this nifty lil software that may make this a thing of the past Listen Before Transmit (LBT) involves software automatically checking the entire pass band before transmitting to ensure the channel is clear of any SSB, CW or Digital signals. If any signals are present the transmission can be inhibited and the operator informed. The software Steve N2CKH has developed appears to be very effective, in his testing, it has so far successfully detected all human generated signals in the pass band that can be heard by ear or seen in a waterfall display.What’s the world coming to, Are we getting lazier or dumber? The FT5ZM team is very active from the rare DX entity, promising it will be for more than two-weeks on all bands 160-10 metres, on Phone, CW and RTTY. RESTRUCTURING: CUBA GIVES HAMS ACCESS TO 60 METERS Cuba's the Ministry of Communications of Cuba has given hams in that island nation what amounts to strictly controlled access to the 5 MHz or 60 meter band. The rules change was approved on January 20th gives Cuban Novice class operators a power limit of 50 watts while high class license holders can run up to 100 watts maximum power out in emergency conditions as needed for a reliable link establishment. That seems to mean once any Cuban official declares any sort of a crisis situation exists that all other operations must cease immediately and the spectrum will be restricted for emergency communications only. But access to the new allocation by Cuban hams will not be immediate. According to Pavel Costa, CO7WT, as reported in the Southgate News, getting on the new allocation will require a request to the related authority and the agency's approval before hams in Cuba will be able to fire up in the new spectrum. As to whether this will be a spot frequency or continuous allocation was not mentioned in the CO7WT report. Have you ever surfed the net and got annoying pop ups and adds? Well there is a small program ( which is free ) called Adblock plus. This is available for IE,Google and Google Chrome. Works well when watching YouTube videos. REMINDERS: Paul, VK2HV has a small fold over tower for disposal. Located at East Maitland, give Paul a shout on 146.775 for more info. The club’s 40 metre Net held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning each week continues to be active. We have had stations call in from VK5, VK3 and VK7 last week Why not join us on 7.150 Mhz at 09:30 am and tell us what you are up to. Everyone is welcome. Only 3 weeks to get ready for....THE BIGGEST FIELD DAY IN AUSTRALIA. The CCARC are very proud to announce this year's Wyong Field Day on Sunday February the 23rd will be a date not to miss with traders and commercial sellers all available on the day. Come along and have a good day out, catch with old mates or even buy some new gear. See you there. Have you tried this program out yet? HamSphere is a virtual Ham Radio Transceiver. Once installed, you will be able to communicate with thousands of Amateur Radio operators and Radio Enthusiasts in over 200 countries around the world. You can even use HamSphere without a Ham Radio license by using a special HamSphere call sign. HamSphere is a highly realistic shortwave simulation based on SDR (Software Defined Radio) technology. Just Google Hamsphere and have some fun. You can even put it on your Android or Iphone ICOM CELEBRATES 50 YEARS: 2014 is a very special year for the Icom family as it marks the 50th Anniversary of the founding of ICOM Inc. Founded in 1954 by Tokuzo Inoue, the company has grown into a world renowned manufacturer of Business radio, Amateur radio, Marine radio, Aviation radio, Navigation products and Communications Receivers. The company continues to look forward and recently the company has moved into digital Amateur radio products (D-STAR), digital two way radio products and systems including NXDN, dPMR and P25 products under its IDAS digital brand. ICOM is located in Osaka, Japan and is a rare example of an electronics manufacturer who has not shifted production to lower cost countries, it has kept its production base 100% in Japan and that commitment to quality is one of the founding precepts of the brand. The Wakayama Icom plant has an advanced production system to produce the entire range of multi-mode wireless communication products. Design and manufacture processes are certified to ISO9001/ISO9002 quality and ISO14001 environmental procedures. Today ICOM looks very different to what it was 50 years ago. ICOM Inc is now a publicly held Japanese corporation; its stock is traded on the Tokyo and Osaka Stock Exchanges. The company has an international sales and service network around the world, today selling in over 80 countries around the World Subsidiaries can be found in the US, Australia, Germany, Spain and China. Despite their size and success ICOM’s founder Tokuzo Inoue is still a huge influence in the running of the company today. Well that's all the news we have this week. Do you have a news items that you would like read out on a future broadcast? Then 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 6:00 pm. 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 FOR 8TH December 2013

IN the library yesterday was the clubs December meeting and some of the items included discussion of planned activities for our 50th anniversary next year. The main discussion centred around the club participation at Newcastle Show involving quite a few club members at various levels. If you would like to be involved in this and other planned activities then contact Geoff VK2GL or a Committee member. After the meeting was the drawing of this weeks meat tray. Penny Smith reached into the ticket tumbler and and wrestled with the gremlins inside the barrel to get a winning ticket out. Congratulations to Kate Warner VK2FKAT, a new licence holder and also a new club member. Enjoy the meat tray Kate. Don’t forget... Only 1 week to the Westlakes Christmas Party to be held next Saturday 14th December commencing around 11:00 am. All supplied, Just bring your own drinks, table and chairs and nibbles and of course your XYL too. See you there. IMPORTANT INFORMATION FROM THE WIA: AUSTRALIANS are risking identity theft by offloading old memory cards on eBay and the like without properly deleting their personal data, experts warn. Brisbane's Courier Mail newspaper says of 140 second-hand memory cards on the online auction site over an 11-month period, a study group managed to recover photos, videos, text messages, sensitive documents and home-made pornography. Twenty cards showed no attempt to delete data, and some senders merely requested the buyer ignore or delete the contents. In a further 82 cases, researchers managed to retrieve poorly-deleted files using forensic software. Two of the memory cards were suspected to contain illegal content and were handed to police, while another held governmental information plus a handful of SMS messages. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AO-7: Did you Know: The AO-7 Amateur Radio satellite turned 39 years old on November 15. Launched in 1974 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California as the second AMSAT Phase 2 ham satellite, AO-7 continues to amaze. After its batteries succumbed to old age, AO-7 went silent in 1981, only to spring back to life in 2002, although some believe it may have resurrected itself as much as a year earlier. AMSAT describes the Mode A/B bird as “semi-operational” and “almost certainly” running solely from its solar panels. The ham satellite organization theorizes that AO- 7’s batteries shorted when they failed, but the short circuit subsequently opened, allowing the satellite to return to life. This means AO-7 only works when it receives direct sunlight, and it shuts down when in eclipse. Since the satellite became undead, terrestrial users have enjoyed numerous contacts via AO-7. AMSAT-NA this week offered its congratulations to all involved in the designing, building, launching, and operating the satellite, adding, “It's an amazing achievement that, other than the batteries, most of the circuitry continues to function normally 39 years after launch.” News From ZL: Radio microphones changes in NZ. New Zealand's Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has recently concluded its work on the changes to the frequency ranges available for radio microphone use. The outcomes of the recent UHF Radio microphones: Opportunities for future use consultation have been implemented permitting new frequency ranges and digitally modulated radio microphones. From 11 March 2015, radio microphones (and other wireless audio devices, such as in-earpieces) will no longer be permitted to operate in the 698-806 MHz frequency range. This aligns with the deadline that was set in 2010. A deadline of 1 January 2014 has also been set where the sale and supply of radio microphones in the 698 – 806 MHz frequency range will no longer permitted. The MBIE has begun a communications campaign to ensure radio microphone users and suppliers are aware of, and prepared for, the changes and their deadlines. A brochure and fact sheets on the changes are being distributed to users and suppliers of radio microphones with further information available on www.retune.co.nz NEW PRODUCT UPDATE AND FIRMWARE: Icom America releases firmware upgrade for IC-7800 HF/50MHz transceiver. Icom America announces a new firmware upgrade to its celebrated IC-7800 HF/6M transceiver. This update provides an enhanced user interface, refined operational controls, improved audio and voice functionality and more. The firmware and user manual are free to download online. Icom’s latest IC-7800 upgrade reflects forward-thinking technology and provides a greater user experience for the serious amateur radio operator. New and improved features include: Spectrum Waterfall Display: Review RF and AF characteristics on the IC-7800’s impressive 7-inch color LCD. Includes a wide screen setting. PC Mouse Operation: Connect a mouse via USB to select operating frequency and control the spectrum scope. Audio Scope Function: Review the FFT scope with waterfall and oscilloscope. In CW mode, observe microphone compressor level and other attributes. Direct Remote Control Operation: Connect directly to an IP network using Icom’s optional RS-BA1 software and the IC-7800’s internal base station function. (A user operation PC is still required; a base station PC is not.) Digital Voice Recorder: Automatically capture incoming/outgoing calls onto an external memory card or flash drive. Other updates include an APF function to increase volume up to 6dB (adjustable by 1dB step), transmit delay function to control a connected external linear amplifier, USB flash drive compatibility, and added RIT and Delta TX commands for CI-V remote control. The firmware upgrade is available now. For more information, visit the IC-7800 product page on Icom America’s website. The Radio Store closes down: The Radio Store, one of the landmarks that gave Akihabara its 'Electric Town' nickname, closed its doors for the last time on Saturday evening after 64 years in business Computer World report Tokyo's world-famous Akihabara district lost one of its signature stores on Saturday, November 30, 2013, and with it a piece of the area's rich electronics history faded away. On hearing about the closure, Mr. Mae, a 76 year old retired engineer and amateur radio operator traveled 500 kilometers from Fukui Prefecture in western Japan to reminisce. When he was 16, he used what savings he had to go to Tokyo he built his first radio receiver from components he bought at the Radio Store. He has been an enthusiast ever since. "When I came to Tokyo for university I was here every day," he said. "We could talk to the clerks and other radio fans about the latest technology developments and we would all always be saving for next new component. I moved on from receivers to amateur radio operation, so naturally I built my own transmitter. It opened me up to the world." He remembered how the Radio Store's success led to the building of the nearby "Radio Centre" and from there, more buildings started to pop up housing similar component vendors. "It was always busy," he said. "It would take a few hours to move around and wait in line to shop at the popular vendors. Often the best components would get sold out very quickly." Read the full Computer World story with 15 photos at http://www.computerworld.co.nz/ Well that's all the news we have this week. do we have any late news items? Do you have a news items that you would like read out on a future broadcast? Then Contact Richard VK2FRKO on email address vk2frko@tpg.com.au or give the item to Richard at the club. 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 6:00 pm. 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 FOR SUNDAY 1ST DECEMBER 2013

Well last week the broadcast almost didn't happen, but thanks to the Hunter Branch we were able use VK2RNC 146.900 MHz repeater. I have been told that VK2RTZ took a direct lightening strike which took a few components out in the repeater. The club thanks Peter VK2ZTV and Graham VK2FA who took time to go up and do the necessary work to fix the repeater. Thanks guys- job well done. Also with the numerous lightning and power outages during the week, the IRLP Node would not come up on the repeater. Dave VK2RD along with assistance of John VK2JJW tried a few things to get it going but no go.. A decision was made to throw the big switch and hope the system would reset itself and... Bingo... away she went, so IRLP Node 6040 is again operational. Thanks John. . At your club yesterday was Barry VK2BZ, back from his baby sitting duties in QLD. Hope your all relaxed now Barry. Happy Birthday to Bill VK2XT who celebrated his 101st yesterday with around 30 friends having lunch at Wests Cardiff. Quite an interesting afternoon and a chance to put a face to the name of a few attendee’s. Good on you Bill... In the library at around 2 pm were a great number of members waiting for the draw of the meat tray. Nigel VK2FNT who was chief ticket cruncher and also called to the library was Ally VK2AFZ who reached in and choose a ticket which took Greg VK2CW a good minute to un crunch. On the ticket was was written STELLA. I wonder who that ticket belongs to? Yes its another meat tray to the Smith Family again. Congratulations Stella enjoy the meat tray. Please be careful when you come to the club as the grounds are very wet due to rainfall that we have had over the last few days. Don’t forget... Only 2 weeks to the Westlakes Christmas Party to be held on Saturday 14th December commencing around 11:00 am. All supplied, Just bring your own drinks and nibbles and of course your XYL too. Vandalism at Radio Club. Around the weekend of November 17 considerable damage was done to the club rooms of the Summerland A R C at Lismore. Club President Ross Dowse on VK2WI News reported much equipment was stolen and a major inspection and clean-up has been held during the past days. Club activities were put on hold until the next general meeting planned for today, Sunday the 1st of December. You should be on the lookout for strange offers or possible unusual activity with the radio equipment. You should inform the Summerland club executives or the authorities of any information you may become aware of. It is only a few weeks since Summerland club member John VK2JWA was attacked by intruders in his home which they subsequently set on fire causing considerable damage. ILLW reaches 100 on its list. The honour of being the 100th registration in the annual International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend goes to South Australia's Point Lowly Lighthouse, to be activated by the Whyalla Amateur Radio Club VK5BWR. Club President Alex Glinski VK5ALX says the activation will be within the heritage listed caretaker's cottage. Previously club members put VK5BWR on air from an emergency generator room, and some spent the night rugged up in sleeping bags or on the back seat of their cars. Alex VK5ALX claims that with the more comfortable overnight accommodation available for members it will be the best weekend ever. Whyalla's annual show which attracts 20,000 people is also on the same weekend and some of the visitors will also come to the Point Lowly Peninsula and lighthouse. This means that VK5BWR set-up in a courtyard has a great opportunity to promote Amateur Radio activity and a bit of lighthouse history. Built in 1883 the lighthouse is Whyalla's oldest structure standing 15 metres tall, made of local sandstone, and on a point jutting into the northern end of the Spencer Gulf. Powered these days by electricity and a powerful tungsten halogen lamp, it started with a wick burner fuelled by mineral oil and then a kerosene vaporising light unit. Made redundant by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority in 1993, it was bought by the Whyalla City Council in 1995 with help of the South Australian Government. Under local control the light was reactivated after it and two cottages had been beautifully restored. If you want join 22 countries which have already registered a lighthouse, lightship or marine beacon, or to see the event guidelines for August the 16th and 17th, visit the website www.illw.net That item from Jim Linton VK3PC For those of you that like chasing a bit of DX try making contact with Indian special event station AU2JCB. Look for the Indian special event station AU2JCB, which will be active until December 10th. Activity will be on 80-6 meters SSB, SSTV, PSK and FM. Suggested frequencies are (depending on the propagation): 3710, 7040, 7150, 14220, 14250, 14310, 21280, 21310, 28490, 28510 and 28545 kHz. FM mode: 50800, 51500 and 29700 kHz. If higher bands are open, operations will be on those bands. The operator will be Surabhi, VU2DSI. QSL direct (with 2 IRCs) to VU2DSI. Operations are to celebrate the 155th anniversary of the birth (November 30th) of Sir Jagadeesh Chandra Bose, India's great scientist and inventor who they consider the "Father of Wireless Communication". Also try listening out for Kiritimati (Christmas) Island Tim, NL8F reports that he plans to be active as T32TM from the Captain Cook Hotel, located on Kiritimati [Christmas] Island (OC-024), Republic of Kiribati, between 27th November and 4th December, 2013. QRV on 160-10 metre SSB or RTTY. Tim plans to operate part of the day and spend the rest of his time seeing the island or trying out the world class Bone fishing in between QRV periods. QSL via K8NA. Website: www.t32-2013.com/ Lissenung Island P29VNX. IOTA frequencies 30/10m CW, RTTY & PSK31. Further information: http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~yy7a-ysd/P29VNX-2013 Event date: Sunday, December 1, 2013 (Starts today). Event end: Friday, December 6, 2013 Infant airlifted after swallowing "button" battery: Parents are being warned of the dangers of button batteries ahead of Christmas after RACQ CareFlight Rescue airlifted a baby boy who swallowed one on the Sunshine Coast recently. It's prompted a warning on the dangers of the tiny toxic objects. "Button batteries can lodge in the oesophagus of infants and cause serious injury or even death if they go undetected," CareFlight's Chief Medical Officer Doctor Allan MacKillop said. A four year old Sunshine Coast girl died in July after swallowing one of the small batteries which are used in toys, games and many household items such as torches, car keys, TV remotes, watches and calculators. "If they become stuck in the oesophagus they can immediately begin to burn,doing serious damage," Dr MacKillop said. Each week four children are taken to emergency departments across Australia after swallowing the tiny batteries. The elderly are also urged not to store the batteries in pill containers as the small objects can easily be mistaken for medication. AUSTRALIA TO SAVE WINAMP: The fate of the veteran media player app Winamp remain in limbo after AOL's announcement last week that it would shut down Nullsoft and end support of these products called winamp AND shoutcast. Although there have been reports that Microsoft is in talks to buy both Winamp and Shoutcast, neither company has commented publicly. So a Melbourne, VK3 based web developer and the owner of a web hosting company Peter Zawacki, has started a Change.org petition urging AOL to either keep Winamp alive or release its code as open source. Zawacki and a group of like-minded developers have created a website to simply explain their cause, writing, "The history of digital music started with Winamp. Winamp is still one of the best music players out there. It's SIMPLE TO USE And lots of people still use it." Well that's all the news we have this week. Do you have a news items that you would like read out on a future broadcast? Then 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 6:00 pm. 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. Thank you for listening. Good morning...

WESTLAKES NEWS FOR 17TH NOVEMBER 2013

Today we begin the the broadcast with the sad news of two silent keys. Terry Ryeland VK2UX. It is with great sadness that Terry Ryland VK2UX, a doyen of amateur radio education and very active in Institute and club affairs, passed away on Sunday 10 November, 2013. He built his first crystal broadcast receiver at the age of 12, and then progresses to a two-valve shortwave receiver. He was inspired by his father who listened to the US baseball games on shortwave. In 1954, after listening to a pair chatting on air he gained the courage to ride his bicycle to a radio amateur nearby and they formed a long friendship. That led to more home-brewing and sourcing bits and pieces through war surplus. It was about 1974 that Terry joined a class of prospective radio amateurs under the famed Rex Black VK2YA (SK), gained the callsign VK2ZMR, then with Morse code became VK2NER and VK2BRQ. Joining the Blue Mountains Amateur Radio Club (BMARC) in about 1975-76, just after it ceased as a branch of the WIA. He served with distinction, including being its President and Education Officer. If anything drove him it was his belief that encouraging newcomers to become radio amateurs was a way to make the hobby grow. The BMARC made him a Life Member in 1992. In the honour, mention was made of his education work that helped many to be qualified, and his commitment to building antennas and the like. Terry had a long commitment to the WIA NSW, where he was President at the time and also the Education Officer. In June this year, Amateur Radio New South Wales (formerly the WIA NSW Division) at its annual general meeting bestowed Life Membership on him for his many years of service. At a subsequent ARNSW committee meeting Terry VK2UX was again elected as President. Over the years he was a tutor and class organiser. At one time he wrote and had approved exam papers, using them at both BMARC and WIA NSW Division. In fact he closely influenced the running of examinations. Terry continued this work with renewed endeavour when the Foundation Licence was introduced, and had been trainer and assessor for the Standard and Advanced licences too. He had plenty of work ahead of him as a Nominated Assessor of the WIA Exam Service, at which he excelled. Terry Ryeland VK2UX will be sorely missed by clubs and organisations, the many new radio amateurs he helped, and all who knew him. His Funeral took place last Friday at Leura in the Blue Mountains. Also news that John Cannon VK2JRC of Blackalls Park passed away earlier this month. He was an active member of Westlakes many years ago and worked in the VK2 QSL Bureau. He was an active member of Hunter WICEN, promoting the organisation to the various Rescue units.. Vale’ Terry Ryeland VK2UX and John Cannon VK2JRC. Quite a good roll up yesterday with many varied discussions taking place.Chef Mikes Super Size Burgers were again popular. while Herb VK2ZVF was in the activity room playing with an Eprom Programmer. Michael VK2CCW again brought his now almost complete ‘Man Pak’ comms system. Norm VK2KNC tried it on for size and reports that it sat well on the back. Steve VK2LW arrived with some very impressive Li-on High capacity batteries and charger for the back pack. To be continued.. A full report soon in an upcoming article in the Club Magazine. Yesterday's meat tray raffle saw another first time winner. The Draw was made by Alex VK2ZM and the winner was the holder of the last ticket sold, Nigel VK2FNT. Enjoy the meat tray Nigel. Speaking of Alex VK2ZM, he had on display in the club shack his newly-completed MST400 40 metre QRP transceiver with an addition. Alex has installed the optional LED S meter/ RF meter as doesn't it look good. Coloured lights green, yellow, orange, and red certainly make a difference to this radio. Sounds good on air too. Stop Press News!! The 2014 Call Books have arrived and are ready for pick up at the club. If you ordered a book see Greg VK2CW next Saturday. A Reminder that the Club will not be open on Tuesday nights for the next 4 weeks as Warren VK2UWP is away on Holidays. Now to some better news. Further to the amateur examinations held at Westlakes last month, the following members have received their new call signs: Barry Finlay VK2VBF, Barry Gilbert VK2MHA, Michael George VK2FMRG, Marcel Post VK2HAQ, Paul Vidler VK2FBUZ, Peter Waeger VK2FAEH and Tony O’Donnel VK2NTD will now be VK2QW. Congratulations to all. While on the subject of new callsigns, do you know who VK2PE is? It is none other than Gary VK2DBI who has finally received his 2 letter call. Congratulations to everyone. The clubs annual Christmas party for this year will be held on Saturday the 14th December commencing at around 11:00 am. The club will be supplying the soft drinks, BBQ and Salads and you supply your nibbles and whatever you wish to drink. There may well be one or two surprises for your entertainment. Be there... Saturday 14th December. That’s only three weeks away! Grab the XYL and (Grand) Harmonics or a friend and have a day out. Plans are still being put together for the 50 year celebration of the founding of the club. A special Call Sign VK2ATZ50 has been approved by WIA/ACMA to be used throughout the month of April next year. Other events are planned and will be advised as we get closer to next year. Keep tuned... WESTLAKES 40 METER NET: Our new net is up and running with a reasonable daily attendance. Last Monday and Wednesday was quite good with 8 stations calling in each day, with good propagation and signals but Friday did not fare well at all. Conditions on 40 metres were bad to say the least. Dave VK2RD took control in Barries absense, Get well soon Baz. With only 4 stations calling in. Alex was using his home brew 40 metre kit transceiver and it performed very well Norm VK2KNC tried calling in but was barely audible as he was running QRP with his 817. So... EVERY Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 0:930 hrs local on 7.150 Mhz our net will run, with Barrie VK2ABD as net control and Dave VK2RD as Backup. Please call in and have a chat. Nothing formal, discuss the weather or whatever or just let your mates know you are still around and ok. Look forward to hearing you on 7.150. WORLD NEWS: A prototype garment incorporating an embroidered antenna has been produced by researchers from Nottingham Trent and Loughborough Universities. The antenna is said to be fully flexible, lightweight and water resistant. “In a bid to transform how wearable radio communications are sent and received, the two universities and several industry partners have developed the technology to design an efficient antenna that can be applied directly onto clothing using a mass production process,” said the scientists, who have been working on it for three years. - See more at: http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/design/communications/antenna-embroidered-in-the-midlands-2013-11/#sthash.k8dP0iGQ.dpuf Microwave signals turned into electrical power: The BBC report that an electrical current capable of charging a mobile phone has been created from microwave signals. They say a team from Duke University said the technology they had used had been as efficient as using solar panels. The device they created used metamaterials, which capture various forms of wave energy and convert them for other applications. Read the BBC story at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24897584 NEW TINY PACEMAKER DEVELOPED THAT REQUIRES NO WIRING: A miniaturized wireless pacemaker that can be inserted into the body without invasive surgery has been given approval for use in the European Union. Amateur Radio Newsline's Heather Embee, KB3TZD, says it was developed in the United States by the company Nanostim, and that the tiny device is less than 10% of the size of a conventional pacemaker, uses a built-in battery and is designed to be implanted intravenously directly in the heart. Currently more than four million people around the world have some sort of cardiac rhythm device with an additional 700,000 people getting one each year. Well that's all the news we have this week. Do you have a news items that you would like read out on a future broadcast? Then 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 6:00 pm. 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. Thank you for listening. Good morning...

WESTLAKES NEWS FOR NOVEMBER 10TH 2013

Yesterday at the club was our 3rd car boot sale. There were about 8 or 9 sellers all up and a lot of bargains were on show. The Westlakes Committee would like to thank all those who attended to make this another successful event. Greg VK2CW was walking around selling tickets in the meat tray raffle. Penny was at the club to draw this weeks lucky meat tray winner. The winner this week was Alex VK2ZM. Congratulations Alex. Enjoy the meat tray. Penny and Michael were busy in the kitchen cooking and giving away free sausage sandwiches. Thanks Penny and Michael for a job well done. Michael VK2CCW had his new back pack for his FT 817. This I think is model 6 and it is almost complete. He may be taking orders when he gets it right. CHRISTMAS PARTY: The clubs annual Christmas party for this year will be held on Saturday the 14th December. Please note the date in your Diary. Geoff VK2GL and Penny Smith have been seen in deep conversation and a little bird tells me that they are organising one of the events for the day. Come along and bring the Family or even a friend. The club will be supplying the soft drinks, BBQ and Salads and you supply your nibbles and whatever you wish to drink. There may well be one or two other surprises for you entertainment. Be there... Saturday 14th December. That’s only four weeks away! C.C.A.R.C. Have you marked your calendar for the CENTRAL COAST A.R.C. BIG DAY OUT. The Wyong Field day will be held on February 23rd 2014! Clean your shack or shed out and turn the ‘Gunna use it one day’ items into cash with a Flea Market stall. Call books 2014. To those members who have ordered call books! They should here at the club next weekend so see Greg in the library next Saturday. WESTLAKES 40 METER NET: Our new net is up and running with a reasonable daily attendance. Last Monday was the first airing and we had about 8 stations call in. Wednesday was much the same but Friday did not fare well at all. Conditions on 40 metres were bad to say the least. Dave VK2RD took control with only 4 stations being heard. We were informed that there were 2 other stations trying to call in but were not audible at control. Thanks to Ron VK3MRH who has called in every day to help us establish the net. Ron is the net controller for the Albury Wodonga net held on 40 metres (7.055 10:30 am) EVERY DAY. Thanks Ron for the support and promotion within your groups net. So... EVERY Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 0:930 hrs local on 7.150 Mhz our net will run, with Barrie VK2ABD as net control and Dave VK2RD as Backup. Please call in and have a chat. Nothing formal, discuss the weather or whatever or just let your mates know you are still around and ok. Look forward to hearing you on 7.150. NEW ANTENNA DESIGNS: New AOWA Yagis. Derek G4CQM continues with his AOWA yagi development project releasing new designs that raise the bar even higher. Derek says that he is more than ever convinced that the perfect 50-Ohm yagi does exist and these new designs are getting really close to that goal!. If you are a keen 2M DXer you can see the new designs here... http://g4cqm.www.idnet.com/NEW%20DESIGNS/index.html SDR TRANSCEIVERS UPDATE: Standard for an SDR to External Programs Interface. Recently I've had the pleasure of collaborating with Jonathan Naylor, G4KLX on adding functionality for the CCW SDR-4+ receiver and the Sentry SDR transceiver to his SDR program, UWSDR. During the email discussions and software testing I raised the possibility of using a TCP/IP connection to transfer the PTT information between a data mode program and a SDR program. Jonathan then suggested the use of UDP/IP and also suggested that the audio connection between the two programs could also go over UDP/IP. After a lot of thought he has come up with a proposed standard that would allow authors of SDR and data mode programs to add a simple to use audio and PTT interface. I've posted his document "A Standard for an SDR to External Programs Interface" on the CCW website: http://www.crosscountrywireless.net/A%20Standard%20for%20an%20SDR%20to%20External%20Programs%20Interface.pdf We want to contact as many software authors as we can to give them information on the standard so that it can be implemented on as many ham radio programs as possible. I've also suggested the CCW forum as a possible area for authors to discuss the standard: http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/cross_country_wireless/ Regards, Chris, G4HYG Well that's all the news we have this week. do we have any late news items? Do you have a news item that you would like read out on a future broadcast? Then 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 6:00 pm. 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.