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VK National News 07Apr24
Text edition:
Weekly news from the WIA:
MP3 edition of news available at: http://www.wia-files.com/podcast/wianews-2024-04-07.mp3
Text edition:
2024 APRIL 7 VK NATIONAL NEWS BROADCAST ON VK1WIA
------------------------------------------------------------*
THE BEST NEWS YOU'LL GET ALL WEEK
THIS LINK IS A VIDEO VERSION OF NEWS COMPILED BY VK5BD BEVAN
tinyurl.com/WIA-News-Videos
------------------------------------------------------------*
NATIONAL NEWS FOR WEEK COMMENCING APRIL 7 2024
I'M EDITOR GRAHAM VK4BB
WIA
JOIN THE WIA
tinyurl.com/yyj87b9y
WIA AGM NEWS
Gidday! This is David VK4DN from the Bundy Amateur Radio Club.
Just a reminder that if you are attending the National WIA Convention
and AGM in Bundaberg on the 4th/5th May and flying into Bundaberg,
please make contact with our club and let us know the time of your
arrival so we can make sure to meet you at the airport in our Minibus.
The driver will take you to your accommodation and will also ferry you
to and from the WIA Convention, Gala Dinner and AGM.
So if you are flying into Bundy, please let us know your incoming
flight time.
Also, if you havent already registered for the event, the bookings can
now be made via the WIA website.
memnet.com.au/MemberSelfService/EventBooking.aspx?selectedEventId=1
There will also be opportunities for spouses and family to attend
tourist venues in Bundaberg over the weekend such as the historic
Bundaberg Rum Distillery tour / etc.
If you have any questions, let us know!
73 from David VK4DN Secretary - Bundaberg Amateur Radio Club.
AUSTRALIA
SEE YOU IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY.
And what better way to "SEE" than by drone.
Businesses, investors, training providers and industry stakeholders
have been invited to participate in the Northern Territory Governments
Drone Technology Innovation Cluster to grow the Territorys drone
industry. Challenge participants will design a proposal for the Drone
Technology Innovation Cluster to facilitate the development of drone
and associated industries in the Territory.
The winning design proposal will be judged based on which concept
offers the most value for the Territory.
The winning consortium will be able to negotiate a contract with the
Territory Government for the procurement of the proposal and also
receive $100,000 in seed funding.
One group showing interest is said to be Surf Life Saving NSW.
One of the SLSS units is the provider of the largest coastal uncrewed
aerial vehicle surveillance program in the Southern Hemisphere.
tinyurl.com/2cses9yb
(NT Govt.)
________________________________________________
INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to DX-WORLD, IARU, RSGB, RAC,
ARRL, NZART, eHam, AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE, ICQPodcast,
Radioworld.com Hackaday and the World Wide sources of the WIA.
World Amateur Radio Day is celebrated each year on April 18.
The theme for 2024 is, "A Century of Connections: Celebrating 100 Years
of Amateur Radio Innovation, Community, and Advocacy." The global event
spans 2 days: Thursday, April 18, 0000 UTC to Friday, April 19,
0000 UTC.
On April 18, 1925, the IARU was formed in Paris and will celebrate its
centenary in 2025. American Radio Relay League Co-Founder Hiram Percy
Maxim was the organization's first president.
All radio amateurs on earth are invited to take to the airwaves to
enjoy the global friendship with other amateurs and to show their
skills and capabilities to the public. WARD is not a contest but rather
an opportunity to talk about the value of amateur radio to the public
and fellow amateur colleagues. It is also a great opportunity to talk
about local radio clubs and amateur radio in local media.
Belgium:
23 cm band Restrictions
Belgiums regulator the BIPT has published draft restrictions on
amateur radio operation in their 23cm band.
The new restrictions include:
Class A (equiv. our full call) a whopping loss of almost 52 MHz.
Size of band proposed to be reduced from 60 MHz to 8.24 MHz with
the satellite allocation reduced to just 2 MHz., 1260-1262 MHz and the
antenna elevation must always be more than 15 above the horizon and
the transmission power is limited to 50 W EIRP.
amsat-uk.org/2024/04/01/belgium-23-cm-band-restrictions/
UK
Congratulations are in order for Chris Whitmarsh, G 0 FDZ who has been
presented with an RSGB Lifetime Achievement Award by RSGB President
John McCullagh, GI 4 BWM and RSGB Board Chair Stewart Bryant, G 3 YSX.
Recipient Chris is the only amateur in the UK to have had a two-way QSO
on every single amateur band for which we are licensed.
Now THAT is some achievement!
HOLLYWOOD
FCC AUCTION PROGRAM RECEIVES EMMY AWARD
The Emmy Awards, best known for their celebrity recipients, has a new
well-known recipient among the ranks: The US Federal Communications
Commission.
That report comes to us from ARNewsLine and George Zafiropoulos KJ6VU.
GEORGE: In the US, the Emmy Awards bestowed by the National Academy of
Television Arts & Sciences, are best known for acknowledging stellar
achievements in the television industry. This year, however, a somewhat
unconventional award recipient stood out among the more typical
award-winners in entertainment and sports programming.
The Federal Communications Commission, the US government regulatory
agency, was the recipient of a Technology & Engineering Emmy Award for
having held a broadcast auction. The auction, which took place over
several years, opened the door for TV stations to receive incentive
payments in exchange for their return of underutilized parts of the
broadcast spectrum. The funds the stations received enabled them to
reinvest in their own operations while the newly available spectrum was
auctioned off to wireless broadband carriers, to use for 5G or other
services.
The auction brought in a gross total of $19.8 billion in US currency.
Fifty broadcasters received a total of $10.05 billion in payments.
Another $7.3 billion went into the US Treasury to help reduce the
federal deficit.
This is George Zafiropoulos KJ6VU
Students from Plymouth State University in the USA will be spending
30 hours releasing human-sized weather balloons, one per hour, to
collect data on temperature, humidity, air pressure, winds and
ultraviolet rays between the ground and about 100,000 feet during the
April 8 Total Eclipse.
They're one of 55 teams around the country doing this in a project
coordinated by NASA. Another project triggered by the eclipse involves
amateur radio operators throughout the country who will be using their
signals to study the effect of the moons shadow on the ionosphere.
This upcoming eclipse offers all sorts of opportunities to discover
more about how our universe works. While many will watch the Moon and
Sun share the spotlight that day, some students at Case Western Reserve
University are focused on the space between, specifically the hundreds
of miles far above the clouds but below outer space known as the
ionosphere.
Members of the Case Amateur Radio Club, W8EDU, are among those across
the USA and the globe set to test what happens when the Moon gets in
the way of the sun and how that impacts (or doesn't) radio
communications.
An Indiana county that will experience totality during the April 8
solar eclipse is cranking up the power on its Travellers Information
Radio Station to help visitors. The station normally runs at 10 watts
but for the period April 115, its allowed 100w and an antenna height
close to twice its norm. The station will provide locations and
details of free events and viewing sites throughout the area.
-------------------------------------------------------------------*
HAM RADIO OPERATIONAL NEWS - IT'S A CONTACT SPORT
--------------
--------------
NOW CONTEST WISE:- 2024
--------------
--------------
IARU HF World Championship the second full weekend of July i.e. 13-14.
Starts: Zero hours UTC Saturday
Ends: 2359 UTC Sunday
(CQ)
----------------------------------------------------
Trans-Tasman Low Band Contest
July 21st 2024
The Trans-Tasman contest, always held on the 3rd weekend in July,
aims to encourage Low Band activity between VK and ZL
Only contest bands 160 80 and 40M are allowed with SSB, CW and
Digital (i.e. RTTY OR PSK)
This contest is another official WIA Contest and will count towards
the Peter Brown Contest Champion Awards.
(wia.org.au)
-------------------
YOTA Contest 2024
The next 2 sessions of this year's YOTA Contest will be from 10:00 to
21:59 UTC on 21 July and 29 December on the five classic bands
CW and SSB.
Everyone can work everyone.
The complete rules can be found on
ham-yota.com/contest.
-----------------
AUGUST 17 - 18
Remembrance Day Contest.
This contest commemorates the Australian Amateurs who died during
World War II and is designed to encourage friendly participation and
help improve the operating skills of participants.
It is held on the weekend closest to the 15th August, the date on
which hostilities ceased in the southwest Pacific area.
A perpetual trophy is awarded annually to the Australian state or
territory with the best performance. The name of the winning State
or Territory is inscribed on the trophy, and that State or Territory
then holds the trophy for 12 months. The winning State or Territory
is also given a certificate, as are leading entrants.
Amateurs will endeavour to contact amateurs in VK call areas,
ZL and P29 on all bands except WARC bands. Modes allowed are PHONE,
CW and RTTY as per the era remembered
Again the 2024 contest is 17th & 18th August.
(wia.org.au)
-----------------------------
44th A.L.A.R.A. CONTEST AND this ALARA contest is ALWAYS held on the
last FULL weekend of August.
STARTS: Saturday 25th August 0600 hours UTC
ENDS: Sunday 26th August at 0559 hours UTC
(alara web page)
-------------
Oceania DX Contest
SSB and CW
This years contest will be held on October 5th and 12th respectively.
oceaniadxcontest.com
-------------------
YOTA CONTEST
Youth on the air test 3 of 3 will be from 10:00 to 21:59 UTC on
29 December on the five classic bands CW and SSB.
(yota)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
DX WINDOW TO THE WORLD.
Special event station GB 0 WYT will be active from RAF Wyton during the
Airfields on the Air event the weekend of the 13th and 14th of April.
This is the 12th year that this station has put on a special station
for the event.
The callsign will again be operated by RAF Air Cadet Communication
Staff and club members from the Huntingdonshire Amateur Radio Society
from a site just west of the main runway at Wyton.
(gb2rs)
--------------
NAMIBIA.
QRV is V 51 WH from Omaruru until the end of April.
Activity is on 160 to 10 meters, including 60 meters for those in the
world able to use that band.
V51WH.
QSL to Gunter, home call is DK2WH
(eHam)
--------------
SOLOMON ISLANDS
H44MS Bernard, is operating in the Solomon Islands until the end of
April on HF, using SSB and FT8. QSL via Club Log's OQRS.
(ARNewsLine 2416)
--------------
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
HI 180 RD is on the air to celebrate the 180th anniversary of the
Dominican Republic declaring its independence from Haiti in 1844.
Listen for activity on all bands and modes until the 30th of April
when around 25 operators from five radio clubs will be part of the
event.
For details of a certificate that is available, visit QRZ.com
(rsg)
-------------
AUSTRIA
OE 100 RADIO is active until the 31st of December celebrating the
100th anniversary of the beginning of regular radio transmissions in
Austria.
The station has heard recently on the 40m band using CW.
QSL via the Bureau.
(gb2rs)
----------
IRELAND
Special event callsign EI 80 MB is active until the 31st of May to
commemorate the 80th anniversary of the rescue of 168 German seamen
who were rescued from the waters of the Bay of Biscay after a battle
between British and German naval forces in 1943.
The men were carried out by a small Irish coaster called Kerlogue
[KER-LOG] which had the callsign EIMB. The rescue took more than ten
hours.
QSL WI80MB via Club Log's OQRS or via EI6AL
(RSGB)
------------------------------------------------------------*
WORLD WIDE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP NEWS
SUMMITS ON THE AIR, WORLD WIDE FLORA, FAUNA PROGRAM,
PARKS ON THE AIR and other ADVENTURE GROUPS.
hema.org.uk/index.jsp
minesontheair.com/about-mota
parksontheair.com/
sota.org.uk
sotawatch.sota.org.uk/en/
facebook.com/SotaAustralia/
wwffaustralia.com/
https://bunkersontheair.wixsite.com/october23
Last week here on WIA National News we brought details of a
Park Prefix Update. In an effort to reorganize the Parks on the Air
database in a way that meets ISO standards, POTA has begun rolling out
changes to the way park entities are prefixed in many countries and
China was NOT impressed..
With an update, Jim Meachen ZL2BHF shares this development.
There's good news for POTA hunters:
As POTA completes its conversion of labels to conform to the ISO-3166-2
standard, China has returned to participating in Parks on the Air.
China's re-entry follows a number of discussions to resolve what POTA
describes as "simple language barriers." According to documentation on
the POTA website, the misunderstanding over POTA's reorganisation of
its code system resulted in an unfortunate breakdown in communications
because of these language issues.
On Monday, March 25th, POTA announced on its website:
[quote]
"We are happy to be able to reactivate China so quickly!"
[endquote]
This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
(arnewsline)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- ASTRONOMY (and Wireless Weather)
NASA SUNGRAZER PROGRAM HONORS HAM FOR COMET-HUNTING SUCCESS
NASA's Sungrazer program is honouring an amateur radio operator here in the great southland for having tracked down previously unknown comets
by studying spacecraft imagery.
We hear about him from John Williams VK4JJW.
JOHN: Congratulations to Peter Berrett, VK3PB, who has been recognised
by the NASA Sungrazer programme as one of the top successful volunteer
comet-hunters. Sungrazer is a NASA-funded citizen science programme that
encourages anyone to participate in the discovery and reporting of
previously unknown comets. According to Sungrazer, Peter was the first
to locate a comet in imagery from the Parker Solar probe launched by
NASA in 2018. Using a computer programme he wrote for this purpose, he
has also identified comets in archived images that were collected by
four spacecraft.
NASA Sun & Space made the announcement about Peter earlier this month on
social media. Viewers of Amateur Logic TV may be most familiar with
Peter through his previous appearances there.
This is John Williams VK4JJW.
(ARNEWSLINE AUDIO)
Ive been workin on the railroad:
Northrop Grumman Corporation was selected last month to further develop
the concept of building a moon-based railroad network as part of the
broader 10-year Lunar Architecture Capability Study. The envisioned
lunar railroad network could transport we mere humans, our supplies and
resources for commercial ventures across the lunar surface.
(ANS)
SHIELDS UP
Star date October 19, 1989.
A monstrous X13 class solar flare triggered a geomagnetic storm so
strong that day that auroras lit up the skies worldwide the following
day. Had you been flying around the Moon at that time, you would have
absorbed a dose that would most likely have killed you within a month
or so.
This is why the Orion spacecraft proposed to take humans on a Moon
fly-by mission this 2024 year has a heavily shielded storm shelter
for the crew. But shelters like that arent sufficient for a flight to
Mars. To obtain protection comparable to what we enjoy on Earth would
require hundreds of tons of material, and thats simply not possible in
orbit.
The primary alternativeusing active shields that deflect charged
particles just like the Earths magnetic field doeswas first proposed
in the 1960s. Today, were finally close to making it work.
Fascinating full article at
bit.ly/3PANp67
(ANS)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- CW
www.morsecodeclassnet.com
Before voice radio the world was connected by telegraph. Dougal VK4EKA
joins us.
First invented to make marks on paper, the operators learned to read
the message from the clicks of the relays. Adding a passive amplifier
by putting the relay into a wooden sounding box had operators messaging
the world.
Warren Fritz VK4FJ has a collection of Australian and New Zealand
sounders and morse keys from the early telegraph and will display some
at the April 8th Social and Technical gathering of the Darling Downs
Radio Club Inc.
If you are in the area, all are welcome to see the telegraph equipment
and maybe even try reading the sounders at 7:30 pm in the Community
Rooms above the Toowoomba City Library
This is Dougal VK4EKA for the Darling Downs Radio Club Inc.
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - FINAL FRONTIER
AMSAT-VK Secretary - secretary(at)amsat-vk.org
AMSAT-DL Proposes Next Generation GEO/MEO Amateur Radio Payload.
At the request of the IARU, the European Space Agency is supporting an
initiative to define a future amateur radio satellite payload in
geostationary orbit.
The implementation is to take place through collaborative cooperation
between internal, industrial and amateur radio participants. This
activity will consolidate the requirements of the amateur and
commercial satellite industry, weigh up different payload options,
address the future user segment, develop scenarios for the financing,
procurement and operation of such a payload, and investigate
possibilities for placement on geostationary platforms.
Among the possible orbits such as MEO, HEO and GEO, the GEO orbit has
proven to be the most suitable due to the extensive experience with
OSCAR-100. A good compromise for the orbit position would be ~43
degrees West to also support Eastern European countries and most of
North America.
AMSAT-UK, along with the British Amateur Television Club, AMSAT-NA, and
the UK Microwave Group previously made a separate proposal.
(AMSAT.ORG)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - IOTA
IOTA GRANT PROGRAM EXPANDS TO MORE LOCATIONS
Island on the Air has expanded a program that will help fund
activations of more rare locations.
The Islands on the Air DXpedition Fund created last year to support
activations in rare locations with no activity for at least 15 years
has expanded its qualifications to include additional islands and
island groups.
The fund's original announcement last September said it would provide
grants to assist operations from IOTA references confirmed by fewer than
one-quarter of IOTA members in the last decade. This has now been
broadened to include operations to those locations confirmed by fewer
than 30 percent of IOTA members on IOTA's Most Wanted List. Both
categories must have had no activations for at least 15 years.
IOTA Ltd. believes that having two categories will provide an advantage
for DXpeditions to an estimated 250 IOTA groups. Applicants should note
the rarity of the IOTA reference they plan to activate, how long they
will be there, how many operators they will have, the estimated number
of contacts they expect to log, the bands to be used and, of course, the
estimated cost of the DXpedition.
For an application and more details, visit the IOTA website using the
link in the text version of this week's NewsLine script.
[ iota-world.org ]
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - MARITIME
INCLUDING ILLW NEWS - ILLW 17th August 2024 to 18th August 2024
Australian and New Zealand lights planned and advised to WIA :-
AU 0102 Point Charles NT - Darwin AR Club -
NZ 0001 Cape Campbell - - ZL6CC
Maritime Radio Day 2024
The annual Maritime Radio Day is fast approaching.
This year, it takes place on the 14th and 15th of April to commemorate
the almost 100 years of wireless telegraphy service for seafarers which
ended with the closure in the UK of Portishead Radio on the 30th of
April 2000.
Commencing at 12:00 UTC on the 14th and finishing at 23:00 UTC on the
15th, this event is a great opportunity to QSO with ex-Marine Radio
Officers and Coast Station Professionals who exchange details of their
previous ships and coast stations.
The mode of operation is CW, and all the HF bands are used including
the WARC bands. At the time of broadcast, 130 operators were registered
for this event. A certificate of participation will be issued to all
who submit results.
Amateur Licence holders are invited to register and take part as
Friends of MRD. SWLs may also submit logs.
For more information,
radioofficers.com/mrd-2024/
(irts)
------------------------------------------------------------*
2024 IT'S A DATE
Clubs are welcome to email text with audio for this section
Details of all WIA affiliated clubs and societies can be found
on the WIA website, including email addresses and website links.
VK - WIA AGM MAY 4 5 - BUNDABERG. (vk2tsg)
VK2 and 4 - Park-fest 4 & 5 of May Bundaberg AND Dorrigo (vk4kc)
VK3 - May 11 Moorabbin & District ARC HamFest Kingston City Hall
(vk3gl)
VK - National Volunteer Week Monday 20 Sunday 26 May 2024.
National Volunteer Week (NVW) is Australias largest annual
celebration of volunteers and their important contribution to
our communities.
VK2 - June 8-9. Oxley Region Amateur Radio Club Field Day. (vk2zhe)
Im Henry VK2ZHE, President of the Oxley Region Amateur Radio
Club.
The Oxley Region Amateur Radio Clubs 48th annual Field Day will
be held at the Wauchope Showground hall on Saturday and Sunday
the 8th and 9th of June 2024 during the NSW Kings Birthday Long
Weekend. There will be all the usual field day activities
including traders, trash and treasure, foxhunting and a homebrew
display.
The Field Day dinner will be held at the Port Macquarie Golf Club
on the Saturday night.
Mark your calendar now for the June Long Weekend.
The Wauchope Showground permits camping so it is possible to stay
on site in your own motor home, caravan or tent with power and
amenities but you must book ahead with the Showground Caretaker.
Im Henry VK2ZHE for VK1WIA National News.
VK5 - Aust. Fox Hunting championships Mt Gambier 8/9 June.(vk5dj)
VK3 - Bendigo AR & Electronics Club Radiofest August 18 (vk3gtv)
VK4 - GOLD COAST HAMFEST OCTOBER 31 (QTH to be advised ) (vk4DMH)
VK5 - Amateur Radio Experiments Group Radio & Electronics Sale
Saturday 26th October 10AM David Roche Park Kilburn (vk5qi)
VK7 - Tasmanian Ham Conference November 2 and 3 Hobart. (vk7news)
VK3 - SPARC Rosebud RadioFest November 17 at Eastbourne Primary
School, Allambi Ave. Rosebud. (vk3pdg)
Reception Reports
WIA News rebroadcasters often give Short Wave Listeners a
welcome to the broadcast as they commence call-backs
straight after the Local News. Local news follows National
news in all states. It would be great if those SWL's would
email their reception reports and location to
callbacks(at)wia.org.au
------------------------------------------------------------*
WIANews - we've reported...YOU decide.
Societies and Club News Letter Editors can EXCHANGE a feed
prior to the actual broadcast date, e-mail
nationalnews(at)wia.org.au
Call-backs follow the RF editions, but also for text readers
you may lodge a quick reply to let us know you read it, who
knows, you might even get a "cheerio call".
Thanks to our dedicated band of broadcast volunteers who
utilize their time and equipment in bringing you this weekly
broadcast.
Who and where are they?
wia.org.au/members/broadcast/where/
Promote your local rebroadcast; details on
wia.org.au/members/broadcast/contribute/
The purpose of "WIANews" is to rapidly provide news of
interest to WIA affiliated clubs and active amateurs residing
in Australia and the globe.
We strongly encourage membership in the Wireless Institute of
Australia and participation in the activities of local clubs.
Opinions expressed in "WIANews" are those of the writers who
submit material and do not necessarily reflect those of the
rebroadcasters, nor the National WIA, but IF broadcast, are
done so in the spirit in which they were submitted."
If you would like to see the call-backs reported each
broadcast, OR have call-backs to contribute to the National
News call back tally then please send through your call-backs
to callbacks(at)wia.org.au
How do I join this National News List?
(subscribe for an automatic weekly feed.)
Email to vk1wia-news-join(at)lists.wia.org.au
from the email account that you wish the emails to go to.
How do I leave this National News List? (unsubscribe your
weekly feed)
Open mail program which sends mail from the address you want
to unsubscribe from. Send unsubscribe to the list
unsubscribe address vk1wia-news-leave(at)lists.wia.org.au
You will be sent a confirmation mail and must follow the
instructions given in that mail to complete the
unsubscription.
Once your unsubscription has been processed, you will
probably receive a message confirming your unsubscription
from the list and at that point you should stop receiving
messages.
---------------------------------------------------------------*
(Posted to the packet network courtesy Tony VK7AX)
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