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VK7AX > BCAST 17.11.24 06:03l 468 Lines 22687 Bytes #265 (0) @ WW
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VK7 Amateur Radio News 10Nov24
Text edition:
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VK7 AMATEUR RADIO NEWS BROADCAST
FOR SUNDAY 10th November 2024
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Welcome to the VK7 Amateur Radio News.
This was first broadcast on Sunday, November 10th, 2024 and we bring you the latest from the world of amateur radio in VK7.
This week, joining you from the Tasmanian Amateur Radio News desk is Peter, VK7PD.
Tune in as we share updates and insights across VK7, broadcast through an array of platforms and frequencies:
On DMR Talk Group 5 and D-Star Reflector 91C, managed by Gavin, VK7HGO.
On Medium and high frequency rebroadcasts thanks to our dedicated operators:
1.862 MHz by Graham, VK7GS
3.670 MHz by Ross, VK7ALH
7.140 MHz by Garry, VK7JGD
14.130 MHz by Dale, VK7DG
28.525 MHz by Tony, VK7VKT and
UHF CB Channel 24 in the Hobart area, hosted by Mark, VK7FMAC
If you missed todayâ€Ös broadcast then you can catch the replay on Tuesday night at 8:00pm on repeaters VK7RAA in Northern VK7 and VK7RHT and UHFCB24 in Southern VK7.
Thank you for tuning in and enjoy the broadcast!
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SILENT KEY
Bob McCulloch VK7MGW
NWTARC Club Members, were sadden to hear on Thursday, the 31st of October, of the passing of a long-term Club member VK7MGW Bob McCulloch, in his sleep overnight at Umina Park.
Bob was a very active Amateur radio operator, and Motor sport tragic, he participated in a wide variety of amateur radio activities, keen on HF, a big supporter of JOTA, providing Radio Comms for horse endurance events, as well as providing radio comms for his other great love motor racing.
He joined the WIA in 1997, in January 1998, Bob as a new WIA Recruit, won a Fluke digital multimeter. In 1997 the WIA every month held a draw of new WIA signups, amateurs could win a multimeter, and he won the October draw.
Bob at one stage was President of the WIA North West Branch, and was also a member of the former Divisional Council of the WIA Tasmania (Northwest, North & South) in the late 90's into the early 2000's.
In 1998 he was awarded the "Joan Fudge Memorial Award" for outstanding service to the branch during the year.
Bob and his partner Ursula VK7FROO were very active in the club, with Ursula the Club Secretary for a period of time, they used to host club meetings at their QTH, and one year the clubs Christmas party was hosted at their QTH, Bob being a great hand at the Bar B Que.
He was very active in motorsports, and amateurs have commented on his great ability to drive. he loved Rally, Hill Climbs and Targa, he also assisted with radio comms for Targa Tasmania and Rally Tasmania, and enjoy watching rally and motorsport racing while living in Umina Park,
Bob was blessed, that some local amateurs assisted to keep him on air in Umina Park, and assisting with phone issues etc, that he had trouble dealing with.
In my visits to Bob, he would recall some very interesting stories re amateur radio and motorsports, and other amateurâ€Ös over the years have shared some funny Bob stories with me.
He was still in regular contact with amateurs through social media messenger apps, even in the last few days.
Our condolences to Bobs family and friends, and his amateur mates
Vale Bob McCulloch SK
From Eric, VK7EV, News Officer, NWTARC
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Tassie Ham-E-Con Conference
Highlights
The Tassie Ham Radio Conference showcased a compelling lineup of keynote speakers and diverse presenters, offering a rich blend of innovation, technical insights, and future-focused topics. Here are the conference highlights:
Our three keynotes were:
Dr. Tamitha Skov (WX6SWW) presented on "Space Weather and How It Can Work for You!"â€öa deep dive into the impact of solar activity on communications.
Dr. Justin Thurley explored "Amateur Radio: An Innovation Perspective," examining the role of innovation in the amateur radio space.
Kristen McIntyre (K6WX) delivered an insightful talk titled "Ground is a Myth!" challenging traditional concepts of grounding in radio.
Our other presentations included
Dr. Paris Buttfield-Addison (VK7SYN) discussed "Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning in Amateur Radio," demonstrating the potential for AI to enhance audio and other aspects of radio and congratulations to Paris on receiving a UTAS Alumni Medal last week
Marcus Berg VK3TST talked to us about easy to implement cyber security measures for the shack.
Our very own Murray Southwell VK7ZMS gave a great talk on the fine line between innovation and improvisation.
Marty Nelson VK4KC demonstrated how easy it is to setup a POTA station and operate in a park.
Our very own Rex Moncur VK7MO presented on lightning scatter propagation experiments.
Martin Luther VK7GN gave a BC or “before computers” to Gameboy talk on contesting.
Andy Perryman (NoAPX) introduced the "World Radio League: Bringing Amateur Radio to the 21st Century," showcasing cutting-edge logging and analytics tools.
Kyle Krieg AA0Z talked us through the used of the flow programming tool - Node-Red and the use of it on his Flex Radio Remote System.
Phile Wait VK2ASD outlined and announced the WIAâ€Ös new EME Flowchart and wonderful online calculator that the RSGB has agreed to allow the WIA to use.
Going up in frequency - David Minchin VK5KK took us on a 241GHz transceiver design for our highest amateur band.
Adam Kimmerley K6ARK took us on a journey of shrinkage where everything he touches becomes smaller and lighter for portable operation.
Hayden Honeywood VK7HH even ran a couple of Amateur Radio Quiz sessions to get everyone fired up.
We finished the formal sessions with a clubs forum with members from the WIA, AREG and REAST as a panel using the online tool - Slido to capture innovative things the clubs were doing into on-screen lists and word clouds. The results from this exercise was distributed to all conference and online attendees for them to use with their clubs.
We finished with the Raffle Draw and we congratulate all raffle winners.
A huge thank you to all our sponsors, presenters, volunteers and participants.
The presentations will all appear on the REAST and Ham Radio DX YouTube Channels over the next few weeks.
See you back in 2026.
73, Justin, VK7TW
On behalf of the Conference Organising Committee.
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QSL News
Report - from Herman VK7HW Manager of the WIA VK7 Inwards QSL Bureau
The updated list of QSL cards held as at 2 November 2024 is in the email version of the broadcast.
73, Herman, VK7HW, WIA Manager VK7 Inwards QSL Bureau
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Cards held at 2 November 2024 ( Any errors in the listing are mine, I sometimes miss culling a call sign)
AAC, AAD, AAH, AAP, AAR, AB, ACE, ACG, ACN, ADE, AED, AG(2014), AGC, AHT, AIR, AJC, AKK, ALZ, AM, ANC, AO, APZ, AS, ATH, AXZ, AY
BA, BB, BPV, BT, BU, BYE
C/GH, CA, CBK, CBR, CH/T, CJ, CTV, CV, CX
DAN, DHT, DI, DN, DO, DQ, DT, DV, DY, DZ
EG, EI, ER
FADZ, FALX (alx), FAZZ, FCIA, FF, FG, FGGT, FKLW, FLAR, FMI, FPRN, FTAS
GA, GEL, GGZ, GH/C, GM, GOP, GR, GU
HCH, HH, HL, HOB, HRS, HSA, HSD, HSJ, HVK, HXT, HZ
IAN, IR, IS
JA, JAB, JAZ, JCR, JG, JOK, JP, JS, JW, JX
KAC, KAM, KBA, KD, KDO, KJ, KKR, KL, KO, KQ, KRJ
LA, LDH, LJ, LL, LLL, LM, LT, LVH
M, MA, MAG, MBD, MBP, MD, MEL, MET, MHZ, MI, MJ, MRS, MS, MV
NA, NB, NC, ND, NEC, NIK, NRF, NSE, NTE, NVH
OB
PAF, PBD, PM, PRN, PSH, PSJ, PSZ, PW
QK
RG, RJ, RN, ROY
SG(vi7SG), SN, SV, SZ
TCE, TED, TK, TL, TPE, TR, TS, TUX, TX, TZ
UT
VA, VAC, VAO, VAZ, VDC, VEK, VH, VI75G, VK7/AG9A9Mark), VR, VTM
WA, WC, WIA, WL, WO, WT, WUU
XV
Y, YN
ZA, ZJJ, ZK, ZM, ZR, ZT
Cards held at REAST Club Room 30 October 2024 (Sorted In wooden box on desk as you enter the door). AZ, HSD, SD, STO, VKT
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Statewide News
Thursday Night SSTV Nets
A quiet net night that saw the following participants, VK7s – EV, ZAB, KT, AAR, OO, TW and ZBX all sharing over twenty photos.
The highlights were:
A map with Tassie on the top of the world
A spark-gap transmitter and matching Germanium crystal receiver that was demonstrated at JOTA. When keyed it generated an RF spectrum to nearly 1 Gigahertz
Fine craft from a “Wooden Boats Festival”
The “Fat Car” at Mona, an obese Porsche
A jet engine powered dog
A pair of cuddly looking White Tigers
Insults from the “French Taunter” in Monty Pythonâ€Ös Holy Grail
A t-shirt listing the important things in life ….. for an amateur
A Hex Beam antenna on top of probably a 10 metre mast
An operational WSPR station using the QRP-Labs QDX digital transceiver and a cross needle SWR meter. This 5W transceiver is controlled by a Raspberry Pi 400 and was reviewed on a previous REAST Wednesday Experimenterâ€Ös Group night
and a typical 24 hour WSPR HF propagation map from the QRP-Labs transceiver
Note - Ken VK7KRJâ€Ös and Steve VK7OOâ€Ös fully automatic 24/7 monitoring sites allow anyone who has sent an SSTV picture the ability to check them on their pages almost immediately, any time, both South and North Tasmania.
If you missed the net there are archives of these SSTV nights.
These photos can be seen on Kenâ€Ös and Steveâ€Ös SSTV websites or on NTARCâ€Ös website under blogs.
Donâ€Öt forget to enable the transmit FSK ID to send your callsign and use your own photos or those that are copyright free.
SSTV VK7OO Tasmania Australia (tasme.com)
VK7KRJ's 2m SSTV scrolling web gallery
Blog 3 â€ö NTARC Inc.
73 from Andreâ€Ö VK7ZAB
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NEWS FROM THE NORTH
SOTA/WWFF PARKS GROUP
The Summits On The Air/World Wide Flora and Fauna parks group meets twice weekly – Mondays and Fridays 10.30AM till 12.00 at the Glebe Gardens Cafe, Henry Street, Launceston.
For more information contact Al on 0417 354 410.
73, Al, VK7AN
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Northern Tasmanian Amateur Radio Club Incorporated
www.ntarc.net
At last weekâ€Ös Club Room Technical night session there was much discussion about the Tassie Ham-E-Con held in Hobart the previous weekend. All attendees found the weekend jaunt well worth the effort, with a few lucky club members even being success in the raffle prize draws. Funnily, I have been asked not to mention the early morning coffee, so I wonâ€Öt, Hi-Hi. Because of family commitments I was unable to physically attend but found the ability to sign up for the live streaming of the event for both days to be brilliant. Still being able to be part of the excellent line-up of presentations while also keeping the home front happy! The Tassie Ham-E-Con committee certainly deserve congratulation on such a smooth running event, well done.
Now back to Wednesday night, Ross VK7ALH arrived with two Yaesu FT-757 HF transceivers. At first glance they visually seemed to be identical. So when is a Yaesu FT-757 not a Yaesu FT-757 as we know it? When one is specifically a version for the Japanese only market! On much closer visual inspection there was a difference. Yaesu had replaced the standard rotary switch, used for mode changing, to a group of push buttons for selection on the Japanese only market version. According to Ross, the first thing that really seemed different internally was the lack of a cooling fan! After some research he also ascertained that it had 10W RF output as opposed to our 100 watt version, this could explain the lack of a cooling fan. Ross has already started to set up the main printed circuit board solder-able link pads for Australian Amateur band programming only. It will be interesting to see if he comes across any other variations.
Colin VK7ZCF brought in his recently acquired larger than usual hand held Vector Network Analyser or VNA for short. This not so little gem is manufactured in China under the name SYSJOINT. It is the 7 inch capacitive screen version, model SV4401A and covers from 50kHz to 4.4GHz. It is fully enclosed and device interface connections are via “N” type connectors. The unit comes standard with an internal rechargeable battery, which makes it a very portable device and ideal for measurements being conducted outside. One nice touch with this purchase is that it comes complete with a padded carry pouch as well as an assortment of RF adaptors and patch leads. Compared to the now quite common and small NanoVNA this big sister is much easier to navigate the menu system when operating. Like any piece of test equipment, it has a setup and operational learning curve to fully appreciate all aspects of its ability and limitations, have fun experimenting Colin.
Peter VK7KPC disappeared into the radio room to test his Xiegu CS108G transceiver with a new microphone, speaker and push to talk all in one handset. This handset is very reminiscent of those used on a portable military radio back pack. As Peter was part of Nicâ€Ös Wednesday night TechNet session he could get instant feedback from Net members as to its on air performance. Club room attendees were able to check quality via the off air audio streaming provided by Phil VK7ZPD, on the club Discord channel. Nicâ€Ös Net Nights certainly have proven to be very handy, time and time again. Peter is now off constructing an interface box so the handset can be tried on different rigs. Donâ€Öt forget to visit the NTARC website and check out the pictures of Peterâ€Ös self-contained, portable, field station for phone and CW use.
Now back to housekeeping and NTARC QSL Cards - Andrew VK7DW, our QSL manager has advised me that “another recent delivery of QSL cards has arrived”. VK7â€Ös AT, AU, BO, DON, GC, HBR, JFD, KW, MAT, MX, RH, YY, ZPE and ZR. If you just heard your call-sign then there are cards waiting at the NTARC club rooms for collection on the next Coffee morning or Technical Night. Thank you Herman for your continued support regarding QSL deliveries and thank you Andrew for the update.
As always, pictures will be available on the NTARC Web site under “Blogs” for this broadcast. NTARC Blogs
UPCOMING EVENTS
TestNet and TechNet session - Every Wednesday, TestNet/CW course on 3.580MHz from 7 pm till 7.30 pm, then a TechNet on 3.567MHz from 7.30 pm till 8.30 pm. Your host for the evening is Nic VK7WW.
Club Room Technical night session - The next session will be on Wednesday the 20th November and will commence at the usual time of 6.30 pm at the Club Room Archer Street, Rocherlea.
Coffee Morning - held every Friday in the NTARC Club rooms. Time is from 10 am to noon and we look forward to seeing you all there. So why not pop in check the QSL cards and join us for a cuppa, there is endless tea and coffee along with biscuits available for a donation.
End of year NTARC celebration – locked in for Wednesday the 4th of December.
Finally - A reminder to all members that if you have any items of news you would like added to our weekly roundup, no matter how trivial, then please email them to the Secretary at the following address news(at)ntarc.net all items to be received no later than 5 pm on the Friday prior to the Broadcast.
Thatâ€Ös all folks,
73 from Stefan, VK7ZSB, Secretary NTARC Inc.
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NEWS FROM THE SOUTH
Radio and Electronics Association of Southern Tasmania
https://www.reast.asn.au/
https://www.facebook.com/reasttas/
https://www.youtube.com/reasthobart/
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Conference Volunteers Thank You Pizza and Feedback Forum Night
https://www.reast.asn.au/news-events/upcoming-events/?event_id1=2542
From 1800 on Wednesday 13th November we will be holding a conference pizza thank you night for all our conference volunteers.
Please come along and enjoy pizza and a drink on the club.
If you have any dietary requirements that we might be able to accommodate with a Pizza menu - please let us know.
Then from 1930 we will be holding a Conference Feedback Forum so, please come along and let us know your thoughts about the conference - the good, the bad and the ugly.
We will be providing some structure to the night and run through each aspect of the conference and provide an opportunity to input into the conference review so we can make the next one in 2026 even better.
See you there.
Conference Organising Committee
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End Of Year Celebration BBQ and Working Bee
https://www.reast.asn.au/news-events/upcoming-events/?event_id1=2562
We will be holding a free BBQ for club members to celebrate a fantastic year at REAST.
This will be held after the broadcast on Sunday December 8th, 2024 from 1100 - 1500.
BRING YOUR SHOVELS - after lunch we will be holding a working bee to clean up the shack, run new cable, dig trenches to our tower and a range of other exciting things!
Please let us know if you are coming along (secretary@reast.asn.au) so, we can gauge the numbers for the food.
See you there.
REAST Committee
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HUMONGOUS Amateur Radio Car Boot Sale
https://www.reast.asn.au/news-events/upcoming-events/?event_id1=2565
REAST will be holding a huge amateur radio carboot sale in the Queens Domain compound from 11am on Sunday 19th January 2025.
Want to sell something - it will cost you $10 to setup your carboot then you can sell as much as you want - all profit goes to you.
There will be a Sausage Sizzle on the day with Snags and Bread at $3 and Burgers and Bread at $5 - Soft drinks available $1 per can.
The REAST club will be selling 5.4m and 8.1m portable Aluminium masts.
No need to book - just turn up.
73, REAST Committee
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REAST Training and Assessments Update
Foundation Training and Assessment Days are held every two months.
Standard, Advanced, and Regulations licence assessments held on the alternate months. Dates can be found on the REAST Events Page.
https://www.reast.asn.au/news-events/upcoming-events/
The final Standard, Advanced, and Regulations licence assessments will be held on Saturday 30 November 2024 from 10 am.
We are currently working through our 2025 training calendar and this will be published very soon.
For Bookings, Queries, and Questions:
Email: reast.assessor(at)gmail.com
This email is forwarded to the Learning Organiser, who will respond to all requests.
Foundation Licence Training Videos:
These have been updated to reflect the new Class Licence arrangements. Available on the REAST YouTube Training and Assessment Playlist.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiSE6GEhcXU&list=PLsnsP_zjw831mdC6sY4XqavRUY-53ZWUn
Additional Resources:
Check out the WIA Foundation Trial Exams.
https://www.wia.org.au/licenses/foundation/onlineexams/foundation.php
73, Reg, VK7KK
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Regular VK7 gatherings and events over the coming months:
Regular gatherings:
Sewing Circle Net – Daily on 3.640MHz commences at 6:30pm AEST.
Statewide SSTV Net - held every Thursday night via the North/South Link on VK7RAF/VK7RJG from 7:30pm. In the North and North West - VK7RJG on 438.55 -7MHz and in the South - VK7RAF (146.650 -600kHz) CTCSS tone 141.3Hz to link RAF North-South.
State-wide – MICROWAVE QSO Party – following the Sunday broadcast call-back on 1296.15 MHz FM. One group in the greater Hobart area and another in the greater Launceston area.
Then North-south digital contacts on 1296.2MHz using Q65-60B.
Stations in the Launceston area transmitting on the odd minute. Southern stations on the even minute.
REAST - WAGs - Wednesday Afternoon Group from 12 noon in the REAST Clubrooms Queenâ€Ös Domain.
REAST - WEGs - Wednesday Experimenterâ€Ös Group from around 6pm in the REAST Clubrooms Queenâ€Ös Domain.
SOTA/WWFF Group – Meeting Mondays and Fridays 10.30-12.00 midday at Glebe Gardens Cafe, Henry St, Launceston.
NTARC - Club Room Technical night session on Wednesday 20th November from 6.30 pm at the Club Room Archer Street, Rocherlea.
NTARC - TestNet and TechNet sessions every Wednesday night. TestNet/CW course on 3.580MHz from 7pm till 7.30pm and a TechNet on 3.567MHz from 7.30pm till about 8.30pm
NTARC Coffee Mornings are held every Friday in the NTARC Club rooms. Time is from 10am to noon in the Rocherlea Clubrooms.
NW VK7 – Wednesday from 8:00pm local – NW Tassie Amateur Repeater Group Net on 2m VK7RMD and Node 56780
NW VK7 - Thursday commencing at 8:30pm local - N.W. Tassie 2m DX Net 144.190 USB
Events:
REAST - November 13 - Conference Volunteers Thank-You Pizza Night - from 6:30pm and then Ham Conference Feedback Forum - Queens Domain Clubrooms from 7:30pm
REAST - December 1 - End of Year Free BBQ and Spring Cleaning workshop from 11am after the broadcast at the Queens Domain NTARC - December 4 - End of Year Celebration at the Iron Horse Bar and Grill located at 468 Westbury Rd, Prospect Vale, Launceston. Let the Secretary know if coming along.
REAST - January 19, 2025 - CarBoot Sale of the Century and Sausage Sizzle.
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A reminder to those people rostered for next weekâ€Ös broadcast:
Newsreader: VK7WW
Repeaters: REAST, NTARC and in the NW thanks to N W T A R C, West Coast Radio Group, Cradle Coast Radio Amateur Radio Club, VK7AX, VK7JH and VK7DC
160m: VK7GS
80m: VK7JGD
40m: VK7DG
20m: VK7TPE
10m: VK7VKT
UHFCB24: VK7FMAC
DMR: Talk Group 5 and D-Star: Reflector 91C VK7HGO
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A huge thank you to all people and organisations that assisted with this broadcast.
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That wraps up this week's edition of the VK7 Amateur Radio News. We hope you found it informative and enjoyable?
You've been listening to VK7WI, or if youâ€Öve just tuned in, you've just missed our live broadcast. But donâ€Öt worry! You can catch the
rebroadcast on Tuesday night at 8:00pm on repeaters VK7RAA in Northern VK7 and VK7RHT and UHFCB24 in the South.
We encourage you to share your news, stories, and updates with us. Email your contributions to vk7arnews(at)gmail.com.
For more information about the broadcast and to join the discussion, visit our VK7 Amateur Radio News Groups.IO Group.
groups.io/g/vk7arnews.
Remember, the deadline for submissions is 21:00 on the Friday before the Sunday broadcast.
Stay tuned for callbacks on the frequency youâ€Öre currently listening to. Relay stations will use their own callsigns during this time.
On behalf of the entire VK7 Amateur Radio News Team, this is Peter, VK7PD wishing you 73. Stay safe and have a fantastic week!
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(Posted to the packet network courtesy Tony VK7AX)
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