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VK7AX > BCAST 31.12.22 09:33l 406 Lines 23786 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: VK7 Amateur Radio News 25Dec22
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VK7 Amateur Radio News 25Dec22
Text edition:
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VK7 AMATEUR RADIO NEWS BROADCAST
FOR SUNDAY 25th December 2022
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Seasons Greetings and welcome to the Christmas Day Edition of the VK7 Amateur Radio News and this was first broadcast on Sunday the 25th December 2022. At the mike of VK7WI this week is Justin, VK7TW.
On Sunday this broadcast goes out on repeaters all over VK7 and on digital radio - DMR Talk Group 5 and D-Star Reflector 91C by Any Takers?
We go out on medium and high frequency courtesy of the following rebroadcast stations:
On 1.862 MHz by Graham, VK7GS,
On 3.670 MHz by Peter, VK7TPE,
On 7.140 MHz by Ross, VK7ALH,
On 14.130 MHz by Garry, VK7JGD and
On 28.525 MHz by Dale, VK7GD.
We also go out on UHF CB Channel 15 thanks to Mark VK7FMAC in the Hobart area.
You can hear this broadcast again on Tuesday night at 8:00pm on repeaters VK7RAA in Northern VK7 and VK7RAD in Southern VK7.
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Seasons Greetings
Merry Christmas to all our listeners and volunteers. The VK7 Amateur Radio News Team wish you all a wonderful festive season and a safe and healthy entry into 2023.
There are well over 20 amateurs around VK7 who are involved in creating, reading, recording and rebroadcasting the news each week and a sincere and heartfelt thanks goes to you all.
The holiday season is a time that may trigger feelings of isolation or loneliness for some people.
Remembering the loss of a loved one during the year can be particularly painful for some.
Be mindful that those around you may be struggling so why not have a chat with them, maybe invite them for meal or a cuppa. Leave a little gift and/or card on their doorstep and let them know you are thinking of them. These little tokens can make all the difference at this time of the year.
73, VK7 Amateur Radio News Team
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Hams Helping Hams
Rescuing Antarctic Ham from Cold QRP Summer
French ham - David Brunet FT4YM/P is currently in Antarctica on the French base of Concordia.
David put out a call for assistance from local Hobart amateurs after his linear amplifier failed in Antarctica. Either a linear or replacement transistors was the call, the only hitch was the ship - L'astrolab will be sailing in a few days!
A linear was packaged up and delivered to the shipping agents Friday morning.
David has been on 20 (14.280) & 10m as FT4YM/P and he comes back to Hobart in early March and we are hoping to catch-up.
73, Justin, VK7TW
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Contest News
Ross Hull Memorial VHF/UHF Contest
This contest was established in 1950 to honour the memory of the late Ross A. Hull and his pioneering achievements in the study of tropospheric propagation and the development of new equipment techniques for the higher bands.
It runs for the month of January 2023.
Entrants may operate on every contest day, but the final score is based on the best seven days nominated by the entrant.
For amateurs with limited operating time, there is also a "Best 2 Days" section.
Each contact scores one point for each 100 km of distance worked. This score is then multiplied by the band multiplier. The total score is the sum of the scores on all bands.
Full contest rules are available in the link on the email edition of this broadcast.
https://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/rosshull/
Contest Scoring is based on distance calculated using your maidenhead grid locator. You will need to exchange 6 digit Maidenhead locators to get an accurate distance measurement.
At the end of January you will need to submit your log by 23:59 UTC on 14th February 2023 by email to: rosshull(at)wia.org.au
Certificates are awarded to all entrants, including certificates for the top scoring amateurs in each category.
Any logging software can be used so long as the necessary information is included in the log. Please refer to the rules for details about this. VKCL still works along with N1MM.
Look forward to hearing you on the upper bands.
73, Justin, VK7TW
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Contest News
Summer VHF/UHF and above Field Day
Donâ€Öt forget the Summer session of the VHF/UHF field day is sneaking up on us quickly, happening this year on the weekend of Saturday 14 0100 UTC through 0059 UTC on Sunday 15 January(0400 / 0359 in VK6). This is 3 weeks away so lets make the most of the possibilities of some fantastic contacts if conditions are right. So why not come on and give out a few contacts from home, or even head out portable as the weather is looking promising.
There are as always many different categories that you can participate in. There is the single band section that allows use of any one band, the popular 4 band section that covers the relatively popular bands of 6M, 2M, 70cm and 23cm. Then there is the open section that covers all the bands above 6M up to 133 GHz. There are the sections for portable stations to operate for either 8 hours or 24 hours, sections for home stations to operate for 8 hours or 24 hours, or become a rover for either 8 hours or 24. There are also a section for portable multi operators so why not go portable with a mate or 2.
The usual frequencies will be in use around VK7. Try listening on 52.525 MHz, 146.500 MHz, 439.000 MHz and 1296.150 MHz as well as 2403.150 MHz, 3398.150 MHz and 10,368.150 MHz all on FM. Of course as the summer DX stars may align and bands will be opening up then it would pay to check the usual call frequencies. These are 50.110 MHz, 144.100 MHz, 432.100 MHz and 1296.100 all on USB. Please have a tune around as there may be stations further up the band, you just never know who you may hear and work!
As usual you will need to know your 6 digit maidenhead grid square locator. There are many resources to find this either phone apps or use of online mapping tools.
The choice of logging is still the VKCL program as the rules haven't changed at all and It does seem to tick all the boxes. There are others as well. If you are having issues with logging software please reach out to me and I will be happy to assist where I can. As is usual please take care and aim to log accurately.. donâ€Öt be caught out with the wrong mode or band and loose valuable contacts. Remember with VKCL FM contacts will show up green.. default is SSB, so make each contact count. Also ensure that your clock in your PC is set accurately so all the contacts will tally once the logs are all checked.
Once the contest is over, run an eye over your log to eliminate any glaring typos, and then submit your log to the address below. Then it's done and you canâ€Öt forget 😊
Most importantly have a great time!
Hope to hear you on the higher bands
https://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/vhfuhf/
73, Richard VK7ZBX
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Statewide News
Thursday Night SSTV Nets
Another quiet net night that saw the only participant, VK7ZAB share one photo. The subject was the Festive Season and the photo was a strings of LEDs on his antenna tower arranged to look like a large decorated Christmas tree.
Remember Ken VK7KRJâ€Ös and Steve VK7OOâ€Ös fully automatic 24/7 monitoring site that allows anyone who has sent an SSTV picture the ability to check them on their pages almost immediately, any time, both South and North Tasmania.
A reminder in Southern Tasmania, VK7RAF (146.650 -600kHz) can be RF linked to VK7RJG by using a CTCSS tone of 141.3Hz. We get underway from around 7:30pm.
https://vk7oo.tasme.com/vhfsstv
https://www.ntarc.net/blogs
https://sstv.vk7krj.com/scrolling%20web%20gallery.html
73 Andreâ€Ö VK7ZAB
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QSL News
VK7 Inwards QSLs
Herman VK7HW reports that the final delivery of Inwards cards for VK7 has arrived. Herman hopes to have them sorted to publish an updated list next week.
Herman would also like to thank those Amateurs around the state who assist in providing a delivery or distribution point in their location these include VK7AN, VK7KT, VK7DW and VK7DC. Also those who have supplied stamps for direct mail out.
Herman wishes everybody a Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Year with good DX.
73 Herman VK7HW
WIA Manager VK7 Inwards QSL Bureau
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News from the North West
NWTARC Summer Bar B Que
On Saturday the 21st January, the club will hold a summer Bar B Que commencing at midday in Legion Park, which is off The Esplanade behind the Showgrounds at West Ulverstone.
The park is accessed by turning East into Maud Street off Queen Street, following the road to the river and BBQ facilities. This is a BYO food & drinks event. Onsite there are two electric Bar B Ques, toilets, running water and some seating and tables under cover.
We welcome other amateurs from around the state attending, and socialising with our members.
If you have any cold or flu symptoms , or are unwell , or been in contact with a confirmed COVID case, then please do not attend the function.
The alternate Bar B Que venue will be Air Force Park off Tasma Parade West Ulverstone, it is south of the Rec Centre, which has no Toilets, but has two electric Bar B Ques, no running water and some seating and tables under cover.
The Club will monitor the Mt Duncan 2 metre repeater the morning of the Bar B Que and if the weather conditions are not pleasant, can advise if itâ€Ös going ahead
73, Eric VK7EV, News Officer
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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
NTARC would like to commence this weekâ€Ös segment by wishing all listeners a very Merry Christmas and all the best for the festive season.
Hold on a moment though, today is Christmas Day, so while our seasonâ€Ös greeting is heartfelt, our listeners possibly only number one or two, so we should probably quickly widen our audience by extending the greeting to all those who read the text edition of todayâ€Ös broadcast, or listen to any of the scheduled rebroadcasts in the coming week. While we are at it and for good measure, we wish all a very Merry Christmas even if they donâ€Öt listen in or read the text editions, even if they are oblivious to our greetings. We feel good for having extended them and that surely is the Christmas spirit.â€
Well did that sound familiar? It sort of should if you have been paying attention over the years, it is what NTARC put to air the last time the Sunday broadcast fell on Christmas Day way back in 2016! There certainly has been a lot of water under the bridge since then…. There is no way I could have extended the seasons greeting to more people, so why re-invent the wheel. Thank you Yvonne, VK7FYMX for your wonderful greeting, which is just as relevant now as it was in 2016.
The only happenings for this week was the final TestNet and TechNet session for this year. This was held on Wednesday night with Nic VK7WW, at the helm. Nic has been conducting these Net sessions since the club room temporary closure due to Covid back in April 2020. In fact Nicâ€Ös Nets first went to air on the 8th April 2020! That is a long stint and a lot of Nets, Nic. Enough of the tongue twisters, sorry Justin. On the rare occasion that Nicâ€Ös dates clashed we have been lucky enough for Phil VK7ZPD, to stand in and when Phil was unavailable, for Rick VK7HBR, to fill the rather large boots of Nic as Net controller. Thank you to Paul VK7KPA and Phil for supporting the Discord side of things to compliment the on air Nets. Phil also provides an audio feed on Discord of the on air proceedings. This is particularly useful as you can have discord running on your phone and listen to the audio feed through your car stereo while you are driving. This comes in handy if your Wednesday nights are all over the place and not always in front of a radio or computer screen. I appreciate this feature Phil. Hope you can all keep up the good work in the New Year.
Last week I mentioned that Peter VK7KPC, received a certificate in recognition of his participation in the Don Edwards Memorial Slow Morse Contest for 2022. I can imagine Nic as Mr. Miyagi from Karate Kid, saying ‘Well done Grasshopperâ€Ö, ‘No such thing as bad student, only bad teacher.â€Ö Well Nic must be a good teacher as his CW protégé is doing well. Soon after Peterâ€Ös certificate, Nic received a ‘runner upâ€Ö certificate in the same event.
All we are waiting on now is to see how Nic and Peter went with the VKCWops contest (QRP) – hopefully the results will be in the next LoKey journal. As they both have been amassing certificates this year it will be interesting to see how the ‘Certificate Envyâ€Ö between them is going? HiHi
Itâ€Ös that time of the year again - All club members should have received an e-mail with instructions on renewing their membership for 2023 by now. Just a reminder that your 2022 membership expires on 31 December and if you havenâ€Öt renewed by that date you will then be listed as an un-financial member on the register.
In case you have forgotten NTARCâ€Ös 2023 membership fees are $40.00 for a Full voting member and $5 additional for each Family member that the voting member wishes to add to his or her primary membership.
As all listeners must be aware, the replacement of aging legacy equipment along with other ongoing care and maintenance of our repeater systems does not come cheap. For you to be able to continue to enjoy this aspect of your hobby and for NTARC to continue to provide this great network, we need your support now.
If you are not a member of NTARC please consider joining. If you have been a member in the past but have let that membership lapse for any reason, please consider re-joining. In either case, an application form can be found on our website at the link on the broadcast
www.ntarc.net
or why not pop into the clubroom on a Friday morning coffee session once we re-open again on the 13th of January. You will be made most welcome.
If club membership is not your cup of tea, we fully understand. In those circumstances, perhaps you might care to make a direct donation to our repeater fund, rather than pay a yearly subscription. If so, we would be happy to receive your contribution, either in person at a club meeting or coffee morning, or by post to PO BOX 275 Launceston 7250. Any donation will gladly be accepted. All donations will be officially receipted and noted accordingly against the repeater project.
UPCOMING EVENTS
The TestNet and TechNet session - will be resuming on Wednesday the 11th of January. TestNet/CW course on 3.580MHz from 7pm till 7.30pm…. and a TechNet on 3.567MHz from 7.30pm till about 8.30pm. Your host for the evening will be Nic VK7WW. The last “formal†night for this year has passed us by. But who knows it might be worth a check on the frequencies over the Christmas New Year break as amateurs have been known to just talk for the fun of it.
The Friday Coffee Morning - will be resuming on Friday the 13th of January at the NTARC Club rooms.
The Club Technical night - will be resuming on Wednesday the 18th of January at the NTARC Club rooms.
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 5pm on the Friday prior to the Broadcast.
Thatâ€Ös all folks,
73 from Stefan, VK7ZSB, Secretary NTARC.
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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/
DATV Experimenter's Night
https://fb.me/e/2JoFedbKt
We started the night with the next segment in the WIA Response to the ACMA Class Licence and Higher Power Consultation. We covered the Higher Power Suggestions.
https://www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2022/20221206-1/index.php
This can best be described as a careful and considered process of upskilling amateurs who wish to run higher power to provide the ACMA with the confidence that higher power is being used safely and in a way to minimise interference to other services.
We finished up with some more interesting Morse Keys.
We wish all viewers a happy Christmas on this Sunday and we hope that everyone stays safe.
We will be running the DATV Nights throughout the Christmas period and next week we will have a review of the latest DUBUS Magazine Review, 15-40m Magnetic Loop and some interesting results from the Ground Plane testing of the 160m Short Vertical.
We stream the nights on the REAST YouTube channel.
https://www.reast.asn.au/news-events/live-stream/
https://www.reast.asn.au/special-interest-groups/amateur-tv/
We go out on RF - DVB-T 7MHz Standard Definition on 445.5MHz. So, if you have a TV, Set-top box or USB DTV Dongle that you can tune and scan 445.5MHz and you can see the Queens Domain, then you have a good chance of receiving the DATV Experimenter's Night Signal. Look out for VK7OTC. We also stream the nights on the REAST YouTube channel.
https://www.reast.asn.au/news-events/live-stream/
https://www.reast.asn.au/special-interest-groups/amateur-tv/
https://www.youtube.com/c/ReastHobart/
73, Justin, VK7TW
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Technology News
Return to Reliable Technology!
A group of towns in Northern New South Wales have reverted back to what they call “reliable technology†namely UHF CB radio!
This area has been hit by successive bushfires and now floods and the telecommunications infrastructure has failed every time!
Almost 70 people now have UHF CB radios who tune into The Channonâ€Ös “base station†that relays important information.
Radio Expert - John Miller has helped over 20 communities set up their own radio networks.
Want to know more - take a look at the ABC News story at the email link in the broadcast.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-23/disaster-communities-go-back-basics-with-cb-radios/101652486
Sound familiar?
The ARRL emergency network has a great catch-phrase they use “when all else fails†to demonstrate that amateur radio can provide a radio and data network with far superior coverage to UHF CB radio in emergency situations along with the highly skilled personnel to operate and keep the network running.
In Australia WICEN or the Wireless Institute Civil Emergency Network has groups in all States that train and specialise in providing reliable portable and mobile communications locally, nationally and internationally.
If you are interested in becoming involved in WICEN activities then take a look at the relevant website at the link on the email edition of the broadcast.
https://wicen.org.au/
73, Justin, VK7W
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Very Low Frequency News
SAQ Grimeton COVID UPDATE
Covid-19 is currently, again, spreading around the world, also to Sweden and to Grimeton.
Due to Covid-19 infection in the Alexander team, SAQ will not be able to air on Christmas Eve morning, Dec 24th 2022. No one is seriously ill, only mild symptoms, however we can not put anyone in the team at risk.
For that same reason, the radio station will be closed for visitors and SK6SAQ will not be QRV, on that same day.
We feel very sorry for this and ask for everyoneâ€Ös understanding.
From the whole Alexander team at World Heritage Grimeton Radio Station, we would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
https://alexander.n.se/saq-unable-to-air-on-alexanderson-day/
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Regular VK7 gatherings and events over the coming months:
Regular gatherings:
Sewing Circle Net – Daily on 3.640 MHz commences at 6:00pm AEDST.
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.
SOTA/WWFF Group – Meeting Mondays and Fridays 10.30-12.00 midday at Glebe Gardens Cafe, Henry St, Launceston.
NTARC - Friday 13th January 2023 - Coffee Mornings resume at the NTARC Club rooms.
NTARC - Wednesday 18th January 2023 - Club Technical nights resume at the NTARC Club rooms.
NTARC - Wednesday 11th January 2023 - TestNet and TechNet resume for 2023.
NW VK7 – Wednesday from 8:00pm local – NW Tassie Amateur Repeater Group Net on VK7RMD
NW VK7 - Thursday commencing at 8:30pm local) - N.W. Tassie 2m DX Net 144.190 USB (upper sideband).
REAST – WAGS – Wednesday Afternoon Group meet in the Queens Domain Clubrooms from 12 noon.
REAST – DATV Experimenterâ€Ös Nights from 7:30pm live in the club rooms also on DVBT RF and YouTube Streaming
CCARC - 28 January 2023 - SSTV nights from 7:30pm using VK7RMD 2m repeater on Mt Duncan on the 4th Monday in the Month.
Events:
VK7 - TODAY - 25 December 2022 - you looked under the Christmas tree and found perfect propagation on every band, an ICOM 7610 and IC905 and a StepIIR at 30m!
VK - 1-31 January 2023 - Ross Hull Memorial VHF/UHF DX Contest (Marathon)
VK - 14-15 January 2023 0100 UTC Saturday to 0059 UTC Sunday - VHF/UHF and Above Field Day
NWTARC - 21 January 2023 - Summer BBQ - Legion Park from Noon.
VK7 - June 2023 - VK7 Amateur Radio Centenary
ALARA - November 2023 - ALARAMeet 2023 - Hobart Tasmania
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A reminder to those people rostered for next weekâ€Ös New Years Day broadcast:
Newsreader: VK7RI
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, and VK7DC
160m: VK7GS
80m: VK7TPE
40m: VK7ALH
20m: VK7JGD
10m: VK7DG
UHFCB15: VK7FMAC
DMR: Talk Group 5 and D-Star: Reflector 91C VK7ZCR
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You can hear this broadcast again on Tuesday night at 8:00pm on repeaters VK7RAA in Northern VK7 and VK7RAD in Southern VK7.
A huge thank you to all people and organisations that assisted with this broadcast.
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That concludes our VK7 Amateur Radio News Broadcast for this week.
You have been listening to or have just missed VK7WI. Next week the National WIA news can be heard at 0900 followed by the VK7 Amateur Radio News around 0930 hours.
Items for the broadcast can be emailed to vk7arnews(at)gmail.com
Further information about the broadcast can be found at the VK7 Amateur Radio News Groups.IO Group.
https://groups.io/g/vk7arnews
The deadline for items is 21:00 on Friday prior to the Sunday of the broadcast.
VK7WI is now closing but will reopen shortly for callbacks and relay reports. Callbacks will be taken on the frequency to which you are listening. Relay stations will use their own callsigns during the callback.
On behalf of the VK7 Amateur Radio News Team, 73, stay safe and Seasons Greetings from Justin, VK7TW.
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(Posted to the packet network courtesy Tony VK7AX)
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