CCARC NEWS 14-10
THE PERIODIC NEWSLETTER OF THE CENTRAL COAST AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
ISSUE No 14-10 21st March 2014
In this Issue:
- John Moyle Field Day contest weekend
- Missing Flight Search involves Amateur emcomm
- NASA Deep Space Network 50th Anniversary
- CCARC Lectures
- WIA News – PR4AmateurRadio Expo
- Broke & fixed
- Reminders
1. JOHN MOYLE FIELD DAY
The John Moyle Field Day was on last weekend. Doug VK2MDC organized a local team to Staples Lookout and also Dave VK2JDH organized his usual team to Mt. Allyn. These 2 teams represented the CCARC and here is some feedback.
Here is Doug VK2MDC’s report of the Staples Lookout operation.
“It was the weekend of the 15th & 16th March 2014, and as everyone would know it was the John Moyle Field Day.
Andrew VK2PAM and my self Doug VK2MDC set off for the night out portable on the Saturday the 15th in the afternoon to a really good location – Staples Lookout. We arrived there around 5.00 pm and started to set up camp, antennas and radio equipment. I had my generator and Andrew had his. As we were setting up we were watching the great Saturday evening storm just to the south of us, like in our face from Staples Lookout. Looking south east it was black as the ace of spades. We only got about 5 mins of light rain so we finished setting up. I worked off one picnic table while Andrew worked off the other picnic table underneath a massive tarp.
We got on the air. Andrew was working HF bands while I was working VHF/UHF ssb, we used our own callsigns. We worked through the night, passed out around 1am in the morning & slept for like 1 hour or 2 then was back into it. The Sunday morning sun was rising and so was the general public turning up to the lookout, going out hiking or push bike riding, so we had some on lookers and people interested in what we were doing & so I gave them a WIA brochure. I had a QSO with Chris VK2YY, Horst VK2HL on 2m ssb 70cm ssb and 23cm on the trial repeater.
Andrew made a lot of good hf contacts, I think one was from VK8. I made some good VHF/UHF ssb contacts, I think one was 2m ssb to south of Wollongong.
I just want to say thanks to the people who had contact with us. I think Bob VK2PEP on HF with Andrew thanks. Also to Chris, Horst on 2m ssb on the Sunday morning.
It was a great over night operation, it was enjoyable I would like to see some more club members come out and have a go portable, that’s what amateur radio is all about..
The HF bands were getting crowded with a Russian contest overseas late Saturday night and Sunday morning so we pulled the pin and started packing up on the way home around 10am.
kind regards .. Doug VK2MDC”
2. MALAYSIA AIRLINES FLIGHT MH370
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The Malaysian Amateur Radio Emergency Service Society (MARES/9M4CME) is calling all ham radios particularly in india, Indonesia, Sri Langka, Mauritius, Syechelles, Thailand to participate in the search and rescue of the missing aircraft, Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER bearing registration 9M-MRO flight MH370.
Daily Check-in and reporting session will be done at UTC1300hrs – 1500hrs at 14.250 MHz and 21.250 MHz (+- QRM)
Source Southgate Amateur Radio News releases
3. NASA DEEP SPACE NETWORK 50TH ANNIVERSARY
Not AR but an excuse to show Australia’s Deep Space Antenna Farm.
This week marked the 50th Anniversary of NASA’s DSN, of which Australia’s Tidbinbilla is an important part. The Anniversary was marked by a public presentation by NASA Administrator, Mr Charles Bolden and JPL Director, Dr Charles Elachi held on Wednesday night at Canberra’s Questacon.
Source NASA Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex
4. CCARC LECTURES
March will see the return of the monthly lectures with a lecture on “DX Television” by Bruce Holland VK2ZAD. This will take place on this Saturday the 22nd of March starting at 1300hrs at the CCARC Club rooms in Kariong.
5. WIA NEWS.
WIA Directors actively support the PR4AmateurRadio Expo
Now next month, through the PR4AmateurRadio Expo, we have a concentrated effort to show what Amateur Radio can offer the community. This can be a club having a public event, or exercised by an individual, to show what we do is relevant to a modern technological age, and easily assessable through the Foundation Licence.
The Wireless Institute of Australia wants clubs, organisations and individuals to think about how they can be involved in the PR4AmateurRadio Expo, held during the period of April the 11 to the 15th. Source WIA News PR4AmateurRadio
6. BROKE & FIXED.
The clubs telephone is not working & we are experiencing problems with the clubs emails. These will be fixed shortly.
The editors keyboard back-lighting has stopped working. 🙁 I will blame that for any mistakes.
7. REMINDERS.
This section lists important announcements and possibly items from previous CCARC NEWS editions that are still current and may need your input:
CCARC has a 23 cm repeater on trial. Output 1273.400 MHz offset plus 20 MHz. We invite you to use it as much as possible and send Don VK2ZCZ your written (or typed) signal reports.
Jaycar Tuggerah gives CCARC members a discount – approx 10% on purchases over $25. Make sure you ask for it. Thanks Rod VK2LAX.
Anyone reading this on the website who is not yet a member of the CCARC, please consider joining by emailing ccarc at ccarc dot org dot au for full details.
For submissions to this newsletter from CCARC club members please email the editor news-editor at ccarc dot org dot au
For what’s coming up in the next few months at the CCARC, please check the club calendar, accessible from the header on any page on the website.
Dave VK2DLS … News & Publicity Officer …
