CCARC NEWS 14-12
THE PERIODIC NEWSLETTER OF THE CENTRAL COAST AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
ISSUE No 14-12 4th April 2014
In this Issue:
- Saturday Meetings & BBQ
- Smoke Signals
- Assessment & Education days in April & May
- CCARC Lectures
- Report from our German Correspondent
- WIA News – PR4AmateurRadio Expo
- Broke & fixed
- Reminders
1. SATURDAY MEETINGS & BBQ
Saturday 5th April at 1000 we are having the Field Day Information Meeting followed at 1200 by a tasty BBQ, then at 1300 the April Business Meeting. All are welcome to give your constructive input. All Sub-Committee chairs, your reports are now required. Please either email them to the Secretary or present a typed report at the meeting.
2. SMOKE SIGNALS
Our Smoke Signals Editor, Leonie VK2LCP is preparing for the next issue (May) and is asking nicely for articles, photos (any from Field Day would be appreciated). New items are to be sent to: smokesignalseditor at fsparker.com.au please.
3. EDUCATION
Our Education Officer Chris Lobb VK2YY is organizing an assessment day on 12th April and an education day on 10th May at CCARC.
This is an ideal time to study for your Foundation license, or the next level of your license, the upgrade from Foundation to Standard or Standard to Advanced. Anything worth having needs to be worked for, but you don’t have to do it alone. Chris, VK2YY is willing to give us his time to run training courses and examinations to help you. Why not contact Chris via email VK2YYChris at gmail.com
4. CCARC LECTURES
Next lectures coming up are:
Saturday 19th April 2014 “Antenna Construction” by Col Hodgson VK2ZCO
Saturday 24th May 2014 “SDR Radio and Aeroplane Tracking Radar” by Victor Barker VK2BTV
5. REPORT FROM OUR GERMAN CORRESPONDENT
After an eventful arrival in Munich (our plane had to make an emergency landing as the pilot had indicators in the cockpit suggesting one of the braking systems was not working – luckily all was in fact OK and it appears this was only a sensor failure), we have stayed with friends for two weeks but have now moved into a small but lovely furnished flat in the village of Andechs-Erling.
Ian VK2HK has asked if I can get access to an IRLP equipped repeater from here, however radio is taking a back seat to other tasks such as finding a house and a job at the moment. That being said, I managed to check out a SOTA (Summits of the Air) peak about 45 minutes drive away from here, on Sunday in the hope of setting up a HF (20m) contact back to VK over the next few days. We have made the reverse connection using “Grey Line Propagation” in the past, however now that we have changed the clocks last Sunday in Germany and you will change this coming weekend, it starts to look like we can no longer take advantage of the dawn/dusk D_layer changes. Rod VK2LAX and I are still looking into this in the hope of a contact from the club rooms to the SOTA Summit here one evening.
I also have not applied for my German call sign as yet, so for now (up to three months) I will stay as DL/VK2JI.
73 to all – Ed.
6. WIA NEWS
WIA Directors actively support the PR4AmateurRadio Expo
This 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 13th. Source WIA News PR4AmateurRadio
7. BROKE & FIXED
The email re-direction has now been fixed. All emails to the news-editor at ccarc.org.au will now be forwarded to the editor.
8. REMINDERS
This section lists important announcements and possibly items from previous CCARC NEWS editions that are still current and may need your input:
Daylight Saving finishes this Sunday at 0300. Turn your clocks back one hour. The curtains will fade less now.
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 & Erina gives CCARC members a trade discount – approx 10% on purchases over $25. Make sure you ask for it. Thanks Rod VK2LAX and Col VK2ZCO.
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 …
