CCARC NEWS 15-03
THE PERIODIC NEWSLETTER OF THE CENTRAL COAST AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
ISSUE No 15-03 30th January 2015
In this Issue:
- Upcoming Meetings
- Aussie pico balloon PS-31 lost, PS-32 still flying
- VK-ZL cruise liner IRLP expedition
- History This Week
- Broke & fixed
- Reminders
1. Upcoming Meetings
There will be a number of events on Saturday the 7th February. There will be a Field Day planning meeting starting at 1100 hrs, then a BBQ lunch at 1200 hrs, then the Monthly Business Meeting at 1300 hrs.
2. Aussie pico balloon PS-31 lost, PS-32 still flying
The small solar-powered pico balloon from Australia went down north-east of New Zealand, probably being hit by rain and ice in the area.
Andy Nguyen VK3YT reports that PS-31 gave out its final JT9 packet message and was lost.
The balloon, launched from Melbourne Australia on Saturday January 24, manoeuvred forming an s-shape but was lost after as dark fell and it was across the International Dateline in the South Pacific.
Andy VK3YT who launched both the PS-31 and PS-32 balloons says “Thanks everyone for tracking, and hope PS-32 (the other balloon) will keep going for much longer.”
PS-32 with the VK3ANH callsign continues to be tracked. It put up from Woori Yallock 56kms east of Melbourne on January 26, Australia Day, and is currently in the South Pacific.
Like all recent balloons in the series launched by Andy VK3YT for the Southern Hemisphere, it is fitted with QRP transmission of both WSPR and JT9 giving trackers the location, speed and altitude along with other data.
PS-32 continues being tracked at last report was doing well.
An International team of radio amateurs are following its path.
Author : Jim Linton – VK3PC
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2015/january/aussie_pico_balloon_downed.htm#.VMqw79KUcUt
3. VK-ZL cruise liner IRLP expedition
A group from the Australian Ladies Amateur Radio Association (ALARA) and friends will operate ‘marine mobile’ from the MS Celebrity Solstice, relying on lower power and the Internet Repeater Linking Project (IRLP) for communication. A number of well-known radio amateurs, led by ALARA National President Jean Fisher VK3VIP, will be active from January 27 through to 11 February.
The MS Celebrity Solstice is one of the largest cruise liners to operate in Australian waters. The voyage begins at Sydney Circular Quay, down to Hobart for two days, then across to New Zealand using IRLP enabled repeaters along the way. The ALARA group will leave the ship in Auckland, to be heard on the ZL1BQ device primarily (Node 6950) and various nodes in the ‘Waikato Network’. VK Foundation Licence holders have always been allowed to operate as visitors in New Zealand. After visiting friends, the group heads back to Melbourne by aircraft on February 11. A reverse direction trip by sea (Hobart – Sydney) last year showed how IRLP can be a fantastic and reliable communication method.
The ALARA group that at least includes Jean VK3VIP, Donna VK3FRET, Pat VK3OZ and Margaret VK3FMAB, may pop-up on some IRLP enabled repeaters in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and New Zealand. ALARA is unashamedly trying to promote IRLP to all who have modern analogue frequency modulated 2m and 70cm transceivers.
Your nearest IRLP enabled device is on a list at the following
http://www.irlp.net/statuspdf.html
Source : WIA http://www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2015/20150126-1/index.php
Author : Jim Linton – VK3PC
4. History This Week
A look back at events that made history this week – compiled by the Summerland Amateur Radio Club of Lismore, NSW
Monday, 26 January, 2015
1788 A patent for a steamboat was issued by the state of Georgia to Isaac Briggs and William Longstreet.
1807 London’s Pall Mall became the first street of any city to be lit by gaslight.
1838 A U.S. patent was issued for the screw propeller to John Ericsson (No. 588). A Swedish American.
1839 Fox Talbot read a paper before the Royal Society, London, to describe his photographic process using solar light.
1879 The first practical, usable incandescent filament electric light bulb was demonstrated to an audience of 700 by its inventor J.W.Swan
1880 Thomas Edison received a patent (#223,898) for his electric incandescent lamp.
1893 Edison’s patent concerning the “Manufacture of Carbon Filaments for Electric Lamps” (No. 490,954).
1896 First speeding fine one shilling, was handed out to a British motorist, 8mph in a 2mph zone.
1901 The world’s tallest geyser was discovered by Dr Humphrey Haines on the North Island of New Zealand.
1906 The world’s steam car land speed record was set at 127.7 mph (205.5 km/h).
1907 The three-element vacuum tube was issued a U.S. patent to its inventor, Dr Lee de Forest.
1913 A patent for a “demountable tire-carrying rim”, was issued to Louis Henry Perlman of New York City.
BROKE & FIXED
No items for Broke & Fixed this week – all CCARC infrastructure is operational.
REMINDERS
This section lists important announcements and possibly items from previous CCARC NEWS editions that are still current and may need your input:
If you experience any problems with any of the repeaters not working, please report to Repeater Chairman, Don VK2ZCZ. Do not assume that he already knows about it. As soon as problems are brought to Don’s attention, they will be fixed ASAP.
Jaycar Tuggerah & Erina will give CCARC members a trade discount – approx 10% on purchases over $25. Make sure you ask for it.
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 …