CCARC NEWS 15-17
THE PERIODIC NEWSLETTER OF THE CENTRAL COAST AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
ISSUE No 15-17 5th June 2015
In this Issue:
- Wicen CNC at the Tom Quilty Gold Cup
- CCARC Business meeting this Saturday
- Another VK balloon circumnavigates the earth
- WIA online news & information for all
- History This Week
- Broke & fixed
- Reminders
1. Wicen CNC at the Tom Quilty Gold Cup
Over the coming weekend WICEN CNC will be active at the ‘Tom Quilty’ Endurance Ride.
This will be the 50th Anniversary event of the Tom Quilty Gold Cup, held on the June Long Weekend, 6 & 7th June 2015.
Fri 5/6/15 10am Base/Repeater setup; 5pm pre-ride talk; 11.45pm riders at start line
Sat 6/6/15 12am Riders Start
Sun 7/6/15 Riders Finish; 7.30am Volunteers Breakfast
Mon 8/6/15 Base Closed
2. CCARC Business meeting this Saturday
The CCARC Business meeting will be held on Saturday 6thJune 2015, commencing at 1315 hours.
3. Another VK balloon circumnavigates the earth
The party-type foil balloon PS-46 from Australia has shown that going around the southern hemisphere is no fluke – although it does need some perseverance.
A very excited but humble Andy Nguyen VK3YT, who launched the balloon carrying an Amateur Radio payload said: “I express a big thank you to everyone assisting with its tracking across the continents.”
The solar power helium balloons in his series use a 25mW transmitter with WSPR, JT9 and sometimes Olivia signals on the 30m and 20m bands. That enables tracking through stations who report on its altitude, speed, direction and battery condition.
He explained that PS-46 flight left Australia at 0700 (AEST) on May 25, making its epic flight in just over 12 days. Andy VK3YT said: “This time it was in the right position (before arriving in Western Australia) for the jet stream to push it over land.
The balloon did an s-shape over the Pacific to South America, traversed the South Atlantic to Namibia, tracked above South Africa, crossed the Indian Ocean to Cape Le Grand near Esperance West Australia, and completed the world trip on Thursday, June 4.
After reaching Australia the balloon tracked inland from South Australia (VK5), just touched New South Wales at Cameron’s Corner (three state border point) and then to Queensland making the circulation complete.
Earlier balloon PS-41 launched by Andy VK3YT was the first to circle the earth. On its second time around it visited the Antarctic region, but disappeared in the Southern Ocean around April 21.
Author : Jim Linton VK3PC
Source WIA
4. WIA online news & information for all
The Wireless Institute of Australia has upgraded and revised some content on its website which continues to be well-read. The recent changes include those in response to member suggestions about receiving details of what the WIA is doing for the hobby. WIA Director Robert Broomhead, said an interesting range of online material is available on the website under the ‘For Members’ tab that contains Benefits, Services and Information.
“Under the section ‘Promoting Our Hobby’ is information in the WIA resource material – The Calling CQ Brochure and Poster, their purpose and availability.
“In ‘Emergency Communications’ the role played by Amateur Radio, which in Australia is traced back to the flood in Queensland in February 1927.
“Another innovation is the WIA Board Newsletter library. Past copies are now available from the website under the ‘WIA Information’ dropdown menu. The WIA Board Newsletter is sent monthly to the radio clubs for them to email to all their members and contains a summary of WIA developments,” said Robert VK3DN, whose portfolio includes the WIA website.
The IARU Monitoring System or Intruder Watch observations are posted, so are the Band Plans, Contests and the other useful information that appears regularly.
He said additionally, the ‘WIA Hot Issues’ section on the website contains a list of major matters currently being handled that affect Amateur Radio in Australia, linked back to the relevant WIA news release.
The WIA posts news releases to the home page of its website. Periodically, these are also summarised and emailed to those members who have obtained a free your callsign@wia.org.au address that diverts automatically to the chosen email address at home or their office. If something major occurs, this can also be sent as soon as possible.
Check out “Your WIA Email Address” under the “For Members” tab on the WIA website for more information.
If you are looking for more information about what the WIA is doing, want to be informed on the latest developments that may affect you, then check out the material on its website at www.wia.org.au and obtain a free your callsign@wia.org.au address.
The WIA also continues to deliver its news via a number of other means, including the weekly VK1WIA broadcast on air and its text edition, and through the pages of its journal, Amateur Radio magazine.
Author : Jim Linton – VK3PC
History This Week
A look back at events that made history this week – compiled by the Summerland Amateur Radio Club of Lismore, NSW
Monday, 25 May, 2015
1818 First steam-vessel to sail Great Lakes launched
1874 T. A. Edison was issued a patent for a device concerning “Automatic Telegraphy and in Perforators Therefor.”
1879 First electric railway opens at Berlin Trades Exposition
1883 T. A. Edison received a series of patents including the “Manufacture of Incandescing Electric Lamps.”
1884 A patent for “flaked cereal” was applied for by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg.
1896 First car accident occurs, Henry Wells hit a bicyclist (NYC)
1919 Oil was struck at England’s first inland oilwell at Hardstoft near Tibshelf, in Derbyshire.
1928 The first U.S. television station WGY began broadcasting regular programs.
1946 Patent filed in US for H-Bomb
BROKE & FIXED
The Phone and internet have been restored at Somersby. The Kariong antennas and mast have been damaged and are being repaired.
REMINDERS
This section lists important announcements and possibly items from previous CCARC NEWS editions that are still current and may need your input:
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 …
