CCARC NEWS 15-19
THE PERIODIC NEWSLETTER OF THE CENTRAL COAST AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
ISSUE No 15-19 19th June 2015
In this Issue:
- Lecture for June
- WIA 2m and 70cm Bandplan Review – Update
- WINTER VHF-UHF FIELD DAY 2015
- ICQPODCAST – Running an Amateur / Ham Radio Special Event
- History This Week
- Broke & fixed
- Reminders
1. Lecture for June
The June Lecture will be held on Saturday 20th June 2015, commencing at 1300 hours.
LECTURE on ‘Making Lots of Noise’ by Vic Barker, VK2BTV
This lecture describes a DIY wide band noise generator.
2. WIA 2m and 70cm Bandplan Review – Update
Following the initial release of the draft 2m and 70cm band plans back on the 20th of May, many members have given us feedback on the proposals which has been most welcome. The sub-committee has been continuously reviewing the inputs received and has made some small amendments to the proposals. These are now available for you to consider at the links below.
The changes on 2m entail reinstating some of the special use channels. In particular, 145.7 has been relisted as the ARDF Homing beacon channel (although it is still under review as compatibility with potential repeaters is explored).
On 70cm, the use of the simplex segment between 438.95 and 439.775 has been clarified as available for FM and Digital Simplex (12.5 or 25 kHz channel spacing) not just FM as it was in the previous release. Two additional designated simplex channels have also been defined. These are 439.200 for digital voice calling (to replace 438.95 used previously and in alignment with the plan to refarm old AX.25 channels) and 439.400 for ARDF activity.
The window for feedback has now been extended to the 15th of July so that members can further consider the plans and provide their feedback before their adoption.
Please send your feedback to nationaloffice at wia.org.au
Author : Grant Willis – VK5GR
Source WIA
3. WINTER VHF-UHF FIELD DAY 2015
Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 June
Contest Introduction
The VHF-UHF Field Days provide VHF-UHF operators with the opportunity to “head for the hills” and see how far they can work.
The Field Days have separate sections for single and multiple operator stations. The duration of the Field Day is 24 hours, but there are also 8 hour sections for operators who may not be able to camp overnight. Most club stations prefer to operate for the full 24 hours.
The Field Days also generate plenty of activity from home stations, so there is also a separate Home Station section.
All contacts must be simplex: contacts through repeaters or satellites are not allowed. There is plenty of FM activity, but one feature of the Field Days is a high level of SSB activity.
It is possible to do very well with only modest antennas if you pick a good hilltop. Another option, if your station is easily transportable, is to operate from more than one location during the contest period.
Aim Of The Contest
The overriding aim is to get away for the weekend and have fun! But next after that, the aims are:
to encourage more activity on VHF and microwave bands;
to encourage people to work greater distances than usual by operating portable, and
to provide opportunities for people to activate or work into new grid squares.
Contest History
The first VHF-UHF Field Day was run as a trial in January 1989. It was quite well received so it has continued since then. In 1998, there was a trial Spring Field Day which also proved a success. Support for the Field Days has continued to increase, and a third event – the Winter VHF-UHF Field Day – was introduced in 2008.
In 2014, the WIA board decided that the contest should be run with two parallel sets of rules and scoring systems. John Martin VK3KM departed as Contest Manager after the Winter 2014 event.
Read the new rules carefully as a number of changes have been introduced.
There are now four Sections, reduced from six in the previous rules, and four Sub-sections, up from two in the previous rules.
Operators can enter a log for either 24-hour operations, or 8-hour operations, but not both.
The four Sub-sections introduce a new approach, with Single-band, Four-band, All-bands and Digital operations.
Division 1 and Division 2 scoring methodologies are retained.
Contest Manager: Roger Harrison VK2ZRH [Interim Manager !]
Source WIA
4. ICQPODCAST – Running an Amateur / Ham Radio Special Event
Series Eight Episode Twelve – Running an Amateur / Ham Radio Special Event
In this episode, Martin M1MRB / W9ICQ is joined by Ed Durrant DD5LP, Martin Rothwell M0SGL and Matthew Nassau 2E0MTT to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news.
Colin M6BOY rounds up the news in brief, and this episode’s feature is – Running a Special Event.
Passing (SK) of Bill Pasternak WA6ITF
New VK balloon Circumnavigates the Earth
German Museum Joins Museums on the Air
The Morse Mouse – Educational Fun with Ham Radio
Britain’s Pirate Radio Stations
Tytera TYT MD-380 DMR handheld
Radio Call Saves SOTA Climber
Bletchley Honour for Morse Code Interceptor
Australian Foundation Licence due for Review
Lotto Grant to buy Radios for Blind
Swedish 160m Proposal
The ICQPODCAST can be downloaded from http://www.icqpodcast.com
Source: Southgate AR News
History This Week
A look back at events that made history this week – compiled by the Summerland Amateur Radio Club of Lismore, NSW
Monday, 8 June, 2015
1178 Proposed time of origin of lunar crater Giordano Bruno
1644 Florentine scientist, Evangelista Torricelli described in a letter the invention of a barometer
1770 Capt Cook runs aground on Australian Great Barrier Reef
1834 Sandpaper patented by Isaac Fischer Jr, Springfield, Vermont
1848 First telegraph link between New York City & Chicago
1848 Samuel F. B. Morse obtained a reissued patent for Morse code.
1849 Gas mask patented by Lewis Haslett, Louisville, Ky
1883 First commercial electric railway line begins operation (Chicago El)
1889 Thomas A. Edison was issued a patent for an “Electrical Distribution System”
1895 The first U.S. patent for a gasoline-driven automobile by a U.S. inventor was issued to Charles E. Duryea
BROKE & FIXED
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 …
