2024 MAY 5 VK NATIONAL NEWS BROADCAST ON VK1WIA ------------------------------------------------------------* THE BEST NEWS YOU'LL GET ALL WEEK THIS LINK IS A VIDEO VERSION OF NEWS COMPILED BY VK5BD BEVAN tinyurl.com/WIA-News-Videos ------------------------------------------------------------* NATIONAL NEWS FOR WEEK COMMENCING MAY 5 2024 IN OUR 29th YEAR OF NON STOP NEWS THIS WEEK:- A SHORT VERSION OF THE 30 MINUTE NEWS, MAYBE THAT SOLAR ECLIPSE SHORTENED OUR VK TIME ZONES AS WELL AS IN THE USA AS WE HEARD LAST WEEK. I'M EDITOR GRAHAM VK4BB WIA JOIN THE WIA tinyurl.com/yyj87b9y ARISS CONTACT. As many of we news readers have been busy on the road or at airports planning on being in Bundaberg for the AGM today, Sunday, much has been pre-recorded. Planned and still "Go for Contact" is the Wireless Institute of Australia / Bundaberg High School Amateur Radio Club contact but via telebridge out of VK6MJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled crewmember is Mike Barratt KD5MIJ The ARISS mentor is VK4KHZ Contact is go for: Sat 2024-05-04 10:28:24 UTC As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. (NA) ------------------------------------------------------------* INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to ARRL, DX-WORLD, eHam, Hackaday, IARU, ICQPodcast, NEWSLINE, NZART, RAC, Radioworld.com, RSGB and the World Wide sources of the WIA. MFJ Enterprises, Inc founder Martin F. Jue, K5FLU, announced that as of May 17 the company will cease on-site production at their Mississippi, facility. Ameritron, Hy-Gain, Cushcraft, Mirage, and Vectronics brand products will be affected by the shutdown. In a letter posted to social media, Martin said he is looking forward to retiring. " I turned 80 this year. I had never really considered retirement, but life is so short, and my time with my family is so precious." MFJ Enterprises was formed in 1972, after Martin built a CW filter kit that sold for less than $10. Since 1990, the company has acquired several other legacy brands within the amateur radio market. The company will remain open to sell existing inventory because they have a lot of stock on hand. They will also continue to offer repair services for the foreseeable future Martin also expressed gratitude to the many long-time employees of MFJ some of whom have been with the company for 40 years. He also thanked MFJ dealers and radio amateurs for their patronage over the decades. EDUCATION. Studying for your exam, how do you go with these UK questions? The Radio Society of Great Britain has published a new set of mock papers covering each of the UK amateur radio licence exams, from Foundation through to Direct to Full. These papers are in addition to those already available. They are each marked as mock exam paper 3 and you can find them on the RSGB website. rsgb.org/mock-exams. When amateur radio enthusiasts gathered at the Marconi Museum on the Lizard Peninsula, to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Guglielmo Marconi, they were not only remembering the inventor of radio but also Nobel Prize for physics winner. The Lizard is where Marconi did a lot of his work. In 1901 he achieved a significant milestone, the first ever transatlantic communication from Poldhu to Newfoundland in Canada. This achievement rightly received much accolade, with the station being visited by the future King and Queen in 1903. Marconi later used Poldhu for his shortwave experiments from which he developed the Beam Wireless Service for the British General Post Office. The station at Poldhu operated until 1933 and the site was later, in 2001, now to be known as the Marconi Centre, opened by the National Trust and Marconi PLC to mark the centenary of his transatlantic signal. James Woolford, from Poldhu Amateur Radio Club, said he hoped the event would have brought a bit of perspective to the younger generation. He said: "We're always trying to bring to, especially the younger generation, the message about what Marconi has brought to their world. He was the first man who was talking about mobile phones in the 1920s and we take a lot of things for granted now which link back to Guglielmo. "He was a very important character in history who has probably touched the lives of more of us and our technology than anyone else." Still in Newfoundland we learn David Bowman, G0MRF, and Graham Shirville, G3VZV, will travel to St. Johns, Newfoundland May 15-19, 2024 in an attempt to operate QO-100 from below the horizon and claim trophies sponsored by AMSAT-UK and the British Amateur Television Club for the FIRST QO-100 QSOs from North America. AMSAT-UK and BATC posed the challenge in 2022. The trophies have so far gone unclaimed, though successful below horizon operation on QO-100 has occurred from Indonesia. The future of AM radio is taking centre stage among United States lawmakers. The Energy & Commerce Committee of the US House of Representatives have begun a hearing on the language needed to fine-tune the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2024. One report says the bill has enough support in the House of Reps for it to be passed by that chamber, you may recall last December, Senate supporters tried to pass a similar bill but that attempt failed. ------------------------------------------------------------------- OPERATIONAL NEWS - A FELIX VK4FUQ PRESENTATION -------------- -------------- NOW CONTEST WISE:- 2024 -------------- -------------- The St. George Amateur Radio Society will again be holding the Don Edwards memorial slow Morse on the weekend after Mother's Day, so that's NEXT Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 May. Full details on the St. George Amateur Radio Society's website sgars.org (VK2EMU) ---------------------------------------------------- IARU HF World Championship the second full weekend of July i.e. 13-14. Starts: Zero hours UTC Saturday Ends: 2359 UTC Sunday (CQ) ---------------------------------------------------- Trans-Tasman Low Band Contest July 21st 2024 The Trans-Tasman contest, always held on the 3rd weekend in July, aims to encourage Low Band activity between VK and ZL Only contest bands 160 80 and 40M are allowed with SSB, CW and Digital (i.e. RTTY OR PSK) This contest is another official WIA Contest and will count towards the Peter Brown Contest Champion Awards. (wia.org.au) ------------------- YOTA Contest 2024 The next session of this year's YOTA Contest will be from 10:00 to 21:59 UTC on 21 July on the five classic bands using CW and SSB. Everyone can work everyone. The complete rules can be found on ham-yota.com/contest. ----------------- AUGUST 17 - 18 Remembrance Day Contest. This contest commemorates the Australian Amateurs who died during World War II and is designed to encourage friendly participation and help improve the operating skills of participants. Amateurs will endeavour to contact amateurs in VK call areas, ZL and P29 on all bands except WARC bands. Modes allowed are PHONE, CW and RTTY as per the era remembered Again the 2024 contest is 17th & 18th August. (wia.org.au) ----------------------------- 44th A.L.A.R.A. CONTEST AND this ALARA contest is ALWAYS held on the last FULL weekend of August. quipment and callsign. YLs work everyone; OMs work YLs only. All HF Bands except 160m & WARC Bands. Contacts made on ECHOLINK will also be accepted. (alara web page) -------------------------------------------------------------------- DX WINDOW TO THE WORLD. ---------- ---------- UGANDA Jack, NP 2 OR, is currently active as 5 X 3 L from the village Kayabwe which sits right on the equator. He will be joined by Don 7 Q 6 Mon 25 May. They will be active until 10 May while preparing some local newcomers for their license exams. (sarl) -------------- MALAWI. Don, 7Q6M is QRV until May 13, 2024 and has also been active on 160 meters. QSL via LoTW. --------- Botswana Active will be A 25 SHD from different locations in Botswana, between 30 April and 13 May. QSL A25SHD via home call which is HB 9 SHD. (sarl) -------- In the World of DX, be listening for members of the Zurich City Police Radio Amateur Club throughout the year, operating as HB 2 SP the club is marking its 20th anniversary. No Bureau QSL's thanks but you can use Logbook Of The World, and HB20SP runs until December 31. (sourced to ARNewsLine 2410) ------------------------------------------------------------* WORLD WIDE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP NEWS SUMMITS ON THE AIR, WORLD WIDE FLORA, FAUNA PROGRAM, PARKS ON THE AIR and other ADVENTURE GROUPS. hema.org.uk/index.jsp minesontheair.com/about-mota parksontheair.com/ sota.org.uk sotawatch.sota.org.uk/en/ facebook.com/SotaAustralia/ wwffaustralia.com/ https://bunkersontheair.wixsite.com/october23 GOOD NEWS FOR IOTA AND POTA ENTHUSIATS re JARVIS ISLAND. Jarvis is one of the rarest of the IOTA counters, having been off the air for 34 years. Because of the requirements set by the permit of the USFWS, while the stations and antennas and power are all set up ON Jarvis Island, the local operators must conduct the DXpedition from the MV Magnet which will still be in the Jarvis Island National Wildlife Refuge just offshore. Both the IOTA and POTA programs have agreed to recognize QSOs made by the local operators but will not allow QSOs made by some 24 internet remote operators to count. Therefore, QSOs made by AA7JV, HA7RY, N1DG, KO8SCA and KN4EEI WILL count for the awards. Daily uploads by the N5J team to clublog will identify the operators. Additionally at the beginning of each operator shift the team will endeavour to post on the cluster the callsign of the operator so chasers have some real time notice. At this time all phone operations are expected to be by the at Island team as well giving that mode 100% IOTA/POTA certainty. (sourced to DX-WORLD) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- ASTRONOMY (and Wireless Weather) Undergrads Explore Space Weather During 2024 Total Eclipse: - still reports are coming in of the fantastic work, much by amateurs, in the study of the Eclipse across the North American mainland. While thousands travelled westward and northward from New Jersey through bumper-to-bumper traffic to reach the totality of the solar eclipse on April 8, N.J.I.T. undergraduate physics students Anneliese Schmidt '24 and Joseph Visone '25 were finally able to relax. For them, the race to the eclipse was over, having finally finished deploying instrumentation in upstate New York to explore the question -- How does the eclipse change the space environment near Earth? Because their HF receiver needed, and, needed to be assembled from scratch as part of their PHYS 450 coursework, Schmidt and Visone took their lead from HamSCI -- that community of Ham radio enthusiasts who developed an easy-to assemble magnetometer and instructions for building a receiver. "Our receiver gave us a way to measure Doppler shift, or changes in received frequency of radio signals after it 'bounces' off of the ionosphere, that region of Earth's upper atmosphere, and hits our receiver. With that signal change, we can determine a lot about the bottom-side of the ionosphere," explained Schmidte. "Sunlight affects all these factors due to the photoionization of the ionosphere, so being able to see a 'sudden night-time' during the day because of a total solar eclipse allows us to see changes in the ionosphere that would usually take place over multiple hours from sunset tonight." (eHam) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - DIGITAL Turkish University Uses AI to Monitor Space Activities: Spacecraft and objects, including satellites passing over, can be tracked using artificial intelligence (AI) in a project that will also enable the detection of espionage activities. They aim to commence trials by the end of the year, which will allow for the instantaneous learning of the speed, position, and orbit of any space object observable through amateur radio bands passing over the country. (eHam) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - FINAL FRONTIER AMSAT-VK Secretary - secretary@amsat-vk.org NASA has announced a coding fix by scientists at its Jet Propulsion Laboratory has restored viable communications with Voyager One. NASA said it has since received good data from Voyager-1 about the health of its engineering systems and it is expected to resume its scientific mission through deep space shortly. (sourced to NewsLine) Robusta-3A With Store & Forward Repeater Scheduled for Launch. The HAM radio messaging system provides a message-exchanging service between amateur radio users using Robusta satellite missions as relays. The main purpose of the system is to enable HAM radio operators to send and receive messages from anywhere in the world without having a direct (end-to-end) connection between them. The messaging system uses store and forward to provide this service. Messages are transported to the relay station on-board satellite Robusta-3A by a radio link and from one geographical location to another, by the satellite orbital movement. A user sends a message to the satellite during a pass and the message is stored in the satellites memory. The satellite then moves on its orbit, making the stored message available for other HAM radio operators. Users can request messages to the satellite which, in turn will check if there are any stored messages available for that particular operator. Finally, the message is transmitted and it arrives at its destination A UHF downlink using 9k6 GMSK with AX25 is proposed. Launch is planned on the Ariane 6 maiden flight from French Guiana into a 580 km circular 96 degree orbit. csum.umontpellier.fr/en/nanosatellites-projects-our-3u-projects/ (AMSAT NA) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - MILITARY Recordings of military transmissions can be found on the Signal Identification Guide Wiki at sigidwiki.com/wiki/Category:Military The National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, will activate WW 1 USA from Friday, May 24 until Monday, May 27, 2024. Amateur radio operators are invited to participate in this special event and contact stations around the world. QSL with WW1USA will be available by mail with a SASE or other postage provided, or via an eQSL. After the event, information will be provided regarding how to request a commemorative certificate. WW1USA operation dates often coincide with other events held at this museum and memorial, highlighting lessons from the first worldwide war. The station helps to raise awareness of the Great War and how it continues to affect the world today. National WWI Museum and Memorial (theworldwar.org) . (arrl) WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO AMATEUR OLD-TIMERS qcwa.org raotc.org.au Hallo everyone, this is Clive VK6CSW reminding you that tomorrow is the first Monday of the month, time for the Radio Amateurs Old Timers Club of Australia's May bulletin to go to air. This month, once again we offer an historical broadcast from years past by Allan Doble VK3AMD, from April 2002. The latest news and information will be broadcast next month. Everyone, RAOTC members and non-Members alike, is most welcome to listen to the program and join in the call backs afterwards. Full details of all transmissions times, frequencies and modes can be found on the RAOTC website at raotc.org.au or just Google RAOTC broadcasts. If none of the transmission times suit you, you can download the audio file at any time from today from the club website. Members and Friends of the RAOTC in Perth are reminded that the next lunchtime meeting at the Woodbridge Hotel, East Guildford is on Tuesday May 14th. All are welcome, Details are published on the clubs website, sub-heading Luncheons. Once again, tune in tomorrow for the May RAOTC bulletin, enjoy the program and please join in the call backs afterwards. 73 from Clive VK6CSW. WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO SCOUTING VKJOTAJOTI.COM scouts.com.au scout.org/jota international.scouts.com.au jotajoti.info/ Brett Nicholas VK2BNN Scouts Australia National co-ordinator for JOTA. Lorraine OHare VK2FICQ is Girl Guides Australia National JOTA-JOTI Co-ordinator. Jota always 3rd weekend in October so 2023 = October 20 - 22 CALLING FREQUENCIES Please QSY off the calling frequency after establishing communication. Australian voice calling frequencies: 3.650, 7.090, 14.190, 21.190, 28.590, 52.160 World CW calling frequencies: 3.570, 7.030, 14.060, 18.080, 21.140, 24.910, 28.180, 50.160 World voice calling frequencies: 3.690 & 3.940 MHz, 7.090 & 7.190, 14.290, 18.140, 21.360, 24.960, 28.390, 50.160 Calling frequencies for Slow Scan TV (SSTV): 3.630, 7.033, 14.227 Calling Frequencies for PSK31 14.070 While many are in Bundaberg for WIA AGM, in Ireland this weekend big things are also happening. I'm Alan VK2COD Radio Scouting Ireland and Shannon Basin Radio Club have teamed up for Camp North East and Radio Scouting Ireland has been invited to put on radio and STEM related activities at this Camp North East in Portlick scout campsite, near Westmeath. The event is taking place over the weekend and there are over 400 scouts in attendance. Assisting in a big way is the local radio club, Shannon Basin Radio Club. There are six stations on air including HF operation on the 80m to 10m bands using SSB, CW, and digital modes. In addition, UHF/VHF simplex as well as repeater operation via EI 2 SBR will be supported. There will also be several activities including orienteering, flag hunts, and obstacle course navigation. Radio Scouting Ireland will be operating EI 10 JOTA. You are asked to please listen out for them and support them in any ways you can. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2024 IT'S A DATE Clubs are welcome to email text with audio for this section Details of all WIA affiliated clubs and societies can be found on the WIA website, including email addresses and website links. VK3 - May 11 Moorabbin & District ARC HamFest Kingston City Hall (vk3gl) VK - National Volunteer Week Monday 20 Sunday 26 May 2024. National Volunteer Week (NVW) is Australias largest annual celebration of volunteers and their important contribution to our communities. VK2 - June 8-9. Oxley Region Amateur Radio Club Field Day. (vk2zhe) VK5 - Aust. Fox Hunting championships Mt Gambier 8/9 June.(vk5dj) VK3 - Bendigo AR & Electronics Club RadioFest August 18 (vk3gtv) VK4 - GOLD COAST HAMFEST OCTOBER 13 at Nerang Country Paradise Parklands 231 Beaudesert-Nerang Road Nerang. (vk4DMH) VK5 - Amateur Radio Experiments Group Radio & Electronics Sale Saturday 26th October 10AM David Roche Park Kilburn (vk5qi) VK7 - Tasmanian Ham Conference November 2 and 3 Hobart. (vk7news) VK3 - SPARC Rosebud RadioFest November 17 at Eastbourne Primary School, Allambi Ave. Rosebud. (vk3pdg) Reception Reports WIA News rebroadcasters often give Short Wave Listeners a welcome to the broadcast as they commence call-backs straight after the Local News. Local news follows National news in all states. It would be great if those SWL's would email their reception reports and location to callbacks@wia.org.au Submitting news items If you would like to submit news items for possible inclusion in the VK1WIA broadcasts, please email your item in text to nationalnews@wia.org.au and don't JUST send url's links or posters, but take the time to pen YOUR contribution. To submit audio, email nationalnews@wia.org.au and send BOTH the audio and the text We would appreciate items certainly no longer than 1.5 mts in length as we only have a half hour. Remember the sooner you submit material the more the likelihood of it being broadcast in the very next edition of WIA National News. Each recorded item will only be broadcast once, if you want a couple of mentions, please submit different slants to keep your event 'fresh' and always if the news room is to read your item --- write it in the 3rd person. (First if YOU are reading your own item). If you are mentioning your own name / call in the story, say something like "and myself, Pat, vk11abc" Promote your local rebroadcast; details on wia.org.au/members/broadcast/contribute/ A reminder when supplying HamFest info we obviously can't plug DEALS from commercial traders "on air", but we at the WIA will put your supporters 'goods' in this text edition "no worries." We will not give blatant 'plugs' to raffles, be it raffles at the event or "on-line". ------------------------------------------------------------* Oh... and to contact us with your news because If It Matters To You It Matters To Us! Click the links below to download the most recent edition of National News, BUT this is ONLY the backup site! WIANEWS backup thanks to Brendan VK4BLP can be found on wiaq.org.au BACKUPS OF THE BACKUP!! thanks to Tony VK7AX www.vk7ax.id.au/wianews/ wia.org.au/members/broadcast/wianews/ (This is the link to the original text version and original audio on wia site) ------------------------------------------------------------* WIANews - we've reported...YOU decide. TWITTER twitter.com/VK1WIA Societies and Club News Letter Editors can EXCHANGE a feed prior to the actual broadcast date, e-mail nationalnews@wia.org.au Call-backs follow the RF editions, but also for text readers you may lodge a quick reply to let us know you read it, who knows, you might even get a "cheerio call". Thanks to our dedicated band of broadcast volunteers who utilize their time and equipment in bringing you this weekly broadcast. Who and where are they? wia.org.au/members/broadcast/where/ Promote your local rebroadcast; details on wia.org.au/members/broadcast/contribute/ The purpose of "WIANews" is to rapidly provide news of interest to WIA affiliated clubs and active amateurs residing in Australia and the globe. We strongly encourage membership in the Wireless Institute of Australia and participation in the activities of local clubs. Opinions expressed in "WIANews" are those of the writers who submit material and do not necessarily reflect those of the rebroadcasters, nor the National WIA, but IF broadcast, are done so in the spirit in which they were submitted." If you would like to see the call-backs reported each broadcast, OR have call-backs to contribute to the National News call back tally then please send through your call-backs to callbacks@wia.org.au How do I join this National News List? (subscribe for an automatic weekly feed.) Email to vk1wia-news-join@lists.wia.org.au from the email account that you wish the emails to go to. How do I leave this National News List? (unsubscribe your weekly feed) Open mail program which sends mail from the address you want to unsubscribe from. Send unsubscribe to the list unsubscribe address vk1wia-news-leave@lists.wia.org.au You will be sent a confirmation mail and must follow the instructions given in that mail to complete the unsubscription. Once your unsubscription has been processed, you will probably receive a message confirming your unsubscription from the list and at that point you should stop receiving messages. ------------------------------------------------------------*