VK2WI BROADCAST, 2nd January, 1994 Welcome to the first morning/evening broadcast for 1994, and we trust that all our listeners survived the celebrations. We still have several dead transmitters, so there will be no broadcast on 160m AM, 10m SSB, 6m SSB and 2m SSB. These transmitters will be repaired when personnel become available. The major news items this week include: A New Year Broadcast Council meeting in Wollongong Annual General Meeting FM-828 Bonanza Packet Users meeting NTAC Chairman resigns ---------- Divisional News A New Year Broadcast As mentioned, this is the first "live" VK2 Broadcast for the new year. We believe that some Divisions will not commence their Broadcast until later on in the month, so in the meantime those Members and listeners bereft of a local Broadcast are invited to tune in to VK2 instead. The regular evening Broadcasts will also re-commence tonight, and call-backs on most frequencies will be taken. Council meeting in Wollongong There will be a meeting of the Divisional Council held in Wollon- gong, at the Illawarra SES headquarters in Montague St, starting at 7.30pm. The meeting was requested by John Simon VK2XGJ. The purpose of the meeting is to consider urgent NTAC business, set a date for the EGM as requested in a petition to consider a Motion of No Confidence in Council, and to continue with business left over from the previous meeting to consider a Motion of No Confi- dence in the Divisional Secretary. The next Council meeting at Parramatta will be on Friday 21st January. Office hours Following a well-deserved break, the Divisional Office will be open as usual from Monday 10th January, at the usual hours of 11am to 2pm Monday to Friday, and 7pm to 9pm on Wednesday nights. Thank you Margaret, and we hope your in-tray will not be too full! Annual General Meeting Don't forget that the AGM has been set for Sunday 10th April. The closing date for agenda items and nominations is Monday 28th February. FM-828 Bonanza Members and Clubs may be interested to know the the Division has obtained over five hundred "FM-828 high-band" VHF radios, for subsequent disposal. They were donated by a large telecommunica- tions company in a ceremony attended by the President, Vice- President and Secretary. There will be further details in a later Broadcast. Trash and Treasure Sale The next Divisional Trash and Treasure is scheduled to be held at Amateur Radio House, Parramatta, on Sunday 23rd January. Packet Users meeting Listeners interested in the development of packet radio in the Sydney area are invited to an informal meeting at Amateur Radio House, 109 Wigram St, Parramatta, on Sunday 23rd January, start- ing at 2pm. Please contact Darryl VK2TDS for more details. NTAC Chairman resigns Cesar VK2TCM, the Chairman of NTAC (the NSW Technical Advsiory Committee) has resigned from that position, effective immediate- ly. Cesar claims that the Committee cannot function effectively, as there is too much control imposed by the Council, and the long delays in approvals are causing much ill-will amongst the Clubs. Vanity Callsigns in USA Listeners may be aware that the USA regulatory body, the FCC does not charge for Amateur licences, and as a result there are no resources avauilable to permit Amateurs to pick their own call sign. This could soon change. The FCC has released its Notice of Proposed Rule Making, in PR Docket 93-305, to permit amateurs to choose a ``vanity'' call sign. Individuals as well as trust- ees of club stations would be eligible to request an available call sign from the block assigned to their licence class or a lower licence class. A fee would be required. The Communications Act specifies a fee of 7 dollars per year for amateur service vanity call signs, and allows the Commission to require payment of small fees in advance for a number of years not to exceed the relevant licence term. Fee issues would be resolved under a separate FCC rule making proceeding, and a vanity call sign system would not be started until then. The applicant would provide a list of up to 10 total call signs desired. The FCC would assign the first available requested call sign from the applicant's list. If none of the desired call signs was available, the applicant's current call sign would be reassigned. Call signs of lapsed or deceased licensees would not be available for reassignment for two years. A call sign relin- quished under the vanity call sign program would be available for reassignment immediately. -- From the ARRL Bulletin WICEN News This is a quiet time for WICEN, barring the usual unforeseen emergencies that seem to happen at this time of the year, so this is an appropriate time to overhaul the Sydney WICEN repeater system on 7150/8275. A dual-band high-gain antenna has been borrowed, and it will be placed in service, replacing the current temporary antenna, as soon as practicable. Casual users of this repeater system are reminded that except during net times and other activations, there is a 30-second timeout; you will soon get used to keeping your overs short to avoid getting the dreaded raspberry. The next major exercise is the annual Bungonia Cave Rescue, on the weekend of 19-20th March. Further details will be provided in a later broadcast. The next Committee meeting will be on Saturday 12th February. The Sydney WICEN net, normally held every Thursday at 9.30pm on repeater 7150, is in recess and will re-commence later on in the month. In the meantime, this would be a good opportunity to brush up on your communication skills, and ensure all your equip- ment is in working order for that sudden activation. -- Dave VK2KFU, WICEN (NSW) Publicity Officer Broadcast Summary Summarising the articles in this news broadcast so far: We note the passing of Reg VK2YL last month. The VK2 Broadcasts are now "live" again, every Sunday morning and evening, and callbacks will be taken. The office re-opens on Monday week, the 10th January. There will be a meeting of the Divisional Council held at the Illawarra SES headquarters in Wollongong, starting at 7.30pm. The purpose of the meeting is to consider urgent NTAC business, set a date for the EGM as requested in a petition to consider a Motion of No Confidence in Council, and to continue with business left over from the previous meeting to consider a Motion of No Confidence in the Divisional Secretary. The AGM has been set for Sunday 10th April. The closing date for agenda items and nominations is Monday 28th February. Over five hundred "FM-828 high-band" VHF radios will soon become available from the Division. Listeners interested in the development of packet radio in the Sydney area are invited to an informal meeting at Amateur Radio House, 109 Wigram St, Parramatta, on Sunday 23rd January, start- ing at 2pm. Please contact Darryl VK2TDS for more details. Cesar VK2TCM, the Chairman of NTAC (the NSW Technical Advsiory Committee) has resigned from that position, effective immediate- ly, claiming that the Committee cannot function effectively. Club News Central Coast Amateur Radio Club Amateur radio operators, their families, friends and those inter- ested in amateur radio are invited to attend the 1994 GOSFORD - CENTRAL COAST FIELD DAY which will be held on Sunday 27th Febru- ary 1994 at the prestige venue, the WYONG RACECOURSE. Gates open at 9:00am. TRADING AND ALL ACTIVITIES WILL COMMENCE AT THE NEW TIME OF 9:00AM. Registration is $8 for adults, with children under 12 free, $5 for Seniors and Pensioners. Special group concessions are avail- able on application. The usual attractions will be available, and there will be seminars and workshop sessions. Please listen to future broadcasts for further information. -- From a packet bulletin by David VK2UDT Coming Events Divisional Council meeting in Wollongong . . . TUESDAY VK2 Divisional office reopens . . . . 10th January Divisional Council meeting at Parramatta . . 21st January Divisional Trash and Treasure Sale . . . 23rd January Packet Radio users meeting at Amateur Radio House . 23rd January WICEN (NSW) Committee meeting . . . . . 12th February AATC meeting . . . . . . . . 13th February Central Coast Field Day at WYONG . . . . 27th February Closing date for AGM . . . . . . 28th February Daylight Saving ends . . . . . . 6th March Bungonia Cave Rescue (WICEN) . . . . . 19-20th March AATC Workshop . . . . . . . . 20th March VK2WI Broadcast, 2nd January, 1994. Copyright 1994 WIA (NSW) & contributors.