Silent key Howard John Freeman VK2NL passed away suddenly on Friday 17th February 1995. Howard was born in the south of Wales, United Kingdom, on 6th February 1923. He joined the Royal Air Force at 18 years of age, and served in various roles including aircraft and radar operations from 1941 to 1946. In 1947 he joined the Civil Aviation Authority as a Senior Flight Officer. First licensed in Australia in 1948 as VK2APF, Howard then went overseas in 1953 and served in many countries including Kenya, India, Malaysia and the United States. On returning to Australia in 1965 he returned to the bands with VK2BHF, before obtaining his final call of VK2NL in 1968. In 1963 he joined the NSW Bushfire Service and rose to head the Service's Communications section before retiring in 1983. In 1968 he was granted a Freeman of the City Of Wollongong for services rendered during bushfires threatening that city. Howard served on the Council of the NSW Division Of the Wireless Instute of Australia in 1974 and 1975. As NSW's WICEN Coordinator from 1974 to 1982 he rebuilt the then defunct organisation and set the foundations for WICEN's future. Apart from devotion to his family and the community, Howard's interests ouside Amateur Radio included aviation, motor cars and jazz. Howard is survived by two sons, Mark and Peter. VK2 Div President's message This is Michael Corbin VK2PFQ Today I intended to be sweet brief and to the point. Reason....I spent all day yesterday along with some very very willing workers painting the Parramatta downstairs office in preparation for our incoming tenant. Thanks go to these Amateurs who gave unselfishly of their time thus avoiding the need to pay out money to Contractors. Money saved on contractors fees.... Perhaps around $2000.00....Not bad eh! Those responsible and deserving of our thanks are Max Bowie VK2AFE, (I think Max spent every day at the Institute this week) Dr. Tony Farrow VK2TJF, Eric Fossey VK2EFY, Pat Leper VK2JPA, (Pat took the Video and Provided her Scaffolding) Cesar Miranda VK2TCM,(he also spent a couple of days at the office this week), Richard Murnane VK2SKY, Peter O'Connell VK2EMU, Michael Walton VK2MJ. unfortunately Clive Robertson was unwell and therefore did not attend. Fans don't worry he will be at the Wyong Field Day...No, No name card .... You'll recognise him quite easily. Those of you who don't know him.... If indeed there are any such people....Just look for the bloke wearing the yellow carnation.... (Script reads here ... give large grin ... Blink several times ... Look towards microphone ... Who writes this stuff???). Just kidding Clive!!! Another group which deserve our thanks is the Veterans Amateur Radio people. You'll recall that I jokingly suggested last week that I might get this group to help us with the preparation and folding of copies of the VK2 submission, well Franklin, the Veteran in chief, called in after the Broadcast and offered to help.....Since I was not overwhelmed with offers from anyone else I took up their offer. Sorry fellas I left the list at the office. Since I cannot recall everyone's callsign. I'll mention them next week so as not to leave anyone out... In the meantime.....THANKS! Next weekend there will be no SUNDAY MORNING Broadcast...WHY? Because its WYONG field Day weekend. The Broadcast I am told is not held on the morning of Wyong field day weekend.....The Sunday night Broadcast time have not changed. Anyhow that will give us more time at the Institute to prepare for the Field Day. You know it's probably 40 years since I have attended one of these Field Days. When I was a kid attendance at all thing Amateur radio was COMPULSORY..... Since your Dad was VK2YC The President of the WIA you went where he went... So did your Mum and so did the rest of the kids of the Corbin family... I can tell you I used to hate it. The only thing I EVER liked going to was the Woy Woy field Day.... That, for you youngsters out there in Amateur Radio Land, was the forerunner of the Gosford Field Day... I recall a bloke Major Collett was mixed up in things in those days. I cannot remember what he looked like... Although I recall that he was a somewhat distinguished looking chap. I can remember his wife ..... She wore her hair in a Bun, which of course was the fashion in those days... She had that "No nonsense" air about her which struck fear into kids of my age...Anyhow us kids loved to go to these Field days because we got FREE soft drinks....Mangans I think was the brand name...And ... PENGUIN Ice Cream.... Ah yes Penguin's Ice Cream and it used to come in BUCKETS with a little wooden spoon....Some years, if you were Lucky, there seemed to be lots and lots of ice cream left over...You went home FULL... AH!!! Oh! yes...and there were also those Lucky Dips....I still have one of those silver painted valves with an arrow and "D D" stamped on it that I got in one of those lucky Dips... I could never understand why grownups would get excited about getting those funny long brown things with a couple of terminal looking things on the end of them.... It seemed to me at the time that they got excited. Anyhow I remember the year that I got one of these ... All the Hams seemed to think that this was GOOD??? GREAT??? Myself I was not really sure.... I wondered ... what was inside one of these things. I determined to find out..... With words like. "You'll need one of those one day"... or ... "That"ll come in handy???" I crept outside early that same night ... Selected a suitable Blunt instrument and hit this BROWN thing ONCE TWICE and.... well what was all the big deal about... all I could find was a lot of very fine wire inside this THING and I had been lead to believe that these things were .... Most sort after???. No wonder I was not interested in Amateur Radio in those days. In case your wondering what this thing was, it was of course a resistor But looking back....Those WERE the days......I wonder if they have lucky dips at Wyong these days??? Anyone who would like to talk about those olde days. I'd love to meet you at the Field Day. Wal Nighe that's another name .... Drove us up to Woy Woy in an old, although it was not old in those days, Grey Chevoret.....Hmmmmmmmm!! The WIA WILL have a stand...All your Councillors will be in attendence....Come and make yourself known to us. 1995 Callbooks will be on sale .... Technical Books will be available.... See you there......I'm looking forward to seeing what a Field Day looks like after 40 Year News briefs Support for our case against fees increase David Thompson VK2BDT has sent us a clipping from the Goulburn and District Magazine that highlights our battle aginst the amateur fees hike and from which we quote: " Increases of up to 100 per cent in Amateur Radio Licence fees have been strongly opposed by Federal Member for Hume and Shadow Minister for Transport, John Sharpe. Amateur radio users provide an invaluable service in times of disaster such as bushfires, floods and earthquakes, at little cost to the community. This voluntary service is in danger of being lost, or at least downgraded, because of the increase. The Coalition recognises the value of their service and will oppose any moves by the Government to approve the increase." The news item is an excellent example of the publicity the amateurs can gain through our local and regional papers and is one of many the Divisional office has received from members in New South Wales and interstate. The threat of the fees increase is a good incentive to publicise our case and gain support. After the fee issue reaches its conclusion, for better or worse, may we suggest that we amateurs maintain our contacts with the media to keep Amateur Radio in the public eye. WICEN News Hunter advise that their first meeting for the year will be to- morrow, at the Emergency Operations Centre, on the corner of Elizabeth and Hannell streets, Carrington, starting at 1900, and thereafter on the third Monday of each month. Do other regions have any regular meetings? The major event this month is the Central Coast Amateur Radio Club Field Day, at Wyong Racecourse, on Sunday 26th February. As usual there will be a WICEN stall next to the Caravan, and peo- ple, in uniform, are requested to help staff it for an hour or two from 1000 to about 1500; this is an important "PR" exercise, as we sign up many new members at this event. Please contact Alan VK2YYJ if you can help, during tbe day on (02) 839-1388, or via packet radio at VK2CZR. Events next month include the "RTA Big NSW Bike Ride" from the 4th to the 11th of March for which the current contact is John VK2AMH, and the annual Bungonia Cave Rescue on the weekend of 18th-19th March, and Mark VK2XGK is looking for volunteers who won't necessarily have to go underground; Mark can be contacted at work on (02) 936-8689. A major event in April is the Oberon Car Rally on 29th April, and about 20 people are required; please contact Alan VK2YYJ via packet radio at VK2CZR, or at work on (02) 839-1388. WICEN is always looking for members to provide the community with communications assistance. Write to WICEN (NSW) Inc, PO Box 123, St Leonards 2065 for further information, or come up on one of the WICEN nets: Blue Mountains on the first Monday of each month at 8.30pm on channel 7175 simplex, Hunter each Wednesday at 7.30pm on channel 6900, Northern Rivers each Wednesday at 8pm around 3610 kHz, Central Coast each Thursday at 8.30pm on channel 7125, and Sydney each Thursday at 9.30pm on channels 7150/8275. If there are any other regular nets then we'd like to hear about them. -- Dave VK2KFU, WICEN (NSW) Inc. Publicity Officer Dural report Here again is another report on activities at the Dural broadcast station. Work at Dural last week saw the installation of the transnmit and link antennas for the 6m repeater, and extra wiring for a battery backup system. Unfortunately, wind gusts meant it was unsafe to realign the bent antennas, so this will have to wait for another time. Thanks go to Peter VK2XZP for climbing the tower, and Tony VK2ZLT for grovelling underneath the building. A plea for more "807" transmitting valves resulted in donations from Alan Peake in South Australia, and Mick VK2ZQM; thanks go to both of them. A donation of a complete FM-828/E base station from Cockatoo Island was made, and it is possible that this unit may end up as a packet radio service at Dural. Finally, don't forget that due to the Wyong Field Day next Sunday the usual morning broadcast has been cancelled; the Sunday evening broadcast will be as usual. --Dave VK2KFU Dural Engineer Central Coast Field Day Now's the time to put aside Sunday 26th February - that's just one week away - for a trip to the Central Coast to visit the Annual Central Coast Field Day. The Field Day has something for everyone. There are traders galore, selling new and second-hand equipment, interesting technical lectures and workshops, special interest groups and displays, fox hunts for those with a competitive spirit, bus trips for the family, and a chance to meet people who you may not have seen for years or have only ever worked on the radio. More than 2,000 people come from far and wide and this year as in past years there will be many international visitors. The Central Coast Field day is held at Wyong Racecourse, just five minutes from Wyong Railway Station. The Racecourse provides an excellent venue with under cover display area, Bistro and food facilities and ample car parking within the grounds. Two entry gates will be in operation this year to avoid the traffic congestion that has occurred in the past. Gates will not open until 8:30 a.m., and this includes entry for Flea Market traders. An information service will be provided on the Central Coast 2 Metre Repeater 146.725 MHz using the call sign VK2AFY on Saturday 25th and the morning of Sunday 26th February. Admission is $8.00 for adults, $5.00 for pensioners and Seniors Card holders and children under 12 are admitted free. Further information can be obtained by writing to the Field Day Committee, Box 252, Gosford, NSW, 2250, or via Packet to VK2AFY @ VK2EHQ. Telephone enquiries can be made by phoning (043) 40 2500. See you at the Central Coast Field Day on 26th February. Bob Fitzgerald, VK2XRF CCARC Publicity Officer IPS Report IPS WEEKLY REPORT ----------------- 10 - 16 FEBRUARY DATE OF ISSUE: 17 FEBRUARY 1995 INDICES: DATE 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 10CM 81 81 81 86 82 85 86 A 1 20 25 25 20 13 ( 5 ESTIMATED) T 29 30 -13 3 8 -18 31 SOLAR ACTIVITY WAS VERY LOW ALL WEEK. THE GEOMAGNETIC FIELD AT MUNDARING NEAR PERTH WAS QUIET ON 10TH FEBRUARY, UNSETTLED TO ACTIVE ON 11TH; ACTIVE ON 12TH; MOSTLY ACTIVE ON 13TH WITH MAJOR STORM LEVELS 1200 TO 1500 UT. ON 14TH FEBRUARY THE FIELD WAS UNSETTLED TO ACTIVE WITH MINOR STORM LEVELS 1200 TO 1500 UT; AND QUIET TO UNSETTLED ON 15TH-16TH WITH BRIEF ACTIVE PERIODS. IONOSPHERIC F2 CRITICAL FREQUENCIES AT SYDNEY WERE NEAR PRE-DICTED MONTHLY VALUES 10TH, AND AGAIN ON 11TH UNTIL LOCAL NIGHT WHEN ENHANCEMENTS OF UP TO 30 PER CENT WERE OBSERVED, FOLLOWED BY DEPRESSIONS OF UP TO 20 PER CENT AFTER LOCAL DAWN. FREQUENCIES WERE DEPRESSED BY 15 PER CENT ON 12TH; MOSTLY NEAR PREDICTED VALUES ON 13TH, WITH SHORT SLIGHTLY DEPRESSED PERIODS; AND NEAR PREDICTED VALUES ON 14TH. FREQUENCIES WERE AGAIN DEPRESSED BY UP TO 20 PER CENT IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE UT DAY ON 15TH FEBRUARY; AND NEAR PREDICTED TO 20 PER CENT ENHANCED DURING LOCAL NIGHT ON 16TH. BLANKETING SPORADIC E WAS OBSERVED AT TIMES ON 10TH, AND 13TH-15TH. SPREAD F WAS ALSO OBSERVED ON 14TH AND 16TH FEBRUARY. FORECAST (17 FEBRUARY - 23 FEBRUARY) SOLAR: VERY LOW TO LOW GEOMAGNETIC: QUIET TO UNSETTLED. IONOSPHERIC: NEAR PREDICTED MONTHLY VALUES. COURTESY OF THE IPS RADIO AND SPACE SERVICES SUMMARY BY PAT VK2JPA ANARTS BROADCAST OFFICER Castle Hill Radio Museum Castle Hill Military Radio Collection will once again be mounting a display at the Wyong Field Day this year. Items on display will include: a BC611 U.S. Infantry walkie-talkie the U.S. Navy TCS small ships transmitter a Bendix RA-1B Catalina aircraft receiver an Australian Wireless Set no 62, with no 10 Calibrator a late model No 19 Mark 3 tank transceiver and an Eddystone 730 receiver in military guise There will also be an associated display of the English Larkspur equipment. If you need any information on service type radio equipment, please contact me and I will endeavour to bring it to the Field Day. Donations of equipment, spares or manuals to the collection are always greatly appreciated. As usual, I will have an empty trailer with me. Please contact me on (02) 680 2112. Ian O'Toole, VK2ZIO, Curator, Castle Hill Military Radio Collection. Club news: AAPRA AAPRA at the Field Day AAPRA has been busy preparing for the Central Coast Field Day next Sunday 26th February at Wyong. We will be demonstrating a new modem which will run TPK, Graphic Packet, Baycom and who knows what else? It will be available in built-up form ready to go, although homebrewers will not be turned away. There will be another Packet Seminar which will cater for present and prospective packet operators. So, if you have any questions about packet radio or want to find out what it is, come along. Our shareware library as well as our books and manuals will be at our exhibition table where some exotic new packet programmes will be demonstrated. See you there next Sunday -- Geoff VK2BQ Publicity Officer Coming events Coming events Now, a summary of upcoming events of interest to members and other Radio Amateurs and Short Wave Listeners ... Hunter WICEN meeting (Pauline VK2GTB). . . . . . . . . . Monday No Divisional broadcast. . . . . . . . . . . next Sunday morning Central Coast ARC Field Day at Wyong . . . . . . . . next Sunday Proposed new Amateur Licence fees come into effect . . . 1 March (may be delayed until April -- keep writing) RTA Big NSW Bike Ride (WICEN). . . . . . . . . . . . .4-11 March Daylight Saving Time ends. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 March Summerland ARC Annual General Meeing . . . . . . . . . . 5 March Signals Reunion at Wagga Wagga . . . . . . . . . . . 11-12 March Bungonia Cave Rescue exercise (WICEN-Mark VK2XGK). . 18-19 March Hunter WICEN meeting (Pauline VK2TGB). . . . . . . . . .20 March Divisional Trash and Treasure Sale . . . . . . . . . . .26 March Easter Monday public holiday . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 April Hunter WICEN meeting (Pauline VK2GTB). . . . . . . . . .17 April International Marconi Day. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 April If you have an event you'd like publicised on the weekly broad- cast, then please send details to the Divisional Broadcast Officer, Michael Corbin VK2PFQ, by phone on (02) 626-9288, or by fax on (02) 626-6066. Club news items can be sent by packet to VK2SKY@VK2AAB. Items may also be forwarded to the Divisional Office before close of business on the Friday before the broad- cast. ------------------------------------------------------------------ VK2WI Broadcast, 19th February 1995. Copyright 1995 WIA (NSW) & contributors. Material may be used elsewhere if the source is acknowledged.