[ No President's Address, due to him being away ] WIA examinations The next examinations conducted by NSW Division of the WIA will be held at Amateur Radio House Parramatta, 109 Wigram St., on Sunday 2nd April 1995 at 1.00 p.m. Applications close : Thursday 23rd March WICEN News We would like to take this opportunity to thank the WICEN personnel who gave up their time at an impressive display at last week's Field Day, and in particular to the Hunter region for setting up their caravan. This month is going to be busy, with the "RTA Big NSW Bike Ride" already in progress; the Watagan Horse Enduro commanded by the eponymous Dan VK2GG is today (with a 4am start!); the John Moyle Field Day is on the weekend of 18-19th March, in which WICEN Hunter will be taking part; and on the same weekend is the annual Bungonia Cave Rescue, for which Mark VK2XGK is looking for volunteers, and Mark can be contacted at work on (02) 936-8689; Hunter are meeting on the 20th March; and the end of WICEN's financial year, at which renewals are due, is on 31st March. Events in April include the VRA Mid-Year Conference at Wooli (between Coffs Harbour and Grafton) on the weekend of 1st-2nd April; the Forster Triathlon on 9th April, and is commanded by Michael VK2CMW and Darryl VK2DAZ; the Hunter Anzac March, commanded by John VK2JRC is on 23rd April; and the Oberon Car Rally is on 29th April, with about 20 people required; please contact Alan VK2YYJ via packet radio at VK2CZR, or at work on (02) 839-1388. Finally, don't forget that the increased Amateur fees are expected to come into force in April, so keep writing! 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 Magazine Roundup Here again is a summary of the local magazines, which in the author's opinion could be of interest to Amateurs. This week we discuss the February issues of the various magazines. "Electronics Australia" starts with a factually-incorrect editor- ial from Jim Rowe VK2ZLO, in which (amongst other things) he makes the amazing claim that Amateur licence fees have not risen for ten years; amateur astronomers may be interested in a story on how pulsars (a pulsating radio source, not the car) were discovered; an optical-fibre audio link, which could have possibilities in a lightning-proof remote link especially if multiplexed, is discussed; a calibrated RF probe, good to a gigahertz, is built; various applications for the solid-state audio recorder mentioned last month are presented; newcomers can construct a simple AM radio; Tom VK7TM describes some software that supports the advanced TCP/IP protocols which he now bundles with his "Pocket Packet" kit, and this software will be useful when the experimental TCP/IP station becomes established here at Dural (the days of the primitive "BBS" and the "Sysop" are numbered); the effectiveness of recharging dry-cells is investigated; and finally, one for the old-timers: a simple quiz on servicing vin- tage receivers is presented. "Silicon Chip" discusses fuses for toroidal transformers; yet an- other subcarrier decoder for FM receivers, albeit using a different technique, is constructed; those wondering how far away a thunderstorm is before it demolishes their station can build a simple lightning distance meter; a blast from the past, the 68000 microprocessor, is discussed; an infra-red illuminator, suitable for security applications, is built; and CW enthusiasts can construct a simple two-transistor CW filter (although we have to ask why their new logo for the "Amateur Radio" column is a cellular telephone!). "Amateur Radio" includes a copy of the VK2 submission to the SMA in respect of the new licence fees (made in the apparent lack of action by other bodies); an adjustable audio filter based upon switched-capacitor filters is constructed; a simple mains voltage and frequence monitor, suitable for WICEN and Field Day use, is built; "L-matches" are described in great detail; a smart Nicad charger and a clever loop tuning capacitor are summarised; the Divisional Notes page mentions that whereas the VK2 Division is expanding its broadcasts, the VK3 Division is winding its back, so perhaps we could run theirs for them; and a modification to the Icom IC-751A to restore correct pass-band tuning is described (we suspect that Icom left it disabled because of patent difficulties). "Amateur Radio Action" wraps up an interesting series on weather satellites; the VK2 submission to the SMA (a copy of which also appeared in "AR") is reprinted; an article on the packet radio network -- in particular about how "prima donna operators" make life difficult -- makes interesting reading; and some modes that appear to be falling in popularity, such as CW, RTTY and AMTOR are discussed. "CB Action" mentions how to cut down on radio interference from computers and car engines; a simple regenerative short-wave receiver is constructed; techniques for installing a transceiver within a vehicle are discussed, are are some simple antennas. Be listening next month for another summary of the local magazines. -- Dave VK2KFU NEWS BRIEFS Intrepid Radio Amateur, Dick Smith VK2DIK, is reported to have sold his highly successful company, Australian Geographic, to John Fairfax Holdings, for the tidy sum of $41 million. Apparently, Dick plans more adventures in his life. Perhaps some of those adventures will include Amateur Radio, like his record-breaking hot-air balloon trip across Australia. *** The 25th anniversary of the nearly-disastrous Apollo 13 space flight will be next month, and Universal Studios is producing a movie to mark the event. Starring Tom Hanks, the film will reach Australia around the middle of the year. Will Forrest Gump have The Right Stuff ? *** Not so many years ago, the nucleus of the atom was a fairly straightforward affair, comprising just protons and neutrons. Then, in the 1970s, some particle physicists got out of hand, started bashing the atoms about, and discovered that protons and neutrons could be split into further particles. That was when quarks were discovered. For some years now, it s been known that there are six types of quark, known in the trade as 'up', 'down', 'charm', 'strange', 'top' and 'bottom'. Until now, the existence of the 'top' quark had only been mathematically deduced, but never really proven. Chicago's Fermilab was expected to announce this week that the elusive 'top' quark is definitely a reality; the discovery may eventually lead to an understanding of physical mass. 'News Briefs' looks at news items of interest to radio enthusiasts that appear in the mainstream media. Thanks this week go to 'The Australian' and 'The Sydney Morning Herald'. If your local or regional paper runs an item of interest to Radio Amateurs, please send a clipping to the Divisional office. --Richard Murnane VK2SKY IPS Report IPS WEEKLY REPORT ----------------- 24 FEBRUARY - 02 MARCH DATE OF ISSUE: 3 MARCH 1995 INDICES: DATE 24 25 26 27 28 01 02 10CM 83 83 86 88 91 90 90 A 2 1 11 20 22 25 (22 ESTIMATED) T 47 45 64 10 38 46 -10 SOLAR ACTIVITY WAS VERY LOW ALL WEEK. THE GEOMAGNETIC FIELD AT LEARMONTH W.A. WAS QUIET ON 24TH TO 25TH FEBRUARY; QUIET TO UNSETTLED ON 26TH, INCREASING TO UNSETTLED WITH SHORT ACTIVE LEVELS ON 27TH-28TH WITH MINOR STORM LEVELS 1800 TO 2100UT ON 28TH. THE FIELD WAS AT ACTIVE TO MINOR STORM LEVELS ON 1ST MARCH, THEN UNSETTLED TO ACTIVE ON 2ND. IONOSPHERIC F2 CRITICAL FREQUENCIES AT SYDNEY WERE 15 TO 20 PER CENT ABOVE PREDICTED MONTHLY VALUES ON 24TH TO 25TH FEBRUARY, 20 TO 50 PER CENT ENHANCED MOST OF 26TH, DECREASING TO PREDICTED MONTHLY VALUES 27TH TO 28TH, WITH A SHORT ENHANCED PERIOD TO 40 PER CENT. FREQUENCIES WERE AGAIN ENHANCED TO 30 PER CENT ON 1ST MARCH; THEN 10 TO 30 PER CENT BELOW PREDICTED MONTHLY VALUES ON 2ND. SPORADIC E WAS REPORTED ON 26TH, 27TH AND 28TH FEBRUARY. FORECAST (03 MARCH - 09 MARCH) SOLAR: VERY LOW. GEOMAGNETIC: UNSETTLED TO ACTIVE 3 MARCH, ACTIVE 7 MARCH, OTHERWISE QUIET TO UNSETTLED. IONOSPHERIC: DEPRESSED 15 PER CENT ON 3 MARCH, THEN MOSTLY NEAR PREDICTED MONTHLY VALUES, POSSIBLE DEGRADED COMMS ON 8 MARCH. COURTESY OF THE IPS RADIO AND SPACE SERVICES SUMMARY BY PAT VK2JPA ANARTS BROADCAST OFFICER Changes at VK2RAP Over the last 6 (or 12, time flies when you're having fun) months, a few dedicated Packet Radio operators have been working on trying to improve the VK2RAP wormhole at Newcastle University. When first installed, we operated on 147.600 MHz (mainly to test the wormhole concept and reach VK2RAG). This was overcrowded and over used, so it was decided to put a user port on 147.575 MHz which, as you most likely know, is the digipeater frequency of VK2RPN on Mount Sugarloaf. This gave access to users trying this newfangled wormhole. It provided some links out of Australia and the potential of the worldwide Internet (or Informantion Super Highway, as it's now becoming known). As can be expected, users started making use of the facilities this opened up. These included Packet Conference servers and DX clusters for the DX hunters amongst us. The traffic on VK2RPN increased 10 fold. After a few complaints from users that they could not access the local BBS because of the traffic to and from VK2RAP and that they were not interested in using the wormhole (directly, they may not have realised that a lot of the BBS bulletins and messages they read came via that route and then to VK2EO or down to VK2EHQ much faster that they used to!), it was decided to try a new frequency. A meeting was held and a VERY unused frequency was chosen away from the normal Packet frequencies. This frequency just happens to be in the 6 metre band. After a few months (some of the delay was due to the infighting going on in the WIA VK2 division) we finally got that licensed. So the serch for adequate radios was on. We eventually settled on Phillips FM828 radios and our thanks go to Phil, VK2YK, for his assistance in procuring these. The next step was an obvious one. Get the radios modified to suit our frequency. Off to the crystal manufacturer we go. After a 2 week wait for the crystals we were in business. All that remained was the need for mods for packet operation (TNC connections etc.) to be done and antennae to be built. Our thanks to Mike VK2FMB for having the patience and time to modify the radios for us, and to Maurie VK2CD for making the vertical antenna. A trial between VK2XPX and VK2BDM with the first 2 radios proved they worked and tests by VK2ZMK showed the need to go horizontal (with our antennae!). Thanks to John VK2ZMK for his efforts too. With all tests out of the way we picked a date for the installation at the university. This date obviously came (you haven't noticed the reduced traffic on 7575? SHAME!) and a small group including VK2EO, VK2XPX, VK2GNP, VK2BDM turned up to do the hard work. After much grunting and groaning the antenna was installed on the roof (it's also quite a climb up a couple of stories, lucky we had some stairs to go up even if they are at the wrong end of the building). Work then began inside, with connecting the radio and the tnc up and reconfiguring the VK2RAP computer ports and routes to suit the new frequency. OK, now here is the bit that is of major importance to the users of VK2RAP. Firstly, is is envisioned that the users will move off 147.575 MHz and 147.600 MHz and utilise the following nodes to gain access to VK2RAP (if in fact they need it) or by just using the services of those nodes, transparently go through VK2RAP. This is being done to alleviate the congestion on the digipeater frequencies. It is also felt that it will speed things up to the wormhole as it will not suffer desensing. The stations with direct access to the wormhole and the users' access frequency for these stations follows: VK2EO: 144.750 MHz via VK2RTM-1 (Rose node), 144.725 MHz via VK2RGL-1 (Rose node), 147.600 MHz via VK2RAG and 439.075 MHz. As this station is a FBB BBS you will have to use the gateway command from within FBB, if you don't know how to do this just leave a message for Geoff and he will explain it for you, Of course being an ordinary BBS you can get some things first when they come in via the wormhole. VK2BDM: 147.550 MHz via VK2RND-1 (Rose node). This system is a full TCP/IP system so there's the full range of possibilities here mostly available to any Amateur who connects over the radio, but yoy may have to ask for privileges for something special. Just leave David a note and he will help you. Dave also runs a conference server. To access this just type CONV at the prompt. Dave also runs this system as a BBS so there are some things here worth looking for in the message areas. VK2GNP: 147.575 MHz via VK2RPN This system also runs a conference server and the same applies as far as talking to Gary, he's sure to help. VK2GWJ: 147.600 MHz via VK2RAG Greg also runs TCP/IP and will give access from the south for those of you who have trouble with RAG. Get in touch with Greg to explain how to use his system. VK2ZMK: 144.925 MHz via VK2RET (Rose node) John has the intention of putting his radio on the hill with the VK2RET Rose node and making it a 3 way node. This will give access to VK2RAP for those up the coast as far as Lismore, (late update: he put it up today 23/2/95 but signals weren't good enough to establish a connection). VK2XPX: 147.575 MHz via VK2RPN Dave is going to use his system for remote sysop functions and other developments but if you get stuck and the system's there give it a go or leave a message. Further expansion is on the cards with the 9600 Baud full duplex link to VK2RAG from the University being worked on at the moment. The person responsible for this has had a few problems with radios, so it may be a while off yet. We are also testing the new TEENCEE2 from Comrad Pty Ltd. Our thanks must go to Peter VK2UPP for the use of one of these units. It is hoped to get a few of these and use them on 4800 baud on the link frequency. The other developments may change after Gosford Field Day (we've got a sysops' meeting there), but there's the possibility of a new system running under "linux" (a free Unix operating system that replaces DOS) and more access to the Internet itself rather than just using it to tunnel through to other places. Also, Netrom was turned off at VK2RAP as it was found to cause too many system failures. Since removing it the system has worked faultlessly, but let us know if there's a need for it and we can work on ways to put it back. So to sum up, direct user access is being phased out, you will have to use one of the stations listed to get into VK2RAP. But, this is hoped to solve some of the problems that have been there and (again hopefully) won't run too many users off. Above all, thanks for your patience as we're making the changes and by all means talk to us if there's any problems (or good ideas) you have. Finallly a word of thanks to the Newcastle Microcomputer Club for their financial assistance. Bruce VK2KJF, Geoff VK2EO, Maurie VK2CD and John VK2ZMK fdor their work on radios and antennae, David VK2BDM, Gary VK2GNP, Geoff VK2EO and Dave VK2XPX for braving the heights and installing them, and (again) you guys (the users) for patience whilst all these changes are going on. Submitted by VK2EO and VK2XPX on behalf of Newcastle Microcomputer Club and Newcastle District Packet Radio Group Club news: AATC Australian Amateur Television Club The next meeting of the A.A.T.C. Inc. will be as usual the 2nd Sunday of the month - March 12th 1995 to be held at Radio House in Wigram St - Parramatta - 1.00 pm. The technical demonstration on the day will be the sending of video over a 1000 feet (300 meters) on twisted pair fence wire. Anyone interested in ATV is welcome to attend for general information about ATV and the waht is required to be on air. For more information about ATV - contact the Publicity Officer on (02) 587-3491 between 4.00 and 10.00 pm Monday to Fridays. Remember the Wyong Field day is only 51 weeks away -- see us there! AATC Inc. Publicity Officer Bob Barnes VJ2R Club news: AAPRA Australian Amateur Packet Radio Association If you did not reach the second floor of the grand stand at the Wyong racecourse last Sunday you must have missed the AAPRA activities. We had a lot of visitors though to see the demonstrat- ion of 4800 baud packet as well as Baycom, Paket 6 and TPK. By digipeating through VK2RND Newcastle we could get back to Sydney thus enabling one of the better known sysops to contact himself and see what we humble users have to put up with on a crowded channel. Thanks to the presence of the Fisher's Ghost Amateur Radio Club - two floors below - we could operate with them at 4800 baud. It was hardly a DX record but clearly showed the advantage of higher speed packet. Our packet programs were in demand and it was pleasing to be able to welcome several new members to AAPRA. The Field Day was undoubtedly successful, we had a good day and it seemed so did everybody else. From Geoff VK2BQ AAPRA Publicity Officer Club news: St George From the St George Amateur Radio Club Members and other interested listeners are advised that on Saturday the 1st of April the society will be holding its annual Allan Pettiford Memorial Auction. The auction will be held at the normal meeting venue, that is the 1st Allawah Scout Hall corner of Bellevue Pde and Blakesley Rd, South Hurstville. Equipment for the auction will be accepted between 10 and 11am. Viewing of equipment between 11 and 12 noon. Visa, Mastercard and Bankcard credit card facilities are expected to be available and the snack bar will be open during the course of the auction. Inquiries regarding any specific details are welcome, please phone the society's publicity officer Allan VK2XF at home on 533-1006. de Allan VK2XF, Publicity Officer Club news: WARS Waverley Amateur Radio Society The next meeting of the Soviety will be on Wednesday March 15th at 7.30 pm at the club in Vickery Avenue, Rose Bay, next door to the RSL. Doors open at 7.00 pm. The main topic of the evening will be a talk and demonstration by Michael Stubbs-Race (VK2ASR) covering remote sensing and "QFAX" software for decoding weather information. You don't need to be a licensed amateur to make use of these facilities which should appeal to all those having a keen interest in the weather such as sailors or farmers. Now that the Society has a permanent venue at Rose Bay, it is commencing classes for prospective amateurs and those wishing to upgrade their licences. A video based theory course is to start on Tuesday the 21st of March and will continue every Tuesday for 20 weeks. Our first morse class aiming at the 10 wpm test is nearing a close and a new class will follow. Would anyone interested in either class please contact the Secretary, Grant Hinchcliffe, VK2TU, on 957-7100 during working hours or 319-1913 after hours. Simon Buxton - VK2EII - Publicity Officer COMING EVENTS Now, a summary of upcoming events of interest to members and other Radio Amateurs and Shortwave Listeners... Proposed new Amateur licence fees scheduled to come into effect, 1 March, but this may be delayed until late April--so please keep writing! RTA Big NSW Bike Ride (WICEN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . until 11 March Summerland ARC Annual General Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . Today Watagan Mountains Horse Enduro (WICEN--Dan VK2GG) . . . . . . . Today Michelangelo's birthday (check your PC for the virus!) . . . . Monday Signals Reunion at Wagga Wagga . . . . . . . . . . . Saturday-Sunday Australian ATV Club monthly meeting at Parramatta . . . . next Sunday Waverley ARC meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 March Bungonia Cave Rescue exercise (WICEN--Mark VK2XGK) . . . 18-19 March John Moyle Field Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-19 March Hunter WICEN meeting (Pauline VK2GTB) . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 March Waverly ARC Amateur classes begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 March Divisional Trash and Treasure Sale . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 March Great Lakes ARC members meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 March St George ARC Annual Alan Pettiford Memorial Auction . . . . 1 April Forster Triathlon (WICEN--Michael VK2CMW & Darryl VK2DAZ) . . 9 April If you have an event you d like publicised on the weekly broadcast, 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. Packet items may be sent to VK2SKY @ VK2AAB. Items can also be sent by post to the Divisional Office, to arrive before close of business on the Friday preceding the broadcast. ------------------------------------------------------------------ VK2WI Broadcast, 5th March 1995. Copyright 1995 WIA (NSW) & contributors. Material may be used elsewhere if the source is acknowledged.