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VK7AX > BCAST 17.02.19 07:00z 388 Lines 28162 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: VK7 Amateur Radio News 10Feb19
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From: VK7AX@VK7AX.#ULV.TAS.AUS.OC
To : BCAST@WW
Text edition: VK7 AMATEUR RADIO NEWS BROADCAST
FOR SUNDAY 10 February 2019
(Note.. please remove spaces in email addresses before using)
VK7 AMATEUR RADIO NEWS BROADCAST FOR SUNDAY 10 February 2019
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Welcome to the VK7 Amateur Radio News for the 10th of February 2019. This broadcast is brought to you by VK7WI, and read today by Rick, VK7RI.
This broadcast utilises repeaters around VK7 and the following HF rebroadcast stations:
On 3.670 MHz by Garry, VK7JGD
On 7.140 MHz by Mike, VK7FB
On 14.130 MHz by Ross, VK7ALH
On 28.525 MHz by Peter, VK7TPE
Australia wide on Talk Group 3809, user activated, VK7 News only from 0930 - 1000 by Clayton, VK7ZCR
This broadcast is repeated on Tuesday night at 8:00pm on repeaters VK7RTC in the South and VK7RAA in the North.
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GENERAL NEWS
Change of Frequency for 23 cm QSO Party
Now that the Ross Hull contest has concluded we have had some discussion on what might be a better frequency for the Hobart area 23 cm QSO party. So as to have the same frequency throughout the year and meet the requirements of the various contests for not operating on a call frequency it has been decided that we will standardize on 1296.150 FM for the Hobart area component of the QSO Party, straight after the broadcast each Sunday morning at about 10:00 am. We will continue on 1296.2 QRA64C at 10:30 am local when working to Launceston.
73 Rex VK7MO
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Meet The Voice 2019
The 2019 Meet the Voice gathering will be held on the weekend of 23rd and 24th March, with the main activities occurring on Sunday 24th. There is a slight change of venue this year. We will be based at the Ross Recreation Ground instead of the caravan park. All members of the ham community are welcome to attend and camping is available onsite. The cost for camping is $10 per person, and you will have access to ALL of life's luxuries, such as running water, a flushing toilet, and electricity, maybe even a shower!
Sunday's activities will begin at 10:30am, and are expected to conclude by 3:30pm. There will be a $5 per person entry fee, for which you will receive a raffle ticket. Further raffle tickets can be purchased if you want to boost your luck.
Anyone who wishes to donate a prize for our raffle are asked to contact Dani VK7FREQ via email vk7freq @ gmail.com or by phone 0409232419.
We believe that we have exclusive use of the grounds for the weekend, so there will be plenty of space for outdoor activities, but we also have full access to the clubrooms should the weather be uncooperative.
Meet the Voice, 23-24 March at the Ross Recreation Grounds. Enquiries to Dani vk7freq @ gmail.com or 0409232419.
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NEWS FROM THE NORTH WEST
NORTH WEST CHAT AND SHOW GROUP
The fist gathering of the group is going ahead on March 2nd starting at 2pm. Anyone that is radio minded is welcome to visit. Drop in is from 2 until 5 pm and you dont have to be a member of a club. It is a non-club thing for amateurs in general, from anywhere, and their partners, to meet and chat. It is hoped it is successful and will therefore continue. If you have anything to show in the way of a project or subject to discuss it will be welcome.
Location is the Penguin Sports Centre, Ironcliffe Road, Penguin.
It would be appreciated if you could supply a small plate of goodies for afternoon tea. I will supply Tea and Coffee.
It is planned for us to monitor channel 50 2mtrs to give directions to anyone requiring them.
My phone is 0417 392 583. If you have any questions.
Cheers from Shirley, VK7HSC
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North West Tas. Radio & TV Group (NWTR&TVG)
NWTR&TVG Meetings
The Club AGM was held last Saturday 2nd of February and resulted in several changes to the Club Executive for 2019.
Results from the nominations are:-
PRESIDENT Shirley Hardstaff VK7HSC
VICE PRES. Steven LloydVK7LA
SECRETARY Georgie Lloyd VK7FGJL
TREASURER Eric Van Der Neut VK7EV
EXECUTIVE Kirsty Williams VK7FKKK
It was great to see one of our recent students take on one of the positions.
Congratulations to all and we trust you will enjoy your tenure.
It was voted to retain all levels of membership subscriptions the same for 2019.
Membership Subscriptions now Due.
Members are also advised that Membership Subscriptions for 2019 are now due as of 1st January 2019.
The appropriate reminder has been forwarded by email or posted to all members recently, including the Renewal Forms (Regular & Student) for 2019. Members are asked to return the renewal form along with the appropriate payment, to the Club Membership Officer at their earliest convenience.
Thank you to those members who have now renewed their membership for 2019.
73 until next time, Tony VK7AX - Club News Officer
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NEWS FROM THE NORTH
SOTA and WWFF Parks and Reserves Group
Meeting times are from 10:30am on Monday and Friday At Glebe Gardens Cafe, 166 Henry St, Launceston.
For more details contact Al on Mobile: 0417 354 410.
73, Al, VK7AN
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BBQ at Lilydale Falls.
As most Amateurs in the North will be aware, it is traditional to have a BBQ in early Autumn at Lilydale Falls. This year it will be held a little earlier, on Thursday 28th of February. Hopefully it will be a little warmer than in previous years. All interested Amateurs, radio enthusiasts, their families and friends are invited to attend. In recent years this has become a non-club event with attendees coming from all corners of the state and the occasional Main-lander. The event is timed to start about 4.00PM and cooking is generally underway by 5.00.
There are two free electric BBQs onsite sponsored by the council, but as the turn up is often well attended, it may be prudent to bring your own portable stove to prevent waiting or over-crowding. There are toilets and play equipment on site as well as a moderate amount of parking. The site is also frequented by tourists with their campers & motor-homes so early turn-up is suggested. Someone is usually about from 3.00PM, so come and have a chat or go for a walk to the falls before dinner. The area and surrounds are quite photogenic at this time of year. Bring your camera and capture the essence of rural Tassie while you are here. Please B.Y.O. everything, including chairs etc, and don't forget it can cool off rather quickly as the sun sets. Lilydale Falls Park is situated about 2 kilometres north of the town on the Lilydale main road "B81". Bring a few nibbles to share, a bottle of wine and enjoy the evening.
See you all there, Peter, VK7PL
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Northern Tasmanian Amateur Radio Club Incorporated
Another week has passed by and fires are still burning around the State. Floods continue in North Queensland. Mother Nature has hit with a vengeance.
As for Tasmania, we had some lovely rain fairly much Statewide on Wednesday night and small showers again on Thursday. Heres hoping that rain was received in our fire stricken areas to help the fire crew contain these fires but I suspect some will still be burning about the State for some time ahead.
Our thoughts particularly go out to those of our members and others who have had to evacuate their homes. Hopefully you will be able to return as soon as it is safe to do so and find all has survived safely.
2019 Membership fees – this is the last reminder to those few members who have yet to renew their 2019 subs. Your 2018 membership expired on 31 December and you are now listed on the membership register as an unfinancial member. Your status will stay that way until you have renewed your membership or until 30 June when your name will be removed permanently from the membership register.
A reminder notice will be forwarded to those handful of members who have yet to renew this week but in case you have forgotten, NTARCs 2019 membership fees are just $30.00 for a Full voting member and $5 additional for each Family member that the voting member wishes to add to his or her primary membership.
As all listeners must be aware, the replacement of aging legacy equipment along with other ongoing care and maintenance of our repeater systems does not come cheap. For you to be able to continue to enjoy this aspect of your hobby and for NTARC to continue to provide this great network, we need your support now.
If you are not a member of NTARC please consider joining. If you have been a member in the past but have let that membership lapse for any reason, please consider re-joining. In either case, an application form can be found on our website www.ntarc.net or why not pop into the clubroom on a Monday or Friday, during coffee hours and collect an application. You will be made most welcome.
If club membership is not your cup of tea, we fully understand. In those circumstances, perhaps you might care to make a direct donation to our repeater fund, rather than pay a yearly subscription. If so, we would be happy to receive your contribution, either in person at a club meeting or coffee morning, or by post to PO BOX 275 Launceston 7250. Any donation will gladly be accepted. All donations will be officially receipted and noted accordingly against the repeater project.
Technical sessions resumed last Wednesday so will hand over to Idris to provide an update
“The first Technical Session for 2019 kicked off with a good turnout, everyone eager to find out what everybody else had been doing radio-wise and otherwise over the break.
Kevin VK7KJL introduced us to Brandon, who is interested in becoming involved with Amateur Radio and getting his Foundation licence. Kevin and Brandon spent most of the evening in the radio shack for some practical instruction. Peter VK7PD, our Education Officer and Assessor looked in on the proceedings to give Brandon some encouragement.
Our friend Colin from Melbourne was in Tasmania for a while and joined the happy throng.
Tim VK7KTC brought along his DMR handheld and was in discussion with Kevin VK7HKN about digital radio.
James VK7JAM demonstrated an Android APRS app which used the phone as the TNC using the inbuilt GPS for tracking. All done in software.
Peter VK7SP was slaving over a hot laptop with Raspberry Pi matters.
A discussion group with Bernie VK7BR, Ebenezer VK7AT, Simon VK7FSRM, Colin VK7ZCF and Stefan VK7ZSB were talking about local history in TV and radio servicing. Ebenezer had brought along an early 1960s catalogue of appliances of the times, with the prices in pounds, shillings and pence! Peter VK7ZPE arrived later and joined the group.
The discussion was punctuated by Ebenezer telling some new jokes he had been saving up over the break.
Ross VK7ALH was there giving us an update on the developments with the North East railway.
Activities continued late into the night, until “last orders” were called at around 22:30.
We were all glad to be back in the swing of things, with new and continuing projects planned for the new year.”
Thanks Idris glad to see interest is still strong.
Now on to Coming events
Technical sessions –Please also note that there will be no Technical session on Wednesday 13 February (next Wednesday) due to our AGM being held that evening. We will resume on Wednesday 20th at 7.30 pm.
February Annual General meeting – your final reminder that the Annual General Meeting of NTARC will take place on Wednesday 13 February 2019 at the NTARC Club Rooms, Rocherlea Scout Hall, Archer Street Rocherlea commencing at 19:30 hours (7.30 pm).
Business at the AGM will consist of confirmation of the Minutes of the 2018 AGM, then reception and consideration of reports from the Committee, including the Treasurers report and reports from our various managers and coordinators. This will be followed by the election of officer bearers and committee person for 2019. We advise that there has not been any item of special business received by the closing date of Thursday 7th February.
All current office holder and committee positions fall vacant at the AGM. Nominations for each office bearer and the Committee member are invited and should be made in writing to the Secretary, along with the signatures of the Nominator, Seconder and that of the member nominated. Appointments will also be required to the positions of Internal Auditor and Public Officer. Please note that nominations for Committee positions closed on Thursday 7th February 2019.
Members are reminded that they will need to have paid their 2019 renewal subscription before the meeting commences at 19:30 hours (7.30 pm) to be able to vote at the Annual General meeting.
The AGM will be followed by the February General meeting.
A final reminder to all those that are required to write reports that time has marched on, so hopefully you have put pen to paper. It would be appreciated if a hard copy of your report could be sent to the following email ntarc.emails@gmail.com by Tuesday 12 February to assist in preparing the necessary paper work for the AGM.
Coffee mornings – are normally held every Monday and Friday in the NTARC Club rooms and are now in full swing. Catch up time is from 10.00 am to noon and we look forward to seeing you all.
Please remember that aside from the good company, freely offered philosophical views, maybe less than expert political analysis, tall tales and funny stories and genuinely good fare on offer, these coffee events are normally a good opportunity to collect your QSL cards. Currently though we do not have any cards awaiting collection.
Please demonstrate your appreciation of all the effort that goes into operating the club and its facilities and other services we provide by joining us at these sessions, enjoying the company, coffee and the cake and leaving a gold coin or two, or even a small bank note, in the jar to assist in our on-going operations.
Finally
As always, I look forward to catching up with you all at Rocherlea. A reminder to all members that if you have any items of news you would like added to the weekly roundup, then please email me at the following address
ntarc.emails @ gmail.com
73, Yvonne VK7FYMX, Secretary NTARC Inc
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NEWS FROM THE SOUTH
Radio and Electronics Association of Southern Tasmania
REAST CAR BOOT SALE
Its on Again! REAST is having a radio and electronic car boot sale Sunday February 24th from 10am (right after the broadcast) through until 2pm. Like the last car boot sale, there are no fees associated with having a stand, so if you are looking at making some money, or if you are in the market for any items, this will be a great time to come on up!
Sellers - we would love to hear from you so we can promote your items in the next broadcast - please email president@reast.asn.au with what you are planning to sell!
This time around the BBQ will be a BYO affair. We will supply the BBQ and you supply your lunch! We will have some sauce and soft drinks in the fridge though (soft drinks are a small fee).
We look forward to seeing you there!
Sean, VK7FAZE, REAST President
2019 REAST COMMITTEE
With nominations now closed for REAST Committee positions and only one nomination for each position the following members have been elected to the committee for 2019:
President: Sean Lincolne VK7FAZE
Vice President: Clayton Reading VK7ZCR
Secretary: Murray Southwell VK7ZMS
Treasurer: David Goodrick VK7FABE
Committee Members: Paul Pruss VK7FPCL, Ben Short VK7BEN
Congratulations to the nominees, who will formally assume these positions after the AGM next week.
REAST ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING - NEXT WEEK
There is only 1 week to go before the REAST AGM and BBQ being held next Sunday 17th February from 11.00am at the Queens Domain Clubroom , followed by a BBQ lunch being provided by the Association.
Most reports and minutes from the previous AGM can be found in the members area on the REAST website. Members are strongly encouraged to print their own copy of the reports to bring along, as there will be only a few paper copies supplied on the day due to printing costs.
The BBQ will be supplied by REAST including sausages, hamburgers, bread and condiments. A small amount of vegetarian options will also be available.
Over the past 12 months, 3 positions have been vacant within the ex-officio roles:
Clubroom Officer
Presentations/Events Officer
Historian
If you feel that you can assist with any of these roles, I strongly encourage you to nominate at the AGM. Without people filling these roles, it is left to the committee to do what they can with the time they have to fill in these roles where possible.
REAST MEMBER PACKS
All member renewals have member packs that are available from the clubrooms for pickup. We strongly encourage members to pick these up at the AGM next week or the car boot sale the following week. Any packs left at the clubrooms after the Car Boot Sale will be posted out and this can get expensive quickly!
If you cannot make it to the clubrooms to collect your member pack before the end of the month, but do still want to collect rather than post, please email secretary@reast.asn.au by the end of the month.
Ben VK7BEN, REAST Secretary
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REAST Foundation Training and Assessment Days
It is hoped that by the end of this month, arrangements, dates and venues for training and assessments will have been clarified. We will let you know as soon as we know.
73, Reg, VK7KK
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Experimenter's Night Wrap-Up
Another productive night and we welcomed Shane VK7NRT to the clubrooms.
Rex VK7MO, Richard VK7ZBX and Jet VK7FJET were continuing their work on the GPS heading devices and they have now confirmed that the remote unit needs to do a survey to get consistent and accurate heading information.
This is slightly confusing as to how the devices actually worked in New Zealand for the world record. However, they did! Rex has now put longer coaxial leads to the survey grade antennas and he can run these coaxes back to the vehicle and use a computer to trigger the survey via a serial connection. Progress is definitely being made!
Alan VK7KAJ and Richard VK7RO were both sporting SGC SG239 automatic antenna tuning units although they were in very different boxes. Alan's was the original aluminium and Richard's in a plastic case. These units were both very neat with their array of capacitors and inductors. Alan uses one of these in his vehicle for an HF vertical and Richard is
experimenting with his to try and get it working effectively.
Ron Cullen was using his new-found surface mount experience to remove surface mount components from a blue tooth device he found on the bike track whilst riding home. The components where coming off at a great rate - with diodes, regulators, LEDs, and Blue Tooth module being successfully removed. On Ya Ron.
Paul VK7FPCL bought along his micro BitX now mounted into an old Codan HF rig case complete with display and power amplifier. This is a very neat arrangement and Paul is slowly integrating everything together. Great stuff Paul.
Justin VK7TW now has three pressure zone microphones setup within the DATV studio. These are connected through a very nice one rack unit amplifier module that was donated to the DATV group by Rick VK7RI a while ago. Thanks Rick. This has been pressed into service to provide some additional space in the studio given we don't have to have a traditional mixer panel. The cabling was created to go from the mixer to
the Open Broadcaster Studio PC. Some configuration is required for OBS around audio sources and that was left until next week. Progress is being made slowly!
We get back underway next week with another experimenter's night from 7:30pm. Bring that project along and show it off, start it, progress it or maybe even complete it - although I wouldn't get too rash...HIHI!
See you Wednesday night from 7:30pm.
73, Justin, VK7TW
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TECHNICAL
Multitechnology mesh for in-building use
A combination of several low-power wireless technologies has produced a mesh thats perfectly suited to indoor sensor networks.
An Australian company, using a wireless solution developed by the University of NSW (UNSW), is rolling out technology across the country that enables buildings to monitor themselves and report problems autonomously.
Known as EMIoT, the new wireless platform relies on LED exit signs as the backbone of a low-power meshed network that covers 99.9% of a building even reaching underground carparks, pump systems and air conditioning. And WBS Technology, which is commercialising the technology, has installed it in more than 10 apartment complexes the latest being at Castle Hill in the northwest of Sydney.
“All you need is to install the emergency lights, and they all automatically connect to each other, and that creates the network,” said Dr Wen Hu of UNSWs School of Computer Science and Engineering. “The emergency lights can then be networked with other devices via various wireless technologies, including Bluetooth, which allows them to be controlled locally with a smartphone or via the internet from anywhere in the world.”
Each exit sign or emergency light acts as a node in the network, passing information back and forth across a building. Once operating, other devices can be connected to the network ventilation and pumping systems, security cameras and sensors, access doors to common areas and halls enabling all of them to be controlled and monitored remotely.
Whats new is that WBS, an emergency lighting manufacturer in Sydney, is using the technology to transform itself into an entirely new business: instead of just making and selling emergency lights, it also offers ‘sensors as a service. For a fixed monthly fee, WBS provides a network of emergency and other lights that monitor themselves, react to their surroundings and to remote commands, and can have other devices added to the same network.
At the retrofitted apartment building in Castle Hill, lights in the underground carpark dim when theres no movement and brighten when there is, as do lights in hallways and common areas. If a light fitting fails, building managers know which one and how long it has been inoperative.
As the network expands, energy usage and the status of heating and cooling could be tracked, flow gauges report back on water usage and identify leaks, ventilation and pumping systems monitored remotely, and hot water systems checked for faults. Even residents trapped in an underground carpark would be able to communicate with building managers via an app.
Smart building ecosystem
“Were actually creating a smart building ecosystem,” said Luke Gibbeson of WBS Technology. “Therere 14 buildings in this apartment complex, and weve installed a networked emergency lighting solution throughout them without any cabling and with no supporting network infrastructure.
“Our communications gateway looks like a standard exit sign, which relays other emergency lights communication to the cloud and acts like a normal exit sign so its a plug-and-play system. You can install in a new building or retrofit into an older one, like this one,” he added. “As more IoT devices are installed, they can be added to the network, and all managed remotely via a cloud-based service, or locally through a smartphone app.”
Meshed network
The collaboration between UNSW engineers and WBS Technology began under UNSWs TechConnect incubator program, funded the NSW Governments Boosting Business Innovation Program for small-to-medium enterprises. This led to an Australian Research Council Linkage project between the two, culminating in an Innovation Connections Grant funding the commercialisation of the technology developed by UNSW.
Originally, WBS approached UNSW about creating a network of emergency lights using Zigbee, a low-power, low-data-rate, close-proximity wireless network used by medical devices. However, emergency lights can often be in out-of-the-way places where communications are unreliable.
So Hu, working with A/Prof Salil Kanhere and Prof Sanjay Jha and a clutch of PhD students at UNSWs School of Computer Science and Engineering, including Jun Young Kim, worked on developing a meshed network of different communications technologies that could work seamlessly and provide a reliable network across a plethora of locations.
They eventually hit on a meshed combination of LoRa used by wireless sensors for healthcare monitoring: 6LoWPAN, a new internet protocol for small devices; and RPL, an experimental network protocol for point-to-point communications where stability and low data rates are an issue. They then created a gateway that bridges the different technologies with cellular telecommunications networks, enabling it all to connect to computer servers in the cloud. They then added Bluetooth to provide localised control via smartphones.
A product within two years
Within two years of applying for the initial TechVouchers funding and approaching UNSW as a research partner, WBS now has a commercialised smart building solution, and UNSW made valuable research progress in a new field.
“Its a great example of an enterprise with a technical challenge it needs to solve, and UNSW having the people with the knowledge and engineering nous to find the solution,” said Prof Ian Gibson, Associate Dean (Industry and Innovation) at UNSWs Faculty of Engineering, who oversees industry collaboration. “In this case, the solution is set to transform WBSs business model, and create a new ‘sensors as a service market where none existed.”
Hu now works as a part-time consultant for WBS Technology, while his student, Jun Young Kim, joined the company once he completed his PhD, and now manages the software development team that designs, implements and verifies its products. “At the end of the research, I was convinced that this was the best solution for the future of smart building services,” he said. “You could say I helped create my own job.”
Working with industry in this way was essential to get innovation out of laboratories and into the real world, said UNSWs Dean of Engineering, Prof Mark Hoffman.
“At UNSW, our students and researchers are not only embedded in an environment where emerging technologies are created,” he said. “They dont just learn knowledge and skills, but how to work as teams, and innovate to solve open-ended problems. Our partnership with WBS Technology is a great example of this.”
Read more: http://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/science-tech/era-talking-buildings-has-arrived#ixzz5evge2qbC
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Regular VK7 gatherings and events over the coming months:
Regular gafor this week.
Next week the National WIA news can be heard at 0900 followed by the VK7 Amateur Radio News at 0930 hours.
Items for the broadcast can be emailed to vk7arnews @ gmail.com
Further information about the broadcast can be found at the VK7 Amateur Radio News Groups.IO Group.
https://groups.io/g/vk7arnews
The deadline for items is 21:00 on Friday prior to the Sunday of the broadcast.
VK7WI is now closing but will reopen shortly for callbacks and relay reports. Callbacks will be taken on the frequency to which you are listening. Relay stations will use their own callsigns during the callback.
From the VK7 Amateur Radio News, it is 73 from Rick, VK7RI.
(Posted to the packet network courtesy Tony VK7AX)
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