Reply-To: nationalnews@wia.org.au

Weekly news from the WIA:
MP3 edition of news available at: http://www.wia-files.com/podcast/wianews-2024-05-19.mp3 Text edition:

2024 MAY 19 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 19 2024
IN OUR 29th YEAR OF NON STOP NEWS

THIS WEEK:-
3 DIRECTORS, VK3FY, VK4EA AND VK8ZZ PLUS A SPECIAL REPORT ON THE
Aurora thanks to Roger VK2ZRH.

I'M EDITOR GRAHAM VK4BB

WIA

JOIN THE WIA
tinyurl.com/yyj87b9y

WIA Director Peter Schrader VK4EA

Following on from the Broadcast Item last weekend by Scott Williams
VK3KJ the President of the Wireless Institute of Australia the board of
the WIA wanted to thank organising committee of the Bundaberg Amateur
Radio Club Conference and Expo, especially Marg VK4FHAM, Ross VK4JRO,
Dan VK4OH, David VK4DN, Michael VK4JAF, Isaac VK4NEU and Keith VK4WZ,
the members of Bundaberg Amateur Radio Club also deserve a special
Thank You! :- Marg VK4FHAM, Lorraine VK4FCCW and Belinda who is
studying for her Foundation callsign.

Special thanks to Michael VK4JAF, Ross VK4JRO, Owen VK4FODM,
Kelly VK4WO, Dave VK4DAV, Graham VK4GBB, Graham VK4MOO, Bob VK4UD,
Brett VK4BDX, Kurt VK4FUR, Clint VK4PAW, Brett VK4TTO, Gary VK4WTZ
and other Club members who supported the event!

A thank you also to Wade VK4WM from the Maryborough club who was happy
to help with the regular video planning meetings with WIA Director
Peter VK8ZZ.

Last week our president put out a special thanks to the Mayor of
Bundaberg Helen Blackburn who was gracious in agreeing to open the
convention of the Friday evening. Council staff were amazing
especially Lizzie from the Bundaberg Multiplex who really knew what
was needed to plan for such an event!

Thanks to Sean from Elite Communications who had an array of
communications products including antennas, radios and fittings.
Jaycar Bundaberg donated items for our raffle and door prizes.
A big thank you Altronics who were not able to attend but donated
100 x digital multimeters. The first 100 kids received one of these multimeters.

David VK4JPS kindly donated his time to look after the soldering
workshops with the younger attendees, and the not so young as well.
It was great to see the soldering workshop tables were full of kids
throughout the weekend and 100% success with all the kits that were
made!

ICOM Australia had on display the 905 with accessories up to the
10GHz band on display. They also had a 6 metre AM transceiver which was
the first radio produced by the owner of ICOM in Japan. That radio
launched the ICOM brand worldwide.

A real highlight of the 2024 WIA National AGM and Convention weekend
was a LIVE contact with the International Space Station on the Saturday evening! Kids from the Bundaberg State High School were able to talk
with an astronaut on the ISS. A special mention and a Huge
Thank You! to Shane VK4KHZ who was instrumental in making the contact
with the space station happen!

"Yes Shane reported later that at precisely 8:26pm ARISS Ground Station
VK6MJ, operated by Martin Diggins located in Mandurah Western
Australia, established the amateur radio link with the ISS, and the
students from Bundaberg State High School, proceeded to ask their
questions to US astronaut Mike Barratt aboard the ISS.
The duration of the pass was just over 10 minutes and during this time
the students asked 13 questions to Mike and he provided some very
detailed responses, complete with some light humour.

The radio signal from the ISS was loud and clear from acquisition
right through to loss of signal.

The conference hall was packed with attendees, visitors, Bundaberg
amateur radio club members and Bundaberg State High School students
and parents. After completion of the questions, Bundaberg State High
School Science Teacher Dan OBrien was handed the microphone and he
thanked the astronaut for providing this exciting opportunity for his
students, and then the link was formally closed by Martin.

Bundaberg State High School, a little bit closer to the final
frontier."

There were also displays by SES, POTA, SATNOGS, Waverley Amateur Radio
Club not to mention the many presenters of special interest held in the auditorium.

Joe VK4JEG brought along his antique Cats Whisker radio that is at
least 100 years old!!!

The Expo was appreciated for recycling amateur Radio Equipment.

Thank you also to David VK4DN the secretary of the Bundy radio club
who helped co-ordinate the weekend and planning in the lead up to the
event.

This has been WIA Director Peter Schrader VK4EA

This is WIA Secretary Peter Clee VK8ZZ.

At a meeting of the Board of the WIA this last week the positions Of
President and Vice President of the WIA were declared vacant

Scott Williams VK3KJ was nominated as the President of the WIA and he
was elected unopposed.

Peter Schrader VK4EA was nominated as the Vice President of the WIA
and he was elected unopposed.

Peter Clee VK8ZZ was endorsed as the secretary of the WIA

This is Chris Dimitrijevic VK3FY/W8 on behalf of the Board of Directors
of the Wireless Institute of Australia for VK1WIA National News.

Dayton Hamvention 2024 attendance by WIA Board of Directors

WIA Directors Lee Moyle VK3GK and myself, Chris VK3FY are attending
this weekends Dayton Hamvention 2024 held at the Greene County
Fairgrounds and Expo Centre in Xenia, Ohio. This Hamvention is also
the Amateur Radio Relay League National Convention more commonly known
as the ARRL.

Chris and Lee are attending the Hamvention on a personal basis and
whilst there will be catching up with ARRL Officials as well as
events including:-

International Relations
Club and Association Tables
Commercial Exhibitors
DX Dinner
Contest Dinner
Contest University
Flee Market
& Special Forums

Further information on the Dayton Hamvention will be provided in the
future.

This has been Chris VK3FY/W8 from Dayton Ohio on behalf of the
Board of the Wireless Institute of Australia for VK1WIA National News.

AUSTRALIANA

GREAT SOUTHERN LIGHTS - VK2ZRH

Andrew Russell VK5CV sent in some interesting recordings, recordings of VK2WI received in Adelaide at about 9am local on Sunday via auroral propagation.

(short audio in our audio and video presentations)

This is Roger Harrison VK2ZRH, correspondent from the Gold Coast.

Wow, dudes!! What a fantastic four days it was over last weekend.
Aurora were seen all across Australia as far north as Mackay and Uluru.
And the HF bands were alternately trashed by a geomagnetic storm and
later crackling with DX.

Six metre enthusiasts got into some great DX, too.

On the two metre band, stations in southern Queensland were reported
working Auroral scatter into VK3 and VK5, while VK7s were working into
VK2.

Wow, wow, wow.

All this fun came from an enormous sunspot group, said to be 15 to 17
times the size of Earth, that generated an enormous set of X-class
flares the strongest class on May 9th, that set off a coronal mass
ejection a CME, a cloud of charged particles that later slammed
into the Earths magnetic field. That sunspot group, known as AR3664,
actually set off a series of CMEs over following days.

CMEs intensify the solar wind, which is a constant stream of particles
the Sun always produces. Those CMEs from sunspot group AR3664 which
was facing our way at the time squashed our magnetic field on the
Sun-facing side of Earth, and stretched out the geomagnetic field
behind. The result was a series of geomagnetic storms rated to be
extreme known as G5. This intensity was last experienced back in
2003, during the dying phase of Solar Cycle 23.

Photos of auroras taken by people with digital cameras and cellphone
cameras lit up the social media platforms from Facebook to YouTube
for days. Tales of extraordinary DX worked by amateurs across the globe
also litter the socials.

Back to those CMEs.
The solar particles travel out from the Sun at enormous speeds, the
faster bunches taking only hours to reach us, the slower ones a few
days. When they reach our vicinity, our magnetic field deflects them
north and south toward the poles and the particles, spinning around the magnetic field lines, collide with the atmosphere at ionospheric
heights.

The particles collide with the thin atmosphere up there, which lights
up like a fluorescent lamp and intensifies the ionosphere. Thats what
you get to see as aurora and can exploit for unusual propagation.
Thats just the first phase!

Many particles captured by the geomagnetic field stream around behind
the Earth where the field is stretched out in a long tail. There the
particles cool their heels until the intensity of the CME and the solar
wind relaxes. Then, the stretched out magnetic field lines reconnect
across the geomagnetic tail and snap back closer to us. In doing so,
those charged particles are rocketed back towards the planet and they
plunge down into the ionosphere creating another auroral show!

Two bites of the cherry!

Thats all for now. Perhaps Ill take the opportunity to follow up in
a later broadcast as Solar Cycle 25 climbs ever-higher.

By the way, back in the late 1960s, I had a job as Technical Assistant
to the Australian Antarctic Divisions Auroral Physicist,
Major Fred Bond. I learned a lot about auroras and saw many, many
aurora taken with all-sky cameras at Australian Antarctic stations.
Later, I spent a year at Casey Station and saw the real thing for
myself.

This has been Roger Harrison VK2ZRH for VK1WIA News. ------------------------------------------------------------*
INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to ARRL, DX-WORLD, eHam, Hackaday,
IARU, ICQPodcast, NEWSLINE, NZART, RAC, Radioworld.com, RSGB,
SARL and the World Wide sources of the WIA.

NEWFOUNDLAND

On Saturday, May 11, Gopan VU3PHF operating as VO1/M0XUU succeeded in
making the first contact from North America through the amateur radio
QO-100 geostationary satellite transponder located at 26 East.

VO1/M0XUU Gopan, was in Newfoundland which is just outside the coverage
area of QO-100, the elevation at Signal Hill at St. Johns is below the
horizon at -0.9. Gopan used FT-8 to have a trans-atlantic contact with
David G0MRF in south-west London. David reported it was tough going
with a lot of QSB.

In a post on twitter (X) Gopan reported his signal into QO-100 was not
strong enough to permit SSB operation.

Non the less a well-deserved record.

tinyurl.com/mtxp8ace
A woman in India who had been abducted and sold into the illegal sex
trade in Delhi by a human-trafficking ring is safely home after a
five-year absence, this after the governments of India and Bangladesh
combined their efforts with amateur radio operators in West Bengal.

The woman escaped and fled to Kolkata after four months and was taken
in by a state-affiliated shelter for people who have suffered trauma
and abuse. She underwent treatment for memory loss and once she could
recall the abduction, officials contacted the West Bengal Radio Club,
which authorities credit with success in aiding missing-persons cases
through the club's wide network of contacts.

The club's secretary, Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA, distributed photos
of the woman to ham clubs throughout Bangladesh. He also notified Delhi
Police who were able to track down - and arrest - the trio involved in
the earlier abduction.
Last fall, California passed SB 244, otherwise known as the Right to
Repair law, which requires tech manufacturers in the state to provide
tools, parts and documents that consumers or repair shops need to
service or fix devices.

Though the legislation doesnt go into effect until July, Cal Poly
engineers have already embraced reparability to help cut down on
e-waste and improve sustainability.

Mechanical engineering student Claire Franz is studying why consumers
dispose of membrane computer keyboards instead of repairing them.
Claire, who is earning her bachelors and masters degrees
concurrently, felt inspired to tackle this concept in her masters
thesis after an internship with iFixit, a repair expertise hub for
consumer electronics founded by Cal Poly alumni.

Read more https://bit.ly/3QGvknz
Dick Rutan, KB6LQS, record-setting pilot, has become a Silent Key.

He passed away at the age of 85 on May 3.

In 1986, Rutan made international headlines for his flight in Voyager
with co-pilot Jeana Yeager. The pair flew around the world nonstop and unrefuelled in 9 days, 3 minutes, and 44 seconds.

Rutan was a highly decorated United States Air Force combat pilot in
Vietnam. His civilian test pilot career had him flying everything from
military jets to rocket-powered airplanes, in which he set speed
records. In 2022, Mojave Air & Space Port in Mojave, California, was
renamed Mojave Air & Space Port at Rutan Field in honour of the
contributions KB6LQS and his brother Burt had made to aviation.
IRELAND - and this story shows how we here in VK are not the only ones
working on a ham radio callbook.

It is the intention of the IRTS to create an online call book like the
paper ones that were issued a few years back but since ceased.

The idea of the initial online call book is to help create an opening
for a paper call book to be brought back over the coming years. Members
will have the choice of what details they want to include for public
viewing. Hopefully it will encourage their regulator, Comreg, to
release more information about those licensed in Ireland thus in turn
lead to a paper call book once again being issued.

IRTS Members will have a chance to register to have their details
included by filling up a short form online or with Pat EI2HX at the
IRTS stand at all future rallies. -------------------------------------------------------------------

OPERATIONAL NEWS - A FELIX VK4FUQ PRESENTATION
--------------
--------------
NOW CONTEST WISE:- 2024
--------------
--------------

VK Shires Contest June 8 - 9 starts 0000 UTC Sat until 2359 Sunday

ALL HF Bands all the way from 10 to 160 meters SSB & CW only

(Di VK4DI)
----------------------------------------------------
IARU HF World Championship July 13-14.
Starts: Zero hours UTC Saturday Ends: 2359 UTC Sunday
(CQ)
----------------------------------------------------

Trans-Tasman Low Band Contest

July 21st

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 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.

It is held on the weekend closest to the 15th August, the date on
which hostilities ceased in the southwest Pacific area.

A perpetual trophy is awarded annually to the Australian state or
territory with the best performance. The name of the winning State
or Territory is inscribed on the trophy, and that State or Territory
then holds the trophy for 12 months. The winning State or Territory
is also given a certificate, as are leading entrants.

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.

ELIGIBILITY?

All licensed operators throughout the world are invited to
participate. Scout and Girl Guide groups are encouraged to
take part using their Club's equipment and callsign.

YLs work everyone; OMs work YLs only.

CONTEST: Combined phone and CW run over 24 hours:
STARTS: Saturday 25th August 2024 at 0600 hours UTC
ENDS: Sunday 26th August 2024 at 0559 hours UTC

SUGGESTED FREQUENCIES: All HF Bands except 160m & WARC Bands.
Contacts made on ECHOLINK will also be accepted.

(alara web page)
-------------

Oceania DX Contest

This years contest will be held on October 5th and 12th
respectively.

oceaniadxcontest.com
-------------------

YOTA CONTEST

Youth on the air test 3 of 3 will be from 10:00 to 21:59 UTC on
29 December on the five classic bands CW and SSB.

(yota)

--------------------------------------------------------------------
DX WINDOW TO THE WORLD.

--------------
--------------

Special callsign HF 25 NATO is active until the 31st of August,
marking the 25th anniversary of Poland joining the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization. Certificates and limited-edition QSL cards are
available. Visit QRZ.com for details.

(ARNewsLine 2428)

--------------

The Humber Fortress DX Amateur Radio Club in the UK is once again
supporting International Men's Mental Health month and helping to
raise the profile of Men's Mental Health 2024 throughout the
international amateur radio community.

Club members are operating from their headquarters at Patrington Haven,
East Yorkshire using special callsign GB 0 M M H.

The station will be active throughout the weekend (17 to 19 of May)
and in June the 14th to 16th of June across all the HF bands.

Please listen out for the operators and give them a call because your
support will help raise the awareness of men's mental health.

For more information on GBOMMH see QRZ.com

(rsgb)
--------------

On air is OR 9 AL until the 31st of May marking 90 years since the
death of Albert the first, King of the Belgians.

QSL OR90AL via the bureau.

(ARNewsLine 2428)
--------------

NORTHERN IRELAND.

Members of the North West Group ARC are QRV with special event station
GB 0 AEL until May 31 commemorating the anniversary of Amelia Earhart's transatlantic flight in May of 1932.

QSL GB0AEL via MI0HOZ.

(arrl)

--------------

ITALY.

Members of the United Nations Global Service Centre AR Club in Brindisi
are QRV as 4 U 29 MAY until May 31 to promote the International Day of
UN Peacekeepers.

The 4U 29MAY QSL route is via 9A2AA.

(arrl)
--------------
RWANDA.

QRV is 9 X 2 AW from Kigali until May 17 on 160 to 10 meters using CW,
SSB, FT8, and FT4.

QSL 9X2AW via M 0 OXO.

(eHam)

--------------
Special callsign 9H6HE is in use by the Malta Amateur Radio League
to celebrate the swearing in of Malta's 11th President.

Look for activity until the 31st of May on the 40, 20, 15 and 10m
bands using SSB, CW and digital modes. QSL 9H6HE via Logbook of the
World, noting that paper QSL cards are not available.

(rsgb)

--------------

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. Unfortunately no Bureau QSL's but you
can use Logbook Of The World, and HB20SP runs until December 31.

(sourced to ARNewsLine 2410)

--------------
IRELAND

Special event callsign EI 80 MB is active until the 31st of May to
commemorate the 80th anniversary of the rescue of 168 German seamen
who were rescued from the waters of the Bay of Biscay after a battle
between British and German naval forces in 1943.

The men were carried out by a small Irish coaster called Kerlogue
[KER-LOG] which had the callsign EIMB. The rescue took more than ten
hours.

QSL WI80MB via Club Log's OQRS or via EI6AL

(RSGB)

-------------
AUSTRIA

OE100RADIO [OSCAR-ECHO-ONE-HUNDRED-ROMEO-ALPHA-DELTA-INDIA-OSCAR] is
active until the 31st of December celebrating the 100th anniversary of
the beginning of regular radio transmissions in Austria in 1924.

The station has heard recently on the 40m band using CW.

QSL via the Bureau.

(gb2rs)

------------------------------------------------------------*

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

Back around 1990 Rock Group Midnight Oil had a major hit called
King Of The Mountain".

Now enter - Queens of the Mountains. This SOTA style event will be held
June 1 - 3.

The goal of this woman-ham (YL) Summits on the Air (SOTA) event is to
encourage and inspire YLs to get on the air and on a mountain for SOTA.

There will be multiple special event stations across the US on the air
for a fun weekend of sisterhood on the summits. Special certificates
will be available for YLs activating and chasing.

Look for the special event calls W0Q, W1Q, each numeral through to
W9Q, as well others, check out SOTAWATCH3.

For more information or questions, visit the Young Ladies Radio League
ylrl.net
(arrl)

WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - FINAL FRONTIER
AMSAT-VK Secretary - secretary@amsat-vk.org

A company based in Seattle, Washington has achieved an unprecedented long-distance connection in space with a satellite - via Bluetooth.

Using a software patch upgrade for some off-the-shelf Bluetooth chips,
the Hubble Network in Seattle has achieved what it calls the first
low-power Bluetooth connection with a satellite orbiting the Earth.
The signals travelled a distance of more than 600 km - prompting
Hubble's CEO and cofounder Alex Haro to say in a recent press release
that the Seattle company had clearly debunked sceptics belief that
such a feat was impossible. A press release from the company this month heralded the achievement as "critical validation for the company,
potentially opening the door to connecting millions more devices
anywhere in the world."

Hubble Network said it began receiving the signals shortly after the satellites' launch in March. Hubble hopes it will be able to present
an option for communications with global coverage creating less
battery drain and lower operating costs.

(ARNewsLine 2428)
China's lunar lander is on a mission to bring home samples from the
dark side of the moon and is using a special satellite to solve
communications challenges.

China's Chang e-6 mission to the far side began its 53-day mission
with a launch on May 3. The mission contains a lander spacecraft that
is expected to drill into the lunar surface near the Apollo crater,
scooping and collecting samples that will be brought to Earth in the
mission's re-entry capsule.

A relay satellite in a specialized lunar orbit was launched earlier
this year to serve as a bridge between the moon's far side and Earth.
This satellite is expected to be part of China's lunar missions in 2026
and 28.

(ARNewsLine 2428)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - IOTA
iota-world.org/

The ACMA plan to make new callsign rules for the VK islands.

VK9 is only for Australian external territories such as Norfolk,
Willis, Christmas, Cocos Keeling, Heard and McDonald Islands. Visitors
to Macquarie Island will, in future, get VK7 not VK0 calls, and
Lord Howe Island will get VK2 not VK9 callsigns.

BUT WAIT.

As we heard at the WIA AGM, and Grant Willis VK5GR Wireless Institute
of Australia Technical Advisory Committee Chairman writing in
DXWorld.net there are several things going on in this space with the
ACMA that the peak amateur representative body, the WIA, has been
discussing with them. The VKL9/0 call-sign prefixes is one that people
should pause and wait before making any changes while WIA work to
achieve a reversion to the original arrangements.

That is the policy the WIA is pursuing with ACMA and discussions so far
are constructive.

(dxworld.net)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - MARITIME and ILLW.

Hi all this is Nathan VK5OG President of the South Coast amateur radio
club , this year again we will be participating in the Lighthouse light
ship weekend 17-18 August, this will be SCARC's 17th year of
participating in the Lighthouse light ship weekend at Point Malcolm
Nurrang, members are looking forward to a great weekend away,
we normally get over 30 visitors across the weekend and if you're
nearby please pop in and say hi, we are on site from Friday lunchtime
through to Sunday lunchtime.

We will be on all HF bands , with 2m 70cms.We have an APRS Beacon
displaying under VK5ARC/P ILLW STN AU0029 ALL HF BANDS POINT MALCOM,
QSL via Bureau, or you can head to our clubs web page

scarc.org.au/index.php/events/illw-weekend

We hope to catch you on the air. 73 From Nathan Grundy VK5OG on behalf
of SCARC.
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - MUSEUMS

International Museums Weekends (IMW) 2024 will take place June 15 - 16
and 22 - 23.

The purpose of this event is to activate an amateur radio special event
station in as many museums around the world as possible. Frequencies,
bands, and modes are at the discretion of the operators, as is the
museum selection. For this event, the definition of museum can be
loosely interpreted. It could be a collection of old cars or one of a
kind paintings from a neighbourhood artist. Through this event,
organizers hope to present amateur radio to the public to garner
support and understanding of the hobby.

The first IMW was held in 2002 with over 80 museums, featuring small,
local venues and large prestigious operations. The event was especially
popular among amateur radio operators in the United Kingdom. For
information about registration and event awards, visit International
Museums Weekends 2024,

radio-amateur-events.org/IMW/index.htm

(arrl)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO SCOUTING.

Hume Region Scout Fellowship brings more Scout members into our hobby!

On 11 and 12 May, Hume Region Scout Fellowship held a foundation
training course and a practical introduction into antenna building
and fox hunting, set up by Nick VK2AGQ.

Nathan, VK2FOX, delivered the course to 4 youth members and 4 adults at
Kentlyn Scout Hall to learn about constructing antennas and to sit for
their Amateur Radio License.

David VK2DU examined 3 Youth and 3 Adults, who sat exams and were
successful in obtaining the foundation qualification.

1 youth member was successful in completing a Standard Upgrade after
obtaining his foundation licence at last years JOTA-Joti!.

Once the construction was completed for a 2 metre yagi antenna, the
scout members set off to find the hidden fox transmitters.

The Fox transmitters didnt stand a chance!

And a big Congratulations to Chris Horne, VK2CGH, who has just been
appointed as JOTA / JOTI Coordinator for Scouts NSW. I understand he
has some great plans for the role.

For VK1WIA National News, I'm Alec, VK2MV in Sydney. Now back to you
Col
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RESCUE RADIO

INDIA

Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA), in collaboration
with Open Source Classes for Amateur Radio India (OSCAR India),
conducted a comprehensive mock drill utilising amateur radio technology
to bolster communication capabilities during emergency situations.

Disclosing this to the media at NSDMA conference, NSDMA joint chief
executive officer Johnny Ruangmei said that with this initiative,
Nagaland had become one of the first states in the country towards
reinforcing disaster communication capabilities.

(eHam)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
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)

Im Henry VK2ZHE, President of the Oxley Region Amateur Radio
Club.

It is now only three weeks to the Oxley Region Amateur Radio
Clubs 48th annual Field Day at the Wauchope Showground Hall
Saturday and Sunday 8 and 9 of June, during the NSW Kings
Birthday Long Weekend.

There will be all the usual field day activities including
traders, trash and treasure, foxhunting and a homebrew display.
The Field Day dinner will be at the Port Macquarie Golf Club on
the Saturday night.

The Wauchope Showground permits camping so it is possible to stay
on site in your own motor home, caravan or tent with power and
amenities but you must book ahead with the Showground Caretaker.

Im Henry VK2ZHE for VK1WIA National News
VK5 - Aust. Fox Hunting championships Mt Gambier 8/9 June.(vk5dj)

VK4 - Caboolture Radio Club HamFest July 11 (vk7jea)
VK3 - Bendigo AR & Electronics Club RadioFest August 18 (vk3gtv)

VK6 - PerthTech 2024 Sept 21 for 2 days at Gidgegannup (vk6pop)

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)
Held at the Sandy Bay Campus of UTAS.
VK3 - SPARC Rosebud RadioFest November 17 at Eastbourne Primary
School, Allambi Ave. Rosebud. (vk3pdg)
The Southern Peninsula Amateur Radio Club proudly present their 11th Rosebud RadioFest, to be held at the Eastbourne Primary School on Sunday, November 17th, 2024. The Rosebud RadioFest is one of Australias premier Amateur Radio events, and features a vast range of fascinating exhibits, all contained in
the auditorium area. Outside you can view other related exhibits. As always,
a wonderful programme of educational forums will be held in the rooms
adjacent to the auditorium. Our major door prize draw will take place at 12
pm, with many great prizes up for grabs. The Rosebud RadioFest is fully catered, and a sit-down caf area is available. There is plenty of parking,
all free. Doors open to the public at 9:30 am.


Entry is just $7.00 per person and under-12s free of charge. Tables are available at $10 each and can be booked online at our RadioFest webpage


www.rosebudradiofest.com ,

Enquiries may be made to Mark, VK3PDG on 0407-844-063.

Regular updates can also be found on Rosebud Radiofest Facebook page, as well as the Hamfests Australasia Groups Facebook page.


This Rosebud RadioFest will be conducted according to all current Covid guidelines.


I am Andrew, VK3CAH, on behalf of the Southern Peninsula Amateur Radio Club


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.

------------------------------------------------------------*

_______________________________________________
Vk1wia-news mailing list
Vk1wia-news@lists.wia.org.au http://lists.wia.org.au/mailman/listinfo/vk1wia-news


--- MBSE BBS v1.0.8.4 (Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: Wireless Institute of Australia (3:633/280.2@fidonet)