The Presidents Pleasurable Words September 2004
Welcome home to our Olympic traveler, John we hope you had a great time in Athens. Now it is straight back to work and a club mag to prepare. Members can look forward to see and hear of some of what went on in Greece when John gives us a talk at our November meeting.

Our other exciting news is that on August 21st the two halves of our club room project was successfully moved from the construction site at Drouin West and fitted together neatly at the rear of the Cranbourne Guide hall. With the main gates into the compound removed from their hinges the truck driver reversed the building through the gap with a couple of centimetres to spare. His maneuvering of the units onto the prepared pads was almost a work of art. Me thinks he had done that sort of thing before. With the fences and gates now in place, and most of the ceiling tiles in place the major work that we can do is over. There are a few joints/holes that need filling and some painting to complete but we have reached the point of calling in the plumber and electrician to connect to the various services. Once this has been done we can advance to the fitting out stage and install the radio equipment antennas etc.

Rather than large working bees, Ian will need volunteers in twos and threes from now on to finish off the remaining odds and ends.

Mike Ide will chair the September meeting as I will be away house sitting in Ballarat there may be an opportunity on this night for an inspection of the work done so far.

The committee are in need of ideas for next year's Labour Day weekend away, if you have a favourite area or camping spot then let someone on the committee know.

JOTA time is fast approaching (Oct 16th) David VK3XMF is co-ordinator for this event. The Guides would like the radio's working between 1300 and 1700 Hrs on the day so if you can help please see David. It is much easier for you to offer than for him to have to ask around.

That is enough from me for this issue, keep the club event queue

close at hand and know what's going on.

73s Peter. VK3VB
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GGREC SHACK PROJECT
A progress report by Ian Jackson VK3BUF & Photography by Ross Jackson VK3HDW

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

After seven intensive working bees by Club Members, were finally successful in completing the Club Shack building and moving it from the Drouin West construction site to the resting place in Cranbourne.

The wall cladding is a polyester coated plywood which required careful cutting before being glued and nailed into position. Geoff VK3 HGG and Graeme VK3BXG (right) prepare to make an incision.

The ceiling and workbench bulkhead have been lined with polystyrene ceiling tiles to provide a bright surface with some auccustic softening properties.

Club President, Peter VK3VB is shown here squeezing in some extra panels. To the right can be seen the bulkhead which runs the full length of the building to provide ventilation, coax cable access and workbench downlighting. The front panels may be lifted out for service work.

When the last of the interior lining was fitted and kitchenette cupboards built, each half of the building was carefully braced and prepared for transport.

One additional working bee at Cranbourne saw the preparation and pouring of the concrete foundation pillars to support the building. This was done with plywood formwork that was later removed after the concrete had cured. Because of the strong 250mm high I-beams built into the underside of the shack, it only needed to be supported at six points for adequate support.

A crane-truck was used to collect the building in two halves and deliver it to Cranbourne. It was a powerful vehicle that had no difficulty in handling the structure. At the Guide hall it passed through the driveway gates with only 20mm to spare on each side, which revealed great skill by the operator.

Albert VK3BQO, Mike VK3KTO and Peter VK3VB assist in placing the first half of the building in its resting place.

The two halves of the building joined up quite well and have since proven to be sound and waterproof.

Two of the six skylights the building has can be seen in the above picture. There are no windows in the building. As soon as both halves were in position, a cyclone style security fence was erected around the perimeter . A double gate with push-button combination lock has been fitted to the outside fence which will allow members to gain entry without having to carry keys around. A soon as power is connected, an RF-ID key-fob system will be introduced to allow members to have regular building access.

This week Allan Saunders, a local plumbing contractor, will commence the installation of all the water and drainage requirements, including a small hot water service and the toilet.

The final photographs are yet to be made available, but these will be included in future articles. It is a great testament to the tenacity of Club members where more than half of the membership were directly involved in its construction. With a tight budget of around $16,000 total, we will have achieved the services of a brand new, fully functional communications shack and project room. 10.4 metres long and 3.4 metres wide.

Many thanks are also due to councillors and staff of the Casey shire for their financial assistance, which has made he difference between an ordinary project outcome and an outstanding one, where all of the desired features could be implemented.
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Did I read that sign right?
In an office:

TOILET OUT OF ORDER...... PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW

In a Laundromat:

AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES: PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT

In a London department store:

BARGAIN BASEMENT UPSTAIRS

In an office:

WOULD THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE STEP LADDER YESTERDAY PLEASE BRING IT BACK OR FURTHER STEPS WILL BE TAKEN

In an office:

AFTER TEA BREAK STAFF SHOULD EMPTY THE TEAPOT AND STAND UPSIDE DOWN ON THE DRAINING BOARD

Outside a secondhand shop:

WE EXCHANGE ANYTHING - BICYCLES, WASHING MACHINES, ETC. WHY NOT BRING YOUR WIFE ALONG AND GET A WONDERFUL BARGAIN?

Notice in health food shop window:

CLOSED DUE TO ILLNESS

Spotted in a safari park:

ELEPHANTS PLEASE STAY IN YOUR CAR

Seen during a conference:

FOR ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN AND DOESN'T KNOW IT, THERE IS A DAY CARE ON THE 1ST FLOOR

Notice in a farmer's field:

THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD FOR FREE , BUT THE BULL CHARGES.

On a repair shop door:

WE CAN REPAIR ANYTHING. (PLEASE KNOCK HARD ON THE DOOR - THE BELL DOESN'T WORK)
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ACA blueprint for spectrum management
The Australian Communications Authority (ACA) has provided an insight into its thinking and policy approach to the management of Australia's radiofrequency spectrum. In a document entitled From DC to daylight-accounting for use of the spectrum in Australia, if outlines the available spectrum resource, its users and the pressures for access to it. It describes the main uses of the radiofrequency spectrum, how those uses might be affected by change and the key challenges faced by the ACA as it tries to accommodate an increasing demand for spectrum.

Among the new uses are wireless applications to meet consumer demand for broadband and cordless communications. In some cases spectrum will need to re-allocated after migrating existing users elsewhere, dynamically shared by different users through technology such as spread spectrum, or sold as blocks through spectrum auctions.

The ACA report, in referring to the Amateur Service, notes the decline being experienced in licence numbers in Australia and overseas. Overall about 5% of the spectrum is allocated to the Amateur Service. Where there are secondary allocations the ACA said that the Amateur Service may need to vacate in preference to other users - with this now occurring at 420-430MHz and 3.4 and 3.5GHz.
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New phone technology
A Melbourne-developed technology is set to allowing users to talk for free over the Internet, any time, anywhere. Freshtel, at Surrey Hills in Melbourne's east, is beginning to market its Firefly 'softphone' $89 handset that uses any broadband or asymmetric digital subscriber-line Internet connection.

While the Internet phone system using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Freshtel's phone has been acclaimed for delivering clear sound, being easy to set up and activate. Industry experts believe that VoIP technology will quickly compete with standard telephone exchange phones. Telstra plans to offer VoIP to homes which have access to broadband early next year and Optus will follow suit.

The advantages of the Internet phone includes cheaper calls, group voice messages, and free conference calls for up to ten people. The September issue of Silicon Chip magazine has a feature article on VoIP that currently accounts for 4% of overseas telephone calls but expected to increase ten-fold over the next three or so years.

From WIA
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GGREC Event Queue

Date / Time	Event	Details
Friday 3rd September	Prac Night
Saturday 4th September	Exams	Tooradin 1pm
Friday 17th September	General Meeting	Ian’s talk not ready. Will ask Mike for film show
Monday 27th September	Committee Meeting	Bruno Tonizzo QTH @ 8.00pm
Friday 1st October	Prac Night
Friday 15th October	General Meeting	Demonstration by TTS of top of the line Ten Tec Transceiver. Also Exam applications for 6th Nov
Saturday 16th October	JOTA/JOTI	David VK3XMF Co-ordinator
Sunday 31st October	BBQ	Cranbourne Botanic Gardens 11.30am
Monday 1st November	Committee Meeting	TBA
Friday 5th November	Prac Night
Saturday 6th November	Exams	Tooradin 1pm
Friday 19th November	General Meeting	Electronics and the Qlympics. John VK3XJW
Saturday 27th November		Visit to S.E Treatment Works 2.00pm
Monday 29th November	Committee Meeting	TBA
Friday 3rd December	BYO/Prac Night	Video of club projects
Saturday 11th December	Club Breakup

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ACA consultation methodology revealed
It was with great enthusiasm the amateur radio fraternity received the Australian Communications Authority's discussion paper 12 months ago on its Review of Amateur Service Regulation. The outcome of the review will undoubtedly provide a number of benefits for amateur radio in Australia before the middle of 2005.

However there is continuing disappointment being expressed over the Foundation Licence that as proposed, does not meet the expressed expectations of the majority of those who made submissions to the ACA inquiry. In answer to correspondence, the ACA has revealed that it sought to achieve, what it calls an overall integrated package of proposals. In doing so it was not necessarily influenced by the number of submissions it received commenting on a particular issue.

The ACA review of the Amateur Service was primarily to deal with matters arising out of the World Radiocommunications Conference 2003. But it was also recognised as a once in a generation opportunity to address the underlying issues that are causing its decline, and take action to make amateur radio more attractive to a wider range of people. The review was a chance to respond to the challenge of finding ways to revive amateur radio in Australia, give it a new life, meaning and relevance to today's societies.

The Foundation Licence, as proposed will provide no foundation or underpinning for amateur radio in Australia. Despite the overwhelming support through the submissions received during the ACA inquiry for this new entry level licence to have all transmission modes, the ACA has not listened. It chose to create a telephony and Morse code telegraphy licence only.

The amateur radio fraternity sees the desperate need for change and has embraced a different approach to licensing that reflects trends that have developed in education generally. The ACA in deciding to place enormous restrictions on the Foundation Licence won't help amateur radio integrate in to today's educational and social climate.
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CB stands for Church Broadcasts
An unusual development in Britain is a proposal to allow churches and other religious groups to broadcast on the British 27MHz Citizens' Band. The regulator Ofcom said it was proposing to allow Community Audio Distribution Systems (CADS) access to the band under licences allow them to broadcast religious services.

Ofcom will initially allow a limited number of licences. This is in response to requests for access to radio frequencies so that house-hound members of a religious congregation can hear local religious community services.

CADS will provide an inexpensive wireless public address system that Ofcom believes may also be of interest to other community groups.

From WIA
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EMR audits for radio amateurs
The electromagnetic radiation (EMR) limits that govern the operation of amateur stations are now being put to a compliance audit by the Australian Communications Authority. The ACA now conducting an audit by writing to randomly selected amateur licensees, in the first of what will be an annual auditing process of compliance with the EMR limits.

Those limits that apply to all apparatus licensed transmitters became effective on 1 March, 2003, and the Amateur Licence Condition Determinations have been amended to include this new regulatory requirement. They are designed to ensure that a transmitter is operated at safe levels for general public exposure to radiation. The ACA is required to conduct an annual audit of compliance with the EMR limits set out in the Radiocommunications (Electromagnetic Radiation-Human Exposure) Standard.

It will write to 30 or so radio amateurs throughout Australia to request that the licensee attests that their station is operating within the EMR limits, and explain how its meets compliance under the self-assessment method. This applies not only to home stations but mobile and portable stations too. The radio amateurs receiving the letters are chosen at random.

A failure to respond to the ACA letter or an inadequate response will result in the ACA initiating follow-up action to enable it to complete the audit. The EMR requirements for amateur stations were included in the February 2003 edition of Amateur Radio magazine, and can be found on the ACA web-site http://www.aca.gov.au/ Remember that it is a licence obligation that amateur stations or all types be operated in accord with the EMR limits.
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VHF profiler RADAR
Profiler RADAR operating on 50.000MHz may be the source of continuous dahs reported in the northern hemisphere. Atmospheric profiling RADAR has known test sites in the United States, Northway, Peru and Russia. Accomplished six-metre DXer, Steve Gregory VK3OT reports that all of the test tests have high powered 50 MHZ radar transmitters, some with as many as 475 yagi antenna. First reports of signals from the radar systems radars began to be recorded by radio amateurs on 27 July in the US and Canada.

From WIA
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New radio club gets on AIR
The 417 Squadron of the Australian Air Force Cadets based in the southern Melbourne suburb of Sandringham has set up an amateur radio station under the club callsign of VK3AIR. Their leader Theo Kalkandis VK3AP reports that 16 cadets recently took part in the Radio Telephony exercise comprising of basic antenna theory, propagation, and radio operational procedures.

About six of the cadets are keen and showing some interest in the Foundation Licence that is to be introduced around April next year. Theo VK3AP says the 417 Squadron is the first Australian Air Force Cadets to have an amateur radio club station and he's seeking to encourage other squadrons to follow suit.
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Trying for a new ATV distance record
Attention all involved in the higher bands in a radius of 200 kilometres or more from Melbourne. In announcing his plans for next summer, Jose Martinez VK3TMS wants to hear from anyone willing to try some frequency modulated Amateur Television on any band from 1.2GHz up to 10GHz. He intends to operate from Mount Dandenong east of Melbourne when good propagation is likely during the summer months - and who knows perhaps a new ATV distance record could be set.

The Australian distance record on 10GHz is currently 144.3 km. In the spirit of amateur radio Joe VK3TMS is willing to provide some assistance to anyone who can provide the other end station of a potential distance record.

If you would like to know more please send an email to vk3tms@optushome.com.au
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Doubled-headed visit to Tasmanian Island
A team of VK3 radio amateurs is planning to be on King Island in Bass Strait next month for the International Lighthouse Weekend. King Island has two lighthouse, Currie Light and Cape Wickham Light, and the team from VK3 intends to activate both of them on phone and CW. More details including callsigns soon.
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Radio pioneer dies
Antenna designer John Kraus W8JK whose is best known for the bi-directional wire beam 8JK antenna array has become a silent key, aged 94. His other designs were the corner reflector and helix antennas. The name John Kraus is also well known worldwide as a radio astronomer and author. A pioneer of the radio telescope and dubbed the father of the now dismantled "Big Ear" designed and oversaw the construction of in Ohio.
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Inventor of ASCII passes
The man who invented the ASCII code and predicted the Y2K problem has died aged 84. Bob Bemer first warned of the Y2K or millennium bug problem in the early 1970s. He began programming in 1940 and while at IBM in the 1950s and 1960s developed the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII), and brought the world the backslash and escape commands on computer keyboards.

From WIA
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Do you hear the Echo?
The "Echo" satellite (AO-51) is now available for FM repeat operation for a trial period of about three weeks. Launched on 29 June the AMSAT North American microsat in a sun synchronous orbit 800km above earth is set to bring a new dimension to amateur satellite working.

Working through Echo during the trial period may be difficult because the downlink is initially running about 1-watt and wobbling is affecting signal polarisation. The voice uplink frequency is 145.920 MHz, and the downlink is 435.300 MHz.

AMSAT-NA says the repeater will function when it receives an uplink signal with a 67 Hz CTCSS tone for about one second, and it will stay on for 10 seconds after that signal goes away. The organisation reports that a lot of work is continuing to be carried out by command stations who are monitoring the repeater's data and making adjustments.

While the FM voice repeater is working, its digital transponder and the store-and-forward BBS, are not yet available. Echo AO-51 which cost the $US110,000 to launch is also sending telemetry on 435.150 MHz
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Somalia is on the ham bands
The efforts of an Australian has help achieve a restoration of Amateur Radio in the African country of Somalia. Sam Voron VK2BVS/6OZA is continuing to supervise an Amateur Radio Training School and through the use of donated equipment is helping to qualify as many locals as possible.

Two club stations in the town of Galkayot. Some 17 local hams were qualified in the technical training provided in 1993 to establish Radio Galkayo, Somalia's only community radio broadcast station, but they had no access to an amateur transceiver until recently. The first station uses a TS820 transceiver donated by Cherry Briggs, the widow of Philip John Smith VK1GZ who died earlier this year after a long battle with cancer. It is on air 0330-0400 and 1230-1400 UTC on 14.266MHz and also available is 21.295MHz and 28.475MHz.

The second station uses a Yaesu FT857 transceiver donated by Sam Voron VK2BVS. Prime times are 1645-1815 UTC on 18.150MHz and also available is 1.847MHz, 3.620MHz, 7.070MHz, 14.130MHz, 14.226MHz, 21.295MHz, 28.475MHz, 50.110MHz, 50.125MHz and 144.100MHz.

Donated equipment is now being sort to enable the setting up of the Somalia Amateur Radio Emergency Network to provide an emergency network across Somalia. Naturally news of Somalia being on air has created a demand for QSL cards, which unfortunately is currently out of the question for the locals due to the costs involved. Sam VK2BVS says visitor licences are now available and hopefully a DXpedition can be mounted to satisfy the pent up demand for QSLs.

He will leave Somalia at the end of September and can be contacted via email svoron@hotmail.com In the future it is expected that radio amateurs will hold elections for the National Somalia Amateur Radio Society to further consolidate the return of amateur radio to the country.

From WIA.
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A Suggestion for an Internet_Based Amateur Radio Station
By John L WICKHAM VK3ZK

Are you plagued by neighbours complaining about TVI or has your landlord forbidden you to erect an antenna system? Perhaps, the Internet might hold an elegant solution.

Imagine a property located deep in the bush, far away from power lines and far away from TVI-complaining neighbours with a massive antenna farm and batteries of transmitting and receiving equipment, operating on all legal amateur bands from 160 Metres to 13 Centimetres. The amateur radio licensee suffering from TVI complaints and un-sympathetic landlords could then work all bands from DC to daylight, using this remote deep bush-located amateur radio equipment via Internet streaming audio on similar lines to both EchoLink and the IRLP project (if such licensee has a broadband Internet connection).

To fund such a project, the WIA and as many amateur radio clubs as possible could contribute (although such interested amateur might have to pay slightly more for their membership). Sponsorship from some of the bigger amateur radio equipment suppliers would help also.

But what about the radio pirate element? They can be easily stopped dead in their tracks by using a system similar to what EchoLink does. When you use the required software for the first time, you would have to enter a valid amateur radio callsign, which is checked against a database. If your callsign is not valid, you simply will be granted no access to the facilities. However, for this kind of scheme, if you fail to supply a valid callsign, you could be granted receive-only rights and you will not be able to transmit until you supply a valid callsign.

To ensure that the funding is there for such a project, you might also have to enter a valid receipt number to prove that you have contributed to the funding of such a project.

Whilst some might think that such a project is a little bit too extreme, it is not for-fetched because we have the technology today to achieve it (Just look at the IRLP project and EchoLink as an example). You would, however, need approval from the ACA and the support of the WIA to make it feasible.
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