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FISTS DOWN UNDER

Editor: Ian MacQuillan. #9683 ZL2AIM email: fists.fdu@xtra.co.nz VK Secretary / Administration : Garry Cottle #14151 VK2GAZ email: vk2fdu.auz@gmail.com Administration : Nigel Hardy #9040 ZL2TX email: fdu.fists@gmail.com Newsletter Distribution: Derek Dawkins #14125 VK3KX email: dfdawkins@optusnet.com.au

FDU Web site: www.fdu.org.au

Recommended FISTS calling frequencies (MHz):

1.808 3.528 7.028 10.118 14.058 18.085 21.058 24.908 28.058

Issue: APRIL 2017

From the editor: ZL2AIM Ian #9683 I am pretty well out of articles for publishing in our monthly newsletter so once again I PLEAD with you to put pen to paper, fingers to keyboard, fingers on camera shutter knobs, etc and to send me anything of interest. My email address is printed above. My plea of a few weeks ago has got me enough for this issue, but I need to get the next issue prepared. Therefore please help!

I have been asked on a few occasions if we would be prepared to put advertisements in the newsletter. I am more than happy to accommodate that, provided they are morse related. It can be buy or sell. If selling, please include a quality photograph and description of the article. Please send your advertisements to the editors email address above. There is no charge. I would like to take the opportunity to thank those members who have come to the aid of the party by sending me articles for this newsletter. I really do appreciate that. List of members whose subs become due in April and May April: VK3KX, ZL3GIL, ZL3PAH, VK2LX, VK3OZ, VK4XY, VK5RZ, VK7JB, ZL1BWG, ZL1CV, ZL1DCO, ZL2CLX, ZL2JU. May: ZL3IX, VK4ZW, VK1LK/VK2AA, VK2FNT, VK3BAA, VK2KJJ/OZ6YJ, ZL1BVB. We ask that you keep an eye out for your callsign in the subs section and treat that as your reminder for you to pay your subs.

Our website http://www.fdu.org.au/join_renew.php has all the details for making payments. Don’t forget that if you are paying your subs to include your callsign. Please do not send cash in the post as this causes problems for us in banking.

Newsletter of the Australian / New Zealand chapter of the International Morse Preservation Society

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Fists would like to thank the following members for their generous donations included with their subscriptions; ZL2APV, VK3XU,

David VK3DBD #3756 came back to my request for articles – (A really big thanks to David for collecting so much interesting information. We really do appreciate it. Ed) I am back in Yackandandah now, - until May, and qrv most days. So far have found a few fists i on the bands which has been nice. Condx pretty poor as we all know too well. However I attach for your perusal a little something you might like to use. Two items in fact: Not actually very startling and the subject of Beechworth Telegraph I have I think written about before. But there may be many members who are not ware and even more with short memories,,,,. It is self explanatory and of course you can use / edit as you wish. As a separate comment. And I add as an avid CW user and Fists member I made my usual annual trip to VK from England this year and

came by way of ZL where spent some ten days. The first four primarily to visit radio friends in the Wellington area and there I was given a red carpet welcome by well known Fists stalwart Ralph, who organised my time most efficiently and provided me with exemplary hospitality Ralph was the first Fists member I had a qso with when my dear XYL Ann and i did our big QSY to VK in 1999. At that time, there were few Fists in VK but a lot more in ZL. I like to think I helped to spread the word throughout VK by encouraging new members and the membership has increased considerably since then! I soon became good friends with a number both near and far from Yackandandah. I was taken around the Welling district by Bob ZL2AMI, not a Fists member but a very knowledgeable amateur who not only has ancestors seriously connected with the early settlements of New Zealand, but also a detailed historical knowledge of the Windy City. I now know why it is called that! Our travels around The

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early communications sites, the more modern Wind Turbine site, the varied and very steep terrain and the interesting coastline. is all a full and satisfying memory now along with many Photographs. Meeting Ralph, Bob and Morrie, ZL2ADP, often spoken to on 20m but never met in person previously eyeballed was a great experience. I then flew to Auckland, meeting my Son Steve who had come over from VK and we drove up to the Northland region for some exploration before returning to Melbourne and Yackandandah. Wonderful weather and scenery and yet another collection of picture to edit on the PC !

The Indigo Shire, in Northern Victoria produce a regular newsletter for residents. Depicting various events and activities of interest. Appropriately, one regular column is entitled, "Bush Telegraph" - with a suitable Morse Key logo. It is no secret to the older generation that the telegraph network - Often referred to as the "Victorian Internet" was of great importance in the 19th century enabling communication around the many outposts of the British Empire and the USA.

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Overseas Telephone calls were expensive and little used and not always of good quality or suitable for lengthy missives such as news stories or legal mnatters. Younger folk may fail to realise that the ubiquitous mobile phone was hardly thought of until the 1980's neither were computers and the internet, as we know it today. The Telegraph Offices were of course a major feature in most towns, and enthusiasts and historians, particularly the group known as the "Morsecodians" many of whom are ex telegraphists, enjoy keeping the skills and traditions alive. Notable places to see the action in Australia are to be found in Alice Springs, Bendigo, Sydney, Albany, Beechworth. (to my knowledge) - There may be more ! In Beechworth, relatively local to me, is a superbly restored Telegraph building and museum. Here on popular holiday weekends visitors can pay a nominal fee and have an old fashioned telegram sent by More Code and suitably printed out for the recipient, who receives it by post. A recent issue of the Indigo Informer carries a photograph of a local helper at the Beechworth establishment, together with an appeal for volunteers to help explain some of the finer points and history to visitors. Appropriately dressed, and seemingly operating a straight key with a sounder and galvanometer to hand, The gentleman may appear a little to relaxed to comply with the strict Victorian working conditions! The Beechworth Telegraph building, built from attractive local stone, and adjoining other similar government buildings is well worth a visit. Along with other attractions of this well preserved north Victoria Gold Town. My statistics are surely now superseded, but in 2012 the records showed they had achieved justification for calling themselves the " Busiest Morse Code Telegraph Station in the World" with nearly 4000 telegrams in the preceding 12 months. David VK3DBD

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oooooOOOOOooooo An article from Andrew VK7AD #14149 " My recollections of learning Morse Code go back to 1986. At that time I had just started in Hobart as an Apprentice Telecommunications Technician with Telecom Australia. I first attended a CW training night at the ATEA's union office in New Town, where the Secretary, was also a ham. I remember trying to learn the code at 5 wpm and meeting an old bloke who warned us against listening to CW with headphones. We were introduced to a new method of learning, a TV monitor hooked up to an audio interface to display letters of Morse as they were sent. I got my speed to 5 wpm after learning the CW alphabet. I then had several work moves, technical training, family, etc, that kept me away from amateur radio for the next 20 years. In 2006 I got my Standard license after preparing for the Advanced exam. The wrong paper turned up, but I got on air with VK7VAC.The idea of interfacing the computer to the radio got me into PSK31 and RTTY, which I enjoyed for several years. I then sat the Advanced exam and received the call VK7CAV, then later VK7AD. About 5 years ago I realised that unless I could learn CW, the pieces of paper hanging on my wall, would not satisfy me. I started to learn Morse Code. I did some research on the internet and tried a different approach. Using the Farnsworth method, faster characters and bigger spacing, got me started. I downloaded some practice CD's from the net and went from there. Next I tried a program called "ebook2cw" which converts text to CW and can vary the speed. I started with a book called the "Princess of Mars" which started about 12wpm and reached about 25 wpm at the end. I burned it to a CD and used to play it whilst I was driving at work. Eventually my receiving skills began to improve. On the sending department, I bought an expensive Begali paddle to motivate me and a Czech Army key so I could learn "hand keying". I decided to learn the paddle with my left hand so I could write with my right hand. The straight key was also on the right hand. My present status is a speed between 20 -25 wpm sending/receiving with the practice tapes about 30 wpm. I hope to meet up and practice CW on the HF bands with fellow FISTS members using a variety of speeds and keys ! Cheers, Andrew VK7AD "

oooooOOOOOooooo (An article from Michael VK2CCW follows....... Greetings all, For those who have never had a QSO with me, let me introduce myself. My name is Michael and I've been an avid CW operator on and off for 27 years. In my young days I was a keen SWL listener. In the mid 80's I started out using MF/HF marine radios. In 1989 I heard a rumour that, back then the Dept of Transport and Communications were going to stop doing Amateur exams. I panicked when I heard about this. I decided to study for the Novice licence so at least I could get on air, if only as a novice for the rest of my life. After passing the final exam the government did, I became VK2MIW. Soon I found out that it had been privatized. Three months later I pass the full exam the A.O.C.P these days known as the Advanced licence. I upgraded to VK2BMW now these days VK2CCW. Just love this callsign. About three months later I somehow, got roped into doing the VK2BWI slow morse broadcasts. For a

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period of about 7 years I did this religiously once or more times a week. I simply fell in love for the code. After a long absence from radio I decided it was time again to rekindle my passion. Although the code was mostly gone I did however, continue practicing off air. After I came back on air my CW was at best rusty. Eighteen months later and my speed is back up again, and boy oh boy, wasn't it a struggle. So to those that are learning out there for the first time or rekindling there CW, don't give up just keep going. Any half decent op out there that hears a struggling learner etc, should give great consideration in helping the new comer along. Remember, we all started out knowing little about this hobby. These days 25 plus wpm is fine with me but, I love helping and encouraging others learning, no matter the speed. For those that want live practice, I send text out twice a week on 80m on 3550 LSB 3549.2 CW at 8pm Sydney time. The speeds are, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17 and 20wpm. After each segment I read back the text to give listener's a chance for a quick break. One of the biggest problems is most experienced ops can't be bothered training the new bee's. So that's about enough about me, so next yime you here me rattling away on the pump, paddle or bug, just remember that I'm not affraid to slow down to have a QSO with you so don't be affaid. Fists no 14198

73 de Michael VK2CCW (And now another article from Michael....... read on!) Hi all Fists members, I was playing today with my three keys, the Straight key, the Bug and the Paddle. I love using the straight key as I find that, even though you hand gets tired using these keys for long rag chews, I still get great pleasure out of using these. The Straight Key If you research the history of the Morse key then you will find that Alfred Vail made the first type of key, very simple. Learning on these straight keys is very simple. Setting one up only takes minutes and your up and running, as with a Bug or Paddle you have to be precise. The bug takes a lot of adjustment to get it correct, but once you have the bug correct there great. The paddle not so bad, these days as modern rigs have the speed and ratios in there menus, so its only a matter of changing these to suit your sending style. Now the straight key is very simple its just an on off contact so all you have to do is set the contact spacing the way you like. Many people think that you tap the key. This is really incorrect as its really a push contact. When you first start sending you should really learn on straight keys first as this will teach you how to handle the code. The Bug The bug is the most interesting key I have ever had. The mechanics of these keys are very interesting since the dits are automatic and the dashes are manual. It has taken me many, many painful hours trying to adjust the key correctly. This is one of the reasons I think that many are turned off by these keys. They are very intimidating to use. Once mastered I think they are the most versatile key for the QRQ operator. One of the main problems is trying to slow them down to a reasonable speed. Slow them down to much and they are terrible, adjust them to fast and there a nightmare to use. I think you have to find a happy medium between fast and slow. I have found that my Vibroplex sit's nicely at about 25wpm as this is an ideal speed to achieve, not too fast, not to slow. The Paddle

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The Paddle however is a great key to use for extended QSO's. Set correctly, you can set them for swapping between overs. Here I like to start off with the straight key and when the hand starts getting tired swap over to the paddle. The operator at the other should be able to tell the difference between them because of the dit to dah ratio. A paddle set correctly should be 3.1 ratio. However, usually when you change to a straight the ratio is entirely different because of the how the dahs are sent.

Happy keying 73 de Michael VK2CCW

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Over the next few issues I shall be printing extracts from one of the books by Peter Parker VK3YE which he has kindly given us permission to use. -Ed

Item 1: What’s changed in radio - equipment

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Amateurs continue to be inspired by waves of surplus or cheap equipment. Sixty years ago it was heavy war surplus gear. Then there was VHF AM and then FM gear as commercial users moved to higher frequencies, narrower bandwidths and trunked systems. Later we benefited from satellite or microwave cast-offs. More recently we’ve had the global marketplace that is eBay, and the availability of modern yet cheap equipment. If you haven’t looked at new transceiver prices lately you’re in for a pleasant surprise. It’s a buyers’ paradise compared to 30 years ago. Back then transceivers only covered the HF bands and cost maybe a month’s wage. All-mode rigs for 50, 144 and 432 MHz were separate units and cost a similar amount each. A 160 metre to 70 cm station could have easily cost three months’ pay, and we haven’t even counted the accessories yet. Today an all-mode 160 metre to 70 cm transceiver can be yours for maybe two weeks’ income. And a basic 100 watt HF-only transceiver is down to a week’s average wage. VHF/UHF handheld prices have plunged even more. A 2m/70cm handheld was an expensive luxury in the 1980s and early 1990s. Today the cheapest eBay handhelds from China cost under $US50. They may lack the quality control of the established brands but their presence in the market has improved affordability for all models. Such low prices are now seen on HF as well. At the time of writing the Bitx40 prebuilt 7 MHz SSB transceiver module is available for $US59. Solder a few wires and be on the air in an hour. The cheapest Morse transceiver kits go for under $US10 but their low output power and crystal control makes achieving contacts ‘challenging’, to put it politely. Online purchasing and payment systems have further cut prices. Thirty years ago most large cities had several radio shops but are now lucky to have one. Instead, a great deal of amateur gear is available online from both domestic and overseas suppliers. Online suppliers have lower overheads and prices but you need to weigh this up against support provided by local dealers. Warranties have lengthened on the established brands. At one time HF transceivers were guaranteed for 12 months only. Now warranties as long as five years are offered. This, coupled with lower prices, makes buying new gear more attractive than it used to be. Enjoyed the read? There’s more in ‘Getting back into Amateur Radio’ by Peter Parker VK3YE. It’s available as an ebook through Amazon for $6.99. Search the title on Amazon, like ‘VK3YE Radio Books’ on Facebook or visit vk3ye.com for more details.

oooooOOOOOooooo One from our good friend Adrian in South Africa. Go to http://www.philtulga.com/morse.html and put in your callsign and have a listen to the “beat!” enjoy.

oooooOOOOOooooo Finally, from Chris VK1CT New electronics magazine A new monthly electronics magazine has come out in Aus/ NZ beginning July this year. You can get the details at https://diyodemag.com/