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FRANKSTON AND MORNINGTON PENINSULA RADIO CLUB
EDITION #4 July August 2017
Famparc News
Inside this Edition
Cover Page 1
Club Info 2
Presidents Report 3
Meetings 4
Members List 5
Editor 6
Antennas 7
Antennas Cont 8
Radio Signals 9
VK3YE Article 10
Birthdays / Events 11
www.vk3frc.org.au Page 1
Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Radio Club — Committee and Club Info
www.vk3frc.org.au Page 2
Regular Club Activities
Follow the road into Cornish College OBSERVING the SPEED LIMIT and take a left turn at the
roundabout, go left around to the carpark and turn left at the tennis courts, then follow
SLOWLY to the club. In winter time please do not park on the grass and please angle park on
Saturdays. We would be happy to see members, guests and anyone interested in coming along.
- Club Regular Frequencies: 2mtr 146.425 Simplex and 70cm 439.900 Duplex
- D-Star Repeater 2mtr Port C 146.7625Mhz Output and 70cm Port B 438.125Mhz Output
Committee and Office Bearers 2017
Farmparc Amateur Radio
Club Correspondence to:
PO Box 65
Patterson Lakes
Victoria 3197
Site Located at:
Cornish College Grounds
Riverend Rd
Bangholme Vic.
Melways Ref 93 J11
- Weekly Net: Tuesdays at 8pm club members and friends meet on
146.425Mhz
controlled by VK3MMM Billy
- Weekly Wednesdays 9am till 2pm at the club rooms to catch up or
meet club members
who are no longer in the workforce. Work may be done on various
projects, at your leisure.
- Weekly Saturdays 9am till 2pm at the clubrooms.
A get together to sit around, relax and chat about whatever!
There's plenty of coffee, tea and biscuits, and friends and new members
are all welcome to come along.
President Roy Seabridge VK3GB 5971 6804
Vice President John Cheeseman VK3XM TBA
Secretary Peter Collins VK3IJ 9551 4591
Treasurer Murray Little VK3FADX
Committee Member Michael Lammer VK3UUU 0428 880 500
Committee Member Andy Walton VK3CAH 9783 6859
Committee Member Bill Grypstra VK3MMM 9781 2886
Committee Member Bruce Bathols VK3UV 97858003
Committee Member David Swallow VK3AWX 0409133318
Committee Member Collin Reynolds VK3CR 9772 6885
Other Positions
QSL Manager Bill Grypstra VK3MMM 9781 2886
Website & Newsletter Shaun Stoddart VK3VH 0431 564 451
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Our monthly general business meeting is no longer the last Saturday of the month
and will move to the FIRST Saturday of the month.
Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Radio Club — Presidents Report
www.vk3frc.org.au Page 3
I do hope everyone is keeping warm as winter this year appears to be colder than previous
years. I opened the curtains the other morning and the grass was white! It was a reminder of an
average winters day in England.
The new 40 metre quarter wave vertical mounted on the clubs roof is proving to be a winner. To
test it out I entered the Shires contest for six hours (contest was for 24hrs) and submitted a score
of 9000 plus points. I had many complementary comments about our signal, it will be interesting
to compare our score with others who worked the contest for the full 24 hours. Last week I was
talking with g0nxa Giles an old pome friend of mine on 40 metres (cw of course) whilst listening I
switched from the vertical to the clubs dipole and lost his signal completely until switching back
to the vertical.
The club was donated four fibre glass vertical antennas some time ago. They were commercially
built for vhf. John vk3xm suggested we strip out two of them and make a helically wound rotary
dipole for 40 metres as a club project. Several members put their hands up to help John and by
good fortune one of the volunteers was Brian vk3vbj! It should be an interesting project. It will be
interesting to see if it will out perform the new 40 metre quarter wave vertical. Any bets? If its fit-
ted at the highest point on the clubs tower 62 feet......ok for you newbies 8.6 metres. I think it
should.
I know its a little early in the year but I think members should be aware, the current club Secretary
Peter vk3ij will be standing down at the next AGM to a well earnt retirement. I have also been
advised the club Treasurer will not seek re-election at the next AGM due to family commitments.
We there for have two vacancies. The Secretary of any club is the engine and the power to drive
the club into a successful future, if you feel you have the skills required and would enjoy leading
the Famparc club, please step forward. The treasurers position is for someone who is good with
figures and has the skills required to extract money out of members pockets with a smile. I under-
stand the computerised financial system is easy to use and understand.
Several months ago at a monthly meeting there was a discussion regarding the Mobile Tower
the club purchased a year of two ago. The tower has never been used by the club or member-
ship. Peter vk3ij the club secretary proposed we should sell the tower. By a unanimous show of
hands the motion was passed. Before advertising to the amateur radio community in general, do
we have any member of Famparc considering purchasing a tower or know of anyone consider-
ing doings so. To clear the cost of purchase and renovations we are asking for the sum of
$3000.00. The tower at full hight is 15 metres and that's before any pole is fitted. The tower now
complies with current regulations regarding mobile towers. As far as we are aware there is no
planning approval required to use this tower as its not fixed, however, members are advised to
check with their local council. If you know of anyone who has applied to erect a tower and had
their application refused by the local council, this could be a very attractive option.
Roy. Famparc President.
Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Radio Club — Meetings
www.vk3frc.org.au Page 4
FAMPARC Business Meeting Sat 1st July 2017 at Cornish College Club Rooms
The June business meeting started at 10:35 Committee members present
Roy GB, John XM, Peter IJ, Colin CR, Bruce UV, David AWX, Bill WWW, Murray FADX, Michael UUU
Apologies Andy CAH, Shaun VH, Graham FGKE
Visitors No visitors Minutes of the last meeting
The minutes of the last meeting were read, moved Terry BMX, seconded Brian VBJ
Correspondence in: News Letters from various clubs
Correspondence out: Nil GENERAL BUSINESS
Peter IJ has had en email from a guy wanting to purchase a Famparc whip and has agreed
to purchase one of the antennas for $250
He then discussed a visit with Roy GB to the Dingley Mens Shed and also suggesting the club
purchase a copy of Wireless Men and Women at War as listed in AR. Colin suggested the
club spend up to $100 on new books and that was agreed on a show of hands.
John XM suggested
Roy GB offered his 6 band-pass filters for sale to the club at $350 and after some discussion it
was agreed to go ahead and purchase them.
Roy raised the issue of selling the trailer and suggested we need to sell it for $3000 to cover
the purchase price and cost of repairs.
David ADM asked if any members had any experience with somebody knocking on the door
offering to change the light globes to LED which evolved into a discussion on LEDS and
interference.
The meeting closed at 11.1S
Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Radio Club — Members Listing 2017
www.vk3frc.org.au Page 5
Alan VK3FARW
Albrecht VK3FKH/ZL1ABI
Alex VK3VAB
Alex ZS1L/vk3
Allycia VK3FVWS
Andrew VK3AEJ/VK3MUD
Andrew VK3CAH*
Andy VK3XKA
Anthony VK3JIA
Barry VK3THE
Bob VK3BAY
Bob VK3XP
Brenda VK3KT
Brian VK3VBJ
Bruce VK3UV*
Chris VK3AML
Claureen VK3KMB
Colin VK3CR*
Craig VK3JCH
Craig VK3NCR
Dana VK3HHL
David VK3EW
David VK3ADM
David VK3AWX*
David VK3JKY
Earl VK3BER
Edwin VK3GD
Elly VK3FLEW
Eric VK3EPD
Gerald VK3FGMO
Gerard VK3GEE
Gerard VK3GER
Graham VK3GA
Graham --nil---
Grant VK3GDC
Greg VK3KV
Henry VK3FHWH
Howard VK3QA
Ian VK3IMB
Ian VK3ZHM
Jeff VK3BZ
Jeff VK3VJS
Jessie VK3VAN
John VK3XM*
John VK3CVF
John VK3JJO
John VK3JPA
John VK3EGG
John VK3MJL
Ken VK3ZER
Kennett VK3MJF
Kevin VK3IR
Leigh VK3LVA
Malcolm VK3DMG
Mani VK3SRS
Martin VK3JAZ
Michael VK3UUU*
Murray VK3FADX*
Noel VK3BMU
Paul VK3ERA
Peter VK3SC
Peter VK3TE/VK3SPB
Peter VK3IJ*
Peter VK3YG
Ray VK3KFJ
Richard VK3IDX
Richard VK3RR
Roderick VK3YC
Roger VK3HRS
Ron VK3BRA
Ron VK3FROM
Ross VK3LTD
Roy VK3GB*
Ruben VK3PRA
Shaun VK3VH
Simon VK3ZSJ
Stefan call sign pending
Stephan VK3GTR
Stephen VK3MPR
Stjepan VK3WF
Terry VK3BMX
Timothy VK3MIT
Warren VK3LX
Wayne VK3TWM
William VK3MMM*
Asterisk Denotes Committee
Member
If any callsigns are incorrect,
please notify myself VK3VH
or Peter VK3IJ
Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Radio Club — A word from VK3VH
www.vk3frc.org.au Page 6
Until next time
73 DX
VK3VH Shaun
Hi all, nothing much to report on the radio front. Some of you may have seen the VK Shires contest results come in,,,,
yep, second again for 4 years straight to John VK5PO,, well done, I got well flogged this year in the appalling condi-
tions!
Anyway, I have finally got all my tanks running, now, 7 tanks with a total capacity of 1950 litres between them all.
George, my oscarfish has moved from upstairs to the downstairs room into a GIANT 6x2x2 tank with a 160 litre under
tank sump filter. This system alone is almost 800 litres.
Her old tank upstairs has been pulled down and re scaped and set up for a new species of fish I’m going to stock it
with.
Its not to be revealed as yet so stay tuned. It will be an awesome display tank and fully planted too.
On another note, just putting out the feelers to ask if anybody may be interested in giving the newsletter a run for a
while??
I am extremely busy with so many projects on the go I just simply struggle to find the time, if not so be it but we will look
at just putting one out every quarter instead of every 2 months.
I’m open to offers.
Left
George the Oscar
New 6x2x2 tank
10mm thick glass walls
with 12mm thick bot-
tom
Capacity 660 litres
Sump filter 150 Litres
Bottom right
Breeding tanks all up
and running
Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Radio Club — Antennas
www.vk3frc.org.au Page 7
Hi Members of Famparc.
Some years ago a came across and old book which I found very interesting to read. I noticed who ever
had once owned this book had highlighted various paragraphs and thought maybe members of Famparc
would find them interesting too. Unfortunately when I scanned them the highlighted section did not show
up. I have therefore lined the specific sections. I plan to add a couple of pages to future newsletters. If you
do find them interesting please let me know.
Roy. Famparc President.
Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Radio Club — Antennas
www.vk3frc.org.au Page 8
Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Radio Club — Radio Signals
www.vk3frc.org.au Page 9
Strange Signals from the Nearby Red Dwarf Star Ross 128 posted Jul 12, 2017, 1:31 PM by Abel Mendez [ updated Jul 13, 2017, 11:32 PM ]
We are conducting a scientific campaign from the Arecibo Observatory to observe red dwarf star with planets. These observations might provide information about the radiation and magnetic environment around these stars or even hint the presence of new sub-stellar objects including planets. So far, we observed Gliese 436, Ross 128, Wolf 359, HD 95735, BD +202465, V* RY Sex, and K2-18. Only Gliese 436 and K2-18 are known to have planets.
Observations were done between April and May 2017 in the C-band (4 to 5 GHz).
Two weeks after these observations, we realized that there were some very peculiar signals in the 10-minute dy-namic spectrum that we obtained from Ross 128 (GJ 447), observed May 12 at 8:53 PM AST (2017/05/13 00:53:55 UTC). The signals consisted of broadband quasi-periodic non-polarized pulses with very strong dispersion-like fea-tures. We believe that the signals are not local radio frequency interferences (RFI) since they are unique to Ross
128 and observations of other stars immediately before and after did not show anything similar.
We do not know the origin of these signals but there are three main possible explanations: they could be (1) emis-sions from Ross 128 similar to Type II solar flares, (2) emissions from another object in the field of view of Ross 128, or just (3) burst from a high orbit satellite since low orbit satellites are quick to move out of the field of view. The signals are probably too dim for other radio telescopes in the world and FAST is currently under calibra-
tion.
Each of the possible explanations has their own problems. For example, Type II solar flares occur at much lower frequencies and the dispersion suggests a much farther source or a dense electron field (e.g. the stellar atmos-phere?). Also, there are no many nearby objects in the field of view of Ross 128 and we have never seen satellites emit bursts like that, which were common in our other star observations. In case you are wondering, the recurrent
aliens hypothesis is at the bottom of many other better explanations.
Therefore, we have a mystery here and the three main explanations are as good as any at this moment. Fortu-nately, we obtained more time to observe Ross 128 next Sunday, July 16, and we might clarify soon the nature of its radio emissions, but there are no guarantees. We will also observe Barnard’s star that day to collaborate with the Red Dots project. Results from our observations will be presented later that week. I have a Piña Colada ready
to celebrate if the signals result to be astronomical in nature.
More updates via @ProfAbelMendez, @PlanetaryHabLab, and @NAICObservatory
Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Radio Club — Article by Peter VK3YE
www.vk3frc.org.au Page 10
Item 5: Online information about amateur radio
Geographically remote or can’t get to a club meeting? Consider asking questions on an online forum or
group. Those on qrz.com and eham.net are the biggest but there are also country-based and specialist
forums. They carry some great answers and informative discussions worth saving or bookmarking. Face-
book groups are even more popular and exist for most aspects of amateur radio.
Social media has its dark side, though. Like the village market, participants comprise a cross-section of hu-
manity, including know-it-alls, bigots, inarticulates, the short-fused, the backward and the socially chal-
lenged. Post count does not equal technical expertise. And technical expertise does not equal social
maturity.
It’s amazing how some who behave acceptably on the air or in person become abrasive trolls online.
Nasty comments reflect more on the writer than their target. Ignore them and don’t let them affect either
you personally or your interest in radio.
At the same time, there are things that returnees (or newcomers) with questions can do to make the forum
experience more pleasant for everyone, including those trying to help. These include:
Use the forum’s search function to find past discussions on a topic you wish to know more about. Your
exact question may have already been answered.
Search Google for the answer before asking. Again, there is a high chance others have had similar
questions answered.
Mention the prior steps you took to find an answer when you do ask a question. Replies will be better if
respondents can see you’ve made an effort first.
Specific questions get the best answers. A broad question like ‘what is the best HF antenna’ requires a
book-length answer that no one will write. Whereas stating preferred bands and distances, available
space and cost requirements should elicit useful answers.
Respect readers’ and respondents’ time. This means writing clearly, spelling well and rereading before
posting. Results will be better this way.
Without formal vetting of forum posts, answers received will vary in suitability and accuracy. A lot of non-
sense is sprouted on antennas, for instance. Someone may claim something ‘works’ but their definition of
this might be signals substantially weaker than those achieved with a common dipole. Other replies may
be from perfectionists with professional or engineering backgrounds. Their responses may be technically
correct but could prove discouraging if their recommendations exceed available space and budget.
Consequently forums should supplement your reading rather than be your sole source of information.
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.
Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Radio Club — B’days, Events
www.vk3frc.org.au Page 11
The Editor is always looking for articles of
interest.
Please forward article contributions to:
Closing date for next edition 20th August
2017
July
Peter Bargholz VK3ABR
Stephen Clark VK3FSPG
Edwin Parsons VK3GD
Shaun Stoddart VK3VH
David Swallow VK3AWX
Andrew Walton VK3CAH
August
Dana Hunt VK3HHL
Murray Little VK3FADX
Martin Luby VK3JAZ
Stjepan Nikolic VK3WF
Claureen Wilson VK3KMB
The Gippsland Gate Radio & Electronics Club will
be hosting another hamfest in 2017,
The hamfest will be held on July 22nd at
The Cranbourne Public Hall at the Corner
of Clarendon and High St in Cranbourne
NEWS FLASH FROM THE PRES
Further to my comments regarding the new clubs vertical antenna
for 40 metres and the Shires Contest. The results of this contest
have been announced and Famparc came 7th overall and 4th as
a single operator. Bearing in mind the contest ran for a 24 hours
and Famparc operated for only 6 hours and the entire contest was
run using the new vertical. It would be true to say it is working rea-
sonable well.