LEE ANDREWS November 2014 Managing Director Email …westlakesarc.org.au/magazine/November 2014.pdf · Storeman: Aly Zimmer ... position themselves on a hilltop overlooking the Strait

Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc. - Magazine June 2010 Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc.- Magazine June 2010

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Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc.- Magazine November 2014Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc.- Magazine November 2014

WESTLAKES MAGAZINEIS SPONSORED BY

CARDIFF RSLSUB BRANCH

November 2014

Warners Bay2/276 Macquarie Road

Warners Bay, 2282Ph: 02 4954 8100

Fax: 02 4954 8200

Members at Jaycar Warners Bay. A Discount Applies to all Club Members on Purchases over $25

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Shop 8, 41-51 Bathurst Street Greystanes NSW 2145

Facsimile (02) 9688 1995Phone

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Photo VK2CW

Deepsea Challenger is a 7.3 metres deep-diving submersible designed to reach thebottom of Challenger Deep in theMariana Trench which is the deepestknown point on Earth.On 26 March 2012, Canadian film directorJames Cameron, piloted the craft toaccomplish this goal in the secondmanned dive ever to reach the bottom ofthe Challenger Deep.Built in Sydney, Australia by the researchand design company Acheron Project PtyLtd, Deepsea Challenger includes scientificsampling equipment and high-definition3-D cameras, and reached the ocean'sdeepest point after roughly two hours ofdescent from the surface.The submersible contains over 180 onboardsystems, including batteries, thrusters, lifesupport, 3D cameras, and LED lighting.During dives, the control system alsorecorded depth, heading, temperature,pressure, battery status, and other data,and sent it to the support ship at three-minute intervals via an underwateracoustic communication system whichuses fast reliable penetration cables


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Published by Westlakes AmateurRadio Club Inc. York Street Teralba,as a magazine of news, informationand opinions on amateur radio andassociated topics for the benefit ofthe members .Copyright:In general there is no copyright onarticles, they may be copied at will.The exception being those articlesfollowed by an asterisk *preceding the named source.

Founder:Keith Howard VK2AKX (SK)Patron:G.Piper MLALife members:Gregory Smith VK2CWPaul Lorentzen VK2ATRAlec Efimov VK2ZMLeslie Payne VK2ZPAPeter Sturt VK2ZTVDavid Myers VK2RDGeoffrey Clark VK2EO

Correspondence to: The Secretary W.A.R.C., Box 5, BOOLAROO NSW 2284Telephone:- (02) 49 581 588(24 hour answering service)Email:[email protected]

Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc.is an affiliated club with theWireless Institute of Australia.

a

Club meeting: 1st Saturday ofeach month 13.30

Membership RatesAll members................ $20.00 P.AJoining fee.................... $ 5.00

Club fees are due 1st February

Magazine assembly day "OZZI HAMS" Maxi Port-a-pole


Proof reading by: Stella

President:Steve Beveridge [email protected] President:Geoff Linthorne VK2GLSecretary:Barrie Downward: [email protected]:Greg Smith VK2CWCommittee:Allan Brown VK2JEDHerb Herivel VK2ZVFKeith Turk VK2PKTLeonie McGuiness VK2FHRKBarry Finlay VK2VBFWarren Payne VK2UWPBarry Sullivan VK2BZMichael Welsh VK2CCWDiane Wilson JP VK2FDNEMagazine Editor:Greg Smith [email protected] Liason Officer:Alex Efimov VK2ZMStoreman:Aly Zimmer VK2AFZProject Officer:Norm Cameron VK2KNCMaintenance Officer:Barry Sullivan VK2BZRadio and Contest Officer:Allan Brown VK2JEDPublic Relations:Diane Wilson JP VK2FDNESecurity:Warren Payne VK2UWPInternet Webmaster:Geoff Clark VK2EOExaminations Officer:Geoff Linthorne VK2GL

Club Directory

STONE THE CROWS 3.588 MHz SATURDAYS 6AM

THE EZYBEE NET 146.775 MHz SATURDAYS 8AM

PROJECT CORNER

Radio CallsignsClub Callsign: VK2ATZClub Repeaters:VK2RTZ 146.775MHzVK2RZL 146.875MHzClub Digipeater:VK2RTZ 147.575 MHz IRLP Node 6040 Echolink 356838Club Nets:Club News broadcast,Sunday 0900146.775Mhzfollowed by callbacksand the VK1WIA News.

EZB Net 146.775MHzSaturday 0800Stone the Crows NetSaturday 3.588MHz 060040 Metre Net7.150 MHz Mon, Wed, Fri0930Internet HomePage:www.westlakesarc.org.auBusiness:Tuesday after 1700Saturday after 1200Club Distance Record:2m SimplexVK2FGM 2040 kmQRP CW VK2YA 2680 km

Note: Opinions expressed in thismagazine are those of thecontributors and do not necessarilycoincide with those of the Executivenor the members in general.

THE 40 METRE NET7.150 MHz

Monday, Wednesday, Friday9.30 AM

The smallest electromagnetic waves we know about are gamma rays. In theory, therecould be smaller waves but currently we can't detect them. Also, something has totransmit the wave in the first place, so gamma radiation is emitted when particles gothrough radioactive decay.On the large scale, theoretically electromagnetic waves could be colossal, the size ofthe universe. But in practise, again you need something to transmit the wave. So beingpractical, stars could emit waves that are the diameter of the star. Maybe in theory, butonly in theory, a whole galaxy could act as one big transmitter and transmit one massiveelectromagnetic wave. Those would be the theoretical upper and lower limits to alternatingelectromagnetic waves.

WANTEDFOR SALE

Nil One pair of rotator bracketsBarrie VK2QG Mob. 0478 228 983

From SETI HOME

Nil

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Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc.- Magazine November 2014 Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc. - Magazine November 2014

Monthly Meeting Saturday 1 November

allowing transmissions through the hull of the submersible. Because of the seven milesof water depth penetration, radio signals even at the lowest frequency used tocommunicate with submarines, does not work.The Deepsea Challenger has several locating systems to assist the recovery team infinding it after it returns to the surface. The acoustic navigation system allows the shipto track and plot the submersible as it rises through the water column, so that the supportvessels and divers are in ready attendance as it surfaces.There is also pair of LED beaconlights visible at night for many miles. There is also a strobe light that can flash for 30 hours.The sub has two separate GPS beacons in separate glass, pressure-resistant spheres.One uses a satellite system to send the sub’s coordinates to the ship’s bridge at any rangefrom the ship. The other uses marine VHF to broadcast the coordinates at ranges limitedby line of sight up to 6 miles for ships and 50 miles for aircraft.

Last month, in Christchurch, New Zealand,radio inspectors were involved with a commercialinterference case affecting a major microwavelink in the upper South Island.The microwave operator was able to identifythat the link was only being affected when thesame fishing vessel crossed its path in the Cook Strait. This led the inspectors to a numberof conclusions however the only possible way to determine the interference was toposition themselves on a hilltop overlooking the Strait.Using a microwave dish with sufficient gain, they were able to see the interfering signalsradiating from the fishing boat. By utilising the AIS vessel tracking website their positionwas verified. It was obvious that the fishing boat was the cause of the interference,however what was not known was why it was emitting these transient signals. The radiofrequency signature of the noise looked to be very similar to the S Band radar aboardthe vessel.The fishing company was called and the S Band radar was turned off. Immediately thenoise ceased and it was obvious that this was the cause of the interference. A subsequentletter was sent to the fishing company and the S Band radar’s magnetron was replaced. From the Radio Spectrum Management - New Zealand

Radio amateurs are being warned of the dangers ofbutton batteries after RACQ CareFlight Rescue airlifted a VK4 toddler who reportedly swallowed abutton battery last month.

It is the second time in less than a year CareFlight has airlifted a child suspected tohave swallowed a battery and has prompted a warning on the dangers of the tinytoxic objects. Each week four children are taken to emergency departments acrossAustralia after swallowing the tiny batteries.If they become stuck in the oesophagus they can immediately begin to burn, doingserious damage," CareFlight's Chief Medical Officer Doctor Allan MacKillop said."Even if you only suspect the child has swallowed the battery, you should immediatelytake them to your GP or a hospital emergency ward. From Hams Across Australia

the system commonly uses infrared lighting to allow the camera to take the picture at anytime of the day.Automatic number plate recognition is a mass surveillance method that uses opticalcharacter recognition on images to read vehicle registration plates. They can use existingclosed-circuit television or road-rule enforcement cameras, or ones specifically designedfor the task. They are used by the State police forces and as a method of electronic tollcollection on pay-per-use roads and cataloging the movements of traffic or individuals.ANPR was invented in 1976 at the Police Scientific Development Branch in the UK.Prototype systems were working by 1979, and was trialled on the A1 road. The first arrestthrough detection of a stolen car was made in 1981.On some cars, bikes on bike racks can also obscure the number plate and that is whyin Australia, "bike plates" are required to be fitted. The font of two states' plates has beenchanged to improve plate recognition by introducing small gaps in the letters P and Rto make them more distinct.The Australian ANPR system checks all cars passing a camera against a 'black list'(no CTP insurance, stolen, wanted etc.) to generate an alarm in the dispatching room,so they can be intercepted by a police patrol. As of early 2012, one million cars per weekare automatically checked in this way.Vehicle owners have used a variety of techniques in an attempt to evade the ANPR.Methods include using mirrors, plate cover, masking the plate with dirt or grease, oraltering characters with texta pens. Warning - big penalties apply.

ANPR is an abbreviation for Automatic Number PlateRecognition. It can be used to store the images capturedby the cameras as well as the text from the licence plate,as well as storing a photograph of the driver. In Australia

Westlakes Boot Sale Saturday 8 November


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Steve VK2LW


It's on again! On Saturday 8thNovember Westlakes is hostingits Fourth Car Boot Sale in theclub grounds at Teralba.here are the details. Anyonecan be a seller. Anything canbe sold. Pot plants, tools, teasets, rubber boots - even radiogear. It is an absolutely freeevent for all. There is no chargefor sellers, buyers, or lookers.

The Segway only has two wheels yet it manages to stayupright by itself. To move forward or backward onthe Segway, the rider just leans slightly forward orbackward. To turn left or right, the rider turns the righthandlebar forward or backward. This balancing act isthe most amazing thing about the Segway, and it is thekey to its operation.The Segway is a combination of a series of sensors. Theprimary sensor system is an assembly of gyroscopes.A basic gyroscope is a spinning wheel inside a stable frame.A spinning object resists changes to its axis of rotation,because an applied force moves along with the objectitself.Because of its resistance to outside force, a gyroscope wheel will maintain its positionin space (relative to the ground), even if you tilt it. But the gyroscope's frame willmove freely in space. A conventional gyroscope would be cumbersome and difficult tomaintain in this sort of vehicle, so the Segway gets the same effect with a differentsort of mechanism. Segways use a special solid-state angular rate sensor constructedusing silicon. This sort of gyroscope determines an object's rotation using theCoriolis effect on a very small scale.A typical solid-state silicon gyroscope consists of a tiny silicon plate mounted on asupport frame. The silicon particles are moved by an electrostatic current applied acrossthe plate. The particles move in a particular way, which causes the plate to vibrate in apredictable manner. The Segway has five gyroscopic sensors to detect forward andbackward pitch as well as leaning to the left or right. Additionally, the Segway hastwo tilt sensors filled with electrolyte fluid. Like your inner ear, this system figures outits own position relative to the ground based on the tilt of the fluid surface.All of the tilt information is passed on to the "brain" of the vehicle, two electroniccontroller circuit boards comprising a cluster of microprocessors The Segway has atotal of 10 onboard microprocessors, which boast, in total, about three times the powerof a typical PC. The Segway requires this much brain power because it needs to makeextremely precise adjustments to keep from falling over. In normal operation, thecontroller boards check the position sensors about 100 times per second. Themicroprocessors run an advanced piece of software that monitors all of the stabilityinformation and adjusts the speed of several electric motors accordingly. The electricmotors, which are powered by a pair of rechargeable nickel metal hydride orLithium-ion batteries, can turn each of the wheels independently at variable speeds.This is certainly an amazing machine. The impact the Segway will have on moderntransport remains to be seen.

From Electonics Today

One thing however, if you want a table to set out your items yous must bringyour own. The club cannot provide tables.What will be available is lunch from the Westlakes barbecue and drinks atbargain prices. It all gets underway at 10 am. If you have any surplus radioequipment you wish to dispose of please bring it along.There is only one condition. Anything you bring that is unsold must be takenhome. No leaving leftovers at the club!

WESTLAKES CAR BOOT SALE SATURDAY 8 NOVEMBER YORK STREET TERALBA

They are powered by the RF signal that also communicates with the chip. Deprivinghackers of the ability to power up the chip in your credit card will prevent them fromdownloading your account information. RFID blocking sleeves cost around $5.00 RealRFID blocking wallets cost around $30. Both are cheap protection.

SUPER ZERO RADIOBUNKER DISCOVERED

A group of Ramblersa (UK walking club)uncovered a secret war

bunker in Wiltshire last month. It was underground Super ZeroStation that would have helped to co-ordinate the resistance ifHitler had invaded during the Second World War.

The Super Zero Station is three and four metres deep, three metres wide and10.3 metres long. It would have contained special wireless sets, designed and constructedby amateur radio operators skilled in the use of Morse code. The Super Zero Stationswere created in great secrecy before the Normandy landings, which would receivemessages from resistance operatives in the community. This one been scheduled as anancient monument by English Heritage. From Times Newspapers October 2014


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You may have read last month that threeresearchers received the 2014 Nobel Prize inphysics for their invention of a blue LED. Theywere Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, and ShujiNakamura.The blue LED was important because it wasthe missing link needed to create white LED lighting.

The white light from the sun can be reproduced artificially by blending three colours oflight: red, green, and blue. LEDs are very efficient at converting electrical energyinto visible light, but blue LEDs proved much harder to engineer than red and greenones. It took more than a quarter century after red LEDs were invented in the early1960's before semiconductor materials and fabrication techniques grew sophisticatedenough to enable blue LEDs in the mid-1990's.Gallium nitride was the key ingredient used by the Nobel laureates in their ground-breaking blue LEDs. Growing big enough crystals of this compound was the stumblingblock that stopped many other researchers, but Profs Akasaki and Amano, workingat Nagoya University in Japan, managed to grow them in 1986 on a specially designedscaffold made partly from sapphire.The key advantage of their invention is the production of white light with far less wasteof electrical energy than with preceding technologies like incandescent and fluorescentlights. A quarter of world energy consumption goes to illumination

Robert Watson-Watt, the father of radar, is one of the great unsung heroes of theSecond World War. He was a brilliant Scottish scientist and descendant of the inventorof the steam train James Watt. In the early 1930's, Watson Watt was beavering awayon a project at the Meteorological Office. He was convinced radio waves could beused to detect thunderstorms.He was summoned to London in 1934, ordered to shelve his weather work and insteadproduce a hasty feasibility study into death rays which it was thought Germany haddeveloped. To the relief of the government, Watson-Watt dismissed the notion thensurprised the officials with another document entitled The Detection Of Aircraft ByRadio (RADAR.) It contained a much less eye-catching concept than a weapon ofmass destruction but was equally significant. Watson-Watt explained his idea was tobounce radio waves off approaching enemy aircraft. In this way it was possible to bothdetect and count them before they were visible to the naked eye.This invention was to turn the tide of the Battle of Britain in favour of the vastlyoutnumbered Royal Air Force. Ultimately it is credited with saving Britain frominvasion during the Second World War. Although today, Watson-Watt is little knownoutside his home town of Brechin in the north-east of Scotland.Watson-Watt, who was born in 1892 and educated at Dundee University, began designingan aircraft detection system when he was in his early 20's. It was inspired by PostOffice workers who noticed that radio signals fluttered when planes passed by.Ironically, it was a German, Heinrich Hertz, who originally discovered in the late 19thcentury that some objects deflect radio waves.Watson-Watt, the son of a carpenter, was quick to realise the potential for military use.But it was only when the overwhelming strength of the Luftwaffe became apparent inthe build-up to the war that he was finally taken seriously and given the resources tofine-tune his invention. On February 26, 1935, Watson-Watt and his colleague ArnoldWilkins, successfully demonstrated their system using a BBC transmitter nearDaventry, Northamptonshire. It managed to pick up a Heyford bomber being used as atest target eight miles away.The sceptics were won over. Watson-Watt and his team were based at Bawdsey ManorEstate, a former stately home near Felixstowe in Suffolk, bought by the governmentfor £24,000. The stables and outbuildings were converted into workshops, while a240ft wooden receiver tower and a 360ft transmitter tower were built. Amid great secrecyBawdsey became the world’s first radar station.At first aircraft could be detected up to about 17 miles away but the experiments werea failure – not because the system, known as Chain Home, didn’t pick up aircraftbut because the observers were so slow to pass on the information to the RAF. Oncethat communications glitch was overcome it became obvious that Britain had a viableearly warning system up its sleeve in time for war.

RFID BLOCKING SLEEVES

RFID blocking sleeves are the latest countermeasurethat many people are using to prevent identity theft.Radio Frequency Identification Chips are now beingused in all new Passports including the wallet cards,many credit cards and even some state driver’slicences. A hacker thief using a directional antennaconcealed in a briefcase, can capture all your credit card’s information from as faraway as 20 feet.The information that they can hack includes the credit card number and expirationdate along with your name. They can then take this information and use blank plastic creditcard stock and a magnetic stripe writing device to create a new credit card in a matterof minutes.Sleeves that shield your credit card are inexpensive. They are a paper or cardboardpouch lined with aluminum foil. This keeps radio waves from entering and leavingthe RFID device. Radio Frequency Identification Chips do not have their own battery.


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However Watson-Watt was under huge pressure to extend the range of RADAR. Everyextra mile provided more time for the RAF to scramble its fighters and intercept enemyaircraft before they could reach their targets. By the beginning of 1936 the distancewas 62 miles and when Britain declared war in 1939 it was more than 100.Radar proved to be some gadget and by 1939 there was a chain of 19 stations aroundthe British coast. At the end of the war there was a protective ring of 50 radar base stations.These bases were to prove invaluable in the Battle of Britain. With 2,600 Luftwaffeplanes to the RAF’s 640 it was the use of radar that saved the day. From BBC TV

The "Filipino Monkey" is a taunt used by radio prankstersin maritime radio transmissions since at least the 1980s,especially in the Persian Gulf. This taunt is also used as aname for pranksters who make odd, confusing, or eventhreatening calls on VHF marine channel 16, which is the

VHF calling and distress channel. Prior to the advent of GMDSS all ships at sea wererequired to monitor this channel, which is meant to be used only to make contact beforechanging to a working channel.On January 7, 2008, the government of the United States of America reported that theday before, a number of Iranian IRGC Navy speedboats had harassed and threatenedU.S. warships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passageway betweenthe Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. In a video clip released by the administration,a crew member on a warship issues this radio message: "This is coalition warship. Iam engaged in transit passage in accordance with international law. I maintainno harm. Over!"This is followed by footage of smaller speedboats travelling at high speed aroundU.S. warships. The crew member is heard on the radio warning five unidentified craftthat they are approaching coalition warships and asking them to identify themselvesand report their intentions. Later, the crew member is heard warning the crafts tostay away.Then a heavily accented voice is heard replying: "This is the Philipino Monkey. I amcoming to you... You will explode after few minutes."

By the time you are reading this, it will be allover. At the October Monthly Meeting it wasdecided that Westlakes would hold a displayand operate a portable radio station at the 2014Rathmines Catalina Festival on 25 Octoberfrom 9 am - 3pm.

The Rathmines Catalina Festival is held annually to commemorate the rich history ofthe WWII RAAF Base. Now in its 8th year, the festival promotes the significance of theBase both locally and nationally. The event is unique in the region and is the largestcommunity festival held in the Lake Macquarie local government area. The festival aimsto educate the wider community about the Base and the significance it holds. The day alsoprovides family orientated entertainment that includes displays by various aircraft.

A CHEMICAL IRIS

A new type of chemical iris designed mainly for televisionshas been created by researchers in Germany. It also canbe used to brighten or darken displays in amateur radiotransceivers.The new micro-iris features transparent chemical ringswhich turn opaque when a small voltage is applied. Itfeatures concentric rings which can be darkened and lightened to adjust the size ofthe aperture and thus, the display intensity dependent on the ambient light.It consists of two glass substrates sandwiched together, each one carrying a thin filmof the electrochromic polymerethylenedioxythiophene on an underlying transparentelectrode. The chemical can be switched into an opaque state with a low voltage 1.5Vand does not require a continuous current to maintain its state - making it highly suitablefor battery-powered devices when operating portable at day or night.

From Amateur Radio Newsline

This invention from China is an umbrella that holds offthe rain with a force field of air. It is a clever contraptionthat will definitely solve the problem of umbrellasaccidentally poking people in the face in big crowds, andthat annoying inverted canopy when the wind is strong.However, given the limited battery life (15 to 30 mins) andthe way it blows the water sideways will lead to sprayingothers.Its handle looks similar to that of a regular umbrella, exceptit contains a lithium battery which powers a fan. Whenswitched on, the umbrella blasts a canopy of air whichdeflects rain The Air Umbrella does make noise, butChinese inventor Chuan Wang claims it is quieter than therain around it. It is set for release in December 2015.


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Children's listening clubs were popular and promoted byAustralian radio stations a generation ago. Announcersused on air names such as 'Uncle Richard', 'AuntiePeggy' and many more like them, as the children'sclubs took on a family like-tone to their activities.Most clubs were local in nature, just in the city ortown where a local commercial radio stationbroadcast. One such station was 5KA Adelaide which


impact, crush or high rate charging. Asia produces many non-brand replacement batteriesthat are popular with cell phone users because of low price. Many of these batteries don'tprovide the same high safety standard as the main brand equivalent. A wise shopper spendsa little more and replaces the battery with an approved model.To prevent the infiltration of unsafe packs on the market, most manufacturers sell lithium-ion cells only to approved battery pack assemblers. The inclusion of an approved safetycircuit is part of the purchasing requirement. This makes it difficult for a hobbyist topurchase single lithium-ion cells off-the-shelf in a store. The hobbyist will have no otherchoice than to revert to nickel-based batteries.The safety precaution is especially critical on larger batteries, such as laptop packs. Thehazard is so much greater than on a small cell phone battery if something goes wrong. Forthis reason, many laptop manufacturers secure their batteries with a secret code that onlythe matching computer can access. This prevents non-brand-name batteries from floodingthe market. The drawback is a higher price for the replacement battery.Considering the number of lithium-ion batteries used on the market, this energy storagesystem has caused little harm in terms of damage and personal injury. In spite of the goodrecord, its safety is a hot topic that gets high media attention, even on a minor mishap. Thiscaution is good for the consumer because we will be assured that this popular energystorage device is safe. After the recall of Dell and Apple laptop batteries, cell manufacturerswill not only try packing more energy into the pack but will attempt to make it morebulletproof. From www.BatteryUniversity.com

Ham radio first took the nation by stormnearly a hundred years ago. Last monththe FCC logged 700,314 licences, withnearly 40,000 new ones in the last fiveyears. Compare that with 2005 when only662,600 people held a licence and you'llsee why the American Radio RelayLeague is calling it a "golden age."

With more people joining the hobby, local ham radio businesses are growing as wellselling everything to do with ham radios, from transceivers, amplifiers and antennas tohandhelds. According to the American Radio Relay League, retirees and emergencygroups are among the main reasons for the nearly 30,000 new hams that pick up thehobby each year. Ham radio is a boon for safety as well as a fun pastime: When normalcommunications methods fail and cellphone towers are jammed, ham radios will still workand can help out in disaster situations, because they don’t require towers to relay the signal.Ham radio is inexpensive. All you need is a couple hundred bucks to get started and a FCClicence -- which is free. From Michelle Macaluso

The UK leads the world with new wireless technology trials. With trials already takingplace across the UK, Ofcom is working with Google and ZSL London Zoo - the latestorganisations to launch TV ‘white space’ trials, using the technology to stream livefootage of animals to YouTube.This technology uses gaps in radio spectrum that exist in between frequency bands,called white space, to offer new wireless applications that will benefit consumersand businesses. There are already seven trials running across the UK, with morescheduled to start over the coming months. Compared with other forms of wirelesstechnologies, such as regular Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, the radio waves used by TV whitespace devices can travel longer distances and more easily through walls.White space technology is one way of meeting the growing demand for data in the UK.Ofcom is separately planning to free up more spectrum in the future for the nextgeneration of high-speed data services, such as that being released by the Ministry ofDefence. This follows the successful completion of the 4G mobile spectrum auctionin 2013. From Wireless News - October 2014

had the thousands of junior members who were in the 5KA Merrymakers. Enamelbadges were issued at a nominal cost - the Merrymaker badge pictured cost sixpenceplus a self-addressed envelope. Today, one of these in good condition will sell foraround $100.The children's clubs were full of sports and cultural events, short story and poem writing,recitals in the radio station studio, art exhibitions, days out to the zoo, boat rides, and otheractivities to keep the children entertained, educated and occupied. Through the 1950's andinto the mid-1960's, these clubs continued to prosper and many not-so-old listeners will stillremember listening to their favourite 'Uncle' or 'Aunt' on the radio, wearing their clubbadge with much pride, and the friendships they formed whilst attending club activities.Looking back, it's hard to appreciate that during the 1930's and early 1940's, one stationalone could enroll over 65,000 members.


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preserve Amplitude Modulation as a means of Amateur Radio communication. TheAnnual General Meeting of Spam is held on the Queen's Birthday Weekend in conjunctionwith the NZART Conference.There is a SPAM net operating on AM on 3.850 MHz every Friday evening at 2000hours NZ time. Also those interested are urged to call "CQ AM" on 3.850 MHz AMany evening at 2000 hrs NZ local time if they want a QSO.

When Sony introduced the first lithium-ion battery in 1991, they knew of the potentialsafety risks. A recall of the previously released rechargeable metallic lithium battery wasa bleak reminder of the discipline one must exercise when dealing with this high energy-dense battery system.Pioneering work for the lithium battery began in 1912, but is was not until the early 1970'swhen the first non-rechargeable lithium batteries became commercially available.Attempts to develop rechargeable lithium batteries followed in the eighties. These earlymodels were based on metallic lithium and offered very high energy density. However,inherent instabilities of lithium metal, especially during charging, put a damper on thedevelopment. The cell had the potential of a thermal run-away. The temperature wouldquickly rise to the melting point of the metallic lithium and cause a violent reaction. Alarge quantity of rechargeable lithium batteries had to be recalled in 1991 after the packin a cellular phone released hot gases and inflicted burns to a man's face.Because of the inherent instability of lithium metal, research shifted to a non-metalliclithium battery using lithium ions. Although slightly lower in energy density, the lithium-ionsystem is safe, providing certain precautions are met when charging and discharging.Today, lithium-ion is one of the most successful and safe battery chemistries available.Two billion cells are produced every year.Lithium-ion cells with cobalt cathodes hold twice the energy of a nickel-based battery andfour-times that of lead acid. Lithium-ion is a low maintenance system, an advantage thatmost other chemistries cannot claim. There is no memory and the battery does not requirescheduled cycling to prolong its life. Nor does lithium-ion have the sulfation problemof lead acid that occurs when the battery is stored without periodic topping charge.Lithium-ion has a low self-discharge and is environmentally friendly. Disposal causesminimal harm.Now the down side. A major concern arises if static electricity or a faulty charger hasdestroyed the battery's protection circuit. Such damage can permanently fuse the solid-state switches in an ON position without the user knowing. A battery with a faultyprotection circuit may function normally but does not provide protection against abuse.Another safety issue is cold temperature charging. Consumer grade lithium-ion batteriescannot be charged below 0°C (32°F). Although the packs appear to be charging normally,plating of metallic lithium occurs on the anode while on a sub-freezing charge. The platingis permanent and cannot be removed. If done repeatedly, such damage can compromisethe safety of the pack. The battery will become more vulnerable to failure if subjected to

But things were not always "merry" at 5KA. On 8 January 1941 radio stations 5KAAdelaide and 5AU Port Augusta were closed down by the Post-Master General'sDepartment for alleged 'subversive broadcasts'.In July 1940 the Australian Attorney-General, W.M. Hughes, announced an officialenquiry into the Jehovah's Witnesses following a report to the Director of NavalIntelligence, Melbourne, from the Staff Officer, Intelligence, Port Adelaide, on 26 June,regarding communist activities. The report also stated that the Adelaide group of Jehovah'sWitnesses and the radio station 5KA had been under suspicion for some time. It wasthought that they were transmitting coded messages to the enemy about ship movements,and also their anti-war stand was seen as bordering on treachery. As a result of the enquiry,together with the fact that the sect had been banned in Canada and New Zealand, the orderfor the closure of the radio stations was given.It was the Merrymakers Club that saved the day. Protests from the loyal audiencemainly of women listeners and children were heard and in a judgement handed down inJune 1943, the 5KA Merrymakers were no longer a banned organisation and were ableto associate with each other again.

Hand held radios, I wouldn’t know what to do without them.For a while I had the feeling that not much spectaculardevelopments were to be expected . That proved not to betrue. There are some trends in our little radio world standingout lately:More output power. More bands. Independent VFO’s.Cross-band capability. Digital voice. One of the brandstrying to hitch a ride on some of these trends is the not-so-well-known brand Topsung. Their latest offering is a handheld covering three bands, delivering up to 10 Watts outputand a 2500mAh battery to power it all. DTMF, ANI,CTCSS, DCS and a scrambler are standard features.Personally I don’t find anything above 5 Watts output veryuseful, as range depends more on antenna quality and terrainthan raw power. Pumping out 10 Watts close to your facemight not be smart either.Topsung Factory specifications:Frequency range 136-174MHz / 350-400MHz / 400-470MHzRF power 10W / 5W / 1W Number of channels 200

Power supply DC 7.4V Battery pack 2500 mAh (Li-ion) Frequency stability ± 2.5 PPMOperating temperature -20°C~ +60°C Antenna impedance 50O Dimensions (W × H × D)64 mm x120 mm x34 mm Weight 288g (with belt clip and antenna) Price: US $58

Hans PD0AC


Page 16 16 16 16 16 Page 9 9 9 9 9


RADIO IN THE ZEROThese included Enigma coded messages which were sent to experts at the Governmentcypher centre at Bletchley Park where they were used in the operation that broke thecode in a move reckoned to have shortened the war by up to four years.He regularly met up with another radio amateur and secret listener, David Etchalls to sharenotes before they went to Bradmore post office and dispatched them to Bletchley Park.The work of the Voluntary Interceptor was so secret it was not made public until thelate 1970s and a BBC documentary, made in 1979, told their story. But the names ofmany of the near 1500 radio enthusiasts nationwide who had been covertly recruitedfor the work by the Secret Service were not disclosed. From the Wolverhampton Express and Star - October 2014

The radio failure was not caused by malfunctioning equipment. Instead, a giant, 62-mile-long "plasma bubble" made up of clouds of electrically charged particles was responsiblefor the communication blackout.During daylight hours in the upper atmosphere, radiation beaming down from the sunrips electrons from their atoms. But once the sun sets, the electrons start recombining withtheir atoms. This recombination process happens faster in the lower atmosphere becausethere are heavier particles there, and electrons recombine faster with molecules than theydo with single atoms. Since the plasma in this part of the atmosphere is less dense, it risesand burrows into the denser plasma above. This causes giant bubbles of charged particlesto form, similar to the way air bubbles rise from a submerged diver.The huge bubbles of charged particles are invisible, but they can bend and warp radiowaves. In 2002, the Chinook helicopter was flying over Afghanistan in the spring, whichis the height of plasma bubble activity. In the future, the researchers hope to use the newcomputer modelling to predict the formation and movement of plasma bubbles. The modeluses data from satellites to find the bubbles and then uses a wind and atmospheric modelto predict which way the bubbles will drift.

Twelve years ago, a U.S. military rescue missionin Afghanistan went horribly wrong. A Chinookhelicopter carrying U.S. troops failed to receivea crucial radio message and was shot downover the snow-covered peak of Takur Ghar.

HEARD OF SPAM?Pre-cooked meat in a tin? No. Unwanted emails? No. The other one -The Society For The Preservation Of Amplitude Modulation.It is a New Zealand-based organisation whose aims and objects are to

From Journal of Space Weather - September 2014

on the right side of the cockpit. They were hung in the standard shock mount that consistedof frames above and below the radio which had bungee cords secured to them. Thebungees were looped around spools mounted on the radio casing. The suspended radiowas protected from shocks by the flexibility of the cords.The dynamotor module that powered the radios was mounted on a shelf in the left rearcorner of the cockpit behind the pilot’s elbow. Dynamotors are generators that are drivenby electric motors. They were a common means of powering aircraft radio equipment forseveral nations during World War Two as they avoided current fluctuations that occurredin the main electrical system of an aircraft.The radio in the Zero operated in the frequency range of 3.8 to 5.8 megahertz. This is thelower end of the High Frequency or Short Wave band. Quartz crystal oscillators controlledfrequencies. Power of the transmitter was 8 to 10 watts in voice mode and 30 watts inCW mode. 50 miles was the practical limit of utility of the voice radios under optimumconditions and 90 miles for CW. Not all Japanese fighter pilots were trained in codetransmission. The receiver circuit was a superheterodyne type and the total weight of theradio system was 38 pounds.The control for rotating the RDF antenna was directly to the rear of the control box. Thedirectional loop antenna was mounted in the fuselage deck. The actual antenna was madeof insulated wire wrapped around and between frames. Cloth was then applied over thewire and doped. A drive motor was used for rotating the loop antenna.A visual indicator for flying along a directional radio range signal was mounted in the lowerleft corner of the instrument panel. The face of this instrument has an arc painted on it withcharacters for ‘right’ and ‘left’. A needle indicated the relative position of the aircraft tothe signal. One further control was a round switch box mounted next to the pilot’s rightshoulder. This was for switching the antenna’s reception function between thecommunication radio and the RDF system. This also allowed the RDF operator to usethe antenna to monitor AM radio broadcasts as was done on December 7 1941 as theZeros approached Oahu. The regular music broadcast from Honolulu assured him thatthe American forces were unaware of the impending attack on Pearl Harbour.

The radio system installed in theA6M2 and A6M3 variants of theZero were the Type 96 ku (aviation)Model 1 voice/telegraph system andthe Type 1 ku Model 3 Radio Compassor Radio Direction Finder. This wasthe standard RDF unit for mostcarrier-borne Japanese aircraft.The transmitter and receiver wereseparate units that were placed low

From Radio Systems in the Zero by Greg Springer


Page 10 10 10 10 10 Page 15 15 15 15 15

AA

Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc. - Magazine November 2014 Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc.- Magazine November 2014

After 23 years, an Australia-wide searchcame to head last month when RobertMcGregor put in the winning bid for a 1925original condition AWA Radiola Model 4.Mr McGregor's home in Terang, Victoria,holds about 70 collectable radios from the1920s, a period which he is particularlyinterested in.He paid $2600 for the radio at an auctionin Canberra and said he would have gladly

paid another $1000. Mc Gregor initially saw the piece in 1991. After losing contactwith the seller, he saw the radio come up again in an online catalogue for the auction. From Canberra Times - 20 September 2014

the world.The language used was variously described as Russian, Polish, Bulgarian, Serbo-Croatand in a Radio Netherlands report, even Macedonian. The interval signal used was a fivenote rising scale tune which was followed by the group headings. The messages were sentin the five figure format. It was a very monotonous and boring transmission, even asnumbers stations go. At the end of its life it was using two frequencies: 4030 and 4882.5MHz.Numbers stations were common during the cold war and are thought to have beencoded messages to undercover operatives across Europe. Apart from Betty, there wasthe Russian Man, and the English Lady - all broadcasting nothing but a series ofnumbers. What it was all about nobody will ever know.

Bulgarian Betty was the nickname of this "numbers"spy station, which went off the air in December 1990.Because of its all night broadcasting schedule, itbecame a regular logging for short wave listeners around

WOLVERHAMTON MAN'SSECRET PAST

Geoff Hanley was known to be a keen radio ham but nobody realised exactly what hewas doing once he donned a pair of special issue headphones in his garden shed. Hewould leave his family night after night to operate from the 'radio shack' that was speciallyblacked out for fear of air raids and in which he kept a sten gun, Lee Enfield 303 rifleand hand grenades.When the siren sounded he ensured his wife, twochildren and dog were safe in the shelter he haddug in the garden of their Wolverhampton home buthe would not join them. He stayed above ground athis post in the shed continuing to secretly monitorGerman military radio signals.The operation was so hush-hush that even he maynot have been entirely sure how the information hegathered was being used. But he was certain of twothings - it was important and he could not speak aboutit to anybody outside those he worked with.Hanley – a naval wireless operator during the FirstWorld War – had been secretly recruited as aVoluntary Interceptor by the Security Services tomonitor German military radio short wave messages

A train travels from A to B at an average speed of 40 km/h. On reaching B itimmediately turns around and returns to A at an average speed of 50 km/h. What is the average speed over the whole trip?

No distance is given, so assume one .... say 200 km. From A to B is 200 km divided by 40 km/h equals 5 hours. From B to A to is 200 km divided by 50 km/h equals 4 hours. Total time for the trip is 5 plus 4 equals 9 hours Total distance covered is 400 km The average speed over the whole trip is 400 km divided by 9 hours

(Substitute any distance, the answer will always be 44.4 repeater)

73 Les VK2RJ


Page 14 Page 11also in cooperation with members of the Arthur A. Collins Legacy Association inCedar Rapids, had been raising money and supporting archival efforts related to thehistory of Collins and Rockwell Collins.The recovery is now complete, and the transmitter, the studio board, associated remotestudio controls, as well as site ambiance, have been removed from Delano and shippedto the AWA Museum in Bloomfield New York where they will eventually be displayed.This effort was funded by several private donations who loaned money to pay for thesupplies and trucking needed to accomplish this task.The Alliance is in fundraising mode which is vital to continue this campaign to save anddisplay this historic transmitter, and then present the VOA/Collins story. An additional$12,000 to cover the expenses that were incurred during the emergency extraction. Thenis the need to raise approximately $175K to modify the AWA museum facility and build outthe VOA & Collins Model 821A-1 displays – and tell that story.To find out more see: http://www.collinsradioheritagegroup.org/

Courtesy of Steve VK2LW

On the last night of a 4,000-mile voyageacross the Atlantic, the Andrea Dorialuxury liner was broadsided by the 13,000ton Stockholm in a freak accident that

imperiled more than 1,700 passengers and crew. The date was the 25 July 1956. Theseemingly impossible collision killed 51 people and spurred a massive evacuation andrescue operation beset by rolling seas, confusion, and fear.The Andrea Doria was listing 25 degrees and in the Radio Room a stillness followedthe sending of the SOS. The answers came in rapid succession. The SOS wasacknowledged as received first by a radio station in Massachusetts and then from theanother station on Long Island, New York. The Coast Guard acknowledged the SOS fromits radio lookout post. These responses to the SOS showed that ships not too far away wouldsoon be coming to the Andrea Doria's assistance This was relayed to Captain of theAndrea Doria. The four radiomen on the Andrea Doria knew that on all the ships,radiomen were delivering the Andrea Doria's distress message and position to their captains.Because of the severe list to starboard, half of the lifeboats were unusable and thisshortage of lifeboats might have resulted in significant loss of life similar to those whowere aboard the Titanic 44 years earlier.The fact that only 51 passengers out of 1,700 on board died is attributed to the efficiencyof the wireless operators on the Andrea Doria sending a distress call in Morse code on theInternational distress calling frequency of 500 kHz and to the wireless operators on themany rescue ships that promptly responded.

November 2014November 2014

Westlakes seems to be the 'talk of the town.' The club's motto 30 years ago was'First in Education.' Now it appears Geoff VK2GL's fame for successfully preparingcandidates for their Foundation assessment is spreading. Our next Foundation coursewill be held in early 2015 and it's almost booked out already! If you are interestedin upgrading or assessments, please contact Steve at [email protected]

TO OBTAIN A GENUINE WESTLAKES BADGE WRITE TO RT SIGNS, PO BOX 119 STOCKTON 2295 ADVISE YOUR CALL SIGN AND NAME INCLUDE $10 AND A SELF ADDRESSED ENVELOPE YOUR BADGE WILL ARRIVE IN A FEW DAYS THE $10 CHARGE COVERS THE BADGE AND GST

WHERE DID JOTA COME FROM?

Jamboree On The Air (JOTA) and now Jamboree on the Internet (JOTI) wasfounded by Les Mitchell, G3BHK, in 1958, after launching the idea a year earlier atthe World Scout Jamboree. That was the first year the Jamboree had an AmateurRadio station on site, and it’s been held every year since.Few Scouts were licensed in 1958, but over the years many Scouts taking part inJOTA became interested in the hobby and they became radio amateurs themselves.Sadly Les Mitchell, G3BHK became a Silent Key in October a few days before the56th JOTA was held.

At the WIA Assessments held at Westlakes in September, the following were sucessfulin gaining their Foundation Licence: Luke Beston VK2FZAD, John Schroeder VK2FJFS,Ian Maclaren VK2FIGM, Tim Etheridge VK2FTTT, and Malcolm Marshall VK2FYAD,Greg Smith VK2FGJS gained his Standard Licence, VK2POP and Bruce HamiltonVK2FSAD passed 30/30 for the higher regulations. Barry Finlay VK2VBF gained hisAdvanced Licence, VK2FIN and Luke Groeneveld upgraded from VK2FALACongratulations to all.Geoff VK2GL's work with this cohort of candidates was once gain evident in theirperformance during the assessments - well done Geoff.

(more correctly, from where did JOTA come) Anyone get the joke?


Page 12 Page 13of Robert V. J. Padula, OAM

By

By Robert Padula OAM

from Australian stations for the following week, and was published by the Heraldand Weekly Times, Melbourne. A shortwave section was introduced in 1930. Detailsabout daily shortwave transmission schedules were also given, in order of language:listings of May 23 1937 showed broadcasts from the German station DBA in variouslanguages, and from Czechoslovakia OLR. Italian programs from RO were alsoprovided.The magazine had many features, including constructional articles for receivers, crystalsets, antennas, amplifiers, adverts for Melbourne-based firms selling radio and electricalequipment, ads for cough medicines, books for home mechanics, and Ju-Jitsu schools.There was a special "Junior Section". An article of May 23 1937 was titled "DX Listeningand Reporting - how to tune in distant stations and how to get verifications of reports".In 1933, the magazine started a listeners' Club, know as the "Australian DX Club".Membership was 1/- annually, and people joining received a Membership Certificate andBadge, and allocated membership numbers based on their States of residence. In 1938 theMelbourne ADXC members set up a newsletter, due to the limitations of space allocatedin the "Listener In". This was offered for 3/6 annual subscription. This was originallymediumwave, but was extended to include shortwave.The Listener In ceased publication in 1954. TV had started in 1956, and a newmagazine for Melbourne readers appeared in 1957, known as "TV Radio Week", thename being later changed to "TV Week", which survives to the present day. All editionsof The Listener In are on file in the Serials Section of the State Library of Victoria,Swanston St, Melbourne, where they may be viewed and copied.

The Listener In Magazine was a weekly publication, soldacross Australia, which first appeared in 1927. It was smallformat, about half A4, and by the late 1930s had grown to over60 pages.It contained details of daily mediumwave radio programs

He was found guilty on 22nd April 2010, in Christchurch District Court, of breachingsection 113 of the Radiocommunications Act 1989. The magistrate found the chargeproven, imposed a fine of NZ$1,750 and NZ$130 for costs to be paid plus radio equipmentforfeiture.In a media statement the Ministry of Economic Development explained that it had takenthe action because excessive power has the potential to cause interference to, and disruptto other radio services in the local area.

A New Zealand radio amateur has beenconvicted for being in possession of aradio transmitter capable of operating ata significantly higher power than permittedby his Amateur Radio Operators GeneralLicence. Radio Spectrum Management

prosecuted Amateur Radio Operator Alan Potter for transmitting outside the terms andconditions of the General User Radio Licence for Amateur Radio Operators.The New Zealand Ministry of Economic Development's (MED) Radio SpectrumManagement division was alerted to a You Tube video showing Potter operatingat 3100 watts, far in excess of the maximum permitted limit of 500 watts PEP.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------In June 2006, an amateur radio enthusiast who tapped into and jammed a major securitysystems was "off his head", a court heard. Michael Phelps of Trowbridge, admitted fourcounts of deliberately interfering with wireless telegraphy when he appeared beforemagistrates at Chippenham.The court heard Phelps, a licensed amateur radio operator, illegally hacked into systemsused by Bath University, West Wiltshire District Council and Langley Industrial Park inChippenham, which could have been needed in an emergency.Speaking out in court Phelps, who has a history of drug and alcohol abuse, said hecould have tapped into the emergency services systems if he had wanted to but hadchosen not to.Mr Phelps said, 'I was off my head' for most of the time I committed these offencesand while I still have problems, things are much better than they used to be". Between Apriland July the previous year, Phelps interfered with the security system at the university,playing music, electronic noises and speech, for up to half an hour each time.Mr Phelps admitted the offences. He was sentenced to a 12 month supervision order bymagistrates to focus on rehabilitation and his use of drugs and alcohol. He was also orderedto pay costs of £100 and to forfeit the radio equipment used to commit the offences From The Laughing Policman Wireless Society

The largest HF Shortwave Transmitter madeby Collins Radio has been saved. It is theCollins Radio Model 821A-1 once used byThe Voice of America and at a power of250,000 watt (1 Megawatt PEP.)

The development of satellite communication, the internet and social media over the last4 decades has dramatically changed the way information is disseminated around ourglobe. The fate of many of the grand high power AM shortwave transmitters of the mid-20th century has followed the fate of the dinosaurs. Extinction was imminent. This was thelast compete Collins Model 821A-1 HF Autotune transmitter in the world.In February of this year the Collins Collectors Association and the Antique WirelessAssociation formed an alliance. This alliance, the Collins Radio Heritage Group,

November 2014 November 2014


Page 12 Page 13of Robert V. J. Padula, OAM

By

By Robert Padula OAM

from Australian stations for the following week, and was published by the Heraldand Weekly Times, Melbourne. A shortwave section was introduced in 1930. Detailsabout daily shortwave transmission schedules were also given, in order of language:listings of May 23 1937 showed broadcasts from the German station DBA in variouslanguages, and from Czechoslovakia OLR. Italian programs from RO were alsoprovided.The magazine had many features, including constructional articles for receivers, crystalsets, antennas, amplifiers, adverts for Melbourne-based firms selling radio and electricalequipment, ads for cough medicines, books for home mechanics, and Ju-Jitsu schools.There was a special "Junior Section". An article of May 23 1937 was titled "DX Listeningand Reporting - how to tune in distant stations and how to get verifications of reports".In 1933, the magazine started a listeners' Club, know as the "Australian DX Club".Membership was 1/- annually, and people joining received a Membership Certificate andBadge, and allocated membership numbers based on their States of residence. In 1938 theMelbourne ADXC members set up a newsletter, due to the limitations of space allocatedin the "Listener In". This was offered for 3/6 annual subscription. This was originallymediumwave, but was extended to include shortwave.The Listener In ceased publication in 1954. TV had started in 1956, and a newmagazine for Melbourne readers appeared in 1957, known as "TV Radio Week", thename being later changed to "TV Week", which survives to the present day. All editionsof The Listener In are on file in the Serials Section of the State Library of Victoria,Swanston St, Melbourne, where they may be viewed and copied.

The Listener In Magazine was a weekly publication, soldacross Australia, which first appeared in 1927. It was smallformat, about half A4, and by the late 1930s had grown to over60 pages.It contained details of daily mediumwave radio programs

He was found guilty on 22nd April 2010, in Christchurch District Court, of breachingsection 113 of the Radiocommunications Act 1989. The magistrate found the chargeproven, imposed a fine of NZ$1,750 and NZ$130 for costs to be paid plus radio equipmentforfeiture.In a media statement the Ministry of Economic Development explained that it had takenthe action because excessive power has the potential to cause interference to, and disruptto other radio services in the local area.

A New Zealand radio amateur has beenconvicted for being in possession of aradio transmitter capable of operating ata significantly higher power than permittedby his Amateur Radio Operators GeneralLicence. Radio Spectrum Management

prosecuted Amateur Radio Operator Alan Potter for transmitting outside the terms andconditions of the General User Radio Licence for Amateur Radio Operators.The New Zealand Ministry of Economic Development's (MED) Radio SpectrumManagement division was alerted to a You Tube video showing Potter operatingat 3100 watts, far in excess of the maximum permitted limit of 500 watts PEP.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------In June 2006, an amateur radio enthusiast who tapped into and jammed a major securitysystems was "off his head", a court heard. Michael Phelps of Trowbridge, admitted fourcounts of deliberately interfering with wireless telegraphy when he appeared beforemagistrates at Chippenham.The court heard Phelps, a licensed amateur radio operator, illegally hacked into systemsused by Bath University, West Wiltshire District Council and Langley Industrial Park inChippenham, which could have been needed in an emergency.Speaking out in court Phelps, who has a history of drug and alcohol abuse, said hecould have tapped into the emergency services systems if he had wanted to but hadchosen not to.Mr Phelps said, 'I was off my head' for most of the time I committed these offencesand while I still have problems, things are much better than they used to be". Between Apriland July the previous year, Phelps interfered with the security system at the university,playing music, electronic noises and speech, for up to half an hour each time.Mr Phelps admitted the offences. He was sentenced to a 12 month supervision order bymagistrates to focus on rehabilitation and his use of drugs and alcohol. He was also orderedto pay costs of £100 and to forfeit the radio equipment used to commit the offences From The Laughing Policman Wireless Society

The largest HF Shortwave Transmitter madeby Collins Radio has been saved. It is theCollins Radio Model 821A-1 once used byThe Voice of America and at a power of250,000 watt (1 Megawatt PEP.)

The development of satellite communication, the internet and social media over the last4 decades has dramatically changed the way information is disseminated around ourglobe. The fate of many of the grand high power AM shortwave transmitters of the mid-20th century has followed the fate of the dinosaurs. Extinction was imminent. This was thelast compete Collins Model 821A-1 HF Autotune transmitter in the world.In February of this year the Collins Collectors Association and the Antique WirelessAssociation formed an alliance. This alliance, the Collins Radio Heritage Group,

November 2014 November 2014


Page 14 Page 11also in cooperation with members of the Arthur A. Collins Legacy Association inCedar Rapids, had been raising money and supporting archival efforts related to thehistory of Collins and Rockwell Collins.The recovery is now complete, and the transmitter, the studio board, associated remotestudio controls, as well as site ambiance, have been removed from Delano and shippedto the AWA Museum in Bloomfield New York where they will eventually be displayed.This effort was funded by several private donations who loaned money to pay for thesupplies and trucking needed to accomplish this task.The Alliance is in fundraising mode which is vital to continue this campaign to save anddisplay this historic transmitter, and then present the VOA/Collins story. An additional$12,000 to cover the expenses that were incurred during the emergency extraction. Thenis the need to raise approximately $175K to modify the AWA museum facility and build outthe VOA & Collins Model 821A-1 displays – and tell that story.To find out more see: http://www.collinsradioheritagegroup.org/

Courtesy of Steve VK2LW

On the last night of a 4,000-mile voyageacross the Atlantic, the Andrea Dorialuxury liner was broadsided by the 13,000ton Stockholm in a freak accident that

imperiled more than 1,700 passengers and crew. The date was the 25 July 1956. Theseemingly impossible collision killed 51 people and spurred a massive evacuation andrescue operation beset by rolling seas, confusion, and fear.The Andrea Doria was listing 25 degrees and in the Radio Room a stillness followedthe sending of the SOS. The answers came in rapid succession. The SOS wasacknowledged as received first by a radio station in Massachusetts and then from theanother station on Long Island, New York. The Coast Guard acknowledged the SOS fromits radio lookout post. These responses to the SOS showed that ships not too far away wouldsoon be coming to the Andrea Doria's assistance This was relayed to Captain of theAndrea Doria. The four radiomen on the Andrea Doria knew that on all the ships,radiomen were delivering the Andrea Doria's distress message and position to their captains.Because of the severe list to starboard, half of the lifeboats were unusable and thisshortage of lifeboats might have resulted in significant loss of life similar to those whowere aboard the Titanic 44 years earlier.The fact that only 51 passengers out of 1,700 on board died is attributed to the efficiencyof the wireless operators on the Andrea Doria sending a distress call in Morse code on theInternational distress calling frequency of 500 kHz and to the wireless operators on themany rescue ships that promptly responded.

November 2014November 2014

Westlakes seems to be the 'talk of the town.' The club's motto 30 years ago was'First in Education.' Now it appears Geoff VK2GL's fame for successfully preparingcandidates for their Foundation assessment is spreading. Our next Foundation coursewill be held in early 2015 and it's almost booked out already! If you are interestedin upgrading or assessments, please contact Steve at [email protected]

TO OBTAIN A GENUINE WESTLAKES BADGE WRITE TO RT SIGNS, PO BOX 119 STOCKTON 2295 ADVISE YOUR CALL SIGN AND NAME INCLUDE $10 AND A SELF ADDRESSED ENVELOPE YOUR BADGE WILL ARRIVE IN A FEW DAYS THE $10 CHARGE COVERS THE BADGE AND GST

WHERE DID JOTA COME FROM?

Jamboree On The Air (JOTA) and now Jamboree on the Internet (JOTI) wasfounded by Les Mitchell, G3BHK, in 1958, after launching the idea a year earlier atthe World Scout Jamboree. That was the first year the Jamboree had an AmateurRadio station on site, and it’s been held every year since.Few Scouts were licensed in 1958, but over the years many Scouts taking part inJOTA became interested in the hobby and they became radio amateurs themselves.Sadly Les Mitchell, G3BHK became a Silent Key in October a few days before the56th JOTA was held.

At the WIA Assessments held at Westlakes in September, the following were sucessfulin gaining their Foundation Licence: Luke Beston VK2FZAD, John Schroeder VK2FJFS,Ian Maclaren VK2FIGM, Tim Etheridge VK2FTTT, and Malcolm Marshall VK2FYAD,Greg Smith VK2FGJS gained his Standard Licence, VK2POP and Bruce HamiltonVK2FSAD passed 30/30 for the higher regulations. Barry Finlay VK2VBF gained hisAdvanced Licence, VK2FIN and Luke Groeneveld upgraded from VK2FALACongratulations to all.Geoff VK2GL's work with this cohort of candidates was once gain evident in theirperformance during the assessments - well done Geoff.

(more correctly, from where did JOTA come) Anyone get the joke?


Page 10 10 10 10 10 Page 15 15 15 15 15

AA

Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc. - Magazine November 2014 Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc.- Magazine November 2014

After 23 years, an Australia-wide searchcame to head last month when RobertMcGregor put in the winning bid for a 1925original condition AWA Radiola Model 4.Mr McGregor's home in Terang, Victoria,holds about 70 collectable radios from the1920s, a period which he is particularlyinterested in.He paid $2600 for the radio at an auctionin Canberra and said he would have gladly

paid another $1000. Mc Gregor initially saw the piece in 1991. After losing contactwith the seller, he saw the radio come up again in an online catalogue for the auction. From Canberra Times - 20 September 2014

the world.The language used was variously described as Russian, Polish, Bulgarian, Serbo-Croatand in a Radio Netherlands report, even Macedonian. The interval signal used was a fivenote rising scale tune which was followed by the group headings. The messages were sentin the five figure format. It was a very monotonous and boring transmission, even asnumbers stations go. At the end of its life it was using two frequencies: 4030 and 4882.5MHz.Numbers stations were common during the cold war and are thought to have beencoded messages to undercover operatives across Europe. Apart from Betty, there wasthe Russian Man, and the English Lady - all broadcasting nothing but a series ofnumbers. What it was all about nobody will ever know.

Bulgarian Betty was the nickname of this "numbers"spy station, which went off the air in December 1990.Because of its all night broadcasting schedule, itbecame a regular logging for short wave listeners around

WOLVERHAMTON MAN'SSECRET PAST

Geoff Hanley was known to be a keen radio ham but nobody realised exactly what hewas doing once he donned a pair of special issue headphones in his garden shed. Hewould leave his family night after night to operate from the 'radio shack' that was speciallyblacked out for fear of air raids and in which he kept a sten gun, Lee Enfield 303 rifleand hand grenades.When the siren sounded he ensured his wife, twochildren and dog were safe in the shelter he haddug in the garden of their Wolverhampton home buthe would not join them. He stayed above ground athis post in the shed continuing to secretly monitorGerman military radio signals.The operation was so hush-hush that even he maynot have been entirely sure how the information hegathered was being used. But he was certain of twothings - it was important and he could not speak aboutit to anybody outside those he worked with.Hanley – a naval wireless operator during the FirstWorld War – had been secretly recruited as aVoluntary Interceptor by the Security Services tomonitor German military radio short wave messages

A train travels from A to B at an average speed of 40 km/h. On reaching B itimmediately turns around and returns to A at an average speed of 50 km/h. What is the average speed over the whole trip?

No distance is given, so assume one .... say 200 km. From A to B is 200 km divided by 40 km/h equals 5 hours. From B to A to is 200 km divided by 50 km/h equals 4 hours. Total time for the trip is 5 plus 4 equals 9 hours Total distance covered is 400 km The average speed over the whole trip is 400 km divided by 9 hours

(Substitute any distance, the answer will always be 44.4 repeater)

73 Les VK2RJ


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RADIO IN THE ZEROThese included Enigma coded messages which were sent to experts at the Governmentcypher centre at Bletchley Park where they were used in the operation that broke thecode in a move reckoned to have shortened the war by up to four years.He regularly met up with another radio amateur and secret listener, David Etchalls to sharenotes before they went to Bradmore post office and dispatched them to Bletchley Park.The work of the Voluntary Interceptor was so secret it was not made public until thelate 1970s and a BBC documentary, made in 1979, told their story. But the names ofmany of the near 1500 radio enthusiasts nationwide who had been covertly recruitedfor the work by the Secret Service were not disclosed. From the Wolverhampton Express and Star - October 2014

The radio failure was not caused by malfunctioning equipment. Instead, a giant, 62-mile-long "plasma bubble" made up of clouds of electrically charged particles was responsiblefor the communication blackout.During daylight hours in the upper atmosphere, radiation beaming down from the sunrips electrons from their atoms. But once the sun sets, the electrons start recombining withtheir atoms. This recombination process happens faster in the lower atmosphere becausethere are heavier particles there, and electrons recombine faster with molecules than theydo with single atoms. Since the plasma in this part of the atmosphere is less dense, it risesand burrows into the denser plasma above. This causes giant bubbles of charged particlesto form, similar to the way air bubbles rise from a submerged diver.The huge bubbles of charged particles are invisible, but they can bend and warp radiowaves. In 2002, the Chinook helicopter was flying over Afghanistan in the spring, whichis the height of plasma bubble activity. In the future, the researchers hope to use the newcomputer modelling to predict the formation and movement of plasma bubbles. The modeluses data from satellites to find the bubbles and then uses a wind and atmospheric modelto predict which way the bubbles will drift.

Twelve years ago, a U.S. military rescue missionin Afghanistan went horribly wrong. A Chinookhelicopter carrying U.S. troops failed to receivea crucial radio message and was shot downover the snow-covered peak of Takur Ghar.

HEARD OF SPAM?Pre-cooked meat in a tin? No. Unwanted emails? No. The other one -The Society For The Preservation Of Amplitude Modulation.It is a New Zealand-based organisation whose aims and objects are to

From Journal of Space Weather - September 2014

on the right side of the cockpit. They were hung in the standard shock mount that consistedof frames above and below the radio which had bungee cords secured to them. Thebungees were looped around spools mounted on the radio casing. The suspended radiowas protected from shocks by the flexibility of the cords.The dynamotor module that powered the radios was mounted on a shelf in the left rearcorner of the cockpit behind the pilot’s elbow. Dynamotors are generators that are drivenby electric motors. They were a common means of powering aircraft radio equipment forseveral nations during World War Two as they avoided current fluctuations that occurredin the main electrical system of an aircraft.The radio in the Zero operated in the frequency range of 3.8 to 5.8 megahertz. This is thelower end of the High Frequency or Short Wave band. Quartz crystal oscillators controlledfrequencies. Power of the transmitter was 8 to 10 watts in voice mode and 30 watts inCW mode. 50 miles was the practical limit of utility of the voice radios under optimumconditions and 90 miles for CW. Not all Japanese fighter pilots were trained in codetransmission. The receiver circuit was a superheterodyne type and the total weight of theradio system was 38 pounds.The control for rotating the RDF antenna was directly to the rear of the control box. Thedirectional loop antenna was mounted in the fuselage deck. The actual antenna was madeof insulated wire wrapped around and between frames. Cloth was then applied over thewire and doped. A drive motor was used for rotating the loop antenna.A visual indicator for flying along a directional radio range signal was mounted in the lowerleft corner of the instrument panel. The face of this instrument has an arc painted on it withcharacters for ‘right’ and ‘left’. A needle indicated the relative position of the aircraft tothe signal. One further control was a round switch box mounted next to the pilot’s rightshoulder. This was for switching the antenna’s reception function between thecommunication radio and the RDF system. This also allowed the RDF operator to usethe antenna to monitor AM radio broadcasts as was done on December 7 1941 as theZeros approached Oahu. The regular music broadcast from Honolulu assured him thatthe American forces were unaware of the impending attack on Pearl Harbour.

The radio system installed in theA6M2 and A6M3 variants of theZero were the Type 96 ku (aviation)Model 1 voice/telegraph system andthe Type 1 ku Model 3 Radio Compassor Radio Direction Finder. This wasthe standard RDF unit for mostcarrier-borne Japanese aircraft.The transmitter and receiver wereseparate units that were placed low

From Radio Systems in the Zero by Greg Springer


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preserve Amplitude Modulation as a means of Amateur Radio communication. TheAnnual General Meeting of Spam is held on the Queen's Birthday Weekend in conjunctionwith the NZART Conference.There is a SPAM net operating on AM on 3.850 MHz every Friday evening at 2000hours NZ time. Also those interested are urged to call "CQ AM" on 3.850 MHz AMany evening at 2000 hrs NZ local time if they want a QSO.

When Sony introduced the first lithium-ion battery in 1991, they knew of the potentialsafety risks. A recall of the previously released rechargeable metallic lithium battery wasa bleak reminder of the discipline one must exercise when dealing with this high energy-dense battery system.Pioneering work for the lithium battery began in 1912, but is was not until the early 1970'swhen the first non-rechargeable lithium batteries became commercially available.Attempts to develop rechargeable lithium batteries followed in the eighties. These earlymodels were based on metallic lithium and offered very high energy density. However,inherent instabilities of lithium metal, especially during charging, put a damper on thedevelopment. The cell had the potential of a thermal run-away. The temperature wouldquickly rise to the melting point of the metallic lithium and cause a violent reaction. Alarge quantity of rechargeable lithium batteries had to be recalled in 1991 after the packin a cellular phone released hot gases and inflicted burns to a man's face.Because of the inherent instability of lithium metal, research shifted to a non-metalliclithium battery using lithium ions. Although slightly lower in energy density, the lithium-ionsystem is safe, providing certain precautions are met when charging and discharging.Today, lithium-ion is one of the most successful and safe battery chemistries available.Two billion cells are produced every year.Lithium-ion cells with cobalt cathodes hold twice the energy of a nickel-based battery andfour-times that of lead acid. Lithium-ion is a low maintenance system, an advantage thatmost other chemistries cannot claim. There is no memory and the battery does not requirescheduled cycling to prolong its life. Nor does lithium-ion have the sulfation problemof lead acid that occurs when the battery is stored without periodic topping charge.Lithium-ion has a low self-discharge and is environmentally friendly. Disposal causesminimal harm.Now the down side. A major concern arises if static electricity or a faulty charger hasdestroyed the battery's protection circuit. Such damage can permanently fuse the solid-state switches in an ON position without the user knowing. A battery with a faultyprotection circuit may function normally but does not provide protection against abuse.Another safety issue is cold temperature charging. Consumer grade lithium-ion batteriescannot be charged below 0°C (32°F). Although the packs appear to be charging normally,plating of metallic lithium occurs on the anode while on a sub-freezing charge. The platingis permanent and cannot be removed. If done repeatedly, such damage can compromisethe safety of the pack. The battery will become more vulnerable to failure if subjected to

But things were not always "merry" at 5KA. On 8 January 1941 radio stations 5KAAdelaide and 5AU Port Augusta were closed down by the Post-Master General'sDepartment for alleged 'subversive broadcasts'.In July 1940 the Australian Attorney-General, W.M. Hughes, announced an officialenquiry into the Jehovah's Witnesses following a report to the Director of NavalIntelligence, Melbourne, from the Staff Officer, Intelligence, Port Adelaide, on 26 June,regarding communist activities. The report also stated that the Adelaide group of Jehovah'sWitnesses and the radio station 5KA had been under suspicion for some time. It wasthought that they were transmitting coded messages to the enemy about ship movements,and also their anti-war stand was seen as bordering on treachery. As a result of the enquiry,together with the fact that the sect had been banned in Canada and New Zealand, the orderfor the closure of the radio stations was given.It was the Merrymakers Club that saved the day. Protests from the loyal audiencemainly of women listeners and children were heard and in a judgement handed down inJune 1943, the 5KA Merrymakers were no longer a banned organisation and were ableto associate with each other again.

Hand held radios, I wouldn’t know what to do without them.For a while I had the feeling that not much spectaculardevelopments were to be expected . That proved not to betrue. There are some trends in our little radio world standingout lately:More output power. More bands. Independent VFO’s.Cross-band capability. Digital voice. One of the brandstrying to hitch a ride on some of these trends is the not-so-well-known brand Topsung. Their latest offering is a handheld covering three bands, delivering up to 10 Watts outputand a 2500mAh battery to power it all. DTMF, ANI,CTCSS, DCS and a scrambler are standard features.Personally I don’t find anything above 5 Watts output veryuseful, as range depends more on antenna quality and terrainthan raw power. Pumping out 10 Watts close to your facemight not be smart either.Topsung Factory specifications:Frequency range 136-174MHz / 350-400MHz / 400-470MHzRF power 10W / 5W / 1W Number of channels 200

Power supply DC 7.4V Battery pack 2500 mAh (Li-ion) Frequency stability ± 2.5 PPMOperating temperature -20°C~ +60°C Antenna impedance 50O Dimensions (W × H × D)64 mm x120 mm x34 mm Weight 288g (with belt clip and antenna) Price: US $58

Hans PD0AC


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Children's listening clubs were popular and promoted byAustralian radio stations a generation ago. Announcersused on air names such as 'Uncle Richard', 'AuntiePeggy' and many more like them, as the children'sclubs took on a family like-tone to their activities.Most clubs were local in nature, just in the city ortown where a local commercial radio stationbroadcast. One such station was 5KA Adelaide which


impact, crush or high rate charging. Asia produces many non-brand replacement batteriesthat are popular with cell phone users because of low price. Many of these batteries don'tprovide the same high safety standard as the main brand equivalent. A wise shopper spendsa little more and replaces the battery with an approved model.To prevent the infiltration of unsafe packs on the market, most manufacturers sell lithium-ion cells only to approved battery pack assemblers. The inclusion of an approved safetycircuit is part of the purchasing requirement. This makes it difficult for a hobbyist topurchase single lithium-ion cells off-the-shelf in a store. The hobbyist will have no otherchoice than to revert to nickel-based batteries.The safety precaution is especially critical on larger batteries, such as laptop packs. Thehazard is so much greater than on a small cell phone battery if something goes wrong. Forthis reason, many laptop manufacturers secure their batteries with a secret code that onlythe matching computer can access. This prevents non-brand-name batteries from floodingthe market. The drawback is a higher price for the replacement battery.Considering the number of lithium-ion batteries used on the market, this energy storagesystem has caused little harm in terms of damage and personal injury. In spite of the goodrecord, its safety is a hot topic that gets high media attention, even on a minor mishap. Thiscaution is good for the consumer because we will be assured that this popular energystorage device is safe. After the recall of Dell and Apple laptop batteries, cell manufacturerswill not only try packing more energy into the pack but will attempt to make it morebulletproof. From www.BatteryUniversity.com

Ham radio first took the nation by stormnearly a hundred years ago. Last monththe FCC logged 700,314 licences, withnearly 40,000 new ones in the last fiveyears. Compare that with 2005 when only662,600 people held a licence and you'llsee why the American Radio RelayLeague is calling it a "golden age."

With more people joining the hobby, local ham radio businesses are growing as wellselling everything to do with ham radios, from transceivers, amplifiers and antennas tohandhelds. According to the American Radio Relay League, retirees and emergencygroups are among the main reasons for the nearly 30,000 new hams that pick up thehobby each year. Ham radio is a boon for safety as well as a fun pastime: When normalcommunications methods fail and cellphone towers are jammed, ham radios will still workand can help out in disaster situations, because they don’t require towers to relay the signal.Ham radio is inexpensive. All you need is a couple hundred bucks to get started and a FCClicence -- which is free. From Michelle Macaluso

The UK leads the world with new wireless technology trials. With trials already takingplace across the UK, Ofcom is working with Google and ZSL London Zoo - the latestorganisations to launch TV ‘white space’ trials, using the technology to stream livefootage of animals to YouTube.This technology uses gaps in radio spectrum that exist in between frequency bands,called white space, to offer new wireless applications that will benefit consumersand businesses. There are already seven trials running across the UK, with morescheduled to start over the coming months. Compared with other forms of wirelesstechnologies, such as regular Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, the radio waves used by TV whitespace devices can travel longer distances and more easily through walls.White space technology is one way of meeting the growing demand for data in the UK.Ofcom is separately planning to free up more spectrum in the future for the nextgeneration of high-speed data services, such as that being released by the Ministry ofDefence. This follows the successful completion of the 4G mobile spectrum auctionin 2013. From Wireless News - October 2014

had the thousands of junior members who were in the 5KA Merrymakers. Enamelbadges were issued at a nominal cost - the Merrymaker badge pictured cost sixpenceplus a self-addressed envelope. Today, one of these in good condition will sell foraround $100.The children's clubs were full of sports and cultural events, short story and poem writing,recitals in the radio station studio, art exhibitions, days out to the zoo, boat rides, and otheractivities to keep the children entertained, educated and occupied. Through the 1950's andinto the mid-1960's, these clubs continued to prosper and many not-so-old listeners will stillremember listening to their favourite 'Uncle' or 'Aunt' on the radio, wearing their clubbadge with much pride, and the friendships they formed whilst attending club activities.Looking back, it's hard to appreciate that during the 1930's and early 1940's, one stationalone could enroll over 65,000 members.


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However Watson-Watt was under huge pressure to extend the range of RADAR. Everyextra mile provided more time for the RAF to scramble its fighters and intercept enemyaircraft before they could reach their targets. By the beginning of 1936 the distancewas 62 miles and when Britain declared war in 1939 it was more than 100.Radar proved to be some gadget and by 1939 there was a chain of 19 stations aroundthe British coast. At the end of the war there was a protective ring of 50 radar base stations.These bases were to prove invaluable in the Battle of Britain. With 2,600 Luftwaffeplanes to the RAF’s 640 it was the use of radar that saved the day. From BBC TV

The "Filipino Monkey" is a taunt used by radio prankstersin maritime radio transmissions since at least the 1980s,especially in the Persian Gulf. This taunt is also used as aname for pranksters who make odd, confusing, or eventhreatening calls on VHF marine channel 16, which is the

VHF calling and distress channel. Prior to the advent of GMDSS all ships at sea wererequired to monitor this channel, which is meant to be used only to make contact beforechanging to a working channel.On January 7, 2008, the government of the United States of America reported that theday before, a number of Iranian IRGC Navy speedboats had harassed and threatenedU.S. warships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passageway betweenthe Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. In a video clip released by the administration,a crew member on a warship issues this radio message: "This is coalition warship. Iam engaged in transit passage in accordance with international law. I maintainno harm. Over!"This is followed by footage of smaller speedboats travelling at high speed aroundU.S. warships. The crew member is heard on the radio warning five unidentified craftthat they are approaching coalition warships and asking them to identify themselvesand report their intentions. Later, the crew member is heard warning the crafts tostay away.Then a heavily accented voice is heard replying: "This is the Philipino Monkey. I amcoming to you... You will explode after few minutes."

By the time you are reading this, it will be allover. At the October Monthly Meeting it wasdecided that Westlakes would hold a displayand operate a portable radio station at the 2014Rathmines Catalina Festival on 25 Octoberfrom 9 am - 3pm.

The Rathmines Catalina Festival is held annually to commemorate the rich history ofthe WWII RAAF Base. Now in its 8th year, the festival promotes the significance of theBase both locally and nationally. The event is unique in the region and is the largestcommunity festival held in the Lake Macquarie local government area. The festival aimsto educate the wider community about the Base and the significance it holds. The day alsoprovides family orientated entertainment that includes displays by various aircraft.

A CHEMICAL IRIS

A new type of chemical iris designed mainly for televisionshas been created by researchers in Germany. It also canbe used to brighten or darken displays in amateur radiotransceivers.The new micro-iris features transparent chemical ringswhich turn opaque when a small voltage is applied. Itfeatures concentric rings which can be darkened and lightened to adjust the size ofthe aperture and thus, the display intensity dependent on the ambient light.It consists of two glass substrates sandwiched together, each one carrying a thin filmof the electrochromic polymerethylenedioxythiophene on an underlying transparentelectrode. The chemical can be switched into an opaque state with a low voltage 1.5Vand does not require a continuous current to maintain its state - making it highly suitablefor battery-powered devices when operating portable at day or night.

From Amateur Radio Newsline

This invention from China is an umbrella that holds offthe rain with a force field of air. It is a clever contraptionthat will definitely solve the problem of umbrellasaccidentally poking people in the face in big crowds, andthat annoying inverted canopy when the wind is strong.However, given the limited battery life (15 to 30 mins) andthe way it blows the water sideways will lead to sprayingothers.Its handle looks similar to that of a regular umbrella, exceptit contains a lithium battery which powers a fan. Whenswitched on, the umbrella blasts a canopy of air whichdeflects rain The Air Umbrella does make noise, butChinese inventor Chuan Wang claims it is quieter than therain around it. It is set for release in December 2015.


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You may have read last month that threeresearchers received the 2014 Nobel Prize inphysics for their invention of a blue LED. Theywere Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, and ShujiNakamura.The blue LED was important because it wasthe missing link needed to create white LED lighting.

The white light from the sun can be reproduced artificially by blending three colours oflight: red, green, and blue. LEDs are very efficient at converting electrical energyinto visible light, but blue LEDs proved much harder to engineer than red and greenones. It took more than a quarter century after red LEDs were invented in the early1960's before semiconductor materials and fabrication techniques grew sophisticatedenough to enable blue LEDs in the mid-1990's.Gallium nitride was the key ingredient used by the Nobel laureates in their ground-breaking blue LEDs. Growing big enough crystals of this compound was the stumblingblock that stopped many other researchers, but Profs Akasaki and Amano, workingat Nagoya University in Japan, managed to grow them in 1986 on a specially designedscaffold made partly from sapphire.The key advantage of their invention is the production of white light with far less wasteof electrical energy than with preceding technologies like incandescent and fluorescentlights. A quarter of world energy consumption goes to illumination

Robert Watson-Watt, the father of radar, is one of the great unsung heroes of theSecond World War. He was a brilliant Scottish scientist and descendant of the inventorof the steam train James Watt. In the early 1930's, Watson Watt was beavering awayon a project at the Meteorological Office. He was convinced radio waves could beused to detect thunderstorms.He was summoned to London in 1934, ordered to shelve his weather work and insteadproduce a hasty feasibility study into death rays which it was thought Germany haddeveloped. To the relief of the government, Watson-Watt dismissed the notion thensurprised the officials with another document entitled The Detection Of Aircraft ByRadio (RADAR.) It contained a much less eye-catching concept than a weapon ofmass destruction but was equally significant. Watson-Watt explained his idea was tobounce radio waves off approaching enemy aircraft. In this way it was possible to bothdetect and count them before they were visible to the naked eye.This invention was to turn the tide of the Battle of Britain in favour of the vastlyoutnumbered Royal Air Force. Ultimately it is credited with saving Britain frominvasion during the Second World War. Although today, Watson-Watt is little knownoutside his home town of Brechin in the north-east of Scotland.Watson-Watt, who was born in 1892 and educated at Dundee University, began designingan aircraft detection system when he was in his early 20's. It was inspired by PostOffice workers who noticed that radio signals fluttered when planes passed by.Ironically, it was a German, Heinrich Hertz, who originally discovered in the late 19thcentury that some objects deflect radio waves.Watson-Watt, the son of a carpenter, was quick to realise the potential for military use.But it was only when the overwhelming strength of the Luftwaffe became apparent inthe build-up to the war that he was finally taken seriously and given the resources tofine-tune his invention. On February 26, 1935, Watson-Watt and his colleague ArnoldWilkins, successfully demonstrated their system using a BBC transmitter nearDaventry, Northamptonshire. It managed to pick up a Heyford bomber being used as atest target eight miles away.The sceptics were won over. Watson-Watt and his team were based at Bawdsey ManorEstate, a former stately home near Felixstowe in Suffolk, bought by the governmentfor £24,000. The stables and outbuildings were converted into workshops, while a240ft wooden receiver tower and a 360ft transmitter tower were built. Amid great secrecyBawdsey became the world’s first radar station.At first aircraft could be detected up to about 17 miles away but the experiments werea failure – not because the system, known as Chain Home, didn’t pick up aircraftbut because the observers were so slow to pass on the information to the RAF. Oncethat communications glitch was overcome it became obvious that Britain had a viableearly warning system up its sleeve in time for war.

RFID BLOCKING SLEEVES

RFID blocking sleeves are the latest countermeasurethat many people are using to prevent identity theft.Radio Frequency Identification Chips are now beingused in all new Passports including the wallet cards,many credit cards and even some state driver’slicences. A hacker thief using a directional antennaconcealed in a briefcase, can capture all your credit card’s information from as faraway as 20 feet.The information that they can hack includes the credit card number and expirationdate along with your name. They can then take this information and use blank plastic creditcard stock and a magnetic stripe writing device to create a new credit card in a matterof minutes.Sleeves that shield your credit card are inexpensive. They are a paper or cardboardpouch lined with aluminum foil. This keeps radio waves from entering and leavingthe RFID device. Radio Frequency Identification Chips do not have their own battery.


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Steve VK2LW


It's on again! On Saturday 8thNovember Westlakes is hostingits Fourth Car Boot Sale in theclub grounds at Teralba.here are the details. Anyonecan be a seller. Anything canbe sold. Pot plants, tools, teasets, rubber boots - even radiogear. It is an absolutely freeevent for all. There is no chargefor sellers, buyers, or lookers.

The Segway only has two wheels yet it manages to stayupright by itself. To move forward or backward onthe Segway, the rider just leans slightly forward orbackward. To turn left or right, the rider turns the righthandlebar forward or backward. This balancing act isthe most amazing thing about the Segway, and it is thekey to its operation.The Segway is a combination of a series of sensors. Theprimary sensor system is an assembly of gyroscopes.A basic gyroscope is a spinning wheel inside a stable frame.A spinning object resists changes to its axis of rotation,because an applied force moves along with the objectitself.Because of its resistance to outside force, a gyroscope wheel will maintain its positionin space (relative to the ground), even if you tilt it. But the gyroscope's frame willmove freely in space. A conventional gyroscope would be cumbersome and difficult tomaintain in this sort of vehicle, so the Segway gets the same effect with a differentsort of mechanism. Segways use a special solid-state angular rate sensor constructedusing silicon. This sort of gyroscope determines an object's rotation using theCoriolis effect on a very small scale.A typical solid-state silicon gyroscope consists of a tiny silicon plate mounted on asupport frame. The silicon particles are moved by an electrostatic current applied acrossthe plate. The particles move in a particular way, which causes the plate to vibrate in apredictable manner. The Segway has five gyroscopic sensors to detect forward andbackward pitch as well as leaning to the left or right. Additionally, the Segway hastwo tilt sensors filled with electrolyte fluid. Like your inner ear, this system figures outits own position relative to the ground based on the tilt of the fluid surface.All of the tilt information is passed on to the "brain" of the vehicle, two electroniccontroller circuit boards comprising a cluster of microprocessors The Segway has atotal of 10 onboard microprocessors, which boast, in total, about three times the powerof a typical PC. The Segway requires this much brain power because it needs to makeextremely precise adjustments to keep from falling over. In normal operation, thecontroller boards check the position sensors about 100 times per second. Themicroprocessors run an advanced piece of software that monitors all of the stabilityinformation and adjusts the speed of several electric motors accordingly. The electricmotors, which are powered by a pair of rechargeable nickel metal hydride orLithium-ion batteries, can turn each of the wheels independently at variable speeds.This is certainly an amazing machine. The impact the Segway will have on moderntransport remains to be seen.

From Electonics Today

One thing however, if you want a table to set out your items yous must bringyour own. The club cannot provide tables.What will be available is lunch from the Westlakes barbecue and drinks atbargain prices. It all gets underway at 10 am. If you have any surplus radioequipment you wish to dispose of please bring it along.There is only one condition. Anything you bring that is unsold must be takenhome. No leaving leftovers at the club!

WESTLAKES CAR BOOT SALE SATURDAY 8 NOVEMBER YORK STREET TERALBA

They are powered by the RF signal that also communicates with the chip. Deprivinghackers of the ability to power up the chip in your credit card will prevent them fromdownloading your account information. RFID blocking sleeves cost around $5.00 RealRFID blocking wallets cost around $30. Both are cheap protection.

SUPER ZERO RADIOBUNKER DISCOVERED

A group of Ramblersa (UK walking club)uncovered a secret war

bunker in Wiltshire last month. It was underground Super ZeroStation that would have helped to co-ordinate the resistance ifHitler had invaded during the Second World War.

The Super Zero Station is three and four metres deep, three metres wide and10.3 metres long. It would have contained special wireless sets, designed and constructedby amateur radio operators skilled in the use of Morse code. The Super Zero Stationswere created in great secrecy before the Normandy landings, which would receivemessages from resistance operatives in the community. This one been scheduled as anancient monument by English Heritage. From Times Newspapers October 2014

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Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc.- Magazine November 2014 Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc. - Magazine November 2014

Monthly Meeting Saturday 1 November

allowing transmissions through the hull of the submersible. Because of the seven milesof water depth penetration, radio signals even at the lowest frequency used tocommunicate with submarines, does not work.The Deepsea Challenger has several locating systems to assist the recovery team infinding it after it returns to the surface. The acoustic navigation system allows the shipto track and plot the submersible as it rises through the water column, so that the supportvessels and divers are in ready attendance as it surfaces.There is also pair of LED beaconlights visible at night for many miles. There is also a strobe light that can flash for 30 hours.The sub has two separate GPS beacons in separate glass, pressure-resistant spheres.One uses a satellite system to send the sub’s coordinates to the ship’s bridge at any rangefrom the ship. The other uses marine VHF to broadcast the coordinates at ranges limitedby line of sight up to 6 miles for ships and 50 miles for aircraft.

Last month, in Christchurch, New Zealand,radio inspectors were involved with a commercialinterference case affecting a major microwavelink in the upper South Island.The microwave operator was able to identifythat the link was only being affected when thesame fishing vessel crossed its path in the Cook Strait. This led the inspectors to a numberof conclusions however the only possible way to determine the interference was toposition themselves on a hilltop overlooking the Strait.Using a microwave dish with sufficient gain, they were able to see the interfering signalsradiating from the fishing boat. By utilising the AIS vessel tracking website their positionwas verified. It was obvious that the fishing boat was the cause of the interference,however what was not known was why it was emitting these transient signals. The radiofrequency signature of the noise looked to be very similar to the S Band radar aboardthe vessel.The fishing company was called and the S Band radar was turned off. Immediately thenoise ceased and it was obvious that this was the cause of the interference. A subsequentletter was sent to the fishing company and the S Band radar’s magnetron was replaced. From the Radio Spectrum Management - New Zealand

Radio amateurs are being warned of the dangers ofbutton batteries after RACQ CareFlight Rescue airlifted a VK4 toddler who reportedly swallowed abutton battery last month.

It is the second time in less than a year CareFlight has airlifted a child suspected tohave swallowed a battery and has prompted a warning on the dangers of the tinytoxic objects. Each week four children are taken to emergency departments acrossAustralia after swallowing the tiny batteries.If they become stuck in the oesophagus they can immediately begin to burn, doingserious damage," CareFlight's Chief Medical Officer Doctor Allan MacKillop said."Even if you only suspect the child has swallowed the battery, you should immediatelytake them to your GP or a hospital emergency ward. From Hams Across Australia

the system commonly uses infrared lighting to allow the camera to take the picture at anytime of the day.Automatic number plate recognition is a mass surveillance method that uses opticalcharacter recognition on images to read vehicle registration plates. They can use existingclosed-circuit television or road-rule enforcement cameras, or ones specifically designedfor the task. They are used by the State police forces and as a method of electronic tollcollection on pay-per-use roads and cataloging the movements of traffic or individuals.ANPR was invented in 1976 at the Police Scientific Development Branch in the UK.Prototype systems were working by 1979, and was trialled on the A1 road. The first arrestthrough detection of a stolen car was made in 1981.On some cars, bikes on bike racks can also obscure the number plate and that is whyin Australia, "bike plates" are required to be fitted. The font of two states' plates has beenchanged to improve plate recognition by introducing small gaps in the letters P and Rto make them more distinct.The Australian ANPR system checks all cars passing a camera against a 'black list'(no CTP insurance, stolen, wanted etc.) to generate an alarm in the dispatching room,so they can be intercepted by a police patrol. As of early 2012, one million cars per weekare automatically checked in this way.Vehicle owners have used a variety of techniques in an attempt to evade the ANPR.Methods include using mirrors, plate cover, masking the plate with dirt or grease, oraltering characters with texta pens. Warning - big penalties apply.

ANPR is an abbreviation for Automatic Number PlateRecognition. It can be used to store the images capturedby the cameras as well as the text from the licence plate,as well as storing a photograph of the driver. In Australia

Westlakes Boot Sale Saturday 8 November


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Published by Westlakes AmateurRadio Club Inc. York Street Teralba,as a magazine of news, informationand opinions on amateur radio andassociated topics for the benefit ofthe members .Copyright:In general there is no copyright onarticles, they may be copied at will.The exception being those articlesfollowed by an asterisk *preceding the named source.

Founder:Keith Howard VK2AKX (SK)Patron:G.Piper MLALife members:Gregory Smith VK2CWPaul Lorentzen VK2ATRAlec Efimov VK2ZMLeslie Payne VK2ZPAPeter Sturt VK2ZTVDavid Myers VK2RDGeoffrey Clark VK2EO

Correspondence to: The Secretary W.A.R.C., Box 5, BOOLAROO NSW 2284Telephone:- (02) 49 581 588(24 hour answering service)Email:[email protected]

Westlakes Amateur Radio Club Inc.is an affiliated club with theWireless Institute of Australia.

a

Club meeting: 1st Saturday ofeach month 13.30

Membership RatesAll members................ $20.00 P.AJoining fee.................... $ 5.00

Club fees are due 1st February

Magazine assembly day "OZZI HAMS" Maxi Port-a-pole


Proof reading by: Stella

President:Steve Beveridge [email protected] President:Geoff Linthorne VK2GLSecretary:Barrie Downward: [email protected]:Greg Smith VK2CWCommittee:Allan Brown VK2JEDHerb Herivel VK2ZVFKeith Turk VK2PKTLeonie McGuiness VK2FHRKBarry Finlay VK2VBFWarren Payne VK2UWPBarry Sullivan VK2BZMichael Welsh VK2CCWDiane Wilson JP VK2FDNEMagazine Editor:Greg Smith [email protected] Liason Officer:Alex Efimov VK2ZMStoreman:Aly Zimmer VK2AFZProject Officer:Norm Cameron VK2KNCMaintenance Officer:Barry Sullivan VK2BZRadio and Contest Officer:Allan Brown VK2JEDPublic Relations:Diane Wilson JP VK2FDNESecurity:Warren Payne VK2UWPInternet Webmaster:Geoff Clark VK2EOExaminations Officer:Geoff Linthorne VK2GL

Club Directory

STONE THE CROWS 3.588 MHz SATURDAYS 6AM

THE EZYBEE NET 146.775 MHz SATURDAYS 8AM

PROJECT CORNER

Radio CallsignsClub Callsign: VK2ATZClub Repeaters:VK2RTZ 146.775MHzVK2RZL 146.875MHzClub Digipeater:VK2RTZ 147.575 MHz IRLP Node 6040 Echolink 356838Club Nets:Club News broadcast,Sunday 0900146.775Mhzfollowed by callbacksand the VK1WIA News.

EZB Net 146.775MHzSaturday 0800Stone the Crows NetSaturday 3.588MHz 060040 Metre Net7.150 MHz Mon, Wed, Fri0930Internet HomePage:www.westlakesarc.org.auBusiness:Tuesday after 1700Saturday after 1200Club Distance Record:2m SimplexVK2FGM 2040 kmQRP CW VK2YA 2680 km

Note: Opinions expressed in thismagazine are those of thecontributors and do not necessarilycoincide with those of the Executivenor the members in general.

THE 40 METRE NET7.150 MHz

Monday, Wednesday, Friday9.30 AM

The smallest electromagnetic waves we know about are gamma rays. In theory, therecould be smaller waves but currently we can't detect them. Also, something has totransmit the wave in the first place, so gamma radiation is emitted when particles gothrough radioactive decay.On the large scale, theoretically electromagnetic waves could be colossal, the size ofthe universe. But in practise, again you need something to transmit the wave. So beingpractical, stars could emit waves that are the diameter of the star. Maybe in theory, butonly in theory, a whole galaxy could act as one big transmitter and transmit one massiveelectromagnetic wave. Those would be the theoretical upper and lower limits to alternatingelectromagnetic waves.

WANTEDFOR SALE

Nil One pair of rotator bracketsBarrie VK2QG Mob. 0478 228 983

From SETI HOME

Nil


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CARDIFF RSLSUB BRANCH

November 2014

Warners Bay2/276 Macquarie Road

Warners Bay, 2282Ph: 02 4954 8100

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Members at Jaycar Warners Bay. A Discount Applies to all Club Members on Purchases over $25

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Shop 8, 41-51 Bathurst Street Greystanes NSW 2145

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Email [email protected] ANDREWSManaging Director

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Deepsea Challenger is a 7.3 metres deep-diving submersible designed to reach thebottom of Challenger Deep in theMariana Trench which is the deepestknown point on Earth.On 26 March 2012, Canadian film directorJames Cameron, piloted the craft toaccomplish this goal in the secondmanned dive ever to reach the bottom ofthe Challenger Deep.Built in Sydney, Australia by the researchand design company Acheron Project PtyLtd, Deepsea Challenger includes scientificsampling equipment and high-definition3-D cameras, and reached the ocean'sdeepest point after roughly two hours ofdescent from the surface.The submersible contains over 180 onboardsystems, including batteries, thrusters, lifesupport, 3D cameras, and LED lighting.During dives, the control system alsorecorded depth, heading, temperature,pressure, battery status, and other data,and sent it to the support ship at three-minute intervals via an underwateracoustic communication system whichuses fast reliable penetration cables

Documents

LEE ANDREWS November 2014 Managing Director Email …westlakesarc.org.au/magazine/November 2014.pdf · Storeman: Aly Zimmer ... position themselves on a hilltop overlooking the Strait