Broadcast - 5 December 2021
Once again, we had a very good roll up on Friday at coffee and as usual, there was lots of chatter. A number of members visited the main hall to pour over the stock items for sale. It’s amazing, you get one person down there and then suddenly it becomes like bees around the honey pot. All feverishly go through boxes and bits and pieces, to find that jewel in the crown or locating that item they have to have but didn’t realise they needed it till it was in their hand. Not to worry guys, I understand that obsession but in my case it is fabric for quilting.
We now hand over to Idris to bring you up to speed on the events of the Club tech night held last Wednesday, 1st December;
“This Session was packed full with interesting presentations and equipment. We had presentations from two of our Peters, starting with VK7PD.
Peter VK7PD gave us a presentation about his adventures with the 10GHz band. He took us through the basics of working with the GHz bands, including some history with a slide show. He had brought some of his field day equipment to show us and detailed how the various modules connected together, using an FT-817 to provide the IF. During the recent VHF/UHF Field Day exercise, Peter made voice contact with Rex VK7MO in Hobart on 10GHz FM.
Thanks Peter for a very interesting session. At a later session, Peter will add to this presentation with a talk about his Field Day Console, and its features. On to the next Peter.
Peter VK7KPC has been participating in a project for the HamSCI program. HamSCI is the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation, which is a platform for the publicity and promotion of projects to advance scientific research and understanding through amateur radio activities. Peter’s particular project concerns the total Solar Eclipse across Antarctica, which produces disturbances in the Ionosphere. These disturbances are known to cause Doppler shifts in HF radio ray paths, which can be measured by Amateurs and SWLs using their HF radios taking and recording results using transmissions from time standard beacons such as WWV/H in Hawaii, which is what Peter is using. The HF radio ideally should have a GPS Disciplined Oscillator for frequency stability, and at previous Club gatherings, Peter had given us progress reports on this process, which he has had success with. During the eclipse phenomenon, audio recordings are made of the demodulated time signal, in this case 10 MHz, and the files produced are sent away for analysis. This program is worldwide and many Amateurs and SWLs in many countries are participating in collecting frequency data. The actual eclipse will have taken place on Saturday December 4th. As it has taken place over Antarctica, it won’t have been seen very well in Tasmania. Thanks Peter for a fascinating insight into these programs. It’s amazing what volunteer power can achieve.
And now for something completely different, Ross VK7ALH showed us his latest bargain! Answering an advert in an online buy and sell, he managed to acquire two items advertised as “tuners”. They were a 3kW Palstar which was indeed an antenna matcher, but amazingly the other item was a Chinese manufactured medium frequency AM transmitter, quite large, but solidly constructed. With the covers off both items, there was much interest from all in attendance. Thanks Ross that will go nicely with your 160m large antenna. Good luck.
That’s all folks, I have rambled on enough, so 73 from Idris VK7ZIR”
Thanks Idris for that update sounds like an interesting evening and enjoyed by all. They will now have to wait till January 2022 before we hold another Club tech night. Just imagine the goodies that will roll up on the first night .
2022 Membership fees – yes with the year rapidly disappearing it is time to start reminding all that your 2021 Membership fee expires on 31 December. A letter advising of the fee payable for 2022 was to be forwarded to all members in late November, to the email address noted on our records, but a glitch in the system did not see this happen. Hopefully it will be sorted in the coming week.
We confirm that the 2022 membership fee will see a slight increase to $40 for each voting member with an additional unchanged $5 for each member of the family that the voting member wishes to add to his or her membership.
A number of members have already paid by direct deposit to our bank account so if you would prefer to use that method, the bank details are Bendigo Bank BSB 633 000, Account Number 120432687 in the name of NTARC. Please remember to notate your payment with your call sign. Other options are by paying on a Friday coffee morning or by cheque to our Postal address, PO Box 275 Launceston 7250.
UPCOMING EVENTS
TestNet and TECHNET – Wednesday 8th December. TestNet/CW course on 3580 from 7pm till 7.30pm….and a TECHNET on 3567 from 7.30pm till about 8.30pm. Your host for the evening will again be Nic VK7WW.
Christmas Dinner – Wednesday 15th December. Venue Mowbray Hotel, meet time is 6.00pm. Tables have been booked under the name of NTARC. Menu is a-la-carte and there is plenty of parking at the rear. Please RSVP the secretary at either of these email addresses news@ntarc.net or ypmaxwell@bigpond.com or jot your name down on the sheet next to the sign in register on a Wednesday night session or coffee morning. We will need to confirm final numbers with the Hotel on Tuesday 14th December, so please ensure you get your name on the list before that date. As of Friday we had 28 names listed and the Hotel has been advised to extend seating numbers to 30, so if you are planning to attend please advise so that your name can be added.
Please note there will not be a Club tech session on this night. They will be recommencing in January, the date to be confirmed in coming news.
FUTURE EVENTS
January General meeting – Saturday 8th January 2022. Meeting to commence at 14:00 hours (2.00pm). Afternoon tea will follow.
Annual General meeting – the Annual General Meeting of NTARC will take place on Wednesday 9th February 2022 at the NTARC Club Rooms, Rocherlea Scout Hall, Archer Street Rocherlea commencing at 19:30 hours (7.30 pm).
I will be writing to all the NTARC Coordinators soon requesting they start to think about their yearly report.
The AGM will be followed by the February General meeting. More information on this matter in January.
COFFEE MORNINGS – currently held every Friday in the NTARC Club rooms. Catch up time is from 10.00 am to noon and we look forward to seeing you all.
These coffee events represent a good opportunity to collect your QSL cards. We currently have cards awaiting collection, so why not pop in and check the QSL box and join us for a cuppa and chat.
Just a friendly reminder, please demonstrate your appreciation of all the effort that goes into operating the club, its facilities and the other services we provide, especially in these abnormal and very trying times, enjoying the company, coffee, biscuits and cake, by leaving a gold coin or two, or even a small bank note, in the jar to assist in our on-going operations.
Christmas and New Year closure – the last day the Club will be open in 2021 for coffee mornings will be Friday 17th December. We re-open on Friday 7th January 2022.
This gives all members and especially the team that set up each week some down time to celebrate with family and friends. Plenty of warning on this one folks so please note your diaries.
FINALLY – A reminder to all members that if you have any items of news you would like added to our weekly roundup, no matter how trivial, then please email me at the following address news@ntarc.net all items to be received no later than 17:00 on the Friday prior to the Broadcast.
Your continued cooperation in this regard will be greatly appreciated.
We will bring you all such contributions next Sunday morning.
73, Yvonne VK7FYMX, Secretary NTARC Inc
