Broadcast - 12 June 2022
We will begin this week with an update on the June general meeting held last Saturday, 4th June. We had a good roll up of members, considering the outside temperature. The meeting commenced about 14:00 hours and was completed in about forty minutes. Because meetings are now bi-monthly the Treasurer was kept busy as he had to go through the financial reports for April and May. Members then adjourned to what we do best, afternoon tea and what a feast of goodies it was. We thank all those members that donated food including Ros, Lorraine, Kay and Yvonne for fresh homemade goodies.
Now a Safety Communications Team, Wattlewood Park, Sassafras, Equine Endurance Ride update. The one day event went well starting at 07:00 Saturday morning. We provided the usual safety communications and rider tracking for three checkpoints. Thanks to Roger VK7ARN, Lewis VK7IT, Rosco VK7RC, Peter VK7KPC, Idris VK7ZIR, André VK7ZAB and Stefan VK7ZSB, with a special thanks to Dave VK7DC from the North West Coast for his assistance on the day. For more information and photos are available on the NTARC website under ‘Blogs’.
True to word the SSTV Net was held on repeater VK7RJG again on Thursday night. Participants sending images were: Collin VK7ZCF, Brian VK7KWB, Lewis VK7IT and Peter VK7PD, who was also coordinating the night. The net started at 7:30pm local time. I believe the intention is to hold an SSTV net every Thursday night and when VK7RAF is repaired, the Hobart Group has offered to migrate to it so northern amateurs can exchange pictures with southern members via the link to VK7RJG. Some of these SSTV images from the night are available on the NTARC website under ‘Blogs’.
For those interested the popular PC based software is MMSSTV. For those on a phone or tablet using Android or Apple there are Apps available from their respective stores and work very respectably just holding your device to the radio speaker.
Now to the Miena Hamfest in November. Keep thinking about what you or “we” as a club can do to help. Are there any NTARC members that would be willing to donate time on the day or for assisting in preparation of the upcoming Miena Hamfest? Please contact the Secretary or any committee member and make yourself known if you can assist or have any suggestions.
Just a reminder of the Malcom White presentation on Ray Naughton VK3ATN, to be held this coming Wednesday night. For Earth Moon Earth contacts most people, including myself, probably are thinking of steerable 2 metre Yagi arrays or dishes. But from my research it appears Ray didn’t think this way, he used a four stack rhombic antenna measuring 104 Metres in length, and as you guessed, it was not steerable! This is approximately the performance one might expect from a 46 Metre diameter parabolic reflector! Construction wise, think of the maths involved in directional orientation and angle to ground needed to point to a future location of the moon in the sky, so that the bounced signal would illuminate another predetermined area on the Earth’s surface, in this case, America. Remember this was pre handheld calculator, back when we used Log Tables and a Slide Rule or “slip sticks” as it was fondly known as. How about trying to set up a contact schedule? There was no internet or Discord to chat on, a phone call? The cost of anything but the shortest call would have been prohibitive and they required being booked through an operator. Hopefully I will find out how all this came together this Wednesday night.
Mug Order - yes, we are talking about the white mugs for drinking out of, those that have our club logo on one side, personalised with your name and call sign on the other. We are placing another order so if you would like one then please see André at coffee mornings or at the technical night. Those members who have already requested a mug, please email secretary@ntarc.net to confirm order, and anyone else who wants one please specify what name is to be printed above the call sign. The final price will be about $12 depending on eventual quantity ordered.
UPCOMING EVENTS
The next Club Technical night – Wednesday 15th June will be a presentation by Malcolm White. Past CEO of TasTAFE and currently Chair of Governance at The Royal Flying Doctor Service, he was a licensed amateur at an early age, and is also an aficionado of CW. The presentation will be on his association with Ray Naughton VK3ATN, at the time of Ray’s pioneering Earth Moon Earth (EME) achievements in the 1960s on the 2 metre band. All NTARC and non-club members are welcome to come along. This presentation will commence about 20:00.
TestNet and TechNet – Wednesday 22nd June. TestNet/CW course on 3.580MHz from 7pm till 7.30pm….and a TechNet on 3.567MHz from 7.30pm till about 8.30pm. Your host for the evening will again be Nic VK7WW.
Coffee Morning – held every Friday in the NTARC Club rooms. Catch up time is from 10am to noon and we look forward to seeing you all there. 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.
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 them to the Secretary at the following address news@ntarc.net all items to be received no later than 5pm on the Friday prior to the Broadcast.
That’s all folks,
73’s from Stefan, VK7ZSB, Secretary NTARC inc.
