From the WIA, original post here.

Date : 22 / 04 / 2017 
Author : Jim Linton – VK3PC

The Radiocommunications Act that has served Australia for 25 years is to be replaced by a modern approach to spectrum control and licensing.  Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) Acting Chairman Richard Bean has given a little insight on what is ahead, during a CommsDay Summit 2017 speech in Sydney.  Mr Bean said the radiofrequency spectrum can only increase in importance for economic and social activity, and a source of competitive commercial advantage.

His speech on April 11 told of the ACMA’s approach to the important reforms to better respond to pressures already building and developing approaches robust enough to support future innovation and growth.  Mr Bean confirmed that a new legislative and policy framework is being developed by the government to open up significant reform opportunities, and the ACMA has been preparing for the journey ahead.  Already known is that the Radiocommunications Act will be replaced to make Australia’s spectrum framework simpler, more efficient and flexible to use.

While the new Act will be the work of the Department of Communications and the government, implementation of it will fall to the ACMA.  First to come will be an Exposure Draft by the Department with the ACMA asked to contribute material to reflect some preliminary observations about how key aspects of the Bill may operate.  Mr Bean assured that a staged transition will ensure the rights of existing licence-holders are not diminished.  The ACMA will consult with spectrum user groups on the proposed changes and their timing.  More information on this is expected at the RadComms conference on November 1-2 this year.  It will also announce consultation with interested parties in coming months.  The ACMA’s next Five-year spectrum outlook later this year will be an early opportunity to consult with industry on how best to build spectrum review implementation into its work program.

While a lot of his speech was of particular interest to other spectrum users, the new Act will have an impact of the Amateur Service and is being watched by the Wireless Institute of Australia who looks after our interests.

The speech is available here.

Thanks to Henry VK2ZHE for the head-up!  Fire up your HF rigs this weekend!

The Cornish Radio Amateur Club (GX4CRC), organisers of International Marconi Day (IMD), states:

International Marconi Day celebrates the huge part Guglielmo Marconi played in the invention of radio.

International Marconi Day is a 24 hour amateur radio event that is held annually to celebrate the birth of Marconi on 25 April 1874.  The event is usually held on the Saturday closest to Marconi’s birthday and in 2017 it will be held on 22nd April.

Period of Operation on 22nd April 2017 – 0000 UTC  to 2359 UTC

The purpose of the day is for amateur radio enthusiasts around the world to make contact with historic Marconi sites using communication techniques similar to those used by Marconi himself.

The Hornsby And Districts Amateur Radio Club will be operating VK2IMD for the event.  The HADARC page for the event states (paraphrased):

VK2IMD is the only IMD station in Australia.  It gains this privilege because of the wireless communication experiments conducted personally between Ernest Fisk and Marconi in 1918.  Fisk established the Australian end of the experiment at his home in Wahroonga, giving the historical significance to our local area.

Operators can be part of IMD by going on air, contacting VK2IMD and other IMD stations and, if you meet the criteria, you can apply for an IMD Award (details of the awards are on the IMD website).

Operation starts at 00.00 UTC and finishes 23.59 UTC Saturday 22 April.  This is from 10.00 local time Saturday morning to 09.59 local time Sunday morning.

Operation is on all HF bands and 160m, permitted modes are CW, SSB, AM, and available digital modes only.

Links:

From the WIA, original post here.

Date : 15 / 04 / 2017
Author : Jim Linton – VK3PC

The ACMA automatically allows all radio amateurs to substitute their normal VK callsign prefix with the letters AX, on ANZAC Day, April 25.  The AX prefix is popular among prefix hunters and others, with the use of a special QSL card encouraged by the Wireless Institute of Australia.

Among the commemorative events on ANZAC Day will be the former Army Apprentices School ‘Balcombe’ at Mt Martha on the Mornington Peninsula south of Melbourne.  The trades school began in 1948 graduating more than 5,000 Army Apprentices before being re-located to Bonegilla, near Wodonga in December 1982.  Former bandsman Johnno Karr AX3FMPB will revisit the site of his former school and be heard on air for ANZAC Day this Tuesday.

The traditional AM & CW event organized by Mike ‘Banjo’ Patterson VK4MIK will again take to the air for the 7th year.  It honours those modes used by service personnel in earlier wars – AM and CW.  The Tableland Radio Group of Far North Queensland will be operating from Rocky Creek War Memorial site next to the WWII Igloo, which has been rebuilt by Atherton Rotary Club, under the callsign of AX4GHL.

The Ex-HMAS Diamantina will be operating as AX4RAN from 0300 to 0700UTC on CW on 7020/7025 and 14038/14052 plus or minus.  The frigate was operational during World War II.

A number of radio amateurs from Ingham, in North Queensland, hope to be operating from the Herbert River RSL and will be operating on a range of frequencies with the callsign AX4MS.

The Townsville Amateur Radio Club will be AX4WIT from the Club Rooms in Green Street, which were part of the camouflage used to protect the RAAF WWII Pacific Theatre Communications Centre rom enemy bombing.  AX4WIT will be operational from 0001Z AM and CW on 7115.  Ex-Serviceman Eldon ‘Don’ Bryant will be active during the evening using HF/AM from his home QTH as AX4FNQA.

Nick Watling VK4YT of Cairns will have his military radio set up on air. The US Army radio of Korean War vintage was in use for the early part of the Vietnam War.

Hopefully more stations will be also operating and switching to the old modes during the day.

From the WIA, original post here.

Date : 06 / 04 / 2017
Author : Jim Linton – VK3PC

The Royal Belgian Amateur Radio Union (UBE) as part of the 100 years Battle of the Mines remembrance in June, will have an event specifically focused on the use of radio in World War I.  An expo at the City of Mesen near Ypres is about a forgotten army: ‘The people and material of radio communication in WWI,’ and the UBE will tour related nearby war sites.

In an afternoon seminar on June 3, Major Dr Tom Simoens will speak about the tele-radio communication in the Belgian Army.  The UBE proudly joined the Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) in its ANZAC 100 program in 2015 for the centenary of Gallipoli.  Now at the City of Mesen town hall the development of radio technologies and the evolution of communication will be on show with historic material.

UBE will have commemorative station OP0PPY (OP zero PPY) active June 2-11 on HF using CW and SSB, VHF, UHF and through digital and analogue repeaters.

From the WIA, original post here.

Date : 06 / 04 / 2017
Author : Fred Swainston – VK3DAC

Students of the FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences in Germany will launch the COMPASS 2 cube-sat in May and are at looking for a possible ground station partner in Australia.  International Space Station Crew Fund Scholarship winner for 2017, Ian Benecken has asked the Wireless Institute of Australia for help to track it.

COMPASS 2 is to be launched from a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle by the Indian Space Research Organisation carrying other commercial satellites.  From a polar 600 kilometre high orbit the cube-sat will beacon once a minute the callsign of ON04DL (ON zero four DL) on 437.300 MHz.  The unique location of Australia makes it ideal for partner ground stations, and already it has piqued an interest from the ARISS telebridge centres on VK4, VK5 and VK6.

Soon to be published is software that anyone can use to decode the beacon signal and the launch is likely to be on the 1st or 2nd week of May.

If you wish to contact Ian Benecken his email address is ian.benecken @alumni.fh-aachen.de

Fred Swainston VK3DAC/VK4FE, WIA STEM Coordinator