Weekly news from the WIA:
MP3 edition of news available at: http://www.wia-files.com/podcast/wianews-2015-02-22.mp3 Text edition:
FEB, 22 - VK NATIONAL NEWS BROADCAST ON VK1WIA
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NATIONAL NEWS FOR WEEK COMMENCING Feb 22 2015.
WIA 2015 AGM and Conference Weekend with Phil Wait VK2ASD WIA President.
WIA arranges ANZAC AX prefix for all amateurs with VK licenses 48 hours.
WIA coordinator Denis, VK4AE, news of the 2015 John Moyle Memorial Field Day.
THESE STORIES AND MORE IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE WIRELESS INSTITUTE
OF AUSTRALIA 2015 AND FOR WEEK OF February 22nd.
We'll get this weekends newscast 'up early' in case we lose 240volt power
in light of the Cat 5 Cyclone bearing down on VK4. At approx. 2230hrs UTC
Thursday Cyclone Marcia was currently crossing the coast near Shoalwater Bay,
north of Yeppoon.
Many of us in the 'Green Machine' back in the 60's did military exercises
in the then new combat training area of Shoalwater!
The advice from the Bureau of Meteorology at 8:30 am local had the category
five system less than 80 kilometres north northwest of Yeppoon.
Last week Roger Harrison VK2ZRH along with the St George AR Club reminded
us to check that our licenses are up to date and current by checking on
the acma.cov.au web.
Well VK2 news had a look on our WIA web site where the sought after 2 letter
callsigns are available - it was noted that in VK2, 3 & 4 there were a total
of 15 callsigns available. Of these 12 ARE listed in the current call book.
Some of these could be current active Amateurs who forgot to renew or advise
a change of postal address. Remember that operation without a paid up license
is treated by The ACMA as illegal.
It is suggested that you have a look at your license now and see when it is
due and make a note to remind yourself to act and pay in time. It is almost
impossible to retrieve a lost call sign once it is issued to someone else.
You can check your call sign listing on the ACMA web site. It will show the
period that your license is current.
Libraries exposure for Amateur Radio
Three metropolitan Melbourne primary school libraries now have
practical lessons on Amateur Radio, thanks to library technician Julie
Gonzales VK3FOWL. The exercise has been a real success.
Julie VK3FOWL operates from the libraries to introduce Amateur Radio to
students from 8 to 11 years of age.
Each month a different group of six students is invited to the fun
lunchtime program of learning and practicing the basics of Amateur Radio.
Julie VK3FOWL has prepared a booklet which covers callsigns, operating
procedures, Morse code, Q-codes and log keeping.
Outdoor activities like antenna building and Amateur Radio Direction
Finding are also offered. The feedback from principals, parents and
students has been so positive.
Putting youngsters before a microphone for the first time, and exposing
inquiring minds to hands-on technology, can be very rewarding.
Julie encourages other radio amateurs associated with primary schools to
give it a go. She suggests contact the school principal first. More
information is available from Julie VK3FOWL on request.
The School Amateur Radio Clubs operate on 40m and 2m at lunch times on
Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Julie is interested in starting a net on
40m so her 'city' primary school students can talk to a 'regional' primary
school, say in VK3, or maybe VK5 or VK7.
Are there any radio amateurs associated with regional primary schools in
those states? What a great idea - let's hope it catches on.
(Jim Linton VK3PC)
WEST AUZZIE DISHES IT UP
A little space dish in the VK6 town of New Norcia was instrumental in a
close encounter Valentine's Day.
Spacecraft Rosetta, after ten years, got close enough to the comet of her
dreams and this week two of the men behind this interstellar meeting revealed
some of the finer details of the mission, and how they made history when
Rosetta's lander, the Philae Lander, touched down on the comet, at a special
event at UWA.
The Rosetta orbiter, the European Space Agency's space probe managed to get
within 6kms of the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet on February 14 as part of
its orbiting mission to help uncover the secrets of the universe's building
blocks, comets.
It follows the history making landing of the Philae on 67P on November 12
last year. The lander took the first images of a comet's surface.
The duo also visited WA's New Norcia space station, which has been providing
communications as well as tracking and downloading data from the Rosetta.
The 35-metre antenna which is stationed about 150km north of Perth has played
a significant role not only in the Rosetta mission but in other projects with
the ESA such as Mars Express and Venus Express.
WIA BOARD TALK
President Phil Wait VK2ASD
Vice President Chris Platt VK5CP
Secretary David Williams VK3RU
Treasurer John Longayroux VK3PZ
The 2015 WIA AGM and Conference Weekend
Hi this is Phil Wait VK2ASD WIA President.
As many of you may already be aware our upcoming 2015 AGM weekend is being
held in Canberra. Quite a bit of work going on behind the scenes to find a
suitable clean modern venue that is in a central location and affordable for
our members, and by affordable I mean finding a venue that doesn't want to
charge $75 for a plate of sandwiches and morning and afternoon tea which is
the kind of dough some of the big Hotels expected us to fork out - Seriously??!!.
Thankfully we have found an ideal venue that has instead offered us a great
deal. So let me start by telling you a bit more about what we have planned
and installed for you for the weekend.
On Friday evening for anyone arriving in Canberra we have arranged an informal
dinner and get together at King O'Malleys Hotel which is located in the
Canberra CBD. The Hotel has offered us the use of their Guinness Room which
is also known as the Arcade for our WIA get together, the Guinness room is
somewhat away from the main busy part of the hotel. King O'Malleys has a good
menu and good range of beverages both on tap and in bottles so it should be a
great night for those who can come along.
Then on Saturday morning commencing at 9:00am we will be holding our
WIA Annual General Meeting and Open Forum in the Poseidon Room at the
Canberra City Hellenic Club which is in Moore Street Canberra. We have
a special afternoon program planned that will celebrate 10 years of the
Foundation Licence and includes a series of interesting and informative
presentations "Amateur Radio to the Future".
Then at 7:00pm we will be holding our traditional WIA Annual Dinner at the
Hellenic Club, infact all of Saturday's activities are being held at the
Hellenic Club which is pretty conveniently located in Canberra's CBD with
easy access to a wide range of Hotel accommodation and parking nearby.
I mentioned earlier that we had secured a great deal, well the morning and
afternoon tea and coffee and lunch at Hellenic Club won't cost $75 it will
be just $21 per head and a seat at the Annual Dinner will set you back just
$35. During the dinner there will be a cash bar setup in the room for
purchasing your drinks and refreshments.
Then on Sunday it will be your opportunity to explore the many local Canberra
attractions. With ANZAC centenary underway there is an enormous amount going
on in Canberra with exhibits, displays and things to visit and look at, so
much so that we decided to allow people free choice to tour and visit whatever
interests them the most at their own pace.
Of course we will be supplying you with copies of Canberra's tourist
information brochures and links to websites in your registration information
pack so you can plan what you want to look at. Online registration will be up
on the WIA website shortly, check the 2015 WIA AGM Weekend page under the
News And Events dropdown menu on the WIA Website.
This is Phil Wait VK2ASD looking forward to seeing you in Canberra.
2015 AGM
Again as Phil said, details are available from the WIA Website, go to the
home page and select 2015 WIA AGM Weekend under the News and Events drop down
menu.
http://www.wia.org.au/joinwia/wia/2015agm/
(Robert VK3DN)
Robert as well as reminding us where to go, to go and find details of the AGM
also sent in an audio clip he and Jack VK3WWW recorded with one Jim Burrowes.
(Audio grab of Jim)
Jim, as he said was a WW2 Coast Watcher. Now Jim served in Papua New Guinea
as part of 'M Special Unit', a Commando unit that did intelligence gathering
such as observing Japanese troop movements. Jim was particularly expert at
high-speed Morse Code communication. He served 4 years in the Army, which
included 2 years as a signaller & coast watcher, 9 months of which was in
Japanese occupied territory in New Britain.
Most of the teleradio sets used by the Coas****chers were Type 3B. They
consisted of a transmitter, a receiver and loud speaker which were transported
in three metal boxes measuring 60cm x 30cm x 30cm. The men with teleradios
transmitted messages in the 'Playfair' code, Later in 1942, the Navy replaced
the 'Playfair' code with a high-grade cypher code that was specifically
devised by the cryptographers for the 'coas****ch' operations. It was called
the 'Bull' code.
http://www.emdrc.com.au/event/monthly-meeting-4-2/
ANZAC AX prefix for 48 hours
To commemorate ANZAC Day 2015, the Australian Communications and Media
Authority (ACMA) will allow all VK radio amateurs to substitute the AX
callsign prefix for up to 48 hours, in recognition of the 100th
anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli.
The Wireless Institute of Australia in asking the ACMA for the one-off
extension, anticipated that there would be a lot of demand for its
ANZAC callsigns at that time.
So more radio amateurs can be involved in ANZAC 100 events, the ACMA has
agreed that AX may be used on both April 25, and 26 this year.
The WIA recommends that those using the AX prefix do so with a special QSL
card because it will be sought after, especially by prefix or special card
chasers.
(Jim Linton VK3PC)
AROUND VK IN EIGHTY SECONDS
VK7
vk7 local news, email
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vk7regionalnews/
The annual "Meet the Voice" barbecue and presentation of the Sewing Circle
Trophy will be held at Ross on the banks of the Macquarie River on 15th March
2015.
Presentation will start at around 1100 hrs.
The last item on the agenda will be the drawing of a raffle and we have some
great prizes including a Dual Band Hand held radio. One ticket will be given
on payment of the $5 registration fee and extra tickets will be on sale before
the draw. Please remember that all funds go toward repeater maintenance in
VK7.
Please bring your excess gear along in the boot to sell or swap. The car-boot
sale has been a feature of the event in past years and some great bargains
have been found.
It is held in the Caravan and Camping park in Ross and so, why not make a
weekend of it and there is usually a Saturday night dinner at the local for
those in residence.
There is also a great website that has been created for the event and the
link is
http://meetthevoice.org/
For VK1WIA this is Justin VK7TW.
VK2
web service:- http://www.arnsw.org.au/html/news_vk2wi.htm
AR NSW is having their next field day at Dural on Sunday the 8th of March.
The topic is 'digital modes' with three 'world-class' speakers well versed
in their respective fields.
The subjects are :-
P25
DMR radio
D-star
Gates open at 9 am.
Indicate your interest by email to
VK6
LUNCH!
Wednesday February 25, 12pm - 2pm at Bayswater Hotel, Beechboro Rd
opposite the Bayswater train station is where the Radio Ladies lunch group
meets on the last Wednesday of each month except December.
Another lunch in the west Wednesday 25 is PRAWNHEADS.
Perth Radio Amateur And Wireless Noodle House Eating And Discussion Society
(PRAWNHEADS) meet for lunch every week on Wednesday.
So this Wednesday 12 till 2 at Chutney Mary's Indian Restaurant Subiaco,
67 Rokeby Rd.
No doubt about it we Hams can be a "weird mob."
DISCUSSION POINT
What use is an F-call?
Curiosity is a wonderful attribute to have. While sometimes it kills cats,
amateurs are better off using curiosity to learn new skills.
Recently I had the opportunity to discuss in detail the differences between
two radios which I thought I knew intimately, a Yaesu 857D which I own and a
Yaesu 817ND which a friend owned and until then I thought I knew just as well.
Not so.
We discussed in detail what the differences between these radios were from a
functionality perspective and from a user experience angle.
It's not the first time I've looked from my radio to that of a fellow amateur.
I've looked at other brands, other models, other installations, even of the
same radio, and each time I come away having learnt a little more about their
set-up and often in passing I learn a little about my own gear.
While you're likely to have a fair share of Holden vs. Ford type discussions,
often it's simple to get beyond that by asking the other person what it was
that decided for them to acquire their particular radio.
Often times their selection criteria are completely different from your own
which gives you insight into alternative aspects of amateur radio.
So, ask away, be curious, learn. Before you know it you'll feel right at home
in the debate between ICOM, Yaesu, Kenwood, Elecraft and several other
manufacturers of radio equipment.
One tip. "My radio is better than your radio." is sure to get people all
riled up, so perhaps ask them why theirs is better than yours. Who knows,
you might even find out that they're jealous of your gear.
Be curious, lots to learn.
I'm Onno VK6FLAB
INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to IARU, RSGB, SARL, Southgate AR Club, ARRL,
Amateur Radio Newsline, NZART and the WW sources of the WIA.
ARRL warns MITRE over HF Broadband
Back in January we reported on the plans of MITRE to broadcast wideband on
HF. Now the ARRL has issued a warning to the company
The ARRL has asked the company that when it plans to conduct experimental
transmissions over wide portions of the HF spectrum either to avoid
Amateur Radio allocations or to announce the times and frequencies of their
transmissions in advance.
The FCC have granted MITRE Corporation, a 2-year Part 5 Experimental License,
WH 2 XCI, to operate 21 transmitters at 10 fixed New York / New England sites.
MITRE plans to test wideband HF communication techniques on a variety
of bands between 2.5 MHz and 16 MHz.
How NOT to make a 'Maltese Cross.'
With effect from last Monday, February 16, Malta now has access to the 4m band.
That countries Hams can now use between 70 and 70.5 MHz.
The theme of World Amateur Radio Day 2015 will be the International
Telecommunications Union and the International Amateur Radio Union
Celebrating 150 Years of Advancing the Telecommunication Art.
Each year on April 18th radio amateurs celebrate World Amateur Radio Day,
which happens to be the date way back in 1925 when the International Amateur
Radio Union was founded. As such World Amateur Radio Day activities and
special events are an opportunity to spread the word about what radio amateurs
are doing in the 21st century.
And as this is considered to be one of amateur radio's most important annual
events, several IARU member societies and associated clubs are expected to
sponsor special event stations on the weekend to mark the occasion.
Boafeng handhelds go to war!
A BBC News report on insurgents in Ukraine show them to be using what appears
to be Boafeng UV-5R handhelds
The Boafeng UV-5R is a popular 5 watt FM at both VHF and UHF,
They can be bought on eBay and those Chinese sites for a pittance.
RASPBERRY PI 2 CAN REBOOT IF EXPOSED TO XENON CAMERA FLASH
It appears that the latest version of Raspberry Pi's mini computers is
camera shy. At least the Raspberry Pi 2 does not like the spurt of high
intensity light from Xenon camera flashes and may reboot itself when exposed
to it.
The glitch is a result of the photoelectric effect phenomenon. Raspberry Pi
creator Eben Upton admitted to the BBC that he had not been aware that the
Pi 2 would be sensitive to camera flashes, but that he was not too upset
about it. Rather, he termed it an unintentional educational bonus and an
interesting demonstration of the photoelectric effect.
The company that created the Raspberry Pi2 says that it has received in
excess of 300,000 orders for the new $35 device in its first 2 weeks.
OPERATIONAL NEWS 2015
John Moyle Memorial Field Day 21st-22nd March from UTC 0100 Sat to 0059 Sun.
This Denis, VK4AE, WIA coordinator for the John Moyle Memorial Field Day 2015.
This year the contest will occur over the weekend of Saturday the 21st to
Sunday the 22nd March as Felix just announced. The duration of the contest
will be from UTC 0100 on the Saturday to 0059 UTC on Sunday.
Now is the time to complete your planning for the field day contest as there
is only one week to go before the event.
During the remaining days before the field day, you might like to finish
checking that all of the equipment you have planned to use during the
field day actually works when set up. Not a bad idea is to plan to have
backup equipment available for the main items of equipment if this is at all
possible. Further, have you checked that all of those batteries you have
planned to use are actually holding the charge they are supposed to hold for
long enough for the duration of the contest? Of course if you intend to use
a solar panel to charge your batteries, remember that much of the contest is
in the night and so the batteries have to last long enough for that reason.
If you are planning on using a small generator to power your station it might
be a great time to give it a service and clean out all of the dust, spider
webs and wasp nests that may have built up over time. Do not forget the fuel
for the generator and the long lead to allow it to be placed a bit further
away this time to cut down on the noise.
Best of luck to all in the field day and I look forward to working a few of
you on the day and most of all receiving your log entry after the event.
TARC does the John Moyle Field Day 2015
Happening from Friday afternoon 20th to Sunday lunch 22nd March 2015 at :
Burdekin Duck Roadhouse and Caravan Park, Flinders Highway Sellheim.
Portable operation is the go so make sure you bring plenty of batteries
and whisper quiet generators if you can.
(sourced to TARCinc)
Remembrance Day Contest Next Contest = 15th & 16th August 2015
Contest Manager is Alan,
This contest honours the Amateurs who died during World War II and is designed
to encourage friendly participation and help improve the operating skills of
participants. It is held on the weekend closest to the 15th August, the date
on which hostilities ceased in the southwest Pacific area.
It is usually preceded by a short opening address by a Guest Speaker
transmitted on the various WIA News frequencies during the few minutes
prior to the contest. During this ceremony, a roll call of amateurs who
paid the supreme sacrifice during WWII is read.
( http://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/rdcontest/ )
AWARDS
All Victorian National Parks get WWFF recognition
All Victorian National Parks are now in the World Wide Flora and Fauna
Award (WWFF) program - but the final four are not yet retrospective.
This means prior QSOs from the four don't count for the WWFF program, and
you will have to re-activate them if you want that Award.
Until now only 41 of the 45 Victoria's National Parks also qualified for
the World Wide Fauna and Flora Award.
The situation was not due to a lack of conservation merit, but merely a
quirk because the parks were gazetted after the WWFF rules.
Now thanks to the Australian WWFF program coordinator, and also the VKFF
Award Manager Paul Simmons VK5PAS, each of the parks have been added, and
given their own award number.
Barmah is VKFF-739, Gunbower VKFF-740, Lower Goulburn VKFF-741 and Warby
Ovens VKFF-742. The remainder of the Victorian National Parks already qualify.
The Keith Roget Memorial National Parks Award Manager, Tony Hambling VK3VTH
says that is good news and will make those National Parks even more popular.
Going portable in Victoria's 45 National Parks has always attracted the
Keith Roget Award, but now all of them dovetail into the WWFF award program.
A lot of radio amateurs are following the Keith Roget Memorial National
Parks Award, the WWFF and VKFF programs.
The latest KRMNPA certificates have been earned by Fred Swainston VK3DAC
who has 15 Worked (Basic Award) and VK5YX Hans Smit VK5YX 10 Worked (Basic
non VK3 Award).
Those now with the KRMNPA Merit Plaque having all 45 National Parks are
Bernard Petherbridge VK3AV and Paul Simmonds VK5PAS - well done to all of you.
KRMNPA Award conditions and rules are on the Amateur Radio Victoria website
and the Yahoo group.
http://www.wia.org.au/clubs/vk3/AmateurRadioVictoria/
(Jim Linton VK3PC)
SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS, DX, BEACON REPEATER AND NET ADVICE
GB 8O RE, standing for Original Radar Experiment, will be operated on 26th
February from the Birth of British Radar Memorial, Litchborough.
The station will be operating mainly on 40m SSB.
(Brian G8GMU)
9 K 5 4 NLD is on the air from Kuwait until 28th February to mark the
country's 54th National Liberation Day.
QSL via 9 K 2 MY.
The K 1 N Navassa Island DXpedition wrapped up on schedule early last Sunday,
February 15. While some seekers went away empty handed — even after hours of
trying to break the massive pileups — thousands were more fortunate.
Going into the DXpedition, Navassa Island (KP1) was the second most-wanted
DXCC entity (after North Korea) on ClubLog's Most Wanted List. After starting
up in the waning hours of February 1, K 1 N logged 138,409 contacts with
35,702 unique call signs before shutting down
(ARRL)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- FEMALES IN RADIO
ALARA - AUSTRALIAN LADIES AR ASSOCIATION
http://alara.org.au
Net is held each Mondays on 3.570± MHz, commencing at 1030 UTC.
(1000utc during daylight saving)
Successful cruise ship IRLP DXpedition
The recent 'marine mobile' trip on MS Celebrity Solstice by the Australian
Ladies Amateur Radio Association (ALARA) using the Internet Repeater
Linking Project (IRLP) proved a success.
While enjoying the occasion well-known radio amateurs, led by ALARA
National President Jean Fisher VK3VIP, even had the giant cruiser liner
Captain and the First Officer involved.
ALARA made 40 contacts after leaving Sydney's Circular Quay, travelled
down to Hobart in Tasmania for two days, then across to New Zealand, using
IRLP enabled repeaters along the way.
Among some of the activity included a visit to Christchurch New Zealand,
badly hit by an earthquake and aftershocks that killed 185 people in
February 2011.
ALARA used the entire Celebrity Solstice supply of postcards for QSL
cards. It will draw on the experience that included a visit to friends in
New Zealand with on air activity.
(Jim Linton VK3PC)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- FINAL FRONTIER
HAM RADIO NEAR SPACE: HABEX-10 TO LAUNCH APRIL 25
The HABEX-10 Mission is scheduled for launching from South Africa on
Saturday April 29th. HABEX is the acronym for High Altitude Balloon
Experiment. This flight is part of the Global Space Balloon Challenge
for 2015. More about HABEX and its ties to amateur radio is on the web
at habex.za.net
New Aussie pico balloon flight
A small helium-filled balloon PS-34 carrying a payload was launched from
Melbourne on Sunday February the 15th taking it on a path north then
across to New Zealand.
The solar powered balloon put up by Andy Nguyen VK3YT is equipped with
Olivia 8/250 on 434.649 MHz USB and APRS 145.175 MHz.
With its 10mW transmissions the flight has been tracked across Victoria,
New South Wales, Queensland, out to the Coral Sea and down to north of New
Zealand.
At last report it was at a high altitude of 9,332 metres and travelling well.
(Jim Linton VK3PC)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- INTERNET --- THE HAMS DOMAIN
TWITTER http://twitter.com/VK1WIA
www.HamRadioNation.com
websdr.org
PUTTING THE INTERNET INTO EARTH ORBIT
Space exploration company Virgin Galactic and chip-maker Qualcomm have
announced their backing of a venture called OneWeb. Their idea is to put
648 satellites in orbit about 750 miles above Earth's surface, where the RF
round trip time is just a few thousands of a second.
But the two companies are not alone. Not to be outdone, SpaceX immediately
announced its own plan to do the same, but upping the numbers by building
and launching 4000 (Yes four THOUSAND) satellites to a similar altitude.
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- QRP and WEAK SIGNAL COMMUNICATION
The 4th Melbourne QRP by the day held last Saturday at Chelsea beach was a
great success.
There was a good roll-up with about 20 to 25 present, despite ominous weather
forecasts.
Visitors came from hundreds of kilometres away.
Great conversation and equipment was on show and demonstration.
Highlights included a 1950s portable AM transceiver, 1960s 2 MHz emergency
beacon, homebrew 7 MHz handheld transceiver, suitcase radio and more.
Pencil in the next Melbourne QRP by the Bay for the second Saturday of
November.
Details from VK3YE
SOCIAL SCENE 2015
Feb 22 VK2 Central Coast Amateur Radio Club Wyong Field Day.
March 15 VK7 Meet the Voice barbecue at Ross.( http://meetthevoice.org/ )
March 21 VK3 Dstar Users Group 9am Woodend RSL Anslow St.
March 29 VK3 EMDRC Hamfest
April 5 VK2 Urunga Radio Convention ( )
April 12 VK6 HARG swap meet 10am Lesmurdie Hall 96 Gladys Road.
April 18 VK4 REDFest (Redcliffe Radio Club Event)
18 WW World Amateur Radio Day
April 25 VK3 ANZAC Day Radio Afternoon Ballarat Showgrounds ( vk3fmpb )
May 1-3 VK4 Clairview Gathering contact RADAR's VK4ACC 04 2963 2815
May 9 VK4 BARCFEST Salvation Army Hall Calamvale
May 9-10 VK WIA AGM Canberra
June 6-7 VK2 Queens Birthday 40th annual Oxley Region Field Day
July 1 VK4 Caboolture Hamfest
July 11-12 VK3 GippsTech 2015
July 18 VK3 Gippsland gate Radio & Electronics Club Hamfest @ Cranbourne
Sept 12 VK4 SUNFEST Woombye
Sept 25-27 VK4 CHARC AGM Weekend Camp Fairbairn near Emerald
Oct 2-5 VK4 Cardwell Gathering, Beachcomber Motel and Tourist Park
Oct 25 VK4 Gold Coast Hamfest Broadbeach
Nov VK3 QRP By the Bay details from VK3YE held 2nd Saturday
Silent Key
Joyce Isabel Batchler (nee Crowder) VK7YL
It is my sad duty to inform you that Joy Batchler formerly VK7YL became
silent key on February 15, 2015 at the age of 99.
Joy was Tasmania's first VK7 female amateur radio operator.
I was fortunate enough to interview Joy back in September 2008 in conjunction
with the national ALARA meet which was in VK7 that year. It happened to be
her 93rd birthday.
Joy got her Radio Mechanics AOCP ticket in April 1935.
Joy appeared in the local paper in 1936 and the article was titled 'Hobart
Girl Holds Distinctive Honour' and the picture used in that article appeared
on the cover of Amateur Radio magazine some years later. In the 1930s there
were only six female amateurs in VK and Joy recalled ' Madeleine Mackenzie
(Mrs Mac) from VK4, Austin and Majorie Hutchins from VK3, Betty Grable from
VK5 and a lady from VK6.'
In the early 1960s Joy was interviewed on local television and talked about
her life as Tasmania's first and at that stage only female radio amateur.
Her favourite band was 20m and she stuck-up many live long friends.
When I outlined what they were doing at the ALARA meet in 2008 one of Joy's
comments were 'But aren't they having a field day' they were great fun at
Ross!'
Joy held an amateur radio licence from 1935 through to 1980 for 45 years and
was a pioneer of the hobby.
Vale Joy.
For VK1WIA this is Justin, VK7TW
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