BRANCH 11 , DECEMBER NEWSLETTER

[ali.a...@xtra.co.nz]

 

FIRST LIGHT

The Official Newsletter , Branch 11, ZL2AA 

Gisborne NZ.

7th December  2009

 

 

       Club News

 

Club night   will be ,

   a week earlier    this month , 7th December , Bryce St scout hall  7.30 pm sharp , to fit in with a very welcome visit by  guest speaker in the form of   Radio Inspector ,   Paul Patterson ,   ( AKA    " the RI "    )  .

 

       "   Hi Guys  , 

 

I received a phone call today from Paul Patterson  (RI)  and he asked for me personally  ,(gets one a bit nervous initially!) ,

 

but he specifically rang about  whether we are still interested in having him as a guest speaker at the next Club meeting. We would have to have the meeting a week early, as he will be up in our area for about a week, and that is the first week of December. How about we shift our meeting by a week, or a day or two afterwards  (such as Tuesday, or Wednesday night). He apologized for such short notice, but I said we can work around his schedule, and to get back to him on a date and time, or worst case, it can take place on his next visit.

 

He said it will be a very informal presentation (no slide show, etc), but will bring in some of the MED's electronic field equipment for show and tell, as well as  answering any questions. Also if anyone has any specific question, or topic, please let me know, so I can let him know, and he can do some research before coming up (if needed).

 

What ya say guys? I hope there is interest and a decent attendance. "

 

73

Roger 2RC

 

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Editorial .

 

 

These days , the RI's role in the communications field  , is a much less rigorous and daunting experience for us  than days gone by .

 

For sure  ,

their role today is still one of policing the airwaves but there was a time when , for anyone contemplating a career in radio they were nothing less than  Demi  Gods.

 

Post office telegraph operators , Broadcast engineers ,  Marine Radio Officers ,  Coastal Radio Stations , Civil Aviation , Amateur  ( including CB  )  radio operators ,   etc ,  etc  , all were subject to the disciplines and watchful eye of the RI.

 

I well remember my first encounters  with RI's who were ,  back in the sixties and seventies ,   employed under the umberella of the  NZ Post Office  , which was when I sat my ticket to become a Marine Radio Officer .

 

The theory exams were bad enough , but to have the senior RI in Wellington ,  ( a Mr  Wright . )  , hovering ominously over you when you were trying to copy flawless CW  at 25 WPM   in a back room of the Radio Inspection Dept. was nerve wracking to say the least .

 

 

Photographic  ID was required,   ( not common  then , as it is now ) and  solemnly having to swear  to uphold  secrecy  under the Wireless Telegraphy Act act  , under  threat of  the direst consequences if any such overheard communication was  ever divulged to anyone unauthorised  to receive it .

 

No doubt some of you will have equally fond memories of those glorious bygone days.

 

Under the act  they ,  (  RI's ) ,  had sweeping powers  to prosecute and confiscate  any radio apparatus from  anyone who deviated from the straight and narrow.

 

Post Office vans equipped with  sophisticated  direction finding equipment could prowl the streets looking for clandestine illegal operations .   Woe betide those who fell foul of them .

 

Don't believe me ?

  

Then consider this case which ocurred in England  in the late eighties .

Remember, our NZ laws are based on those of England 

 

 

"  RI's   swoop on South London net.

 

Four licensed amateur radio operators , apparently members of a regular net , were found guilty of a variety of offences against the  Wireless  Telegraphy Act 1949 including :

 

• Communicating with unlicensed persons.

 

• Failing to maintain a log book correctly.

 

• Transmitting from a captive helium balloon

 

• Interfering with  US Navy communications

 

• Inciting others to commit illegalities

 

• Listening to various frequencies, inciting others to listen to them , publishing lists of them and disclosing information on them.

 

 

The four involved were Messrs   G6 xxxx , G1xxxx, G3xxxx, and G6 xxxx.

 

All were heavily fined and ordered to  pay costs , and equipment worth over ten thousand pounds  ( a fortune then )  ,  was orderd to be forfeited .

 

The  " unlicensed person  " , Mr Nigel  xxxx  almost received a custodial sentence , but was eventually fined one thousand, one hundred and fifty pounds instead.

 

In addition , the class  B  licensees were each fined four hundred pounds for running a broadcast station on  6 Mhz.

 

In a reference to this case , an  article in the ' New Scientist ' of December 1989 entitled 

"  Radio Wars " ,   pointed out that ,  "Twenty government Radio Inspectors have just spent  50, 000 pounds turning five British radio listeners into criminals - for receiving non-government - approved radio signals and then talking about what they heard " .

 

It went on to point out some of the anomalies in the law relating to this area, stating that   "..........Even  MI5's own signals have been ludicrously obvious " .   ( to the Hoi Poloi . Ed )

 

Which is quite true ,  as most of the  ' cognoscenti ' knew perfectly well  MI5  were the cause of interference on  144 Mhz in the London area back in the mid seventies . "

              

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I relate  all of this to you  , not of course to denigrate the role of  RI's  in anyway at all ,  but to show  that holding a radio license was a privilege and bound by very strict rules of operating in those days .

 

The RI's had a job to do and most were pretty decent people willing to help in any way they could .

 

 By comparison  , when I listen to some of the  poor operating practices on the HF and VHF bands today , it is evident things have slipped a great deal  since then.

 

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OUR  NEWSLETTER

 

I confess  ,  I have struggled a bit over the year as editor , to give you a newsletter both informative and on time .    I have not always achieved this .

 

Why have a club newsletter ?

 

Well   , we read newspapers to find out what is happening , to catch up on what we missed, and to learn more about things we are interested in.  

 

In short, to be in the know about the goings on of our club and hobby.

 

A club newsletter, first of all , contains dates , times , activities and news.

 

To do this , your editor  ( me ) needs the cooperation of the  ENTIRE  club .

 

There is nothing more frustrating for an editor  than to be at deadline and have no news to pass on.

 

After all , an editor is not an investigative reporter who has to sift through mountains of information to give YOU the facts.

 

So , where does this information come from . ?   THE MEMBERS .

 

Anything concerning the club and it's members is of importance and should be passed on to the editor in timely fashion even if it seems trivial to you .

 

It is the responsibility of the editor to correlate all the various items  and submit  it into the newsletter.

 

The editor cannot manufacture news.

 

The more members who submit information  ,

the more of a club newsletter it is.

 

I can of course solicit information from members, and I do try to do this, but I do not always get a response.

 

There are  a core group of people who have provided me with a supply of information over the year ,  and you know who you are , so I will rest it there  !

 

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THE YEAR IN RETROSPECT.

 

The  80th  anniversary of the Gisborne amateur radio club , 

               

                           30.1 1929  -  30. 1 . 2009

 

 

 

                               From Hamish re. Branch 11   80 th   anniversary.

 

Well it's after eight and I'm finally home after the BBQ. A good turn 
out.

 I enjoyed my self and I hope everyone else did.

Much thanks to all those who helped in  bringing equipment and setting up displays. Mike , Simon, Alan, Basil,Tom and especially Roger who produced a great display of equipment and photocopies of information on each of the decades of amateur radio .

Apologies to anyone I have missed out and thanks to all those who attended.

 Several comments have been made that this is the site for Jota . We have the ok to put up
 some aerials so they will be in place, the site is quiet, secure and accessible, the hall has
 benches along each side ideal for operating on and tables can then be placed, as many as
 required in front of the benches for the equipment.
Also the walls behind the benches are ideal for mounting Roger's decade displays of
 photocopied documents.

So much  good has  been done   that I will be moving at the next meeting that we reimburse him for his costs and provide secure backing for each decade's display ( around $200) as these would be a great display not only for Jota but for any other public branch activity.

 This is the history of amateur radio and Gisborne's part in it and hopefully we can not
only place some of it on this site but use it as displays for promotional purposes .

Thanks again to all those who helped and attended the BBQ.

 

Hamish  ZL2HC.

 

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MINUTES OF MEETING: 9th February 2009.   Present: As per visitors book.   Apologies: Douglas Birt. Alan Mac.   Last minutes read. Moved Hamish, Sec. John Thompson.   Matters arising: Nil.     Correspondence: Two bank statments in and 1 newsletter from Wellington VHF Group. Out: Nil.   General Business: Rowley thanked Hamish for his work in organising the BBQ and Basil echoed thanks to Roger as well and to all who helped. Mike suggested that we save the presentation that Roger set up for the BBQ so that it can be used again at other functions. All agreed. Rowley will confer with Roger to organise this.   Mike also proposed that we put up proper antenna's at the Club Rooms. 1 antenna is still on the roof at the Cossie Club.   Basil asked Robert if he can check on what storage space we can use at the Scout Hall.   Roger and Ali to put their heads together and get a whole set of Break-Ins together and sell off or trade the many doubles that we have.   Nothing further, business concluded at 7:30pm.   Mike and Phil then gave us a brief breakdown of what they have coming up in their DX-pedition to the Chatham Islands next month. Very interesting, and they were wished "Bon Voyage" by all present.   Basil announced his intention of resigning as President, as of then, due to health issues. With the AGM coming up next month, we have to look for a new President.   Mike spoke of his intentions of standing for NZART Council this coming term.   The subject of KORDIA was thrown around those present, and some discussion ensued.   Hamish played a short video that he took at the BBQ, and then we watched a very old (1964) video of the Gisborne sewage outfall being built back then. Very interesting. Meeting wound up about 10:00 pm.   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   February 9th AGM Branch  11.   Basil ZL2UT resigns as president , ZL2 CC  becomes new president.   Ric ZL2RIC proposes to Marilyn  and marries  9.09 2009.   Ross ZL2RWM new member to  club.   Mike ZL2CC and Phil ZL2RVW head off to Chathams as  ZL7T DX expedition .     Guest speakers,   Michael G3WOE,     Chris Sharp, LSAR.     Lee ZL2AL .   Museum of Technology sought by Branch  as  prospective new club rooms .       For club news.   5 Gisborne hams contacted zl7t on the Chathams. ZL2AOP on  80  ssb ZL2TM    on 40 ssb ZL2MOT on 40 ssb ZL2UT   on 40 ssb ZL2RC on 40 and 160 ssb This was a great effort for the area and on behalf off the team at ZL7T a big thank you for the support in making this DXpedition one to remember. Hopefully we will have some sort of presentation video to show at the club. 73 Phil ZL2RVW ZL7T team member

 

 

REMITS

The club will consider the following remits of interest

 

Remit 1 : Proposes that branch members don’t need to be NZART

members.

Remit 2 : Deals with AX.25 packet data on the National System at

night.

Remit 3 : Deals with APRS data on 144.650 MHz and/or 144.575

MHz.

This meeting is also an opportunity to make sure our delegate ,  ZL2CC  to

Conference is fully informed of what we, in Gisborne, think are the

important things facing NZART today.

As I write this  , SMART is being upgraded  . SMART is the online

system provided by the government which we can use to update

details about our Amateur Radio licenses. If you are having

problems using SMART (

http://www.rsm.govt.nz/smart/ ) after 27th

April don’t hesitate to contact a committee member  for assistance.

 

                                      

NZART Conference 2009—Queen's Birthday Weekend

29 May - 1 June 2009             

Conference report 2009 zl2cc Delegate Br 11

The following is the way I saw the 2009 NZART conference. Jim and Hamish also attended and can comment on the forums I did not attend.

 

The venue at the Hastings Opera House was a good choice particularly at short notice. I understand that the Opera House was the first choice but the opera folks managed to double book so the Conference committee went for their second choice of the Race Course. When at two weeks to go the Opera House asked if the conference committee still wanted the venue as the original booking had cancelled, they made an overnight decision to change. That would have taken some guts.

 

As here in Gisborne the weather was not the best. Cold and wet and the Opera House being high ceiling was also ‘cool’.

 

I didn’t attend the informal meeting on the Friday night or the Sunday evening. I made a decision to leave early on Sunday after lunch to miss the bad weather. As it was I passed through snow on the top of Devils Elbow at about 3pm Sunday.

 

The AGM was reasonably calm and orderly and although I didn’t agree with some of the decisions, they were made in a typical political and democratic way.

 

Remit 1 about Branch membership was discussed and voted on by voices and then a count. As the count of hands was being undertaken, someone moved that a vote count be taken. The motion was lost on this member count. I can’t remember the numbers but it was something like 800 For to 600 Against, but since it didn't reach the 2/3 majority necessary to amend the constitution, it failed.

Remit 2 about the national system and data transmissions over night was discussed and Mr Andrews took great care to advise the meeting that any decision by the meeting would not be binding on the national system owners/trustees as NZART did not own them. The motion was put to a voice vote and lost.

 

The AGM then adjourned for lunch.

 

After lunch the meeting resumed with a presentation by the representative from WIA. The VK equivalent of the NZART. In this presentation their foundation licence was discussed. (more later).

After this the meeting went back to the remits.

Remit 3 APRS frequency was discussed and again Mr Andrews put forward that it had already been agreed at the Hamilton VHF forum that it should not go ahead. A question about the band plan and lack of APRS mention was put by Graeme 2 GDN but Vaughan argued that it was in fact mentioned in another part of the callbook.

The remit proposer was asked if he wanted to withdraw the remit as it was going to loose anyway but he said no and offered a wording change but then withdrew his wording change and the motion was put and lost on voice. I think only Gisborne voted for the remit but there may have been a couple of others I didn’t hear as I spoke. Jim thinks there was.

 

General business saw a presentation on the proposed Foundation Licence and this was followed by a vote to see whether the NZART continue with the foundation licence or not. The vote after discussion was very much in favour of continuing with the foundation licence. Only ZL2DW and I voted nay!

 

The meeting then closed.

Auckland will be the venue of the next conference.

 

Sunday was the day of forums and I attended the Dstar presentation by Icom.

My view is, while I think it is great that hams are once again looking to the future, I
think this one will die very quickly in ZL.
It seems to me that at $1500 just for a HH radio and no one will say how
much a repeater system is, it is a very expensive IRLP system albeit with
APRS included. Maybe that is why Icom donated the repeaters in VK so they could sell their Dstar rigs. But as Icom ZL has stated they probably can not afford to donate more than the one they have, then….not for me.

 

The DX forum was run by Lee ZL2AL who presented the ZL7T DXpedition power point, as seen by Branch 11 with a few added items and pictures. We discussed the 40m band plan as recently re-done and were asked if we wanted to change anything. We voted for it to remain as re-written recently. IE no change.

 

I also attended the contest forum presented by John the contest manager and we discussed the Jock White, Memorial contest and others and possible rule changes. Then Lee presented a slide of the ZM2M contest site and activities. Gisborne via Phil ZL2RVW and me was given a lot of exposure in both of Lee’s presentations.

 

The next forum I was interested in was the Antenna forum, but as this was scheduled to start at 15.30, at lunch time I decided to head home before the weather got worse.

 

All in all a good weekend. Tnx Napier/Hastings branches.

 

ZL2CC

 

 

Branch 11 NZART Club assets

 

Basil

 

Old Hand Key on wooden Globe for Operator of the year Award.

Old Silver Speaker in stand for Speaker of the year Award

Old Soldering Iron on stand for Home Brewer of the year Award.

Large heavy Aluminium Dipole for around 146Mhz.

30 meter Power Lead.

Various lengths of Speaker Cable.

Approx 100 meters of RG8 50 Ohm RF Cable.

Reel of Audio Cable.

Happy Flyers alloy mount.

Set of traps.

Heavy duty Aluminium pole enclosure.

Brown Suitcase of Old Branch Records.

Box of old Hard Disk Drives.

Complete Commodore 64 Computer and Screen.

Box of Glasses.

Various patch cords.

Audio Amplifier for Public Address system.

Several boxes of old Secretary/Club records.

2 x 386 BBS Computers.

Heavy Duty switch board, connectors, buzz bars, and cables for Field Day

set-up.

Many older Books and Break-ins etc, that went to Roger.

 

Tom

about 12 chairs

6/8 boxes of club paper work...ie minute books

2 dipoles ( 146.00 )

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May I wish you all a very happy Christmas and New Year.  

Stay safe over the holiday period.

73

Alistair  ZL2AIX.