From the WIA, original post here.

Date : 14 / 10 / 2016 
Author : Jim Linton – VK3PC

Hurricane Matthew began as a tropical storm near the Windward Islands, but intensified several days later to be a Category 4 Hurricane, unleashing its fury and resulting in hundreds of deaths and widespread damage.  It was the first major event in the Atlantic hurricane season with the superstorm causing many deaths, mostly in Haiti, before reaching the south-eastern United States, and causing flooding in Atlantic Canada.

Cesar Pio Santos HR2P, the Emergency Communications Coordinator for the International Radio Union Region 2 presented on the hurricane at the pre-arranged conference in Chile, which was attended by those from Amateur Radio who are involved disaster response and training.  He told the gathering that when Matthew was still a Tropical Storm, the Caribbean Emergency and Weather Net (CEWN), formed in several Caribbean islands, activated to receive reports about floods, landslides and tidal waves.  During Hurricane Matthew, the Radio Club Dominicano (RDC) was monitoring its course and provided more than 40 radio amateurs in the Emergency Operations Centres.

The Federación de Radioaficionados de Cuba (FRC) swung into full action when the Cuban Meteorological Service determined that the hurricane would cross several eastern provinces of Cuba. FRC set up 505 radio amateurs in six provinces that would be affected by the hurricane with radio stations in safe locations to operate on 2m, 40m and 80m bands.  American Radio Relay League (ARRL) began monitoring Hurricane Matthew on September 28, and liaised with radio amateurs in Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba as the storm moved through the Caribbean.  Cesar HR2P says the first impact on the United States was on October 6 in Southern Florida.  Over several days the storm moved along the eastern coast of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina before turning east and heading out to sea.

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From the WIA, original post here.

Date : 10 / 10 / 2016 
Author : Jim Linton – VK3PC

The largest scouting event, the Jamboree On The Air held annually in more than 150 countries, with the 59th JOTA on October 14-16.  It uses Amateur Radio to link Scouts and Guides around the world, the nation or just locally.  This year there will also be a special link up to the International Space Stations, expected to be monitored by many JOTA groups in eastern Australia.

Among the many JOTA events is the Melbourne Region Scouts and the School Amateur Radio Club Network (SARCNET) at Victoria’s Churchill National Park in Lysterfield.  The VK3SRC station for the 100 years of Cub Scouts will be on air both on the Saturday and Sunday.  Organiser Joe Gonzales VK3YSP explains there will be plenty of activity for all.  This includes the VK3SRC station, a short Amateur Radio-assisted Nature walk, a VHF/UHF Communications activity, chasing Summits On The Air and WWFF Parks, emergency communication, fox hunting, satellite demonstration, and more. Any radio amateur interested in seeing the SARCNET kids and Cub Scouts in action, including a sausage sizzle lunch, must register first by emailing the organisers at event@sarcnet.org

From Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) project, Shane Lynd VK4KHZ tell us of a JOTA telebridge contact involving an ISS pass over Queensland and its voice download of 145.800 FM that should be audible over much of eastern Australia.  This is a great opportunity to introduce those at JOTA events to another unique dimension of our hobby.  An ARISS telebridge is ready for the University of Nebraska’s Peter Kiewit Institute, Omaha NE, with the ISS callsign NA1SS to be used by Astronaut is Kate Rubins KG5FY.  VK4KHZ advises that the contact is set for Saturday 15 October, at 14:00:08 UTC.

From the WIA, original post here.

Date : 10 / 10 / 2016 
Author : Jim Linton – VK3PC

The Wireless Institute of Australia has called for expressions of interest in its STEM Symposium to be held in Canberra.  It will be at the Canberra Club, 9am to 3pm on November 19, 2016, with morning and afternoon tea, and a light lunch provided, but participants need to fund their own transport and accommodation.

The aim is to develop a role for WIA members and the radio amateur community to use their technological expertise toward Federal and or State Government STEM Programs.  The initiative is to enable young Australians to learn technology-based skills and knowledge, rather than being a recruitment exercise, although some may also want to later be radio amateurs.

The symposium will look at ideas on many areas where radio amateurs can provide expertise in STEM-related projects, test the suggestions as to their viability, identify project groups and leaders who will develop project briefs, and submit these to relevant government agencies.  There has already been great interest in the Symposium, among those wanting to attend, or send written papers on subjects and experiences.

Please see the expressions of interest document for further information.

From the WIA, original post here.

Date : 09 / 10 / 2016 
Author : Mike Charteris- VK4QS

Announcing the activation of the Special Event station VI4SEA.

This commemorative call sign, VI4SEA, is in honour of the Officers and Sailors of the Light Cruisers, H.M.A.S. SYDNEY, and S.M.S EMDEN who gallantly fought in the first ever naval action of the Royal Australian Navy, on November 9th 1914, off the coast of the Cocos Keeling Islands in the Indian Ocean.

VI4SEA will hit the airwaves on November 1st 2016, and continue through to November 9th.  Our operations will see us transmitting between the 630m band through to the 6m band.  Our team of Amateur Radio Operators are a combination of ex naval, military and professional individuals.

We do not seek to glorify War in any form, but rather to commemorate the deeds of brave men at sea in a time of war.  A special webpage has been set up on qrz.com under VI4SEA.

We, the VI4SEA Team look forward to working you one and all, as we pause to remember these brave sailors from Australia, Britain and Germany who fought in a devastating naval action on the high seas that November day back in 1914.

Mike Charteris VK4QS 
Team Leader VI4SEA