IARS

The VK2RDS D-STAR system, located at Madden’s Plains, has taken another big step forward. The D-Star Gateway server is now running. Once you register with the gateway, you can use the it to easily communicate with D-STAR operators through other D-STAR systems around the world.

To register with the VK2RDS gateway, go to:

http://vk2rds.iars.org.au

and follow these instructions.

Note that you should register with only one D-STAR gateway, and you should choose the one you will normally be using. If you live in the Illawarra or south of the Sydney CBD, use VK2RDS. If you live north of Sydney CBD, you should register with VK2RWN instead.

The Australian D-STAR web site has lots of useful information for getting started with D-STAR and using the D-STAR gateways. I recommend you visit there and explore the information available.

Please note that we are still in the process of fully commissioning the VK2RDS D-STAR gateway. In particular, we do now have as much Internet bandwidth as we would like. As a result, we are leaving the 23CM digital data repeater off for now, and limiting the number of digital voice (DV) connections through the gateway to three (2 normal plus one via DV dongles).

We also still need to install a UPS for the gateway server, which will require us to schedule downtime at some point.

If you have any problems or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me or Rob McKnight, the IARS D-STAR coordinator.

73’s
Neil Justusson VK2VNJ
IARS D-STAR Gateway Administrator

Greetings to all members and visitors to the website of the Illawarra Amateur Radio Society.

IRLP Node 6018 has been upgraded to become an ECHOIRLP Node. What does this mean to you? Well IRLP is still available and works exactly as before. I have enabled indiividual user access only for echolink at this stage as I feel that allowing the linking of conferences, repeaters and links may shall we say make the Coastlink system too busy:) We can however in special cases such as emergencies or special events allow the temporary connection where required.

If you want to access Echolink then push your PTT button, announce your intention to connect to echolink and then dial # followed by the echolink id number.

Example: If you wish to call VK2TS you would dial #99327. To hang up push your push to talk button announce your intent to disconnect and you can either dial hash or as with IRLP, 73 to disconnect. Conversely if you are on your computer and want to call the Coastlink system simply look for VK2TS-R and connect to it. It is really as simple as that. Please disconnect when you are not using the system as it will make the IRLP system busy. At this stage I have allowed 3 Concurrent echolink connections.

Once we gauge the level of activity we may perform modifications to provide additional features to the system.

I am sure the system will be particularly handy when club members are on holidays, at work, the weather is too wild to go the shack, or if members have moved out of the area and want to keep in touch with their mates in the Illawarra.

Have lots of fun – that’s what it’s all about.

Cheers

Tony

VK2TS – President – Illawarra Amateur radio society

The last IARS Bunnings fund-raising sausage sizzle is scheduled for Saturday 29 November. We are looking for volunteers to help the club raise funds to cover the ever increasing costs of running our repeater network. We have raised on the order of $500 to $700 for each of our first three Bunnings fund raisers.

We need six people to man the barbeque, take and fill orders, and so on.  We operate from about 8:30 am to 3pm on the day, however you wouldn’t necessarily need to be there the whole time.

If you can spare some time on the 29 November, please let our illustrious Secretary and sausage coordinator Maeva Bennett VK2HUG know on 4297 6065 (email to Maeva is not working at the moment due to a nasty electrical storm last week).  It would be great to get some fresh faces involved.

Hope to see you there!

Neil VK2VNJ for Maeva VK2HUG

Well it is that time again! Eveyone looks forward to the November auction. To make it more enjoyable and to ensure the auction runs smoothly I have listed the rules of engagement below. Let me take this opportunity to thank Simon VK2XQX in advance for doing the owners once again as the club auctioneer.

IARS Auction rules for the club auction November the 11th 2008:

• Please no junk. If you bring it, and it doesn’t get sold, you must take it home. Anything found left at the end of the night will be disposed of at our discretion. Please don’t complain you didn’t know.

• All goods for auction to be booked in by 7.00pm, no exceptions to this rule. The meeting will begin at 7.30pm sharp.

• 10% of all sales to go to the IARS to help keep our club going, unless kindly donated to the club which will then attract 100% of the takings.
  John 2KEJ will organize settling this after the auction has closed and things have settled down. It does take time to work the totals out. Rest assured Simon knows what he is doing and he knows the rough value of all goods.

• Status of equipment to be the seller’s responsibility. If it doesn’t work make it known as any argument’s after the sale will be between yourself and the buyer, it has nothing to do with the IARS.

• All transmitting equipment should only be sold to those known to, or can prove that they have an amateur license, or they can convince us they are studying for it and their license issue, is inevitable. This of course does not apply to non transmitting items such as cable, components, accessories, receivers etc.

• Remember this is a fun night and we all should get a bargain. Let’s finish the night off with a well deserved cuppa and rag chew.

Look forward to seeing you all!

Cheers from Tony VK2TS, IARS President

It’s International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend this weekend the 16th -17th August 2008.

As in past years, the Illawarra Amateur Radio Society and the Blue Mountains Amateur Radio Club, will again be manning the Point Perpendicular Lighthouse at Jervis Bay to celebrate this historic event.    The unmanned solar light will be switched off and the ‘old’ original light will again be lit by our friends from Lighthouses of Australia, 

From it’s 93 metre vantage point atop the cliff face at Jervis Bay, the 1,200,000 candle power beam of the Point Perpendicular light will again be seen for 42 kilometres.  This is only the third time the light has been lit since it’s decommissioning 1993 when the new smaller solar powered light was commissioned.  The volunteers from Lighthouses of Australia work tirelessly throughout the year in the preservation of the historic lights dotting the Australian coastline. 

The IARS will be manning all bands from 160 through to 23cm.  Listen for us around the call channels or use the Coast Link Repeater System for liaison, we’ll be using and listening out for the club callsign, VK2AMW on:-  146.650 MHz south to Bateman’s Bay, 146.975 MHz in the Nowra /Southern Highlands area, and 146.850 MHz in the Wollongong / Sydney area.   IRLP node 6018 and Echolink Node 325276 will also be in operation onsite.   The station will be manned around the clock for the event.

If you would like to visit the historic lighthouse and take up the very rare opportunity to actually see the light in operation, or visit the IARS station and see how radio communications are carried out around the world, follow these directions to the lighthouse .   Day trip visitors are very welcome, bring the family and have a good day out.   If you would like to register to stay overnight at the station you need to attend the IARS meeting on Tuesday evening at 7.30pm at Industry World Visitors Centre, Springhill Road, Coniston to register or contact the Secretary or Assistant Secretary.  There are strictly limited places overnight.  Remember this meeting is also our AGM, support your club attend the AGM.  

Further information:- secretary

To register your club or station for the ILLW event, or to see what other lighthouses are involved this year, follow this link to the Official International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend web site.

The Illawarra Amateur Radio Society sincerley thanks the Department of Defence for the use of the Point Perpendicular facilities for this important international event. The Royal Australian Navy are the custodians of the Point Perpendicular Light and do a sterling job in the preservation of this important historic building.

I’ve moved the last of the content — photo galleries — from the old IARS Yahoo! group to this web site.  Check out the photo galleries using the link in the sidebar at the right of this page.

As a result of this, I have completely closed the old Yahoo! group, and will be deleting it from Yahoo! soon.

Regards,

Neil VK2VNJ, IARS Webmaster

The next meeting of the Illawarra Amateur Radio Society is the Annual General Meeting and will be held at Industry World Coniston on Tuesday the 12th of August 2008. All executive and committee positions will be available for nominations. Please ensure all nominations are received by the secretary no later than the 3rd of August 2008. Please click here for a copy of the nomination form.

Look forward to seeing you all there.

Cheers, Tony VK2TS

Directions for the anniversary fox hunt and BBQ to be held at Blackbutt Reserve today Sunday 29th June 2008.    All welcome. 

To find Blackbutt Reserve, Blackbutt (a Wollongong southern suburb) follow the directions below.

 Travel along Shellharbour Road to Woodlands Drive, then travel along Woodlands Drive to the T intersection and turn left into Blackbutt Way.  Follow the road into the reserve to the right past the water reservoir to the car parking area.   Follow the IARS signs that are sign posted on power poles along the way.  See Link below for Map to location.

 Start time 09:30 Hrs, Lunch 12 Midday, Mini Auction starting at 1pm.

Map to Blackbutt Reserve for IARS

Technical Workshop No. 2  Sunday 15th June 2008.

The workshop will again be held in the premises of Rivers Solar Pty Ltd at 4 Mineral Road, Oak Flats, NSW.  We thank VK2TSB for the use of his facilities once again.  The start time for the workshop will be 10am.  

The project this week is the “Differential Time of Arrival – Radio Direction Finding Fox Hunt Unit”.  All amateur’s and prospective amateurs are welcome.   You don’t need to be a member of the IAR’s club to attend this workshop.   The workshop will be tailored for both experienced kit builders and those that have never picked up a soldering iron before.  

The workshop has been prepared by our inhouse project expert Paul, VK2FE.

There will be a sausage sizzle for lunch at a friend of the family price, as well as soft drinks.

There will be kits of parts available for sale at cost price of $30.00.  The IARS will subsidise the cost of kits for financial club members.  The price to Financial club members will be $22.00.   No thongs or open footwear will be allowed.  All tools will be provided, bring you own along if you wish. 

You will need to book for the workshop, please call or text your details to 0405 444 644 or email the following address.  technical_workshop

Come along and have a fun time, and go home with a working project.  Courtesy of the Illawarra Amateur Radio Society, the progressive amateur radio club.

VI2AMW60. 

The Special events call sign has been issued by the ACMA to the IARS for use from the 10^th of June 2008 until the 30^th of June 2008. This callsign is to celebrate 60 years of Amateur Radio in the Illawarra and also of the Wollongong Amateur Radio Club which evolved into the now Illawarra Amateur Radio Society.

This club call sign can be used by any qualified, financial IARS Club member who has been made part of the official roster. The only restriction is that all special event operators must use the license conditions suitable to their own personal license grade. This excerpt below was taken from the ACMA web page.  

‘This Amateur station is a club station and must be operated in accordance with the Radio communications License Conditions (Amateur License) Determination No. 1 of 1997 that equates to the qualifications held by the operator of the station.’

‘The licensee of a club station must keep a mandatory log book in which the following must be entered in

• Chronological record of all transmissions made.  Including times of contacts, and this must be in UTC. If you are unsure of how to calculate UTC then ask for help. UTC is the time at
  Greenwich England, and is Ten hours behind Australian Eastern Standard time.
• Frequency and type of emission used;
• The Station(s) communicated with; (Call and Signal Report)
• The Name and Call sign of the qualified person operating the station. This will assist if an error occurs.

Of course we also need logs for QSLing. Logs can be kept electronically or on paper, it’s up to the operator to supply extra copies if needed. If electronic logs are used then the program must be able to export the details in ADIF format.  

Logs must be returned to Tony VK2TS before the July 2008 meeting. No later —Please! 

QSL Information -

QSL is upon receipt only. Postal Address is: Po Box 108 Oak Flats NSW Australia 2529.

This address has been kindly provided by the IARS Club Secretary Steve VK2TSB for use for the Special event callsign.

Club Operators please suggest on air that stations worked look up details on www.qrz.com or www.iars.org.au.

VK’s – A Stamped Self Addressed Envelope must be received for a card to be dispatched within
Australia.

Overseas stations must provide a self addressed envelope along with One ($1) IRC or Two ($2)US for a card to be returned.

No QSL’s will be accepted via the Bureau. Club members can work VI2AMW60 on air and receive their QSL card at a club meeting. 

Operators please provide QSL information after approximately 5 contacts. All incoming QSL’s are to be received by the 31/12/08. To maintain the historical integrity of the celebration, contacts must only be on Simplex. No contacts which occur or be confirmed via Repeaters, IRLP or Echolink.

Operators Roster:This roster must be adhered to so that the special event call is not heard on the same mode on the same band at the same time.