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APC NEWS
Inside this issue:
VK100ANZAC operation
2015 Hamfest
JOTT 2015
The VK Windom Mk2
Fritzel Fixed
Obituaries
Members activities
Reference material
Ian VK3XI, Gerard VK3GEK and Peter VK3MV operating VK100ANZAC at Mentone Memorial Gardens
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
www.mdrc.org.au
Page 1 of 59
Bargain Hunters inside the Hall at the 2015 M&DRC Hamfest
As can be seen we had a good turnout in spite of the cold weather and the WIA AGM being on
at the same time. Read more in the article on page 23 inside this issue.
Photographs in this issue by Colin VK3UDC, Leon VK3DTL, Sarah VK3SD, Ian VK3IFM and Ron VK3AFW.
© All material in this magazine is subject to Australian Copyright Laws.
Contact the editor if you wish to reproduce any of the contents.
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
www.mdrc.org.au
Page 2 of 59
CONTENTS
Item
Page
Aerials and Stuff
April Talk Report
Mt Beenak and Mt Spion Kopje
Club Award
Club Nets
Club Meetings
`
Club Repeaters Status
Committee Members
Fritzel Fixed
March talk report
Join the M&DRC
JOTT 2015
Meetings, Activities and Speakers
Obituary, Harley VK3HCK
Obituary Rolphe VK3JWLK
Obituary Arthur VK3VQ
Payment Method
The Editor’s Desk
The President’s Piece
The VK100ANZAC Operation
The 2015 Hamfest
Trade Discounts
APC NEWS Number 239
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32
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52
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45
28
54
29
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53
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5
6
23
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May—June 2015
www.mdrc.org.au
BUILT SOMETHING?
BEEN SOMEWHERE?
Done something
Interesting?
Tell the Editor. He needs material for the next issue of APC News.
Please include pictures too.
Email: vk3apc@wia.org.au
Page 3 of 59
THE EDITORS DESK - Ron VK3AFW
In this issue we have the obituaries of three well known club members,
Harley Kerr, VK3CHK, Arthur Evans, VK3VQ and Rolphe Fox VK3JWL.
This highlights the need for more new enthusiastic members.
Also we have the VK100ANZAC operation which I’m pleased to say was a
great success, mainly because it was supported by 12 members. Each one
was presented with a certificate of appreciation. A full report is in this issue.
There is also a report of a couple of SOTA activations and the usual material, including details of the VK Windom MK II.
There is an article on this years successful Hamfest.
Another Club, the Rotorua Amateur Radio Club in New Zealand is the latest to have picked up on
APC News and reprinted one of our past articles in it’s current issue. We have the opportunity to
use some of their material.
As always, we can only print what material is forwarded to the Editor. So do your bit, please, to
make the issues informative.
73, Ron, VK3AFW
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
www.mdrc.org.au
Page 4 of 59
THE PRESIDENT’S PIECE
Greetings to you all
It has been a busy time for the Club starting with Ron VK3AFW leading
our team that to put the VK100ANZAC call sign to air as our part of the
100 year ANZAC commemoration.
The following Weekend was our Hamfest at Southern Community Centre in Police Rd. To me it
was one of our better hamfests in that everyone knew what they had to do and made it happen.
Well done and thanks to all of you that contributed. We could not have done it without you.
And on Sunday 17th May we had a JOTT event we supported. See short article in this edition.
After many years of service to the Club the multiband Fritizal antenna has been replaced. We
think it has been up for 25 Years and the Stainless steel wire was tired and rusted. Thanks to
Tony VK3CAT for putting it up.
Things coming up are the International Museum Weekend on Saturday 20 June at which time
we have an Open day. Noel VK3BMU is publishing this event in the school and Local papers.
The International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend is on the 15-16 August
Hope to you at the Club.
73 for now
Ian VK3IFM
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
www.mdrc.org.au
Page 5 of 59
THE VK100ANZAC OPERATION
The Club was able to secure the use of the VK100 ANZAC call for the week of 2nd to 8th May
2015. The venue was the Mentone Memorial Gardens adjacent to the Mentone RSL supplemented by operation from the home stations of Lee VK3GK, Graeme VK3GL and Ron
VK3AFW.
We were fortunate with the weather for the three days in the gardens, Saturday through to Monday. The Club Gazebo was set up with tables and chairs on a paved area in the gardens adjacent to the flag poles and Wreath Stele.
The power was obtained from a council owned outlet a few metres away. An Off Centre Fed
Dipole with a modified feeder arrangement provided operation on 40 m through to 10 m with the
Club’s TS2000. A 7 m squid pole supported the centre of the dipole with one end being secured to the top of a light pole and the other to a fence.
On the Saturday Ian VK3IFM (our honorable President) and Ian VK3XI along with Ron
VK3AFW collected the necessary equipment from the Club rooms and proceeded to the memorial Gardens where they were met by Gerard VK3GER. Initially it took 45 minutes to set up but
by the third day set-up time was down to just over 20 minutes.
APC NEWS Number 239
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THE VK100ANZAC OPERATION CONT’D
The station operated continuously from 10 AM to 4 PM on
the three days.
Because the Club members responded to the call it was easy
to rotate operators and log
keepers. Nearly 300 contacts
were made covering all VK
states, ZL and some US, JA and
European stations in the log.
ANZAC biscuits provided by
Gerard and coffee kept the operators awake and on their toes.
Left: A general view of the station
looking south. The taller squid pole
supports the HF antenna and the
smaller one the 2 m antenna.
APC NEWS Number 239
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Page 7 of 59
THE VK100ANZAC OPERATION CONT’D
Right:
Ian VK3IFM keeps an eye on Denis
VK3BGS (log keeper) and Gerard
VK3GER (operator)
A computer logging program,
VKCL, was used. This is very
easy to use for operations like
this. Ian provided the computer.
This program also has the right
set-up for recording and scoring
all Australian Contests
APC NEWS Number 239
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Page 8 of 59
THE VK100ANZAC OPERATION CONT’D
Left:
Brian
VK3MCD operates
on 2 m FM. The
site was not elevated and it was
slow going.
APC NEWS Number 239
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Page 9 of 59
THE VK100ANZAC OPERATION CONT’D
Above Left: Ron VK3AFW enjoys his lunch break. Right above: the feed point of the antenna.
APC NEWS Number 239
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Page 10 of 59
THE VK100ANZAC OPERATION CONT’D
Left Ian VK3IFM, Gerard
VK3GER and Brian VK3MCD
in action
APC NEWS Number 239
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THE VK100ANZAC OPERATION CONT’D
Left: The support crew:
Ken VK3CEK, his XYL
Brenda
and
Kaye
VK3FKDW.
No operation of this
size can succeed without help from support
people. Brenda and
Kaye assisted with
chauffeuring
duties
and Ken offered moral
support
and
CHOCKOLATE.
APC NEWS Number 239
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Page 12 of 59
THE VK100ANZAC OPERATION CONT’D
Above Left: Peter VK3MV using his REMOTE STATION on CW. Above Right: Leon VK3DTL our intrepid photographer
APC NEWS Number 239
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THE VK100ANZAC OPERATION CONT’D
Left: Mentone beach
was a short walk
from our site.
APC NEWS Number 239
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THE VK100ANZAC OPERATION CONT’D
Lee VK3GK, Graeme
VK3GL
and
Ron
VK3AFW used their
home stations to push
the total number of
contacts
close
to
1,000.
A significant
portion were European
stations. British, and
French stations understood the reason for
the commemoration.
Above: The grand old 1880’s mansion that is the home of the Mentone RSL
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
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We did not make any
contacts into Turkey,
either because of conditions or lack of operators over there at the
time.
Page 15 of 59
THE VK100ANZAC OPERATION CONT’D
The only operational
problems we had were
that the RSL was not
open for lunch, contrary
to expectations and we
had some RF feedback
and a hot microphone
until Ian VKL3IFM added a counterpoise to
the earth connection of
the TS2000.
Ron VK3AFW found an
excellent pie shop in
the nearby Parkdale
shopping centre thereby solving the food
problem.
Above: The TS2000 with accessories.
APC NEWS Number 239
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Page 16 of 59
THE VK100ANZAC OPERATION CONT’D
Left: The memorial wall listing local soldiers in all conflicts since
1914.
When operating from home Ron
VK3AFW reported that it was
hard going at times with up to
five or more dx stations calling
at the same time, many with unfamiliar call signs requiring
many requests for “say again”.
The event co-ordinator Ron
VK3AFW extends his thanks to
the Kingston City council for
providing the venue and mains
power, The Mentone RSL for
the use of their facilities and all
the Club members who assisted
both in the field and behind the
scenes..
APC NEWS Number 239
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Page 17 of 59
MT BEENAK & MT SPION KOPJE
When Tony VK3CAT announced he had a leave pass for Saturday 7th March and would I like to join him on a SOTA activation I didn’t hesitate. He Suggested Mt Beenak and Mt Spion
Kopje. I had activated Mt Beenak previously so I knew it was a
straight forward walk in of about 1.5 km on a graded road. With
about 140 m climb. The name Spion Kopje had always fascinated me so it was a desired destination.
I set up my GPS and it suggested travelling via Yarra Junction
and head towards Powell Town rather than via Gembrook which
had been my previous route. The road was sealed all the way to
the marked turnoff about 2 km past Gladysdale. The Mt Beenak
Road is unsealed is suitable for 2wd but due to recent rain was a
little slippery in parts and I was pleased to have AWD.. Our arrival and walk to the summit was uneventful. There was no view
due to the top being in cloud.
See picture right of Tony on the summit with the fire spotters tower in
the mist behind him. The summit height is 745 m
APC NEWS Number 239
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Page 18 of 59
MT BEENAK & MT SPION KOPJE CONT’D
Tony and I set up a hundred metres or so apart on tracks that ran off the summit road. Tony
went for SSB to work 4 S2S contacts then to CW for another 17 contacts all on 40 m. I settled
on using my Chinese X108 wit 20 W of SSB. I had 3 contacts on 30 m and 2 on 40 m both of
which were S2S.
Time was ticking away so we packed up and headed for the car. Lunch and coffee seemed a
good idea
We drove out of our roadside car park adjacent to the sturdily locked gate on the peaks access
road and the sharp left turn and kept left at the junction of the Gembrook road.
At this stage Tony took over navigating from a map with me cross checking what the GPS was
showing. As with the Mt Beenak road we traversed some attractive mountain forest. The road
struck east with various names commencing with Bunyip road until we found the section named
Limberlost Road . The access track to Mt Spion Kopje summit runs off this road and commences almost exactly opposite Outlook turnoff. We arrived in the opposite direction to most activators.
The track was once a 4WD road to a fire spotter’s hut at the top but the further into the bush
you walk the less obvious is the trail. It was marked in places with blue ribbons but mainly it
was a matter of following Tony up the hill through the path of least resistance from the scrub.
APC NEWS Number 239
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Page 19 of 59
MT BEENAK & MT SPION KOPJE CONT’D
The climb is about 350—400 m long and
height gained about 90 m. We got to just below the summit and decided we need not bush
bash the last few metres. I set up on the side
of a large flattish exposed granite rock. Tony
set up a little lower down. Here I went straight
to 40 m and completed 16 QSO’s including 4
S2S. Tony again used CW for 6 contacts and
5 SSB contacts on 40 m.
Tony managed to attract a number of leeches
which were discarded after retracing our steps
back to the car.
Right: On Spion Kopje. The VK3AFW doublet with
300 ohm feed. And ATU, Transceiver and battery on
a waterproof sheet on a moss covered granite slab.
The summit height is 896 m just 4 m short of moving from a 4 pointer to a 6 pointer.
APC NEWS Number 239
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Page 20 of 59
MT BEENAK & MT SPION KOPJE CONT’D
We retraced our steps to the
vehicle and then drove further
east through the Yarra State
Forest intersecting the bitumen about 3.6 km west of
Whites Corner where we
turned south passing through
Neerim Junction, Neerim,
Neerim South and onto the
Princes Highway on the outskirts of Drouin. Then it was
highway cruising to home is a
rather muddy vehicle with two
4 point activations in the bag.
Right: The view of the ranges
from the VK3AFW operating
spot.
APC NEWS Number 239
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Page 21 of 59
MT BEENAK & MT SPION KOPJE CONT’D
Above: Tony VK3CAT enjoys a hot coffee before the trip home.
APC NEWS Number 239
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Page 22 of 59
THE 2015 HAMFEST
Above: The Club table manned by Gerard VK3GER and Ian VK3IFM. Featuring the 2m/70 cm vertical
and free Altronics catalogues.
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
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Page 23 of 59
THE 2015 HAMFEST CONT’D
As usual the Hamfest was held on the Saturday before Mothers Day.
Unfortunately The WIA
have taken to having their AGM on the same weekend, meaning some familiar faces were
missing. This year door sales were up and the cool weather produced a run on the hot food
and tea and coffee but few cold drinks were sold.
The Cuppa and Chatter room was full most of the day—an excellent innovation. Kaye
VK3FKDW and Denis VK3BGS manned the ticket desk and Brian VK3MCD collected the table
charge from the traders. This year we had an excellent book stand by Peter VK3FPRS who is
a keen SOTA chaser. Icom were busy fielding questions and most other traders di rather better
than petrol money.
The editor was sorely tempted to buy an old piece of Yaesu gear but fortunately someone else
nabbed it early on.
Corrie, Noel VK3BMU and Tony VK3CAT ran the BBQ with their usual flair.
The weather was a bit cool but not wet so that probably helped get a good turnout.
As usual eyeball QSO’s with friends seen face to face only at hamfests featured highly on most
attendees agendas.
Thanks to Graeme 3GL, Cohen VK3HCL, Lee VK3GK, Ian VK3IFM, Ian VK3XI and Gerard
VK3GER for the “heavy lifting”.
APC NEWS Number 239
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Page 24 of 59
THE 2015 HAMFEST CONT’D
Above: Corrie and Noel VK3BMU on the BBQ
APC NEWS Number 239
Above Right Brian makes real coffee for the BBQ gang
May—June 2015
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Page 25 of 59
THE 2015 HAMFEST CONT’D
Left: The
Icom stand
was busy
all day.
Some nice
boxes on
display!
APC NEWS Number 239
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Page 26 of 59
THE 2015 HAMFEST CONT’D
Left: Tony VK3CAT asks a hungry customer
what his preferences are. Sausage, burger,
onions?
It’s said some attendees only come for
Tony’s excellent egg and bacon breakfast
and sizzling sausage lunch.
See you there next year?
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
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Page 27 of 59
MARCH 2015 TALK
This talk was on the
setting up of a remote station
by the
Frankston and Mornington Peninsular Radio Club.
The speakers were: Peter, VK3IJ, Colin VK3CR, and John VK3XM.
According to their newsletters, FANPARC uses an Elecraft transceiver with 100watt PA. It has
additional roofing filters, an automatic ATU and the two metre module.
Members can access the club via the internet, switch on the radio, and switch between the hf
beam or the dipoles for 30/40 and 80 metres. The control of the hf beam rotator includes an excellent piece of software which includes a world map, when members hear a call sign they simply click on the call sign for that particular country and the beam with turn to the desired direction,
how simple is that?
Unfortunately the editor was unable to attend and as no attendees responded to the call for
feedback he stole the above from several FAMPARC newsletters.
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
www.mdrc.org.au
Page 28 of 59
JOTT 2015
Our
club was approached by
District Joey Scout leader Murray
Taylor
VK3MJT to support the Jamboree of the Trail, JOTT on the
17th May 2015 and provide 3
stations on a walking trail along
Gardner Creek Bike track.
The walk started at Darling Station and continued to a turn
around point at Burke Rd South
Wetlands, some 3 km. The walk
then returned to Darling station.
Above: The Club Banner on display at the starting point.
APC NEWS Number 239
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Page 29 of 59
JOTT 2015 CONT’D
Above: Ian VK3IFM’s station at the start point and his antenna a HB9CV 2m beam on a light weight mast.
APC NEWS Number 239
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Page 30 of 59
JOTT 2015 CONT’D
Three operators supported
the event, Fred VK3JM,
Gerard VK3GER and Ian
VK3IFM.
We used 2m simplex and
had good communications
over the distance.
The team were of varying
sizes made up from Regional
Scout groups with on average about fifteen Scouts and
adults in each team. There
were 19 teams of walkers.
Our task was to radio times
when teams arrived and left
the two checkpoints on the
track and returned to the
Start.
The mission was accomplished without difficulty.
Above. The Start and Finish point.
APC NEWS Number 239
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Page 31 of 59
APRIL 2015 TALK
Club Member
digital photography
Ian VK3IFM gave a presentation on
.
Ian runs a U3A course on photography so he knows the subject well and is used to presenting.
Unfortunately the editor was unable to attend and no further information has been provided. In
spite of an appeal to attendees.
1010110010100100
1001010101010010
APC NEWS Number 239
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Page 32 of 59
WW2 ROBOT REAR GUNNER
At a recent Tuesday morning meeting
Doug VK3FDUG arrived with a microwave dish. He was then inveigled into
talking about what it was used for.. It
was part of an Automatic Gun Laying
Turret—AGLT. It had a code name of
Village Inn.
See picture at right.
This was before robots were part of most
peoples imagination let alone reality.
However it was in truth a robotic gun layer.
Why was it needed? In WW2 the average number of flights survived by rear
gunners in British multi-engine bombers
was 3 sorties. This was unacceptable
and unsustainable.
APC NEWS Number 239
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WW2 ROBOT REAR GUNNER CONT’D
The aggression and skills of the
Luftwaffe pilots and their tactics
were more than a match for most
rear gunners, most of whom had
limited training and no combat
experience before their first
flight. Seeing a fighter plane approaching with a closing speed
of 300 km/h before it opened fire
with cannons at a range of maybe 400 m was a difficult task.
Remember the British bombers
flew at night so the position of
the moon and clouds were usually exploited by the fighter pilots.
Right: the feed, counterweight and
reflector.
APC NEWS Number 239
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Page 34 of 59
WW2 ROBOT REAR GUNNER CONT’D
As the war progressed RADAR had
become increasingly sophisticated. By
1943 it was possible to make a scanning radar and remote gun control
small enough to fit where the rear gunner had been. The RADAR had a
range of several km. Although using
valves, mechanics and electrical motors the system could track a detected
fighter and assist a remote gunner to
bring the guns to bear on it. It was
coupled to other equipment with which
it functioned including means of detecting if the approaching aircraft was
friendly or a foe.
The drive motors and gearing for the rotating feed can be seen at the right. The microwave and other electronic equipment
was separate.
APC NEWS Number 239
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WW2 ROBOT REAR GUNNER CONT’D
Left: Village Inn installed
on an Avro Lincoln. The
gunner was located in the
main cabin. There wasn’t
room for him in the turret
anymore anyway.
The Australian built versions did not have the radome assembly hanging
on the gun turret but appear to have a smaller
fixed radome presumably
to house an updated Village Inn system.
APC NEWS Number 239
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WW2 ROBOT REAR GUNNER CONT’D
On the right is a photo of the feed. A balancing
weight can be seen. This was to allow rapid
scanning of the dish 2,000 rpm with minimal
loading on the assembly. The feed is offset and
spun. A 30 degree beam width was produced
and drive motors gave elevation and azimuth
movement. This swept the beam and gave a
rapid view of the sky behind the aircraft.
The RADAR operated in the 9.1 cm band. Although it was described at the time as an automatic gun directing radar it could be considered
a robot with one task. To seek and destroy attacking fighter aircraft.
Once an aircraft was detected on the radar the
gunner had to move the guns so the aiming
point coincided with the radar blip as displayed
on a small CRT. He could also monitor IFF systems to avoid shooting down friendly aircraft..
Once satisfied it was an enemy and it was within range he fired the guns.
APC NEWS Number 239
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WW2 ROBOT REAR GUNNER CONT’D
On the right is another view of
the hardware for driving the
feed and thereby rotating the
lobe of the radar to scan the
sky..
The system was developed
late in the war and only
about 100 were built and
deployed. They had a 90%
kill rate, far better than a
human only gunner.
Conventional gun controls
with the normal allowances
for bullet trajectory were
used.
Components of the Village
Inn systems are now extremely rare.
APC NEWS Number 239
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Page 38 of 59
WW2 ROBOT REAR GUNNER CONT’D
Right The name plate/modification
record.
The stampings here are clear. It appears to record the various modifications incorporated in this unit.
APC NEWS Number 239
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Page 39 of 59
WW2 ROBOT REAR GUNNER CONT’D
Thus the loss of airmen
was reduced, the accuracy
of defence improved over
purely manual aiming and
more bombers survived.
Post war bombers of all nations were fitted with similar
systems. Automatic aiming
of airborne weapons systems is now standard although the pilot or weapons
officer still has the need to
decide to “fire” or not.
Above: The name plate. One reference says the equipment was known
as a TR3548 but the name plate says Type 83. The serial number, 1836
has not been well stamped and originally was stamped as 1835. The
stamper seems to be inexperienced particularly compared to the Mod
Plate stamper.
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
www.mdrc.org.au
The editor accepts responsibility for any
errors in this article.
Page 40 of 59
AERIALS AND STUFF
The VK Windom Mk II
The need for a Mk II version.
The original article was published in Amateur radio magazine in January 1991 and republished
on https://vk3afw.wordpress.com/. For the VK100ANZAC operation a basic multiband wire antenna held up by a self supporting mast was needed (no pegs or stakes allowed). The OCFD
seemed the answer with a squid pole on a base held down by a 20 kg sandbag. It need cover
only 7 MHz and up as the operation was in daytime.
A lightweight antenna using “dx wire” was made but there was the problem of supporting the balun on a light weight fishing pole. The thought occurred that the antenna could be fed with 300
ohm ribbon and the balun placed lower down on the sturdier part of the mast. The 300 ohm feeder would have an SWR of less than 3:1 and as it was designed for VHF the losses would be negligible. The next thought was, was there a better length of 300 ohm feeder than just what fitted?
How Long Should the Feeder Be?
Typical OCFD feed resistances range from 90 to 250 ohms (depends on band and antenna
height) with the lower value being at the lower frequency, in this case 7 MHz. A feed resistance
of about 100 ohm feed resistance transforms up to 900 ohms if the feeder is electrically a quarter
wave long, a bit too high. So the length should be shorter than a quarter wave on 40 m.
APC NEWS Number 239
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Page 41 of 59
AERIALS AND STUFF CONT’D
A one eight wave length would increase the feed resistance to a higher value but acceptable value and would add some reactance. The SWR would still be 3:1 or thereabouts, well within he
range of most auto-tuners.
A one eight wave on 40 is a half wave on 20 m where the expected feed resistance is about
feed resistance of 140 ohms transforms up to 640 ohms for a quarter wave length which would
be a little higher than wanted.
For 10 m the 125 ohm feed resistance would be unchanged if fed by a half wave length of 300
ohm feeder.
The one eighth wavelength on 40 m equates to 8.4 m allowing for a velocity factor of 0.8. This
length is a bit long for 20 m . Half this length is only just enough to get far enough down the
squid pole for it to hold the balun but is a quarter wave on 10 m and pushed the feed resistance
up too far. The average is 6.3 m and this was chosen as the compromise length that could be
used with all the common squid poles.. The feed resistances are a compromise on 40, 20 and
10 but within reach of the average auto ATU when a 4:1 balun was used at the bottom of the
300 ohm line.
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Page 42 of 59
AERIALS AND STUFF CONT’D
What bands?
With the wire cut to 7.1 m and 14.2 m before assembly, 40, 20, 10 m were expected to tune up
easily and give acceptable performance. Now the 300 ohm feeder can also be considered as
lengthening the antenna by 15 m to 36 m overall which is a bit more than a full wave on 30 m
and three full waves on 15 m. So it might be possible to operate on 30 m and 15 m. As the
300 ohm feeder the feeder is a balanced line and fed by a balun little radiation from the feed
line should occur thus the patterns on 30 and 15 m can be found from considering the 21 m radiator only. The other way of looking at it is that the feed line transforms the impedance of the
OCFD on 10 MHz and 21 MHz to something within the range of the ATU.
Did it work?
In a word, yes. The ATU actually tuned the rig on all HF bands above 3.5 MHz. It’s effectiveness would be compromised on this band but should work better than a whip.
There was a problem with a hot microphone but adding a ground radial fixed that. A 4:1 current
balun instead of a voltage balun might also fix that problem.
DX contacts were obtained from the set up in the Mentone Memorial Gardens on 30, 20, 15
and 10 m. Many very good reports were received from numerous VK’s on 40 m.
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
www.mdrc.org.au
Page 43 of 59
AERIALS AND STUFF CONT’D
Yes a beam would have been a big improvement but for a multiband compromise wire antenna
this is hard to beat. It will see SOTA service in it’s next outing.
14.2 m including tie-off
7.1 m including tie-off
6.3 m 300 ohm ribbon
4:1 balun
50 ohm coax
The VK Windom MK II. Covers 7 MHz to 29 MHz
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
www.mdrc.org.au
Page 44 of 59
FRITZEL FIXED
The old Fritzel wire
doublet had been replaced by a new one
by Club Station Officer, Tony VK3CAT.
Photo on the right
shows him on the job
at the top of our tower .
Thanks Tony.
Picture by Colin VK3UDC
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
www.mdrc.org.au
Page 45 of 59
M&DRC MEETINGS, ACTIVITIES AND
SPEAKER SCHEDULE
MONTH
DATE
SPEAKER
DATE
ACTIVITY
May 2015
8th
No meeting—eve of hamfest.
2nd—7th
ANZAC COMMEMORATION
9h
Annual Club Hamfest
9th, 10th
WIA AGM, Canberra
16th
Informal meeting. Room and garage
clean up and natter
Informal meeting. Room and garage
clean up and natter
June 2015
12th
Baluns of all kinds, Ron
VK3AFW
20th
July 2015
8th
TBA
18th
Informal meeting. Room and garage
clean up and natter
there or
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
www.mdrc.org.au
Page 46 of 59
OBITUARY HARLEY VK3CHK
Harley Benjamin Kerr, VK3CHK, b 20/4/1923,
d 28/12/2014.
Harley was a long time member of the Club and
he especially enjoyed the Tuesday Coffee meetings. He was a man of many skills who rose
through the ranks to a senior position in the Gas
and Fuel Corp of Victoria. He was often called
upon to exercise his machine shop skills for other Club members and his chemical knowledge
came to the fore when he made marmalade of
show quality and brandied cumquats that were
heavenly.
Harley was part of a group who chatted every
week afternoon on 2 m on their way home in
their cars. This net eventually became more
home based as members retired. It was known
as Harley’s (drive time) net and continues today.
His sagacity and friendliness are sorely missed
by his friends at the Club.
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
www.mdrc.org.au
Page 47 of 59
OBITUARY ROLPHE VK3JWL
Rolphe Thomas Fox, b 22/4/1925, d 2/4/2015.
After attending Mentone Grammar Rolf joined the
RAAF as a young man and spent his time after training as a RADAR operator at various coastal RADAR
stations.
Rolphe enjoyed a joke and could be relied upon to tell
one at most Tuesday Coffee meetings. If he didn’t
have a joke he would have a funny quip to make.
This was a skill honed in his job as a sales representative for Hecla. In the 1950’s through to at least the
1980’s no salesman worth his salt would try to sell anything until he had made the client laugh/.
Even when his battle with cancer was becoming more
burdensome he was cheerful.
His cheeky grin and quick wit are missed by his friends
at the Club.
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
www.mdrc.org.au
Page 48 of 59
OBITUARY ARTHUR VK3VQ
Arthur Brodie David Evans, VK3VQ,
passed away on Tuesday 3rd March
2013 aged 97. He had recently moved
into Vasey RSL Community Care. Until then he had lived independently at
home.
Arthur was licenced as VK3QF in 1937
at 20 years of age and proceeded to
work the world using 25 watts of CW
and a Windom antenna. A year later
he became a Certified Practising Accountant.
He joined the WIA RAAF Wireless Reserve and was called up almost immediately hostilities commenced in 1939.
Within a fairly short time Flight Lieutenant Evans was in charge of a wireless
unit which included the normal communications function and an Interceptors
section. The story of the latter has
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
www.mdrc.org.au
Page 49 of 59
OBITUARY ARTHUR VK3VQ CONT’D
been recorded in the book The Eavesdroppers by Jack Bleakly. Some of Arthurs exploits
have been recorded in OTN magazine, for example in the March 1996 and September 1999
issues. Arthur’s deployment included a lot of time around Papua New Guinea often setting up
new stations as the allies moved forward.
Arthur’s interceptor group was of course proficient at KANA the Japanese version of Morse
code and all received messages were written down and passed to the intelligence unit. On
one occasion one operator said to Arthur, something is up; we are all seeing a change from
recruits operating the stations to professional operators. So well did Arthur’s men know the
individual operators sending they knew when someone else used the key. New well trained
men had joined the outposts. This information was passed directly to the intelligence office
and was the first alert General Mc Arthur had that a Japanese offensive was building.
Arthur returned to the family business Evan Evans making canvas goods and also flags and
banners - Ivor Evans, Arthurs father was co-winner of the design of Australia’s Flag. Arthur
was a stalwart of the canvas trade.
Arthur was an avid player of squash, hockey, tennis and golf. He was a train enthusiast and
loved to travel.
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
www.mdrc.org.au
Page 50 of 59
OBITUARY ARTHUR VK3VQ CONT’D
After retiring Arthur kept regular contact with many amateur friends on 80 m most mornings of
the week. Gradually the numbers in the group dwindled away, leaving only Arthur.
Arthur joined the radio Amateurs Old Timers Club (member No 179) soon after it was formed
and served on the committee for many years, from 1992 to 2013 (?) mainly as Secretary &
Treasurer or Treasurer.
He was a long term member of the M&DRC and took up the role of treasurer of the Tuesday
morning coffee meeting which he rarely missed. When in recent years he lost his driving licence he acquired a battery driven scooter and would travel on it the 4 km from home to the
Club rooms and 4 km back. Arthur valued his independence. He was a regular attender at
the meetings until 6 months ago when he was no longer able to drive the scooter.
Whenever asked how he was his reply was always “Oh I’m all right”.
generous and cheerful. His ready grin will be missed.
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
www.mdrc.org.au
He was always kind,
Page 51 of 59
CLUB REPEATERS STATUS
VK3RMC Frequencies & Operating Status
Analogue
O/P
2m
I/P
147.325 MHz
50 watt
Running.
25 watt
25 watt
Running (Analog/digital)
Running (IRLP enabled)
TBA
In limbo
439.375 MHz
439.875 MHz
434.375 MHz
434.875 MHz
23 cm
1,273.600 MHz
1,293.600 MHz
O/P
Status
147.925 MHz
70 cm
D-star Digital
Pwr
I/P
Pwr
Status
2m
146.7625 MHz
146.1625 MHz
25 watts
Running (Gateway enabled)
70 cm
438.120 MHz
432.725 MHz
25 watt
Running (Gateway enabled)
23 cm
1,273.950 MHz
1,293.950 MHz
10 watt
Running (Gateway enabled)
23 cm
1,298.100 MHz
1,298.100 MHz
10 watt
Future upgrade 128K data
All repeaters are located near Berwick. Information supplied by Graeme VK3GL.
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
www.mdrc.org.au
Page 52 of 59
PAYING SUBSCRIPTIONS TO THE M&DRC
. Paying by computer.
Go to Internet Banking on your computer and select the account from which you want to make the funds transfer. Do not select a Credit Card Account. In the “Transfer Money” screen enter the following.
1
2
3
4
5
In the ACCOUNT NAME box to which the funds are to be transferred,
enter MOORABBIN AND DISTRICT RADIO CLUB INC
In the BSB box enter the number 033-385
In the ACCOUNT NUMBER box enter the number 77-4955
In the TRANSACTION DETAILS or ACCOUNT DESCRIPTION box enter your name or Call sign in uppercase.
Email the treasurer to advise of your payment.
Paying by cash over the counter at the bank
Go to a Westpac bank and fill out a deposit slip as below. Take this plus the necessary cash to the teller.
1
2
3
4
5
In the FOR CREDIT OF box enter MOORABBIN AND DISTRICT RADIO CLUB INC
In the BSB box enter the number 033-385
In the ACCOUNT NUMBER box enter the number 77-4955
In the TRANSACTION DETAILS or ACCOUNT DESCRIPTION box enter your name or Call sign in uppercase.
Collect the receipt and email the treasurer to confirm payment.
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
www.mdrc.org.au
Page 53 of 59
LIKE TO JOIN US AT THE M&DRC?
1
Pick a category from the table.
Schedule of Fees (Annual)
Amount
Joining Fee
Nil
Annual Membership Fee, standard
$45.00
Student, Retiree, Pensioner Annual Membership Fee
$40.00
Family Membership Fee
$60.00
Honorary and Life Members Membership Fee
Nil
EFT Payments can now be made
Send your application with cheque† to:
The Secretary M&DRC
Box 58,
Highett,
Victoria
Australia 3190.
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
Updated July 2014
Or send your membership
fee by EFT and apply by
email to :
vk3apc@wia.org.au
www.mdrc.org.au
Page 54 of 59
CLUB AWARD
The award is gained by working / logging the required number of stations on air. An excellent
opportunity is provided by our during our weekly club nets.
The club station VK3APC
5 points
Club members
1 point
Life members
3 points
To qualify:
VK amateurs have to collect 15 points,
non VK amateurs 5 points and
shortwave listeners 7 points.
Send your log entries to:
The Awards Manager,
PO Box 58,
Highett,
Australia., 3190
We do ask for a small fee of $3 to cover postage and processing;
non VK residents can send 2 IRCs in lieu.
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
www.mdrc.org.au
Page 55 of 59
TRADE DISCOUNTS
FOR CLUB MEMBERS at ALTRONICS and JAYCAR.
Moorabbin and District Radio Club Inc. members can now buy over the counter at Trade prices
from both Altronics and Jaycar. When making a purchase ask for Trade Discount and for Altronics quote the Club's Trade account number 32323 and your call sign or for Jaycar quote
FK000921. This is NOT a charge account so you use your money.
Note: Minimum purchase of $20 may apply.
Check out these companies at their websites.
Get your photo ID discount
card from Ian VK3IFM
NOW
http://www.altronics.com.au
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
www.mdrc.org.au
Page 56 of 59
CLUB NETS
VHF net.
Wednesdays: 146.550 MHz FM
Starts at 20:00 (local)
HF net
Wednesdays: 3.566 MHz (± QRM) LSB.
Starts at 20:30 (local).
D- STAR repeaters are now
operational.
Drive Time net
For
more
information
about D-STAR go to the
Club’s web page
Week days:
146.550 MHz FM
Starts at about 16:40 (local)
www.mdrc.org.au
Please drop in and join the Nets and catch up on the
latest happenings around the Club.
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
www.mdrc.org.au
click on the link to
Susan VK3ANZ’s
Newbies Guide to
Using D-STAR
Page 57 of 59
CLUB MEETINGS
Formal Meeting.
Second Friday night of the
month, 8:00 PM and
Coffee Group.
Informal Meeting.
Fourth Saturday morning of the
month 10:00 AM
Check the web site and the
weekly Club nets for the latest
doings.
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
Every Tuesday morning 10:00 AM to 11 AM.
Retired? Come along, swap
yarns, bits of gear and info or
get helpful advice all with a biscuit and a cuppa.
Visitors are always
welcome.
Free disposal items for
financial members at most
meetings
www.mdrc.org.au
Page 58 of 59
COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND OFFICE BEARERS
President:
Vice President:
Secretary:
Treasurer:
Committee members:
Ian VK3IFM
Lee VK3GK
Ken VK3KIM
Brian VK3MCD
Gerard VK3GER
Graeme VK3GL
Publicity Officer
Repeaters
Webmaster:
Museum Officer
Speaker schedule
Education and Training
Station Officer:
QSL Cards
Librarian:
Magazine Editor:
Noel VK3BMU
Graeme VK3GL
Ian VK3IFM
Colin VK3UDC
Gerard VK3GER & Ron VK3AFW
Graeme VK3GL
Tony VK3CAT
Denis VK3BGS
Alistair VK3KAD
Ron VK3AFW vk3afw@optusnet.com.au
APC NEWS Number 239
May—June 2015
www.mdrc.org.au
vk3ifm@gmail.com
millisk@hotmail.com
bmcderm@tpg.com.au
Page 59 of 59