 *
Newsletter
of the...
Manly-Warringah
Radio Society
PO Box 186, Brookvale NSW 2100
Tel: (02) 9450 1746
Editor
Bob Hawksley VK2GRY
June 1999
IN THIS ISSUE: Dom’s discourse,
Marconi Day, Update on Titanic and Cape Race, The Amateurs
Buck, great story on global positioning, SI prefixes and don’t
forget the AGM - Wednesday, July 14th.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Recently Ted VK2FLB, Richard VK2SKY
& myself represented the Society at the latest WIA VK2
Conference of Clubs. This is the first time I have been able
to represent MWRS in this forum & I found the whole-day
affair quite interesting. I try not to be a political animal
& so it was with interest to see the majority who, like
me, simply want to see improvements made to benefit Hams. I
was surprised that the agenda indicated 9am-7pm but it was
full of interesting ideas & I didn't find it dull. Meeting
some of the WIA bigwigs & hams who are regularly published
was also a pleasure.
The Volunteer Services Centre (VSC) is
again having "Management Committee Meetings" chaired
by the new Warringah/Pittwater Rural Fire Control Officer
Craig Geddes. Craig is also the Centre Manager for the VSC.
After a gap of some years it is good to see the meeting will
be held regularly every two months on the first Thursday
evening of the month, starting April, 2000. The next meeting
is on Thursday, 5th August.
All the Volunteer services from the VSC
are represented and are the SES, RFS, RVCP, MWRS (under the
auspices of WICEN), CREST & the caretakers. Issues
important to the day-to-day running of the centre & also
to emergency planning are discussed. Things of current
interest that will influence us include car parking changes,
new RVCP antennas installed, new locks (to match our keys) for
the gate into caretakers carpark. The caretaker knows we are
there late on Wednesdays & doesn't lock us in, but once,
while visiting Bernd CW contesting on a weekend, I had my car
locked in!! Too late to wake the XYL.
We've had a couple of beaut lectures
recently: in April by Michael Yates (formerly of Yates Seeds)
on the seed growing/importing & distribution industry;
& in May by Charles Thomas about Application Specific
Integrated Circuits. I think we have some great lectures at
MWRS & I thank Bob Hawksley who calls in many favours in
helping me acquire these people.
On a personal note, I'd just like to
thank all those club members who have encouraged me to move on
from my Limited Licence towards HF privileges. On passing my
5wpm Morse recently I have now the Intermediate callsign
VK2JNA. Sure it's been a bit a running joke around here,
having a president who hasn't got a full-call, but all this
aside, I've enjoyed the help & support of you all. Onwards
& upwards towards the 10wpm now! We still have many
projects underway & we need to nail some including the 6m
repeater antenna & transmitter, internet access & the
UHF TV Rx antenna. A concerted effort wherever you feel you
can help will be appreciated by all.
It is the end of another (financial)
year with the AGM upon us. Thank you for all the support from
the committee & from all Society members. We've had some
great fun & helped out our community as well. Sadly, I
will be kicking up my heels in the United States on holiday
& so won't be able to join you for the annual `sacking of
the committee' at the AGM. Best wishes in electing a new
committee & I thank you for the opportunity to serve.
73 DOM BRAGGE VK2JNA
LECTURE NIGHTS
Tonight, June 16, Jo Harris VK2AAA is
talking on the Marconi/Australian connection and in August
Yves VK2AUJ on Aerobatics. July is as yet undecided.
MARCONI DAY
ANZAC Day weekend saw the Society assist
in the running of the Special Event Station, VK2IMD, to mark
International Marconi Day (IMD). Co-ordinated by Jo Harris
VK2KAA of the Wahroonga Amateur Historical Radio Association (WAHRA),
the station was one of dozens of IMD stations active around
the world, though it was the only IMD station running in
Australia. The station was run at various times from 10am
through to about 2am the following morning. Operators included
Tim VK2ETJ, Dom VK2YAK (now VK2JNA), David VK3HZ and Richard
VK2SKY.
WAHRA will activate another special
event station on the UTC day of Wednesday, 22nd September, to
commemorate the first radio message sent direct from the UK to
Australia. Interested operators can should contact Jo VK2KAA
on (02) 9489-4393 for a "slot" on the roster.
(Please note that the 22nd is a Wednesday, so it would be a
good club activity on what is normally on of our
"casual" meeting nights, so we can have our pick of
the modes and bands!) 73 RICHARD VK2SKY
MORE ON TITANIC AND
CAPE RACE
Update by Bob Hawksley VK2GRY
After the ABC broadcast on Wednesday,
October 20th, last year, of a recording alleged to be one of
the Titanic’s distress calls, I’ve been chasing
information about Cape Race. The owner of the recording, Jim
Davis VK7OW, had reason to believe that it was at the Cape
Race station that the recording was made on an Edison
Dictaphone machine.
My quest has been to establish the
provenance of the recording and on June 8th last a magnificent
email arrived from Wm. J “Bill” Gillis, VE1WG, Atlantic
Region Director of Radio Amateurs of Canada. Bill’s
information is fascinating and here it is.
The following is a brief description of
the station [Cape Race] and some of its history: Cape Race is
located approximately 105km. south of St. John's NF on the
southeast corner of the Avalon Pensile facing the Atlantic
Ocean. After his famous experiment at Signal Hill, December
1901, Marconi left Newfoundland and surveyed a possible site
in Cape Breton for his trans-Atlantic wireless service. The
restrictions imposed by exclusive rights to trans-Atlantic
traffic by the cable companies in Newfoundland, then an
independent colony, forced him to look elsewhere for a site
close to Europe. He negotiated a deal with the Canadian
government to establish a trans-Atlantic station at Table Head
near Glace Bay, NS which also included an C$80,000 investment
by the government and their rights to message traffic revenue.
The station at Glace Bay together with a station on Cape Cod,
Mass. USA and one at Poldu, Cornwall, UK formed the
trans-Atlantic wireless service of the Marconi Company. It
wasn't until 1907-09 that this network became a practical
reality with an acceptable degree of reliability.
After negotiating the deal on Glace Bay,
Marconi established the Wireless Telegraph Company of Canada
in 1902. It later became the Canadian Marconi Company. The
Department of Marine and Fisheries contracted with the newly
formed company to build six stations for coastal marine
communication at Fame Point, Belle Island, Heath Point, Point
Armour, Cape Ray and Cape Race. The Newfoundland stations were
built with permission of the Newfoundland government on the
understanding that they were for coast ship traffic only. The
Cape Race station was commissioned in 1904. Its call sign was
MCE. After the International Radiotelegraph Conference of 1927
held in Washington, DC, the call sign was changed to VCE in
accordance with the Conference agreement establishing a table
of international call sign prefixes.
Cape Race radio figured very prominently
in the Titanic disaster. Detailed accounts of its involvement
are recorded in many writings about the 1912 tragedy. A copy
of the station log for that fateful night is on display at the
Marine Museum in Halifax, NS along with other artefacts from
the Titanic including one of its deck chairs. The log was
donated by the daughter of one of Marconi operators on the
station at the time.
As a direct result of the station's role
in the Titanic sinking, the Canadian government provided
funding to improve the antenna system and output power. Owing
to the strategic location of VCE and the onset of WWI, the
Canadian Dept. of the Navy supported part of the cost for
these improvements. The upgrading was completed in October
1914. The station included 10 to 12 structures including a
lighthouse and staff housing.
Cape Race Radio was usually the first
North American station in contact with vessels westbound on
the North Atlantic and the last for those plying the southern
track between New York and Europe. As a result, it handled a
large amount of commercial message traffic to the extent that
1920 revenue, for example, totalled $82,000. It provided a
vital service in broadcasting and relaying iceberg advisories
that were critical to safety on the heavily travelled tracks
south of Newfoundland. The station also provided Direction
Finding service and received further notoriety when it guided
the R34 dirigible. Eventually, technological advances,
including the Decca navigation system, permitted consolidation
of coastal service and Cape Race VCE was closed in 1966.
Sometimes confused with Cape Race,
another coastal Marine Radio station of the original group of
six, was "VCR" located at Cape Ray on the south west
corner of Newfoundland about 17km west of Port aux Basques. A
much smaller station, it was used primarily for communication
with vessels sailing the Cabot Strait and Gulf of St.
Lawrence. All of the coastal stations were later taken over
from the Marconi Company and operated by the Canadian
government.
The above is from notes that I have
compiled as a radio history buff and is based on several
references, personal collections and various works on Marconi.
A most recent reference is "Come Quick Danger" A
History of Marine Radio in Canada, by Stephan Dubreuil. ISBN
0-660-17490-1, published (1998) by Canadian Government
Publishing, Ottawa, Canada K1A 0S9. Trust the above is of some
value. 73 Wm . J. “Bill” Gillis VE1WG, Email: gilliswj@nbnet.nb.ca
Very many thanks, Bill, for this
wonderful information. Since UP THE STICK goes out on the net
there’s a chance that further information will come to hand.
Meanwhile I’ve asked if the Halifax Maritime Museum has a
book on the history of Cape Race.
THE AMATEUR’S BUCK
by Dollar Bill VK2$$$
Diversification is
Always the Key!
I guess the last thing we want to hear
is an "I told you so!" Or to hear pearls of wisdom
repeated until you feel shoving them down someone's throat.
But it is time again to examine a small shift in the market
from industrials to resources (mining and oil) and exactly
what that has meant for the well-diversified portfolio in
recent weeks.
The famous saying that when the US
sneezes the rest of the world seems to catch a cold does ring
true. It's a rather worn out cliché but it's a fact downunder
- like it or nor! Greenspan’s [the opposite number in the US
of our Governor of the Reserve Bank] comments of tighter
fiscal policies and interest rate reviews all bring shivers
down the spine of the market. Thus the wise amateur investor
will be out bargain hunting.
Not an uncommon occurrence in these
times is a PICK UP in the resource sector and a DECLINE in the
industrials. And I guess here comes the "I told you so’s!".
For those who missed the writing on the wall look at what has
happened to some of our leading stocks
Stock Share Price
Early April LateMay
Nat.Aus.Bank $29.80 $24.70 (-)
BHP* $13.40 $16.80 (+)
Telstra $ 8.70 $7.50 (-)
Mt Isa Mines* $ 0.77 $0.89 (+)
*Resources
So looking at these stock quotes from a
balanced portfolio perspective, how would you feel if these
resource stocks weren't in your bag? Or, to look at it another
way, would you have considered to buy these "out of
Vogue" six month's ago... Hmmmmm??
For some years now resources have been
in the doldrums, and it's not that they are out of the mud yet
either but simply echo a soft reminder to say "A well
diversified portfolio will offer stability during
turbulence". Until next time.......look after them
buckaroos... Dollar Bill
NOTE: The Amateur’s Buck is not the
opinion of the Manly Warringah Radio Society and no liability
is accepted for the accuracy of the information or forecasts.
THE COAST ROAD TO
BALLYFERRITER *
Review of the Magellan GPS Pioneer
by Richard Murnane VK2SKY
(* In one of those ironic twists, I made
a mistake in the initial draft of this article. Ballyferriter
is in County Kerry, not Galway. The coast road eventually
brought me to Cleggan. I told you my navigation skills were
somewhat lacking!)
About 15 years ago, when I was sporting
the callsign EI6BTB, I drove from my home in Cork to spend a
weekend with some friends in the seaside hamlet of
Ballyferriter, County Galway. The drive was a long one, about
six hours, and it was well after dark when I passed through
the village of Clifden, where Marconi conducted his famous
transatlantic communication experiments early this century.
Leaving Clifden heading north, there is
a sign off the main road, marked "Coast Road", and
having been told that Ballyferriter was by the sea, the coast
road seemed a reasonable choice. As they say in the movies,
that was a big mistake...
I fully appreciated the extent of my
mistake several miles later, when the "Coast Road"
became narrow and twisted, and developed a luxuriant grass
strip down its centre. But it was too narrow to turn around,
and I persevered, reasoning that I had gone so far that surely
this narrow winding track must lead somewhere.
And go somewhere it did, after a full 20
miles, the Coast Road rejoined the main road I had left an
hour before; a road sign marked this happy reunion: it read,
"Clifden, 2 miles". Experience, the saying goes, is
what you get just after you really could have used it...
Not long after, Global Positioning
satellites became a reality, and in recent years, the price of
this wondrous technology has become ever more accessible. The
Magellan GPS Pioneer is a recent arrival on the scene, and it
was on a different "Coast Road", namely the
Queensland Coast and Northern New South Wales, that I
evaluated this unit.
At first glance, the Pioneer resembles
an Amateur HT, or a mobile phone the obvious differences are a
much larger display, and the lack of a numeric keypad. The
unit is of a fairly rugged construction, with the antenna an
integral part of the case. The case itself has a rubber
backing, which allows the unit to sit still on a car dashboard
without moving around. The keypad is also rubber (reminiscent
of the old Sinclair Spectrum computer); the main control is a
four-way "cursor" style control, which is surrounded
by seven smaller buttons, labelled, PWR (power), MENU, GOTO,
ENTER, NAV (navigate), MARK, and a lightbulb (backlight).
In terms of programming complexity,
setting up the Pioneer is not more difficult to set up than
the average Amateur HT; the larger display allows sufficient
"prompting" for most operations, though I did have
to refer to the slim operating manual on a few occasions.
I have to admit however that I suspected
some April foolery when I first set up the unit. When I
pressed the MENU button and accessed "EZSTRT" (Easy
start - God bless American English!) the first thing the unit
did was to ask me where I was! Somebody's idea of an Irish
joke for an old EI, perchance? No, it was simply to give the
unit an idea of which GPS satellites were expected in the area
at the time. According to the manual , if you move more than
about 300 miles with the Pioneer switched off, you need to
perform this operation so that the unit can "get its
bearings".
The remaining "EZSTRT" menus
set various operating and display parameters, such as map
datum, units (miles, km, etc), time display (12 or 24 hour, or
UTC), north reference (magnetic or true), coordinate display
(deg/min/sec, UTM, Irish(!), etc.) There is also a demo mode,
the usefulness of which eluded me.
Once the EZSTRT is complete, all you
need to do is place the Pioneer somewhere with a clear view of
the sky, and wait. The unit can track up to 12 satellites at a
time, requiring at least three visible birds to triangulate
one's position. It normally takes several minutes to track
enough satellites to indicate your position, though if the
unit does not have a clear view of the sky, it can take
considerably longer.
During signal acquisition, the unit
displays a large circle (a sort of "compass"),
surrounded by a number of smaller circles representing the
expected positions of the various satellites in the area. An
arrow in the centre of the circle sweeps around, pointing at
each satellite in turn, a small indicator showing the expected
elevation above the horizon. If the satellite is visible, the
small circle is filled in.
Once the unit is "tracking"
(three or more satellites visible) the display changes to show
your position on the planet using the coordinate system you
chose during EZSTRT. This is of limited use unless you have a
map or some other reference to hand. Pressing the NAV button
changes the display to show your position relative to a
pre-programmed reference point; pressing NAV again changes the
display slightly to a form more suited to aeronautical use.
Reference points can be programmed in
quite easily. I found Dick Smith's Australian GPS Location
Guide quite useful in this respect, as I could look up my
destination on a trip, program it in, and observe my position
getting closer as I progressed. Up to 99 such
"landmarks", can be memorised in this way. Your
current position (e.g. a camp site) can also be memorised,
allowing you to return to some arbitrary point later. Each
memorised location can be labelled with a four character name.
Of course, nobody every travels in a
straight line (crows excepted, of course!). The GPS Pioneer
lets you program in your journey with up to ten waypoints,
which makes following your progress much easier. At any given
time, you can check your distance and bearing towards the
desired landmark. The display will also indicate your speed
and direction.
However, I did have some misgivings
about the reliability and accuracy of the unit. As I mentioned
earlier, I tested the unit on the Gold Coast's Main Beach,
which has more than its fair share of high rise apartment
blocks. At time I found it quite difficult to get the unit to
track, presumably because the apartment blocks were blocking
the satellite signal. Even on the beach, away from the
buildings, it would lose track.
In the national parks at Mount Warning
and Binna Burra, the trees had a similar effect. I don't know
how other GPS units would fare in similar circumstances, but
if the Pioneer is anything to go by, then GPS and rainforests
definitely do not mix!
What bothers me more was that the unit
gives no obvious indication that it is no longer tracking
(e.g. a beep, or blinking the displayed position would be
good, rather than the small "tracking" flag tucked
in one corner of the screen.)
I also wanted to know how repeatable the
readings are, so several times I "marked" a
particular spot, went off for a drive or a walk, and checked
the "distance to landmark" when I returned. The
indicated position was frequently off by as much as 600
metres!
Discuss GPS accuracy with anyone who has
used one, and they'll start talking about "selective
availability", which is the deliberate errors the US
Department of Defence slips into the system from time to time.
Presumably, this is to prevent unfriendly foreign powers from
kitting out their guided missiles with GPS receivers. However,
I have been told that selective availability is currently
inactive, which may or may not be true; in any case, it should
only account for errors up to about 100 metres. Another
correspondent suggested that GPS satellites at low elevations
might not be as accurate as those overhead, which seems
plausible. At this point I'm reserving judgment...
The Pioneer seemed to perform well
enough sitting on the dashboard of the car during highway
driving, though it is intended mainly for handheld use, for
example, when bushwalking. I still have my doubts about its
accuracy (600 metres is a hell of a long way in dense bush),
and the loss of signal in the forests completely rules it out
there. The concrete jungle is little better.
The GPS Pioneer will run on a pair of AA
batteries for 24 hours; a cigarette lighter adaptor is also
available. The carry-case is optional, and there is no
provision for an external antenna. APRS fans can forget about
the Pioneer, as it has no external data port.
All in all, though, I found the Magellan
GPS Pioneer easy to use and a lot of fun (notwithstanding many
sardonic comments from the YL and her daughter about
"boys and their toys"!)
When it came time to return the unit to
its rightful owner, I had no trouble finding my way there. The
Magellan GPS Pioneer is available from Dick Smith Electronics
(catalog no. D-3927) for $299. Accessories extra. Dick Smith's
Australian GPS Location Guide (catalog no. B-2390) is $14.50.
Richard Murnane VK2SKY
NOTE: Low cost GPS units for Amateur
applications? The VK2 Division's Olympics committee (http://marconi.mpce.mq.edu.au/wia/olympics.html)
is examining GPS applications for the games.
Darryl SmithVK2TDS (vk2tds@ozemail.com.au)
recently sourced one from the USA costing $US95. The unit
resembles a computer mouse; it has no display or keyboard, its
only interface being a serial cable. VK2TDS is looking to
establish an Internet mailing list for those wishing to
discuss
APRS. Details at: http://www.tapr.org/gps/gps30pc.html
GPS IN A NUTSHELL.
Global Positioning System (GPS) is a
satellite-based navigation system; using as few as three
satellites, one's position can be triangulated in three
dimensions.
The satellites orbit at an altitude of
about
21,000 km, and transmit on two
frequencies: 1575.42 MHz (called "L1"), and 1227.60
MHz (called "L2"). GPS receivers compute their
position using the L1 and L2 carriers, plus Course Acquisition
data ("CA") on L1, and Precise Codes ("P
Codes") on both L1 and L2. The more of this information
the GPS receiver uses, the greater accuracy. (A discussion of
the CA and P code signals is beyond the scope of this article
- check the Web links below more information.)
Typical accuracy of GPS is in the order
of 25 metres, though Selective Availability intentionally
degrades this to around 100 metres. Differential GPS, which
uses a second reference receiver in a known position can be
used to "cancel out" the inherent errors in the
system, giving accuracy in the order of centimetres.
(Extracted from the Obsidian Hydration
Analysis Service GPS page)
FURTHER GPS BROWSING:
Internet-enabled readers who would like
to find out more about the Global Positioning Systems can
start with the following Web links:
Starlink DGPS page: http://www.starlinkdgps.com/faq.htm
Peter Bennett's GPS FAQ (Frequently
Asked Questions): ftp://sundae.triumf.ca/pub/peter/
Obsidian Hydration Analysis Service GPS
Introduction page: http://www.ohas.com/gps.html
John T. Beadles' Introduction to GPS
Applications: http://galaxy.einet.net/editors/john-beadles/introgps.htm
John T. Beadles' GPS Archives: http://www.he.net/~jbeadles/gps/index.htm
United States Coast Guard Navigation
Centre GPS page: http://www.navcen.uscg.mil/gps/
APRS: Amateur Radio Packet Position
Reporting System: http://www.cave.org/aprs/
Telson Communications GPS page: - http://www.telson.net/gpsfaqs.htm
(includes a rather uncomplimentary article on Magellan GPS
Pioneer)
SI PREFIXES
Most Amateurs know the standard SI
multiplier prefixes from 10 to the power of -9 (nano) up to at
least 10 to the power of +12 (giga). But how many know the
multipliers outside this range? For example, with disk drives
getting bigger, we're starting to hear about terabyte drive
arrays.
Prefix Symbol Power Prefix Symbol Power
yotta- Y +24 deci- d -1
zetta- Z +21 centi- c -2
exa- E +18 milli- m -3
peta- P +15 micro µ -6
tera- T +12 nano n -9
giga- G +9 pico- p -12
mega- M +6 femto- f -15
kilo- k +3 atto- a -18
hecto h +2 zepto- z -21
deca- da +1 yocto- y -24
Full details at: http://www.alcyone.com/max/physics/reference/prefixes.html
Many thanks to Richard VK2SKY for SI
Prefixes. Ed
UP THE STICK is
published quarterly by VK2MB Manly Warringah
Radio Society, PO Box 186, Brookvale NSW 2100.
Editor: Bob Hawksley, VK2GRY. Homepage: http://www.zeta.org.au/~richardm/RadioClubs/mwrs/
(*If you're wondering
about the name, "Up the Stick!" was the
catch cry of Jack Africa**, a character on local
radio DJ Doug Mulray's morning radio program on
2MMM several years ago. For some obscure reason,
nobody at the club has objected to the name, nor
has anyone come up with an alternative.)
** As I recall,
"Jack" would phone Doug up during his
program, and in between references to various
pharmaceutical products, who mutter things like
"you've got the power, Mullows, you send it
UP THE STICK!" etc. etc. Apart from the
connection of sending power - presumably RF - up
the "stick" - antenna, right? - this
has precious little to do with Amateur Radio, but
at least it's a bit more distinctive than
"MWRS Newsletter"... Richard VK2SKY)
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