QDG Digipeat

Digipeat is the Official Newsletter of the Queensland Digital Group

Incorporating 'Amateur Eye', the Official Newsletter of the South East Queensland Amateur Television Group

*** QDG DIGIPEAT January 2012 ***



January General Meeting

The January QDG general meeting will be held on Friday January 20 at the Chermside Library, room 2b.
The meeting will start at 7:30pm; if you arrive late, please push the buzzer for entry.
The library is near the shops on the corner of Hamilton Rd and Kittyhawk Dr (enter from Kittyhawk Dr).

Location map:
http://my247.com.au/brisbane/Chermside-Library.6803

The South East Queensland ATV group will visit us for a combined meeting to discuss their plans for Digital TV.

Editorial

A very happy new year to all QDG and SEQATV group members.
This is the first issue of Digipeat to fully incorporate the SEQATV group's Amateur Eye magazine.
The separate Digipeat and Amateur Eye Extra emails to club members will continue.

It's been good to see the increase use of the Brisbane ATV repeaters over the Christmas period, this will continue
as the SEQATV group's repeater changes to a digital output later this year.

Narrow band microwave activity in South East Queensland is increasing rapidly with many new stations taking part in this weekend's
WIA VHF field day. A range of microwave dishes supplied by the QDG has helped stations get on air.

The QDG now has 58 members.

Alan VK4NA

VK Classifieds

It's still FREE and is compatible with all the latest browsers but has many
new features.
One of the new features is that you can now add up to 5 pictures to each
advert. Even video and audio files can be used!
This service is free to all but adverts to purchase amateur transmitting
equipment are only permitted by licensed amateurs.
http://www.vkclassifieds.com.au

spaceweather.com

The site to go to find out what's up in space
http://spaceweather.com/

PropnET.org

The Internet Portal to the PropNET Project.
PropNET is an ad-hoc 2-way (and potentially, "more-way") RF-based digital communication network whose activity
is reported on the Internet. As participating stations periodically ID and exchange data, they report their
activity to an Internet data-collection hub for presentation through this web site.
http://propnet.org/

WA8LMF

Miscellaneous Diagrams, Files and Information
http://wa8lmf.net/miscinfo/

UZ7HO Soundmodem software

Andrei UA7HO has made available a new soundcard softmodem for 300 baud HF AX.25 packet and 1200 baud VHF packet.

The software is described as a direct drop-in replacement for the sound card part of AGWpe.

It can be used with UI-View, AGW Tracker, APRSpoint, or any other program that can use the AGW Packet Engine
via TCP/IP (not the DDE used by WinPack), with the added capability to set the audio tone pair(s) used to any frequencies.

With a stereo sound system input, it can function on both modes at the same time by using 2 sound card interfaces.
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/december2011/uz7ho_soundmodem_software.htm

EEWeb

Information and help for Electrical and electronic engineering
http://www.eeweb.com/

AmateurLogic

Videos about Amateur Radio and electronics
Get the latest AmateurLogic episode
http://www.amateurlogic.com/blog

digitalradio · Amateur Radio Digital Mode Discussion

Digitalradio is the world's leading forum for discussion and exchange of information regarding digital modes via
amateur radio. From "beginner" to the expert, all participate and all are invited.DigitalRadio is for ALL digital
modes. Calling QRG:1843, 3583,7073,10143,14073,14109(wide modes)18103,21073,24923,28123
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/digitalradio/

PowerLineNoise.com

Do you have power line noise?
What can you do???
Here is one ham's perspective...
http://www.powerlinenoise.com/

The DIY Magic of Amateur Radio

A new promotional video has been released to attract Hackers, Makers and Innovators to amateur radio.

The video features well known hacker and maker Diana Eng KC2UHB along with Ham Nation's Bob Heil K9EID and ISS
Astronaut Doug Wheelock KF5BOC. It follows some of the innovative, imaginative and fun ways "hams" use radio
technology in new and creative ways and points out that amateur radio clubs are similar to hacker groups.

Watch The DIY Magic of Amateur Radio in HD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlDwVhx7miQ

Ham Radio HSMM-MESH™

A high speed, self discovering, self configuring, fault tolerant, wireless computer network that can run for days
from a fully charged car battery, or indefinitely with the addition of a modest solar array or other supplemental
power source. The focus is on emergency communications.
http://www.hsmm-mesh.org/

FUNcube

Hackers and Makers in AMSAT-UK are building the amateur radio satellite FUNcube. AMSAT-UK publishes a colour A4
newsletter, OSCAR News, which is full of Amateur Satellite information.
Free sample issue at http://www.uk.amsat.org/on_193_final.pdf

HackSat1

London Hackspace work on HackSat1
http://www.uk.amsat.org/2011/11/20/london-hackspace-work-on-hacksat1/

Narrow Band ATV video

Chris Long VK3AML has produced a video showing amateur radio narrow band TV which uses just 10 kHz bandwidth.

The YouTube description reads:
VK3AML starts with a raw and rather fuzzy 32 line image, generated within a 10 kHz bandwidth. Improvements are
introduced:-
(1) raising gamma to improve greyscale,
(2) sharpening applied to webcam software prior to standards conversion to 32-lines,
(3) high frequency boosting of 32 line wav file after standards conversion by applying FFT protocol in
AdobeAudition V3 software.
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/january2012/narrow_band_atv_video.htm

The Standards Conversion Freeware necessary for converting video, avi or webcam
to 32-line NBTV pictures can be found on Gary Millard's web page:
http://users.tpg.com.au/users/gmillard/nbtv.htm

Microwave Design and Why Experience Matters

Rowetel
http://www.rowetel.com/blog/?p=1882

An interesting 2.4 GHz antenna comparison

Antenna Testing
http://villagetelco.org/2009/12/antenna-testing/

Ham Nation

On line TV show about Amateur radio
http://twit.tv/show/ham-nation

Rowetel

Lithium Batteries for my EV
http://www.rowetel.com/blog/?p=142

QDG Membership

QDG Membership is presently free.
As of January 2012 the QDG has 58 members.
Information and a list of members are up on the web site http://www.qdg.org.au/qdgmem.htm
Membership forms are on the web site.

Membership services

QDG 2012 members may receive a membership card that can be used to obtain discounts at an Australia wide electronic
supplier. Details and cards are available at QDG meetings.

Members receive additional 'Digipeat Extra' emails and invitations to other club activities not included in the Digipeat newsletter.

Sound Card to Radio Interface

This computer to radio interface can be used for any audio mode including voice.
The SCI provides isolation to remove earth loops as well as providing switching and level adjustment.

Contact Richard VK4ZA on 07 3376 5231, email vk4za@qdg.org.au or via the QDG web site.
Please contact Richard if you are interested in a dual interface PC board or a mark 2 version with modified
connections.

QDG information

Club contact: Alan Wills VK4NA
Digipeat Editor: Alan Wills VK4NA
Web site: Alan Wills VK4NA
Supper: Alan Wills VK4NA
JOTA: Richard VK4ZA

Phone Alan Wills VK4NA after hours on 61 07 3351 1673

Email: qdg@qdg.org.au

Web site: http://www.qdg.org.au

Digipeat http://www.qdg.org.au/qdgdigi.htm

Enjoy your hobby!

73 Alan VK4YAR / VK4NA

*** Queensland Digital Group ***
** Supporting Radio Communications in VK4 **

Originally sent out via packet radio and teletype before the internet, the QDG's magazine "Digipeat" is emailed to members and posted on this web site every month.

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