VK3
Victorian news
The final report of the Royal Commission into the Black Saturday bushfire disaster includes comments on communications issues identified through its hearings and public consultation.
The lack of inter-operability between the CFA and DSE radio systems was noted, and the CFA’s admission that it had not kept up with emerging technology.
The Commission makes specific suggestions for improving the information and tracking systems and proposes that their standardisation by a priority.
The report said, “Communications systems on 7 February were also hindered by poor coverage, lack of interoperability between emergency services agencies, and insufficient investment in new technologies.”
It said, “There were also communication difficulties between metropolitan and regional police because of incompatible radio systems. Further, radio ‘black spots’ meant that reception was poor or non-existent in some areas, and there was channel congestion and insufficient channel availability.
“These problems were exacerbated when fire damaged or destroyed radio and telecommunications infrastructure.”
The report acknowledged that the State has begun work to resolve these problems, notably through the new Emergency Services Communications Strategic Framework, which has six priorities: seamless statewide communication, call taking and dispatch, consistent statewide quality of service, improved data services, location-based services, and community communication.
Until the statewide communications system envisaged by the new framework becomes a reality, the CFA should continue to improve its existing communications system, including by resolving coverage deficiencies.
There should also be further research into smoke interference with communications systems and equipment, and this problem should be recognised in CFA and DSE training for communications planners.
The report said that it found unacceptable that the fighting of ferocious fires, highly dependence on cross-agency coordinator, was no supported by coordinated information and systems for tracking fire vehicles and mapping fires.
When the State’s approach to fighting ferocious fires is so highly dependent on cross-agency coordination it is unacceptable that effective coordination of information systems has not been achieved.
New and sophisticated digital radio and messaging system is being introduced to replace the Country Fire Authority’s analogue system that dates back 15 years.
Some $32 million will be spent with digital radio sets that will also allow the sending of GPS information for fire appliance tracking and short status messages from fire crews in the field.
With 10,000 analogue base and mobile radios in the CFA network the digital roll out will begin later this year to be completed mid-2012.
Melbourne's Western and Northern Suburbs Amateur Radio Club (WANSARC) extensively used the D-ATV repeater VK3RTV on Mt Dandenong on each of its recent three day roster slot for the WIA special callsign VK100WIA.
At the portable end was avid ATVer Mick Ampt VK3CH who transmitted from the Pentland Hills west of Melbourne, the Diamond Valley Market Latrobe University in Bundoora, and at Mount Cooper, Bundoora, the highest point in metropolitan Melbourne.
While Mike was playing digital television other club members were making many contacts on HF, VHF, UHF and D-STAR.
WANSARC is a medium sized but very enthusiastic club with eight or so of its members actively getting behind the WIA's centenary, and further exposing amateur radio to the public.
VK3RTV was digitised last year through major funding from Amateur Radio Victoria, plus $1,000 from the WIA Clubs Grants Program.
In its application for the grant, Amateur Radio Victoria promised that the WIA Centenary would be promoted through VK3RTV.
Already it has televised the live broadcast which occurred in Canberra, and now through the excellent efforts of WANSARC and its transmissions. More will be televised before years end.
David Park VK3JDA who watched the happenings on air, has put up highlights vision and sound on YouTube. The latest from Mount Cooper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnmYodpyxmA
Registrations to attend this premier radio technical conference being held on 10 and 11 July, will definitely close on Friday 2 July.
GippsTech has a primary focus on techniques applicable in the VHF, UHF and microwave bands, especially for weak-signal contacts.
On the social side there will be the always popular Partner\'s Tour, informal social gathering for dinner on Friday and a Conference Dinner on Saturday.
The conference venue is Monash University Gippsland Campus in Churchill, about 170 km east of Melbourne.
For more details visit the Eastern Zone Amateur Radio Club website: vk3bez.org/
Getting ready for another QRP expedition are both Stephen VK3SN and Gerard Warrillow, VK3GT who with a team including newly radio amateurs will be skiing and camping in the snowy wilderness of the Victorian Alps.
This year they?ll be in the snow country 9-13 August with operating to focus on HF SSB and VHF repeaters using solar powered QRP gear. PSK31 is also a possibility.
The QRP activity will be each evening after the team have fixed their accommodation for the night in snow caves and igloos.
The Gippsland Gate Radio and Electronics Club (GGREC) has issued a welcome to all to witness its re-enactment of the first direct press message being sent from the United Kingdom to Australia in 1921.
Wireless room at Koo-Wee-Rup
The club has organised a plaque commemorating the AWA experimental station that received the first message on 5 December 1921. It will be unveiled at 3pm on Friday 18 June.
The re-enactment is planned to involve the Dragon Amateur Radio Club in Wales operating from the Marconi Long Wave Transmitting MUU station buildings at Waunfawr near Caernarfon. Its members will attempt to transmit the text of the original 1921 message by Morse code.
The GGREC will also be using the callsign VK100WIA from a station set-up at the Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society rooms, 325 Rossiter Rd Koo-Wee-Rup southeast of Melbourne on 16, 17 and 18 June UTC.
For more information: http://ggrec.org.au/VK100WIA or email secretary@ggrec.org.au
The latest on the VK3RTV repeater on Mt Dandenong which services the Melbourne and Geelong areas is that stereo sound is now available for both its digital and analogue inputs.
Peter Cossins VK3BFG advises that for analogue the sub-carrier frequencies at 6 and 6.5 MHz, and operators need to activate it by DTMF code Star Zero Three Hash (* 0 3 #).
About seven stations transmitting digital DVB-S uplink also have the capability to transmit stereo sound.
New 23 cm antenna arrays are yet to be completed and the system is currently running VK3RTV-1 on a temporary antenna.
Peter VK3BFG also advises that experiments are being made with Internet streaming via the British Amateur TV Club.
The VK3RTV repeater digitisation has been primarily funded by Amateur Radio Victoria with $1,000 also provided by the WIA Club Grants Program.
The Museum of Victoria in Melbourne will be conducting an activity centred on Morse code on Sundays 11am to 3pm April to June.
Children and families will be using a Morse code sheet to work out and write down their names in code on the back of a bookmark made in the shape of the SS Titanic and during an exhibition on that famous ship and maritime disaster.
Channel 31 which services the Melbourne and Geelong areas is to switch over to digital broadcasts in May, with some financial support from both federal and state governments.
The station is now looking for new TV producers with ideas to take best advantage of the digital medium.
It is to transmit on digital channel 44 from Mount Dandenong, while simulcasting on analogue Channel 31 until 2013.
The signal will also now travel to the transmitter via a fibre-optic cable rather than the current microwave link to Mt Dandenong.
Channel 31 started in 1994 and will spend $1.3 million to upgrade its studio and broadcast facilities to digital.
The Federal Government has contributed $600,000, the Victorian Government $350,000 and the station will hold a subscriberthon next month to raise the test of the funding.
The community TV station broadcasts has experienced a rapid decline in viewer numbers as a result of the uptake of digital TV sets in households.
Students at Doncaster Primary School in Melbourne’s north-east are scheduled to talk to astronauts on the International Space Station.
