| QNEWS REPORT 1997-98 | Wireless
Institute of Australia Queensland. News Editor Presenter for digital and audio, Graham vk4bb. Audio on Public Access FM in Townsville and Brisbane as well as HF VHF UHF and RealAudio on the WWW.
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QNEWS is the Wireless Institute of Australia Queensland's weekly Amateur Radio News and Information Service. It is sent in both digital and audio mode on both the internet and over normal Ham Radio outlets.
QNEWS is read on the Internet, on packet radio bulletins sent as WIA @ VKNET and on TeleText page 844 on TT equipped BBS's.
QNEWS audio, again on the internet at this site in RealAudio lets you listen anytime, night or day to the latest WW and VK Ham news.
Public Access FM Broadcast stations such as 4TTT-FM in Townsville, FM88 from
Logan and Brisbane's Southside, and 99 FM on the Redcliffe Peninsular and
Brisbane's north run a special monthly edition of QNEWS which is aimed primarily
at the non- amateur with the hope of encouraging them to join the "Wonderful
World of Amateur Radio". The local newspaper on the Redcliffe Peninsular heard
VK4AFA David on one such broadcast this year and rang for his contact number.
David was discussing the origins of our Morse code.
Sample cassettes of the
public access programs are available from the WIAQ in Brisbane.
A volunteer team of rebroadcasters across the state relay QNEWS Sunday morning and night with another repeat Monday evenings. All major frequencies are covered, SSB transmissions from 160 through to 10 meters and FM on 10 and 2 meters and 70cm.
QNEWS is aired the first time at 1930 UTC Fridays in CW on 3535.
The first Audio program at 2300 UTC Saturdays, 9am Sunday local time. The program is beamed into the main Brisbane VHF repeater, and from here our qnews team of rebroadcasters send it on its way on most bands.
QNEWS is replayed Mondays 0930hrs UTC (7:30pm local) and leads into a talk back with the WIA councillors session on the old Queensland Clubs Net. This is on 3.605 and the main 147.000 MHz Brisbane repeater.
For Amateurs who miss either of these two broadcasts a third replay is conducted the FOLLOWING SUNDAY NIGHT, at 7pm local time.
Distant (from Brisbane) stations now have the ability to download the audio from the QNEWS FTP site or take it direct from the WWW in "real time".
Stations relaying the news in realaudio as at March are:- VK4ZZ Gavin Townsville , VK4HSS Shaun Rockhampton, VK4FC and VK4JJB Ron and Julie Bundaberg linked repeater system and down on the Gold Coast Ken Ayers VK4KD. Rockhampton also retransmit on 3.615 Sunday mornings and Townsville rebroadcast on 2 meter simplex 8pm Sundays.
With all this use of modern digital techniques QNEWS has not forgotten the Amateurs origins, a CW edition (20wpm) Fridays at 0930hrs UTC on 3535 is provided by John, VK4AFS.
QNEWS relies on input from the active VK Amateurs, but also has access to the ARRL, ARNewsline, infact all world Societies. Packet news "swaps" occur from an automatic CCLIST server on VK4WIA linking these Societies and all but VK3 divisions. (The offer was not taken up by vk3's Office Manager, as they "get enough news".) QNEWS is distributed to these other divisions and Societies PRIOR to broadcasting to the general amateur population.
Since mid January not one week has gone by without at least one, sometimes two overseas Societies and or Amateur radio news services picking up a QNEWS originated story and crediting us as such.
March saw the packet QNEWS moving around VK much quicker thanks to Tasmania's
Tony VK7AX and Central Queensland Amateur Dave VK4UN.
We had over a long
period found a problem where certain words or phrases used normally in QNEWS
would trip the automatic filters used by most BBS's in South East Queensland and
unless the SysOp of that board was "handy" to his system parts of QNEWS could
remain for sometimes a day or two until released. This new method gives us 3
"bites of the cherry".
QNEWS Director, VK4BB Graham Kemp a broadcast professional, is in the
enviable position for a divisional news director as he has access to the Radio
Studios of 4TAB Queensland after hours of a Friday evening in which to prepare
the weekly program.
Copies of the master are picked up at the 4TAB studios
by volunteer rebroadcasters and the Internet Edition is converted to .RA files
by Peter Harding VK4JPH who also negotiated the Powerup Web Site.
Other
rebroadcasters in the Brisbane area pick the news up from the Brisbane 2mtr
repeater.
QNEWS has also "gone on the road" with broadcasts from the radio clubs conference, CQ radio convention, and Cairns. Last years JOTA weekend broadcast was presented by Boys and Girls from the Scouting Movement. The Scouts were coached and directed by David Jones VK4OF. Rewind has proven a popular segment "on the Q". This is produced with help from WIAQ Historian Al Shawsmith VK4SS and David Brownsey VK4AFA and looks at our "roots". RD weekend specials have included actual recordings made by a G operator as he flew on a mission over Germany in a Lancaster! IMAGINE THE DISK CUTTER ON BOARD!!
In excess of ten thousand (10,000) listeners took the time to check in with the rebroadcasters after the audio programs last year! Not a bad "survey result!" coupled with around 7,000 "hits" on the WWW. SEVENTEEN THOUSAND INFORMED HAMS!
QNEWS where to now?
The formatics of the QNEWS Audio is designed in such a
way that any club or division could utilise the 2nd and 4th segments of the 4
parts and showcase their own local news, much in the same way the ABC national
and state news is handled across Australia. SEG 2 and 4 are generic as such,
they don't mention VK4 .. just QNEWS and the WIA.
Material is non-copyright and maybe rebroadcast by any group, however please let QNEWS know you are utilising the service.
VP Services is working on re-establishing a 6 meter feed PLUS a broadcast to the 10 meter Southside AR Club Brisbane's repeater.
Many repeaters in "the west" are linked however the ability to "turn the timer off" remotely does not exist. Now QNEWS is available on the web, it is feasible to retransmit the program and PAUSE the audio whilst the repeaters "drop out" then restart WITHOUT LOSING ANY PROGRAM CONTENT! It is also obvious that if their batteries (solar powered repeaters) are low at 9am Sundays they can retransmit at ANY time the clubs wished.
TELETEXT
We mentioned how QNEWS was on the VK ZL
TeleText service. TeleText can be likened to our callbook's data section "on
line". Here you'll find all of VK's ZL's progressive radio clubs, history of AR
QRG listings, records contests, infact you name it chances are it exists on
TeleText. Pages are distributed into the national grid by ZL2TZE, VK4BAG and
VK4BB from pages participating BBS's have "drawn up". It is a completely
automated system, the BBS's SysOp need do nothing after installing the free
software available from QNEWS. The actual program was designed in Holland by a
group of packet CB 'ers and the automated process designed by James VK4XJB in
Toowoomba.
QNEWS could not reach you, the member or prospective member if it weren't for
the regular Sunday morning rebroadcast team
VK4BCF and his "top band gang"
,4BSD AIF AI. VK4AFS WAG BGT VK4PJ 4AMV VK4MU NJQ 4ZMM 4AED VK4JHM EWR 4NWH
VK4HBP VK4WJT/JL VK4JEN VK4JPH VK4KD VK4KBS DUG ACC ALD HSS VK4OB FC JJB ZGF The
gang operating on repeaters such as VK4RSC along with VK4ZZ VK4NEF VK4PT..the
list is endless!
Also our regular contributors of club and special interest
group information and throughout the year, DX from Liz VK4IL, contest news from
John VK4EMM, intruders from Tom VK4BTW and John Aarsse VK4QA with his Column 73.
THANK YOU.. and thank YOU for listening to Australia's leading Amateur Radio Program.. QNEWS.
Graham VK4BB
(prepared for the WIAQ AGM April 1998)
Figures for 1997-1998 show
135 + connects to the WIAQ web site weekly.
200 + WEEKLY LOGGED CALLS CHECKING IN ON
AUDIO SERVICE ON AMATEUR BANDS.