New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters (NZART) Web: NZART Online

December 2005: News
Free HAMADS to members (28 December 2005) – The Break–In Advertising Manager, Lorne ZL2AHB advises members that HAMADS are to become free as at February 2006 issue of Break–In. This free service is for all members of the Association. Special conditions apply, which are outlined in the November/December issue of Break–In. Lorne advises members that HAMADS MUST be sent to the following address: Advertising Manager, PO Box 1733, Christchurch, and NOT to NZART HQ. This is yet another great service to members of the association.

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Exam Info Page (19 December 2005)
– Updated Examination Centre’s and Supervisors – The list of exam centre’s and supervisors from around the country has been updated. The page is available from the navigation bar on the left under the About Amateur Radio called Exam Info. The updated information can be downloaded from that page or directly from this link as a PDF file.

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Official Broadcast (18 December 2005)
NZART’s Official Broadcast – details presidential update from NZART President Bruce Douglas ZL2WP; NZART Headquarters update from the General Secretary, Debby Morgan ZL2TDM; Contest updates and much more... click on the above link to navigate to the Official Broadcast page to download the full broadcast in MP3 format (approximate. size 4.2 MB – about 8–12 minutes at 56K dial up speed or faster by broadband). Nostalgia Night 2005 Results – released 16 December 2005.

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Info–Line No: 107 (11 December 2005)
NZART’s Headquarters Info–Line Issue Number 107 – time is running out for those Remits for Conference 2006, in Christchurch. General Secretary, Debby Morgan ZL2TDM – details of promoting amateur radio, subscription drive information, and NZART HQ hours through the Christmas and New Year period. FMTAG updates, Contest results and Licence number updates. And much more... click on the above link to download the PDF (99kb).

H–Night Activity – 8 December 2005 This activity has now passed... get those logs in and receive the special certificate. How well did you do on the 80 metre band? Did you work any “DX”? Don’t forget to include comments when submitting the log. Rules in September/October 2005 Break–In Start time: 1930 NZST until 2130 NZST. Band: 80M. Modes: CW, AM and SSB.

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Jock White National Field Day Contest Rules for 2006 Updated (7 December 2005)
– updated Field Day rules – All logs must be now be submitted to Stuart Watchman ZL2TW, details in part 17 of the rules. Additional update – the Summary and Branch Points forms in both Excel and PDF format have been updated. Please use these updated forms for Field Day 2006.

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November 2005: News
Break–In Index: 2005 (29 November 2005) NZART’s official journal Break–In – index for 2005 is now available on the following link . The index has listed all the various articles from 2005. Also listed are the index’s of previous Break–In’s dating back to 1949, a great resource. Official Broadcast

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(27 November 2005)
NZART’s Official Broadcast – details presidential update from NZART President Bruce Douglas ZL2WP; NZART Headquarters update from the General Secretary, Debby Morgan ZL2TDM; Contest updates and much more... click on the above link to navigate to the Official Broadcast page to download the full broadcast in MP3 format (approximate. size 3.8 MB – about 5–10 minutes at 56K dial up speed or faster by broadband).

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Info–Line No: 106 (20 November 2005)
NZART’s Headquarters Info–Line Issue Number 106 – details comments from the General Secretary, Debby Morgan ZL2TDM – time is running out for the subscription rebate of $ 15.00 on the 2006 Subscriptions.FMTAG updates, Contest results and updates. And much more... click on the above link to download the PDF (150kb). Doug Gorman Memorial Frequency Measuring Contest 2005 Results – released 16 November 2005. NZART Memorial Contest 2005 Results – released 16 November 2005. VHF Field Day Rules Page – updated with new rules for 2005 – effective 11 November 2005. Operating times have changed on both Saturday and Sunday. Go to the Contests page for more information. Other Links Page – updated with all links checked and working – effective 11 November 2005. This page is available from the navigation bar on the left or of the underlined link here.

Silicon Chip slams BPL (8 November 2005) –Broadband over Power Lines will blot out many radio services. Australia’s electronics magazine Silicon Chip describes broadband over powerlines (BPL) as a flawed technology flying in the face of Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) regulations. The cover story “BPL is coming here ...” in its November edition has a good look at the spectrum–polluting broadband enabling technology delivered along mains power lines. The article by staff technical writer, Ross Tester said that the promise of delivering fast broadband without significantly new (and costly) infrastructure, BPL has been a pipedream for years. However, the wires to carry the broadband signals are stretched in the air and make “magnificent antennas radiating interference” right across the spectrum. Follow this link [5] to read the full article. NZART and WIA have a joined forces on BPL. Follow this link for more information.

FMTAG (Frequency Management Technical Advisory Group) has updated their Form 10 and Form 10A forms – the latest versions have been made available on this web site from the following link . The forms are are to be used immediately for all FMTAG applications – effective from 5 November 2005. NZART Executive Council appoints Brian Emmett, ZL3BE as the new Electro–Magnetic Compatibility (EMC) Officer – effective from 3 November 2005. “Top Band Dragon’s Fire” – signal blanketing 160 meters in Asia

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(1 November 2005)
The IARU Monitoring System (IARUMS [6] ) says radio amateurs in Japan and elsewhere in Asia and Oceania are reporting an unidentified intruder signal on 160 meters. In Japan, the wideband signal, which IARU Region 2 Monitoring System Coordinator Bill Zellers, WA4FKI, has dubbed “Top Band Dragon’s Fire,” reportedly began transmitting continuously about October 1, blanketing 160 meters rendering it useless for Amateur Radio work. The signal, which has been detected in parts of the US Northwest, was first heard as long ago as December 2004. Reports indicate that the signal turns up at different times at different locations. In some cases, it’s only during so–called “gray line” propagation, while others hear the signal 24/7. Near Perth, Australia, the intruder was heard slowly rising out the noise floor about a half–hour after sunset, increasing to around S7 and remaining long into the night. “The intruder is detectable from approximately 1700 kHz up to about 1930 kHz,” said one report that likened the sound to “a diesel motor with a ticking sound at a constant rate which is evenly spread across the band.” Stations in the US Northwest have heard the signal at about 1830 kHz on a north–pointing Beverage. Amateurs in Singapore report that the signal recently shifted from wideband noise to a pulsed signal. Reports also have arrived from New England. Veteran Top Band DXer Tom Rauch, W8JI, in Georgia says he can “just detect a noise floor increase some mornings,” but was unable to identify an actual signal. Forward reports to Chuck Skolaut, K0BOG, at ARRL Headquarters. NZART Executive Council appoints Mark Gooding, ZL2UFI as the new Webmaster – effective from 1 November 2005.

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[1] / [2] [3] http://www.nzart.org.nz/nzart/Update/Contests/NostalgiaResults2005.pdf [4] [5] [6] http://www.iaru.org/iarums/ [7] mailto:cskolaut@arrl.org