2001 News:
12 December 2001
Grant ZL1WTT hosted the November ATV meeting from his new location ib Pakuranga.
1st September
Wally ZL1VWM hosted the September AK ATV Interest Group (of the AK VHF Group inc.) meeting at his house in Ponsonby on 30th September.
4th August
Quentin ZL1QF hosted the August AK ATV Interest Group meeting at his house in Milford, Auckland the 26th of August. SHF ATV, repeater controlers and further workshop sessions on 23cm FMTV transmitters of the Auckland (ZL1QF, ZL1WTT, ZL1UJK, ZL1VFO & ZL1AAN in collaboration) design were the planned topics. The new set of ATV Repeater amplifiers for ZL1BQ (615MHz)were seen before they go into service. A new magazine - CQ-TV no195, from the BATC, was available to read.
30th July
Tim ZL3VTV hosted the July AK ATV Interest Group meeting at his
house in Howick, Auckland on the 29th July. It was a day to bring a soldering iron, parts and built up (or partly built) PLL boards (for the 23cm FMTV transmitters to test.
Ken ZL1TVQ tested his now completed 23cm FMTV transmitter. The PLL is now properly locking (some new loop filter modifications were used) and the low power PA puts out 1.7 Watts. Tim ZL3VTV's transmitter is also fully working, but he awaits a M67715 power amplifier module to be able to use it on air through the Whitford ATV Repeater.
Ian ZL1VFO helped Michael ZL1ABS out with PC woes and restored a badly out of focus monitor to great sharpness. Fitting a 10GB additional hard drive to a 1993 model 486 PC wasn't so good, so for a modest sum Ian provided a 500MB one that the bios and DOS 6.22 + Win3.1 were happy to accept. Mike has a brand new 10GB hard drive for sale now, would suit someone with a pentium or a newer than 1993 bios in their 486 motherboard.
Quentin ZL1QF sucessfully demonstrated his newly built FMTV transmitter and receiver for the 9cm Amateur band (3.4GHz). It sent a low power signal across the room from the open ends of the waveguides. As well as high quality (full satellite transponder bandwidth) video, he had stereo audio carriers on 6.0 & 6.5 MHz equipped in the transmitter modulator. The application of using the higher SHF Amateur bands for ATV Repeater linking in Auckland were discussed and some proposals to the AK VHF Group and NZART's FMTAG will be worked out at the August ATV Interest Group meeting.
Several Form 10 applications are still with FMTAG or the MED for ATV repeater projects. Some news is hoped for during August.
-----------------------------
The June meeting of the (www.qsl.net/zl1qf/ATVusers.html - our web page)
Auckland ATV Interest Group (of the Auckland VHF Group inc. Br66 NZART inc.
www.qsl.net/zl1bq ) was last Sunday afternoon. It was hosted by Andrew
ZL2TQV. The day was typical wintry, wetness among the Kauri trees of
Titirangi.
Attending were Ashly ZL1AG (not one of the walking undead, as everyone joked. The Break In obituary is for the previous holder of the callsign ZL1AG. Why a local club submitted it for publication last month, so long after the chap became a Silent Key, no one knows), Tim ZL3VTV, Ken ZL1TVQ, Michael ZL1ABS, Andrew ZL2TQV and Daniel ZL2UTV. Four 23cm ATV exciter boards were tested, repaired, were completed, tuned and seen to be working on a 23cm FMTV on the other side of the room. Another two boards, remain unfinished but had more parts soldered to the pcb than when they arrived. (These exciters are a development from CQ-TV 133 and Henry ZL1AAN has had his example published in 73 magazine. Using locally available parts, they are the easiest, low cost way to produce a low power 23cm FMTV signal available to ZLs)
ATVQ magazines were searched to find Wavecom articles that Rob ZL3TCM is looking for. Recent BATC CQ-TV magazines were passed around. Andrew ZL2TQV showed a two element 23cm Yagi-Uda he had built for a handheld from a CQ-TV article. Ken took a NEC printer cartridge home to try from the pile that the ATV Interest Group has acquired. There were no takers for chart recorder paper.
Projects to increase the output power at the Whitford ATV Repeater to 30 Watts (power supply being built, two M57762 PA modules already purchased), fit an 8 way remote controlled Video switch to Whitford (being assembled by Ian ZL1VFO), add a 2.4 GHz FMTV output to the ZL1BQ Nihotupu repeater (nothing purchased or built so far), assemble a low cost DOS PC to run SSTV to FSTV display at ZL1BQ (Grant ZL1WTT testing Dos type software for auto-boot features and Doug ZL1AVY looking for hardware) were discussed. Interest in the progress of the Whangarei ATV repeater Form 10 application to FMTAG was expressed. As soon as the Whangarei BR28 NZART submits the completed form, to FMTAG, the process of consultation and publication in Break In will begin.
Many thanks to Andrew ZL2TQV and his family who invited the late-stayers to
have macaroni, mince and cheese with them for dinner.
"ATVers should be seen as well as heard" Wellington VHF Group inc. Q-Bit
magazine quote.
27th May
The May ATV Interest Group (of the Auckland VHF Group inc.) meeting was held at 1pm on 27th May.
This was the second meeting in succession at my house. As no-one else was "bursting to host it", this seems reasonable. The wet weather prevented any attempt at aerial works to get a 23cm beam up on a pole. Last moth's efforts on a cable upgrade of a tri-band vertical VHF/UHF/SHF aerial have been a great success.
Ralph ZL1TBG brought some miniature 2.4 GHz FM TV equipment to demonstrate. It worked very well.
A worthwhile amount of funds were raised by selling donated goods, from a table, at the Cambridge Market Day last Saturday.
Grant ZL1WTT gave a talk at the 75th NZART Conference. A small number showed an interest.
73
---------------------------
Michael Sheffield ZL1ABS
Voice Mail 0800-654876 x88032
Email [email protected]
April 29th
The ATV Interest Group meeting was held on Sunday April 29th at Michael Sheffield's house 1pm onwards.
The weather was showers, but I did get some help some help to replace the coax cable on my 2m/70cm/23cm vertical aerial. Putting up a 23cm band beam aerial will have to wait for another time.
ANZAC Day 25th April
A visit to Whitford has seen a controller device fitted and A/V leads with better screening fitted.
Easter 2001
The STSP repeater (located at Parahaki) for the Whangarei Technology Convention weekend worked well, putting in a P4.5 signal at a good receiving set-up at the club rooms (Heritage Park). A 23cm band (1282 MHz) FMTV input was used (Dynalink Sat RX with filter & line amp in front) to a VSB Hills TX (on channel 39 UHF 50cm) with Class A PAs to produce 1.8 Watts output average.
This sucessful STSP operation hopefully precedes a permanent channel 39 ATV Repeater in Whangarei.
January 28th 2001
An ATV Interest Group meeting was held at Andrew ZL2TQV's house. A variety of things were examined from 23cm Aerials (& aerials for other bands), Kauri trees (Andrew has some fine 500 year old ones in his back yard), 2.4 GHz video senders, new 70cm bandplan and an ATV Studeo for the AK VHF Group inc. clubrooms.
Attended by Tim ZL3VTV, Michael ZL1ABS, Quentin ZL1QF, Andrew ZL2TQV, Ashly ZL1AG, Grant ZL1WTT, and Kevin ZL1OVY.
A demonstration of a STSP repeater for the Whangarei Easter VHF Convention was planned.
Several video tapes from Andrews holiday selection were viewed.
ATV Notes#24
Auckland ATV Interest Group (of the Auckland VHF Group inc.) December meeting report
Attended by Tim ZL3VTV, Ian ZL1VFO, Michael ZL1ABS, Ken ZL1TVQ, Kiely
ZL1WPK, Quentin ZL1QF, Andrew ZL2TQV, Ashly ZL1AG, Grant ZL1WTT, Richard
Thompson & Henry ZL1AAN. Apologies from Kevin ZL1OVY, Wayne ZL1UJK, Jerry ZL1RN & Bill
ZL1BRI.
I sold two of the 23cm Yagi aerial kits, this afternoon, to Tim ZL3VTV &
Richard Thompson (no callsign, ex Telecom Tech now American Video Services,
fax 525-2-625 - a great number to have eh!). So only one left available from
the first batch.
Tim ZL3VTV & Ian ZL1VFO climbed on the roof & put up a 23cm Yagi with a
plastic pipe boom & line amp to receive Whitford. The receiver in the
bedroom was plugged into a Wavecom 2.4GHz video-sender to get to the lounge
room TV. The result was great pictures & sound. Signals originating from
ZL1BQ were P4 using ZL3VTV Tim's homebuilt 23cm FMTV RX (only P3 on the Pace
Sat RX). Signals sent through Whitford, by Grant ZL1WTT, were a bit better,
P4.5, up to the same level that I get direct on my set at home watching
615MHz direct. The Whitford 615 MHz receiver may be a little off-tune in the
Summer heat or its' AFC is affected by other high power UHF TV signals,
explaining the difference. We saw taped material (assembling Whitford 2000 &
1999 10 GHz ATV cross-town QSOs) & live camera from Grant ZL1WTT.
A very convincing demonstration of the new repeater & it has inspired a few
more people to get things set up for reception at their own shacks.
Ian ZL1VFO had a video waveform monitor across the Wavecom receiver output.
It was noted that the waveform trace would bounce a lot rhythmically. It was
soon realised that the bouncing was indeed visual CW of the 50.043 MHz
beacon ZL1VHF. It is harder to pick this looking at the TV. So some work on
the filtering, aerial positions or power supplies is needed to eliminate
this effect.
ZL3VTV Tim's homebrewed beer is indeed strong rocket fuel. I had only one
glass of it as I wanted a clear head for driving home later.
It was decided to get a pair of 23cm 15 Watt (or 25 Watt version, if
available) power blocks to make a high power amp for Whitford. Ian ZL1VFO
will get a price to compare with other suppliers' offers. Also an offer of a
built up 23cm ATV receive filter from the UK will be investigated.
Andrew ZL2TQV offered to hold the first ATV meeting of 2001 on January 28th.
NZART FMTAG suggest the use of Vision Carrier 431.2500 MHz & Sound Carrier 436.7496 MHz (with heavy filtering requirements) in place of 443.25 MHz & 448.7496 MHz now that the MED has moved to reduce the NZ Amateur 70cm band to 10MHz, but make 430-440 MHz a Primary allocation for Amateurs.
Wellington VHF Groups' Home page at NZART.
Auckland VHF Groups' Home page for meeting information, repeater station information and lots more.
Links to other New Zealand sites on the Web
Amateur Radio in New Zealand
Auckland VHF Radio Group Inc.
Quentin ZL1QFs'Auckland VHF Group Spectrum magazine Pages
Whangarei Amateur Radio Club
Auckland Amateur Television info page
Hamilton Amateur Television info page
Christchurch ATV Repeater pictures
Christchurch ATV Group Home page
Auckland ATV old News reports for 1999
Auckland ATV old News reports for 2000
Auckland ATV old News reports for 2002
Auckland ATV old News reports for 2003
Auckland ATV old News reports for 2004
Murry ZL1BPU Fuzzy modes page
North Shore BR29 NZART home page
Kevin ZL1OVY's Ham page
APRS New Zealand Home page ZL1AMW (Amateur Position Reporting System)
Back to Michaels' Home page
Amateur Radio is a longtime hobby of mine. My New Zealand Amateur radio callsign is ZL1ABS. The Auckland VHF Group Inc. is my local Amateur Radio club. I am the current Vice-President.
Click to subscribe to the New Zealand National UHF Repeater system email list
Get the news about the National system as it happens.
� 2001 [email protected]
Get your own Free Home Page