The Hamilton ATV User's Group is a subgroup of the Hamilton radio club, compromising of persons interested in the transmission and reception of Amateur Television.
For readers outside New Zealand, we use PAL-B 625 line, 5.5 MHz sound offset.
New Zealand has an Amateur allocation in the 615 MHz band which is Channel E39 (European system).
Several Radio clubs around New Zealand run low powered TV (repeater) transmitters on this channel.
It is important to foster experimentation and technical skills of Amateurs using different modes.
The Hamilton ATV repeater (run by the User's Group) transmits 24 hours on UHF Channel 39 consisting of a 'teletext' generator which cycles through 32 pages. It gives visual information pages of interesting data about Amateur Radio in the Waikato area, Club information and test patterns.
The repeater automatically repeats AM TV signals transmitted by other Hams uplinked on UHF, once the receiver detects a valid TV signal.
The repeater equipment rack
Material transmitted is NOT of commercial origin (without permission being granted) and NO advertising is allowed. Content of material may vary from test patterns to radio activities, general interest tapes and private amateur videos (fit for public consumption).
Jerry Lewis ZL1RN operating the club station.
Amateurs that contribute and participate in activites:
ZL1UJK, ZL1WTT, ZL1VFO, ZL1VWM, ZL1BLB, ZL1BKG
ZL1TOF, ZL1TVQ, ZL1ABS, ZL1QF, ZL1AG, ZL1UET
ZL1RN, ZL1BRI
30 April 1999
Hamilton ATV News from Jerry ZL1RN & Bill ZL1BRI
The 615 MHz ATV repeaters' transmitting aerial, a stacked pair of Alford slots, has been raised to a greater height. It is now on a guyed mast on the peak of the roof of the Hamilton Radio Clubrooms.
The RG213U feedline has been replaced with a low loss hardline cable. More RF is getting to the aerial than ever before and combined with the greater height, reports of up to two "P" points improvement in received picture are being reported to Jerry ZL1RN. Ian ZL1VFO is renovating and expanding the teletext video generator. An 8 way A/V switch board is being added too.
The 615 MHz transmitter Aerial on the clubhouse roof.
It is a horizontally polarised stacked pair of the Alford Slot design.
The July ATV Interest group (of the Auckland VHF Group meeting was held in Hamilton, last Sunday. Brett ZL1TFA, Jono ZL1UPJ, Jerry ZL1RN, Kiely ZL1WPK and Warren ZL3WPS were the local HN amateurs. Bill ZL1BRI put in an apology due to illness. The visitors were: Michael ZL1ABS, Grant ZL1WTT, Wayne ZL1UJK, Henry ZL1AAN and Ian ZL1VFO. Jerry ZL1RN hosted the meeting at his home in Frankton.
The two things that the local amateurs wanted for the ZL1UX ATV repeater, in the future, were: more power on the 615 MHz output and the Australian/German stereo sound system (5.5 MHz + 5.74 MHz) on the transmitter. More power on channel 39 could be obtained several ways: two more BLV93 stages combined in parallel with the existing two, a BLV57 amplifier as used in ZL1BQ or something that may be for sale in Australia. Wayne ZL1UJK thinks that there is some used 579 MHz ATV equipment over there, now that the 579 MHz amateur allocation is being withdrawn in some cities. The PA stages are of interest for re-use at 615 MHz. Enquires are being made. A demonstration of Australian/German stereo could be done sometime using the Auckland groups’ Hills IF unit, already modified, but not used at present in ZL1BQ. A snag is that there isn't a pilot tone gen for it yet. Wayne ZL1UJK is working on building three pilot gen units, all identical, so it could be done as soon as one is ready. With a stereo sound source at the ZL1UX repeater, receivers would get stereo sound when the repeater was in beacon mode. A stereo sound receiver (or suitable VCR as a tuner) would be a later project as no-one in Hamilton has a 70cm ATV Tx equipped to transmit stereo at present, anyway. After a couple of months demo, the HN ATVers would decide whether to get their own Hills IF unit modified the same or not.
Over at the Hamilton clubhouse, Henry ZL1AAN took some pictures of the ZL1UX Clubrooms, shack, ATV rack and aerial systems with a digital camera. (If you would like them by email or post contact Henry ZL1AAN, email [email protected] or packet ZL1AAN@ZL1AB) While Henry ZL1AAN was doing that, Jerry ZL1RN, Grant ZL1WTT and Ian ZL1VFO replaced the EPROM in the Teletext video generator with a new one. It gives 32 pages of text and graphical information about Amateur Radio in the Waikato. It is hoped all the local clubs & other modes groups mentioned appreciate the publicity they are getting. Many of the pages are completely new. Some are adaptations of those now used in ZL1BQ or are to appear when ZL1BQs’ 32 pages are expanded to 64 pages. Those watching back at Jerrys' house received the new pages on his TV.
Also Jerry ZL1RN received his 70cm ATV transmitter back from Wayne ZL1UJK who’d been repairing the video modulator. So he is now back on the air.
73
The Hamilton Clubhouse and aerials.
ZL1UX the club station of the Hamilton branch of the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters.
