Release Candidate WSJT-X 2.7.0-rc1 is ready for download by beta testers

 Dear WSJT-X Users,

We are pleased to announce that Release Candidate WSJT-X 2.7.0-rc1 is
ready for download by beta testers.

WSJT-X 2.7.0 Release Candidate 1 introduces a new program called "QMAP",
a new Special Operating Activity known as "Q65 Pileup", and a number of
other program enhancements and bug fixes.  A full list of enhancements
can be found in the Release Notes:

https://wsjt.sourceforge.io/wsjtx-doc/Release_Notes_2.7.0-rc1.txt

Release Candidates are intended for Beta testers.  If you download and
use WSJT-X 2.7.0-rc1, please remember to provide feedback to us on its
new features -- and on anything that does not seem to work properly.

Direct links to installation packages for Windows, Linux, and macOS can
be found on the WSJT-X page https://wsjt.sourceforge.io/wsjtx.html
Scroll down to the heading "Candidate release:  WSJT-X 2.7.0-rc1".

For those who like to compile from source, a complete source-code
tarball is available at the WSJT-X page. Public access to the git
repository for the WSJT project is also available on the "Git" tab here:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/wsjt/  It may take a short time for the
code to be updated on SourceForge.


WSJT-X is licensed under the terms of Version 3 of the GNU General
Public License (GPL).  Development of this software is a cooperative
project to which many amateur radio operators have contributed.  If you
use our code, please have the courtesy to let us know about it.  If you
find bugs or make improvements to the code, please report them to us in
a timely fashion.

The authors and Copyright holders of WSJT-X request that derivative
works should not publish programs based on features in WSJT-X before
those features are made available in a General Availability (GA) release
of WSJT-X.  We will cease making public Release Candidate (RC)
pre-releases for testing and user early access purposes if this request
is ignored.

Feedback should be sent to this email list or one of the of the others
mentioned here in the User Guide:

https://wsjt.sourceforge.io/wsjtx-doc/wsjtx-main-2.7.0-rc1.html#SUPPORT

We hope you will enjoy using WSJT-X 2.7.0-rc1, and that you help us to
create a GA release of this version very soon.

   -- 73 from Joe, K1JT; Steve, K9AN; Nico, IV3NWV; Uwe, DG3YCB;
        Brian, N9ADG; and John, G4KLA

visit to Mt. Sugarloaf lookout grid QF57sc, west of Newcastle - 21st May 2023

 As part of a recent road trip, I did a visit to Mt. Sugarloaf lookout SF57sc, west of Newcastle, home of VK2RNC, to look for a spot for doing 23cm DXing, plus activate VK2RAG and VK2RTZ 23cm repeaters, neither of which I could keyup. I also wanted to know was this site useful for doing WIA VHF/UHF Field Day contests from. Basically, the public carpark at the top, only gives a small window to operate up towards Port Stephens and up the NSW coastline,  any other direction would be useless due to heavy forested trees.

I did a walk up to the lookout, this was a rocky outcrop at the top, quite suitable for VHF and above, operating portable DX, but be aware that lots of tourists walk up to the top lookout, so you can't just consume all the space up there with gear and antennas, but I guess approx 50 sq metres of flat rock at the top surrounded by metal railings, good to strap small temporary antennas to. There is a road to get to the commercial radio site (not NBN3 or ABN sites) leaving about a 50 step ascent to the top lookout,

Grid Square locator is QF57sc and height approx 436m ASL

looking n.w. up the Hunter Valley

looking east to Newcastle/Lake Macquarie

NBN and commercial towers

ABC/ABN rusty tower

Gosford/Sydney between tower and trees

towards Lake Macquarie  and N.Z.

public carpark with Newcastle/Port Stephens in the gap

Re-purposing Dyson 56v (50v) lithium pack as a 12v 20A/hr pack

 Recently,  Dave VK2JDS directed me to build a 12v 20/A/hr lithium pack for amateur radio use for portable use when lugging microwave equipment up to a mountain top for DX. We used a discarded Dyson vacuum cleaner 56v lithium pack,  because Dyson use high quality 18650 cells, so it is only the BMS boards that fails, therefore you can repurpose and reconfigure the lithium cells as a  high current 12v pack with a bit of careful plastic cutting, and a bit of snip and solder of battery tags in the right places, plus adding a new cheap BMS controller board from Ebay, plus remove and discard the temperature sensing boards as shown.

The pics show the original pack, plus the cell pack removed and a chopped up cell pack which can be resoldered  in parallel to provide 12v at 20A/hr, once separated you left with four single cells for other projects, and 4 x 12v cell blocks to solder in parallel,  keep all ground points soldered, then all 3.7v points soldered in parallel, then all 7v points all soldered together, then all 12v points soldered together, then when ready you solder the 0v, 4v, 7v and 12v points of the new BMS board to the cells, trying to do this earlier in the soldering phase can damage the new BMS board. Check at each step that you still measuring the expected voltage at each parallel point, ie. 3.7v,, 7v and 12v, otherwise you could end up with sparks and smoke. 

BECAREFUL not to short out any opposing contacts, as you will get big sparks and smoke. When finished, add a circuit breaker or inline fuse, then tape it up and place in a suitable sized plastic jiffy box as your portable 12v 20V/hr rechargeable battery supply.

Road Trip 19th to 21st May 2023

 road trip to Wangi Wangi and surrounds of Lake Macquarie. I took 23cm all-mode, but no luck working VK2RAG  or VK2RTZ 23cm rptrs. 
 I did go up to top of Mt. Sugarloaf to check out possibility of doing some portable microwave activity from here in the future.  I gave some CQ calls on 1296.100 and 1296.150 from Sugarloaf carpark aiming up the coast.

VK2KFJ-9 APRS track 

VK2KFJ APRS track

Mt.Sugarloaf, QF57sc,  436m ASL at the lookout, need to carry gear up about 100m from caarpark to the lookout, to be above trees.

Road Trip 12th - 14th May 2023

 Sydney - Orange - Gowan - Sydney

return trip late Sunday night, with low temperatures 6 to 10deg C yielded fuel consumption of 9L/100km from my Jackaroo. Only used a tank of 95 octane, usually it consumes 3/4 of a tank in warm weather.

3.5Hrs via Katoomba  return trip, compared to 4hrs via Bells Line Rd for previous similiar late night returns

APRS VK2KFJ-9 is RF  145.175 MHz  and VK2KFJ is TCPIP

Whilst at Gowan QF46pu, did some RF testing, accessing VK2RYL 147.225 MHz requiring 91.5Hz ctcss, VK2RCD 146.725 at Dubbo, VK2RYG 146.875 MHz requiring 91.5Hz ctcss at Young, VK2RKG 146.900 MHz Bathurst, VK2RCW 146.900 MHz at Gowan, VK2RCC 146.800 MHz at Coonabarabran, VK1RGI 146.950 MHz Mt. Ginini, plus contacts on 146.500 FM simplex.  I could hear WIA broadcast  via VK2RAG 146.725 MHz, VK2RMP 146.850 MHz Maddens Plains, VK2RWI 147.000 at Dural.

Also heard on Sunday morning at 7.30am, two U.S. stations talking on their local 29.680 MHz 10m repeater for 30mins.  Later that day could hear the WIA broadcast on a 29.680 repeater.either in vk7 or vk6, plus activity on 29.600 MHz including Murray ZL3MH,  plus Indonesians on 29.120 MHz

update on 23cm repeater systems as of 10th May 2023

update on 23cm repeater systems centered around Sydney as of  10th May 2023

Here are the operational 23cm FM Analogue repeaters I can work:

OUTPUT / INPUT    Callsign    Location

1273.100 / 1293.100 VK2RTZ  Mt. Sugarloaf  - working,  it idents every hour, requires 91.5Hz ctcss

1273.200 / 1293.200 VK2RWC   Chatswood  - working

1273.400 / 1293.400 VK2RAG  Somersby - working, has beep on the tail

1273.500 / 1293.500 VK2RWI Dural  -  working, carries Sunday WIA broadcast.

1296.850  VK2RMP FM Simplex analogue parrot repeater at Maddens Plains - working, it idents every 10 minutes with a CW message

All the above are Vertical polarised.

1294.000 FM Simplex, not heard anyone since July 2022.

Road Trip 5th to 7th May 2023

 Did a road trip, Sydney to Mudgee, via Singleton, Muswellbrook, then Mudgee to Young via Gulgong, Wellington, Molong, Canowindra, Cowra, then Young to Sydney via Monteagle, Boorowa, Rugby, Crookwell and Goulburn.

Heard Murray ZL3MH each day whilst mobile on 29.600MHz FM,  I still getting RFI being generated by the car. I just not happy with noise levels on HF, 6m and 2m. 

Some repeaters that I took notice of their coverage, 438.025MHz  from VK2RCN Newcastle, could hear it do regular idents from Sugarloaf up to Singleton. Could also work  VK2RZL 146.875MHz  from north of Singleton up to Muswellbrook and out to Merriwa, it requires 91.5Hz ctcss. 

Then on road to Young could hear activity from the Wagga guys on VK2RYG 146.875 MHz whilst I mobile from about Cudal through to Young, that repeater is part of the Wagga ARC network, situated near Young.

Here is my APRS track for the trip.

some amateur radio Nets to listen to

 today is Net for RAOTC (Radio Amateurs Old Timers Net held on first Monday of each month at 11am local  AU eastern time  on VK-DMR network TalkGroup 5

WELCOME to the Radio Amateurs Old Timers Club Australia Inc (raotc.org.au)

also is Simon VK3XEM's Welfare Net, held Mon to Fri at 10am local AU eastern time, on the VK3 All Star Network and VK3RBA network, including Brandmeister TG50525 and  P25 TG50525 and  NXDN TG50525

VK3RBA - Callsign Lookup by QRZ Ham Radio      VK3XEM on the Web – The truth is out there

also is the CCARC (Central Coast Amateur Radio Club) Morning Tea Net, held Mon-Fri  at 10am on the VK2RAG repeater 146.725 MHz , noting it needs 91.5 Hz CTCSS tone to access.

Home - Central Coast Amateur Radio Club (ccarc.org.au)