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VK7AX > BCAST 20.12.25 07:03z 578 Lines 25782 Bytes #30 (0) @ WW
BID : 6849_VK7AX
Subj: VK National News 21Dec25
Path: SR8BBS<OK0NBR<OK2PEN<N3HYM<VE3CGR<VE2PKT<PY2BIL<HB9ON<VK7AX
Sent: 251220/0643Z 6849@VK7AX.#ULV.TAS.AUS.AUNZ LinBPQ6.0.24
VK National News 21Dec25
Weekly news from the WIA:
MP3 edition of news available at: http://www.wia-files.com/podcast/wianews-2025-12-21.mp3
Text edition:
2025 DECEMBER 21 WIA NATIONAL NEWS BROADCAST ON VK1WIA
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THE BEST NEWS YOU'LL GET ALL WEEK
THIS LINK IS A VIDEO VERSION OF NEWS COMPILED BY VK5BD BEVAN
tinyurl.com/WIA-News-Videos
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IN WIA NATIONAL NEWS THIS WEEK FROM ALARA WE HAVE:-
VK2AYL Michelle
VK4ZM Lyndall
VK4SWE Lyn
BUT WAIT - THERE'S MANY MANY MORE IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE
WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA FOR WEEK COMMENCING SUNDAY DECEMBER 21,
2025.. I'M ALARA PRESIDENT SHIRLEY VK5YL
WIA
JOIN THE WIA
tinyurl.com/yyj87b9y
WIA RETURNING OFFICER with Election of Directors of the WIA.
In early November I announced that nominations to become a director of the WIA were open. There are 3 positions up for election this time around.
Nominations for position of WIA Director closed at 2.30pm on 16th December 2025. At the conclusion of the period allowed for nomination, there were 4 nominations. Accordingly, an election will be held by Ballot.
Details of the nominees will be emailed to all members and published in the January/February edition of Amateur Radio magazine.
In order to vote in this election, members must be financial as at 31 December 2025. Election material will be sent by email to all members, so please check the membership portal to ensure that your correct email address is recorded.
This year, as it was last year, the election will be held electronically with an option for a postal vote.
Application for a postal vote was published in the Amateur Radio Magazines November / December issue on page 9. An application for a postal vote is also available for download from the WIA web site. You can also request an application for a postal vote by emailing the Returning Officer. The link and email address are in the text edition of this broadcast.
tinyurl.com/3nf3h9wr
Registration for a Postal Vote have been open since November and will close at 2.30pm on Wednesday 24 December 2025.
An application for a postal vote may be posted to the WIA post office box, hand delivered to the National Office or sent by email to the returning officer. Details of which are on the application for a postal vote form.
This announcement has been spoken and authorised by Pete Cherry VK2LP the Returning Officer of the Wireless Institute of Australia.
tinyurl.com/3nf3h9wr
ReturningOfficer(at)nationaloffice.wia.org.au
AUSTRALIANA
The Australian Communications and Media Authority has moved to stop unsafe mobile phones and other illegal radio equipment getting into consumers hands with a new voluntary scheme aimed at online device sellers.
Announced amid growing scrutiny on mobile phone emergency call reliability triggered by fatalities recent linked to triple zero call issues the scheme invites online retailers take measures to block the sale of a range of dodgy radio communication devices, including grey market cellular handsets.
The scope of radio communication devices that the equipment safety pledge aims to capture is broad. It includes CBs, illegal transmission jamming devices, mobile phone boosters and cellular mobile signal repeaters.
However, it also includes grey market mobile phones which have started to enter the increasingly volatile debate over the integrity of Australias emergency calling ecosystem.
Google will build three subsea cables in Papua New Guinea, which the largest Pacific Island nation said was funded by Australia under a mutual defence treaty, in a key upgrade to its digital backbone.
Australian and US military strategists view resource-rich but largely under-developed Papua New Guinea as having a prized location north of Australia at a time when China is boosting its influence in the region.
The $180 million plus) effort will link northern and southern Papua New Guinea and the Bougainville autonomous region with high-capacity cables,
said PNG's acting minister for information and communications technology.
"The entire investment funded through Australia's commitments under the Pukpuk Treaty," he said in a statement, referring to a mutual defence pact signed in October.
Google said last month it planned to build a data hub on Australia's Indian Ocean outpost of Christmas Island, another strategic defence location, with new cables linking the island with Australian cities hosting key defence bases also used by the US military.
Two more cable systems will extend westwards to Africa and Asia, to "deepen the resilience" of Indian Ocean internet infrastructure, Google said.
(itnews)
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has today released its approach to manage the expiring spectrum licences that underpin mobile and wireless broadband services. This spectrum is relied on by the 99 per cent of Australian adults who use mobile services.
The ACMAs preferred position is to renew the licences currently used by Australias three mobile networks and the wireless component of the NBN. A total market value of $7.3 billion is estimated, with the regulator inviting a final round of views on its pricing methodology.
(ACMA)
Blair ZL3TOY Secretary Christchurch Amateur Radio Club notes in the latest NZART Break in that this WIA NATIONAL NEWS SERVICE is retransmitted at 11am Local Sunday in the Christchurch New Zealand region. Happy Christmas to all listening 'across the ditch'.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS is with thanks to Amateur Radio Daily, ARRL,
DX-WORLD, eHam, Hackaday, IARU, IRTS, NEWSLINE, NZART, RAC,
Radioworld.com, RSGB, SARL and the World Wide sources of WIA.
UNITED STATES of AMERICA
Hams in the US are getting expanded, non-channelized use of parts of the 60m band under a recent decision by the Federal Communications Commission.
The new access applies to General and Extra Class license-holders who, until now, were granted use on a secondary basis of four discrete channels. In the decision, the FCC reaffirmed the continued amateur use of the existing four channels at 100 watts of power, saying there have been no interference issues with federal operations.
The FCC said, that in-line with the international WRC15 allocation, contiguous use between 5351.5 and 5366.5 kHz with a limited emission bandwidth of 2.8 kHz and power of no more than 15 watts EIRP is being granted.
To see the FCC decision and other announcements, see the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org
fcc.gov/document/fcc-adopts-final-rules-implementing-wrc-15
Hyderabad:
An Indian Amateur Radio, Ambarish Nag Biswas VU2JFA, West Bengal, has won the first ever Amateur Radio Hero Award presented by Orlando HamCation 2026, one of the largest annual conventions of radio amateurs in the world.
Each year at HamCation the committee presents the Gordon West Ham Ambassador of the Year and the Carole Perry Educator of the Year awards to Amateur Radio operators who have demonstrated commitment, dedication and contribution to Amateur Radio. A new category, the Amateur Radio Hero of the Year, is introduced for the year 2026.
Biswas, who goes by the call sign VU2JFA, has been selected for the award in recognition of his outstanding support of local and national emergency operations and law enforcement during life threatening events where lives were saved by his actions.
RUSSIA
Since the beginning of November 2025, the RA 8 CP amateur radio station of the Ural Institute of the State Fire Service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia and radio amateurs of the educational institution has been actively participating in the Days of Activity, which are held in honour of the 35th anniversary of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia.
More than eighty amateur radio stations from different regions of Russia, whose operators are directly related to the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, are activators of the jubilee radio amateur diploma established by the institute and the Regional Branch of the Union of Radio Amateurs of Russia in the Sverdlovsk Region.
In less than a month, they have made tens of thousands of radio contacts with radio amateurs around the world all hoping to complete the
fulfilment of the conditions for obtaining the diploma "35 years of the
Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia".
Meanwhile, also in Russia their mysterious 'Doomsday Radio' station has sent out another series of ominous messages, sparking fears in Europe that the nation is preparing for a broader war.
The radio channel, known as UVB-76, broadcast multiple transmissions in code last week, sending three signals on Monday followed by eight more on Wednesday.
Each of the cryptic messages featured a set of numbers and letters, including complete code word,. as many as 15 secret messages have been heard by listeners. However, their meaning and intended recipient have remained a mystery.
tinyurl.com/4k5xe9tx
(eHam)
HOTEL CALIFORNIA
Joe Walsh opened up about his surprising childhood hobby. While previewing auction items from his "Life's Been Good: Joe Walsh" collection at The Troubadour in Los Angeles on Monday, Dec. 8, The Eagles guitarist opened up about the stories behind the objects in an interview with Julien's Auctions founder Martin Nolan.
While discussing his rare ham radio equipment up for auction -- a Hammarlund HQ-One Forty Five 145C Ham Shortwave Radio Receiver, Walsh, 78, recalled how it helped him become interested in learning Morse code. "I talked to, I think, 32 states in about four months. That's all I did was talk Morse code to people." He noted that there's a "world of magic in ham radio and short wave radio."
WAY DOWN SOUTH IN ANTARCTICA
There are nearly 70 research stations across the 14.2 million km continent of Antarctica.
Antarcticas high altitude and dry, stable atmosphere provide exceptional conditions for astronomy by helping to minimize atmospheric distortion and reduce infrared sky emissions. Antarctica also experiences very little light pollution, low seismic activity, a six-month polar night, and the presence of circumpolar stars and constellations, which never dip below the horizon, allowing for continuous observation of those targets.
A site named Ridge A, ~1,000 km from the South Pole, has been declared the best place on Earth for astronomy. One instrument on Ridge A is the remote-controlled High Elevation Antarctic Terahertz far-infrared telescope, which has been operating since 2012 for submillimeter- and terahertz-wavelength observations.
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OPERATIONAL NEWS -
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Make a note of December 21, yes TODAY .
For 6 hours the 21st starting at 1800hrs UTC it is time to dust of the
key as it is the ARRL's Rookie Roundup.
Rookie Roundup is a contest aimed at Amateurs ( world-wide ) who have
been licensed for three years or less.
This six-hour event is held three times per year, but the one of interest
today is purely CW.
Rookies can contact anybody, while "Old Timers" make contact with only
Rookies. Mentoring is a big part of this event!
1800 to 2359 UTC Sunday, December 21, 2025, using CW
(arrl)
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YOTA Contests December
The Fishers Ghost Amateur Radio Club are hosting the inaugural
VK YOTA CONTEST, the entire month of December.
yota.fgarc.org.au/
Then just 3 days from the end of what we call the VK YOTA CONTEST comes
ROUND 3 of the YOTA contest organized by the IARU R1 Youth Working Group
in cooperation with the Hungarian Amateur Radio Society.
DECEMBER 29.
A great way to gain extra contacts for the VK Contest organised by
Fishers Ghost AR Club.
yotacontest.mrasz.org
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NOW CONTEST WISE:- 2026
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1st January 2026 NZART Centenary 100 QSO Challenge
You are invited to kick off the NZART Centenary year in style with a fun,
on-air event. Can you make 100 contacts in 24 hours?
1101 31 December 2025 UTC, i.e. 0001 NZDT 1st January 2026 to
1059 1 January 2026 UTC, 2359 NZDT 1 January 2026.
Object:
To celebrate the start of the 2026 NZART Centenary Year by making 100 QSOs with amateur radio stations in 24 hours.
All bands including WARC as this is NOT a contest.
All modes are permitted.
Special categories include
Most Portable stations:
Most DXCC Entities:
The fastest to work 100 QSOs as judged by the time of their hundredth QSO.
Most Modes: For the person who uses the most different modes in making
their 100 QSOs.
Full details on the new NZART site which Bruce will tell us about in a moment, but the link is in the text edition of this weeks WIA NATIONAL NEWS
sites.google.com/view/zl-amateur-radio-hsistory?usp=sharing
(NZART)
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ROSS HULL all January.
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QSO Party Day Contest organized by Marconi Club is scheduled for Saturday, January 3rd, 2026 its as always in "short contest" format and is now in
its 8th edition.
The purpose of the event is to introduce the club and CW to the younger
generations and bring together all those who truly love and believe in telegraphy. The event will involve all members of the historic club, which has nearly 1000 members from all over the world, and all enthusiasts of the wonderful and magnificent art of CW.
Further information may be found at marconiclub.it
(IRTS)
----------------
VHF UHF FIELD DAY JANUARY 5 and 6
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JANUARY 2026 AX DAY CONTEST.
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FEBRUARY 21 and 22 ARRL DX CW
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WORLD WIDE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP NEWS
SUMMITS ON THE AIR, WORLD WIDE FLORA, FAUNA PROGRAM,
PARKS ON THE AIR and other ADVENTURE GROUPS.
hema.org.uk/index.jsp
minesontheair.com/about-mota
parksontheair.com/
sota.org.uk
sotawatch.sota.org.uk/en/
facebook.com/SotaAustralia/
wwffaustralia.com/
NZART Centenary Portable Activity Day January One kicks off the associations centenary.
New Zealand viewers and listeners to this the WIA NATIONAL NEWS SERVICE are encouraged to take their radio equipment to a branch-organised or family New Years day picnic or barbeque to expose the public to our exciting
hobby.
Many parks, summits, lakes, islands and lighthouses will be activated by
adventure group enthusiasts during the first day of the year day ensuring
plenty of radio contacts.
Meanwhile.
Parks on the Air (POTA) will have five official events in 2026.
Each event starts at 00:00:00 UTC and ends 23:59:59 UTC.
The main goals of these events is to get activators out in the parks
and for activators and chasers to have as much fun as possible.
New Years Week
First full week of the new year. January 1-7, 2026
Support your Parks
3rd Full Weekend of January. January 17-18, 2026
3rd Full Weekend of April. April 18-19, 2026
3rd Full Weekend of July. July 18-19, 2026
3rd Full Weekend of October. October 17-18, 2026
There are participation certificates for Support your Parks events.
(ZL1PSH/sourced to nzart)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - BALLOONS
Pico Balloons Update: ZS1ERZ-12 and ZS1ERZ-13. The high-altitude Pico balloon ZS1ERZ-12 was on the verge of completing its ninth circumnavigation of the planet when it fell silent on 28 November, THEN
unexpectedly, ZS1ERZ-12 was heard again. V 51 RS received a transmission whose WSPR grid placed it deep in Antarctica, at latitude 85.5, after nearly ten days of silence. Three hours later, another transmission appeared, and the balloon continued transmitting throughout the day, with many stations spotting it. At present, ZS1ERZ-12 is heading back past South Africa to complete its ninth lap.
Meanwhile, another Pico balloon, ZS1ERZ-13, was successfully launched on Sunday, 7 December, its payload is more advanced and transmits three messages in each 10-minute cycle on the 10-metre band: a standard WSPR
message followed by two telemetry frames. The second telemetry frame includes ambient temperature, humidity, air pressure, and an altitude value derived from that pressure. This allows a direct comparison between pressure-derived altitude and GPS altitude.
ZS1ERZ-13, on its maiden voyage, is already well on its way toward Australia.
(sarl written December 14)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - FINAL FRONTIER
AMSAT-VK Secretary - secretary(at)amsat-vk.org
As you are well aware it is against our rules in Australia to run buy sell and swap items on air and in particular on news services.
BUT WHAT THE HECK this IS DIFFERENT.
An Australian company wants to buy a satellite already travelling in space and use it in 2029.
Sydney-based HEO Robotics, a provider of commercial satellite-to-satellite imagery, wants to add to the international missions already planning to get up close to the 1,115-foot-wide (340 meters) asteroid Apophis as it zooms by Earth in April 2029 by buying a satellite near the end of its life up in geostationary orbit and use its remaining fuel.
HEO aims to buy a satellite near the end of its mission lifetime and, using a little more fuel than needed for the graveyard trip, make a close approach to Apophis, which will pass within the GEO belt when it makes its close approach to Earth on Friday, April 13, 2029.
(sourced to twiar)
Four astronauts will venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed mission on NASA's path to establishing a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration through Artemis. The 10-day flight will help confirm systems and hardware needed for early human lunar exploration missions.
But when is this to happen? No Later Than April 2026
nasa.gov/event/artemis-ii-launch/
LOST IN SPACE.
When the orbit of NASAs MAVEN spacecraft took it behind the Red Planet on December 6th, ground controllers expected a temporary loss of signal.
Unfortunately, the Deep Space Network hasnt heard from the science orbiter since.
Engineers are currently trying to troubleshoot this issue, but without a
sign of life from the stricken spacecraft, there are precious few options.
Even though MAVEN was launched in November of 2013, its a spring chicken compared to the other Mars orbiters. The two other US orbiters: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey, are significantly older by around a decade.
(TWIAR)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - INTERNET - THE HAMS DOMAIN.
KENTUCKY
Early in the history of the internet, the powers that be granted amateur radio operators over 16 million IPv4 addresses.
Now a proposal has emerged suggesting the same community be granted a substantial chunk of the IPv6 numberspace.
The proposal to give amateur radio operators some IPv6 addresses emerged in an IETF draft that appeared in early November. It's not an official IETF position because anyone can propose a draft policy. Sole author Preston Louis Ursini, who operates the Paducah Internet Exchange in Kentucky and participates in internet policy development processes, points out that amateur radio operators need an addressing system and the IPv4 bloc assigned to the community has done the job for years.
(eHam)
MEANWHILE:-
ARDC has launched 4Net Connect, a new portal designed to make it easier for ham radio operators to gain access to and experiment with subnets of the 44.0.0.0/8 IP address space.
Through the portal, hams can apply for VPN access to 44Net which comes with a dedicated 44Net IP address. Tunnel services are provided through WireGuard with options to add IP networks and autonomous system numbers. Proof of ham radio license is required.
Hams can get started
connect.44net.cloud/
An overview of 44Net is available on the 44Net Wiki.
(ard)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - IOTA
iota-world.org/
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OC REMINDERS
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OC-047 - H44MS - Malaita Island in the Solomons.
Bernard, H44MS will be active from Manakwai village, nearby Maluu
(northern Malaita island) covering the 2026 period January 25 / April 10.
(dx-world)
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OC-66 - TX9XG - Rangiroa Atoll.
Haru, JA1XGI has announced that he will be active from Rangiroa Atoll,
French Polynesia (OC-066) as TX9XG during April 1-8, 2026. He plans to
QRV on 40-10m; CW, SSB, RTTY & FT8 using the new IC-7300 MK2.
QSL TX9XG via Haru's home call, JA1XGI using OQRS Club Log.
(dx-world)
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WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO AMATEUR YOUNG TIMERS - YOTA
(Youngsters On The Air)
WIA committee:- Steve VK6SJ, Alec VK2MV and Pete VK2LP.
ham-yota.com/category/yota-region-3/
facebook.com/groups/YOTAOC/
youtube.com/channel/UClAapljf0VQ751sOgu2IzaA
Yet another great idea from the Radio Society of Great Britain is aimed
fair and squarely at youth.
It's free RSGB club affiliation for schools, universities ALSO for uniformed groups!
RSGB Communications Officer has reminded those in their catchment area that amateur radio clubs in schools, universities and uniformed groups can affiliate with the RSGB for free? The club will benefit from a copy of RadCom in the post each month, as well as access to the RSGB app where
they can read RadCom, RadCom Basics and RadCom Plus.
Also special book discounts, promotion of club activities, access to RSGB affiliated club contests, and use of the QSL Bureau.
Nice one RSGB.
(rsgb)
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IT'S A DATE
Clubs are welcome to email text with audio for this section,
nationalnews(at)wia.org.au as VK5LSB has done.
My name is David with some news and notes on behalf of the South Coast
Amateur Radio Club and its committee.
On Thursday the 04th of December the South Coast Amateur Radio Club held
its annual end of year BBQ and Social Get Together down at the club rooms at Karawatha Hall which is a fantastic facility for the club as it has an Electric BBQ onsite along with a Large Veranda shelter for shade and sitting outside for a meeting on a warm night etc.
The event was well attended by club members and guests and was catered for
by Jarrad VK5MUZ and his Mother Chris who cooked up a feast for the
members and guests on the night. The steak was to die for along with all the other meats and salads that were hand made by Chris. So, a big thank you goes out to VK5MUZ Jarrad and his mother Chris for all the catering and hard work that was put in by them to make the night a huge success.
The South Coast Amateur Radio Club VK5RSV 70cm C4FM / Wires X Repeater is
back up and operational and working well on the air following some repairs to the repeater and is providing great coverage across the Southern Fleurieu Peninsula and Adelaide Plains with operators from as far Para hills and Regency Park being able to access the repeater successfully. Thank You to Nathan VK5OG for co-ordinating and facilitating the repairs to the repeater.
The South Australian Repeater Group has continued to grow and develop
across Adelaide with quite a number of Amateur Operators being involved in
the group with a wide spread participation and involvement with members
from most Amateur Radio clubs around Adelaide now being involved. Two
members of the group Nathan VK5OG and Stuart VK5ADE were out last Sunday
across the Fleurieu Peninsula region installing a few more Meshtastic Nodes across the region and they can be identified with SARG Name, and the
Meshtastic network continues to grow within South Australia.
The South Coast Amateur Radio Club has been provided with a Draft Lease by
the City of Onkaparinga Council for the Karawatha Hall facility to which the club is currently meeting and this will facilitate a great home for the club moving forward into the future with a long-term home for the club but also where we can place some antennas on the hall.
Stay tuned for more details and information in the near future.
Myself and the committee would like to wish all members, family and friends of the South Coast Amateur Radio Club along with all Amateur Radio operators and hobbyists a Very Merry Christmas and a Safe Christmas and extend seasons greetings to all along with a Happy and Safe New Year.
We look forward to seeing you all at the first meeting of 2026 on Thursday
22nd January at 1900hrs at Karawatha Hall for the election of the New
Committee for 2026. Safe Travels and 73 from VK5LSB
--------------------- SOCIAL SCENE 2026 ------------------
VK3 - Ballarat Amateur Radio Group Hamvention Sunday Feb 1 (wiacal)
VK6 - PARGFEST Mandurah Bowling Club February 7 9am (vk6pbs)
VK4 - Redfest - Deception Bay North State School 9am April 11. (vk4ble)
VK - WIA AGM May 2 at 2pm Albury VK2 couples with ICOM VK SUMMIT 2026
also somewhere in Albury May 2 and 3. (wiacal/ARMAG )
Reception Reports
No we DO like to hear where in the world you are listening to this,
the WIA NATIONAL NEWS SERVICE.
WIA News rebroadcasters often give Short Wave Listeners a
welcome to the broadcast as they commence call-backs
straight after the Local News. Local news follows National
news in all states. It would be great if those SWL's would
email their reception reports and location to
callbacks(at)wia.org.au
Not only but also those watching us on YouTube, leave a comment , access
is just below the picture on screen and again tell us where and maybe
even the day and time you are listening
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(Posted to the packet network courtesy Tony VK7AX)
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