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A.N.A.R.T.S. History

And The Society Today.

Anarts was founded in 1977 by a group of enthusiasts, in particular VK2SG and VK2EG, who saw the potential of and were keen to experiment with Digital Communications for Amateur Radio.

The society became very active and had a membership into the hundreds and provided a RTTY Broadcast each week, and technical and supply services. Arewise, the Societies magazine was issued each month and had excellent content, helping many operators.

However, when "PACKET" Radio arrived the Society was slow to take on the new Digital mode; in fact it is fair to say some leading members were forthright in their opposition to it. As Packet came on line, a massive drain on the membership occurred as the advantages of Packet, which combined the computer and radio worlds proved irresistible. That drain took most of the technicians and volunteers with it and the society continued, as it does today, with only a skeleton membership.

ANARTS has managed to maintain its weekly Rtty Broadcast, which has existed since the inception of the Society, and also its worldwide Rtty Contest. But AREWISE, the kit services, and technical assistance has ceased to function.

Anarts right now is running by the good will of 3 or 4 volunteers. It was thought we should have to close our Rtty Contest, due to lack of funds. However a formula was found where the "User pays", and the Contest appears to be safe for now. Also we now award only one Plaque for the winner of Category A, due to very few Stations taking part in Category B and C.

If you are interested in Digital Radio modes the following may help. Some few years ago most RTTY stations had Teleprinters redundant from Government or Military Organisations. However, the trend now for some years, especially with the advent of more complex modes, such as Amtor, Pactor, etc, is for the newcomer to obtain commercially available terminals that operate through a Computer connected to a Transceiver. This became known throughout the Amateur Radio World as "Glass Rtty". Lately, now that most Rtty enthusiasts are equipped with Computer controlled systems, the word "Glass" has been dropped. Nearly all Commercial Terminals are Multi-Mode, that is with one Terminal one can operate CW, RTTY, Amtor, Pactor, Ascii, Fax or Packet modes. There are also Terminals available with the one mode, such as Rtty or Packet. There are still Teleprinters around, and some stations still take Anarts broadcasts with them. if you need assistance regarding these Digital modes or maybe buying a suitable Terminal Unit, send an E-mail to mailto:mail%20to:%20ctdavies@bigpond.net.au

WHERE DOES ONE FIND RTTY ACTIVITY? Digital transmissions are classed as Narrow Band (NB) and there Are NB segments on all HF bands from 10 to l6O Metres, and most VHF/UHF bands. However, except for 2 metres the RTTY modes are not seen much on those bands.

20 metres and 15 metres, 14070/14100 and 21070/21100 Khz, are the most popular with 40 metres having some usage, but check the band plans, and where it shows NB look for RTTY. Packet is also a NB mode and has access to much the same spectrum, but in some sections of the band plans Packet has its own specific allocations.

WHAT SORT OF TRANSMISSION IS USED? It is basically a data transmission system using Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) of a carrier, or AFSK (audio tone modulated carrier). For RTTY the IARU recommended shift is 170Hz, but speeds vary for RTTY it is 45.45 bauds, AMTOR is 100 bauds and for Pactor between 100 and 300 bauds, which is automatically selected according to conditions as seen by the Terminal.

Rtty QSO's are very similar to SSB but the words appear either on a Computer Screen, or on the page copy of a Teleprinter. A lot of operators find the written word easier to follow than the spoken word especially as accents and radio noise are eliminated as they do not appear on the screen. There is more time to absorb incoming messages and more time to construct replies, so the exchanges can be more meaningful. DX is just as fascinating as SSB or CW, and there are about a dozen contests each year (including our own) which are excellent. Plaques and Certificates are there for those who enter Contests, and even the DXCC has a separate issue for RTTY modes. Generally speaking, RTTY "gets through " as well as any mode and better than most. TVI is rarely a problem with Baudot or FEC, which are 100% duty cycle Transmissions. ARQ and to a lesserr extent Pactor can be troublesome, but probably not as much as a SSB linear at full blast. But of course, TVI is all part of the challenge, no matter what mode.

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HOW DO I JOIN A.N.A.R.T.S. ?

The Annual fee is 10 Australian dollars with no joining fee. Send your fee along with the completed form below to the address shown below.

Application to join the Australian National Amateur Radio Society.

I wish to join Anarts. My Details are as follows:

Name:_________________________________________________________________

Address:_______________________________________________________________

Callsign:________________________________________________________________

Postcode:_______ Phone:_( ______________________)

Signed_______________________________________

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A.N.A.R.T.S. Postal Address: