AIS article
is a winner

Stan Swan has totally blown my mind with that article in the August 2009 issue of SILICON CHIP about AIS!
Here before dawn at pitch black Port Stephens (Salamander Bay, actually) I informed my wife gravely, “Hmm... there’s a Danish cargo ship about 10 nautical miles out to the east and the Newcastle tugs are getting up steam” (arrgh me lad, old salt talk . . . y’ can’t get up diesel . . .).

“How the blazes do you know?”
I rattled on with data about the Dane’s dimensions and speed.

It’s got to be Stan’s best article yet. Note to Leo: loved the Brookvale office “vessel” too. But send that man a bonus.

Alan Ford,
Salamander Bay, NSW.

GUI for Autotrax

Following your feature article on drawing circuits with Autotrax (SILICON CHIP, May 2009), I thought your readers may be interested in the “GUI” I wrote a few years ago, to make working with Autotrax within Windows XP a bit easier. I have set up a web page for anyone interested to download it, plus the other needed files.

It also makes printing easier, allowing you to use your windows printer for the PC boards, via an early demo version of Protel for Windows. The whole thing is downloadable from: www.vk7krj.com

Ronald Johnson,
Rokeby, Tas.

Radios wanted for
fire museum

I am a volunteer fire fighter at the Wandin CFA. I am writing to you for help to find some old CFA radios for the collection at our fire station. The radios are Pye PF2, Icom IC12 and IC24 with modifications, if possible. Any help would be appreciated.

Bill ter Haar,
Wandin Fire Brigade,
Phone (03) 5964 4021.