Q-News AR News from Queensland QNews VK4BB

Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking.

Winter is upon us but the weather seems to be the same as the past few weeks, cloudy and wet. The forecaster tell us that the systems have changed from high pressure influences in the Great Australian Bite to low pressure but it still seems like an ever repeating sequence.

The interesting thing is that the day and night temperatures for the winter months are expected to be above the normal levels for this winter quarter of the calendar. Perhaps the extra blanket or the electric blanket won’t be so much in demand this season.

If you haven’t already received the email, if you are a member of the Wireless Institute, then here is a heads up that the latest Amateur Radio magazine is available online. Editor in Chief, Roger Harrison, VK2ZRH, has advised the many groups on social media that printing is taking place and distribution of the paper copy is very near.

We have not long been through the effects of the G5 Solar Storm and the space scientists are telling us to be prepared for another burst of high solar activities. It is part of the excitement to ride the crests of the sun spot cycles but also to wait out the quiet times following the magnetic storms engaging with the Earth’s magnetosphere. These events are part of the constant learning that being a radio experimenter continues through life.

It hardly seems long ago that we were looking at the summer VHF contests and now it is barely 2 months to go until the Remembrance Day contest followed by the ALARA contest just after. Of course there are more activities happening between now and then but we should prepare for the “big ticket” events on on our calendar. Want to know more? Have a look on WIA dot org dot au website under contests.

I wonder if any of my thoughts have stimulated actions within the clubs or for individual hams? The idea is to put out ideas that others can use as a springboard to develop their own vision for amateur radio in their local area and by feeding information through to the peak body, influencing the direction for the future.

One of the good things that we enjoy within the news team is getting feedback. It is sort of in short supply most times and I wonder how many caught onto the deliberate error that was included in last week’s text?

You may think it a bit cheeky but from time to time I try and set a lure to stimulate feedback as a means of gauging listener responses. Please feel free to email your replies to QNews or to me via my WIA email address.

I’m Geoff Emery VK4ZPP and that’s what I think….how about you?

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Hello everyone, this is Graham VK4BB reminding you that today, being the first Sunday of the month, it's time for the QNEWS Social Calender for VK4 to go to air.

Social Scene

Clubs are welcome to submit text with audio for this section

Caboolture Radio Club Hamfest is July 11 (vk7jea) BUT the Facebook group Hamfests Australia shows it as July 13. We have sent numerous emails to the club (vk4qd) but no response so before you hop in the car TRY to ascertain the correct date.

GOLD COAST HAMFEST OCTOBER 13 at Nerang Country Paradise Parklands 231 Beaudesert-Nerang Road Nerang. (vk4DMH)

Sad news to impart that Alan Stephenson, formerly VK4PS, life member of The Townsville Amateur Radio Club Inc. went Silent Key peacefully during the early hours of Thursday morning, 23rd May, 2024.

Alan's passing brings an end to a massive contribution to Amateur Radio and the community at large. Alan was instrumental in forming the communications section of the Townsville Civil Defence organisation in the early 1970s and continued to be a comms section leader when that organisation changed into the Townsville division of the Queensland SES.

He was instrumental in obtaining the location of the Amateur Radio Site at Mount Stuart and the current Club Rooms at the SES HQ, supporting training through the club during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, was comms support leader for the Club assisting community organisations run events safely through the power of radio and assisting radio amateurs in their experiments.

Alan was a 6metre band pioneer in North Queensland back when you had to convert ex-miltary or commercial rigs to 50MHz and his home in Little Street Belgian Gardens was a hub in the region for long distance communications.

Alan was the first Technical Officer for Community Radio 4TTT-FM and was instrumental in establishing the studios in the Townsville CBD and the transmitting site at Mount Stuart. Alan also masterminded the power and tower upgrade for the community broadcaster and also helped get the Burdekin's community broadcaster Sweet-FM on the air.

Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking.

There are many things used as team building exercises and they range from the plain to the bizarre, it seems. One thing that just about everyone has made at some time is a list. Whether it is getting all the groceries or planning what to take on a trip or ordering parts for some project, most of of us have had practice in putting together a list.

Now if we think back a few years, most of us will remember that the American Amateur Relay League, the ARRL, ran a very successful campaign to attract new members with the tag of “We do that”. With the benefit of some professional advertising, posters and other material got the message out that the amateur radio service was involved in far more things than just pounding brass or rag chewing.

So this is where the list comes in. There are the obvious things that go with participation in AR such as self education but when we put our heads together, just how many activities do we really encompass? As the nights get colder, here is something that a group can do in person or over the air as a way of showing others just how broad based our activities can be. Perhaps someone can sponsor a competition for the longest list of activities that hams do….

Now apart from providing some engrossing mental stimulation there is more to this idea of list making than first thoughts suggest. We like to feel proud and involved in the various things that we do and one way of spreading the word about amateur radio is often the opportunity that casual conversations offer. When we meet someone and exchange greetings, the topics tend to spread and recreation plays an important part in feeling good and supporting mental health too.

When we learn of the other person’s interests it is great to share some knowledge when we can say, “We do that too.” Of course, part of enjoying a good conversation is being able to listen to what the other person says and then being able to say something positive about the subject.

The fact that a few people put their heads together and wrote a list gives the memory the jog to respond to what is said and shows we aren’t just filling the gaps with meaningless words. That list helps make us more interesting too.

So how about we apply a little brain power to this area of interest and be able to say, “We do that too?”

I’m Geoff Emery VK4ZPP and that’s what I think….how about you?

This is Allan VK4HIT with news from Ipswich and District Radio Club.

First up from WICEN, the Brisbane Trail Marathon was held on April 28 with members volunteering their time at five checkpoints, a portable repeater site, and the base. The importance of providing safety communications to such events opens up the opportunity for members to support the club through the WICEN group. Congratulations to first-timers.

The next event is the Pinnacles Classic on June 16 followed by The Guzzler Ultra Marathon held over two days – July 20 and 21.

Now to more domestic matters, but no less important. Members are reminded a new mowing roster for the clubhouse is being put together. Able bodied members are urged to put your name forward. The club supplies the mower and fuel. The roster means only one or two mows per year if it can be filled with at least 10 members. As secretary Greg VK4GJW puts it – many mowers make light work.

Reporting from Ipswich this is Allan, VK4HIT.

Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking.

An interesting time has been had by radio enthusiasts in the past few days with a G5 level flare impacting the Earth’s magnetic field. Some people recognised the severity of the event when the bands went dead and pictures of auroras from the Antarctic to the sub-tropics were appearing on TV and internet sources.

Those of us old enough to remember the heady days of the legalisation of CB in this country know that it also coincided with a peak in sunspot activity.

27MHz was a school that taught many how well low power signals can go when conditions are right.

We are seeing these magnificent openings again.

Back then the Novice Licence was drawing interest amongst radio enthusiasts and projects were published to adapt and use cheaply available equipment on the Novice allocations. The hobbyist Aladdin's cave of the day, Dick Smith stores were at the front of the pack in packaging and selling kits for things like transverters which used the ubiquitous CB rig as the generation platform to access other bands. Many people went on self learning safari and explored the design technology and I recall Amateur Radio magazine carried articles for changing the mixing crystals in the 23 channel radios to put them on accepted amateur frequencies in the 10 and 11 metre bands.

These days there are collectors who pay seemingly outrageous prices for veteran CB equipment and from pictures I have seen, there have been numerous tables at ham fests seeking to move the same types of gear on to new homes. The difference is that the amateur event sales are usually at much lower prices.

Here we have a combination of things. Good conditions and a source of less valuable radios than the all singing, all dancing commercially produced amateur radios. There are radio clubs that make available gear to new members at cheap prices or on loan to allow the freshly minted ham to burn brightly when the urge is new.

What if we managed to get some of this old CB gear and set about having a conversion project within our clubs? There would be many amateurs who have relics of past activities sitting on shelves and in the magic junque boxes and who would like to know their treasure was given a good home instead of finding the rubbish skip when the Last Post has gone silent.

Maybe we could see some of the construction and conversion articles pulled from the archives and updated with the use of currently available components.

We have just heard the cry of the Budget with its reminder of the high cost of living and, just perhaps, we have a means of doing some club activities which would help newly interested people get the feel for radio. Being able to adapt and modify has been the hallmark of the amateur and there is nothing more satisfying than the sound of a project that is completed and working.

I’m Geoff Emery VK4ZPP and that’s what I think….how about you?

Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking. I don’t know about you but I find it hard to pull rabbits out of a hat or even hit the ground running, these days. With the best will in the world I can say that things aren’t what they used to be for me 10, 20 years and more ago. The realisation that one’s circumstances are changing is perhaps the sign of maturity or for some, I believe, its a shock to the whole understanding of life. Now I have raised this contentious subject of age because we have to accept on a personal level that our capacities change but for most of us, we have the memories and understanding of what life was like for us at various ages. This is experience that we should be able to harness in taking an interest in the expanding field of amateur radio. Just because we are young or just because we are mature doesn’t mean our value as a person is any less or more than our fellows. We are unique individuals with a tremendous capacity to learn and grow and be able to share some of that capacity with others. This, of course, is a hobby horse of many in the radio community who wish to see the whole spectrum of activities available to us populated by people with a burning desire to pass the enjoyment on to more and more people. To do that is to ensure that our children and their children will have the opportunity to take part, as we are doing, with the knowledge that a radio ham is a good person. That may seem to be a wishy-washy sentiment but if we all accept the virtues in the Amateurs Code then we have the beacon that has guided our predecessors and our peers through the years. So I suppose the question for each of us becomes, do we want to be ready to help someone join the community? Then what do I do when the opportunity comes knocking? Can I as an individual operator provide the mentoring or can I call on a local club to offer support and friendship, too? Talking of clubs; has your club started the conversation with members as how to progress AR? I suppose after my recent challenge there has been time to really hit the road running on this proposal. With an evolving set of guidelines from the ACMA under the new license regime and a newly constituted WIA Board in place to represent us it really seems to be an opportunity that, as they say, is too good to miss. As much as the activities on air and at the bench must define the role of the wireless enthusiast, the radio amateur, the ham, it is the effort that goes into maintaining the governing structures that sustains this recreation. Moving with the times and not remaining fossilised on the shelf of past glories is as important as gathering entries in the log or chasing another certificate. I’m Geoff Emery VK4ZPP and that’s what I think….how about you? -------------------------------------------------------------------

Hallo everyone, this is Graham VK4BB reminding you that today, being the first Sunday of of the month, it's time for the QNEWS Social Calender for VK4 to go to air. Social Scene Clubs are welcome to submit text with audio for this section Caboolture Radio Club Hamfest July 11 (vk7jea) GOLD COAST HAMFEST OCTOBER 13 at Nerang Country Paradise Parklands 231 Beaudesert-Nerang Road Nerang. (vk4DMH)

Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking.

Welcome to the new WIA Board who have been getting the feel of the mood in Bundaberg at the Annual General Meeting and associated events. We wish them a very productive and successful year ahead. With the benefit of the experience of the longer serving members the new members face the task of assuming the roles of directors and also the thrill and pressures of being advocates of the Australian Amateur Radio Community.

One of the tasks that we all have is planning ahead for the activities that stimulate the juices and strengthen the hunger in this great activity. For those who have had the opportunity to attend Bundaberg, this weekend, I hope the shared experience has brought new thoughts and strengthened friendships. Some of us have had to sit out this event with other responsibilities taking precedence and we await the reports to our clubs and hopefully the written words in Amateur Radio magazine.

WIA News depends on its contributors and I for one will be eagerly waiting for the reports.

I wonder how many clubs have managed to formulate plans to grow the membership and increase the involvement of current members? This is more than an idle musing but the hope that people have the capacity to pull something worthwhile out of the collective hat. It is the case that if we don’t try we will never succeed.

Now is the time that we must realise that for amateur radio to remain a thriving community activity, there has to be no “them and us” mentality. It is the time when we need to agree that it really is all about us. Individually and collectively it is our participation that marks this pursuit as and enjoyable influence around the world. We have wars being fought and contacts are continuing to demonstrate the spirit of amateur radio in countries which are involved.

We have had disputes about politics and which is the superior marque of car but when we get on air, the rules that have governed procedure for so many years have helped to reinforce the amateur spirit of respect for our fellow amateur operators. I see that some of the older members of our community and some of the more serious younger ones, too, are extremely cautious of the supposed laxity of the Class Licence and what it can introduce.

Those of us old enough to have lived through the introduction of the CB Service have also witnessed the anarchy which overtook that activity with the introduction of class licensing. There are good reasons to take this as an object lesson and to ensure the regulator does not let go of the reins of the amateur service.

This brings me back to the need to input, to share ideas and to participate.

Collectively we are a community and we share the responsibility for growth and recognition. If we don’t take the first step in supporting our hobby, don’t expect they will do it for us.

I’m Geoff Emery VK4ZPP and that’s what I think….how about you?

Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking.

As the Rum City, Bundaberg, prepares to host the annual general meeting of the Wireless Institute it is perhaps the right time for us to think about what we would like to see happen for amateur radio in the next 12 months. There are matters that will need improvement and there are matters that need attention and there will be matters that have been neglected.

As a new Board takes over the process of representing all Australian amateurs it is up to us as individuals and collectively as club members to let that Board know what we want. It seems that too often action is left to someone or some other body to be taken. Yet as a body that has the place to address issues it is not solely the responsibility of the top echelon of the WIA to do all the thinking. Nor is it, on the other side of the coin, the right of the WIA to dictate how we conduct our hobby. We all have a collective responsibility to the hobby to promote and protect it and here we have the best opportunity of doing these things.

We have talked about STEM/STEAM as a way of promoting amateur radio amongst the younger members of the community. We have a new catch word of Innovation which can be a tag line for the renewal and growth of this recreation. Just as various sports have undergone a process of regeneration with more major events and sponsorship, our much smaller occupation is capable of a rebirth and update to the 21st century. The real issue is whether we have the incentive and initiative to drive that change.

In the more balmy climate of Queensland, winter can be a good time to get around a fire at night and chew the fat. Often the best ideas are generated when people are feeling comfortable and relaxed and able to speak freely. This is where social activities not only bond us together but also stimulate new thinking which can benefit us all.

I wonder if many clubs can find a way of incorporating the social gatherings, if they don’t already have them. I wonder if the free and easy discussions can bring fresh ideas to the club meetings and maybe, we can revive the club gatherings, presidents lunches and in a friendly way get discussions at all levels of the hobby going properly, once again.

The good thing about social activities is that we can experience new adventures amongst our friends. I recall a day out with my club with a trip on a heritage railway. There was a saving on the tickets as a group booking gained a good discount. It was something different and an enjoyable adjunct to belonging to a radio club. There are so many things that we can do in groups in VK4 that can oil the cogs of one’s club. Can you think of things to do in your area? Are you prepared to join in the wider conversation about growing amateur radio?

I’m Geoff Emery VK4ZPP and that’s what I think….how about you?

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Hallo everyone, this is Graham VK4BB reminding you that today, being the first Sunday of of the month, it's time for the QNEWS Social Calender for VK4 to go to air.

Social Scene

Clubs are welcome to submit text with audio for this section WIA AGM held MAY 4-5 2024 in BUNDABERG. (barc)

Park-fest 4 & 5 of May Bundaberg (vk4kc)

Caboolture Radio Club Hamfest July 11 (vk7jea)

GOLD COAST HAMFEST OCTOBER 13 at Nerang Country Paradise Parklands 231 Beaudesert-Nerang Road Nerang. (vk4DMH)