Q-News AR News from Queensland QNews VK4BB

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)

VK4JDJ Dennis Bauer SK 12 April Dennis grew up in Northern Queensland and in his early years lived in a small community on the Palmerston Range where it rained nearly all year which made for interesting bus rides on the muddy road to school. Dennis led a life of various jobs on cattle properties, drilling camps, road maintenance work and hotel work and picked up a range of varied skills. On one occasion Dennis designed a full wave 80 meter horizontal loop antenna with support posts which was huge but certainly worked. Dennis was a regular on Rob VK4ARQ CW 0530 to 0630 net with hams from Darling Downs, Rockhampton, Mackay, Bowen, Townsville and atherton Tableland locations plus Cairns and occasionally others joined in. They got up to some high sending speeds. Dennis acquired a few different paddles from Italy and other countries. He also enjoyed QRP ops and building various projects to incorporate his station Usually a quiet bloke who “plugged away” at projects and learning. Many hams have similar attributes.

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

During the past week, I received an email from the ACMA seeking clients to complete a satisfaction survey. This is a good indication that pleasing the client base is a priority and I would suggest that we all take the opportunity of spending the 4 to 5 minutes this takes. With the introduction of the Class Licence, people have listed what they see as deficiencies in the material being made available and here is an opportunity to personally let the regulator know our thoughts.

“The times are a-changin” was the lyric in an old song and surely that is true. We amateurs do crazy things such as send each others post cards when the e-qsl routes aren’t quite what is needed. Now I am familiar with the extensive delays which happen with the volunteer run QSL bureaux but just to delay things a little more our not so beloved main carrier has introduced alternate day postal deliveries. This past week, the new regime started on Tuesday which means we had 2 lonely delivery days this week.

It is perhaps not so important that mail is delayed but the basic cost of a stamp to send a letter has risen to $1-50 which means that more and more business communications are going to be directed to electronic delivery.

This can raise many issues for those of us with physical impairments and regardless of rules about discrimination, some of these actions just cement the divides in the community.

Recently I had to find a supplier of a certain type of antenna mount and despite my best efforts I couldn’t track down what I needed from local vendors. It ended up being a choice between two of the big international on-line vendors. The deciding factor was that one would deliver free of postage and the other required me to sacrifice a vital internal organ to pay for delivery. Well the decision was easy and with the help of someone who had an account with the seller, the mount was bought and paid for.

Overseas vendors using major on-line sites are beset by advertised delivery prices that too often dissuade the prudent buyer from a sight unseen purchase.

Sadly for the local suppliers to our niche interest, the amateur radio fraternity is small and the cost of maintaining inventory often can’t be justified for the low return it provides. We do have some excellent small businesses dedicated to the amateur market and often their stocked prices are more competitive than the overseas megastores when freight and warranty costs are taken into account. It is perhaps the subject for an article in Amateur Radio magazine just to let us all know who is serving the market for us. I have been told that some vendors feel the cost of advertising is beyond their resources and a printout with product lines and contact details would be a service to the amateur community.

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.

In this great information age powered by the digital revolution and the internet, there is undoubtedly the greatest access to the most information that the world has known. That is not hyperbole or in the more modern jargon, clickbait. It is a fact that the amount of data grows exponentially each and every day and in fact the data storage and processing is being classed as a climate change factor by reason of the electricity that is used, the heat that is generated and the water that is used for cooling.

I spend a reasonable amount of time checking out different things that interest me and I use various components of the internet to do so. In many cases I am looking to see what others have recorded about particular items and one of the easiest ways is to watch videos. There are tremendous resources available to the electronics and ham radio communities and learning to refine your search terms certainly speeds up access to the sources.

Herein lies the great difficulty that until we are familiar with a topic it is very hard to judge the quality of the material that you read or view. I have frequently followed a very sincere looking presentation with another on the same topic only to have points of contradiction be glaringly obvious between the two. If the subject is quite recently presented to the world, it may be hard to find the critiques that shade and colour the picture and I am left with the big question mark and scratching my head. How do I know what is right?

Fortunately in our field of interest, the laws that govern how radio and electronics are well enough established that it is only in the minute details that we will see radical change. In other words, the material in the manuals and text books is going to be more than accurate than we need in the practical world. It is for this reason that I have a small library of standard books of varying ages and they can provide most of the theoretical and technical answers that I need for my purposes.

This is where I point you to belonging to a club which maintains a library for members to use. Along with equipment and instruments, books are a valuable resource and should be available to club members, at least. I have seen reports over the past years that public libraries have cleared most of their shelves of amateur radio type material and it then becomes the province of the club and individual amateur operator to source and maintain these valuable resources.

Every day there are questions to which I don’t have the right answer and being able to “fact check”, with better accuracy than on social media, is a source of satisfaction.

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

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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 (Venue to be announced) (vk4DMH)

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

How time flies when you are having fun, goes the old expression and here it is a week on from the pranksters’ favourite day of the year.

I saw some amusing posts and some that were a little hard to place in the April Fool genre, this year round. Still, no doubt many people managed to get “caught” out by the pranks and provide a good laugh at themselves.

At the moment, the weather seems to be celebrating the great US Groundhog Day with barely a day passing along the coast without rain.

It was a surprise that we had one afternoon and the following day with golden rays of sunshine and then the pattern resumed with storms washing the happy smiles from people’s faces.

Many will have noticed that the most recent entry into the commercial electronics magazine field has succumbed to the current economic malaise. Diyode magazine has closed its doors and we have but one fully commercial publication of Silicon Chip to fill the space on the newsagents shelves. It was perhaps a heroic venture, to begin with when the likes of Electronics Australia and AEM had closed before. Sadly the amount of material being published which is directly related to amateur radio has been in decline over this time also. Publishers have told us that it has been due to the changes in available products around which they could develop kit construction projects.

We have been fortunate that old hands such as Jim Rowe, former Editor of EA, have kept his pen dipped in ink and contributed useful articles to Silicon Chip. With items sourced from the great cornucopia of electronics manufacturing, in Asia, there remains the opportunity to continue a level of homebrew, DIY that helps us in our hobby.

Sadly, over the years and because of the nature of junk box collections, projects which make it into the various radio enthusiast journals often can not be replicated because certain parts are no longer stocked or the esoteric nature of the project puts it beyond the level of the journal readers.

So it was heartening to pick up a copy of the April Silicon Chip article “Becoming an Amateur Radio Operator” by David, VK3DSM.

This small booklet (I call it that because of its breadth and length) runs from page 22 through to page 35 with text and illustrations.

What a heartening development to once again see such material being published in the commercial field. Our own Amateur Radio Magazine does get distributed through the newsagency chain but like many specialist publications, a lot of people believe it just preaches to the converted.

If you haven’t seen David’s article yet, I believe it is worth reading by every VK operator with up-to-date material that certainly addresses its subject in a considered and enthusiastic way.

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

BUNDABERG

Just a reminder that if you are attending the National WIA Convention and AGM in Bundaberg on the 4th/5th May and flying into Bundaberg, please make contact with our club and let us know the time of your arrival so we can make sure to meet you at the airport in our Minibus.

The driver will take you to your accommodation and will also ferry you to and from the WIA Convention, Gala Dinner and AGM.

73 from David VK4DN – Secretary - Bundaberg Amateur Radio Club.

DARLING DOWNS RADIO CLUB

Before radio, the world was connected by telegraph.

Warren Fritz VK4FJ has a collection of Australian and New Zealand sounders and Morse keys from the early telegraph and will display some at the April 8th Social and Technical gathering of the Darling Downs Radio Club Inc.

If you are in the area, all are welcome to see the telegraph equipment and maybe even try reading the sounders at 7:30 pm in the Community Rooms above the Toowoomba City Library. This is Dougal VK4EKA for the Darling Downs Radio Club Inc.

Greetings from the Redcliffe and Districts Radio Club Vk4RC Robert Thomson VK4TFN here.

Redfest has arrived! Nine A.M. next Saturday 6th April at St Michael’s College, Abbey Place Caboolture.

Redfest is definitely the place to be in Southeast Queensland next Saturday! With 40 tables of sellers showcasing a range of pre-loved and brand-new goodies for the avid ham, you won’t leave disappointed.

You won’t have to look hard to find things like a couple of fully functional FL2100 amps and two Yaesu MP1000’s operational but needing TLC.

Don’t forget our spotlight on the ladies this year with three special focus sellers, the display from ALARA and (of course) the café. Doug has the BBQ heating up already with anticipation of cooking his famous bacon and egg rolls.

The Brisbane VHF Group will be doing those Tech Talks demonstrating the all new ICOM IC-905 and explaining the wonders of microwave propagation.

There will be half-hourly lucky door prizes, minor raffle draw prizes and the major prize of the ICOM ID-5100A. Tickets are only $5.00, available on the day.

The fine food is available from 8:00 am and the sales start at 9:00 am. Entry is only $5.00

Check out the club website for more details: redcliffe radio club.org.au.

See you Saturday 6th April at Redfest 2024!

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

As the Easter period draws to a close, it is proper to consider the place of holidays in the life of the Australian community. It seems that what used to be religious commemorations are now primarily secular vacations from the routine of daily life. Yes it is a great time for people to share time with family and friends but as we look around there are more people who are living a solo life.

How many, I wonder, are in your local club?

With the almost universal adoption of 7 day retail trading and people trying to find the life of Riley, are we catering for our fellow amateurs with the historic practices that we mostly have?

Then there are the fortunate souls who get to enjoy extended periods of leave from education and who feel the need to engage in a change after the time of parties and plum pudding.

What I feel is that when the numbers are high enough, is there any reason for clubs to not maintain a rolling schedule of activities throughout the year? Is there any reason not to run training and open the club station for use and allow the facilities to be used daily rather than just on meeting days? OK this will be open to local needs but really how much needs to be done to make the club a welcoming part of local life?

I can’t answer that question but I am sure that if people put their minds to it, a lot of things can be opened up instead of just following the routine, year after year.

Just like I have thrown out the challenge to spark activity in the recruitment and development of amateur radio, I am throwing out the challenge to restructure activities in line with modern practices in the wider community. It is open to us all to take part in modernising the attitudes and the image that hams have in the wider community.

Yes, it is very true that we are individuals and that we have different backgrounds and skill sets but if we cooperate and form teams, we can take the ideas and pool them into a new focus for the hobby. Too often we have seen and heard the great self-appointed warriors put down ideas and we see it on the internet and social media as well as in meetings. This is not in keeping with the Amateurs Code that sets standards for us to achieve.

So after the buns and chocolate are memories and before we settle into an afternoon nap, can we take the opportunity to think over some of these issues and look for things that would make our hobby better?

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.

One of the great things about institutions is that they carry their foundation history with them as they grow and develop to meet the changes that come with time.

So I think it is a good thing that amateur radio manages to integrate so much of it history as it embraces the development of communications available to us.

When we use “Q-codes” we are maintaining a link with the telegraphists of almost 200 years ago. When we operate digital modes we are linking with recent developments in radio.

We have just witnessed the John Moyle Field Day with a number of clubs going portable for the event. John Moyle was well known figure in the amateur world when I was still in short pants and as editor of “Radio and Hobbies” magazine he was responsible, in a distant way, to my gaining a better understanding of the technical side of radio as well as the techniques of the pursuit. It seems fitting that an event should celebrate this person for the contributions and leadership that he gave the field of electronics and amateur radio in particular.

As I looked at the many social media posts it was very evident that the median age of the club members would bring them close to retirement. This raised the very obvious question of “where are all the young operators?” Yes it was the day of the local government elections around the State and family commitments would have determined who could have come along. But still there were no really young faces beaming from the photos either and surely we have many operators who are of school or college age?

It seems that, as an institution, we are lacking leadership in sustaining the growth of the hobby. Perhaps there will be more opportunities under the new regime following the introduction of the class licence. This change seems to have raised a lot of conundrums which yet have to be figured out to solve issues that operators have recognised or already experienced. It is the time for our leadership at club and national level to see this is the time for opportunity and growth rather than perpetuating the stodginess of past glories.

There have been muted calls for a campaign to promote amateur radio and I believe these should now be loud and clear. To gain the interest of younger members of the community we need to encourage involvement in the use of the materials at hand. What I mean is that the technology that we use and which is used in education is derived from the equipment technology that we were using 30 to 40 years ago but our adoption seems to have stalled around the same time.

Have we the inspiration and creative juices to take on reform of amateur radio or are we stuck in some time warp of repeating the past? This is a challenge for us all and realistically we have to know if we are capable of meeting it today or just retreating into the darkness of oblivion.

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

Redcliffe and Districts REDFEST April 6 (vk4tfn)

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 (Venue to be announced) (vk4DMH)