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- Presidents Reports |
The
Pres Says….. August 2007
Planning
is underway for the naming party for our Clubroom.
The
plaque was displayed at the July General Meeting and
was met with approval.
Given the effort that Peter Pavey put into education
and his long
term involvement with JOTA, the Committee decided to
have a naming
party at lunch time before this years JOTA. I’m
sure that we will kick on
after JOTA and might fire up the BBQ for dinner if
the weather is fine.
Stay tuned for more details.
As 2007 is GGREC’s 30th birthday, we will be
having a
nostalgia night at the September General Meeting.
Bring along your Club outing videos, photo albums,
Club memorabilia etc and join together to enjoy a light
supper.
The RD contest will be over by the time you read this
magazine. It is a
fun night and the number of people to talk to on so
many bands in one
night is amazing. It isn’t all short contacts
to swap numbers. Last year I
was happy to chat with anyone that wanted to and got
to chat to many
amateurs around Victoria. There was no shortage of
YLs to talk to on the
night and I’m expecting more this year, given
the increasing number of
YL F-calls. Did we modify our Club call sign to “VK3BJA
the current RD
Champions”?
Melbourne Cup Long Weekend preparations
are underway and will be announced when we
have a firm location. Stay tuned as you will
need to book early so that you will not miss out
on a fun week end.
In closing, Friday the 31st August is Foundation
Night at GGREC. If you have an F call
and want to try out bands that you don’t have
access to, then come along on this night that is all
about you. We want
you to get the most out of your hobby and we will be
available on the
night to assist with operating on HF SSB, 6, 2, 70
FM & SSB and anything
else that we can get a contact on.
Bruno Tonizzo, VK3BFT
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The
Pres Says…..
A few of us have just returned from the Maryborough
trip. In fact 23 attended the Pub on Saturday night.
These included Kerry and Lynne Clayton who we all
thanked for having things ready for us when we arrived. The weekend was a great
success due to their organising but we also thanked Ian and Dianne Jackson for
their adventures earlier in the year to reconnoitre the area. There was plenty
to see and do all weekend and I think Paul Stubbs may have shot a few Gigabytes
of photos for posterity. So there’s our Cup Weekend trip gone for another
year. I don’t suppose it is too early to start wishing you all a Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year. As this edition is being sent to you during November
and there is no December edition (maybe), this will be my last chance to put
these words to paper in 2006. Once again it has been a very busy year for radio,
work and home. I am happy with my own progress in all three activities but I
have a list of things to do that will never be finished. I keep saying I love
having things to do but sometimes it is nice to take a break from it all. I hope
everyone else is going to have a restful holiday period – One that is safe
and fun.
Thanks to those guys who took the time to help at
JOTA this year. The guides were most appreciative and
I must admit the meals we received were extremely tasty.
Few contacts were made as conditions were not all that
great. However we burned a few of the cobwebs from
the Club rigs.
Also a very special thanks to the people who gave
up their weekend to perform the training and consequent
examination of five candidates for the Foundation Certificate.
The weekend was very tiring for all but I am sure we
all walked away feeling satisfied that we had done
our best to pass on as much useful information as we
could in the time allotted to us. The information must
have been ok as 4 out of 5 passed the written exam
and all 5 passed the practical exam. Congratulations
to all the participants and we hope to hear them on
the air as soon as they are able to get a callsign.
In particular we must thank Pater VK3TQ from FAMPARC
who gave up his Sunday to help us with our first session.
Also Bill VK3DOU who has been tireless in his efforts
to become an assessor and become experienced. Of course
for those who didn’t know, Graeme VK3BXG is an
invigilator and worked with the assessors on the day.
He also requires thanking for his efforts.
The Christmas Hamper is looking pretty sad this year.
Please make a concerted effort to fill the basket at
this meeting as the tickets will be sold at the meeting
and during the break up, and the winner will be drawn
at the break up.
Well that’s it for ’06. See you at the
Meeting and the Break-up Party at Cardinia on the 9th
December (see map in mag.)
73s Albert Vk3BQO
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Wishing everybody a very merry, and safe, Christmas—there
will be no gateway next month-be good or the fat man
won’t come!
The
Pres Says….. (September 2006)
Saturday 2nd September
saw a few members doing some major work around The Club Shack. Next time you
are there, if you are one of those who take note of what antennas the Club actually
has in the air, you will notice that another mast has grown with a dedicated
70cm and a 6m vertical mounted on top. That was one job done on the day. Others
included repairing the metal outer skin on the external door of the Club Rooms,
relocating the 70cm repeater to its new location near the antenna patch panel
and replacing the tower tilt over winch with a brake winch. Workers on the day
enjoyed a BBQ lunch supplied as a thank you by The Club. Those people were Noel
King, Ron Robertson, Bruno Tonizzo, Reg Goddard, Jan Oncken, Ivan Blezard, Mike
Ide and myself. Many thanks to those people for putting in a whole day for The
Club.
You
will notice this month’s edition has a copy
of the Club Membership list. (if all goes to plan)
. Please advise if any changes are applicable as
a few discrepancies have already been noticed. Unless
you tell us of your changes, we cannot keep it updated.
This especially applies to email addresses. In the
near future the Cub will be running its first Foundation
Licence training and examination session. Tentative
dates are 28th and 29th of October.
With
the warmer weather on its way, we can turn our attention
to spending a bit more time outdoors. Two items on
the list are up for discussion again. They are a
trip to the Moorabbin Airport Aircraft Museum and
a Fox Hunt. Hopefully we can pull both of these off
during the better months to come.
For
a bit of fun, the Committee came up with the idea
of a new bumper sticker for Amateur Radio promotion.
We will be looking for suggestions that will get
a laugh. Try Mike’s “Amateurs do it with
Higher Frequency” as an example. Or “Amateurs
do it on Air”. Have a think about it. Maybe
Andrew will give a prize for the best one and we
may get it printed. See you at the meeting.
73s Albert VK3BQO
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The
Pres Says….. (August
2006)
How
are your eyes? A bit weary like mine after
the RD Contest? I remember last year and it
took
me a couple of days to get back to a normal
routine again. I am writing this in anticipation
of the
outcome as the magazine is edited prior to
the event. I gather it went well and all participants
had a good time. We are still not sure of last
year’s outcome but it’s mostly for
the experience – not the result.
I
was extremely pleased with the attendance at the
Village Green
Hotel evening last week. 25 hungry people
enjoyed an “eat all you can” meal and a
few drinks afterwards. Looks like this one was a winner
and can be repeated in the future.
Of
course the most notable event recently has been our
Hamfest.
By now we (the Members) have it down pat
but we can always try to improve it. This year saw
our best yet and with Bruno at the helm, it was a pleasure
to be there. It’s a case of right man, right
job. As shown by the Treasurer’s figures we had
more buyers through the door than ever before plus
sellers were still trying to book tables in the week
before the Hamfest. I am sure this puts us up with
the “must attend” Hamfests during the year.
The amount of electronic equipment walking out the
door astounded all who took notes. Well done Bruno
and all who helped on the day.
The Club has been lucky enough to obtain a lot (meaning
heaps) of electronic equipment and parts at a very
reasonable price. A storage CRO, VHF Test Set, several
power supplies and an assortment of RF coax connectors
are amongst the collection of gear. After it has been
evaluated, the items will be displayed and available
for Member use.
The
Club Room is starting to look more like a workshop
/ radio
shack every day. At least power supplies won’t
be in short supply.
As
for upcoming events, don’t forget the working
bee at the Club Room on September 2nd. We need your
help please.
OK, I am off to fill in the Government Census paperwork.
Maybe we can compare notes at the meeting.
See you there.
Albert VK3BQO
Link
to top of Page
The
Pres Says….. (July
2006)
I
had already started this month’s article but
of far greater importance is the sad news that our
long serving member Peter Pavey VK3VB passed away in
Kooweerup Hospital on the First of July. As everyone
knows, Peter was a driving force in the Club for many,
many years and his input was highly regarded due to
his vast experience. Peter knew the importance of promoting
our hobby and he did all in his power to do so. As
well as being an examiner for many years, he was a
mentor to many amateurs today. Peter’s prowess
on the morse key was well known and I think he was
disappointed when morse was dropped from the syllabus.
Peter was Club President for several years during which
time, the Club prospered. We all owe him a debt of
gratitude for his persistence with the building of
the Club Room which we all now enjoy. His name and
callsign will not be forgotten; we will see to that.
Our thoughts are with you Pat, Phil and your Family.
For those
who don’t count the weeks and days (hello Helmut) if
you haven’t noticed, half the year has gone already.
I remember the Christmas break-up just like it was yesterday.
So with the Annual Dinner on the 24th June now enjoyed and
gone, we move on the events that regularly take over the second
six months of out calendar year. Things such as the Hamfest,
RD Contest, JOTA, Cup Weekend Trip, Fox Hunt and hopefully
a few BBQs when the temperature stays above the signal strength
of the strongest signal. Intermingled with these events, there
may be several tower raisings by various members. I think this
is as good an excuse as any for a BBQ. I have one to go up
as well so I will join the queue. To get people in the mood,
the Club antenna structure needs it annual work over and with
the list of items to do, it would make light work if we had
many hands. So there’s another good reason to have a
BBQ.
Several
members have requested another “Pub Night” so one
is arranged for August 5th at the Village Green Hotel at 6pm
in the Bistro. Its about time we had an event “up town” so
I hope no one complains that is not in our usual stamping ground.
By this
time, the tower winches have been purchased and delivered and
there has been a comment about the handles being too long.,
There is no doubt we did well on price and maybe it is better
to have a bigger unit which is capable of doing the job easier
than chancing a smaller unit to do the job and not performing
so well. Before destroying the packaging for your units though
we can discuss changing them for the smaller ones. This will
be put on the agenda for Friday night’s meeting. See
you there.
Albert VK3BQO
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The
Pres Says….. (June 2006)
Ok members, we start another Fiscal Year. What does it mean? Well it means a
change in Committee Members for a start. Well at least you got a new president
and a new secretary (with your permission). Although we initially had some trouble
separating a secretary from the membership, Phil Pavey (VK3YB) has stepped forward
to take on the job. I could say that it is a thankless job but I would be wrong.
This position is probably more important than mine as the secretary holds it
all together. AND as you heard at the AGM, there are lots of thanks to the secretary
for doing a great job. Anyway, thanks to Phil for putting his hand up but we
will have to ratify his position at the next General Meeting. As most of the
Committee is unchanged, it will be easier for Phil and me to slip into our jobs
under direction of the experienced guys.
I have
ideas on how to run things but it means that I create more
paperwork than others because I like having paper trails
for everything. This comes from running my own business
for so long. I have thoughts of updating our Rules of Association
of which some items stick out as being “not politically
correct” any longer. If you want to have an input
to this, put it on paper and give it to me.
Also
it is about time we promoted the Club again to let the
public know what we are about. (At least we can try to
educate them)
If you
listen to 225 you will notice a few of the Philips PRM80
radios being utilised already. Early reports say that they
are great, with maybe the deviation down a bit but the
programming of channels and the display feature being a
great bonus to the operation. At the Club price, these
radios are a gem. Great work to all involved in getting
them to the operating desks of members. The May Prac Night
saw a few of the radios retuned with the help of Ian VK3BUF
who brought along some test gear for the job.
Remember
that May General Meeting will consist of a Mini Auction
for CLUB MEMBERS only to sell a few small items to each
other pre the Hamfest. Refer to the article elsewhere in
this edition. Also the leftover building materials and
the antennas discussed at last months meeting will be up
for grabs, so if you are interested in the items you need
to attend.
So there
ya go folks, my first report for the year. See you at the
meetings.
73 VK3BQO
Albert
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President’s
Ramblings -
April 2006
Hi everyone,
This is my last ramble as President. In a way it’s kind of a relief because
I have not been around as much as I would have liked to this year due to one
thing or another. Luckily there are some excellent people on the committee that
have jumped in and filled the hole as required. We are indeed lucky to have such
dedicated people around the place.
I would like to particularly thank Bruno for his outstanding work, once again,
as secretary. Bruno is also not standing for the committee this year and is scaling
back all the things he has been taking care of (such as JOTA). His input will
be missed but it is time for somebody else to stand up and have a go! So we need
a new president and a new secretary at the Annual General Meeting coming up.
WHY NOT YOU????
On a sad note the passing of Colin Bishop VK3HR recently will mean we are missing
one of our favourite people at future meetings. Colin was indeed a friend to
all as shown by the turnout of club members at his funeral last week. Our thoughts
are with Bobbie and family at this time.
Thanks everyone for your input into another successful year for the club. DO
consider standing for the committee, we need new ideas.
Cheers, Andrew VK3HFA
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President’s
Ramblings -
March 2006
Seems quite a lot is happening around the club at the moment so keep an eye on
the event queue so you don't miss anything.
Just a reminder that next month is the Annual General Meeting when all committee
positions are declared vacant and elections held as necessary. It would be great
to see a few new faces “having a go”! You will find a nomination
form in this issue. You can either rip it out or photocopy it. There will be
some available at the March meeting as well for those that forget! They need
to be with the Secretary two weeks before the Annual Meeting.
We had a bit of an interesting time on the prac night with me working at the
Cranbourne Harness and using my handheld back to the shack. I tipped you one
trifecta did you have your money on it??? My partner was quite amused by all
the banter going on. Next time it happens we might try and set up an ATV network.
That could be interesting!
With school holidays coming up and Easter just around the corner there will be
a number of members out and about at various parts of the State so keep your
ears open and your radios tuned I am sure they would love to make contact with
you.
See you all at the meeting on Friday, it would be good to see some faces we have
not seen for a while!
Link to top of Page
President’s
Ramblings -
Feb 2006
Technology fascinates me, I don’t pretend to understand it all but I am
amazed at the continual advances in it.
At the moment I am at work (Harness Racing) and yet I am able to sit and type
because of technology, in this case my laptop. If I want to I can ring anywhere
in the world from the comfort (or lack of it!) of the front seat of the ambulance.
At my fingertips I have radio access, a computer terminal that will tell me my
precise location in the world and, most importantly, air conditioning! All technology
that it is hard to imagine living without.
Technology is something that our children grow up with. It is something that
Amateur Radio must move with if we hope for the hobby to survive. The Foundation
License allowing children access to the hobby can only be seen as a step in the
right direction.. We should be encouraging it every chance we get.
In this magazine there is a lot of calls for help. That is WE NEED VOLUNTEERS.
It is very easy to leave everything up to the same reliable people but, quite
frankly, it’s time for a few new people to put their hands up to help.
The more volunteers we have the easier it is on each individual club member.
Have a think about it. Your contribution, in any form, will be very much appreciated.
Link to top of Page
President’s
Ramblings -
Jan 2006
Hello everybody,
Hope
you all had a restful and peaceful time over the
Christmas/New Year period. I also hope that the fat
man was kind to you!
As for
myself I seem to be overworked and underpaid but that’s
life I guess!
The
Christmas breakup at my place was certainly a good day.
Thanks to all involved in organising it. Particular thanks
to Reg UK for the organization of games and prizes. It
all added to the festive atmosphere.
Over
the last few weeks we have a little drama with the possible
purchase of radios as was mentioned at the November meeting.
I still do not have anything concrete to report. Those
of you on email would have been kept fairly well up to
date. Suffice to say we are still waiting!
This
Saturday most of the committee is heading up to Ian BUF’s
place to look at all the antenna gear that is keeping his
weeds happy. We will be trying to work out what the club
should keep and what we may look to offload (with the club’s
permission of course). Ian has been his usual tolerant
self by keeping the stuff then but it is time we did something
about it. More information at the General Meeting I hope.
In this
issue of Gateway I have taken the opportunity of a quiet
month to present the proposed regulations for use of the
club rooms. The RFID project is just about ready and we
need the proper procedures in place pretty much straight
away. So have a read and bring any ideas along on Friday
night.
Hope
to see most of you on Friday.
Cheers,
Andrew VK3HF
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President’s
Ramblings - Nov/Dec 2005
Hi all,
By the time you read
this I hope to be resting my eyes in sunny Queensland on a well
earned holiday. Well I have to say it’s
well earned don’t I??
The committee has been hard at work organising things but is always
hard to come up with new ideas so if you have any please let one
of us know.
I feel a bit of a fraud
now that I am a brand new “Standard
License” operator given that I have not put much time into
radio work over the last couple of years. However, the new Foundation
License is an excellent idea and should ensure that our hobby is
around for many years to come.
To all you “Advanced” operators out there don’t
forget those new to the hobby and give them a helping hand. Mind
you I think that that is something this club does very well anyway.
The Christmas party promises to be a great time as usual. It is
out at our ponderosa in Nar Nar Goon and I will definitely be there
despite what all you cynics think! Might set up the volleyball
net and see how we all go!
Also the prac night on the first Friday in November has traditionally
become a bring your own tea night and we start a little earlier
at 7pm. Hope to see you there as well!
Sometime in the new year we will be having another fox hunt down
on Philip Island. The last few have been a lot of fun and once
again no expense will be spared for the prizes!!!!
Have a great time with your hobby this month. Catch you all in
December.
Cheers, Andrew VK3HF
Link
to top of Page
President’s
Ramblings - Oct 2005
Hi all,
Well I have well
and truly got my dates mixed up and will be rushing through
this copy of Gateway. I missed the prac
night due to work commitments and it has thrown me completely.
So it’s now Tuesday the 11th and really I need to get
the hard copy to our two reliable printers and dispatchers
by tonight, or tomorrow at the latest.
It seems that I have been a president in absence of late due
to a number of things, mainly to do with work and family. It
is not how I intended it to be but there is not much I can
do about it. Next year I think I will just stick to producing
the mag each month and leave the rest to others. Luckily we
have a fantastic committee that have been keeping things ticking
over. Thanks all.
At the moment I
don’t even have a radio connected up
anywhere due to a lot of work I am doing at home. With new
tenants about to move into the shop space it’s all been
a bit hectic.
Just to make things
seem the same, next month I will be away!. Heading up to
sunny Queens land for a few weeks R&R. We
have not had a holiday for a couple of years so I am looking
forward to that! I will miss both the prac night and the meeting
night again.
Not much news this month from club members, seems everybody
has had a bit of a sabbatical. So this issue will be filled
with stuff from various places.
Don’t forget
the Christmas hamper, and the Christmas Party. It seems like
only yesterday that we were doing the
same thing. Life just rushes past, Rebekah is off to High School
next year. Now that is scary!
Cheers, Andrew VK3HFA
Link
to top of Page
President’s
Ramblings -
Aug 2005
Hi and welcome to our new format
Hello everybody,
I guess you all being quick off the mark would have noted our new format this
month pretty much straight away!
Using Publisher
instead of Word has made it a little easier (ok a lot easier)
for me to visualise the finished product and, hopefully by the
time I finish, made it quicker to produce. In the words of somebody
famous “if you don’t like it, tough!!!” Producing
this magazine each month takes a fair bit of my time (and Albert’s
too when it is his turn) so I will do it my way, if you want
it the old way then you will have to take over the job! I am,
however, open to suggestions as to how to improve the layout
so let me know what you think.
Ok enough
of that, I would like to say welcome to our new members (Malcolm
and Brian) and say thanks to Graham VK3KCS for pointing them
to us. We hope you have a great time with a fantastic bunch of
people. Like any other club you only get out of it what you put
into it, so don’t be shy in coming forward with ideas and/or
suggestions.
Next I would
like to thank everybody involved in the recent HAMFEST. Particularly
Bruno who did a fantastic job organising as usual, but also to
all those that came and helped on the day and in the preparation.
Your participation in this very important fundraising activity
is greatly appreciated. A large sum of money has been contributed
to club finances as a result of all your efforts. Unfortunately
other commitments kept me away but the feedback has been very
positive. Something like 300 people visited us on the day which
makes all the hard work worthwhile.
OK well I
have nothing else to say at the moment, unusual I know, so see
you at the general meeting.
Cheers, Andrew
VK3HF
Link to top of Page
President’s
Ramblings -
July 2005
A
few gremlins hit the pages last month, and a few things didn’t
happen as I wanted.
Firstly to
Graeme Brown VK3BXG, the real author of the cow story (and that’s
no bull!!!) and Graham Coleman VK3YCG apologies for getting call
signs confused. Just a moment of insanity there, and I have plenty
of those!
Secondly,
I will try and get this magazine to you via email this month,
it never happened last month because of problems with the file.
We will also send you a hard copy for a month or so and then
let you make up your mind how you would like to receive is.
Thanks to
Albert VK3BQO who is the editor this month. We will be taking
it in turns to produce this magazine. Takes the pressure off
a bit! Also thanks to David VK3FW and Geoff VK3HGG who are photocopying,
collating and posting the mag each month.
The rest of
the happenings will be in here, so have a read.
Cheers, Andrew
VK3HFA
Link to top of Page
President’s
Ramblings - June 2005
Hi everybody. I guess you would have already noticed the changes I have
made to the magazine?
Unless you are reading it in Braille, it is pretty obvious!!.
My aim is to still maintain club information, projects, ideas, pictures, waffles
etc. but I am also mindful of the cost of production and the time it takes to
put this magazine together each month.
As discussed at the last general meeting,
to get this magazine produced commercially each month works out to about $1.20
or so a copy by the time it is posted.
We are lucky that, in the past, a lot
of the costs have been absorbed by the people producing the magazine.
In a way
it is not fair that we have allowed that to happen but we are very grateful that
it has so thanks to all those members.
We are also particularly thankful that
David VK3ZDV has come to the rescue and donated his time, photocopying and paper
to help out with future issues.
If you received this magazine via email we hope that you enjoy
saving the club a bit of money by printing your own copy.
You would,
also, have received it a lot earlier than anybody else.
There is
some concern that this will have an impact on attendances at meetings,
so you will also get an email form me on the Wednesday preceding
the meeting night to remind you that it is on!!!
I do not propose to repeat what is in the rest of this newsletter.
There are a few things happening so have a good read.
Cheers for now, Andrew VK3HFA
Link
to top of Page
March 2005 Presidents Comments.
In this issue you should find nomination forms for election of
the
2005/2006 committee. Please remember that the GGREC AGM takes place on Friday
April 15th when all positions become vacant. Forms duly signed by a proposer,
seconder and the nominee should be in the secretaries hands by April 8th .
Every member of the existing committee is willing to stand for a further year
except myself
Various members are on the move this month. Those who went on the 4x4 trip
to the high country 4th-7th April have been heard back 'on air.'No doubt stories
and photos will follow. Five or so families will be making their way to Beechworth
for the labour day weekend, We will be found most days on 7.1 Mhz + QRM between
0930 &1000, with a listening watch on this freq when travelling. Some members
will also be away over the Easter weekend, (25th to 28th) listen same 40 Mtr
freq + various repeaters, Details at next meeting.
Our thanks to all those involved in the removal of the clubs radio cabinet
from the guide store room, this done we will really need to assess our need
or otherwise of the guide hall for prac nights.
Saturday 2nd of April will see the official opening of our new club facility.
Various persons who have helped us from outside bodies have been invited to
the event. Afternoon tea/coffee and cakes will be served, be there for the
cutting of the obligatory ribbon at 4 pm. It would be nice if HF conditions
allow for some interesting QSO's on the day.
The talk Fri 18th March by Peter Freeman VK3KAI focusing on the 1296 Mhz band
will begin at 8pm sharp, this will be followed by our monthly formal meeting.
PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE.
We still need a volunteer to assemble the club magazine each month if you can
help with this please let Bruno know.
Enough from me for this month, keep the event queue in mind when upgrading
your diary dates. Hope to work some of you while we are away portable.
73s Peter VK3VB
Link to
top of Page
The Presidents
Page February 2005
Not
a great deal of info to pass on this month, first I would remind
all that our AGM will be on April 15th when all committee positions
fall vacant. John VK3XJW our present Magazine editor has asked
for someone else to take over this job and Andrew VK3HFA is
happy to take on the editorial side if someone else will do
the photo copying and postal duties. Bruno VK3BFT assisted
by Mike VK3KTO are taking on the shack management position
as soon as the shelving and existing radio equipment has been
properly installed.
At the next
meeting Ian VK3BUF will give his talk on power converters, development
and applications. At our March meeting Peter VK3KAI is booked
to talk on the 1.2 Ghz band and the transverters his club has
been building. As peter has a long distance to travel his talk
will begin at 8pm sharp. This end of the spectrum is a mystery
to many of us so please come on time and hear what 1296 Mhz is
all about.
Pat and I
are trying to redecorate our master bedroom at the moment while
she is on long service leave so we may not be as active on the
bands as usual. Decorating is certainly not one of my favorite
pastimes it will therefore probably be safest to keep the gear
turned off.
Keep up with
latest event queue.
73s Peter VK3VB.
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Presidents
Notes January 2005.
What a holiday period and what a calamitous start to a new
year. I cannot remember anything like the destruction we have seen
around the Indian ocean rim in my adult lifetime. The one good thing
that could result from all the suffering is greater understanding
among all the nations involved, with more sympathetic co-operation
from the have's to the have not's
Those who attended
the party at Dianne and Ian Jackson on new years eve had a very
enjoyable evening. The provision of adjacent caravan facilities
was a great idea and much appreciated, saving the drive home in
the small wee hours.
2004 saw the
successful siting of the clubs shack/workshop, and we have only
a few minor bits and pieces to complete the building phase.We are
intending to operate the clubs rig from the new shack on Australia
day with the yet to be confirmed AX prefix. Start time yet to be
decided (poss abt 0930) the clubs BBQ will be on site and it is
hoped many members will drop in and take a turn at the mic and use
the club call. The committee are looking for two or three members
willing to oversee the fitting out of the building including the
orderly transfer of gear from the guide hall. This will include
transceivers computer antenna leads test equipment etc.
There is no
set programme for the January meeting, but on Friday Februrary 18th
Ian VK3BUF will outline the electronics involved in the power converters
he is currently working on. March 18th Peter Freeman VK3KAI from
the Gippsland group is coming to give us an insight into the 1296
Mhz Transverters this group has been building.
On a more somber
note we have to report the passing of Colin Santos VK3CLS. One of
our quiet members yet a very active Radio Amateur. With interests
in many facets of our hobby and an antenna farm many of us only
dream of. A neighbour and friend of Reg VK3UK his call will be missed
on the air waves. Vale Colin.
Colin's son Greg himself a Radio Ham graciously donated the entire
antenna system to the GGREC for us to use or dispose of on the proviso
that it was dismantled within two weeks. A small group from our
club under 3BUF's direction removed the entire system in about 5
hours. One of the outcomes of this will be the upgrading of our
HF antenna to a 8 element Log Periodic giving us access to the 18
and12 Mtr bands in the future. The remainder has yet to be catalogued.
Enough from
me for this month except to say that both Pat and I wish each one
of you a year that from now onward flows with peace and good health
73 Peter VK3VB
PS Next committee
meeting in the new room 7.30 pm. 31/1/05.
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