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Articles - 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.

Mike Ide, Reg Goddard, Ivan Blezard,  Albert Hubbard, Bruno Tonizzo

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
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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!

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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.

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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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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