| PRESIDENTS
REPORTS FOR 2000 |
President's
Message - November 2000
Welcome to the November edition of GATEWAY.
Well here it is, the last magazine of the year 2000 !! Like most of
you, I cannot work out where the year has gone. It seems that it was
only a few weeks ago that we welcomed in the new millennium………
JOTA
From the feedback I received on the night, JOTA/JOTI 2000 was a great
success. The Cranbourne Guides said that they were grateful for the
patience our members displayed in dealing with the inquisitive young
guides. I thank all members who were able to come along and be part
of a great day. I know that JOTA/JOTI 2000 was a day of fun and learning
for both GGREC members as well as the Guides.
No
meetings in December
As there are no meetings in December, the committee and I would like
to wish all GGREC members and their families a happy and holy Christmas
and a prosperous New Year for 2001.
Independent radio club
room
The November Prac Night received a visit from Ron Chidgley, the Community
Facilities Co-ordinator with the City of Casey. Ron's visit was in
response to our letter to the City of Casey regarding grants and or
assistance available to GGREC to help us achieve our goal of an independent
radio club room. More info at the GM.
Show
and Tell
The January 2001 GM will host another in the series of our amateur
radio "Show and Tell" nights. The theme will be "Other Brands". If
you have radio related gear from a manufacturer that has not yet been
featured at a GM (including Home Brew) please bring it along and proudly
show it off.
See you at the GM,
73's from Bruno Tonizzo
VK3BFT
P.S. Don't forget to bring a few dollars to the GM to buy some tickets
for the GGREC Christmas Hamper raffle.
Go
to top of Page
President's
Message - October 2000
Welcome to the October issue of Gateway.
JOTA
October is JOTA/JOTI month. JOTA is an excellent event for the entire
Club to participate in. What ever your interest is, there will be
some thing there for you to enjoy. Sending and receiving Morse code,
HF on many bands, Packet Radio, Internet, hand held communications,
Short wave listening, spi-cam, food and entertainment…it doesn't
get any better than this!!
Please come along and support your Club on Saturday the 21st of
October at the Guide hall from 12:00 to 9:00pm
Replacement computer
The committee is currently getting some prices for a replacement
computer for the Club. With so much on offer, finding the right
deal is not an easy task. If all goes to plan, the committee will
present an offer for your approval at this months GM.
Radio room
Further discussion about increasing the area of the radio room has
resulted in a letter to Casey council asking about grants and how
to apply for them. We are exploring our options in terms of assistance
from Casey Council before we formulate our next proposal.
Review
As there is no GM in December, I thought that this would be a good
opportunity to review the years activities before time runs out.
I hope you have enjoyed the year so far. I know that I have steered
the committee towards more social events than technical ones, and
your participation has been fantastic.
Power supply project
Ian Jackson's power supply project has warmed up soldering irons
that have laid dormant for many months. It's a great kit and Ian's
effort in designing and preparing the kits for the Club is to be
applauded.
Trash and Treasure
Our White Elephant / Trash and Treasure day was a success that the
Club can be proud of. Early bookings for next years event have already
being received, pointing towards another successful event. In 2001.
See you at the GM,
Bruno Tonizzo
VK3BFT
Go
to top of Page
President's
Message - September 2000
Welcome to the September edition of GATEWAY.
Olympics
Last months screening of the '56 Olympic games showed us how far
technology has evolved since 1956. Technology in sports clothes,
cars, training techniques, movie cameras, even the games themselves
have evolved to the Olympics we will be seeing in a few days.
Value of the spectrum
What has this got to do with Amateur radio ? I couldn't help overhearing
two amateur radio operators having a QSO on a local two meter repeater
about the pressure on the value of the spectrum that is allocated
to Amateur radio and how we might keep it primarily for amateurs.
The thought of purchasing the spectrum space was discussed but they
quickly concluded that we could not possibly raise the millions
of dollars deeded to purchase it. So how are we going to keep it
?
Act like amateurs
In the USA, amateurs are being told to act like amateurs if they
want to keep the spectrum. Experimentation, innovation, being a
community asset, public education etc, These are the reasons we
have access to the spectrum that we have. Unfortunately not too
many amateurs have these attributes.
An avenue
As a Club I feel that GGREC provides an avenue for the community
to be educated in modern technology. Some of us are innovative and
do experiment with modern technology and techniques. I'm sure that
we are representative of a typical radio club. What we (the Amateur
radio community) don't have is a fine tunes publicity machine to
let the public know what we are up to.
Can we design and produce a voice transceiver that transmits digital
signals instead of analogue to mate to our new 13.8 volt power supplies?
"I'd like to see that"
73's from Bruno Tonizzo
VK3BFT
Go to top
of Page
Presidents Message - August 2000
Welcome to the August edition of GATEWAY.
Having been interstate for the best part of the July, I would
like to thank all the committee members for carrying on in my absence.
My work
My work required me to travel to Julia Creek near Mt Isa, Queensland.
This was my first trip to this part of Australia and you soon realise
the importance of radio to isolated areas. Because of the shifting
black soil geology of this part of Queensland, burying communications
cables is not a financially viable option. Here, everyone relies
on radio communications. Mobile phones (town coverage only), CB
radio, Satellite telephones and Digital Radio systems provide communications
facilities for residential and business customers. Radio communications
is not a hobby in these remote areas, it is an integral part of
life and survival. See me at the GM if you would like to see some
photos.
JOTA
JOTA is the next major activity for GGREC Club Members. As with
our very successful Trash and Treasure day, this will be another
opportunity to display our hobby to the public. More news at the
GM.
Facilities
Further discussion about expanding our Amateur Radio facilities
at the Guide Hall took place at the Committee meeting. We will need
to examine new options and develop a new proposal to present to
the Recreation Reserve Committee.
Event Queue
Have a look at this month's Event Queue for the latest information
on social events planned for the Club. With Daylight Saving starting
a month earlier this year, there will be more hours in a day for
you to enjoy yourself!
Thanks
In closing, I would like to thank everyone for their efforts in
making this years Amateur Radio Trash and Treasure Sale a great
success. 73's from Bruno Tonizzo VK3BFT
Go
to top of Page
Presidents
Message - May 2000
Welcome to the May edition of GATEWAY, and welcome back after the Easter
break.
Committee
The committee for the 2000 to 2001 Club Year was elected at the April
AGM. The committee members are: -
| President : |
Bruno Tonizzo VK3BFT |
| Secretary : |
Andrew Clinkaberry |
| Treasurer : |
Mike Ide VK3KTO |
| Committee Member : |
Russell White VK3MWR |
| Committee Member : |
Helmut Inhoven VK3DHI |
Helmut and Andrew have taken up their positions with great enthusiasm
and are already hard at work making the approaching events a success.
Major Events
The coming months will bring with them our Clubs major events.
The Millennium Dinner in June, the Amateur Radio and Electronics Trash
and Treasure day in July and before you know it, it will be time for JOTA.
Each of these events will require participation from all available Club
members to make them a success. Please make a personal commitment to come
along and "do your bit" for the Club.
Magazine Editor
Do you have a computer? Are you looking for an outlet for your artistic
talents? If you answered yes (or no!) to these questions, then you can
become our new magazine editor. Talk to any of the committee members to
find out more about this very rewarding position.
Hamfest
I wish to pass on GGREC’s sincere thanks to the EMDRC for their co-operation
in changing their Hamfest date and I encourage all our members to support
their event.
Club Net
Remember to call in to our Club Net on the second and fourth Sunday
of the month on 146.225 MHz at 8:00 PM.
73’s from Bruno Tonizzo, VK3BFT
Go to
top of Page
Presidents
Message - March/April 2000
This months edition of Gateway magazine covers both March and April,
due to Easter and the change of date of our Annual General Meeting to the
7th of April 2000.
Container Project
At the March General Meeting Ian Jackson will be giving an update on
the progress of our application to site a container next to the Guide Hall.
We are currently waiting for a response from the Recreation Reserve Committee,
and if successful, we would consult with you, the members of GGREC to endorse
the continuation of our project.
Please do not hesitate to discuss any aspect of our new “GGREC Operations
Centre” (maybe we could have a naming competition?) with Ian or any member
of the Committee.
Pub Night
The next “Pub Night” will be held on Friday the 28th of April, at the
Baxter Tavern. It will be a good opportunity for club members
to get together after the busy Easter period and relax.
AGM
Finally, a nomination form for our AGM elections is included in this
months magazine. Current committee positions will be declared vacant
and a new committee elected. Personally, I have found that
being on the committee has been challenging but extremely rewarding, especially
when I see club members supporting and enjoying being part of Gippsland
Gate Radio and Electronics Club.
See you at the March General Meeting,
73’s from Bruno, VK3BFT
Go to top of
Page
Presidents
Message - February 2000
The year 2000 is well underway and our club will have many opportunities
to get together and have fun.
Something for everyone……
February’s practical night was well attended with many projects being
worked on with lots of help from club members.
Friday the 11th of February was our Pub Night, a relaxing evening for
members to get together and chat.
Sunday the 20th of February is our visit to the Dandenong Letter Centre.
This month’s Guest Speaker, Dave Game will be giving us a talk about
Video Imaging in the printing business.
Morse Code…..
The momentum for lowering the Morse code requirement to five words
per minute is increasing with a majority of WIA Divisions supporting the
proposal.
Club Elections…
Please note that nominations for committee positions close on the 7th
of March, 2000. I especially invite new members to nominate,
as it is the best way to learn about the club, its members, and the common
bond that holds us all together - friendship and a willingness to help!
Vale - Len Vermuelen,
VK3COD
I was very saddened to hear that Len had passed away just before Christmas,
after a long battle with cancer. I fondly remember the long
nights spent trying to copy Morse from Len’s Morse code classes.
As I was operating on a hand held transceiver, I didn’t have enough power
to announce my presence on frequency and became one of the “silent” students.
I couldn’t have passed my Morse exam without Len’s classes and words of
encouragement. Len never stopped giving to amateur radio.
 See you at
the February General Meeting,
73’s from Bruno, VK3BFT
Go to top of
Page
Presidents
Message - January 2000
Christmas
Break Up party
Happy New Year and welcome to the January 2000
edition of GATEWAY. You don’t realise how big the Gippsland Gate
Radio and Electronics club is until they all turn up in your back yard
for a Christmas Break Up party. It was great to see so many
families come along to make this day a huge success.
Activities
While still in Christmas holiday mode, the committee
met at Albert’s place in Nyora. Full of enthusiasm we launched
ourselves into the calendar of events for 2000. Many varied
activities will be planned for you this year, with something for every
one to participate in. Check out the Event
Queue for all the details.
Radio
“Show and Tell”
January GM will be the second in our series of
Radio
“Show and Tell” nights, with KENWOOD being the featured manufacturer.
After admitting that I am one of the few club members that don’t own a
2 metre mobile rig, I will be looking to see if any radios have for sale
signs on them!
Late
news from the WIA: -
WIA Victoria supports the AOCP Morse code proficiency
test speed being lowered from 10wpm to 5wpm in Australia, and is urging
that this measure be taken as soon as possible. A full statement
will appear by Monday, January 17, in the News Current section of
its web site www.tbsa.com.au/~wiavic
and is due to be published in the February edition of Amateur Radio magazine.
Email requests (from recipients of this News Advisory only) for an advance
copy of the statement are welcome.
New
Callsign
Congratulations go to John Whittingham for joining
the amateur radio ranks with his new callsign VK3XJW.
John announced his good news at the January Prac Night.
Articles
Finally, I would like to thank everyone that
contributed to making 1999’s events successful and a big thank you to those
who supplied articles for our club magazine, GATEWAY.
See
you at the January General Meeting,
73’s from Bruno, VK3BFT |
G G R E C Christmas Party At Bruno's QTH December 1999
Please
make any suggestions or comments on any of this by email:-