End of Year Presidents Views November/December 2004.
This has been a great year for our club if for no other reason than to see so many members working together to make our dream of our own workshop/shack become a reality. Looking back through the magazines to May the articles and photos tell their own tale. There is still work to do, the electrical supply situation has been sorted and the electrician is confident that "switch on" will be before Christmas. The plumber should have started work by the time you read this. Reg/ Jenny and Albert are pressing on with the painting, when all this is complete we can begin to look at installing our radio equipment. At this stage I am not going to single any one person out for thanks, but offer a THANK YOU to all who have made this project possible.

On the wider Amateur Radio scene we have witnessed the formation of a national WIA with an interim board and national president. We have seen a section of our 70 cm band withdrawn from our use and know that the 40 mtr allocation won as a world wide primary allocation (7.00 to 7.20) is under threat by some of the worlds broadcasters. The WIA urgently needs your support not so much for its finances but for weight of numbers when in negotiation with the ACA.
So those of you presently not WIA members Please think again about the privileges you enjoy "on air" that have been won because others have given their "spare time" in the WIA to win and retain them.

October 23rd saw a forum of representatives of 14 Victorian radio clubs. This was called by Amateur Radio Victoria WIA Vic by another Name. Mike Ide and myself attended for GGREC. We were addressed by Jim Linton and received reports from clubs not able to attend. Each club was then given time to speak on it's activities. This was followed by a Talk fest by Michael Owen VK3KI and ample time given for a question and answer session. Some agenda items though were not covered due to limited time. The fact that 14 clubs came together to talk
about the future of amateur radio was a plus in itself. All our committee members have copies of the agenda and a short report of proceedings from my viewpoint, for more details see Mike or myself.

We have just held the last exams scheduled for this year. We able to hold an exam in January 2005 on the 15th for those wanting to sit before the school year commences. To make this available we must have the applications into the WIA by 6th December at the latest.

The Christmas hamper is slowly filling but still needs some father donations, Bruno is keen to sell the tickets he is holding. This is usually a prize worth having.
Don’t forget the end of year celebrations. December 3rd Prac night proceeded by a BYO meal, fish and chips, pizza, pasty and ??? This will be in the guide hall doors open at 7pm sharp, tea and coffee provided as usual.
Our breakup will also be held at the hall on Saturday December 11th. Start time 12 midday. Details at next Meeting.

Australia Day next year is on a Wednesday we are intending to open the club room and operate with the usually granted AX prefix.This will be combined with a BBQ.

Those who indicated their intention of coming to Beechworth should book their sites now to avoid missing out on a great weekend.
The caravan park we are using is; Lake Sambell Caravan Park, Jarvis Road Beechworth Vic 3747. Ph 5728 1421.

That’s all from for this issue except to hope you all have a happy safe holiday season. Would'nt it be great to have consideration and patience on our roads with no statistics to quote.

From Pat and I a happy and peaceful Christmas
Peter VK3VB.
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Presidents Comments October 2004.
            Has anyone else noticed the strange noises that have invaded the amateur bands of late. I must admit that I had not taken much notice of them until my recent two weeks in Ballarat when these noises seemed to be there on frequencies I wanted to use. Blame I thought could be laid at the cable TV system suspended on the power poles across the road from where I was staying. It sounded a bit like TV hash and was not always on the same spot, showing some tendency to slowly drift. In Ballarat the freq's most affected were 3.539, 3.670, 7.100, 14.116 and around 14.025/14.300 Mhz. It is 2000 Hrs here in Tooradin on Monday night and having just checked the bands these are the Frequencies I am hearing the same noise on, 3.525, 3.539, 3.639, 7.050, 14.031 and 14.151 Mhz. The equipment used in Ballarat was an FT100 and in the shack a TS830s. Answer?

            My thanks to Mike Ide for ably chairing the meeting while I was away. Also to all those who are continuing to put in valuable time working on the shack project. I had hoped we would have some equipment in place by JOTA but that is not to be. If we can get the plumbing and electrical supply in by Christmas we will be doing well.

On JOTA David VK3XMF has been away so no opportunity has taken place as to what facilities we are expected to supply this year. This being the case our meeting on the 15^th Oct is the night before JOTA event so please come along with a view to helping out with Saturdays JOTA arrangements.

            Remember to that we have T.T.S. Systems coming to the Oct meeting who will have the latest top of the range Ten Tec HF transceiverfor "on air" demonstration. Time to drool !

            A reminder too that the final exams for this year will take place  on Sat Nov 6^th, applications must be in by Oct 15^th.

            A 4WD day has been arranged for Nov 13^th details TBA.

            That’s it for this issue as usual  73s to all.      Peter VK3VB.
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The Presidents Pleasurable Words September 2004
Welcome home to our Olympic traveler, John we hope you had a great time in Athens. Now it is straight back to work and a club mag to prepare. Members can look forward to see and hear of some of what went on in Greece when John gives us a talk at our November meeting.

Our other exciting news is that on August 21st the two halves of our club room project was successfully moved from the construction site at Drouin West and fitted together neatly at the rear of the Cranbourne Guide hall. With the main gates into the compound removed from their hinges the truck driver reversed the building through the gap with a couple of centimetres to spare. His maneuvering of the units onto the prepared pads was almost a work of art. Me thinks he had done that sort of thing before. With the fences and gates now in place, and most of the ceiling tiles in place the major work that we can do is over. There are a few joints/holes that need filling and some painting to complete but we have reached the point of calling in the plumber and electrician to connect to the various services. Once this has been done we can advance to the fitting out stage and install the radio equipment antennas etc.

Rather than large working bees, Ian will need volunteers in twos and threes from now on to finish off the remaining odds and ends.

Mike Ide will chair the September meeting as I will be away house sitting in Ballarat there may be an opportunity on this night for an inspection of the work done so far.

The committee are in need of ideas for next year's Labour Day weekend away, if you have a favourite area or camping spot then let someone on the committee know.

JOTA time is fast approaching (Oct 16th) David VK3XMF is co-ordinator for this event. The Guides would like the radio's working between 1300 and 1700 Hrs on the day so if you can help please see David. It is much easier for you to offer than for him to have to ask around.

That is enough from me for this issue, keep the club event queue

close at hand and know what's going on.

73s Peter. VK3VB
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The Presidents Notes and Quotes July/August 2004
From the heading you can see that this addition of Gateway is to cover the next two months, therefore take special care of it because there will be no separate August issue. We have arranged this to allow our editor to concentrate on his business at this time which includes providing some of the electronics needed to allow video coverage of the sailing events in the coming Olympics.

Which reminds me, those of you interested in DX. From June 1st to 15th September Greek amateurs my use SX2004 or SY2004 prefixes in their call signs to commemorate the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2004. (For the uninitiated the normal Greek amateur prefix is SV).

Our clubroom project is progressing well with the outside cladding completed and the inside paneling the focus of the next working bees. Most of the internal electrical wiring has also been completed. It has been encouraging to see the number of different members lending a hand, it really has been a combined effort and with some luck with the WX over the next few weeks our target of having the room on site at Cranbourne during August is a real possibility.

July 17th of course is our club hamfest, final arrangements will be made at the meeting on Friday 16th. As that man in the adds would say BE THERE.

Valerie and Ian Benson are about to set off on an adventure North via the Adelaide to Darwin Railway and then I believe a leisurely drive home. I hope we have a change to contact them "on air" while they are away. I will be away for two weeks in September farm sitting 10th-24th and be on most weekday afternoons at 4pm local on 7.1 +QRM. Also monitor the Ballarat repeater on 146.750. Mike Ide VK3KTO has agreed to chair the September meeting for me. Thanks Mike.

We have engaged the services of a First Aid expert for our August Meeting who will talk on shack safety and first aid in the case of an electric shock situation. This is a must for all concerned families who have any one at home who dabble in electronics.

That's all from me till September issue in the mean time keep using the spectrum.
73's Peter VK3VB.

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This and That from the President May 2004.
Welcome to a new GGREC year. The new committee has met in combined session with the retiring members as we move into a year that promises to be quite exciting in the clubs life.

The re-locatable is about to become a reality. The preparations needed to custom it to our particular needs will require a series of working bees. Ian and Dianne are kindly allowing their QTH to be used while this work is carried out.

Small working groups will be needed and Ian will call on those with
various trades and skills from time to time. When in place at the Guide complex we should have a shack/workshop with almost unrestricted access as a tremendous asset to the club for years to come.

We also need a small group to be responsible for the over haul and in some cases replacement of the antenna system at the guide hall. I believe someone has details of repairs needed to the HF beam, Phil VK3YB is happy to co-ordinate those who can help in this way. As a club we need to take care that it is not the same few people involved in these projects, burn out leads to drop out and this we need to avoid.

The club has a video tape of the talk given by Michael Owen,
VK3KI to the EMDRC regarding the existing WIA federal system being reformed into a national body. While the audio is a little fuzzy it does convey the thinking and reasons behind the need for change. Any one wishing to borrow this for viewing at home should contact me.

Looking to other club activities over the next twelve months I
still need a co-ordinator for JOTA for the usual third Sat in October.

Again ideas for speakers outings Australia/Labour day weekend venues are needed please pass on to one of the committee members.

As we are now into a new club year this means club fees are now
due. With the clubroom project now in progress we will be expending quite an amount of funds over the next two to three months. Your prompt payment of subs (still same scale as late year) will ensure our treasurer
(Andrew VK3HFA) maintains a smile on his face.

That's enough of me for this month, hope to catch you "on air"
at the next working bee or meeting

73s Peter VK3VB
(03 5998 3533)
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The Presidents Page April 2004.

 Good Friday afternoon, I wonder how you spent it? Here I am sat at the keyboard writing out this months few thoughts. I know some of you are traveling, some are already settled in caravan parks around the place and some are no doubt busy studying the inside of your eyelids.

In this household since a particular Good Friday afternoon in the late 1970's when perchance a visiting Reverend was called on to assist in helping with adjustments to the plumbing in our home's smallest room, this particular afternoon has on many years since seen me complete with cleaning rods either clearing the septic or drainage systems. But with a new wizbang sewerage system installed last year by our local council this year I expected to be safe from such duties. Except I had forgotten all about the rainwater run off system. So even this dry year there are still little holes and corresponding heaps of dirt in our back yard on Good Friday. Next year will be different, I hope. Time alone will tell.

     Our AGM is here again this month, it seems to come around quicker each year. I am pleased to see there are plenty of volunteers for this years committee elections. Our thanks are due to those who have been involved in running the past years events. The committee has met on a monthly basis and we have had plenty of help from others on such event as the Hamfest, JOTA, The Science Show. and our Australia day /Labour Day times away. Thanks again to all involved.

     Looking to the future we are now in a firmer position in our desire for a club building. We have the permission of the Guides the grounds committee and the council to go ahead with the sighting of a re-locatable building within the Guides compound. A small sub-committee with Ian VK3BUF will oversee this project. There will need to be working bees to make this into a reality, so, be prepared to help out when needed. We have received news that a grant has been passed to help in the project. Once in place this building will I am sure be a tremendous asset to club activities. Not the least in giving space for kit building, teaching(we still hope for an entry level license scheme) and a shack where we will be able to come and go much more freely than at present. It will give us the opportunity to enter contests as we will have our own entrance to the site.

       73s Peter VK3VB.

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The Presidents news and views February 2004.
As I sit and contemplate things of relevance and interest for this issue of Gateway, I must admit to thinking I might be wasting precious time and could perhaps be better employed doing some badly needed maintenance to my antenna system. I wonder how many club members actually read the magazine from cover to cover. Listening to the conversations in the club rooms and on the club frequencies I am constantly hearing members asking questions of others about club activities that have been clearly listed in Gateway. So come on and use the mag or lose it. John your editor works hard to produce an informative journal month by month the least members can do is to take the time to read it properly.

Climbing down off my soap box, We have been told that a letter will shortly be received from the grounds committee giving their authority for our re-locatable to be sited as requested at the rear of the guide hall, this means that we can now approach Casey council with our plans for their approval. All we need now is the building. Two members traveled to Bairnsdale recently to view a possible hut but it proved to be in very poor condition, we are therefore still looking for that elusive bargain.

On February 20^th Peter VK3 KCG is to give us a talk about the multi-band HF antenna he has developed, I am hoping it will include some of the background to his decision to use this design.

March Mr John Franklin is giving a talk and slide presentation on his motor vehicle restoration work. Apart from April which is our AGM we are firming up speakers through to June. Keep your ears open at meetings as we have members working on ideas for various kits that we can market as a club, but we will need some idea of the number of members who would be interested in involvement.

March 6^th -8^th is our weekend away at Foster I hope you can at least make it on one of the days. (details elsewhere in magazine)

Well that’s it from me I hope you have time to read this far, see you at the next meeting or may catch you on 146.225 or HF.
Keep those ears well tuned 73s

Peter VK3VB.

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Presidents Notes January 2004.

I trust you all had a peaceful break over the Christmas new-year period. How many are sporting nice new shiny rigs following the visit from the old guy in red? With morse code now withdrawn as anecessity for access to the H.F. bands its great to welcome all those labelled limited in the past to the mysteries of L.F. & H.F. propagation.

There were not as many T,U,X,Y,Z as I expected to hear on new years day and very few of the "H" calls either. This was surprising seeing the nice list of prizes offered for only a small amount of effort. Anyway welcome to all those now able to experience the fun of H.F.ing for the first time.

Things seem to happen slowly in January and this year is no exception, yet the committee has already met and set a few dates to note. Check the Events Queue for details. Some to mention though are 26^th Jan BYO BBQ at Venus Bay. 6/7/8^th March Weekend away centred on the caravan park Foster, I suggest you book now especially if hoping for cabins or on site vans. 13^th March 1^st Exams for year at Tooradin application forms to me by Friday 20^th Feb. On Saturday 27^th March we are planning a dinner at the Cranbourne RSL to celebrate a number of members birthdays.

Nothing new to announce about our hoped for relocatable except that we are expecting some fencing to arrive soon and will be looking for volunteers to help erect it when that happens.

There are some E-Mails doing the rounds regarding the re- organization of the WIA. Those of you with this information may like to take note of what is being suggested with a view to a discussion at one of our club meetings soon.

That’s enough from me for this month hope to see you all at the next meeting, or catch you on "air". Don’t forget 6.225, not all of us can successfully use RLP yet.

73s to all.

Peter VK3VB.
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