Hi; I'm John VK4JPM, Secretary of the Darling Downs Radio Club and this news will be fresh if it's Sunday 9th of February. Most importantly, tomorrow night Monday 10th is our February club meeting, where members, guests and others will find out lots about the Amateur Radio take on the Fox Hunt, and how you can have massive amounts of fun and learn useful stuff at the same time. The meeting will be hosted by Bruce VK4MQ, who has been beavering away over the last two months to construct a heap of projects to show you how a Fox Hunt works. The meeting starts at 1900 in the Toowoomba Library on Herries Street near Grand Central on Monday 10th of February, and it's in a meeting room on level 3. That's easy to find, and there's plenty of free offstreet parking.

Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking. The continuing stories of the weather and the flooding in the north of Queensland seem to be expected to continue for some time yet. Along the central coast, we have had the inconvenience of showers and the odd rain squall but the stressful and dangerous deluges have spared us. It is something that I can, in part, identify with from my youth on the regularly flooded north coast of NSW. It is perhaps too early to know if the amateur fraternity has been engaged in assistance efforts but I haven’t seen anything appear on my internet feeds indicating WICEN and other groups have been activated. I would like to remind listeners that our regular WIA National News presenter, Felix Scerri, and his family live in the heavily affected town of Ingham which has been without services such as electricity for several days. To Felix and amateurs in the flooded communities, I trust you are remaining safe and that relief comes soon. Whilst our news services have been following the flooding the world has remained active and from a North American news outlet, MSNBC, comes a report of an event which hopefully can never happen in this land down under. Commentator Rachel Maddow tells of what appears to be politically driven actions by the Federal Communications Commission. It is alleged that under the new White House administration, there is a policy to direct support for news services towards those businesses that support the new administration. In her story, Miss Maddow told of how a local newspaper which had a readership of over many hundreds of thousands and was identified as the paper of record for official advertisements for that area, has had its contracts with the Federal government withdrawn and the business transferred to adjacent area publishers. It would be inconceivable for we Aussies to see the ACMA act in such a partisan political manner as this news story presents. However, we individually may view the governmental processes we seem to being better protected by administrative structures than our colleagues across the Pacific, allowing for the truth of the report. Returning to the floods and the possibility of amateur radio support during this crisis period, there is the question as to whether resilience mapping actually accommodates our skill base and uses it. If the answer is yes, then we seem to be hiding the efforts of many people as we don’t usually get to hear of their efforts. Then if the answer is no, we must ask the question as to whether we have lost recognition and credibility as a volunteer support group. Certainly, there are good reasons for getting the word out about our contributions or finding out why our participation is dying on the vine. I’m Geoff Emery VK4ZPP and that’s what I think….how about you?

Greetings from the Redcliffe & Districts Radio Club VK4RC. Robert Thomson VK4TFN here. REDFEST 25 "Adventures on HF" will be held on the 12th of April 2025. Our new venue will be The Deception Bay North State School, Old Bay Road, Deception Bay. We will raffle off a very nice ICOM IC-7300. Go to: www.redclifferadioclub.org.au for more information.

Hello and welcome to the weekly update from the Darling Downs Radio Club. I'm Secretary John VK4JPM. It's Groundhog Day, so I've checked with Punxatawnie Phil and we're either in for another four weeks of Queensland snow, or this segment will replay over and over again until the next Club meeting on Monday 10 February. At Darling Downs Radio Club we believe that being social is an important part of amateur radio, so a reminder about our bi-monthly informal lunch this coming Saturday, February 8th. We'll be meeting at Cafe Inferno in the Southern Hotel on Ruthven Street Toowoomba

Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking. The technology that we use depends on what is generally called a commodity and which we pay for in increasingly high premiums, that of electricity. Mostly we are supplied by a reticulated service and the electrons are persuaded to travel the network in various ways that we call generation. We seem to have seen a total revolution as batteries were the first way of making electricity available, then came electromagnetic generation with various forms of energy providing the mechanical forces to rotate the magnetic fields and we have now revived the storage battery to facilitate use. Various uses of electricity have occurred over the last 3 centuries, and the latest fad that has swept the share market speculators off their feet has been that of artificial intelligence. AI was undergoing an ethical analysis as to the limits of its uses and the capacities it should be allowed to develop and then ChatGPT was launched on the world. Shares in the “chip” manufacturer, Nvidia, soared but not as high as the fictional cryptocurrencies. Then this past week a new player with reportedly fewer demands on computing power lobbed into view and the stock exchanges reeled. Before the release of the Chinese-developed AI app, there were questions as to whether the electricity grids could meet the high demand of the data centres which hurled the gazzillions of terabytes of data into the internet to make AI work. Then some cheeky environmentalist types added further to the debate by querying the amount of water that the data centres demanded to maintain suitably cool environments for the computers to make the magic. What we saw in the development of electricity as a necessary tool is the benefits of economies of scale. As more people were able to access electricity, the costs of providing it fell until somewhere in the last quarter century the Western world lost sight of the things that are useful and renamed them as commodities. Utilities such as water and electricity were processed and supplied at sustainable costs but when controls were relinquished, and plants were sold off the prices rose. With AI becoming more ubiquitous the processes of refining its use and recovering the costs involved should, like electricity did once, fall with the greater uptake. Perhaps the union of AI and quantum computing will provide the impetus for a dramatic renaissance and dynamism to the sciences and technology. Boffins have been debating whether the fictional devices of the TV “Star Trek” series such as matter transporters can not only be imagined but also constructed and used. Perhaps we are at the dawning of the Age of Aquarius after all and amateur radio will see a flowering that few of us can imagine. I’m Geoff Emery VK4ZPP and that’s what I think….how about you?

Darling Downs Radio Club for Sunday 26 January. I'm John VK2JPM, Secretary of the club. Coming up: the next club meeting is on the evening of Monday 10th of February in the Toowoomba library at 1900. This month's topic is Fox Hunting, and Bruce VK4MQ is going to do his darndest to show you the two most important outcomes that you can get from our hobby: have a REALLY good time, and develop great technical and life skills. We're planning a club Fox Hunt event in late March or April, and Bruce will show you how to be prepared for not much money and only a small amount of effort. That date again: Monday 10 February at 1900 in the Toowoomba Library. If you're coming to the meeting and you've been busy constructing over the holidays, why not bring a bit of show and tell? [email protected] will get our attention, and someone will get back to you pretty quickly. 73 from John VK4JPM for the Darling Downs Radio Club.

Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking. As I sat down at the keyboard to prepare this talk, the thrumming of the ceiling fan outpaced the chirrups of the cicadas serenading the night. It seems that large parts of the Sunshine State have largely dispelled the rain clouds for a little while and replaced the wet and humid weather with a heatwave with equally high levels of humidity. It is hardly the type of weather that encourages one to sit behind a microphone or keyboard and commune with the world. It is time for the younger students to enjoy the last days of the school holidays whilst staying as cool as conditions allow. We more senior folk are advised to stay cool and drink plenty of fluids to overcome the heat stresses. I spoke, last week, of the Jamboree which was held in Maryborough and one of the things I didn’t mention was the state of the camping area when sudden heavy rains caused localised flooding at the showgrounds. The images that appeared on television showed the scouts valiantly defending their sleeping area with shovels and what materials they could use to divert the several centimetres of water. It was a classic case of being caught unawares but being prepared to do what was necessary in the circumstances. For all of that disruption it seems that the situation was accepted and the good memories of time spent around the Fraser Coast were carried home in spite of the deluge. I caught a YouTube video, last week, from a space scientist and amateur operator, Dr. Tamitha Skove, and from the observations she has recorded it appears that we have reached the first stages of the decline in Solar Cycle 25. This is a good time to put our operating skills to work and catch the excitement of HF whilst the benefits of the cycle remain. I can recall the rapidity of some previous cycles as exotic skip was soaked into then so-called normal conditions that prevail between the 11 year peaks. Part of the joy of amateur radio is pitting one’s skills against the prevailing conditions on the bands. Some of the best fun is had when signals come from around the globe and we can work those stations without internet or satellite assistance. That is not to say these methods of any the less valid or enjoyable but a barefoot DX contact on the bands is always reason to smile with satisfaction. For our clubs, I trust you have resumed activities refreshed by the holiday break and members have returned full of enthusiasm and inspiration for the remainder of the year ahead. I am looking forward to sharing with you in 2025 and hope to hear your stories on the news. I’m Geoff Emery VK4ZPP and that’s what I think….how about you?

Hi, I'm John VK4JPM, Secretary of the Darling Downs Radio Club. It's Sunday 19th of January and it's already only 22 sleeps away from our meeting on the second Monday of February. Bruce VK4MQ has a passion for Fox Hunting, and he's champing at the bit to show you why and how that happened. Not only is Bruce bringing along some of his home-brew foxes so that you can see what one looks like up close and personal, but he's a big fan of the cheap DIY directional antenna.

There's lots more to fox hunting than just a transmitter and a receiver - although those are a big help. It's also helpful to have a bit of technique, both as a hunter or as the fox, and Bruce will let you in on hints, tips, and winning strategies that you can use in either role. This is how Bruce gets to talk about the nuns and the beat-up sedan. Bruce has promised to bring along some raw materials and will build a directional antenna on the spot.

Robert Thomson VK4TFN here. REDFEST 2025 will be held on the 12th April 2025 The Theme will be "Fun on HF" We have a new venue. REDFEST 2025 will be held at the Deception Bay North State School in Old Bay Road Deception Bay. We will Raffle a very nice ICOM radio TxRx. Go to redclifferadioclub.org.au for more information. 73's and bye for now from the Redcliffe & Districts Radio Club VK4RC.

Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking. In the past week, my part of the world has seen the conclusion of one of the biggest gatherings on the Fraser Coast. Maryborough was the host town for the Scouting Jamboree displayed as AJ25 on the patches and advertising. The last time this event was held in Maryborough, I was lucky enough to be able to participate in the amateur radio station that was on site. Sadly band conditions during the day were not the best and very few scouts were lucky enough to experience ham radio as they circulated around the activities. At night, the Scouters who were amateurs were much more successful and we would catch up with their successes when we returned the following day. I have not heard how the activities went this year but hopefully with band conditions more favourable there was plenty of action to spur enthusiasm in the hearts of the scouts who ventured into the amateur radio station. My participation has been limited to driving past the venue and following items presented in the media except for one activity. I do a weekly shop for the household and in that first week the streets and shops of Maryborough were illuminated by the bright Jamboree shirts of people attending to purchases in town and sight-seeing the historical town. What really came across to me was the courtesy and general good behaviour of the scouts. We are all used to the slightly frenetic pace at which people of this age like to live life and the fact that chasing the moment can overtake consideration for people around them. With these young people there was a unity and alertness which we would associate with people involved in the scouting movement. I have never had so many bodies defer to my travel along supermarket aisles and even apologise if they thought I had been hindered. I am left with the feeling that we amateurs are lucky to have an association with the Scouting movement and where we can we should offer assistance to our local groups. There is the hope that some of those people working to get their badges in various skills which align with amateur radio can take the further step of joining the radio fraternity as a complementary activity. Later this year, there will be the opportunity to participate in the JOTA/JOTI activities but in the meantime the opportunities remain for closer liaison with Scouts, Guides and Joeys at local levels. Like all voluntary bodies, scouting depends on the support of people like you and me. If there is an opportunity take it and if not try and make it. I’m Geoff Emery VK4ZPP and that’s what I think….how about you?

I'm John Maizels, Secretary of the Darling Downs Radio Club and it's Sunday 12th of January. If you're listening to this on Sunday morning and in range of the club's repeater VK4RDD on 146.75, then the regular 2M Net is at the top of the hour at 1000 local time. Pretty much that's the same time as the rest of Queensland, so if you're listening to this on Sunday evening then you've missed it. If you are around, then please join in with the gang any Sunday - you don't have to be a club member - and meet the locals. Also, something for which you don't have to be a member: our next club technical gathering is on Monday 10th of February when you can come and learn some ins and outs of Fox Hunting. You can read all about the meeting and Fox Hunting on our website right now - go to www.ddrci.org.au and check the calendar entries at the start... where you'll be reminded that we don't have a meeting in January.

Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking. As we move into a new calendar year it seems right to wonder what the direction of amateur radio is taking. There has been a tradition of maintaining practices which were foundational to the pursuit of AR. Over one hundred years ago, the wireless enthusiast was largely a home constructor. Morse code had been around for several years and its use in railway, shipping and military areas meant that it was the logical means of sending messages and conversing. Although patents existed for different voice modulation methods, the complexity of design and availability of components limited the uptake for the amateur experimenter. As the technology developed and was adopted around the world, it became necessary to find ways of harmonising the use of the radio spectrum. We see the current outcome of this in the International Telecommunications Union and the many subsidiary bodies that exist to facilitate various sectors. Part of the structure of radio administration has been to create a framework and then allow local authorities to care for the vast user base in a way that best suits local conditions. Our regulator seems to be a hands-off arm of government called the Australian Communications and Media Authority. If you wonder why I use that expression, consider trying to resolve an issue regarding your licence and finding you have no effective right of appeal to the Minister of Communications if you are dissatisfied with an outcome. It seems that part of the job description of the administrator of services is to ensure that the needs of their clients are adequately served. For we radio amateurs there are a few needs that are specific to our ability to utilise the full extent of our licences. For instance, we need to be able to corroborate or substantiate our qualification and licence grade to operate overseas or even register for certain internet applications involving the potential to transmit. The recent transfer of individual amateur licences to a class register has meant no access to an official database or, for many, a document that states the current status. Despite many attempts to remedy this situation with the Agency, it remains intransigent in its refusal to provide a simple and convenient solution. It is difficult to know the reasoning behind this situation, whether it is bureaucratic convenience, gross ignorance of the client base or poor external advice. Whatever the cause it is evident to those who need an entry on an official site or a piece of plastic or paper with the up-to-date information that this demonstrates a poor understanding of this part of the amateur service which the agency is charged with governing. In the scheme of things these are minor issues which require simple solutions and those solutions are being ignored. Let us hope to see a common-sense resolution to these transitional omissions this year. I’m Geoff Emery VK4ZPP and that’s what I think….how about you?

Here's a Happy New Year to our listeners all over Queensland and beyond - coming to you from the Darling Downs Radio Club in Toowoomba. I'm John VK4JPM, secretary of the Club, and welcome to 2025. It's Sunday 5th of January, and time for a good look forward to what's coming up this year - all of which you can check on our website.

Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking. It seemed a happy coincidence that our Sun joined in the earthly celebrations by providing not one but two solar storms to mark our arbitrary New Year. The fireworks looked spectacular on the TV and the solar winds must have provided entertainment and frustration to radio users around the world. The significance of the New Year is not whether it is correct by the laws of physics and mathematics but the mental prompt it gives us humans to refocus and align our thoughts and actions to priorities that may have slipped from view. For each of us, it marks a new beginning to a new period and the mental stimulus can guide us in new directions and away from patterns that have become routine, is another way of putting it. This small segment, in the weekly news service, is primarily aimed at the club environment but of course, it must also speak to the individuals who make up those clubs. Those of you who have watched the video posted by Hayden, VK7HH, (Ham Radio DX is the channel name) on YouTube, and using material from the recent REAST Conference in Tasmania will be either understanding or shocked at the statements from the WIA members on the panel. Clubs have largely been left to develop their strategies for growth without the support of the peak body for amateur radio. Sadly this merely confirms the impression that many have shared that the Board doesn't have an effective working committee structure. Past years have seen much effort given to aiding clubs and hopefully, we can see a resurgence of activity in this area. Here in VK4, we no longer have any state hierarchy between members, clubs and the WIA. How much is shared in the online video meetings with club presidents and ultimately with club members seems to be an unknown quantity. There is a ballot for WIA Directors coming up shortly and I hope we see some inspiring presentations and enthusiasm for growing our hobby and our clubs. It is not usually advised that the flaws in our activities are published. Still, we take part in a “communications” activity which is largely done over the air and person to person. I hope that more amateurs can contribute to the discussions and that more clubs can evaluate their situation regardless of the leadership we once valued. It is a new year and the calendar has been marked with activities to be addressed. Is this too much to hope and expect that the Board, which carries the legal responsibility of supporting and developing amateur radio in VK-land, might shine a light on itself so that we all can see the efforts being made to fulfil the duties of being Director? I’m Geoff Emery VK4ZPP and that’s what I think….how about you?

Following a QNEWS report from Ipswich on December 8, very sad news to report is that Ron Grandison VK4RG passed away 2 am on Sunday, December 22. Ron was one of the originals of the Ipswich and District Radio Club. He helped build the clubhouse in the early 1960s and participated in many events. He was the morning voice of the 8 am net which started in 1986. His last was only on November 25 this year. When you heard Ron's voice you knew it was 0800 hours precisely. Ron had a positive presence in many lives. Funeral details will be published on the Ipswich club's FaceBook page and emailed to all members. Vale Ron Grandison VK4RG.

It's New Year's Day on Wednesday... best wishes for the coming year from all of us at your Club - and all clubs; be safe; try to avoid fireworks in the shack, and good luck with that elusive contact on-air.... It seems a few of the bands have been remarkably open at just the right time for the holidays. Do you have a presentation topic that you'd like us to cover in a meeting next year? Tell us. In particular, what might appeal to younger people? Drop a line to [email protected], and check out our website at www.ddrci.org.au.

Hi - I'm John VK4JPM, secretary of the Darling Downs Radio Club, and this is our final club update... for 2024. It's Sunday 27th of December, and Ho, Ho, Happy. Yes, it's that moment between two public holidays and another one; the time when the euphoria hasn't quite worn off, but you don't know what you're going to do next week. Whether you had a religious experience, or your break was purely secular, did you manage to acquire a few more toys for the shack or do some electronics activity?

Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking. Well, the wrapping paper and remnants of Christmas feasting have passed us by and the mid-night reverie of New Year is almost upon us. What a strange ending to this year as the tropical heat penetrated to the south of the continent with strips of the east coast spared the worst of the heat. Then just to remove any smug feelings we went into a period of heatwave. Thankfully we shared Christmas with a little breeze and temperatures a bit lower than blood heat. As the calendar turns over we have the usual summer contest period continuing and for many people preparations for schooling are the next big thing for family life. Then there are the club activities which hopefully members have thought out ahead of time. In other words, the next couple of months should see many events saved for action in Reminder files or on the notice board. As we move through sunspot Cycle 25, we can properly suspect that we are entering the downward phase and the next couple of years will see much of the great DX become less frequent. It is properly a time when the country hunter should be making hay whilst the sun shines, as the old saying goes. But then we have the alternative available. As contentious as it might be for some operators there is a wide range of weak signal modes available to implement quite simply and cheaply, these days. The digital transition that has overtaken us in the last quarter century has really widened the range of opportunities for the amateur radio enthusiast. It is no longer necessary to be tied to a desk top machine and have this connected to mysterious black boxes to be able to far outperform the much vaunted packet radio system of the 80’s and 90’s. The capability of mobile devices can provide a whole new scope to operating. As we come to sing Auld Lang Syne for another year it is good to reminisce over the year that is passing out. However, having a list of aspirations for the new is a good start to the beginning how we wish to continue. I’m Geoff Emery VK4ZPP and I wish you all the best for 2025…. and that’s what I think

Hi - I'm John VK4JPM Darling Downs Radio Club Secretary with the club update for Sunday 22nd of December. Wow - hasn't the year gone quickly? We're already thinking ahead to next year's technical sessions, and we have an interesting list of topics lined up - look out for presentations on Fox Hunting, Overvoltage protection, how to get the best from Chinese handhelds, clever antennas, and more. If there's a topic that you'd like us to cover, why not make the suggestion? And even better, if there's a topic you could present, we'd like to know - and if you're listening to this from out of the region, don't be put off. We love to host out-of-towners. Either way, drop a line to [email protected] In the something different department, a couple of us have been thinking about making a group to Dayton Hamvention, the US's biggest hamfest from 16-18 May next year. We'd like to know if Hamvention might be on your bucket list and if you'd like to be part of a smallish group for - say - a two-week tour with organised side trips to see some tech and transmission that you wouldn't otherwise get to experience. And you'd always be free to travel before and/or afterwards under your own steam if you felt like a longer stay. Right now it's just an idea that we're testing but if you have any interest, let us know so we can get an idea of potential numbers. If enough people are willing, we'll put a trip together. More about this in early January. National News and QNews will keep running over the summer festive season, and we will too. Check out our website at www.ddrci.org.au, and watch for our updates across the break. Have a happy holiday season, whatever that brings. And that's it for this week - 73 from John VK4JPM for the team at the Darling Downs Radio Club.

Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking. We are in that frantic time before the great days of celebration and feasting. Whether you mark the occasion by attending church or enjoying a secular holiday, Christmas is a time of bustle and activity. The traditions that people bring to this time of year tend to reinforce family and friendship bonds and unhappily for some, refresh painful memories of people and places. It can be hoped that everyone can find comfort, support and a rewarding fellowship to mark this time. Whether we share the days with others or relax alone we can be certain that millions of other people are participating in similar traditions. Funnily, over the years of listening for the sounds of new presents being put on air, there seems to be a habit that people do share the celebration of Christmas Day so much so that I have normally got no incentive to hit the airwaves as the bands usually appear deserted. As this holiday has embraced new traditions over time, such as the giving of cards and then presents and having a festive and decorated tree it is like our own pursuit of amateur radio. Over time the radio hobby has embraced the terms of trades that are its foundations and used the science and technology of the time to expand. From the marine radio comes the “shack” to be one’s operating position and from the land-line telegraphy we have the Q Code and so on it goes. There is unity amongst amateur radio operators that brings people together in activities such as contests and aids in humanitarian work in times of trouble. The boundaries of war can be overlooked as people conduct “contacts” with others regardless of politics or religion. So what I see is a sameness in the activities of festivals that unify humanity and that same spirit underlies the practice of amateur radio. So for everyone who reads or listens to this broadcast, I can say without offending and with sincerity, may we all have a very Happy Christmas!

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

Hi - I'm John VK4JPM Darling Downs Radio Club Secretary with the club update for Sunday 15th of December. Nice and quick this week, and as we move towards the end of the year our scheduled regular club activities take a break until the beginning of February. But don't lose track of the dates: Saturday 8 February for our next club lunch social, and Monday 10 February for the member's meeting and tech topic. More details on those in the coming weeks. Speaking of tech topics, we had a great session with John VK4JBE discussing Software Defined Radios. John gave us a cheat sheet to help with SDR selection and has kindly provided some follow-up materials to help get started. That info will be on the website in a bit. Not taking a break: the weekly club nets will continue: 2m on VK4RDD at 1000 local on Sundays, and 80m on Saturday evenings. Check out our website at www.ddrci.org.au, 73 from John VK4JPM at the Darling Downs Radio Club.

Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking. Many of the things that I remember from my childhood are still part of the items that are still common today. The events are still followed but the things that are used have been modernised. I can remember a genuine tree being cut and mounted in the house and then adorned with suitable decorations. These days there is the convenience of store-bought manufactured trees and trinkets which aren’t necessarily valuable enough to wrap in tissue paper and store until the next year. When I first caught the bug of radio, I made my first logbook. It was nothing more than a school exercise book that I ruled up and labelled the columns for the date, time call signs etcetera. These days, a quick internet search will bring you many styles of logging from apps to printable styles, from records you can save on your electronic device to creating a permanent paper memento. That brought me to thinking about how we can make available stored information for use both within the shack, out in the field portable of course, and in our club activities too. Certainly, a printed form of reference is preferred by many of us but the convenience of electronic memory has a lot to recommend it. The amount of storage that is now cheaply available on memory cards and USB sticks is growing each year. When we think back to the now-lost WIA Callbook, there was so much material to guide operating in its pages; from frequencies of band segments to QSL bureau details and so much more made the pages. With the more precise division of bands as new modes are introduced, having a reference which can specify the correct details to use for a particular mode is handy both at home or portable. For clubs, a drive containing details of the club as well as linking to regulations, band plans awards, could be a great tool for new as well experienced amateurs. With PDF apps for free download, compiling and collating so much of the information can be done straight from the internet. Just be aware that a lot of material is subject to copyright ownership and permission must be obtained to publish it. This would apply to material from the ACMA and WIA, for instance. There will be those who don’t like the idea of electronic resources preferring paper-based material. However, the portability of a small drive overcomes the problems of poor internet services in an area and if designed properly it could be updated by the user or through a central data service. There have been problems previously when the material was distributed on disks and pen drives when piracy was a common practice for many and ownership of material was viewed as a commercial necessity. These days we don’t have a simple handbook or a callbook to help and it is sensible to remember that “when all else fails, there is amateur radio.” We just need to make it more convenient, at times. I’m Geoff Emery VK4ZPP and that’s what I think….how about you?

This is Allan VK4HIT with news from Ipswich and District Radio Club. Ron has been calling in the Ipswich morning net since July 1986. For Ron, it has been a labour of love and for the rest of us listening or taking part in the net, he has been a constant – the voice of reassurance in a world of change. Sadly, Monday, November 25 was the last time Ron made the regular call for stations owing to a change of home address which doesn’t permit a base station setup. VK4RG was first licensed in 1956 and he is hopeful his trusty handheld will enable him to call in occasionally. VK4RG, we salute you and thank you for your service to the club and amateur radio. Reporting from Ipswich this is Allan, VK4HIT.

I'm John VK4JPM Darling Downs Radio Club Secretary with the club update for Sunday 8th of December. Before I remind you about the tech meeting tomorrow night - yes, tomorrow night. John VK4JBE is coming up from Brisbane to give us all the good stuff about Software Defined Radios. If you're just catching up to the topic, check out the Wikipedia article online, because that's a good introduction to the introduction. All the info on the meeting is on the website at www.ddrci.org.au

Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking. During the past week, the postman handed me the latest edition of Amateur Radio magazine and it prompted me to think about what we used to have. Once there was a state-based newsletter aptly called QTC. This was a great addition to the shack in that reminders of events were in tangible form rather than just committed to memory. When the weekly news went out on packet radio, it was an easy task to print it out and these days we are very likely to have a printer on our home network which can do the same job with the news bulletins. You see, QTC went into a column in AR magazine before it went SK. Largely club notes have been lost to the printed medium and this makes our broadcast news all the more important in getting the messages out to fellow amateur operators. This is especially true with the magazine now bi-monthly having gone from monthly to 11 issues a year and now every 2 months. I don’t know how many clubs are running nets these days as there isn’t a quickly accessible list for me to check. I know that not a lot can be heard from my location and without receiving reminders or newsletters I would bet that most of us are just as much in the dark as I am. So here we are engaged in a communications activity and we seem to be confounded by poor communications. I don’t know how many missives are sent via the WIA Memnet service but I receive advice of the release of the digital issue of the magazine so that amounts to only 1 every 2 months. Periodically the text edition of the national news drops off until I send a plea for help and that makes me wonder how effective our IT systems are working for the WIA. To place a little context on the subject, I live in a house with people not only getting older but also living with chronic health issues. There are many times that I think of things that I would like to see done by me or others but circumstances don’t give the luxury of acting on those thoughts. For me, getting updates in my email is a welcome piece of assistance as I don’t have to devote time to searching them out. It also provides a point of connection to the wider community in a way that is accessed at convenient times. You see these ways of sharing are important on a personal level as much as they support club activity and growth. Once it was the cartoonist’s jibe that you had to lick the tip of a pencil or bash the heck from a typewriter to get the news out. These days we can achieve things much more sedately and just as effectively with our mobile devices or shack computers. I look forward to getting your news in electronic or broadcast. I’m Geoff Emery VK4ZPP and that’s what I think….how about you?