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