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?