On QNEWS for week of 14 September 2025 I'm John VK4JPM, Secretary of the Darling Downs Radio Club. Coming up: the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, and this year the club has entered the parade for the first time. We've been busy assembling flowers and radio gear, and we're getting ready to demonstrate aspects of Amateur Radio as the parade wends through the crowd. The parade takes place on Saturday 20 September, and is big enough to take about 90 minutes to pass any one spot. If you can't come in person, you can watch the parade via the interweb, keep an eye on our website. If we look like it's going to work. Given the degree of difficulty associated with contacting a float, you can expect a serious multiplier. If conditions are right, check the website on the day for details of bands, frequencies, and fine-print. Our next meeting dates are up on the website, and details will be filled in once we get past next Saturday! Right now you could plan for the next Club Lunch on Saturday 4 October, and the next club meeting on Monday 13 October. And don't forget that the Non-Queensland southern states move into Daylight Time Confusion from Sunday the 5th. Oh, and our last meeting with Dion 4DKW was a ripper.

Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking. One of the issues that clubs and groups tend to have is that of raising money to cover the running costs. Very few operate in an area where membership subs cover the outgoings let alone provide for the future needs. To this extent, our radio, electronics and maker spaces all have this issue to plan for. In the larger towns and suburbs, the growth of the mega hardware stores has provided a source of funding by selling slices of bread surrounding a freshly cooked snag. Elsewhere alternatives to this activity have to be found. For major outlays such as office furniture, IT, radios and the like, it is usually necessary to turn to some of the many grants funded by councils and governments. Getting behind the keyboard and writing a grant submission can be quite an exercise in creative thinking to tell the story of why you need the money and what those items will do, not only for your group but usually the benefits to the community also. This doesn’t mean that small groups have to go without a fillip to their coffers. There are several projects run by clubs which engage members in construction of shack accessories. You may not find a great demand for the goods or they might take off like the proverbial scalded cat. I can think of one VK2 club that produces DC power distribution boards and they seem to sustain a constant demand. Other clubs have produced DIY kits for test gear or model specific accessories to improve operating ease of their radios. Obviously the need for transformers for the current fad of end-fed and random wires gives an opportunity to fill a gap in the market. The current costs of goods sourced from the USA is troubling when postage is added so a local source may be the solution and a preferable alternative to the unknown quality of some Asian products. Of course, getting a project organised and costed will determine the success or otherwise even before gathering a team to produce and distribute the goods. The up side is that often when you look around your membership, you will find people with skills that can improve the design and presentation whilst contributing to a team effort. Building friendships is a good way of strengthening the whole club performance. What we can do is find ways of doing things that build the funds in the bank, strengthen the membership and also benefit our community amateur and generally. Remember that the majority of amateurs are getting older. I certainly couldn’t man the barbeque or serve the sausages but I can still do other things which can contribute. I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and that's what I think, how about you?