�� QNEWS - MARCH 22 VK4 ON AIR ---------------------------------------------------------------------* DID YOUR CLUB TELL ANYONE ABOUT AMATEUR RADIO THIS WEEK? REDCLIFFE DID. ---------------------------------------------------------------------* THE FOLLOWING NEWS CAN BE HEARD FROM OUR AUDIO SERVICE Available in Audio RIGHT NOW wiaq.org.au/ftp/vk4_qnews_64.mp3 Also search QNEWS (make sure it IS the Ham Radio QNEWS) in your podcast. ---------------------------------------------------------------------* VK4 SILENT KEYS @ 2019-2020 WIA YEAR SK CALL SK NAME ADVISED BY VK4CL (Aug 2 ) Chris Lowe (vk4vp) VK4VTE (Aug 5 ) Terry Eastlake (Gonzo) (tarc newsletter) VK4UV (Aug 6 ) Don Chatfield (vk4fuq) VK4GT (Aug 8 ) Warren Heaton (vk4hit) VK4GM (Aug 12 ) Gordon Adams (vk4acc) VK4CDL (Sep 15 ) Brad Booth VK4CDL/VK2BJB (vk4zz) VK4GL (Oct 7 ) David Gemell (vk4yac) VK4WB (Nov 6 ) Bill Booth (vk4kx) VK4SU (Dec 28 ) Arnold Youngberg (vk4zzp) VK4FUY (Jan 1 ) Dave Edmunds (vk4zz) VK4KVT ( Jan 6 ) Victor Tarhanoff (vk4hit) VK4TEC (Jan 24 ) Andrew Rich (vk4na) VK4DMC (Feb 18 ) Dale McCarthy (vk4sdd) ---------------------------------------------------------------------* This is WIA Director Aidan, VK4APM in the text edtition called QNEWS The health and well being of the Amateur cohort and our members is of the highest priority. Out of an abundance of caution, consideration for the health and wellbeing of our members, and in an effort to deliver certainty to the Amateur community (not to mention a federal government mandate), the board of the WIA met last Wednesday and endorsed the recommendation of the 2020 WIA Conference Organising committee to cancel this event. The 2021 WIA Conference will take place in Hobart. The organising committee has recommended, and the board has agreed, that the 2021 conference be arranged at a date and time such that those who receive credits for flights and accommodation are in a position to use them within the 12 month time frame that has been announced by all Australian airline carriers. The organising committee will make information regarding the 2021 WIA conference available in the near future. We would like to thank the organising committee for the enormous amount of work put into the 2020 WIA Conference and the large number of people who have already subscribed. We apologise for the inconvenience caused. These are extraordinary times and they require extraordinary measures. All those who have paid registrations will receive a full refund over the coming days. The Annual General Meeting is a legal requirement stipulated by the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). The board has sought advice from Australian Securities and Investment Commission and will provide an update to members in due course. The WIA board would like to encourage all operators to practice social separation, wash and dry your hands regularly and promptly seek advice if you feel you are affected by COVID-19. Stay safe, Thats all from me VK4APM ---------------------------------------------------------------------* CLUBBING ---------------------------------------------------------------------* Redcliffe and Districts radio club. wia.org.au/clubs/vk4/RedcliffeAndDistrictRadioClub/ REDFEST 2020 has been cancelled. Greetings from the Redcliffe & Districts Radio Club VK4RC, right here in south East QLD. Robert Thomson VK4TFN here, with a REDFEST 2020 update. This is indeed a sad turn of events. However, the Executive has had no choice but to cancel REDFEST 2020, due to the current public health concerns. Next year, there will be a REDFEST 2021, circumtances permitting. We will be participating in the John Moyle contest as individual operators. We wish to extend our gratitude to the broader Amateur Radio community for your support. We hope we can depend upon your support in the future. Go to: Triple w dot redcliffe radio club dot org dot au. We're also on Facebook. Bye for now and 73s from the Redcliffe and Districts Radio Club VK4RC. Thank you Robert Thomson ---------------------------------------------------------------------* Hello, I m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I ve been thinking. I have lived through sun spot maxima and sunspot minima but this is the first time I have had to live through a pandemic. With events and venues closing around the country and around the world it seems that we are fortunate to have created a space where we not only protect ourselves but can indulge ourselves in a favourite pastime. The severity and the brutality with which this health issue has been dealt with is going to effect the world for years to come. The businesses that will close and the people who will lose their jobs are what the US military dub as collateral damage. The way in which the business will continue and countries will recover will probably remind us of the austerity following the end of World War II. With that apparent barrel of gloom, we should remember that we are on the beginning of Sunspot Cycle 25 and for long wave and short wave operators this bodes well for interesting and enjoyable conditions improving in the future. Should we have to perform the  self isolation routine, it will be like slipping into our favourite comfortable clothes and relaxing as the meme on social media has put it,  amateur radio practising self isolation for years. That is to say, the area we designate as the shack predates the man cave of more recent times and the shack is a place of familiarity and stimulation or what we want it to be at any given time. I certainly haven't heard the hooves of the four horsemen of the apocalypse and I certainly haven't seen signs of an impending cataclysm regardless of the state of supermarket shelves. What we need to remember is that scientific knowledge has never been in a better position to conquer this microbe and some of the brightest minds are already following leads on how to limit and then defend humanity against covid-19. This is part of the reason that we pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics as learning tools to improve the world and conquer threats. We hobbyists have the luxury of chasing DX, learning more of how bits of our stations work and amongst all that, making observations about how the world works as far as the electromagnetic spectrum is involved. Some of us will have to make the sacrifice of staying out of the daily grind to treat an illness or wait until an all clear is given. How hard will it be to turn the rig on, and with a clear conscience, play radio? This is an opportunity and as the mental health experts tell us, involvement in activities that we enjoy can prevent becoming stressed when life seems hard. Keep well and until next time& . I m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and that s what I think....how about you? ---------------------------------------------------------------------* TO SUPPLY QNEWS ITEMS:- Send SCRIPT to qnews@wia.org.au send audio to wia.org.au/members/broadcast/upload/ QNEWS Tips to get MORE out of your weekly newscast on VK4WIA If you would like to submit club news items for inclusion in QNEWS broadcasts, please email your item in text to:- qnews@wia.org.au THEN submit audio:- To submit audio email qnews@wia.org.au and ask for the current password then read "how to submit items" in the weekly news page on wia.org.au/members/broadcast/contribute/ Remember the sooner you submit audio material the more the likelihood of it being broadcast in the very next edition QNEWS. Each item will only be broadcast once, if you want a couple of mentions, please submit different slants to keep your event 'fresh . 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