QNEWS - FEBRUARY 05 2023 - VK4 ON AIR ---------------------------------------------------------------------* DID YOUR CLUB TELL ANYONE ABOUT AMATEUR RADIO THIS WEEK? CAIRNS DID. ---------------------------------------------------------------------* THE FOLLOWING NEWS CAN BE HEARD FROM OUR AUDIO SERVICE Available in Audio RIGHT NOW http://www.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 @ WIA YEAR COMMENCING MAY 2022 SK CALL SK NAME DATE ADVISED BY VK4MBH Keith Allison 03/06/2022 (vk4vp) VK4AVF Des Flor 13/06/2022 (vk4hit) VK4DV Merv Deakin 18/06 (vk4cnq - vk4zz) VK4SO Les Parker 21/06 (vk4atc) VK4AJL George Glendinning 22/06 (vk4zz) VK4NW Warwick Marshallsea 14/07 (vk4vp) VK4ET/5WC Tony Van Lysdonk 16/07 (vk4vp) VK4SF Jack Ford 18/07 vk4hit) VK4AVS Jim Storch 22/07 (vk4zz) VK4AGS Geoff Strom 23/08 (vk4zz) VK4HGT George Turner 02/09 (vk4gcr) VK4DK Stanley 'Dave' West 08/09 (vk4zz) VK4HAJ Merrell Coleman Sept or Oct? (vk4acc) VK4YT Nick Watling 22/10 (vk4zz) VK4HS Howard Stephenson 06/01/23 (vk4acc) ---------------------------------------------------------------------* CLUBBING ---------------------------------------------------------------------* CAIRNS http://www.wia.org.au/clubs/vk4/CairnsAmateurRadioClubInc/ AUSTRALIA DAY CONTEST FROM VK4BOB Hi, I’m Bob VK4BOB in Cairns. Three members of the Cairns Amateur Radio Club, Steve VK4SJB, Mark VK4JU and I, operated the club’s contest station VK4HM for the Australia Day Contest. While we were setting up a field station on The Esplanade in Cairns, a promo SMS I sent earlier to the local ABC Radio station was read out by the breakfast announcer. Then we got a surprise visit from the show’s producer with his recorder, and the following morning an interview of about 8 minutes was broadcast during the popular breakfast program. This was broadcast by ABC Local Radio all over Cape York and Far North Queensland. Mark VK4JU and I built half-wave dipoles for the ten metre band. The morning DX with North America was problematic apparently due to a solar flare, but later in the early evening the three of us had great fun working DX into Europe. We were visited on site by some of our members and from the Tablelands Radio and Electronics Club, plus the public. Current projects are to get our two metre repeater back on air after vandalism took it out, and building even better portable antennas for ten metres. We plan to operate from the same place for the John Moyle Memorial contest in March. Keep an ear out for us! This is Bob, VK4BOB, signing off for the Cairns Amateur Radio Club. ---------------------------------------------------------------------* Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking. This past week has been one of paradox for the weather with the Cape being covered in tropical rain and storms, the east coast experiencing high humidity and a minor heat wave and the south east of the continent getting the cold wintery blasts that promise snow falls in summer. When I look at the rain radar images, I am reminded of how much electrical noise is generated by these storms and how amateurs and other radio users train the brain to filter out the static crashes. Pulling the weak signal from the air has been a skill that users of HF radio have been refining regardless how well the noise blankers and filters deal with man made and Nature’s own symphony. Hopefully the pundits are going to be correct in that the weather should ease as this weekend passes and hopefully that will also mean that short wave conditions will remain favourable with the good propagation that has been happening. Many an old hand is reading the straws in the wind and surmising that we have another couple of years of good conditions on HF during this sunspot cycle. As we have seen the maturing of digital technology over the past 3 decades or so to where it is working quietly for use in so many aspects of our lives, we are seeing the coding algorithms develop from the hopeful to the purposeful with chatGPT creating interest. If we think back to where some of the things we used years back have become and then try and guess where current developments will take us, it is a really fascinating future that we can expect. We have seen the packet radio go from using discrete pieces of gear to being integrated into handhelds with monitoring available via the internet. What will it be when artificial intelligence can absorb the operating parameters including space weather and effectively maximise radio operations. The old timers, or historical purists, felt that packet radio using internet linking was not true radio but many of the networks that the world depends upon, apart from amateur radio, use it as standard. We have the critics that rail against some of the digital modes as being your computer talking to my computer and not true ham radio. I suspect that in years to come there will be protocols developed which integrate AI and what will be the objections then? Hopefully, as the new school year has started and I am reminded by the multitude of adds that come with my internet feed, that the tertiary sector is canvassing for business. Fortunately I am also seeing that courses for amateur radio are kicking off for this year also. Let us hope that the enthusiasm for this great STEM activity brings many successful candidates into our ranks. Before I go, I must say what a great thing it was to have those club stories go to air last week. This is one way to encourage the listeners who don’t have a licence, to accept things happen in the wonderful world of amateur radio. I’m Geoff Emery VK4ZPP and that’s what I think....how about you? ---------------------------------------------------------------------* 2023 Social Scene Clubs are welcome to submit text with audio for this section VK4 - SUNSHINE COAST CAR BOOT SALE FEBRUARY 12 This includes a deceased estate sale and it happens at the club house, 85 Godfreys Rd Pacific Paradise, QLD. 10 AM. (vk4an) VK4 - REDCLIFFE - REDFEST APRIL ONE (vk4tfn) St. Michael's College, Caboolture. VK4 - SUNFEST - NOVEMBER 9 (vk4an) At Mountain Creek State School’s massive air conditioned auditorium, just off the Sunshine Motor Way. Mountain Creek is tucked in to the west of Mooloolaba VK - ALARAMeet2023 4/5 November in HOBART (luther8@bigpond.com) TO SUPPLY QNEWS ITEMS:- Send SCRIPT to qnews@wia.org.au send audio to http://www.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 http://www.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. 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