� QNEWS OCTOBER 6 2024 - VK4 ON AIR --------------------------------------------------------------------* DID YOUR CLUB TELL ANYONE ABOUT AMATEUR RADIO THIS WEEK? --------------------------------------------------------------------* THE FOLLOWING NEWS CAN BE HEARD FROM OUR AUDIO SERVICE Available in Audio RIGHT NOW QNEWS thanks to Tony VK7AX can be found on www.vk7ax.id.au/wianews/ 203.31.7.19/wianews/ QNEWS audio ready to download thanks to Brendan VK4BLP from www.wiaq.org.au Also search QNEWS (make sure it IS the Ham Radio QNEWS) in your podcast. --------------------------------------------------------------------* VK4 SILENT KEYS @ WIA YEAR FROM MAY 6 2024 SK CALL SK NAME DATE ADVISED BY VK4PS ALAN STEPHENSON 23/05/24 (vk4zz) VK4FANG ROGER HARNDEN 22/07/24 (vk4zz) X/VK4TC Terry Harding Cain 30/07/24 (vk4zz) VK4CWJ GORDON WEBSTER July 2024 (vk4vp) VK4SWR JOE SEBAST5IANI 03/07/24 (vk4zz) VK4TE ALEX McDONALD 27/09/24 (vk4ra) --------------------------------------------------------------------* Alex McDonald VK4TE passed away on 27th September Alex's radio interest as a boy came from the humble crystal set, this was followed by six years in the RAAF as a radio technician, during this period he gained his amateur limited licence followed by the unrestricted licence about four years later. Alex was secretary of the Queensland branch of the WIA for many years until it was absorbed into the current national WIA, also during this period he was instrumental in the recording of morse practice tapes and sending hundreds of them to Queensland radio amateurs who wished to upgrade their limited licence. In his early years Alex was mainly interested in the competition side of the hobby, he achieved his DXCC and loved radio field trips with his family. After a 45 year period of not using CW he regained proficiency and focused on CW contacts until his passing. Amateur radio was a significant part of Alex's life, it gave him great entertainment and created many friendships. ---------------------------------------------------------------------* CLUBBING ---------------------------------------------------------------------* DARLING DOWNS RADIO CLUB http://www.wia.org.au/clubs/vk4/DarlingDownsRadioClub/ vk4wid@gmail.com Hi. I'm John, VK4JPM with this week's update from the Darling Downs Radio Club. Check your diary now for the two upcoming club events in October: It's social lunch month, and next Saturday the 12th we meet at the Southern Hotel in Ruthven Street Timing is 1130 for a 1200 o'clock start. Everyone is welcome including YLs and YOTA types. You'll find us at tables around to the right as you come in from the carpark. The next club meeting is on Monday 14 October in the Toowoomba Library at 1900, and we're all about 3D printing this month, with Steph Piper from USQ's Maker Space and 3D printing lab. And, I hear you ask, how is that relevant to ham radio? OK, use a search engine to look for "3D print ham radio" and you'll find over 10000 3D models on the Yeggi site alone. Remember that pesky Baofeng belt clip that broke? Yep, it's there, and Steph will show you how you could print a replacement quick smart. Our website at ddrci.org.au has everything you need to know: on the home page click through the View Detail buttons under "upcoming events". And check out the newsletter and other club info while you're there. That URL again: ddrci.org.au Catch us on 12 and 14 October, and if you're listening to this on Sunday morning, the club Sunday 2M net starts in about 30 minutes. I'm John VK4JPM. You can drop me a line by sending a note to Secretary@ddrci.org.au and I'd love to help you get your Garden City award. --------------------------------------------------------------------* Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking. The images of destruction from various parts of the world seem to have been proliferating in the past few weeks. Sadly the news doesn’t seem to be improving with wars and natural disasters claiming headlines. It has been a feature of the amateur community to offer assistance to the community in times of distress and following the devastation that Hurricane Helene has wrought through parts of the south eastern US, we have seen mainstream media picking up on some hams using their stations to pass welfare messages. There is a long history of this in the United States and even in this Land Down Under many man hours have gone into community support with amateurs using their equipment and skills during cyclones, floods and fires and also working in volunteer bodies in their home communities. Most of the OTs are familiar with the WICEN acronym and there are several bodies operating under the WICEN name scattered around the country. Seventy years or so ago, Australia had a strong volunteer body known as the Civil Defence. This body performed multiple functions but it had a strong government supported ethos of looking after the civilians which was shaped by the lessons of World War 2. Today there is much less emphasis on civil defence with bodies such as Salvation Army, Red Cross and SES performing many of those functions. You will find amateur operators working quietly within these bodies and many other groups. However, just because there are formal structures doesn’t mean that we as individuals cannot help if the situation demands. Certainly the training which these bodies and professions such as the military provide can smooth the way messages are handled but really, if we think about what our regulations exams covered, we all have the basics of being effective message handlers. With more and more equipment being available for camping and other recreations, most of us can have things like back up power to run rigs and computers. The thing is that amateurs have the option to be versatile in what they do and what bands that they use. That versatility can link low and high power, DX and NVIS, simplex and repeater operations into very effective communication networks. I certainly would like to see promotion of activities like WICEN and things such as message handling tools and operating manuals as it would improve the flow of information to those who need it and it would also make operations consistent and better able to be logged. It seems that much effort has been put into promoting other areas of the hobby when community support could be more valuable. As we head into daylight saving in other parts of the country, we on the east of the country especially along with the north and north west are welcoming the start of cyclone season. It is also the time when bush fires are at the most damaging in the run up to the great mid-summer season. I reckon we can all be ready to do a bit if needed as in times of emergency every little bit helps. I’m Geoff Emery VK4ZPP and that’s what I think�.how about you? -------------------------------------------------------------------* Social Scene GOLD COAST HAMFEST OCTOBER 13 at Nerang Country Paradise Parklands 231 Beaudesert-Nerang Road Nerang. (vk4DMH) 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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