QNEWS - MAY 23 VK4 ON AIR 2021 ------------------------------------------------------------* DID YOUR CLUB TELL ANYONE ABOUT AMATEUR RADIO THIS WEEK? ------------------------------------------------------------* QUEENSLAND (VK4) STATE GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PORTAL Coronavirus (COVID-19) latest news, key facts and figures, contacts and answers to your questions. tinyurl.com/uddvmx98 ------------------------------------------------------------* THE FOLLOWING NEWS CAN BE HEARD FROM OUR AUDIO SERVICE Available in Audio RIGHT NOW www.vk7ax.id.au/wianews/ OR www.wiaq.org.au Also search QNEWS (make sure it IS the Ham Radio QNEWS) in your podcast. tinyurl.com/4hnahk8p ------------------------------------------------------------* VK4 SILENT KEYS @ JULY 2020- MAY 2021 WIA YEAR SK CALL SK NAME ADVISED BY ex-VK4KJO Joachim Ostrenski (Joe Ski) 9/9/20 (vk4zz) VK4CNP Norm Philips 20/10/20 (vk4bat) ex-VK4FPJT Paul J Turner 22/10/20 (vk4bb) VK4HBN Alan Whiting 20/11/20 (vk4zz) VK4KAL Gordon Loveday 24/11/20 (vk4zz) VK4ZJD Paul Donovan 01/03/21 vk4zz) -------------------------------------------------------------* Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking. What is amateur radio? I mean I know what it is but how do I explain it to some one else? Do I try and tell about the exciting things like the digital modes that allow us to test the waters of the great radio oceans with things like WSPR and FT8 or maybe tell them about DMR and Fusion or maybe Dstar? Perhaps because many people like old things I could explain about learning Morse Code and even how people collect and restore valve radios that are older than themselves. These days computing is so much integrated into the pursuit, I could give some history about how many things we do today came from the old 8 bit computers and how they have led into having apps on our phone and how our phone is more powerful than the computer that NASA used to land men on the Moon. You now there is just so much that goes into a technical hobby that it becomes hard to find the pitch which will suit an audience of one or a room of many. So as an individual radio amateur should I be able to discuss in detail the elements that compose all the possible activities that our fellows engage in? I really don’t think that that is necessary or possible because when people are looking for an introduction to a subject, they are looking for the skeleton upon which they can hang the flesh as they learn more. As children we may be introduced to fishing and we are shown how to use the tools in a safe way and that means not hurting ourselves with knives or hooks, in particular. Then there are the techniques of casting the line from the position that we are in so that we don’t hook ourselves or others whilst getting the bait in a suitable position. By watching and discussing we learn the types of fish and the sizes that are legal and which are the best to prepare for food and which we should release. Along the way we can learn how to row, how to steer a boat and how to do services, how to launch and retrieve and so the list of things that are learned goes on. With radio we must think of the person in front of us and make a quick judgement about their understanding or are they just curious. We should let that person ask questions and not get too technical in our replies. We should always let our enthusiasm come to the surface but not let the motor mouth syndrome take over the conversation. Just as we might explain things at a social gathering or a family get together, we should respect the other person and keep the conversation going without letting it be a lecture. If there is the opportunity of showing the person how a station operates or we can arrange for them to visit, that demonstration might be just the motivation to see another person set out on the path to enjoying amateur radio with us. What I have tried to describe is the simple practice of mentoring. This is something most of us have done in various roles in our life. Just because it may start with a question and go on to using some equipment which we first saw as strange, it will be your privilege to walk with another person down a rewarding and engaging road of shared experience. (audio uploaded) I’m Geoff Emery VK4ZPP & that’s what I think, how about you? ------------------------------------------------------------* 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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