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QNEWS - NOVEMBER 8 VK4 ON AIR


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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)


Silent Key - Norm Philips VK4CNP

Many people in the Gympie Region and others around the world
were saddened by the sudden passing of Norm Philips VK4CNP
on Tuesday, 20 October 2020.

Norm, was born on the 26th of July 1920 at Clematis St Gympie.
Eight days after he was born his mother passed away from
septicaemia and he was brought up by Midwife Isabella Veal
while his father who was a monoline operator at the Gympie
Times moved to Brisbane to work at the Brisbane Telegraph.

Norms main interest as a young boy was scouting and his first
job was as a message boy for a local chemist. On 12 May 1937
Norm started work for the Gympie Times, 5 years later he
joined the AIF and on 26 September 1941, he left Gympie for
Redbank and this was the beginning of his Army service.

All his life Norm had been interested in radio and ever since
he was a boy of fourteen when he made his first crystal radio
set, he had wanted to be a Signaller. When in the Scouts he
had learned Morse code, Semaphore and use of the Aldis lamp,
consequently he applied to the Signal Training School.

His time in the Army was traumatic as he was nearly killed
near the town of Bulolo (Papua New Guinea) when one of two
Japanese Mitsubishi medium bombers flying towards him dropped
a bomb that exploded near him in a blinding flash. Between a
week to a fortnight after the explosion Norm was admitted to
Bulolo Hospital with Malaria, pain behind the eyes and
blurring vision.

Norm returned to Australia on the ship SS Taroona and after
the war he returned to the Gympie Times and was married to
Jean Lang on 29 June 1945.

Later on in life as Norm enjoyed his regular game of golf, he
noticed that the ball became a blur and he had to give his
golf away, then a friend Alan Booth VK4EAB (SK) from Kybong
who was also suffering low vision took up the radio and got a
amateur radio licence, he said to Norm, “If I can get it,
you can get it too”. So, Norm went and applied for his radio
licence and because of his technical certificate he was
exempted from the theory section and consequently received
his AOCP licence (unlimited).

Norm became interested in nets and became a member of the
World-Wide Peace Net which was started by KL7AM Bob Hisamoto
(SK) who was born in the USA in 1908. Bob was well known
throughout the amateur world as the founder of the Japanese
Amateur Radio League in 1925. Bob promoted peace, not war,
one world, one people as the main net control station and
appointed Norm as the net controller for Australia.

Other nets that Norm took part in were the Disabled Persons
Net of Queensland and the Coral Coast Net which has been
running since 1967. Norm who was long term member of the
Wireless Institute of Australia recently reached the
milestone of turning 100 years of age and was able to
catch up with members of the Gympie Communication &
Electronics Group Inc of which Norm was a valued member.

Norm was also very dedicated to his community and was
appointed as a Civil Marriage Celebrant by Attorney General
Senator Lionel Murphy on 29 January 1975. Norm carried out
this important work for 17 years, performing his last wedding
on the 14 September 1991. During his time as a Marriage
Celebrant, Norm performed 675 weddings, involving a total of
1350 people.

In the final pages of Norm’s book (My highway of life) he
said the following: I guess one could say a person’s life is
mapped out for them. Some people like to live the life of a
recluse doing nothing, other people like to be helpful,
to look upon the duty to fellow man by exercising goodwill
by example.

Vale Norm Philips VK4CNP


[ Greg Weir (VK4GDW) -
Gympie Communications & Electronics Group Inc. ]



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Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking.

Well we have had an interesting week and the middle was the
broadcast media coverage of the US presidential election.
From what I saw, there is an increasing integration of the
video streaming services that the Covid-19 pandemic has
brought to amateur radio clubs and elsewhere. Yes we have had
the technology around for many years but the newer services
seem to have matured the technology for home users and
businesses as well as broadcast news.

I am old enough to remember the thrill of going to the local
picture show and seeing events of few days before screened on
the news reels. Overseas items appeared usually in under
3 weeks. The immediate news services were the printed
newspapers and broadcast radio. As television became part of
the daily routine, we became used to seeing local events on
the nightly news service and more distant items probably the
day after.

It is fascinating to admire the amazing growth and integration
of technology that we take for granted. When TV came in
monotone or black and white, it would have been unrealistic
to think of real time news events streamed to a screen that
can be carried in a pocket. When TV was in development some
90 to 100 years ago, it would be unimaginable that it would
be a universal service via a telephone like service provided
by the internet.

Just to prove that the evolution continues, I heard in this
weeks WIA National News that the NASA dish located outside of
Canberra has been undergoing an upgrade. Known as Deep Space
Station 43, or DSS43 this 70 metre diameter dish has
successfully sent a command to the Voyager 2 spacecraft which
was some 18,750 million kilometres from Earth and travelling
at around 60,000Km/hr. Voyager 2 was launched on 20th August
1977 and is just 17 light hours from Earth. Imagine the
stress of waiting for the confirmation signal had been
received after 8 months of radio silence?

For those whose bench space is at a premium and who use a
shack computer, this past week saw the release of the
Raspberry Pi 400. In a neat package, the keyboard houses the
now familiar computer with the rear panel housing the usual
ports including the GPIO pins. All you need is your own mouse
and monitor to get started. If you are wanting to delve into
Linux here is you opportunity. At this stage, I am unaware of
the Australian pricing but a figure of $70-00 US has been
bandied around.

Although the lock down has slowed many industries, we are
still seeing new products hitting the market with Yaesu the
latest in this year’s line up.

More excitement occurring with openings happening on the
higher HF bands and people heralding the start of Solar Cycle
25. With only weeks to the Christmas season, I suspect a lot
more social distancing will still be practiced on the
multitude of modes available to we amateurs.

Keep cool this weekend and keep safe in the summer season of
natural surprises.

I’m Geoff Emery VK4ZPP and that’s what I think….how about you?





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