VK2 Notes

VK2 Notes - January/February 2020

Tim Mills VK2ZTM

vk2ztm@wia.org.au

Welcome to 2020 – the last year of this decade. It is also an anniversary year - when in March 1910 a gathering of Wireless Experimenters met in Sydney to seek a better deal from authorities. That meeting became the Wireless Institute of New South Wales to which today – 110 years later – both the WIA and ARNSW can trace their origins.

The Big Field Day

The next big VK2 event will be the Central Coast Field Day on Sunday the 23 rd February 2020 at the regular venue of the Wyong Racecourse. Check out their field day web site www.fieldday.org.au for all the details both there and on VK2WI News. You can also go to www.ccarc.org.au for club details. Talking about the VK2WI News it has become the practice on the field day morning not to have a bulletin, the broadcast team all want to chase up the field day bargains. In its place is a Saturday evening transmission - on the 22 nd - at 7.30  pm.

AGM & Elections

ARNSW members are advised that their AGM is scheduled for Saturday the 18 th April 2020 to be held at the VK2WI Dural site – 63 Quarry Road – with an 11 am start. Nominations for the incoming board will close on Saturday the 7 th March 2020 with the Returning Officer at VK2WI Dural at 11 am. Formal notification to ARNSW members will be given in the bi-monthly news letter ALL ACCESS.

The Summerland ARC is a small active club near Lismore with their own club rooms at Richmond Hill. They maintain several repeaters in the region. In this coming year they are considering some major improvements to their club house facilities.

On the Mid North Coast - the Oxley Region ARC maintain two repeater sites along with two meetings a month. Their annual – two day - mid winter field day in June will again be held at the Wauchope Showground. The Telegraph Point repeater – VK2RCN – is in the progress of relocating to a new, near by site.

Safe Disposal

How do you dispose of all those small batteries like AAA, AA, C, D and 9v? If you have been to an Aldi store - you will notice that they have a bin in the check area for these.

In last months AR Notes the dates for the ARNSW Trash & Treasure and Foundation weekends were given. T & T events are the last Sunday of the odd month, eg January 26 th and March the 29 th. The first of the Foundation weekends will on the 14 th and 15 th March 2020 with applications closing at 5 pm Friday the 28 th February 2020. Inquiries and bookings education@arnsw.org.au. The remaining weekends are scheduled – also for the odd numbered months – usually two weeks before that month’s T&T. Several Sydney clubs also provide training and assessments which are detailed on their respective web sites or as advised on VK2WI News.

Towards the end of last year ARNSW started to move their VK2RWI repeater systems at Dural over to the new 40 metre mono pole to replace an ageing triangular tower. The new installation has three antennas per band – 6 – 2 - 70 & 23 – for separate receive, transmit and other operations.

Milestones

It is ten years in March since ARNSW opened their Centenary Building at Dural. Some upgrading is now being considered to improve the comfort and flexibility of operations. Work has also been untaken in the grounds of the five acre property with landscaping and the construction of small covered area with tables which can double as a field day operating site. New chairs have been added to the meeting area which is used by the both the Experimenters Group after the T&T, talk fests, as well as the Foundation training weekends. Another Balun day is being planned for later this year with 9:1 kits.

News bulletins

The two Sunday VK2WI News Bulletins continue to expand facilities with a steady use of the streaming – arnsw.org.au/audio – to supplement some of the current poor propagation. The evening session is also on EchoLink with thanks to ANZEL. The evening session includes early editions of "What use is an F Call" produced by Onno VK6FLAB. VK2WI News is also linked to the regional areas beyond Sydney – being Newcastle, Central Coast, Illawarra and Western Blue Mountains. We thank the various clubs for making their systems available for the expanded coverage. Callbacks logged from the various VK2WI outlets at times are 25 % of that week’s national check ins.

We have no doubt all been touched by the adverse conditions that this country has and is going through with bushfires and other disasters and we need to be mindful of those from our ranks who have lost dwellings, shacks and other property. Like Clarence Valley ARC and their repeater site. Or the low act where a remote operating Bush Fire repeater trailer was totally vandalized. Not only was the all equipment stolen, the trailer wheels and axles went as well. WICEN NSW personnel have been co-opted to be communication operators to various control locations through out the fire zones.

73 – Tim VK2ZTM.