Old news

At HADARC's July monthly meeting on this Tuesday, 23rd, Rod VK2DAY presented 'A Practical Guide for the use of a VNA for today’s Amateur Radio Operator.'

Rod's talk covered what a VNA is and why it is the Swiss Army Knife of test gear for amateurs, the various types including some popular VNA’s from last century to now; plus, the good, the bad and the ugly of each, and how each one still has its own place in the shack today. Also covered was calibration and how to improve the test sweeps of the popular NanoVNA and some practical uses in and around the shack.

It was a comprehensive talk with a large crowd in attendance. Thanks Rod.

As discussed at the June meeting, HADARC is trialing the element/matrix messaging system for communications amongst members. Initial indications suggest that it will be a worthwhile thing.

To get access to HADARC Members room:

• Browse to app.element.io, select Create Account and follow the bouncing ball.

• Probably best to use your callsign as the username.

• Then, tell us your user name and we will invite you to the room. You will then receive an email with a link to HADARC Members room.

• You can tell us you username by sending email to the committee or via online form here

Update: Monday, 24th June

Eight hardy folk from HADARC braved the appallingly cold and wet conditions to take part in the field day.

Twelve contacts were logged on the 6m, 2m and 70cm bands.

Thanks to VK2XWB for providing some excellent shelter.

A good time was had by all.

Some photos of the event are here

Saturday 9am update

We will be operating regardless of the miserable weather

The radio setups and cooking will be undercover, plus our cars can be parked right alongside, so we can operate from their heated comfort if need be.

Rugging up will be necessary though.

--

HADARC will be fielding a contingent in this year's Winter Field Day:

VHF/UHF Winter Field Day Golden Jubilee Field\nEsk St, North Wahroonga NSW 2076 Saturday 22nd June From 11am.

We'll look to set up on the grass verge on the left, adjacent to the oval as you enter the field.

We are expecting a decent turn out, especially if the weather is good. Forecast is for some showers with top of 17, so be prepared.

The rules for the contest are on WIA website here.. Stations need to exchange their 6-digit maidenhead locator which, for Golden Jubilee, is QF56NH

For home stations looking to make contact, you can find your locator at this website.

We'll be operating on or near the designated call frequencies, namely:

| band | mode |     MHz |
|------|------|--------:|
| 6m   | FM   |  52.525 |
| 6m   | USB  |  50.200 |
| 2m   | FM   | 146.500 |
| 2m   | USB  | 144.200 |
| 70cm | FM   | 439.000 |
| 70cm | USB  | 432.200 |
|      |      |         |

And, of course, we'll be monitoring the VK2RNS 2m repeater.

Please let others know and bring your antennas, radios and portable gear.

The second annual Christmas in July with HADARC at Magpies luncheon will be held at Magpies Waitara club on Sunday, 14th July starting at 12 noon.

Please make a note in your diaries.

This month Mick Price VK2CMP is going to present part II of his EME (moonbounce) and working satellites presentation. Part I was presented last year and was received extremely well by members attending.

Mick has been very involved in this area of expertise for many years and we are glad to have him come along this month to present part II to members and guests. Be there, so you won’t miss another great presentation!

In 1918, Guglielmo Marconi and Sir Ernest Fisk made the first wireless communication experiments. Fisk established the Australian end of the experiment at his home in Wahroonga NSW. Each year, HADARC activates the VK2IMD call sign to celebrate this landmark event. This year, International Marconi Day falls on the 27th of April. For more information, see our IMD page. We hope you have a chance to engage in this unique and special global event!

This week on Tuesday 10th October, HADARC will hold its mid-monthly meeting at the Rifle Club. At this meeting we will look at square waves and whether they are really square or not. Please bring a signal generator and any other item of interest.

So this week be there or be square ! Yes, that was the best amateur humour I could russle up.

And if you have recently been on 20 meters you would have seen some of the best DX for many months. Yes, places like Cologne or Rome were 5/9. So turn your radio on, build an antenna and join in the DX fun.

73’s for now.

Matt / VK2BAI.

Last week HADARC met at the Hornsby Rifle Club rooms and enjoyed a great night of history and tech. On the history front, Errol VK2BET brought his 1959 log books and showed some great station listening logs. He also displayed a diode in a glass bulb like never seen before. And the fun didn’t stop there. Walter VK2XWB brought bags of parts from the power supply construction and repair that were surplus. There was a feeding frenzy with Steve VK2AAV winning the deep dive award.

Since HADARC’s next meeting is after the ARNSW Trash and Treasure on the 24th of September, it was decided that those that ‘actually’ found real treasure are to bring it along to show it off. I might add there was plenty of treasure this time around. For those that didn’t, or simply missed out, please bring along your latest project and show that off.  

See you there at 8pm in the Mt Colah Community Centre for the main meeting on Tuesday the 26th of September for a great night with fellow amateurs; be they members or not as all amateurs are always more than welcome.

Finally did you know, this Summer is due to be indeed very hot. Prepare your batteries, hand-held radios and potable gear in case we get blackouts or fires. And with hot weather, it’s always nice to head to the beach with a portable setup. How about making plans now and get some friends together in the coming months.

73’s for now

Let’s keep radio active.

Matt / VK2BAI

Next Tuesday, Aug 22nd is HADARC’s main Monthly meeting at Mount Colah. The August meeting is going to be a presentation from our Fox Hunting expert Chris Williams VK2YMW. Chris has been doing radio Fox Hunting for years, especially up at Port Macquarie but elsewhere as well over that time. He has quite often been in the top two spots in this field of endeavour. So come and find out what it’s all about this coming August main meeting at Mt Colah.

Did you know that there are some 14 lighthouses in and around Sydney and wider NSW? Let’s hope this weekend you have managed to fire up your radio and speak to a few of those keen operators out there activating these sites for the International Lighthouse and Lightship weekend.

73’s for now.

Lets keep radio-active!

Matt / VK2BAI

Next Tuesday the 11th July, HADARC will hold its Mid Monthly meeting at Magpies in Waitara. The evening will be a chance to catch up with fellow amateurs and share some of those tall and not so tall radio stories.

It seems there are more & more ways to find helpful information these days and Amateur Radio is no exception. It was interesting to see Audible (books you listen to rather than read) has a No-Fluff Beginner's Guide to Setting Up and Using Your Ham Radio.

It says “Ham radio is a fun hobby that allows you to talk to other ham radio operators locally and around the world. Depending on your license class, ham radio is used for a wide variety of activities. It is also useful in emergencies and search and rescue operations in disaster situations where all communication networks are down. The beauty of ham radio is that it is independent of any resources, whether grid or Internet for operation. Astronauts also communicate with Earth from space with ham radios. There are also multiple amateur radio satellites orbiting around the Earth which can be used for communication even as an entry-level ham radio operator. Packet radio is a digital mode which affords operators to send data through amateur radios just like the Internet.”

So if you have a friend interested in radio and they just want a book read out to them over a PC or Phone, this eBook may be helpful.

We look forward to seeing you at HADARC’s next Tuesdays dinner at Magpies Waitara.

73’s for now

Matt/ VK2BAI

HADARC’s last week “Bring a Valve Evening” was a great success. One valve was so big the table creaked – it was a 4CX10,000, yes that's a lazy 10 kilowatt valve. And there were the 6146’s which now seem rather quaint in comparison. Of course, the 30,000 volt glass sealed capacitor was technically not a valve but impressed anyway. All in all, it was a great evening of trading project ideas and catching up with fellow amateurs.

For the next monthly meeting on the 27th of June, Chris Williams VK2YMW, our new President, has asked those that have bought something on-line, or elsewhere, and have not been happy with the result due to the item not living up to either the hype or working as expected; to bring it along for a 5-minute show and tell. It doesn’t matter what it is, as it doesn’t have to be strictly amateur radio related. If it is too big or heavy, then simply bring a picture or two along on a USB stick, to be projected on the screen.

So come along and join the discussion on the 27th June at Mount Colah club rooms.

Let’s keep radio active!

73’s for now Matt / VK2BAI

At the HADARC AGM, Chris VK2YMW was elected as HADARC’s new President.

Chris has thrown out a challenge for the next HADARC mid monthly. He has called the next meeting “Bring an Interesting Valve Night”. The challenge is to dig deep in the garden shed, or under your bed or in that hidden section of the shack and find 1 or 2 valves that bring back memories or are just interesting.

At the mid monthly we will look at how the values are designed, how they operate and the coding used. We will also have a few manuals to help decode that mystery value you’ve held for years but are unsure what it does.

Did you know that in 1904, British engineer John Ambrose Fleming invented and patented the thermionic valve, the first vacuum tube. With this advance, the age of modern wireless electronics was born.

Please join us at the next mid-monthly experimenters meeting on 13th June at the popular Hornsby Rifle Club.

73 for now, let keep radio-active!

Matt VK2BAI

The HADARC Monthly meeting opened with the raw sound of an electric guitar solo. People looked around wondering if they had joined the right club or not. The video we saw looked at valve amplifiers and how a valve works in practice. Under a high magnification microscope a tube was slowly pulled apart from the glass, then the screens and grids all the way to each physical element that constructs a tube. We looked at how the air is removed from the envelope by the process of burning barium on the getter cups. All in all, it was really interesting and one Club Member Jill, said she had tried to build her own Tube diode. That indeed is impressive.

We then moved the to the AGM. Matthew VK2BAI stepped down as current President to make way for new ideas in the Club. Chris VK2YMW was elected as HADARC’s new President with Rod VK2DIO as Vice President. All Committee roles where filled including Rod VK2DAY, Steve VK2KHA (secretary), Andrew VK2TAN (treasurer) and Steve VK2AAV.

The back table had such good bargains, some 50 kits of battery new connectors disappeared into members hands like magic.

It was a fun night and HADARC also signed up a new member.

Please join us at the next mid-monthly meeting in 2 weeks at the Hornsby Rifle Club with the popular experimenters evening.

73 for now, let keep radio-active!

Matt VK2BAI

Next week on Tuesday will be HADARC’s monthly meeting which will be held at the Mount Colah Community Centre starting at 8pm.

This is a great chance to catch up with friends and grab a few bargains at the back table. At this meeting we will hear about Valve construction, have open floor questions about our project and also run the annual AGM.

At the AGM, all paid up members have the opportunity to vote for the HADARC Committee and related Club roles. Apart from reviewing the past year, please come along and set the Club up for the next exciting year ahead.

Did you know that a Field strength meter is actually a simple receiver. The RF signal is detected and fed to a microammeter, which is often scaled in dB. What is interesting in older field strength meters is that they need no power to or Coax cable connections to operate whatsoever. So have a look in your shack and see if one of your SWR bridges has a Field Strength setting and if it does, add a short antenna (say 15cm) to watch your SSB transmission on the meter without even connecting it to your antenna system. Let us know if you tried this simple experiment!

73’s for now

Lets keep Radio Active,

Matt VK2BAI

This week was HADARC’s mid monthly meeting. We have moved mid-monthly meetings to the Hornsby Rifle Club which has easier access and easier parking. In fact, the warm heaters and comfier chairs means our radio catch-ups are better than ever.

This week we decided to compare older and newer hand held radios. And the team didn’t disappoint, from those 1970’s clunkers to the latest state of the art handhelds shows just how far handhelds have come over the decades. I really enjoyed hearing one story from Rod VK2DAY who’s handheld withstood a fall from the roof without flinching at all. Some of the older tech was indeed well built. Many of our older radios just need a battery refurb, so why not replace a dead battery with a lithium or similar cell to get it going again. If you’re not using and old handheld, perhaps give it to someone in your own club to help get them on air.

Did you know where Ohms law came from? Well George Ohm was a German physicist born in 1789. He was also a professor of mathematics. Its just incredible his work is still used today. What a legend!

73’s for now

Lets keep Radio Active,

Matt VK2BAI

Last week was the monthly meeting for HADARC. The key note speaker was Bob VK2BMU who outlined the merits of antenna plots, directionality and the trade-offs between size, gain and bandwidth. It’s not possible to optimise all three so choose two to get best antenna results.

This week it’s time to update your calendars for the HADARC mid monthly taking place on Tuesday 9th May. The meeting will take place at the Hornsby Rifle Club in Rosamond St Hornsby. There is ample parking and this night will be all about handheld radios. There’s a catch though. You need to bring the oldest handheld you have as well as the newest handheld you have. We will test access to repeaters and demo any special features from old to new.

So join us at HADARC on the 9th May.

Finally, did you know that Litz wire is a particular type of multistrand wire used in electronics to carry alternating current at radio frequencies. The wire is designed to reduce the skin effect losses in conductors used at frequencies up to about 1 MHz.

73’s for now.

Let’s keep radio-active!

Matt /VK2BAI

This week was the monthly meeting for HADARC. We started the evening looking at oscillator stability and ran a live experiment. We tracked frequency as we turned on an oscillator and frequency counter. Each 10 seconds we plotted the frequency. It took 3 minutes to stabilise. So when you power up your rigs, especially the older ones, give them a small amount of time to settle into their best operation.

Following on from the many questions from last talk on DMR, we heard a recap from Rob VK2DIO who did a great summary. Carmel them outlined Droidstar and new ways to link into DMR sites. Finally, Tony VK2BTL outlined his own station setup and helpful lessons.

The key note speaker was Bob VK2BMU who outlined the merits of antenna plots, directionality and the trade-offs between size, gain and bandwidth. It’s not possible to optimise all three so choose two to get best antenna results.

Finally, a special thanks is made to Walter VK2XWB who recently donated a new cordless PA system to HADARC.

73’s for now.

Let’s keep radio-active!

Matt /VK2BAI

Right here in Wahroonga NSW, is a significant historic radio site. It is where Guglielmo Marconi and Sir Ernest Fisk made the first wireless communication experiments in 1918. Fisk established the Australian end of the experiment at his home, right in the heartland of HADARC. HADARC is also the holder of the Australian Marconi Day station licence, VK2IMD. This weekend HADARC used the callsign VK2IMD for International Marconi Day at select times. We hope you had a chance to engage in this unique and special global event.

Next Monthly meeting, HADARC will be discussing antenna efficiency and what works well for a range of situations. Bob VK2BMU has kindly agreed to discuss lessons from his deep understanding of the topic. He will provide practical ways to consider home station, mobile or portable station efficiency. The meeting takes place this coming Tuesday at the Mount Colah community centre starting at 8pm. We will also carry over questions from the last talk on DMR where Tony, VK2BTL will provide practical lessons from his own DMR setup.

So joint us at HADARC for another great evening on the 25th April.

73’s for now.

Let’s keep radio active!

Matt/VK2BAI.

This week HADARC held its mid monthly experimenters evening like we do each month. At this meeting we get our hands dirty and look at members projects and helping each other with shack issues.

Over the past many months we have been in discussions to find a larger and more welcoming venue for this practical meeting. This week was the first time we changed location to the Hornsby Rifle Club next to the Mount Wilga Hospital.

And the new venue didn’t disappoint. With warm heating, many comfy lounge chairs and tables to demonstrate projects - it was a great evening at the new and larger venue.

Of note was Steve VK2AAV’s custom designed power supply in its early stages and Bob VK2BMU’s 2meter radio which still had ‘Channel 8’ as a rotary channel repeater for those who remember Dural in the 1970’s.

Going forward, we will be at the Hornsby Rifle Club only for mid monthly meetings and remain at Mount COLAH for the larger monthly meeting.

Next Monthly meeting, HADARC will be discussing antenna efficiency and what works well for a range of situations. We will also carry over questions from the last talk on DMR.

So join us at HADARC for another great evening on the 25th April.

73’s for now. Let’s keep radio active! Matt/VK2BAI.

HADARC held its Monthly meeting on 28th March to over 30 attendees. Rob VK2DIO presented a detailed overview of DMR and how to get it working. Rob explained how voice is converted to data via a CODEC and this data is sent via a MODEM over the air via our transmitter. He went on to describe how DMR is a 4-state FSK modulation operating at 9600 bits per second.

To get on the air you need to register for a DMR ID and Rob explained that is fairly easy but many people forget to do this before buying a DMR radio.

The talk explained that it’s easy to get on DMR if you follow a 1-2-3-4 formula.

1. Get a DMR ID
2. Get a DMR radio
3. Get a DMR CODEPLUG
4. Get on air.

The best way to get a CODEPLUG is to get it from someone who has already set it up for a radio like yours – it saves lots of technical issues between different radios. There were lots of questions and interest in this topic and we will post links on the HADARC web site news for those wanting to find out more.

HADARC Values.

HADARC Members agreed to a set of Values HADARC want to be known for. The Six Values include: Being Considerate, Loyal, Progressive, Friendly, Balanced and finally of Service to the community. Whether via email or on a net or in person, please expect these Values at HADARC.

Mid-Monthly.

The HADARC Mid Monthly meeting is on this Tuesday. This is the first time will relocate to the Rifle Club near Mount Wilga Hospital, Rosamond St Hornsby. If this is the first time at this venue, perhaps organise to come with a fellow Amateur. Please do not come Mount Colah site as no one will be there. So repeating, HADARC will meet this week at the Hornsby Rifle Club hall.

73’s for now.

Let’s keep Radio Active!

Matt VK2BAI, HADARC President.

HADARC held its Monthly meeting on 28th March to over 30 attendees. The Committee decided it would be fun to compare modern and historical radio in the same evening.

Unlocking the Key to Radio.

We all have keys for our cars and use them every day. But imagine if you used your Morse Key every day on the radio!

HADARC Members were asked to bring 2 Morse keys that had not been used for a while or needed a bit of attention. And Members didn’t disappoint. We had a display of Morse Keys from 1930 to 2000’s that fully covered a large table. Members were challenged to key in their name via morse code and feel the different key weights. The display included military, Bakelite, super fancy Kent keys and well as a 2 Vibroplex keys. All I can say is that VK2KHA and VK2BET excelled in their box of keys.

After being “Keyed in“ to the mood of the evening, we looked at the use of Pico Balloons and Amateur Radio. Did you know that in Australia small ratio transmitters are sent up on small hot air balloons to track signals. Its rather interesting. Check the HADARC web site to find out what they are doing and controversially whether one was recently shot down in the USA.

Modern Radio.

We moved from Keys and Balloons to DMR. Rob VK2DIO presented a detailed overview of DMR and how to get it working. Rob explained how voice is converted to data via a CODEC and this data is sent via a MODEM over the air via our transmitter. He went on to describe how DMR is a 4-state FSK modulation operating at 9600 bits per second.

To get on the air you need to register for a DMR ID and Rob explained that is fairly easy but many people forget to do this before buying a DMR radio.

The talk explained that it’s easy to get on DMR if you follow a 1-2-3-4 formula.

• Get a DMR ID
• Get a DMR radio
• Get a DMR CODEPLUG
• Get on air.

The best way to get a CODEPLUG is to get it from someone who has already set it up for a radio like yours – it saves lots of technical issues between different radios. There were lots of questions and interest in this topic. Here are some links for those wishing to find out more:

• RadioID
• IPSC2 VKDMR Dashboard
• IPSC2 VKHOSTPOT Dashboard
• BrandMeister Dashboard

HADARC Values.

Finally, HADARC Members agreed to a set of Values HADARC want to be known for. In 1928, amateur operator Paul Segal penned a set of values that ARRL still uses till today. HADARC discussed in plain language, how we as a Club want to operate. The Six Values include: Being Considerate, Loyal, Progressive, Friendly, Balanced and finally of Service to the community. Please expect these Values as you attend events and engage with people at HADARC.

73’s for now.

Let’s keep Radio Active!

Matt VK2BAI, HADARC President.

HADARC’s mid monthly meeting was packed out. We had three visitors and a larger than usual membership turnout. 

The focus was on what software we can use to enhance our radio experiences and aid in the shack. Before we discuss what we learned, I must say there was a distraction as we opened up a storage cupboard and went through some old books and magazines. It was indeed popular and many were taken home to be read and enjoyed. Some dated back to the 1960’s.

Let’s have a look at some of the helpful Apps that were kindly shared by members and especially Carmel VK2CAR.

DMR Brandmeister Hoseline App. This app allows you to listen to many digital modes across the world. It runs on Android but not IOS.

Droidstar App. This software connects to M17, Fusion, DMR, P25, NXDN, D-STAR reflectors and AllStar nodes. Runs on Android by not IOS.

Windy App. This App allows weather analysis and visualisation and is really helpful to show lightening with sound and shaking of the phone when a strike hits anywhere across Australia. It Runs on Android and IOS.

Peanut App. On the Peanut you can talk with HAM amateurs around the world via an Android device, network radio or Windows PC. It’s not for IOS.

Spectoid App. Spectroid is a real-time audio spectrum analyzer with reasonable frequency resolution across the entire frequency spectrum. Runs on Andriod by not IOS.

Blitortung App provides real time lightening visualisation. Its runs on Android but not IOS.

So, if you want to find the source of that lightening crash, try an App. If you want to listen to some digital without spending a penny, then try one of these Apps.

HADARC Monthly meeting

Did you know that Commercial RTTY systems were in active service between San Francisco and Honolulu as early as April 1932 and between San Francisco and New York City by 1934? Hasn't digital radio come a long way since then!

Next Monthly meeting is to be held on March 28th at Mount Colah. We will hear from Rob VK2DIO. Rob will be presenting on Digital and how to use this new frontier of radio. Rob will be accompanied by Tony VK2BTL who will talk about the practicalities of his DMR, including the good the bad and ugly of the setup process. 

Finally, HADARC is pleased to have another new member join the club. Poojith YU3YPP is studying in Australia for a year and has joined HADARC to share his international and local experience on radio. Welcome Poojith !

We look forward to welcoming you joining at HADARC.

73’s for now. Let’s keep radio Active!

Matt VK2BAI

After the last successful Monthly Meeting discussing the Australian Signal Directorate 75 year anniversary, Nuclear Reactors and Morse Decoding we are all ready to get our hands dirty with the mid monthly experimenters evening.

This coming Tuesday we will be looking at Apps and Software to support Amateur Radio. We are sure that many club members will have tried loads of different software, so your experience and stories will be in great demand. Not just the good stories but what to avoid as well. Maybe it's a weather App or a SDR App or perhaps a great piece of software for modelling electronics. HADARC wants to know all about it.

Please bring you Phone, you Laptop or your computer to demonstrate what you like best and what actually works well. We will trade ideas and see how to make sure we have the best tools to take back home and test in the shack.

This week on the HADARC 40 Meter Net Rod VK2DAY was challenging members to make sure their antennas were metric vs imperial. He suggested metric antennas give more gain so I went outside and measured my vertical. It is indeed a metric antenna, so im feeling better it has improved gain. And of course there is no difference, but this is just a good example of how much fun the HADARC nets are each week.

Why not stop by and add you stories to the fun we already have.

Finally, Stay tuned for the next Monthly meeting in April – Rob VK2DIO will be taking us into the unexplored and exciting word of Digital Radio.

73’ for now, we look forward to chatting on air.

Lets keep radio active !

Matt VK2BAI

2023 launched with a big monthly Club evening at HADARC. The night started with an overview of the Australian Signal Directorate 75 year anniversary.

Did you know it was only in 2013 that the name Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) was established? Its origins were in the second world war, where we needed to intercept critical radio signals. In 1947 the Defence Signal Bureau was established in Melbourne. In 1992 it moved to Canberra.

ASD and Amateur Radio have a lot of parallels, with a shared history of Morse code, Radio and Communications. Signals Intelligence of course keep progressing and the use of Codes from Bletchley park to our own cyber code management continues to this day.

For those with an interest in this history, ASD have released a 75 year book, available on their web site

The Evening then moved to looking at a range of Technologies.

Chris VK2YMW lamented over the money spent on the development or nuclear power and reviewed its history. Chris presented the offer of a nuclear powered car that of course never eventuated he also showed us the 1958 vision pf a zero energy reactor, then in 1968 and enhanced reactor. I didn’t stop; in 1978 billions were being spent but no material results. Finally, Chris showed us a national Ignition Facility that used fission into a small target. It was nice to see 2 megajoules in and 3 megajoules out from the small device.

In conclusion Chris felt a just a few too many billions had been spent to date.

The meeting then moved to Decoding Morse. Matt VK2BAI ran a live survey and it was clear the largest issue preventing the use of morse was decoding it. People just found this hard. A solution was presented using the App call the Hot Paw Morse Decoder. This software worked well on a smart phone or on a iPad. A live demonstration was setup for people to decide their own morse code.

It must be said that Barry VK2AAB skills in morse is second to none. Barry almost melted the keyer with his morse sending, which was over 25 words per minute.

HADARC was pleased to have it members all together again at the Club rooms where we also signed up a new member.

We look forward to chatting on air or at a Club meeting.

Lets keep radio active !

73’s Matt VK2BAI

2023 has started well, with HADARC’s January BBQ still in the short term memory of Club members. It went so well that HADARC also decided that Valentine’s Day would be best served by a dinner at Magpies Waitara, with a strong member turnout. While no new romances were reported, there were some great conversations and many YL’s in attendance.

Next Monthly meeting will be on Tuesday 28th February. HADARC will be looking at Digital Communication. Rob VK2DIO and Tony VK2BTL will look at the theory and practical ways to use DMR and wider digital modes.

And DMR has been a hot topic of conversation lately with the changes to the VKDMR network. The time is right for a refresher on DMR. What do all those terms like Talkgroups, Timeslots and Codeplugs really mean? What is the difference between DMR+ and Brandmeister? How do Hotspots work? Rob VK2DIO will attempt to make sense of it all and provide a pragmatic approach to getting started with DMR. And making sure Rob does not get carried away, Tony VK2BTL will tell how he went setting up his DMR radio – the good, the bad and the ugly. Together the digital dynamic duo will certainly be a Club evening not to miss.

So please join us at the next Monthly at HADARC on the  28th February at 8pm at Mount Colah – please add it to your calendar.

Other HADARC news

HADARC was successful in receiving a NSW Government grant for a Solar upgrade to its Story Park repeater site. While we wait for the funds to arrive in our accounts, project plans are being developed for this exciting initiative.

Do you work hard on learning Morse Code? I stumbled across a very helpful site that has a lot of ways to learn or try Morse. You can type text and it will replay morse. You can speak and it will send morse. Finally, you can send morse using your mouse or keyboard. Why not have a look and try this easy and risk free way to learn some morse. Please stop by the HADARC Web site to click the link under our Links page for this great tool.

If you want to try it direct, the site is: morsecode.world

That's all for this week.

Let keep Radio Active,

73’s

Matt VK2BAI

HADARC will hold its “start the year” BBQ next Tuesday the 24th January at the Hornsby Manly Target Rifle Club, Rosamond St, Hornsby. Grant VK2ZOO has kindly worked with the club to allow us to use the facilities. The BBQ will start at 6pm – please come and join in a great evening of fine sausage dining and radio stories.

In December, HADARC President, Matthew VK2BAI, was pleased to receive a letter from the NSW Government approving funding for a solar and battery upgrade to the VK2RNS Storey Park repeater site. Rob VK2DIO will lead a team to project manage the upgrade and how to best use the funds for the long term benefit of all Amateurs.

In January, Rob VK2DIO and Steve VK2AAV replaced the VK2RNS 2 meter repeater with a Tait transceiver. Feedback has been excellent and we would welcome Amateurs across Sydney trying the repeater and provide us feedback via the HADARC web site. VK2RNS repeater is on 147.250 so please let us know signal strengths at your QTH.

HADARC looks forward to catching up with Club members and guests on the weekly Club nets.

73’s - Let’s keep radio-active!

In January, it is customary that HADARC holds a BBQ get together to start the new year. We have locked in January 24th for the BBQ and will meet at the Hornsby Manly Target Rifle Club, Rosamond St, Hornsby. Grant VK2ZOO has kindly worked with the club to allow us to use the facilities. Please see the HADARC Web site and QUA Magazine for further details.

Starting a new year brings new opportunities for Amateurs. At HADARC, Tony VK2BTL has been working on a new DMR setup. We are looking forward to hearing more of his lessons at the next meeting in February. We also have early news from Jack VK2PCH that his new antenna setup coupled with a common mode balun choke as reduced his home QTH noise floor by 1-2 ‘S-points’. Nice work Jack.

In the past 10 days, Rob VK2DIO and Steve VK2AAV replaced the VK2RNS 2 meter repeater with a Tait transceiver. Feedback has been excellent and we would welcome Amateurs across Sydney trying the repeater and provide us feedback via the HADARC web site. VK2RNS repeater is on 147.250 so please let us know signal strengths at your QTH.

HADARC looks forward to catching up with Club members and guests on the weekly Club nets. Given it's a new year, maybe it’s time to consider starting a 2023 Radio project.

73’s - Let’s keep radio-active!

HADARC its Club Christmas lunch at Magpies and had a whopping 28 people attend. Many 807’s were consumed and radio stories seemed to get amplified as the afternoon went on. Apart from awards being presented, its was a great way to celebrate a big year and catchup with friends.

At the Christmas party, the HADRAC Committee was pleased to make a special announcement. A letter from the NSW Premier, Mr Dominic Perrottet confirmed that HADARC’s detailed grant application for solar panels and battery storage at the Story Park repeater site has been approved. HADARC also gained Hornsby Council approval via the Mayor’s office. This is the largest Government investment in HADARC’s history.

In January, it is customary that HADARC hold a BBQ get together to start the new year. We have locked in January 24th for the HADARC BBQ and will meet at the Hornsby Manly Target Rifle Club who have kindly allowed us to use their club facility. Please see the HADARC Web site and QUA Magazine for further details.

Over the coming weeks with no formal activities planned, please make sure you keep in contact with Club members on the weekly Club nets and by a friendly phone call to say hello. Maybe it’s time to finish a project and call a colleague to give you a hand sorting out any shack problems.

The HADARC Committee wishes all its members and the wider Radio Community a relaxing and well deserved Christmas holiday season.

On a final note, did you know that new antennas and radio gear are all approved by Santa to put under your tree. Let’s hope you manage to sneak a new piece of gear under the tree from a mystery relative.

73’s - Let’s keep radio-active!

HADARC will hold its Club Christmas lunch this weekend at Magpies in Waitara. This is our last formal Club function this year. It will be a fun afternoon of great radio stories over a relaxed lunch and a few 807’s. There are rumours that a few special things will happen at this event, so please come long and join in the festivities.

In January it is customary that HADARC hold a BBQ get together to start the new year. As the details are finalised, we will communicate this to Members via the Broadcast, QUA Magazine and the HADARC Web site.

Over the coming weeks with no formal activities planned, please make sure you keep in contact with Club members on the weekly Club nets and by a friendly phone call to say hello. Maybe it’s time to finish a project and call a colleague to give you a hand sorting out any shack problems.

The HADARC Committee wishes all its members and the wider Radio Community a relaxing and well deserved holiday season.

On a final note, did you know that new antennas and radio gear are all approved by Santa to put under your tree. Let’s hope you manage to sneak a new piece of gear under the tree from a mystery relative.

73’s - Let’s keep radio-active!

HADARC opened this week’s meeting hearing from ChrisVK2YMW. Chris reflected on the massive Carrington Event in 1859 where a massive CME blew industrial size transformers and caused such an over-load that many systems failed. Chris suggested this was a good way to stop online scammers, but alas waiting for the next CME event may be a while, so perhaps just to keep your software up to date.  

This week HADARC members were treated to some of the most exciting and interesting use of Radio seen in a long time. Mr Alexander Ryan has developed and tested an RF plasma thruster using some of the most cutting edge processes known. Alex discussed the differences between chemical propulsion and electrical propulsion. Using accelerated charged particles in a electrical field, Alex was able to show the efficiency gains he was able to achieve. He mentioned it was 10 times more efficient to use this new technology. In his work, he developed a plasma soup and then used electrons and ions in the soup to be directed using an electrical field. He then described how he used tungsten to generate thermionic emissions and control the plasma. It sounded a lot like radio valves taken to the next level.

Finally, Alex discussed how he designed a helical antenna within a chamber and using a RF fields at 13.56Mhz, could generate a 600 watt thruster. What he had shown was that RF and plasma together could provide highly valuable propulsion for small satellites and payloads in space. Just incredible that radio is being used at the very frontiers of space.

We also found out that Alex’s grandfather was a past president of the WIA.

A special note of thanks to Rod VK2DAY, whom worked with Alex to attend HADARC. Rods work on the QUA Magazine is first class and his contribution to the club is greatly appreciated.

We are inching closer to the end of the year and HADARC will hold is Christmas function on the 10th December at Magpies in Waitara. Please contact Chris VK2YMW for your registration for a fun afternoon of your best radio stories over a relaxed lunch and a few 807’s. There are rumours that a few special things will happen at this event, so please stay posted.

HADARC welcomes Members and guests to attend all its regular meetings. Please see the Web site for details.

73’s - Let’s keep radio-active!

Matt / VK2BAI

HADARC President

We seem to be inching closer to the end of the year and HADARC will hold is Christmas function on the 10th December at Magpies in Waitara. Please contact Chris VK2YMW for your registration for a fun afternoon of your best radio stories over a relaxed lunch and a few 807’s. There are rumours that a few special things will happen at this event, so please stay posted.

Next monthly meeting HADARC, taking place this Tuesday will enter the realm of Aerospace engineering and hear from a real Rocket Scientist. This is the last monthly meeting of the year. At this is truly unique event, we will hear from Alexander Ryan. Alex is CEO of VXB Aerospace and an experienced Aerospace Engineer. He is in the final stages of his PhD in Aerospace Engineering and Physics at the University of Sydney.

Alex designs electric propulsion systems and has previously developed and tested a small RF plasma thruster. His UHF engineering and plasma skills are cutting edge.

Alex will be presenting where Australia stands in the ever-growing Aerospace Industry. We think the meeting will be a ‘blast’ and yes the pun was intended.

Please joint as a guest and ask your friends to attend as well. This is a great way to introduce people to radio with a great talk.

HADARC welcomes Members and guests to attend all its regular meetings.

73’s - Let’s keep radio-active!

Matt / VK2BAI

HADARC President

This week saw HADARC Members participating in the Great November Recalibrate.

At this session we used top-of-the-line test gear to accurately check Voltage, Current and Resistance. We had nice gear including a Fluke 1664FC meter accurate to 10 milli-ohms and also a Yokogawa CA-11E care of Walter VK2WB as a very accurate way to source voltage. We put our meters to the test and found that our Fluke multi-meters were indeed very accurate but others may round up or round down and are less accurate.

We had a lot of fun using a Power supply from a electronics retailer that had a digital voltage display and used 5 separate Multi-meters to see what voltage each meter read. Yes, all five meters showed different voltages, but three of the well regarded branded meters were indeed very close to one another. In all cases the display on the power supply did not match the 5 multi-meters. It was over stated. When was the last time you checked your own power supply voltages? Its certainly worth the check to make sure it’s still a solid 13.8Volts.

Then we moved to resistance testing of leads. We found poor leads had 1.4 ohms resistance and good leads were close to zero ohms. Please go check your leads today ! Maybe its time to do a re-solder and resolve those losses away prior to Christmas.

All in all it was a good night.

Next monthly meeting HADARC will enter the realm of Aerospace engineering and hear from a real Rocket Scientist. This is truly a unique event where we will hear from Alexander Ryan. Alex is CEO of VXB Aerospace and an experienced Aerospace Engineer. He is in the final stages of his PhD in Aerospace Engineering and Physics at the University of Sydney.

Alex designs electric propulsion systems and has previously developed and tested a small RF plasma thruster. His UHF engineering and plasma skills are cutting edge.

Alex will be presenting where Australia stands in the ever-growing Aerospace Industry.

Please joint as a guest and ask your friends to attend as well. This is a great way to introduce people to radio with a great talk.  

HADARC welcomes Members and guests to attend all its regular meetings.

73’s - Let’s keep radio-active!

Matt / VK2BAI

HADARC President

This week saw HADARC Members participating in the CQ World Wide contest. Peter VK2PX using his event callsign VL2W, took on the contest with enthusiasm. He worked Morocco, Alaska and Point Verde to name a few. Conditions on 20 meters, 15 meters and 10 meters were outstanding and for those who listened or exchanged country numbers, it was a great way to engage in amateur radio.

Have you noticed conditions are improving? Perhaps it’s time to get your antenna just a bit higher or replace that somewhat patchy patch lead.

With thanks to Stephen, VK2KHA and Andrew, VK2TAN HADARC has recently made updates to its Web site. The site now contains many helpful links to amateur radio resources. Resource sections include Antennas, Electronics and even a “Just Interesting” section was added as well. Please have a look at our site and perhaps in your own Club add a section for links to topics that promote Amateur Radio.

Next HADARC meeting is our mid-monthly meeting taking place next Tuesday the 8th November at 8pm. We are calling this meeting the “Great November Recalibrate”. We will have top-of-the-line test gear to accurately check Voltage, Current and Resistance. So bring your analogue or digital multi-meters, wire or other leads and alligator clips and see how lossy cables are or how accurate your test gear is vs precision test gear.

HADARC welcomes Members and guests to attend all its regular meetings.

73’s - Let’s keep radio-active!

Matt / VK2BAI

HADARC President

Due to a late plane fight we had to defer HADARC’s  Rocket Scientist presentation. Alexander Ryan, CEO of VXB Aerospace will now present at our November meeting, so stay tuned for updates as we get closer to the event.

This week we heard from Stephen, VK2KHA who outlined recent updates to the HADARC Web site. The site now contains many helpful links to amateur radio resources. Sections include Antennas, Electronics and even a “Just Interesting” section was added as well. Please have a look at our site and perhaps in your own Club add a section for links to topics that promote Amateur Radio as well.

Also in the meeting we heard from Chris, VK2YMW outlining his recent overseas trip. He showed us the Radio Room of the USS Iowa warship and an amazing presentation showing its massive size and capability. The main conning tower control room armour is 17.3 inches thick – just incredible.

We heard from Matt, VK2BAI on the setup and design of the Hy-Gain AV-640 antenna. This design optimised RF performance by placing coil at the top of the antenna and has 4 levels of capacitive loading hats.

Finally, Rod VK2DAY auctioned off some great gear and perhaps questionable old gear for bargain prices. This was a great way to wrap up a top evening.  

We were pleased to have another new member join HADARC. Welcome to Kevin, VK2VKB.

Next meeting is our mid-monthly meeting taking place on 8th November. We are calling this meeting the “Great November Recalibrate”. We will have top of the line test gear to accurately check Voltage, Current and Resistance. So bring your multi-meters, wire or other leads and alligator clips and see how lossy cables are or how accurate your gear is vs precision test gear.    

HADARC welcomes Members and guests to attend all its meetings.  

73’s - Let’s keep radio-active.

Matt / VK2BAI

HADARC President

This week, HADARC members plugged in their soldering irons and made up some 1:1 Baluns. It was impressive to see VK2XWB’s efforts were rewarded after testing his balun to 30Mhz and having an SWR of 1.2:1 – nice work Walter.

Rod VK2DAY has always been influential, but this time he has taken HADARC’s next event to Galactic levels. Yes, Rod has secured an influential Rocket Scientist for the Monthly meeting on 25th October, starting at 8pm at Mount Colah.

Alexander Ryan is CEO of VXB Aerospace and an experienced Aerospace Engineer. He is in the final stages of his PhD in Aerospace Engineering and Physics at the University of Sydney.

Alex designs electric propulsion systems. Has previously developed and tested a small rf plasma thruster. His UHF engineering and simulation of plasma skills are cutting edge.

Alex will be presenting where Australia stands in the ever-growing Aerospace Industry.

Don't miss this unique event where HADARC Members are invited to bring a guest or friends who have an interest in Science, Rockets and Radio! 

Let’s keep radio-active.

Matt / VK2BAI

HADARC President

HADARC held its Monthly meeting on Tuesday 27th September. And what a great night it was. Carmel VK2CAR presented the largest Low Frequency coil we have ever seen. It is used to detect underwater objects and stands over 3.8 meters tall and over 1.5 meters wide.

We were privileged to hear David Burger VK2CZ explain the different antenna modelling software packages available and how he has used them to optimise his Beams and other antennas. It was impressive to hear about the trade-offs between SWR vs Gain vs Noise, and you can’t have perfection on all three at once. Despite the challenges of a torrential downpour mid presentation, David’s session and expertise was well received.

HADARC was pleased to have a new member join the club and also have a visitor attend with a strong interest in obtaining a Foundation licence. It’s great to see the new WIA foundation manual hot of the press to aid new members.

At next mid-monthly experimenters meeting, bring your soldering iron, solder and pliers. We will be helping club members build balun kits and also having a look at how they perform using a restored BC-221 Frequency Meter.

Have you noticed how good the DX conditions have been on 20 meters? Club member Jack VK2PCH was heard working Italy, England and Bosnia just this week. Local conditions have been noisy so turn on your noise blanker and join one of our nets. HADARC runs weekly nets on 147.250 Monday’s, 3.6085 Wednesday’s and 7.106 Friday’s.

73’s for now - Let’s keep Radio Active !

Matt VK2BAI

HADARC is excited to announce that for its next monthly meeting, which is next Tuesday night at 8pm, our key note speaker will be David Burger, VK2CZ. David will speaking on “Professional Antenna Modelling” and show us how to use software from his deep experience in designing and building antennas. David is a Senior Life Member of the IEEE and has been a ham for 50 years. This will be a great evening to ask lots of questions and perhaps seek ideas for putting up that new antenna, all ready for summer time use.

For those who purchased and are making the popular Balun kits, please follow the instructions carefully, especially winding the toroid. If you have not had a chance to collect your kit, they will be available at the Club meeting this Tuesday night. Please bring the exact cash to cover what you ordered. If you forgot what is due, please email the President using the HADARC web site inquiry section.

Have you noticed how good the conditions have been on 40 meters? It's a good time to join a net, or just stop by and say hello. Perhaps turn on a radio that has not been used from a while and warm up those tubes and caps. HADARC runs weekly nets on 147.250 Monday’s, 3.6085 Wednesday’s and 7.106 Friday’s.

73’s for now - Let’s keep Radio Active !

Matt VK2BAI

President, HADARC.

Last week HADARC held a social dinner at Magpies. There were record level attendees and many great radio stories were told. Stuart VK2BMX showed his new HF vertical and Carmel VK2CAR displayed a new loading coil she had developed. We handed out many baluns kits with enthusiasm high to build these kits ready for summer operations. In the case you did not collect your kit, they will be available at next Monthly meeting.  Please bring the exact amount of cash to cover your order.

HADARC is excited to announce that for its next monthly meeting, our key note speaker will be David Burger, VK2CZ. David will speaking on “Professional Antenna Modelling” and show us how to use software from his deep experience in designing and building antennas. David is a Senior Life Member of the IEEE and has been a ham for 50 years. This will be a great evening to ask lots of questions and perhaps seek ideas for putting up that new antenna, all ready for summer time use.

Did you know there was a secretive CSIRO Radio Telescope at Hornsby between 1947 to 1952. They used yagi’s, rhombics and broad side arrays to study solar bursts. Hornsby has a long radio history. So, why not be part of the history and join one of our weekly nets. HADARC weekly nets are on 147.250 Monday’s, 3.6085 Wednesday’s and 7.106 Friday’s.

73’s for now - Let’s keep Radio Active !

Matt VK2BAI

President, HADARC.

At last week’s HADARC Monthly meeting, a presentation was given by Matt VK2BAI outlining the 4 priority areas for the Club. The areas are: Community Focus, Member Engagement, Radio Disciplines and Practical Impact. Together these are called ‘HADARC 100’ and we aim, in time, to have 100 members.

Carmel VK2CAR presented on new sea wave technology that generates sustainable power as well as the new eBit-X SDR transceiver. Tony, VK2BTL presented on his success with his Moonraker vertical HF Antenna system.

Finally, Steve VK2AAV presented on “The Magic of MOSFETS”. Steve went into the theory, showed the spec sheets and then displayed some practical circuits. These devices are everywhere, so as a Club we wanted to know how to best use them. Did you know a MOSFET can be turned on with about 50 nano amps? Now that is small. Based on Steve’s presentation, we are looking at how we can make some practical MOSFET circuits in the coming months.    

Based on the very successful Balun Business evening, we now have 14 Baluns that will be constructed in the coming months. We appreciate the ARNSW support from Al VK2OK to create such enthusiasm.

Have your tried our recent Echolink upgrade to VK2RNS repeater on 147.250? HADARC would appreciate any feedback. Thanks in advance.

Next HADARC mid monthly-meeting will be a social at Magpies in Waitara starting at 6:00pm for dinner. We look forward to telling many radio and project stories over dinner. Please come along, meet the members and join a relaxed social evening.

HADARC run nets every week on 147.250 Monday’s, 3.6085 Wednesday’s and 7.106 Friday’s.

73’s  - Let’s keep Radio Active !

Matt VK2BAI

President, HADARC.

The 46 year History of HADARC was presented by Barry VK2AAB, Tony VK2BTL and Chris VK2YMW. HADARC has a great story to tell and is growing members almost every meeting. Just this meeting we had 3 new member join the club.

Dennis VK2PMI recited what is likely to be the first Radio Poetry just for HADARC.  

Carmel VK2CAR recounted the evolution of Floppy Disks and presented new and “intelligent road tiles”. Just amazing.

Matt VK2BAI presented the B-24 Bomber radio comms and of note was the 150 kilowatt pulse radar. We displayed an original BC-348-R receiver from the very B-24 bomber.

Next monthly meeting, Steve VK2AAV will be presenting on “The Magic of MOSFETS” and how to tame these great devices.   

Future Directions

HADARC and its Management Committee has recently developed growth plans to take the Club forward. Next meeting we will present the new direction. Radio has a strong future and the interest levels in the community remain high.

HADARC welcomes you as a member or a visitor to join us for another top evening for Radio Amateurs.

HADARC runs nets every week on 147.250 Monday’s, 3.6085 Wednesday’s and 7.106 Friday’s.

The History of HADARC

Coming up this month is The History of HADARC by Barry White VK2AAB, Tony LaMacchia VK2BTL and Chris Williams VK2YMW. This should be a great walk down memory lane for some, and a riveting history of HADARC and Amateur Radio in Sydney over the past 46 years.

HADARC Radio Poetry

Is there such a thing as Radio Poetry? In our Membership, HADARC has skilled professionals across many industries that aren’t just technical. But when you join engineering, radio, and prose together, you end up with Radio Poetry. This will be a first! Hear directly from acclaimed poet Dennis Robson VK2PMI whom has written a special poem just for HADARC.

B-24 Liberator Radio Comms

Australia has one of the few surviving B-24 Liberator planes in the world. And it holds some incredible comms gear, radios, transmitters, radar and more. We will hear from Matthew Ayres VK2BAI about the B-24 radio equipment and how advanced it was for its day and surprisingly how advanced it remains even to today’s standards.

The Trans-Tasman Low-Band Contest is once again on the 3rd Saturday in July which is Saturday the 16th of July between 8:00 UTC and 14:00 UTC this year. Two amateurs with either one or two radios have a good chance of getting a place in this contest, going by last years results. So, grab a mate, a radio, and a bottle of wine, and have a go this year. As they say: good luck in the contest!

Rules for the contest can be found on the WIA’s website.

It is membership renewal time and HADARC annual membership is excellent value at only $30. It is great to be part of the Amateur Radio community and trade our stories, our insights and read about the diverse ways each of us use our passion in the pages of QUA.

To make sure HADARC remains viable, please complete a renewal form and either e-mail the completed form to hadarc@hadarc.org.au and do a bank transfer to the HADARC account, or bring the form and your cash to the next meeting.

Congratulations to the incoming committee!

Matt Ayres VK2BAI is our new President, Rob Dolphin VK2DIO continues as Vice-President, Stuart Walker VK2BMX is our new Secretary, Andrew McNamara VK2TAN continues as Treasurer, and the remaining two Committee positions are filled by Steve Wright VK2KHA and Rod Gamble VK2DAY.

With Covid restrictions eased, HADARC 40m Portable operations have recommenced.

Stephen VK2KHA and Carmel VK2CAR were the first to jump at the opportunity to again set up Portable.

This is a regular event organised by Colin VK2JCC (of course, using his military manpack Clansman.)

Congratulations to the incoming committee! Rod Gamble VK2DAY is the new President, Rob Dolphin VK2DIO is Vice-President, Stephen Stebbing VK2AAV returns as Secretary, Andrew McNamara VK2TAN continues as Treasurer, and the remaining two Committee positions are filled by Colin Christie VK2JCC and Matt Ayres VK2BAI.

It is with great sadness that we share the news that John Bishop VK2ZOI (VK2BK), President of Hornsby And Districts Amateur Radio Club (HADARC), became a silent key in the early hours of Friday, 29th January 2021.

For more information, please click HERE.

It is with great sadness we record that George Archibald VK2BGU became a Silent Key on Tuesday 17 March 2020.

George was very active on our weekly 2m, 80m and 40m nets; always a bright, cheery voice but unfortunately, after suffering a stroke and heart attack earlier this year, his health quickly deteriorated over the past few months and he had to enter care.

George was an amateur for many years, a life-long interest that started with a run-in with the Radio Inspector when he was 12 years old. He was looking for a local club and joined HADARC in July 2006 on the recommendation of Keith VK2AXN (SK). At the time he joined HADARC George was retired but kept himself busy as a volunteer bus driver for a local retirement village - a job he only recently gave up when he decided it was time to surrendered his bus driving licence; however, driving the bus was obviously something he enjoyed and we often listened to many entertaining bus-driving stories on our nets. He was a regular on the Old Timer's Net and Col's net and his other interests included vintage radio and restoring old valve radio sets.

We will miss his voice on air.

A service to celebrate George's life will be held on Monday 23 March at 11.00 am at the Carlingford Baptist Church, Corner Pennant Hills Road & Alamein Avenue, Carlingford.

Sadly we record Ralph became SK on 2 December at age 91.

Ralph joined our Club in August 1983 shortly after having gained his novice callsign VK2PEJ. He was very active in the Club, giving talks, organising Field Day excursions, was co-instrumental in starting the 80m HF Net and was the nominal custodian of the VK2MA callsign for many years.

Even as a novice operator, he was a very active HF DX chaser and went in many contests. Both as an operator and a project builder, he obviously enjoyed the hobby. In April 1994, Ralph upgraded to 'full-call' level and gained his VK2IRP callsign which only recently he surrendered because of his health.

It was always a pleasure to swap stories and have a chat with Ralph and the ranks of amateur radio have lost a treasured stalwart.

It is with deep sadness we record that Brian Robertson VK2BRO became a Silent Key on 10 August.

Brian had been a long term member and was a regular attender at meetings. Unfortunately, about ten years ago he was diagnosed with cancer and because his health rapidly deteriorated in the last six months he became unable to make the drive to Mount Colah from his QTH in Carlingford. In his work-life, he was involved in the television industry but again due to the developing cancer, he had to retire earlier than he would have liked due to his health issues.

We didn't hear Brian on air much but he liked to listen and regularly monitored Club nets and was always interested in what Club members were doing as well as their projects which were described in QUA.

Brian passed away peacefully in his sleep and we will miss his cheery voice and presence at our meetings.

It is with much sadness we record John Howard APM VK2AMH became SK on Monday 16 July 2018 after a period of prolonged health and mobility problems. He was aged 88.

John was born 16 June 1930 at Muswellbrook, NSW. His father was a Superintendent of Police and John followed his father into the NSW Police Force. He became involved with the police radio communications system and played a significant part in structuring police radio into all service vehicles. He was promoted to Executive Chief Superintendent in 1984 and was awarded the Australian Police Medal in 1990, retiring from the Police Force that year.

As a radio amateur, he was first licensed as VK2AHM in 1955 when living at Earlwood, later changing his Callsign to VK2AMH. A long-time member of HADARC, John was also very active in WICEN and for a period after his retirement, had served as the State Coordinator and as WICEN NSW President.

John was a JP and regularly volunteered his time at the Hornsby Shire Library to members of the public requiring the services of a JP.

A great man, always able to provide sound advice when asked, a man who will be missed.