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• QNews for October 5th 2025

  Hi everyone, and welcome to the Darling Downs Radio Club corner of QNEWS for week beginning 5 October 2025. Daylight saving has started in Oz, but doesn't stop in Europe until 26 October, and in North America it stops on 2 November. Of course none of this affects the way the bands behave, and as far as our experiments confirm daylight saving does not fade curtains or curdle milk. But it does make phoning interstate more confusing. Just a tip that all our dates and times will be in invariant Australian Eastern Standard Time regardless of what everyone else is doing. You should have received a newsletter from the club on Tuesday. If you didn't, and you want to be on the list, let us know. If you want to get off the list, you have to let us know that too. One day that will all be automated, but automation costs money and a few more members would help a lot. Hint, hint. At Darling Downs Radio Club we're very focused on education and meetings over the next few weeks, so here are some dates for your diary - and everything is on the website, so you can check there if you miss any of the following. You might have missed a really good lunch yesterday, but keep an ear out for the next social event which will be in December. We're planning a BBQ, possibly combined with a Fox Hunt. Watch this space. The next club Member Meeting is on Monday 13 October, when we plan to announce some very positive club initiatives that are in play, and our tech review will dissect the recently advised ACMA Licence Conditions Determinations - there was one for Amateur Licences and another for Citizens Band operation, and both are now in force. What do these mean to you? Join us and find out. There will also be some general tech nattering, and we'll discuss an exciting development. The meeting will be in person, or the remote link is on the website in the calendar entry. The 18/19 October weekend plans for JOTA and JOTI are still being finalised with Toowoomba Scouts, but by the time this segment goes to air we might have some arrangements locked down. We are well down the process of scheduling Foundation Licence training and examinations for the weekend, and while we are aiming at Scouts in particular the sessions will be open to anyone. If you, or someone who you know, wants to get started with a Foundation Licence - and who doesn't? - check the club website and send email to [email protected] to get on the list. No obligation. Speaking of which, last weekend our club Education Officer Dave VK4JPS supported a pre-JOTA Foundation Licensing course where 14 Scouts successfully gained their Foundation licences. Our training program includes some hardware to get started, and practical experiences to develop operating practice. We're being very POTA themed, and you should expect a "Support your Parks" activity through the Jota Weekend. So please support us and our students, and we look forward to Hunting you throughout the JOTA weekend. Next month on Monday 10 November, John VK4JBE joins us to bring you up to speed with understanding your EMR obligations, and how a bit of EMR knowledge could actually help you with your neighbours. Finally, two other items that we will be discussing over the coming months. Firstly estate planning and bequests. It's probably not a surprise that even hams don't live forever, and I hope you've made a will. What you might not have done is specify what happens to your collection of gear. All that stuff falls into the category of "possessions", and it's not part of your house or bank accounts. You can, for instance, specify that your posessions should be handled a particular way. for help [email protected] all the info is on our website at ddrci.org.au. Thanks for listening, and we'll catch you next week. 73 John, VK4JPM Secretary of the Darling Downs Radio Club.

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• QNews for September 28th 2025

  It's Sunday 28 September 2025, and we've just passed the spring solstice. Days are getting longer; the sun is getting higher, and next weekend Daylight Saving Time starts in many states that aren't Queensland. That's the solar report for this week, so hi - I'm John VK4JPM, Secretary of the Darling Downs Radio Club with some updates for members, guests, and everyone who is listening so that they can be in the callback! I'm going to start with a big shoutout to all the club members and others who helped get us across the line and into the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers Parade. All those flowers that attendees made at the last tech meeting were carefully attached to the side of our float and made us look FABULOUS. We had real radios operating on the truck, and despite the rain that fell ONLY for the hour that we were in the procession, we had a great crowd and an amazing time. If you go to the website - ddrci.org.au - there's a story in the calendar rotator, and a link where you can see what we looked like in the parade. Pretty cool stuff. Who knew that you could put petals on a satellite dish and attract LNBees? So what important dates are on the club's calendar? This coming Saturday - that's the 4th of October - we've scheduled the bimonthly club lunch at an old haunt: Rink 46, which previously was known as the Drayton Bowlo. All the details are on the website; rock up after 1130 and stay for a few hours. No ceremony, although we'd appreciate an email to lunch @ddrci.org.au to let us know how many of you are coming. And look, we have a bit of a surprise for after the lunch; we've also scheduled a tour of an important facility not far away. Guests, XYLs and harmonics are all very welcome for this one. Saturday 4 October from around 1130. Our next technical meeting is on Monday 13 October at the Victory Street Scout hall, and another very timely topic: we're going to dissect the two determinations that ACMA has just released - that's the amateur radio determination which defines what we're allowed and how we're allowed to do it, and the citizen's band determination which has some interesting tweaks that you'll want to know about. 13 October for that one, in person or via telepresence if you can't get to Newtown. And the November meeting is locked in for Monday 10th, with focus on Station EMR management. All the details are on the website - check the calendar scroller on the home page, and click into anything that looks interesting. ddrci.org.au, and if you missed anything - like details of our next education sessions, or how to become a member, start from the website and drop an email to [email protected] if you can't find what you're looking for. Oh, and check out how we looked in the parade - it's a hoot. Until next week: 73 from John VK4JPM and the team from the Darling Downs Radio Club Social Scene Townsville Amateur Radio Club's Cardwell Gathering Field Day October 3 at Meunga Creek Caravan Park & Camp (wiacal) Qtech2025 a two-day conference Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd November at Kedron-Wavel RSL (vk4uh) GOLD COAST AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY – 2025 HAMFEST NOV 9 (vk4dmh) Country Paradise Parklands 231 Beaudesert Nerang Road.

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• QNews for September 21st 2025

  Judy Robertson - Honorary TARCadian Sad news has been relayed by TARCadian Roslyn Bryant that Judy Robertson went Silent Key on Wednesday Morning 17th September at home at Carlyle Gardens Townsville. Hello and welcome to the 21 September edition of QNEWS, and this segment comes to you from Toowoomba - home of the Carnival of Flowers. I'm John, VK4JPM secretary of the Darling Downs Radio Club. We've all been focused this week on the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers parade, and the club's first-time appearance in the parade itself. Look for some photos on the homepage at ddrci.org.au, which will tell the story more eloquently than I can now - for the simple reason that QNEWS is recorded earlier in the week and at this very moment in radioland we haven't left yet. Even in advance of leaving the shed, we should all send a big shout-out to the team of lead co-ords who made the float happen, especially Sam, Bruce, Liz, and Dave, and all the folk who pitched in to dress it up. Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking. One of the qualities of the amateur has been the ability to adapt. From the early days of radio, items have been repurposed to meet the needs of home construction. When the market was awash with disposals gear, many items became modified to meet the needs of the amateur radio pursuit. When the solid state items came, home experimenters took the left overs from computers and made items which improved the functionality of the shack and allowed self-learning of this new technology. In more recent times, rigs have become smaller and lighter whilst the world has become a dumping ground for non-certified electronics which create noise and gross interference on many amateur radio bands. The introduction of the home personal computer saw many discussions and articles on how to suppress electronic trash from the switch mode power supplies. The issue has grown out of bounds in the years since. An outcome of this latter problem, at least indirectly, has been people taking gear into the field, to parks, hills, beaches and all sorts of locations where operations can be conducted. The delight in operating in an electrically quiet place can’t be underestimated. To take these thoughts in another direction. We can look at major features of our community. In towns and cities, the grocery store has grown into the supermarket and most of these are operated as part of a chain. Economy of sourcing stock, logistics and efficiency in back room operations all contribute to the massive success of our grocery/retail industry. With all their resources, the science of marketing is constantly being refined. It is no glitch or aberration that Easter hot cross buns appear just after Christmas. The run up to in-store promotions is carried out many days or weeks prior to the start of the campaign. And that annoying practice of rotating shelf items to different aisles to ensure the paying customer has more to view and thus increase the number of spontaneous purchases should be banned. For people running club activities, we have a major example of success in these stores. The organisation, positioning of outlets and the range of items for sale all offer us lessons in streamlining our own club activities. Clubs depend on volunteers and thus, you can say, their time is more precious that paid staff within a store. The amateur aims to live balanced life and this should always be kept in mind. What I am trying to do is point our thoughts towards examining areas which may benefit our clubs and ultimately our recreation. If we can have a closer look at something that at first glance seems remote to amateur radio and take a lesson or too, then the whole community gets the benefit. I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and that's what I think, how about you?

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• QNews for September 14th 2025

  On QNEWS for week of 14 September 2025 I'm John VK4JPM, Secretary of the Darling Downs Radio Club. Coming up: the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, and this year the club has entered the parade for the first time. We've been busy assembling flowers and radio gear, and we're getting ready to demonstrate aspects of Amateur Radio as the parade wends through the crowd. The parade takes place on Saturday 20 September, and is big enough to take about 90 minutes to pass any one spot. If you can't come in person, you can watch the parade via the interweb, keep an eye on our website. If we look like it's going to work. Given the degree of difficulty associated with contacting a float, you can expect a serious multiplier. If conditions are right, check the website on the day for details of bands, frequencies, and fine-print. Our next meeting dates are up on the website, and details will be filled in once we get past next Saturday! Right now you could plan for the next Club Lunch on Saturday 4 October, and the next club meeting on Monday 13 October. And don't forget that the Non-Queensland southern states move into Daylight Time Confusion from Sunday the 5th. Oh, and our last meeting with Dion 4DKW was a ripper. Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking. One of the issues that clubs and groups tend to have is that of raising money to cover the running costs. Very few operate in an area where membership subs cover the outgoings let alone provide for the future needs. To this extent, our radio, electronics and maker spaces all have this issue to plan for. In the larger towns and suburbs, the growth of the mega hardware stores has provided a source of funding by selling slices of bread surrounding a freshly cooked snag. Elsewhere alternatives to this activity have to be found. For major outlays such as office furniture, IT, radios and the like, it is usually necessary to turn to some of the many grants funded by councils and governments. Getting behind the keyboard and writing a grant submission can be quite an exercise in creative thinking to tell the story of why you need the money and what those items will do, not only for your group but usually the benefits to the community also. This doesn’t mean that small groups have to go without a fillip to their coffers. There are several projects run by clubs which engage members in construction of shack accessories. You may not find a great demand for the goods or they might take off like the proverbial scalded cat. I can think of one VK2 club that produces DC power distribution boards and they seem to sustain a constant demand. Other clubs have produced DIY kits for test gear or model specific accessories to improve operating ease of their radios. Obviously the need for transformers for the current fad of end-fed and random wires gives an opportunity to fill a gap in the market. The current costs of goods sourced from the USA is troubling when postage is added so a local source may be the solution and a preferable alternative to the unknown quality of some Asian products. Of course, getting a project organised and costed will determine the success or otherwise even before gathering a team to produce and distribute the goods. The up side is that often when you look around your membership, you will find people with skills that can improve the design and presentation whilst contributing to a team effort. Building friendships is a good way of strengthening the whole club performance. What we can do is find ways of doing things that build the funds in the bank, strengthen the membership and also benefit our community amateur and generally. Remember that the majority of amateurs are getting older. I certainly couldn’t man the barbeque or serve the sausages but I can still do other things which can contribute. I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and that's what I think, how about you?

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• QNews for September 7th 2025

  Welcome to QNEWS and a segment from the Darling Downs Radio Club. It's 7 September where we are, and only four weeks until Daylight Saving starts. First piece of news: we had our Annual General Meeting last Monday, easily made quorum, and everything went smoothly. The motion to replace and update the Rules was passed without dissent, and we have a full committee with three new members joining the team. The rogues gallery is online at the website, and you can check out the new club officers. The meeting also updated our member schedule with two new member classes: family membership for up to two adults and up to two children for $55 and a new junior member category - if you're under 17, it's only $10 to be a member of the club. The membership system is updated and you can join or renew right now. And thanks to everyone who joined or renewed during the special membership drive last month: as you can see, you did get a bargain. Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking. This past week has seen the Sun continue a range of electro-chemical gyrations with results being both seen and received on Earth. Sunspot Cycle 25 is certainly maintaining the interests for all those who follow space weather and for radio amateurs as well. Now that we have officially entered Spring time, I would imagine that many people are preparing for the warmer seasons and checking and prepping gear that has been stored during the Winter. It has been a strange period with the southern highlands of Queensland receiving a rare smattering of snow and parts of the interior plagued by flooding. Now we get to prepare for the annual cyclone season. Life is full of action. I am committed in family matters so my social calendar is something to look forward to in the future. But for many of us, students and parents and others who enjoy their radio, I have a question. How do you record the events that you wish to enjoy so they don’t slip by until it is rush to prepare? Being of the old school, so to speak, I use paper records to keep track of appointments and events. The ubiquitous calendar fixed with a big magnet to the fridge door is the main household source of these reminders. For good measure, I use a pocket diary so that details are available when I indulge in sports such as shopping. Not everyone uses a smart phone and sometimes the old methods provide a level of redundancy that a lost piece of electronics might lose. The reason I ask the question is, I believe that a consistent platform to inform our community would be helpful. There are events on the amateur calendar which go from local to international and these need integrating with personal events such as sports, other recreations and medical visits, for instance. Would it be a help if we had a platform to distribute regular detailed updates and what would it be? Email was the go to in previous years but the use of social media platforms seems to have replaced a lot of email correspondence and how many people still regularly log into web sites to check things like this? Our broadcast news carries a certain level of events and the print schedule of the magazine goes against efficient updating. Then once we have made a choice of method, there comes the necessity of having a coordinator who can extract the information and compile the necessary posts to get out to members. Assuming that the mechanics could be sorted there is the reluctance that seems to be inflicted on our communications hobby of getting the information from the sources to the distribution point. Ask our News Editor how easy it is and you will understand my point. For what it is worth, do you think we could benefit by a simple system of notification that would allow the best planning for us all? I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and that's what I think, how about you?

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