Presidents Ponderings…. In this Issue · © Southern Peninsula Amateur Radio Club Inc. Page 1, SEPTEMBER 2015 Edition

© Southern Peninsula Amateur Radio Club Inc. Page 1, SEPTEMBER 2015 Edition

The newsletter from S.P.A.R.C. The Southern Peninsula Amateur Radio Club

September 2015 Edition

In this Issue:

1510 Frankston Flinders Road, TYABB VIC 3913

Phone (03) 5977 4808 [email protected]

Presidents Message

Committee Notes

Welcome To…..

Neighbour Day 2015

Thunderbolts !!

Editors Waffle

VK3XP & Batteries

ILLW 2015

Welcome To…..

The Joke

Club Info & Contacts

It’s all in this edition,

and more…..

GET IN THERE AND

READ IT !!

Presidents Ponderings….

Well, the AGM has been and gone and we are off to a flying start with a

renewed and refreshed committee. As incoming President I can only look

back with awe at the achievements at SPARC under the stewardship of John

Ross, VK3MK and on behalf of all members thank John for his dedication

and hard work during his last four years as President. It is fortunate that he

has agreed to remain on Committee as Vice President.

Our Committee this year is made up of a number of existing and new members and I would like to take

this opportunity to thank them all for their participation. You will see from the list of Committee mem-

bers that we are running with a larger group in this current term and that each member has a primary role

to play in the running of the club’s affairs. We are indeed lucky to have such a talented team, each of

whom brings a particular talent to our club, and collectively represents over 300 years of Amateur radio

experience.

The year ahead looks challenging and very interesting. Major activities coming up include the RadioFest in

November, a Bunnings fundraiser in December and our annual Christmas dinner for members and part-

ners at 1pm on Sunday 6th December at the Atrium. Please add this date to your calendar. This is an inex-

pensive, fun occasion with good food, a nice environment and excellent company, so please make sure you

leave the day free. We will also be holding another antenna test day early in 2016.

There are a number of great projects under way in the Club at the moment including finalising the tower

and antenna arrangements and the Sparktenna automatic mobile antenna. We are currently researching a

site for a remote, multi user low noise receiving site which could be available to all members over the

internet and a pilot trial of new internet linked technology to improve the coverage of VK3RSP over the

Southern part of the peninsula.

We have been lucky to acquire a range of professional test equipment during the last year and this will

soon be commissioned as a dedicated test station for use by club members. We hope to have test days

on which members can bring along a piece of gear and go home knowing that it meets specifications. This

is also a wonderful learning resource for members who have not had experience with spectrum analysers

and the like.

Howard Jones, VK3QA.

SPARC President.

Whilst we have a consistent turn up of members at our Thursday meetings, we note that we have not been attracting many members who

are still working. With this in mind we are proposing to trial a monthly Saturday morning to supplement or replace one of the Thursday

meetings, and hope this may attract new members from the Peninsula, I would welcome members comments about how we could make this

successful. If you have any great ideas about improvement we could make, please speak up.

In conclusion your Committee hopes to see each and every member enjoying and participating in the Club’s activities, please come along,

put your hand up to help with a project and join in the fun.

mailto:[email protected]


PRESIDENT’S REPORT TO THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

25 JULY 2015

This is my report on the activities of SPARC for the 2014-2015 financial year.

Membership:

Membership at the 30th June 2015 stands at 41 including 2 Life Members. The only

new member to have joined throughout the year is Roger McDonald.

Committee:

All Committee positions have been occupied for the whole of the year and nine

committee meetings have been held. Thanks to all committee members for the huge contribution you have made

to the running of the Club this year. Special thanks goes to Vice President Neil Bright and Assistant Secretary Bob

Crowle who have decided not to seek re-election this year.

Club Direction:

The Committee has adopted a Future Plan which is guiding the decision making as it outlines the goals to be pur-

sued. Already a substantial amount of test equipment has been purchased to help meet the goal of establishing spe-

cialised test equipment access for Club members.

Rosebud RadioFest:

The third Rosebud RadioFest was held on Sunday 30 November 2014 and was even more successful than the two

previous events. Thanks to the Committee for the many hours spent in planning the event and to the many SPARC

Members who worked on the day performing all the tasks required for such a big event.

On air Nets:

SPARC Sunday morning 2 metre nets have continued to be held throughout the year, despite difficulty in rostering

net controllers. The net controllers have been John VK3BCR, Blayne VK3FIS and John VK3MK.

Committee made the decision this year that on any Sunday when there is no controller present, members can hold

an informal net.

Clubroom gatherings:

Clubroom gatherings have been held on Thursday mornings throughout the year with attendances reaching as high

as 15 members on some occasions.

Two outstanding presentations have been held throughout the year on Thursday mornings. The first was a great

presentation by Treasurer Tim on Software Defined Radios and was excellent in the way Tim traced the develop-

ment of SDRs and speculated about their future.

The second presentation was made by members of FAMPARC who spoke about and demonstrated their Remote

Controlled Radio Station set up at their clubrooms.

Working Bees:

During late January 2015 a working bee was held to dig the hole for the mast footing and for the footpath from the

new pedestrian gate. This was followed the next day with the laying of concrete. Following this, the mast was

erected in February 2015. Special thanks to John Jones VK3ZUM for his efforts on this mast project and to the

band of willing helpers who completed the tasks.

Social Activities:

The Annual Christmas lunch was held again at The Atrium at Safety Beach and was enjoyed by all who attended.

Presentation of Life Membership was made to Tim McBain at this function. Thanks again to Secretary Howard for

ably organising this enjoyable event.

AGM 2015 - Presidents Report:


Fundraising:

Bunnings Sausage Sizzles have again been our primary source of fundraising this year.

The first was held at Rosebud between Christmas and New Year, and the second at

Rosebud in April. Thanks to the small band of helpers who make these occasions such a

financial success for the club.

Newsletters:

Two newsletters have been distributed during this year, each one full of interesting articles, photos and reports of

the Club’s activities. Editor Tim VK3MIT is to be congratulated on the quality of each edition. Thanks to those

members who have contributed articles and /or photos.

Future of Clubrooms:

In August 2014, Committee adopted a proposal prepared by Clive VK3CMR for re-arrangement of the internal

layout of the clubrooms to better cater for presentations, while making better use of space for operational radios

and a work bench area. Also some external storage has been proposed. Council approval was sought but the re-

sponse indicated that if we make any alterations to the clubrooms, the entire building will need to be brought up

to current building standards at the same time. Further negotiations are being held with Shire Officers.

SPARCtenna Project:

Stemming from a desire of Clive VK3CMR to build his own HF autotune mobile antenna, the SPARCtenna project

has evolved. A 6 person technical group was formed with Clive as the project leader, and this group has developed

a prototype of the antenna which is undergoing extensive testing and refinement. Congratulations to the project

group on the outstanding commitment they have shown to this project and we all wait patiently for the final out-

come.

AGM 2015 - Presidents Report: (Continued)

Welcome to.. Roger McDonald; VK3FMCD:

Roger is a very capable and keen new member of SPARC . He was born in WA but moved to Victoria in 2009. He

is retired after a long career with the West Australian Police Force. He worked in many roles with the Police in-

cluding, liquor and gaming squad, as an investigator in the gold stealing unit, and a stint as an instructor in the train-

ing academy. He moved on to become Operations manager in the Perth headquarters radio room at VKI before

becoming OIC of the Western Australian Water Police. He served as Chief Inspector working with the Deputy

Commissioner with a responsibility covering the whole state and also included duties as an investigator in the Po-

lice Internal Investigations squad. His final role before retiring was as second in command of the Victoria Park Po-

lice Station and responsibility for Police disaster and coordination for Perth Airport. If you want an entertaining

story catch up with Roger on a Thursday morning!

He obtained a Private Pilots License in 1966 and has flown most single engine types of aircraft; after retiring he

moved to Ultralight Aircraft and purchased a Sapphire Glass Fibre Aircraft. After selling that Aircraft three years

ago he looked for a further interest; he settled on Amateur Radio, and subsequently joined SPARC. Roger now

holds a Foundation License, VK3FMCD. Throughout his career he has used all types of radio including Land, Ma-

rine and Aviation. Having relied on HF communications in his career in emergency situations he can say that it has

saved his life on at least two occasions, being the only means of communication in dangerous circumstances.

Roger is married with a son and daughter and lives in Rosebud. His home station includes HF and VHF/UHF equip-

ment. Since joining SPARC he has become a member of the committee, and has taken on the role of asset manager

for the club. We welcome Roger and are pleased to have him as a new member.

John Ross VK3MK; President SPARC

25 July 2015


Rosebud Neighbor Day 2015:

What a terrific day we had on Sunday 22nd March, at the Rosebud

Neighbour Day.

Arriving around 0900 at the Eastbourne Primary School, (Home of the

SPARC Rosebud RadioFest!) we set up our display under shady trees

adjacent to the main auditorium. By "We" I'm referring to myself, Mark

VK3PDG and my wife Miranda, assisted by Eastbourne Primary's Prin-

cipal, Stephen Wilkinson.

Stephen found us a handy 240 Volt supply and routed the lead to our

table, negating the need for the radios to run from their battery sup-

ply. Nearby, I set up my new fibreglass porta-pole, complete with a

dipole cut for the 40 metre band. To save time I connected it to a

Kenwood TS-430s HF radio via a MFJ VersaTuner2 antenna tuner.

The purists may shudder, but this configuration allowed us to operate

on 40, 20, 15 and 10 metres for the entire event. We only had 4

hours, which meant most of the time was able to be devoted to the

most important activities, namely talking to the public and demonstrat-

ing Amateur Radio with solid contacts.

The contacts were many and of excellent strength and quality. The

John Moyle Memorial Field Day was into it's final 2 hours, so we had

plenty of portable stations eager to make contact. Of note were 3 pe-

destrian portable stations, including QRP Guru, Peter Parker VK3YE.

Some excellent contacts were also made to SOTA stations, all out in

the field and way, way up in the air.

Miranda had set up our table, complete with posters, callsign display

and a huge tub of jelly babies and sour snakesI She had a cunning plan

based on the concept of "If you give the kids freebies, their parents will

follow!" Her plans were justified, and we had no end of grown-ups ask-

ing about Amateur Radio and the Rosebud RadioFest.

A number of folk were coaxed on to the mic and enjoyed their very

first Amateur Radio contacts interstate. The children, lured by Miran-

da's free sweets dept., didn't have to be coaxed and happily chatted to

stations all over Australia.

The event itself was well-organised and run, enjoying outstanding weather.

There were all manner of activities and displays, good food and entertainments. Local school kids showed off their

musical talents on the mobile stage. They displayed loads of talent and determination, a credit to themselves and

their teachers. Emergency services abounded, with an impressive display by the Southern Peninsula Rescue Squad

(who brought along their huge rescue vessel), State Emergency Service and of course 3 of our local Fire Brigades.

(Main Ridge, Boneo and Rosebud Brigades). Kudos to the organisers from Family Life in Tootgarook. A most im-

pressive and absorbing day.

Quite frankly, there couldn't be found a better place to be, playing radio in a relaxed environment under perfect

skies, eating sour snakes and chatting to the public. I'll be happy to recommend next year's Rosebud Neighbour

Day as a great family event. Even better, it was all free!

Mark Bruechert, VK3PDG.

The station setup with our banner front and centre!!

The radio equipment as mentioned, but check out

the lollie s…..

Ok, a proper picture of the equipment in use!!


SPARC Screwdriver Antenna Project: (aka “The Thunderbolt Antenna”)

This project all started one day when Geoff (VK3ZGW), was talking to me about buying a commercial autotune

mobile antenna and the possibility of getting a group of members together and making a “bulk” purchase in an

effort to get a better price. I had been researching the Ham and commercially built versions and gathering

information on all the variants for quite some time with a view to building at least a couple of units so they could

remain in place on the two vehicles that I want to have HF capability. The commercial units are far from cheap

even on the used market so I suggested that we could pool our resources and jointly build. A little more discussion

and in the light of the movement within the Club to become more of an equipment resource and a constructor’s

helper, we thought it might make a good Club project.

I wasn’t at the next Thursday morning group where Geoff put it to all in attendance that we should foster this

project and offer all members the opportunity to become involved and build a unit should they wish to. A small

core team were allocated tasks:

Tim VK3TJC & Howard VK3QA RF design and prototype evaluation

Geoff VK3ZGW Autotune circuitry and software design

Bob VK3XP & Tony VK3FATK Coils and prototype mechanicals

Clive VK3CMR Mechanical design & Team Leader

Having been appointed as Team Leader you can see that you should never be absent when tasks are being

allocated!

So then, what has been going on so far?

Over the past few months there’s been a great deal of discussion about just what we want to achieve and how we

should go about it; in summary the agreed parameters are:

HF antenna for mobile and stationary mobile communication

80m – 6m capability

Highly efficient as a radiator and better than anything on the market

Fully automatic tuning

Robust and trouble free

Affordable and easily produced from freely available components where possible.

OK; so that’s the task; how are we going?

Well, I have to say that some of the team have gone ballistic with enthusiasm and made great and relentless

progress.

Geoff ZGW has worked tirelessly in developing and refining a prototype software system, circuitry and associated

hardware which will enable the antenna to tune itself with the greatest precision and minimum user input; his

system is going to be so good that it will probably work better without the operator! Now you have to say, he’s a

clever guy!

As well as that, there has been an enormous amount of work done by Tim TJC with the assistance of Bob XP,

Howard QA and Tony FATK.

Between them they have managed to create a test bed at TJC’s residence which replicates a ground plane the size

of a moderately large vehicle; say a 4WD, Falcon or Commodore for example. This consists of a vehicle size sheet

of aluminium at ground level and forms the mounting base for antennas during evaluation and testing.

Near and far field strength testing is being carried out on a range of commercial antennas and this will form the

benchmark data for evaluating the various iterations of our many prototype “Thunderbolts”.


SPARC Screwdriver Antenna Project: Continued..

The photo to the right shows a small coil

variant and carrier tube ready for testing;

(you might also note that the test gear in

the background is a very small part of the

Lab facility that TJC calls his “shack”!)

Once this test bed was established, Tim seemed to get a rush and quickly

created the first of what you might call “complete” antennas with a working

drive system to begin the testing program. In this case, evaluating / optimizing

coil dimensions & coil position for best performance and best signal output

level.

This antenna was made with a coil Bob XP had wound and Tim had

integrated into a carrier structure made entirely from readily available PVC

plumbing fittings to demonstrate that this project can be within the reach of

any amateur; ie. no sophisticated equipment needed.

Whilst this PVC creation will be an “entry” level build, we hope to ultimately

create a final design which might yield a slightly more handsome item (no

offence meant Tim) and this will probably require a bit more specialized

manufacturing to be involved.

So folks, that’s where we are. Work is ongoing on all facets of this project

but its not going to be quick. I would like to think that we might have a

reasonably final design and prototype by the end of 2015; that would make

us all very happy.

I would also like to add that we are blessed as a Club to have members who

have such enormous knowledge who will freely give their all to our project,

thanks to the team.

Test Bed photo with Tony FATK looking

bemused again!

The photo to the left shows Tim TJC and

Geoff ZGW who really are the brains of

the project.

Between them is the PVC Thunderbolt in

a likely mounting place on Geoff’s 4WD

but I have to say, there’s a bit of work to

do yet!

Clive VK3CMR – Reluctant Team Leader.

The 2015 Rosebud RadioFest is ON !!

Where? At our usual fantastic venue —

EASTBOURNE PRIMARY SCHOOL

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 29, 2015

Into your diaries, please!!


Antenna Work in Wangaratta...

As some of you would be aware, I now reside in Wangaratta, after quite a few years on

the road driving Tour Coaches,; I still drive Coaches, just not quite as far at the moment.

Prior to being on the road, I was resident in Rosebud, then Mornington for many years -

hence my involvement with SPARC. I thought a bit of a run down on what I have here

may be of interest.

Several months ago I bought an old house (a typical redgum framed, polished floorboards,

3 bedroom country build) in Wangaratta, right in the middle of the town - although loca-

tion wasn't the selling point - the size of the block of land was!! It is a huge block (by gen-

eral town standards) which was ideal for large antennas !! The block is 1100 square me-

tres in size - a nice deep rectangular chunk of land. (Roughly 20 x 55 metres)

No limitations on dipole size here. None of this

trapped, shortened dipole stuff. Up goes a 1/2 wave

dipole for 80 metres, with a 40 metre dipole under-

neath. These are sharing the same feedline, and are

mounted on top of an 11 metre pole…..

With the trees and positioning of the surrounding

houses, very little of any of the antennas can be seen

by my neighbours. (By the way, ALL of my neigh-

bours have said to do whatever I like with antennas -

they were really concerned when the property went

onto the market that a developer was coming in and

putting 8 units on the block. Go nuts, they said. Put up whatever you want, they said...Red

rag to a bull….)

No doubt some more will go up at some stage - tower and beam for HF hopefully, as fi-

nances allow. At least I don’t have to worry too much about keeping the neighbours hap-

py!!

I have the following running here:

IC-706MK2G:

80 / 40 Dipoles, Centre is 11 metres high, each leg end is 6.5 metres high. (Auto Tuner

covers the other bands) - HF voice, WinLink HF Email Gateway.

FT-8800R: #1

Diamond X-300 Vertical, 6.5 metres high (on its own pole, separate pole to above) 2 / 70

voice.

FT-8800R: #2

Comet GP-9 Vertical, 6.5 metres high (on its own pole) IRLP Node 6363 running on 70

cm, on my repeater licence VK3RIT.

FT-8800R: #3

Comet GP-9 Vertical, 6.5 metres high (on its own pole) VK Repeater Network Gateway

plus EchoLink Gateway VK3RIT-L, running on 2 metres, on my repeater licence VK3RIT.

I hope this is of interest.

The Wangaratta Situation….: (I.e. The Editors Place!)

The mini cherry picker I

used; local hire shop, 10.5

metre platform height (No

special licence required to

operate it? And it fits under

a carport!!

In the back yard, with stabi-

liser legs out.

The view over one of my

neighbours roof - to the

west, overlooking the

Warby Ranges.

The view over one of the

other neighbours roof - the

eastern side, looking to-

wards the town centre

effectively.

General view of the farm - the room at the

back of the house which is visible in this

photo is the office / radio room.

Timothy Mc Bain, VK3MIT; Newsletter Editor.


The “In’s and Out’s of Batteries - A presentation from Bob VK3XP

International Lighthouse - Lightship Weekend: 2015

Bob's presentation, which was given on Thursday August 20, was

titled “Lead acid batteries: care and maintenance”. His discussion

covered the history of cell types from early vented rubber to mod-

ern low maintenance sealed batteries.

During a detailed discussion on the chemistry of batteries Bob dis-

cussed the various types of grid and plate structures and the influence of adding Antimony

and Calcium to the grids. He went on to highlight the self discharge characteristics of the

various combinations , the recharging regime for the various types and the expected cell

voltages under different conditions. A comparison was presented between modern AGM

and earlier batteries and the ability of modern construction to withstand vibration and

heat. The effects of charge rates at different operating temperatures was discussed and

highlighted the need for careful selection of charging voltages at different temperatures. To

conclude Bob presented information on the latest cell technology which incorporates the

use of silver material in high end European vehicles.

Thank you Bob - a very informative morning!! Howard Jones, VK3QA.

Several of our members visited the Moorabbin and District Radio Club field station at the

McCrae Lighthouse to participate in the 2015 ILLW, including Roger, VK3FMCD, Doug,

VK3FDES, and Brian, VK3HB (pictured).

An edited note from Ron VK3AFW:

“It was a pleasure to have you and several other visitors from SPARC and FAMPARC. Hopefully

next year propagation conditions will be better and our guest operators will snare a bunch of contacts. We did work 24 light

houses in VK2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and two in ZL. While we did work a couple of European stations via the long path no light hous-

es over there were heard. We fielded three 100 W stations with wire antennas. Past experience indicated that higher power

only makes life harder for each other due to QRM and the auto ATU’s being confused by stray rf.

A full write up will appear in the Sept-Oct issue of APC News on our web site.”

A very warm welcome to Benjamin Harper who is our newest member. Ben has just turned 15 and is currently a

student at Dromana Secondary College. For this reason he can only attend the club meetings during school holi-

days.

Ben has had a long time interest in things electronic, and according to his Mum, Emma, he has always enjoyed build-

ing things and making things work. He has built two computers, one for himself and one for his Dad, and has con-

structed many projects including an FM broadcast transmitter.

He has been studying for his Ham ticket and hopes to sit for the exam soon. In preparation for this he has acquired

a ham rig and has built a centre fed vertical dipole antenna. He is very keen to get a call sign and get on air. We are

pleased to have Ben as our youngest member and feel sure that SPARC members will be able to help him achieve

his goals.

Welcome to..Ben Harper; SWL, (but not for long..):


Visitors and Guests are always welcome at our club meetings, and to

participate in our weekly nets !

Private advertisers:

If you have items for sale, or are looking for that radio “something” in particular,

advertise it in your Club Newsletter. You never know what may be found! Free service

to Club members.

Commercial Advertisers / Club Sponsors:

If you wish to place an advertisement on a regular basis in the newsletter, a sponsorship

fee would be payable to the Club.

Trade Practices Act:

It is impossible for us to ensure that the advertisements submitted for publication

comply with the Trade Practices Act 1974. Therefore, advertisers and advertising agents

will appreciate the absolute need for themselves to ensure that the provisions of the

Act are strictly complied with.

Please direct any advertising requests or queries to the SPARC Secretary, Brian Baker,

VK3HB. Refer to the back page for contact details.

Newsletter Advertising Policy:

Photos, Club information and lots of other “stuff!!!” can be found at:

www.vk3bsp.org Don’t forget to check the Rosebud RadioFest Website too; table bookings, event information, and lots more...:

www.rosebudradiofest.com

Any items, comments or suggestions for the websites improvement should go to our webmaster, John, VK3WR.

Curly went hunting one day up in The Northern Territory and bagged three ducks.

He put them in the back of his ute and was about to drive home when he was confronted by a surly

Territory game warden who didn't like smart alecs.

The warden ordered Curly to show his hunting license, so Curly pulled out a valid Northern Territory license.

The game warden looked at the license, then reached over and picked up one of the ducks, sniffed its bum and

said, "This duck ain't from The Territory. This is a Queensland duck.You got a Queensland huntin' license?"

Curly reached into his wallet and produced a Queensland license.The game warden looked at it, then reached

over and grabbed the second duck, sniffed its bum, and said "This ain't a Queensland duck. This duck's from West

Australia. You got a West Australian license?"

Curly reached into his wallet and produced a West Australian hunting license. The warden then reached over and

picked up the third duck, sniffed its bum, and said, "This ain't a Western Australian duck. This duck's from South

Australia. You got a South Australian Huntin license?"

Again Curly reached into his wallet and brought out a South Australian license.

The game warden was extremely frustrated at this point, and he yelled at Curly "Just where the hell are you

from?"

Curly smiled turned around, bent over, dropped his pants, and said, "You tell me, you're the expert..."

Club Websites:

Joke of the Month:


Meetings, Nets and IRLP Information:

Club Meetings:

Thursdays: (Daytime) Meetings are held every Thursday morning from 9.30 a.m. until 12 noon at the SPARC

Clubrooms, which are located near the corner of Boneo Road and Besgrove Street, Rosebud, adjacent to the

Rosebud CFA Complex.

Every fifth or sixth Thursday, the morning meeting will include a Guest Speaker, or a particular activity, for

example, antenna construction, SDR Radio etc. These events will be advertised accordingly, via email, the club net,

and at the preceding meetings.

Club Net:

2 Metres: SPARC members conduct a 2 metre net every Sunday morning at 9.30 a.m. via VK3RSP on Mt Martha

which has an output frequency of 146.675 MHz and a negative offset of 600 kHz.

VK3RSP is sponsored and maintained by SPARC as a service to Amateur Radio operators in the area.

IRLP Node 6330: SPARC provides a free access IRLP Node as a service to all Amateur Radio operators living

around or travelling through the Mornington Peninsula region. It is accessed via the club repeater on 146.675 MHz,

and requires an access tone of 88.5 Hz.

Newsletter Contributions:

Contributions to the Newsletter are always welcome; it would be fantastic if we can have at least two member

contributions each month. Articles, Items for Sale or Wanted, or other items should be sent in ASAP for inclusion

in the next newsletter.

It is preferable for any written pieces for the Newsletter to be submitted in “WORD” .doc / .docx format. This

avoids a lot of “double handling” by the Editor. Also, keep in mind that photos make or break an article: It is pref-

erable for images to be sent separately, with a reference in the article where the image is to go - if photos are

“embedded” within an article, I need to disconnect them from the article before I can format things correctly.

Please leave your image files unaltered (i.e. un-compressed) when you submit them for inclusion in the Newsletter.

If they are several megabytes or more in size—FANTASTIC!!! I need lots of pixels to work with to retain image

clarity. Send them through on individual emails if need be, or burn them onto a CD and post it

in to me. Images that have been reduced in size before being sent are very difficult to work

with, and will end up being very low quality in the final product, or possibly be un-useable

Thank you!!

Timothy Mc Bain.

Newsletter Editor; VK3MIT. 0428 387 599

Club Library:

Many of you may not be aware that at the Clubrooms we have an extensive library, from which

books may be borrowed on a short term loan. Amongst the most popular books are various

ARRL Handbooks and a variety of antenna books.

Please see one of the Committee Members at the clubrooms to arrange book loans.

For those of you that are planning either antenna system upgrades and maintenance, or perhaps a new installation,

to save you driving up the line to get your RG-213 cable, you can now purchase it directly from your Club. We

now have good quality RG-213 cable available for purchase at the Clubrooms, at the price of $4.00 per metre.

Purchases can be made on a Thursday morning at the Clubrooms.

RG-213 Cable Available for Purchase:


Our Addresses:

Clubrooms: 111 Boneo Road (Corner Besgrove Street) Rosebud Victoria Melway Ref 170 A4

Postal: Post Office Box 206 Rosebud Victoria 3939

Email: [email protected]

IRLP: Node 6330, attached to the club repeater VK3RSP 146.675, located at Mt Martha

President

Vice President

Licencing & Legal, Constitution, WIA Liaison

Secretary

RadioFest Co-Ordination

Treasurer

Financial Reporting, Consumer Affairs Liaison

Committee

FundRaising, Training, Community Liaison

Committee

Technology Direction

Committee

Building Maintenance, Council Liaison, Club Records

Committee

Assets Management, Equipment Disposal

Committee

Project and Event Planning

Committee

Equipment and Repeater Maintenance

Our Committee, and Club Contacts:

[email protected]

0407 843 712

[email protected]

5975 2379

[email protected]

0428 174 487

[email protected]

0418 587 424

[email protected]

0407 844 063

[email protected]

0419 008 525

[email protected]

03 5988 4549

[email protected]

0427 779 816

[email protected]

0409 424 325

[email protected]

0418 514 133

Website Maintenance

Newsletter Editor

IRLP Node Custodian

John Remington

VK3WR

Timothy Mc Bain

VK3MIT

Paul Whitaker

VK3DPW

[email protected]

0449 030 704

[email protected] IRLP Node 6363

0428 387 599

[email protected]

0414 314 025

Howard Jones

VK3QA

John Ross

VK3MK

Brian Baker

VK3HB

Grant Coward

VK3GDC

Mark Bruechert

VK3PDG

Tim Conboy

VK3TJC

Gus Graham

VK3MAA

Roger McDonald

VK3FMCD

Clive Robinson

VK3CMR

Bob Tait

VK3XP

After Hours Club Rooms Access

(Emergency) Roger McDonald 0427 779 816

Documents

Presidents Ponderings…. In this Issue · © Southern Peninsula Amateur Radio Club Inc. Page 1, SEPTEMBER 2015 Edition