ZL1AXG ⁽²³⁰⁾

Our AGM is scheduled for 7pm this evening (Tuesday 17 March). The venue is Room 1A, Johnsonville Community Centre, Johnsonville, Wellington. Nominations for positions will be taken off the floor. All are welcome. We will also have a presentation from Eben ZL2EF on his portable Hex Beam. This should be interesting to anybody interesting in HF and portable operations (e.g. POTA/SOTA).

CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO SEE MORE DETAILS AND TELL US YOU ARE COMING!

Eben ZL2EF gave a presentation at the branch meeting on Tuesday 18 November on Solar Weather and how it affects transmission on the HF amateur bands. The presentation can be downloaded below [wpdm_package id='7318']

On Sunday 2 November, Mike ZL1AXG gave the first part of a two part presentation on the steps you need to take in remoting your transceiver. The presentation can be downloaded below [wpdm_package id='7317']

The Blackwood Cup has been awarded to a member of Branch 50 NZART since 1930. This year's winner was Eben ZL2EF (and not for the first time!) for his homebrew tuner. Eben is on the right in the photo below, and the other entrant was George ZL2AG with an interesting 2:1 reduction drive. Eben's presentation can be download below. [wpdm_package id='7293']

At the 15 July 2025 regular meeting, Eben ZL2EF provided an interesting presentation on his experiments with developing a more efficient 49:1 unun. These experiments were prompted by the desire to develop a light-weight end-fed resonant antenna for use on SOTA and POTA expeditions. [wpdm_package id='7234'] A 9:1 Balun for an EFRW.

ZL6ANZAC was activated yesterday (Anzac Day 25 April 2025) from the Wright's Hill Fortress in Karori, Wellington. Wellington Amateur Radio Club also staffed the Radio Room in the underground complex of tunnels with over 2000 people coming through during the course of the day.

NB This item reflects the personal views of the writer and not the views of Wellington Branch 50 NZART. Remit 3, to be voted on at the NZART Annual Conference over King’s Birthday weekend, proposes “that NZART Council actively works with Radio Spectrum Management to create and implement a technician class licence for amateur radio in NZ with a basis on the recommendations set out below”. I am vehemently opposed to this remit and I sincerely hope that it will be defeated at Conference.    Reintroduction of a Two-Class System What it proposes is the reintroduction of a two-class system of amateur operators in New Zealand.  The existing amateur radio licence, which would retain the same (higher) level of technical skill requirements, and a lesser one branded “Technical Operator’s Certificate” that is watered down.  This represents a contradiction in terms. The requirements and scope of the lesser branded certificate is made clear in the proposal, and the qualification would require virtually no technical skills, just operating skills.  This is not a “Technical Operator’s Certficate” at all, but a watered down certificate that “old” amateurs can look down upon like they did with “T calls” and “N calls”. The remit is…

The Wellington Amateur Radio Club has now hosted six HamCrams (two in 2023, two in 2024 and two in 2025). We try and make it easy to get to be an amateur radio operator. We have had a consistently high pass rate of over 80% at our HamCrams. There is already a wait list for a future HamCram in February 2025. Please write to Paul Brammer to be on the wait list for a HamCram. You won't want to miss out! Bernard ZL2BD explaining a technical point in the April 2023 HamCram

Our HamCram graduates from February's HamCram are as follows:

As users of 40 m will be aware, the 7000-7200 kHz band is one of the most dis-organised bands on a global basis. The main problems affecting the current 40 m band plan are: In addition to these issues, there has been the shift in activity towards greater use of data modes, which has called into question whether the current 40 m band plan provides sufficient band space to support this level of activity. The IARU Region 3 Band Plan Manager, Grant Willis VK5GR has put together a paper looking at the problems in the current 40 m band plan and potential solutions to them and NZART is looking to put in a submission on behalf of NZ users of the 40 m band.  Please have a read of Grant’s paper (especially the 8 questions at the end) and send any comments you have to me (Terry James zl1hognz@gmail.com) as soon as possible as we need to have the NZART submission completed by the end of August. Terry ZL1HOG NZART Counsellor

Laura ZL2LEP, one of our teen members, can be seen operating the GB3RS amateur radio station at Blechley Park in the UK. Bletchley Park is known for its work in breaking the German Enigma code during World War II.

SDR installation at Tangimoana A club SDR receiver is up and running in Tangimoana (north of Wellington City) in a very quiet location for RF noise and can now be accessed by members and non-members via the KiwiSDR.com website.   Search for ZL2WB to begin listening. A web based remote HF receiver for RemoteDX members, and potentially a wider range of users was approved at the RemoteDX AGM in 2020.  The remote SDR was funded and built by RemoteDX Inc. in September 2021.  It was eventually installed under test at Tangimoana in May 2024.   This project now falls under the control of the Wellington Amateur Radio Club. The KiwiSDR is a 14-bit wideband RX only HF software defined radio created by John Seamons (ZL/KF6VO) which has up to 32 MHz of bandwidth, so it can receive the entire 10 kHz – 30 MHz VLF/LF/MW/HF spectrum all at once.   However, it is not like a PC SDR as you do not connect the KiwiSDR directly to your PC. Instead the KiwiSDR is a cape (add on board) for the Beaglebone single board computing platform. Beaglebone is a small computing board that is like a Raspberry Pi. The KiwiSDR is designed to be…

We had seven HamCram participants in our June 2024 HamCram, and six passed the examination. Please welcome on the air the following new operators and members of Branch 50 NZART: Jay Krishnan ZL2JAY Ian Austin ZL2IPA Gary Siddells ZL2GSD Nick Toulman ZL2NTM Jake Evans-Scot ZL2JKE

Eben ZL2EF provided an insightful introduction to morse code at our June 2024 regular meeting. He gave us t he history of morse code (known in amateur radio circles as "CW" or "Continuous Wave"), and pointers on how to learn the code - both for speed and for real world amateur communications. He also demonstrated his QRP CW transceiver and a range of different types of keys. Thanks also to George ZL2AG for bringing along his collection of "bugs" (mechanical automated keys). Some key websites he referenced: https://lcwo.net https://morsecode.ninja/ (Kurt Zoglemann) https://cwops.org/cw-academy/ (CW Ops Academy) https://morsecode.world/ https://longislandcwclub.org/ (Long Island CW club) http://www.k1usn.com/sst.html (Slow Speed "Contest") https://www.skccgroup.com http://www.reversebeacon.net [wpdm_package id='6841']

Meshtastic is software that runs on very affordable and tiny LoRa devices to provide texting services that can travel long distances at 915MHz. A presentation on Meshtastic was given at the May 2024 meeting of the Wellignton Amateur Radio Club. The presentation is available for download here. [wpdm_package id='6804']

Wellington Amateur Radio Club (ZL2WB) is excited to share that our new multi-mode digital repeater is live! This repeater gives amateur operators in the region the ability to use digital networks without a hotspot and provides another form of communication not only in the region but across Aotearoa and the World! As the repeater is connected to the internet, those who are out of range but have a MMDVM hotspot will be able to talk with those using the repeater if you’re on the same talkgroup. Our repeater is currently located in Newlands and is available for any licenced amateur to use; we encourage you to do so if you are within range. Remember to set up your DMR ID. The repeater is currently set up for DMR using the Brandmeister and FreeDMR Networks, and also for D-Star users. Over time, we will continue to review the available networks, and we are happy to hear feedback on which networks you would like to see or have available on the repeater. For more information on how to use each network, timeslot and dynamic talkgroup settings, which networks are currently available, the repeater status, and the repeater dashboard, you can visit the…

By Bernard Robbins ZL2BD Available NOW in two different formats Options: An A4 sized comb-bound manual that will lie flat and is good in a workshop environment. 110 Pages. Cost Including Shipping $35 An A5 sized bound book for convenient reference that fits in a standard bookcase. The A5 book has four, fold- out circuit diagrams. Total 164 pages. Cost including Shipping is $25 An introduction to the manual In this book Bernard reproduces the ZC1 service manual, which has been out of print for about 80 years. This book represents a primary source of technical information for those restoring the ZC1 MKIl. The original five Chapters is extended to ten by adding a significant amount of additional servicing information. Bernard provides a range of other useful circuit information including design enhancements and modifications developed by a range of amateur operators over the years. This radio was produced by the New Zealand Government for use by the armed services during World War II. There are still many of these 80-year-old radios around, but finding supporting documentation today can be difficult. Information is provided on a low cost, solid-state replacement for the vibrator. There is also a brief history of the…

The branch turned up for a picnic lunch and put ZL2WB on the air at the NZART Activity Day on 1 January 2024. Around 20+ turned up and the weather turned out great. We were able to support some of our other members who activated SOTA stations within the region. What a great way to kick off 2024 for the Wellington Amateur Radio Club. Don't forget our antenna construction event (tape measure beams) on Sunday 14 January that Eben ZL2EF is leading, and our annual club BBQ at Mike ZL1AXG's QTH on Tuesday 16 January from 5.30pm.

Six members of the club activated ZL2WB in the NZART Field Day contest. The weather wasn't the best, but we made some contacts on all three bands we had equipment for: 6m, 2m and 70cm. As anticipated, there were not many active stations again this year. Most contacts were on 2m SSB. The most distant stations worked were in Tauranga, Mt Taranaki and Marton. There were no South Island stations worked this year.

Please email our Chairperson if you intend to come. All welcome, including XYLs/OMs.

A special activity was held on Vintage Radio on Sunday 26 November from 1300 hrs to 1500hrs at the QTH of George ZL2AG (14 Vasanta Ave, Ngaio). George showed off his fascinating collection of valves, vintage radios, spy equipment, and undersea cable samples all beautifully presented with a museum style experience, and gave a brief talk on his interest in vintage radio. Registration was limited to 15 members, with 13 attendees.

A regular shed workshop was held on 5 November 2023 at The Collective Community Hub in Johnsonville. Mike ZL1AXG gave a presentation on the kitset from QRP-Labs. A completed build of the kitset, a partly completed build, and a kit as yet to be built (from John ZL2XJ) were available to view. The presentation is available below as a PDF. [wpdm_package id='6541']

Wellington Branch 50 NZART has three teen members: Daniel ZL2DTL (13), Alek ZL3ALK (15), and Findlay ZL2JVM (16), who all gained their operator's certificate during 2023. Mike ZL1AXG arranged for them to visit the shack of Todd ZL2SP in Porirua. Todd has a collection of HF beams and some very nice HF equipment. The three new amateurs were able to rotate the big antennas, tune the wide open HF bands and make contacts far afield. The team thoroughly enjoyed the morning out at Todd's QTH!

Since 1930, the Blackwood Cup has been awarded by the Wellington Amateur Radio Club to a deserving member. In recent years, the cup has been awarded to the winner of a competition for homebrew equipment. This year's Blackwood Cup run-off was held at The Collective Hub in Johnsonville from 1pm - 3pm on 1 October 2023. Four members (Daniel ZL2DTL, Eben ZL2EF, James ZL4JOCO and David Marshall) brought along a presentation on their homebrew construction project(s) to have a go at winning the Blackwood Cup. Note that an entry can be a presentation on any electronic or radio related project completed over the last 12 months. Voting was by secret ballot of all club members attending the meeting. The voting was very close, but Eben ZL2EF won the day with his presentation on the construction of two VHF/UHF yagi antennas for different purposes. Eben's presentation went into some of the theory behind spacing and number of elements. One of his antennas had no reflector. George ZL2AG was the 2022 holder of the cup.

The following books are available for purchase through our trading table. Shipping for most books is $10 within NZ ($16 Rural). A4 Manual shipping cost is $12 within NZ ($18 Rural) To order products see our Orders and Payment Page For more information on our products see our Products Page

Our regular meeting for September was held at The Collective Hub, 1/33 Johnsonville Rd on Tuesday 19 September 2023, from 1pm to 3pm. Malcolm ZL2UDF led a discussion on amateur radio related publications.

On Saturday 16 September you will have the chance to practice sending messages in an Emergency Communications exercise involving Branch 50 and Branch 42 (Titahi Bay) of NZART. Ross ZL2UAC will be net control. Operations will be on DMR repeaters (Wrights Hill Wellington and Colonial Knob, Porirua) from your home QTH.  You should have been contacted by email this week if you had earlier indicated an interest in emergency communications, were in one of our HamCrams, or a member of Branch 50 or Branch 42 NZART. Pre-registration is no longer required. AREC membership is not required. You will be operating on VHF/UHF DMR repeaters locally and based from home. You will need to check in with Net Control at 4pm. You will need to provide a SITREP when you are called in. Please read the document “Radio Voice Procedures” attached to the email, that will explain the requirements for a SITREP. It should be fun!

We held a second construction session for dualband Flowerpot antennas on 3 September from 1pm to 4pm at The Collective Hub, 1/33 Johnsonville Rd. Those who missed out on our Monster Workshop in June, or who had gained their callsign in the July HamCram were able to come away with a VHF/UHF antenna with a lot more gain than the typical handheld rubber ducky antenna. Seven more flowerpot antennas were completed on the day. This brings the total to around 30 flowerpots completed in 2023. Cost was $20 for the kit of parts.

On Sunday 27 August the Wellingon Amateur Radio Club and the Cross-Country Vehicle Club combined forces on a special Cross Country event to check out radio operation in the Akatarawa ranges. Max (ZL2MXN) organised the event. Max was a graduate of the July HamCram. A total of 9 vehicles ventured out with a number of amateurs in the group (a combination of Branch 50 NZART and 4WD members). James ZL4JOCO reported: "A good day out, proving that the Mount Clime 730 repeater is the easiest of the repeaters to access from all sorts of locations.  I got contacts on Climie 730, Belmont 710 and Porirua ZL DMR.  I even managed Mount Clime from Orange Hutt which is pretty much in the centre of the forest and down at the bottom of a valley.   I also managed to get the HT to get an APRS position packet to the Ngaio digipeater.  That was from a ridge line under a pylon." Well done Max and team!

Branch 42 held a Junk Sale on Saturday 26 August at their clubrooms: Tireti Hall, corner Tireti Road and Te Pene Avenue, Titahi Bay, Porirua 5022. THis was well supported by Branch 50 members. Some bargains were to be had. The photo shows Daniel ZL2DTL pouring over a box of high quality used equipment and considering whether it was worth investing hard earned cash!

Branch 50 HF Net The club net is currently held every Sunday 9.30am local time, 7055 kHz LSB. Call sign ZL2WB. The current roster rotation to the end of August is: 09:30 Sun 6 Aug Bob ZL2AVM 09:30 Sun 13 Aug George ZL2AG 09:30 Sun 20 Aug Bernard ZL2BD 09:30 Sun 27 Aug Mike ZL2VMH 09:30 Sun 3 Sep Eben ZL2EF Wellington Region VHF Net Zane ZL1CZ has set this up a Wellington Region Weekly VHF Net on the Belmont 710 analogue repeater. The net is scheduled for each Wednesday at 2000 hrs. Spread the word, and feel free to join in!

On 20 August, from 1pm to 3pm, the Special Interest Group for DMR and Hotspots met at Mike ZL1AXG QTH. This was an opportunity to share knowledge about DMR Hotspots. Zane ZL1CZ gave a brief talk, and Mike ZL1AXG demonstrated his 3 hotspots. One was receiving Brandmeister TG91 and the other ZL TRBO on the DMR+ network.

We held our August meeting at The Collective Community Hub on 15 August. George ZL2AG provided a descriptive account of his trips (x3) to Antarctica and Sub-Antarctic Islands with former partner.   This was in his “heroic period” (about 20 years ago). Travel was via a Russian vessel.   He described the challneges of venturing out of the “roaring 40s” and down into the “screaming 60’s” before arriving at the “serene 70s” where the sea’s surface was like a mirror.   His first adventure was somewhat disappointing as the ship was unable to enter and berth in McMurdo Sound due to the breakdown of the icebreaker that was scheduled to precede their arrival.  However, this was achieved on the second adventure.  A third adventure didn’t proceed past the sub-antarctic islands.   The focus was on seeing the flowers earlier in the Southern spring. The passengers had pretty much a free roam of the ship, including the bridge.  George took pictures of the radio equipment on board and circulated to members.   This was of various origins, including Russia and Far East (Samyang). George also revealed that he had a large collection of Russian light bulbs, accumulated due to a mis-understanding with one of the ship’s…

On 6 August 2023 from 1pm to 3pm we held a special workshop on HF transceivers and HF antennas at The Collective Hub in Johnsonville. This workshop was aimed particularly at new amateur operators graduating from our July HamCram. Around 20 people attended.

This event provides the opportunity to look over (and take away) pre-owned equipment (i.e. junk) of interest to new and older members, and for those who have just gained their callsigns it is a chance to get some more information on VHF/UHF transceiver options, view an HF station, and get some practical questions answered. All Branch 50 members are invited to attend as well as those who have recently gained a callsign through the April and July HamCrams. For old timers, this is an opportunity to fossick through some "new" junk, and to meet our newest members. For new members, this is an opportunity to check out some potential HF transceivers and find out a bit more about VHF/UHF transceiver options. The venue is Bernard ZL2BD's QTH, 1 Winsley Tce, Churton Park. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available at the conclusion of the workshop.

We will be meeting as usual at The Collective Hub, 1/33 Johnsonville Rd from 1pm - 3pm for our traditional mid-winter feasting and reminiscing session. Please bring a plate (perhaps something that can be warmed up?) to share. Tea and coffee will be provided.

We held a MONSTER shed workshop to construct flowerpot antennas on Sunday 18 June at The Collective Community Hub, 1/33 Johnsonville Rd, . Around 30 people turned out and 22 antennas were built. The event commence dat 1.30pm with an introduction to the build by Bruce ZL2ABC. Teams of 4 to 5 people worked through a number of "stations" in building their antennas. We needed to be out of the building by 4pm, which was rather tight! A special thanks to Bruce's XYL who provided scones and personal service at the tea/coffee zone. This was a special shed workshop for any amateur (or prospective amateur operator) interested in building their own Flowerpot Antenna (see https://vk2zoi.com/articles/dual-band-half-wave-flower-pot/).   Members of other Wellington region clubs were welcome to participate in this activity! The cost of the antenna was $20.

We met at The Collective Community Hub, 1/33 Johnsonville Road, from 1pm - 3pm on 11 June 2023, for an introductory session on emergency communications (under AREC). This event provided new and older members with an interest in emergency communications with the required introduction to passing emergency traffic for AREC or Civil Defence events.    There was no requirement to sign up with AREC, but this event was ddesigned to provide an overview of AREC activities and provide encouragement for amateur operators to join AREC. Tea, coffee and biscuits concluded the meeting.

We met at our regular timeslot of 1pm on Tuesday 20 May at The Collective Community Hub, 1/33 Johnsonville Road. Mike ZL1AXG gave an update on the 2023 NZART Conference, followed by a canvas of the latest transceivers, many released in the context of Dayton Hamvention at the end of May. Tea and coffee concluded the meeting at around 2.45pm.

We met as a branch on Tuesday 16 May from 1pm - 3pm at The Collective Hub (1/33 Johnsonville Road) for our regular May meeting. We considered this year's remits for NZART Conference and had an update from Mike ZL1AXG on handheld purchases, including the branch's TYT MD-UV390 DRM transceivers. Mike also spoke to upcoming construction workshops for the Flowerpot antenna (2m/70cm), simple HF antennas, and a 10m Moxon antenna.

This was the latest shed workshop in our series focussing on newly certified amateur operators follows our April HamCram. We met at Mike ZL1AXG's QTH in Churton Park on Sunday 7 May (from 1pm - 3pm) to discuss options for selecting an HF rig and antenna. Topics covered include:d Tea, coffee and cakes followed the workshop, thanks to Mike's XYL Lynette.

We met on Sunday 23 April from 1pm - 3pm at Bernard's QTH, 1 Winsley Terrace, Churton Park. 15 people showed up. We were able to welcome several of our HamCrammers and those on the wait list for the next HamCram as well as regular and other new members. Topics covered included: The Shed Workshop concluded with tea, coffee and nibbles.

Wellington Amateur radio club held its first HamCram from 14 - 16 April. We were at capacity for the April Hamcram. At the last minute one person who had registered was unable to make it, but we had 11 attending, nine of whom gained their amateur radio callsign (an 81% pass rate). The other two people will be given additional assistance to get their callsign soon. If you hear our new Wellington Branch 50 members on the air, please warmly welcome them to the world of amateur radio. They need to collect 50 contacts before making it on to the HF bands. You can still email Mike if you want to be put on the list of those interested in attending a HamCram later in 2023. There are only six places left, so get in quick! Our HamCrams are designed to "cram" your head with everything you need to know to become an amateur radio operator and get a callsign in a single weekend. We have a pass rate of over 80%. Some homework is required in advance of the weekend.

Our April regular meeting followed our HamCram weekend meeting at The Collective Hub on Tuesday 18 April from 1pm - 3pm. We were pleased to welcome Sarath VU3WPW a visitor to our meeting. Items for the meeting included: Conclusion of the adjourned Annual General Meeting with receipt of the Financial Report Reflections on our first HamCram event 14-16 April Report on member involvement in the Porirua Grand Traverse exercise 2 April 2023 Demonstration of Club TYT DM-UV390 DMR transceivers available for members to borrow (Mike ZL1AXG) Demonstration of NanoVNA-F and TinySA Ultra kits available for members to borrow (Bernard ZL2BD)

Our AGM was held on Tuesday 21 March 2023 at The Collective Hub, 1/33 Johnsonville Rd. Due to challenges in preparing the Financial Report in time for the meeting, given increased trading table sales, the meeting was adjourned and the Financial Report will be discussed at the regular April meeting. Mike ZL1AXG also revealed the strengths and weaknesses associated with a range of entry-level Chinese handheld radios based on online reviews. This includes VHF and UHF analogue and DMR radios. This was a follow up talk to his coverage of Chinese mobile rigs at the February meeting. A PDF version of the talk is available on request, and was circulated to members.

The Branch will be participating in the NZART Jock White Memorial Field Day again this year over the weekend of 25th and 26th February. We will be joining Branch 42 (Titahi Bay Branch) this year at their venue at Hill Road in the Belmont Regional Park. Contact the Chair to record your interest in joining us this coming weekend.

Our first regular meeting of the year was held on Tuesday 18 February 2023 at The Collective Hub, 1/33 Johnsonville Rd. Mike ZL1AXG gave a presentation on the strengths and weaknesses of a range of entry-level Chinese mobile radios based on online reviews. This includes VHF and UHF analogue and DMR radios. A follow up talk in March (at our AGM) will look at various Chinese handheld rigs.

Brian used to be a member of Branch 50, but hadn't attended meetings in a long time. He was a high achiever in the BNZ, rising to become Senior Manager Global Systems towards the end of his career with the bank. He was a keen constructor and gadgeteer. He was not limited to electronics, but had his own furnace, metal and wood-working equipment. You can view the video recording of his Memorial Service here:  https://vimeo.com/event/2819284/8f6d6deff4 Wellington Branch 50 NZART committee members recently assisted the family of Brian Clark with the disposal of his amateur radio equipment. A car load of "used equipment/junk" is now stored at ZL2XJ's garage. These will shortly be made available for inspection by members with the offer to purchase.

On 17 January we gathered at Mike ZL1AXG's QTH from 12 noon for a summer lunchtime BBQ. XYLs and family members were invited. It turned out to be excellent weather. We were able to share stories of summer adventures (particularly the acquisition of new radio gear from a Christmas estate sale) and chat about the club's future with the upcoming Hamcram.

What is it? We were asked to bring along something related to amateur radio to talk about at our meeting on Tuesday 15 November from 1pm - 3pm. We met at the Collective Hub, 1/33 Johnsonville Road and finished with tea, coffee and biscuits. Some of the things brought along included: John ZL2JPM gave his perspectives on a recent visit to Tasmania for a hamvention. This was our last regular meeting for 2022, but our Christmas Dinner was on Monday 5 December 2022 at 12 noon. Contact Malcolm ZL2UDF to confirm your attendance and that of your XYL.

Have you thought about what you would do in an emergency? Come along to our last shed workshop for the year on 6 November from 1pm to 3pm. The venue is John ZL2XJ's QTH at 9 Ridley Place, Churton Park, Wellington. This session will be characterised by a discussion of how you have prepared for a major emergency. This will include, what you will do to keep yourself and your family alive, and how your amateur radio gear can be used to help your neighbours. What provisions have you set aside? Would the batteries in your existing portable equipment (e.g. handhelds and phones) be charged up, and how could they be recharged? What about your ham shack? Have you got a UPS or emergency power system? All are welcome! The workshop will conclude with tea, coffee and biscuits.

The Blackwood Cup Three members brought out their homebrew projects to have a go at winning the annual Blackwood Cup. We met at The Collective Hub, 1/33 Johnsonville Rd on Tuesday 18 October from 1pm to 3pm (followed by tea and coffee). The winner this year was George ZL2AG (not for the first time!). The Blackwood Cup has been fought over since the early 1930s. The most recent winners: Who will win the cup in 2023? You have 52 weeks to get your project completed!

Wellington Branch 50 NZART club member, Bob Vernall ZL2CA, was awarded Amateur of the Year 2021 by NZART at the 2022 Annual Conference. Bob was instrumental in freeing up the 60m band for amateur radio use. Many amateurs will be grateful for opening up a new an interesting HF band for daytime use.

The September meeting of Branch 50 NZART was held on Tuesday 20 September from 1pm - 3pm at The Collective Community Hub at 1/33 Johnsonville Rd. The Chair gave a report on NZART Conference 2022 held the previous weekend The topic for the meeting was "DX Operating techniques and antenna options for your suburban lot for 20M – 6M band openings". Members shared their DX hunting experience and there was discussion of importation of HF tribanders and monobanders. We concluded with tea, coffee and biscuits.

Branch 50 NZART Butterfly Capacitor Kit If you have purchased our butterfly capacitor kit then you may want to check out Bernard ZL2BD's guide to motorising the capacitor so you can tune the loop remotely. Download the PDF below: [wpdm_package id='5161']

Our next shed workshop will be held on Sunday 4 September at the QTH of Bernard ZL2BD from 1pm to 3pm. All are welcome. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided at the conclusion of the Shed Workshop. Malcolm ZL2UDF, Bernard ZL2BD and Mike ZL1AXG will give you a talk and demonstration of attenuators and their use in amateur radio construction. The workshop will look at different options including the options of purchasing a pre-built attenuator or constructing one yourself. There will also be some discussion on where they are used and how to avoid damaging both your attenuator and associated equipment.

Our regular August monthly meeting, held at The Collective in Johnsonville considered the nature of propagation and tried to answer teh question of "What time of day to look for DX from what direction and on what bands?". With magnetic activity increasing on the sun, the DX bands are now open, and they are not subject to the same QRM in the 'burbs as 80m and 40m. Mike ZL1AXG discussed how solar activity impacted on DX possibilities, through its impact on the ionosphere. This will be in a presentation and discussion format.

Our shed workshop on 7 August 2022 was focussed on the NanoVNA We met in Bernard ZL2BD's garage at 1 Winsley Tce, Churton Park from 1pm. to 3pm concluding with afternoon tea and savouries. Bernard ZL2BD and Mike ZL1AXG covered off a number of topics including:

Time: 1pm - 3pm Location: The Collective Hub, 1/33 Johnsonville Rd, Johnsonville We will be showing a range of amateur radio Youtube clips including: A presentation by Scott McIntosh on the Sun's Magnetosphere and his Cycle 25 prediction for a much bigger peak than other forecasters are suggestingA review of the new Yaesu FTDX10Information on the features and construction of the new QRP-Labs QDX digital only transceiver 80-20m

iCOM IC7300 Hints and tips - Second session 1pm - 3pm Venue John ZL2XJ QTH Mike ZL1AXG and John ZL2XJ provided a follow up talk on using the IC7300 covering the remaining topics not covered in the earlier June workshop. This included more detail on storing settings on the SD-Card and using it to record voice messages for use in contests or to record QSOs. There was also a further demonstration of software using the USB-B port including logging software. Tea, coffee and cake followed the workshop with nine participants.

When: 1pm - 3pm on Tuesday 21 June Where: The Collective Community Hub, 1/33 Johnsonville Rd. Members enjoyed our annual shared lunch to celebrate the shortest day and got to catch up with Brian ZL1AZE/VK3MI who was back in Wellington briefly on holiday after more than 10 years living in Melbourne. Brian is an honorary life member of Wellington Branch 50 NZART and continues to follow the club's activities with interest. At around 1.40pm John ZL2JPM gave a presentation on the ENAMS equipment purchased and operated by RemoteDX Inc. He described the challenges of noise levels and the formula used by international authorities to determine the noise floor in different locations, before discussing the ENAMS hardware, data collection and access system and the potential opportunities for the future. He clearly argued the value to the amateur ccommunity of having standardised RF noise monitoring systems. The ENAMS equipment is operating in Wellington (now on the Kapiti Coast) and is part of a larger IARU experiment. The RemoteDX ENAMS monitoring unit is currently the only one in the Southern Hemisphere. John's presentation was well received.

A number of members have the iCOM IC7300 transceiver as their primary base transceiver. One member has an iCOM IC705 which has a similar user interface. This workshop provided an opportunity for members to share their tips and tricks in using the IC7300. Even those who didn't own this rig, were able to learn more about iCOM's user interface and its strengths and weaknesses. While the iCOM is straight forward to use, there are a number of traps that people discover as they go along. For example, if you have been using the rig on 10m FM (or similar) you may have adjusted the squelch control (which is shared with the RF volume control). When you switch back to 7.055 MHz for the Branch 50 NZART net on Sunday, you may find you can't hear anything. Not even any band noise. You panic! What has gone wrong with my $2000 appliance? You may find the same result by turning both the RF Gain up full.... The answer is simple, always check the RF gain setting if you can't hear anything. It needs to be set at about 11 o'clock if you want to hear something! Presenters included Malcolm ZL2UDF, Frank…

Everybody is welcome to attend our regular meeting on Sunday 17 May 2022 from 1pm to 3pm at The Collective Hub, 1/33 Johnsonville Road, Johnsonville. Mike ZL1AXG will be speaking on the topic of serial and USB ports and their evolution over the years to the current USB-C standard, and it's ability to provide up to 100w of power (PD100) to a device. Malcolm ZL2UDF will demonstrate his USB cable testing unit. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available following our meeting.

The Branch AGM took place on Tuesday 19 April at around 1.50pm following the RemoteDX Inc AGM (which commenced at 1pm). The venue was the Collective Hub, 1/33 Johnsonville Road, Johnsonville. Ten members were present, meeting our rules for a quorum. Mike ZL1AXG also gave a short talk on "virtualisers and emulators", although he had trouble with his computer projecting on the larger screen, so was unable to demonstrate some of the features he discussed. The meeting concluded with tea and coffee at around 2.50pm. The Agenda and Reports are available below: [wpdm_package id='4979'] [wpdm_package id='4982'] [wpdm_package id='4985'] [wpdm_package id='5005']

13:00 - 15:00 ZOOM meeting due to Omicron: Bernard ZL2BD and Mike ZL1AXG gave a Zoom talk on assembling a basic set of test equipment to support typical operating and antenna and equipment construction projects undertaken by amateur radio operators. This equipment is so very affordable today. The talk discussed relative priorities for purchases, and how to avoid making costly mistakes.

For anybody who has been around in amateur radio for a while, the ZC1 will be well known. It was developed by Collier and Beale during WW2 for use by the NZ armed forces. As it covered both 80m and 40m, it was highly prized by hams, in an era when commercially made equipment was hard to come by. On Sunday 6 March 2022 Bernard ZL2BD gave a talk (on Zoom) on a ZCI test jig that he built, and has used to test the working of several ZC1s. The club owns a ZC1 that is for sale to any member interested in purchasing it and was tested using this test jig. Bernard also demonstrated a replacement vibrator that doesn't require modification of the ZC1 power supply. He is still working on variants to perfect this. 11 members and visitors joined in on the Zoom session, which was very well received by those attending. [wpdm_package id='4999']

Our first regular meeting of 2022 was to have taken place on Tuesday 22 February at The Collective Hub, 1/33 Johnsonville Road, Johnsonville. Given the Omicron outbreak it has been decided to cancel this meeting. Richard ZL2FY, one of our Central Region counsellors was to have attended. Richard will be invited to attend a meeting later in the year. Future meetings in March and April will shift to Zoom online meetings.

The Nano-VNA is a powerful tool for assessing the characteristics of all types of filters, including crystal bandpass filters. At the first shed workshop of 2022, Mike ZL1AXG discussed the construction of multiple crystal filters for HF rigs. This included a 12 MHz crystal filter for the Simple SSB 80m rig he is constructing in modular form (and this reflected the fifth presentation on that transceiver construction). He also revealed a further 12 MHz filter and 2 filters at 4MHz for other planned construction projects. In this workshop, Mike covered crystal selection, design options (including lattice filters in general and Cohn and QER filters) and the challenges of achieving a nice shape and a passband that doesn't have too much ripple. He also demonstrated a "universal jig" for use with the nano-VNA and discussed when things go wrong with filters (in this case an LPF, or rather the test set up).

Rather than have our own Branch 50 NZART BBQ this year, the committee decided to join with Branch 74 (Wellington VHF Group) and Branch 69 (Kapiti Branch) at their Combined Branches BBQ. The Combined BBQ was held at QE2 Park, Paekakariki on Sat 29th Jan from 1200pm onwards. Mike ZL1AXG and Frank ZL2TTS attended the BBQ. There were 14 amateurs and XYLs in attendance.

Our Christmas Lunch was held at the Petone Working Men's Club, 47 Udy St, Petone on 6 December at 12 noon. Around a dozen OMs and their XYLs attended. The final club event for the year was for the Social Group get together on Tuesday 21 December. As usual we gathered at George ZL2AG's QTH at 1330 hours to share what we had all been up to.

John Moriarty ZL2JPM demonstrates his QRP portable mag loop antenna Our final shed workshop session for the year was held on Sunday 5 December from 1pm - 3pm at John ZL2JPM's QTH at 9 Ramphal Terrace in Khandallah. John ZL2JPM talked in more detail about his portable microprocessor controlled QRP mag loop antenna that he briefly introduced to us at the October meeting. John won the annual Blackwood Cup for 2021 based on this entry.

Sorry, not permitted in Wellington, NZ The 2021 Wellington Draft District Plan is out for feedback from residents and organisations. Branch 50 NZART will be responding to the draft District Plan, as we have done so in the past. The plan gets updated once every 10 years, so this is our opportunity to make sure that the plan reflects the benefits of amateur radio in our community (e.g. through support for emergency communications) while addressing potential adverse impacts of "amateur radio configurations" on neighbours and the wider community. A draft submission can be found below. This will be discussed and refined prior to submission (due no later than 14 December 2021). Club members are asked to send suggestions for amendment of the submission to the Committee (committee@zl2wb.com). [wpdm_package id='4872']

KiwiSDR receiver Our November meeting was held on Tuesday 16 November (note that this was a different day to usual) from 1pm - 3pm at The Collective Hub, Johnsonville. John ZL2XJ and Bernard ZL2BD gave a presentation and demonstration of the KiwiSDR project that will be installed on a quiet receive site not too far away from the city. The equipment has been tested in suburban Wellington this year. The presentation included an overview of the technology and its application, and included a "listen in" on KiwiSDR sites via the internet portal. The meeting also discussed our draft submission to the Wellington City Council on the Draft District Plan.

Our monthly shed meeting was held at Mike ZL1AXG's QTH in Churton Park on Sunday 7 November. Two topics were covered: Bernard ZL2BD gave an update on experiments with receive only magnetic loop antennas including the differences between tuned and untuned loops (See the attached paper) and Mike ZL1AXG talked about his recently acquired MLA30+ Rx loop that can be used in conjunction with the portable Tecsun PL-330 receiver. Mike ZL1AXG also gave his third talk on the Simple SSB TXCVR. The talk covered construction and testing of band pass filters and low pass filters (See attached powerpoint presentation for more details). [wpdm_package id='4847'] [wpdm_package id='4838'] [wpdm_package id='4844']

Our October Branch meeting was held on Tuesday 19 October from 1pm at The Collective Community Hub,  1/33 Johnsonville Rd. We normally meet on a Sunday, but we needed to find a venue that would allow the appropriate physical distancing. A Tuesday slot was available in the larger space at The Collective Community Hub. The meeting featured our annual competition for the Blackwood Cup. There were only two entrants this year, a QRP magnetic loop controller (entered by John ZL2JPM) and the simplest possible morse code practice device (entered by George ZL2AG). John took out the prize for the second year running. Congratulations! In addition Mike ZL1AXG gave a presentation on "Selecting a portable shortwave receiver" and demonstrated his recent purchase of a Tecsun PL-330 receiver. Tea, coffee and biscuits were available as usual following the meeting. [wpdm_package id='4841']

Mike ZL1AXG is away this weekend so the shed workshop has been postponed.

The view to the North from Colonial Knob We are still at Covid Alert Level 2. Wellington City venues are not available for use, and to host at a member's home would be challenging under existing requirements. Therefore, the Committee has decided to postpone the meeting. The Committee will review options on 23rd September. At this meeting Ted ZL2TB and John ZL2XJ will give a presentation on the Colonial Knob high speed broadband node upgrade.  This is our most complex node in the network, with links northward to Mt Field and  Titahi Bay, to the East - in future to Mt Climie, and to the South the node connects to our Johnsonville node with a link onward to Ngaio. This will be a chance to have a refresh on the possibilities of the high speed broadband network and see how our upgrade has benefited the mesh network. Tea and coffee will be available after the meeting in the cafe upstairs, courtesy of the club.  All welcome!

Due to Covid Level 4 restrictions, the shed workshop planned for 5 September was postponed.

Bob ZL2AVM (on right) with Ted ZL2TB, March 2021 Those who have heard Bob ZL2AVM speak about his days at sea or as a young person experimenting with amateur radio in Cornwall, will know that he always gives a great presentation. Those who came along to Bernard ZL2BD's QTH at 1 Winsley Tce, Churton Park, on Sunday 15 August got to hear his latest talk on his career in Commercial Television Broadcasting. In turns out that ships and television transmitting stations weren't so different after all! Storms, and in particular, lightning strikes were a major concern, but fortunately Bob manages to escape being electrocuted, and hence was able to tell us his wild tales.

How do you know whether a band is open? There are a number of different ways to know if there is propagation on an HF band. Listening for stations on a band is not necessarily the best way to determine whether there is a band opening. If everybody is listening, and nobody is calling then the band will still seem to be dead.  John ZL2XJ and Mike ZL1AXG demonstrated the use of beacons, DX clusters, the reverse beacon network, WSPR that can all help in determining the likelihood of a band being open. The QTH for the Shed Workshop held on 1 August 2021 was that of John ZL2XJ at 9 Ridley Green, Churton Park. [wpdm_package id='4781'] [wpdm_package id='4777'] [wpdm_package id='4779']

Our meeting on 18 July at the Johnsonville Library (Waitohi Hub Makerspace) attracted 10 members. Trevor ZL2AKW gave a talk on the Projects Group that developed a wide range of projects for ZL amateurs during the 1970's through to the 1990's. He covered "the why, the how, and the outcome". Kits discussed included the QT silent tune up kit, the Chelmsford transceiver and tuners. Trevor also brought along some of the completed kits. The Projects group had some very talented and well qualified contributors. One in ten active NZ Hams of the era bought at least one kit. The Chelmsford CW transceiver was a popular kit for portable operation. While some maybe were never completed, none went wrong! Tea and coffee (courtesy of the club)was available after the meeting in the cafe upstairs.

Our July shed workshop was held on 4 July 2021 from 1pm to 3pm at the QTH of Mike ZL1AXG (2 Derry Hill, Churton Park, Wellington). Mike ZL1AXG is building Charlie Morris ZL2CTM's Simple SSB Transceiver. This is a modular design and as each module is completed it is tested. In this second session Mike discussed design and construction features and demonstrated the testing of completed modules. The module in the picture is one of two double balanced mixers constructed from scratch on veroboard (Photo from Charlie ZL2CTM) Bernard ZL2BD also presented on high current Switched Mode Power Supplies suitable for driving Kilowatt amplifiers. He designed a system using two SMPS at 24 v to power a 2Kw linear for another amateur. The SMPS turned out to be very quiet electrically and they are available in 12v and 13.8v and other voltages as well ex China at very reasonable prices. Tea and coffee were available following the workshop.

A small group turned out on a very damp and chilly day for our mid-winter food celebration at a new venue - at the Collective Hub in Johnsonville. Attendees were encouraged to bring a plate of either hot or cold finger food to share with others. We spent the time discussing amateur radio topics .... perhaps not so much on reminiscing ... but rather on the future of our hobby and current projects.

Controlling field equipment under an ecosystem approach The June Shed Workshop was held a week later than usual - from 1pm to 3pm on Sunday 13 June 2021 at Mike ZL1AXG's QTH due to Queen's Birthday weekend getting in the way. Mike ZL1AXG and Bernard ZL2BD gave an introduction to the concept of an antenna ecosystem, in which a range of antennas could be controlled by a single microprocessor control system. This includes remote antenna switches (with just one antenna cable into the shack), 4 square switching, directional switching of beverage antennas or similar, tuning of magnetic loop antennas, and rotator control for beam antennas. Mike ZL1AXG also introduced Charlie Morris' Simple Transceiver for 80m SSB. He showed off some of the modules that are under construction, and outlined in a block diagram the design of the transceiver. He demonstrated how the audio modules could be tested using a multi-meter, signal generator and oscilloscope by inputing a signal from the signal generator at 1KHz in the front end of an amplifier and measuring the voltage on the oscilloscope or multimeter at the output end.

Several members of Branch 50 NZART travelled up to Wanganui on 27 March to visit the Wanganui Vintage Radio Museum that was established by Graham, ZL2AHR and his XYL Val, ZL2FO. Ian ZL2AM from Fielding, also joined us as he is heavily involved in the museum's operations. The team of Graham, Val and Ian then reciprocated in attending our informal social group meeting on 25 May 2021. We invited all Branch 50 members and their XYLs to attend and the afternoon tea was very well attended. The enhanced afternoon tea supported by club funds was well received. The social group meets every fourth Tuesday from 1.30pm to 3.30pm at George ZL2AG's QTH at 14 Vasanta Avenue, Ngaio.

Our May Meeting was scheduled for 1pm on Sunday 16 May 2021 at the Waitohi Hive Maker Rooms (Johnsonville Public Library). We welcomed back former RSM manager Ian Hutchings ZL2HUT, who will give a presentation on Mana Coastguard communications upgrades. This was a very interesting presentation. The Mana Coastguard marine band repeater arrangements involve multiple linked repeaters on Kapiti Island and on the mainland. There had been issues with access to the repeater on the coast south of Titahi Bay. The problems were solved, but not without quite of work as the system was not well documented and there proved to be access issues with one of the repeater sites. A new site is being scoped for the South Coast on Cook Strait. This provides for some interesting possibilities for amateur radio use, in addition to solving coverage in Cook Strait, particularly near the shoreline. The meeting also considered the AREC remit for the NZART Annual Conference, and approved the proposed changes to the NZART Constitution. The meeting concluded with tea or coffee upstairs in the cafe courtesy of branch funds.

Bernard presented a primer on RX antennas in his garage on Sunday 2 May at 1pm. This included a summary of why TX and RX antennas can desirably be different and a summary of typical options for RX antennas. He also give an update on his latest Mag Loop experiments (including this large 6m tuned loop for 80m and 40m). The meeting concluded with tea, coffee and biscuits. [wpdm_package id='4693'] [wpdm_package id='4696']

We held our Branch 50 NZART Annual General Meeting on Sunday 18 April at Waitohi Centre (Johnsonville Public Library) beginning at 1pm. The Chair also gave a presentation on recent developments in processor technology of interest to amateur radio operators. The meeting concluded just before 3pm and members retreated to the cafe upstairs for a free tea or coffee courtesy of branch funds. Reports available: [wpdm_package id='4642'] [wpdm_package id='4654'] [wpdm_package id='4652'] [wpdm_package id='4215'] [wpdm_package id='4659'] [wpdm_package id='4684']

A book by R.G Newlands ZL2AG This book is a collection of previously published magazine articles contributed by George Newlands ZL2AG for the NZ Vintage Radio Society. Some of his writing has also been published worldwide and in the NZART Break In magazine. Random Thoughts on Vintage Radio reflects his life-long fascination with servicing and restoring vintage radio receivers. The book consists of 38 chapters (240 pages). It includes a diverse range of thoughts such as “Collecting –the disease we all share”, “Valve life and reliability”, “Servicing a Valve Chassis”, and “Disposal of a collection”, to name but a few. There are numerous detailed technical notes accompanied with sketches and circuit diagrams written in his quirky and matter of fact style. Recommended reading for vintage radio enthusiasts, or an ideal gift to someone you know who would appreciate a “real” book Random Thoughts on Vintage Radio By RG Newlands Price: $29 Email your order to: tradingtable@zl2wb.com Bank credit: 06 0541 0859045 01 Make sure you give Name/Callsign in bank details and email separately.

Several members of Branch 50 NZART left Wellington early on Saturday morning, 27 March 2021, by car for Wanganui. The trip included a visit to the Wanganui Market, lunch at a cafe in the downtown area, and a visit to the Wanganui Vintage Radio Museum (https://vintageradiomuseum.co.nz/). The group returned to Wellington later in the day. The collection now numbers over 500 valve and battery radios ranging in age from 1918 through to the late 1940’s. ZL2AVM intrigued by the old radios

In the first shed workshop for the year, on 7 March 2021, two project presentations were given as follows: Bernard was to have presented a primer on Rx Antennas, but this was postponed due to time constraints. [wpdm_package id='4687'] [wpdm_package id='4690']

John ZL2XJ checking out operators Bernard ZL2BD (foreground on 40m) and Malcolm ZL2UDF (background on 80m) The Committee decided that we should again enter Jock White National Field Day after a break in 2020.  This was a relaxed affair.   Malcolm ZL2UDF organised the use of Kaiwharawhara Park (accessed off the Hutt Road) from Wellington City Council. This site was used in the 1990s by the club, before we moved to Athletic Park (no more) and then to Quartz Hill. We secured the venue from 1pm on Saturday to 1pm on Sunday. John ZL2XJ organised equipment and set up/close down. Six members turned out. Bernard ZL2BD operating on 40m.

Club members really enjoyed Peter Fisher ZL3HV's talk in November about Campbell Island. He has kindly agreed to return and give a presentation and powerpoint presentation on his visit to the Kermadec Islands. All are welcome. The meeting is from 1pm - 3pm on Sunday 21 February at John ZL2XJ's QTH at 9 Ridley Tce, Churton Park. Tea and coffee will conclude the meeting.

Our annual summer BBQ was slightly later this year, but Sunday 7 February at 12 noon proved to be perfect weather. The venue was the Chair's QTH (ZL1AXG) at 2 Derry Hill, Churton Park, Wellington.

Our next Branch meeting is scheduled for Sunday 15 November, from 1pm - 3pm at the Waitohi Centre (Johnsonville Library). Peter Fisher ZL3HV will speak on his experiences on Campbell Island (including no doubt his encounters with these sea mammals) and his amateur experiments there a few years ago. Trevor King ZL2AKW will also give an autobiography drawing on his life experience and how amateur radio was interwoven into this. Trevor was originally to give his talk a couple of months ago, but this was interrupted by a return to Level 2 with the Covid-19 outbreak in Auckland. All are welcome to attend our meetings. The Club will provide tea or coffee in the café upstairs after the meeting for members and guest speakers. Note that there will be no shed workshop in November or December 2020. A new round of shed workshops will kick off in February 2021.

Blackwood Cup - in its 90th year Our Sunday 18 October meeting (from 1pm - 3pm) at Waitohi (Johnsonville Community Centre) featured our annual Blackwood Cup competition. This was the 90th year of the cup being awarded, so it has a long history. There were only three entries this year, but the winner as voted by members was John ZL2JPM for his QRP three unit combination. One of those winners from 1974, Derek ZL2AKS, asked the club to dispose of his equipment, as he is moving out of town to a retirement village and will not be operating on HF any more. Bernard ZL2BD oversaw the sale of this equipment. A list of equipment was sent to members. We celebrate Derek's long-term commitment (60 years) as a member of the club. We held a moments silence for Don ZL2BL, who became a Silent Key earlier in the month. Ian ZL2HUT also gave a presentation on Radio Spectrum Management. Ian explained how the radio spectrum is managed, via various legislation, policies, regulations and rules.  

Wellgood loop - a broadband RX only loop Our recent shed workshop on 4 October was held at Bernard ZL2BD's QTH at 1 Winsley Tce, Churton Park. RX Only Magnetic Loops The workshop summarised further RX Magnetic Loop experiments undertaken by Bernard ZL2XJ and answered the following questions. Is a broadband RX loop as good as a tuned loop? No. A tuned loop results in around 6dB better signal/noise ratio and will allow you to hear stations that cannot be heard on a broadband RX magnetic loop antenna. However, the broadband loop has its place in that re-tuning is not required (e.g. in a remote SDR receiver situation). It may also be difficult to tune a single loop across a broad spectrum (e.g. 150kHz to 30MHz). Do you still get an advantage in using a phasing device to null out noise? Yes. Phasing two RX antennas will also give you an additional lift in Signal/Noise Ratio. Would a RX only loop be better than a TX loop for most amateur operators? A TX loop if designed and built correctly can approach or equal the performance of typical amateur low band antennas (e.g. for 160m and 80m) that will necessarily be…

With the return to level 1 this week, Wellington VHF Broup (Branch 74 NZART) is going to have its 50th celebration dinner at 6:30 pm at the meeting room in Tawa Community Centre on Thursday 24 September. They will have a few pizzas, but members and visitors should feel free to bring something to eat. Soft drinks, tea and coffee will be provided, but you can bring anything else you like. This will be followed by their regular main meeting and special guest speaker, Shalini Divya who will be giving a presentation on her research into Aluminium-ion batteries.

Due to the fact that we were still under Covid-19 Level 2 status, we were unable to meet on Sunday 20 September as planned at Waitohi (Johnsonville Library). Instead we had a face-to-face meeting at Bernard ZL2BD's QTH at 1 Winsley Tce, Churton Park. Don Robertson, National Director of AREC spoke about the restructuring of AREC and the opportunities available to members to be active in AREC and SAR. We were also took time to discuss challenges Porirua City (Titahi Bay Branch 42) is facing with their proposed District Plan and to celebrate the Branch 74 (Wellington VHF Group) 50th anniversary. Branch 50 NZART assisted in getting the VHF Group underway, back in 1970. A celebratory cake cemented the celebration at 3pm alongside tea, coffee and egg sandwiches. The Chair briefly updated members on the remainder of 2020's programme of activities and members were queried as to who was planning to attend the Christmas Dinner. At 2pm we moved into the AGM for RemoteDX. This included receiving the annual report from the Chair, approving the minutes of the previous AGM, confirming the annual financial statements, electing the next committee, considering minor amendments to the constitution, discussing the forward direction of…

Magnetic Loop Antenna Capacitor Kit of Parts Download the PDF document with all of today's Zoom session content. We will also be making available the video of today's session as soon as it has been edited. [wpdm_package id='4450']

Magnetic Loop Antenna Capacitor Kit of Parts Mag Loop antennas are becoming increasingly popular transmitting antennas for the lower frequency HF bands. This is because of their rather small size being suited to city residential sections or apartment buildings and the improved receive signal to noise performance over traditional wire antennas. An online Zoom workshop on Sunday 6 September from 1300 hours NZST will cover the design and DIY construction of a 40m Magnetic Loop Antenna. (Mag Loop). The workshop features a PowerPoint presentation by Bernard Robbins ZL2BD and an opportunity to have questions answered. The full content of the presentation will be published on the website ZL2WB.com in the week following the Zoom meeting. To register for the workshop email us Branch 50 NZART recently launched a trading table. The branch plans to sell a range of kitsets and books to amateur radio operators. Our kits will be designed to get more people active in our hobby on the HF bands and to make construction projects easier for the ordinary amateur operator - simple kits that make a difference to your operating experience. The 40m magnetic loop capacitor is now available for sale through our trading table. It is…

WARC members admiring a Begali key. Trevor King ZL2AKW is on the far right MEETING CANCELLED AND TALK POSTPONED. THE PANDEMIC LEVEL HAS BEEN RAISED TO LEVEL 2 AND WAITOHI MEETING ROOM IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. Trevor King, ZL2AKW, a former NZART President and Council member, has a long history of involvement in amateur radio, Trevor is also an honorary life member of Branch 50 NZART and has been coming along to our meetings for over 50 years (see Trevor on the far right in the photo above). Trevor will be sharing about his career and interest in amateur radio over the years.  Trevor was first "on the Air" as a 14-year-old schoolboy living in Palmerston North.  That was back in 1948.  He was initially assigned the call-sign ZL2AGC.    It is worth pointing out that Trevor was one of the founding members of the Branch's earlier Projects Group that brought a number of kitset projects to NZ amateurs, and was also actively involved in contesting (with a special interest in CW) and in the Quartz Hill User Group. Trevor's Bio will contribute to our Member Bios collection that will shortly be made available to members  through our website (via…

SDR Spectrum Analyzer Our Ted Talk for the year (from Ted ZL2TB) was scheduled for Sunday 2 August from 1pm to 3pm at Ted's QTH, 14 Quigley St, Newlands. Thirteen members enjoyed Ted's introduction to his low cost SDR Spectrum Analyser (available for around $500) that can be procured through the internet. This device can be used for all sorts of purposes, with slightly differing models having slightly different features. Ted gave a practical demonstration of potential use cases that reflected his personal interests in the VHF, UHF and microwave spectrum, such as looking at the output of the FM radio stations on Mt Kaukau in Wellington, the transponder outputs (including half transponders) from satellite signals able to be received in Wellington. Given the affordability of the device and potential to examine a broad spectrum all at once, this session was of interest to members.

Wellington VHF Group was formally formed in August 1970, as a sub group of Wellington Branch 50. This August marks the 50th anniversary of this meeting, where Bill Hamer ZL2CD moved that the Group be formed. According to the latest Q-Bit, the VHF Group is planning to hold a celebration to recognise reaching 50 years this August. They are looking for expressions of interest in the event. They will hold their regular Thursday night meeting on the 27th August and dedicate the evening to short talks on events and projects that the Group has initiated, such as the Wellington Walkie, the UHF National System, Belmont repeater, ATV, various repeaters and other projects, even the DMR National System and the Colonial Knob project. On Saturday evening, 29 August, they plan to hold a dinner as the main social event. If you are keen to participate, the Wellington VHF Group would love to hear from you and if you have ideas to add, they would like to hear from you. Please email the secretary@vhf.nz

Bring something for sharing with other club members Our mid-winter nosh up was held on Sunday, 19 July 2020, from 12 noon until 2pm. We enjoyed the warm of Bernard's QTH with a smaller group of nine members attending. There was lots of good food and plenty left over and lots of chat. Members of the committee outlined progress in getting the Trading Table under way (including the new section added to the website and production of 15 Magnetic Loop Butterfly Capacitor kits). There was also discussion of the opportunity provided by the Maker Hive at Waitohi (Johnsonville Library) to attract younger members. There was endorsement of the idea of making available simple kitset projects to people interested in electronics. Several members were available to provide guidance to people of any age in using soldering stations at Waitohi. Use of the 3D printers could enhance interest in construction and digital techniques. We also asked questions of George ZL2AG on his employment in the Post Office (and later Telecom) and his long history of involvement in amateur radio and vintage radio. A video recording was made of George's interview, that will be available to members via this website in future. Others…

Things are looking up!

The now very well regarded high voltage butterfly capacitor kit designed by Bernard Robbins ZL2BD will be launched by Branch 50 (Wellington) NZART in a couple of months time. This will be your opportunity to acquire a butterfly capacitor suitable for an HF transmitting magnetic loop. The kit details and price will be available shortly, but enquiries can already be made to: tradingtable@zl2wb.com Our shed workshop on 6 September 2020 will be an online Zoom session open to any amateur operator interesting in magnetic loop antennas. Bernard will be giving you all the details on transmitting magnetic loop antennas and he will demonstrate how to assemble the capacitor to make it easy for you to build the kit. It is dead simple to build!

The programme for the afternoon meeting (1pm - 3pm at the Waitohi - Johnsonville Library) involved: 1] HIVE makerspace introduction and demonstration Tūhura HIVE is the makerspace and sound studio, located on the lower ground floor of Johnsonville Library at the Waitohi Community Hub. It has facilities for: One of the Makerspace Specialists gave a 30 minute introduction and discussion about the facilities available for Branch 50 member use. The talk / walkthrough include a look over what is available in the Hive, A discussion of the objectives of the space, and some preliminary discussion on how we could use the space / get involved (either individually or as a group). This could be a good recruiting gdround for younger people interested in electronics. The laser cutter, the 3D printers and possibly the 3D scanner (for replicating parts) would be of most interest to members. 2] For the second part of the afternoon John ZL2XJ gave a short talk / demonstration of the NanoVNA and the associated PC software tool to test filters and antennas. The workshop finished at 2.45pm and several of us retired upstairs to Common Ground Café.

A Special Meeting to amend club rules in light of Covid-19 and the phasing out of cheques by major banks was scheduled for Sunday 21 June from 1pm - 3pm. This was the first face-to-face meeting since Covid-19 set NZ back in 2020. Details of the amendments to our rules were sent to members in advance. Club members accepted the proposed changes proposed to the Rules, which can be found on this website under Club Business. The special meeting was followed by our regular monthly meeting where Frank ZL2TTS spoke to a Powerpoint presentation on HF propagation. Frank is one of our most active DXers and he discussed key considerations in successfully making DX contacts at the bottom of the solar cycle based on propagation via the ionosphere. This was also the first time we have met at Waitohi Hub - in the maker space meeting rooms. A number of members met in the cafe afterwards for coffee and snacks.

YOTA OC - Youngsters On The Air Oceania is now live on Facebook! Go and check it out at https://www.facebook.com/groups/YOTAOC #YOTA_YoungstersOnTheAir #YoungAmateurRadioOperators 5-26 IARU YOTA is a quickly growing group of young radio amateurs from around the world. It is our goal to get more young people interested in amateur radio and grow the amateur radio community. We will do this by hosting online and on-air events and also physical events like camps and the like.

Rx only active magnetic loop antennas On Sunday 7 June Bernard ZL2BD provided us with an onlie Zoom shed workshop talk on active RX magnetic loops. As with all of his presentations, this was well researched and he had experimented with 5 different loops in drawing his conclusions. A report is available below, and a presentation and commentary will be made available shortly on this website. Magnetic Loop Antennas in general have encountered a resurgence recently for Amateur Radio. A key attribute that seems to have been rediscovered by many is the small physical size of antennas for the 3.5 – 30 MHz HF bands. This makes them an attractive solution particularly in urban environments where space for antennas is quite restricted. Another important attribute is the improved signal to noise performance on receive compared to larger conventional wire antennas. Using an Active Mag loop receive-only antenna is another variation of Mag Loops that provides the benefits of a low-noise receiving system without having to meet the stringent low ohms loop and high voltage tuning capacitor that is required for transmitting. [wpdm_package id='4241'] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwZbhKOE7Sk&t

Following general branch news and catch ups from members, our Zoom meeting of Sunday 17 May focussed on a presentation from Glenn ZL2KZ on his trip through the Panama Canal. He gave us lots of facts and figures about both the old and new locks. The following snap was taken of our Zoom meeting by John ZL2XJ: Zoom meeting Sunday 17 May

Due to Covid-19, the committee decided to proceed with an email survey of members on recommendations to be put at a zoom meeting of the Committee in lieu of a face-to-face meeting of members. The following represents the draft minutes of the 2020 AGM: [wpdm_package id='4215']

A bunch of Branch 50 NZART members on Zoom meeting 4 April. Where was Malcolm ZL2UDF?

Our Branch 50 NZART which was to have been held 22 March has been cancelled Coronavirus means that a number of members have decided not to attend. As we were unlikely to reach the required quorum we will be conducting the AGM via email and mail (for members without internet in their QTH). An email and letter will be sent out to members in the next 48 hours describing the process. Those phoned on Saturday evening all supported an alternative AGM process given the extraordinary circumstances we face. The agenda to be covered via email/postal voting will cover the following agenda items: [wpdm_package id='4119'] [wpdm_package id='4141'] [wpdm_package id='4143']

On 1 March from 12 noon -3pm we met over a light lunch at Mike ZL1AXG's QTH. The Branch 50 NZART Committee ordered in a light finger-food lunch (savouries and sandwiches) as we were hosting Branch 74 for a combined branches event. Disappointingly, only two guests showed up ... they were our guest speaker for the workshop, and one Branch 74 member! Mike noted that the year had not got off to a good start with few turning up for the combined branches BBQ organised by Kapiti Branch. It appears many amateurs simply don't want to come out any more to events. However, complacency may well spell the end of amateur radio as we know it. Member attendances at most branches appear to be plummeting, even those that still have 100+ members on their books. Things are getting tougher for ham radio, with suburban QRM often sending the meter over s9 on the low bands, the sunspot cycle likely to be at its worst for some years, and Councils getting tougher in their district plans on amateur antennas (see the recent decision by Kapiti District Council). It is likely that something radical will be required to breathe new life into…

We met at John ZL2XJ QTH (9 Ridley Green, Churton Park) on Sunday 16 February tod have a round table discussion on what each club member was looking for out the club for 2020 and what they could contribute. There was an honest discussion of the falling membership and the need to focus on two priority areas: publicity and the need for regional coordination and regional activities. Generally people were very happy with the esxisting programme of activities, but identified that this was not the issue - there was a wider issue at play around the public's understanding about amateur radio in New Zealand and the aging of the amateur operator base. The meeting concluded with afternoon tea. Thanks to John ZL2XJ for hosting.

The Wellington VHF Group and Kapiti Branch are having their annual summer BBQ on Saturday 25 January 2020 at QEII Park, Paekakariki from noon. They are inviting all of the other branches in the Wellington Region to attend. We will be at QEII park picnic area 7 - see the map here: https://www.gw.govt.nz/assets/Parks-and-Recreation/Queen-Elizabeth-Park/Paekakariki-picnic-sites.pdf. Entry is via Wellington Road, Paekakariki. (access from Paekakariki and you will need to bring everything- even shade and a seat!). There is plenty of space and last year was a lovely afternoon. If you can, bring a BBQ to cook on (gas only). Kapiti branch are going to operate a hidden transmitter hunt as well.  All are welcome!

SUNDAY 01 DEC 2019 The summer months have arrived so at our shed workshop we talked about opportunities to get out of the shack and go portable with SOTA, POTA, Fox Hunting, etc. The shed workshop was held at John ZL2XJ's QTH on Sunday 1 December from 1300 to 1500 hours and was attended by 9 people. Our speakers, including special guest Wynne Morgan ZL2ATH, John ZL2XJ, Bernard ZL2BD and Kenneth ZS6KEN, covered SOTA (Summits on the Air), POTA (Parks on the Air), and Fox Hunting respectively. The discussion will be around equipment, locations, logistics, and involvement / teams. At the meeting it was agreed that we would plan to get out and about with SOTA/POTA activations next year in the first weekend of February (or if weather is bad either of the following weekends) with multiple locations (Summits and/or Parks). We will also be putting in entries in the regional Fox Hunt at the combined branches BBQ on 26 January 2020. [wpdm_package id='4087'] [wpdm_package id='4091'] [wpdm_package id='4093']

No not a BIOS upgrade for your computer ... But at the last meeting of the year on 17 November 2019 we got insights into the backgrounds of two of our members. Summarised information will appear in due course on a members only page on the website. The idea is to collect together a short set of bios for all of our regular attendees so that newcomers will be able to get to know us more quickly.

In a world of worsening noise floors, our workshop on RFI was eagerly awaited. Held on Sunday 3 November, from 1pm - 3pm at Bernard ZL2BD's QTH (1 Winsley Tce, Churton Park) it was attended by 9 members. Three speakers spoke about radio frequency interference. This is a growing problem for amateurs in urban environments and one that is not always easily able to be resolved. The workshop was in three parts as follows: Everybody stayed around to enjoy the tea, coffee, sausage rolls and biscuits. [wpdm_package id='4054']

Branch 50 members, were present at the 2019 Maker Faire which took place at Queen's Wharf in downtown Wellington on 20 October (10am - 4pm) . We participated in the NZART stand, along with members from branches 42 and 63. NZART brought amateur radio to the people. We gave away brochures about the branch, engaged with a wide range of people and talked about our hobby. Note that there was no regular branch meeting in October, due to the Faire.

Bernard ZL2BD gave a talk on how to safely switch between RX and TX antennas on your rig and demonstrated the circuit (which is probably not suitable for break-in keying). This circuit would allow us to use our active antenna or mag loop antenna on RX and our standard antenna on TX. The MFJ unit above is an alternative approach. He also demonstrated a simple phasing circuit that works with two RX antennas to reduce noise levels or to peak a signal. Steering of a two antenna array throughout 360 degree is possible. Two active antennas can be used, or in fact, any two antennas spaced less than 1/4 wavelength apart can be steered (on RX) to reduce unwanted noise and maximise forward gain. The following articles relate to the workshop: [wpdm_package id='3982'] [wpdm_package id='3984']

Our regular meeting in September 2019 (at Mike ZL1AXG QTH) was the opportunity for members to bring out their home construction projects to be judged in the annual Blackwood Cup competition. The right to hold the cup has been contested since 1930 (won that year by ZL2BC)! There were three entries in 2019: George ZL2AG – Artificial RF Ground Unit. George explained that Trevor ZL2AKW being on the thirteenth floor of a building needed to remove the noise from nearby audio speakers. He explained how the unit was constructed, how it operated, etc. supported with some written papers. Mike ZL1AXG – Control Console. Mike talked about easier control of the transceiver by the unit he had constructed. The unit sits between the microphone and transceiver. The unit has 5 push buttons and 1 switch. With the press on one button, it can select a CW or Voice Keyer function depending on the mode used. The fourth button replaces the PTT button on the microphone. Bernard ZL2BD – Station T/R Switch and Phasing Unit for Receive Antennas. Bernard talked about the first unit including how protection is provided from RF on Transmit going to the Receive Active Antennas. Bernard then explained…

Daniel - Central Region NZART Councillor On Tuesday 10 September, a combined Wellington branches meeting held at Branch 42 HQ welcomed the three councillors (Daniel and Ben in person, and Phil on the end of a cellphone). Members from all six Wellington region branches were present including three from Branch 50 NZART. The meeting primarily focussed on the challenges that NZART faces in terms of retaining and expanding membership (and amateur radio more generally), and how to improve the relationship between NZART and members. Those attending appreciated the willingness of Daniel to travel to Wellington especially to meet with local amateurs, and to openly discuss the challenges.

The Active Antenna kit partly built The second shed workshop on Active Antennas involved a construction day ... with soldering irons out and smoke from the burnt plastic wafting through John ZL2XY's QTH. The kit was made available to all Branch 50 NZART members wanting to build an active antenna. This involves two enclosures - the active RX unit at the antenna site - where the whip antenna is mounted and powered over coax, and the shack unit that provides for the power over coax. Assemblers found they were able to build about half of the circuit in the allotted time, and the rest will be done at their own QTH. With the next shed workshop on 6 October 2019 at Bernard ZL2BD's QTH will focus on antenna switching and phasing of two RX antennas to reduce or eliminate noise. This is a logical follow on and should be of heightened interest with club members getting their active RX working over coming weeks. [wpdm_package id='3978']

This is your chance to meet one of our new NZART regional councillors: Dan Vandenberg ZL2DRV. Phillip Dodds ZL4XYZ Benjamin Isaacs ZL2BCI Daniel Vandenberg ZL2DRV The time and venue have now been confirmed for Tuesday 10th September 2019 at 19:30 at the Branch 42 club rooms. There will be a talk in on the club repeater on 6750 if you are lost. Branch 42 street address can ben found here: http://www.nzart.org.nz/contact/branches/42/ The issues that have been flagged for discussion include: New members - the problem with getting younger people into the hobbywould council consider having live broadcasts of their meetings again?Will our subscriptions increase in the near future?

Members brought along their favourite amateur radio book or books and talked about them. Ten members turned out to our Sunday 18 August meeting at Mike ZL1AXG's QTH. To kick off the meeting we watched a Youtube video about the HAARP experimental ionospheric research centre in Alaska. Then each ember talked to their favourite amateur radio book.

Bernard talking about fake transistors, discovered during prototyping of the Active Antenna Kit Bernard ZL2BD and John ZL2XJ launched the first of a pair of shed workshops covering the construction of an active antenna. Bernard discussed why amateur operators should be interested in active antennas, the basic design elements that underpin the electronics, and the nature of the kit construction that members will be undertaking. The designs all incorporate a FET followed by a bipolar transistor. They must transfer the very high impedance of a short whip antenna to the 50 ohm input of a typical receiver. They may also include filtering to reduce broadcast interference (BCI). They are fed using 12v over the coax, so they require a filtering system to separate RF from DC back in the shack. We will meet on 1 September from 2pm -4pm since it will be Father's Day and some may want to go out to lunch with family. We will be constructing our devices, so members will need to bring a soldering iron. The kits will be provided free of charge to members. If you didn't attend the first session, please contact one of the committee to confirm you are coming to…

Saturday 27 July 9am start - Branch 42 Used Equipment Sale - Onepoto Speed Boat Club (Onepoto Road). For more information contact ZL2ABC (Bruce Packer)  zl2abc@gmail.com  or by phone to 04 938 7147.Saturday 3 August 2019: 9.30am - noon - Winter DV Talk by John ZL2TWS Start Time: 10:30 am (clubrooms open 9:30 am - morning tea/coffee at 10:00 am). At Upper Hutt Clubrooms Branch 63, Park Street, Upper Hutt.A registration fee of $5.00 applies to cover expenses. Please register with mark@foxtrot.co.nz Finishes no later than 12:00 pm. Learn about D-Star G3 Plus2 and ircDDB variants followed by a demonstrations of BlueDV for D-Star, DMR and Yaesu System Fusion (YSF). Instant D-STAR registration available on the day for new users of Peanut or BlueDV. The talk will then continue about Hotspots and Dashboards. Following the session many of the group will have lunch at the Cosmopolitan Club (pay your own way).Regional Councillor Meet Up at Branch 42 Clubrooms in Titahi Bay - Date and time to be confirmed - The combined regional meeting will be on either Tuesday 10 September or Wednesday 11 September. Both ZL2 councillors are expected to be present.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfIo0R57ImA At our meeting on 21 July, Mike ZL!AXG showed us this clip of an interesting HF SDR transceiver that integrates Windows 10 into the interface.

At the Branch 50 event held at Mike ZL1AXG's QTH on Sunday 21 July, Mike gave a presentation about sunspots - what they are and how sunspots impact on the ionosphere - and therefore on HF propagation, what the next cycle may hold, and their possible impacts on climate. [wpdm_package id='3898'] [wpdm_package id='3900']

Branch 50 had its annual mid-Winter shared lunch on Sunday 23 June 2019 at Mike ZL1AXG's QTH (2 Derry Hill, Churton Park, Wellington). Plates of hot and cold food were shared alongside memories of Ralph ZL2AOH (now regrettably Silent Key as of Friday). There were also tales of the diminutive alternative to the Magnetic Loop, the Poynting Vector Antenna. When it was shared that the antenna was just 3/100 of a wavelength long, there was some disbelief about its properties. However, Bernard ZL2BD and Mike ZL1AXG noted that there seemed to be genuine research about this antenna, and given it is intended to receive magnetic waves (as opposed to electric waves) this may indeed improve reception. Also discussed were the challenges in making conical elements that are quite sizeable (albeit short). There were also memory prompts from the past from members A device of unknown purpose (Magnetron?, Phaser?)A Creed latching relay (somewhat larger and heavier than you might think)tales of great DX as a schoolboy when visiting the local ham radio operator in Cornwall, and a special QSL card from a Penzance PirateTwo giveaways ...A tale of a repair of a Japan Radio Company (JRC) transmitter

We held the June Shed Workshop a week earlier than usual on 26 May 2019. The event was held at Bernard ZL2BD's QTH at 1 Winsley Tce, Churton Park, Wellington. The topic was Class D Audio Amplifiers. These audio amplifiers come very cheaply as modules and are incredibly small and light weight when combined with a switched mode power supply. They can also be scaled for different power outputs by simply changing the supply voltage. They have many good points, but there is a downside from an amateur radio perspective ... they can generate a large amount of RF noise! Bernard gave an excellent overview of the concept, the application and demonstrated the range of commercial modules available. His paper will be available here shortly to read. The shed workshop was followed by a special afternoon tea at 2.30pm and then the AGM of RemoteDX Inc at 3pm. It was an excellent afternoon, with gorgeous late autumn weather. [wpdm_package id='3862']

At our shed workshop on Sunday 5 May, George ZL2AG opened up his garage and museum to the club to host the second shed workshop on vintage radios. The talk this time was given by Don ZL2BL. Don first spoke about his restoration of a vintage Eddystone HF receiver. This had been somewhat hacked about by a previous owner, but he has restored it to near the status of the original. He then talked about a couple of vintage AM radios - one he had restored and one still to be restored. They are illustrated in the photo below George ZL2AG also had a mystery piece of electronic equipment for us to ponder on. This is clearly something developed for military or government purposes. Our guess is was that it is something like a range finder unit, since it is marked "E", "N", and "H" on the three banks of dials. Perhaps "East-West", "North-South" and "High-Low"?

Our April meeting was held on Wednesday 17 April 2019 at the Lutheran Church Hall, King St from 7.30pm. Mike ZL1AXG demonstrated his recently acquired $103 Signal Generator (KKMoon FY6800). This goes nicely with his new cheapie Hantek 5102p Oscilloscope. He put the signal generator through it’s paces, demonstrating different waveforms, amplitude and modulation effects, frequency changes, etc. Malcolm ZL2UDF also talked about his D-Star Hotspot that plays into a 30w 2m transceiver to open up D-Star to all comers in Lower Hutt.

At our shed workshop in the afternoon of Saturday 13 April, George ZL2AG opened up his garage and museum to the club to host a workshop on vintage radios. We were intrigued by the progression in designs - from expensive crystal sets (with galenium cat's whisker diodes, through to feedback designs like the TRF, before the age of superhets. There were also changes also in the shape of cabinetry - from cathedral, through to tombstone and chest designs. George was lamenting the sharp fall off in interest in vintage radio, and was concerned about where all the beautifully restored vintage sets will end up. Tea and coffee was served at the conclusion of the workshop. A further workshop on vintage radios will take place in May. A most unusual German set, with 3 valves in one enclosure

Our first AGM as a regular Branch of NZART (not separately incorporated as a society) was held at 7.30pm on 20 March at the Lutheran Church Hall in Mt Cook with a good attendance. The agenda covered: [wpdm_package id='3704']

On Saturday 9 March a shed workshop was held at the QTH of Mike ZL1AXG from 1pm - 3pm on the topic of test equipment. A number of speakers gave brief presentations (Mains power analyser and Vector Network Analyser by John ZL2JPM, a logic analyser by Kenneth ZS6KEN, a digital oscilloscope and spectrum analyser by Bernard ZL2BD, a Megger by Malcolm ZL2UDF, and analogue scopes by Don ZL2BL). This included a brief description of the purpose, indicative cost and tips and tricks in using the equipment. Eleven turned up and found plenty useful in the talks.

Branch 50 NZART has been active in the 2019 Jock White Field Day, operating as a home station on 40m

Levitation using superconducting magnets Bernard ZL2BD will be giving a presentation at our February 20 Meeting on superconductors. There is a lot happening in this field, with significant implications for many everyday activities. The meeting will be held in our regular venue - the Lutheran Church Hall, King St, Mt Cook, Wellington starting at 7.30pm. Tea and coffee will be provided after the talk. Everybody is welcome to attend. John ZL2XJ plans to get the Branch on the air on Field Day. He will want to hear of amateurs who are keen to be involved in this activity on Saturday and Sunday. Please take note of our AGM on 2 March 2019 at 7.30pm, Lutheran Church Hall as above.

The shed workshop on Sunday 10 February was attended by five OMs. Several weren't able to be present due to a conflict with the Vintage Radio Society. The conflicting time will be remedied for future shed workshops. The topic for the workshop was provided by Bernard ZL2BD - an introduction to multimeter calibration. Those attending the workshop brought along their multimeters and these were calibrated on the spot by those attending using an averaging method. Most of us were surprised how poorly the analogue meters (including an AVO) fared, and just how well our modern cheapie (and not so cheap) digital multimeters actually did. A full report can be downloaded here:

It's summer time! BBQ time. Our annual club BBQ was held on 16 January 2018 at the Chairperson's QTH in Churton Park. 15 members and one partner were present. Following the BBQ (approx. 7.30pm - 8pm), members disappeared into Mike's garage to look over Silent Key Doug ZL2AOV's collection of parts, projects and equipment. Around two thirds of the high value items received a bid in excess of the reserve and were sold on the night. Some missed out on the piece of gear they were seeking to acquire because they were over-bid. THere was also plenty of junk. Only five crates ended up at the tip, so most of Doug's amateur radio gear was recycled into the deep junk boxes of club members. Some got absolute bargains! Piles of junk, or real bargains?

A total of 15 members and XYLs met over Christmas dinner on Monday 3rd December at the 1841 Restaurant in Johnsonville, taking advantage of the 2 for 1 deal. Those attending the dinner thought it represented good value.

Our November meeting was held at the Maritime Radio NZ headquarters at Avalon in the Hutt Valley a week earlier than normal on Wednesday 14 November. This was a chance to see the Maritime operations centre in action, with three active searches under way including a Mayday call while we were visiting. Supper was available and we supped up large on special treats (leaving some for the Maritime NZ team). We also honoured the unexpected Silent Key of Doug ZL2AOV, whose funeral was held earlier in the afternoon.

Over the summer we are having informal shed workshops. No set topic, but all are welcome to come along, preferably (but optionally) with your soldering iron and a project to work on. That might be a uBITx transceiver, a magnetic loop antenna, a power supply, an arduino nano keyer project, or whatever takes your fancy. There are eight magnetic loops under construction for a start! #2 in the summer series was held from 1pm - 3pm, on Sunday 7 October 2018. The venue is: 2 Derrry Hill, Churton Park (QTH of Mike ZL1AXG)

Branch 50 NZART participated in the Wellington Maker Faire on 4 November. Some 2500 people passed through the Maker Faire on Sunday 4 November from 10am to 4pm. John ZL2XJ and Bernard ZL2BD with the Branch 50 display at the Maker Faire NZART Inc took an outside area, immediately in front of the entrance to the TSB Arena on Queen's Wharf, to showcase amateur radio. Two local clubs (Branch 50 and Branch 63) were supported by two NZART councillors in promoting amateur radio. Some of the larger team at the Maker Faire 2018 Chatting about the gear ... And making contacts from inside the tent ... A large number of people came by and chatted, including a number of amateur operators. Nineteen contacts will be followed up - primarily people showing an interest in amateur radio or operators who are interested in becoming active again. They will all be put in touch with NZART and their local branch. Those on the stand felt it was successful, and we won a prize for the best presented stand.

This year there were three entries in the Blackwood Cup contested at the October meeting ( Wednesday 17 October) at the Lutheran Church Hall, King St, Mt Cook, Wellington. Bernard ZL2BD showed off a couple of SWR meters. One of these covered both HF (using a standard pair of toroids in a bridge circuit) and VHF/UHF (using a stripline circuit). Bernard separates the sensor components from the metering components so that the bridge can be located somewhere remotely as required. Mike ZL1AXG showed off his completed "Hiland" 0-30v 0-2A power supply and talked about a couple of the glitches he uncovered. Occasionally when turning the unit on, the supply will not move off zero volts. This is thought to be a function of the slightly different specs for the op amps, which were substituted. The other fault is in the cheap $2.70 Aliexpress digital volt/ammeter. The ammeter reports double the actual current! Doug ZL2AOV talked to his uBITx transceiver and an extensive range of modifications, including built in battery, VOX and S-meter. The Blackwood Cup moves on from Mike ZL1AXG's shack to Doug ZL2AOV's shack, as he was declared the winner by Malcolm ZL2UDF.

Over the summer we are having informal shed workshops. No set topic, but all are welcome to come along, preferably (but optionally) with your soldering iron and a project to work on. That might be a uBITx transceiver, a magnetic loop antenna, a power supply, an arduino nano keyer project, or whatever takes your fancy. There are eight magnetic loops under construction for a start! #1 in the summer series kicked off at Bernard's QTH, 1 Winsley Terrace, Churton Park, from 1pm - 3pm, on Sunday 7 October 2018. Eight turned up, with George ZL2AG and Don ZL2BD talking about their regenerative and super-regenerative receivers.

Our meeting of 19 September 2018 featured youtube clips on amateur radio topics. We watched the following clips. How to build a dummy load https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9FLgWoyfsY The new Yaesu FTDX101D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_iZU4Znl2s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1TDFzfBASE A very simple arduino nano based CW keyer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FU66Joi6_Y A kitset bench power supply 0-30v https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLxOwVw1NEE QSX transceiver from QRP-LABs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL6CWaY438Y The µBITx transceiver https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFGnssTBdjA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l33S1ERz-tg Win4icom Windows Software for the iCOM 7300 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVVm5KambB0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rB3Rtma0uA Magnetic loops https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E56wIlpfZgA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al3ZJipFq6k Teddy shoots into space above Auckland https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lzCP0CQmYU    

At the last "formal" workshop for the year on 9 September 2018, held at ZL2XJ's QTH, we were given tips on the construction of power supplies by three members (Don ZL2BL, Bernard ZL2BD, and George ZL2AG). This included: a foolproof (but weighty) bench power supply for valve circuits (short circuits no problem) using readily available transformers and valves (Don ZL2BL) two different kits for variable voltage bench power supplies, acquisition of low cost 13.8v switched mode power supplies, and tips on how to quieten down RF noise from these power supplies (Bernard ZL2BD) low cost 13.8v transformer-based power supplies built into older desktop computer cases (George ZL2AG). Over the summer we will have informal workshops, where you are welcome to "bring along the soldering iron" to work on projects, whether that be a uBITx transceiver, a magnetic loop antenna, or a power supply or whathaveyou. Relevant documents [wpdm_package id='3540'] [wpdm_package id='3549'] [wpdm_package id='3544'] [wpdm_package id='3546']

At the August 2019 meeting we set out to find out which team had the competitive edge in finding a set of crystals that would be useful in a 12 MHz crystal filter? Bernard and Frank found 3 crystals within 30Hz of each other. They were part way to getting a set of eight. A bit harder than everybody thought, but many learnt some techniques in sorting out crystal suitability. The other two teams each found 2 pairs of crystals that would meet the required specifications.

Bernard ZL2BD hosted another shed workshop on Sunday 5 August 2018 from 1pm -3pm at his QTH. Due to interest in Small Magnetic Loop antennas, this month's workshop was a follow on session to assist those committed to construct a loop antenna. Several people purchased Capacitor Kits to make an air spaced butterfly capacitor. Progress is being made on sourcing LDF4-50 1/2” coax and possibly LDF 5-50 1” coax for the loop material to be made available to those who want this material. It's not too late to order a kit if you haven't done so. Bernard talked about practical matters, such as how to construct the capacitor enclosure and plastic waterpipe housing for the antenna, as well as practical details on putting together the capacitor kit, and selection of motor drivers and gearbox, etc. Mike ZL1AXG talked to a design that provides for real-time tracking and tuning of a magnetic loop. A circuit board is available to purchase from North America. He talked about where to source components including the processor (Teensy 3.2), a 100 step rotation encoder, 51uH twin coil chokes, the stepper motor driver chips, and the stepper motor and gearbox. Bernard provided pre-calculated details for a 2m…

Mark ZL2UFI from Branch 63 gave an interesting presentation in his role as editor of Break In magazine, the official journal of NZART.

Bernard led off on the third shed workshop for 2018 which was on the topic of "Magnetic loop antennas". These antennas are great for getting better signal to noise levels out of typical noisy suburban environments. They are also compact and can be mounted on a boundary fence or building to blend into an urban environment. On transmit they are less sensitive to changes in the surrounding environment (e.g. resonance changes observable on wire antennas with wet weather). Ten members turned out on Sunday 1 July 2018. A summary of his presentation, theory of magnetic loop antennas and instructions for constructing these antennas can be downloaded here: [wpdm_package id='3462']   Bernard can be seen giving a presentation to kick off: Several examples of loop antennas were available for inspection including this multiband loop for 15m through 10m: And a close up of the butterfly tuning capacitor: The feedpoint and feed system: And finally, a mag loop controller box that Bernard has constructed (he has several!): A special price has been worked out for branch members who wish to assemble their own butterfly-style tuning capacitor. This is required if you wish to make a small magnetic loop for receive and transmit.

Our ETz night on Wednesday 20 June 2018 brought a good attendance - there is something about food to bring out the numbers. A number of members brought along something to talk about, including an SWL diary from the early 50's , a new touchscreen for a QRP rig, and a beefy transistor tester. There were plenty of sausage rolls and cake to make us all feel replete!

Mike led off on the second Shed Workshop on Sunday 10 June 2018 from 1pm - 3pm. The topic was "Kitset Transceivers". Mike talked about his experiences in assembling and modifying BITx40s and a µBITx. He drew on resources from his website (http://uBITx.net) that attracts over 16,000 unique visitors each month and is the definitive guide to the µBITx for constructors. Afternoon tea was provided.  

The May meeting on Wednesday 16 May provided an opportunity to identify the real issues in amateur radio today, and then set about identifying solutions. Watch this space for the issues that members identified and some of the solutions to those problems.

The first shed workshop was held on Sunday 29 April from 1pm - 3pm at Bernard ZL2BD's QTH (1 Winsley Tce, Churton Park) The topic was Antenna Tuners, with Bernard recounting the various design types (Z-match, T-match, Pi match, etc.).

The first meeting of the new Branch 50 (Wellington) NZART kicked off Wednesday 18 April at our regular meeting location (Lutheran Church Hall in King St, Mt Cook) with a report back from the first committee meeting of the new committee. Ideas for meetings through calendar 2018 were discussed with positive feedback to all proposed themes. Now the committee has to get to and arrange all of these items! Members also agreed to the sale of the club rig (IC7410), purchased in 2014. A discussion at a subsequent meeting will determine whether or not this equipment should be replaced. This will also determine what happens to other related station equipment (such as a 12v power supply and tuner). Bernard ZL2BD had planned to give an intro to the Shed Workshops. Unfortunately, Bernard was sick, so Mike ZL1AXG gave a bit of a taster session for the first of the upcoming shed workshops. The first topic will be on antenna matching. Please do come to the inaugural Shed Workshop at 1pm on Sunday 27 April at Bernard's QTH (1 Winsley Tce, Churton Park). No need to bring anything. Just yourself. Mike ZL1AXG gave a brief talk about some of his recent…

Shed workshops are planned. Members and non-members are welcome. Read more about the concept here. Complete the survey now!

Members have voted to "unincorporate" WARC Inc and revert to our underlying status: Branch 50 (Wellington) NZART. A confirmation vote was held at the club's registered office (229 Mark Ave, Grenada Village, Wellington 6037) on Sunday 25 March 2018 at 2pm. Thirteen members were present and confirmed the decision to unincorporate. Members of the Wellington Amateur Club Inc prior to incorporation have reformed as Branch 50 (Wellington) NZART. This new organisation is an unincorporated club. The final accounts at wind up are available here: [wpdm_package id='3364']  

The final AGM of Wellington Amateur Radio Club Inc was held on Wednesday 21 March 2018 at the Lutheran Church Hall, King St, Mt Cook, Wellington. Fourteen members were present. WARC Inc members voted in February to undertake voluntary liquidation as an incorporated society. Following the AGM, members met to reactivate Branch 50 (Wellington) NZART -- which operated until the group incorporated 21 years ago so as to develop the Quartz Hill User Group project. They adopted a new set of rules, elected officers and determined the subscription. (Updated 22 March 2018 by Doug ZL2AOV, the outgoing Secretary-treasurer and agreed liquidator of WARC as an incorporated society).   [wpdm_package id='3309']

Mike ZL1AXG hosted Evgeny UA3AHM recently, and Evgeny left behind a gift of a "City Windom". Evgeny is a manufacturer of amateur antenna equipment and commercial duplexers. He is a talented OM and designed the City Windom himself. You can read all about it in an article he prepared here.

Single valve oscillators were all the rage in the 20's and 30's. We found out all about the origins and features of these oscillator designs at our 21 February meeting thanks to research done by Glenn Kingston ZL2KZ. Glenn featured these designs in the construction competition in August 2017. This was followed by a presentation from Mike ZL1AXG on the uBITx transceiver. A separate summary and link to the presentation will follow.

We actually had a summer BBQ this year (on Wednesday 17 January) - unlike last year. Not many YLs, but there was a good turn out of OMs. including a couple under 15. The rain arrived about 8.10pm and we headed indoors. Mike ZL1AXG demonstrated his new uBITx and key features.

We met for Christmas Dinner on 6 December 2017 at the Thai Country Café, 124 Main Road, Tawa, at 7pm. Some 16 members and XYLs attended. A good time was had, but some weren't used to the more spicy tastes!

The November meeting, and "Remits Night" again. However, nobody had any ideas for a remit (thank goodness!). Bernard ZL2BD ran a Powerpoint presentation of recent developments in the project, assisted by Mike ZL1AXG and Ted ZL2TB. Discussion extended to the associated amateur mesh project, with an outline of plans for a high-speed backbone connecting Mt Field, Colonial Knob, Mt Climie and Kaiwharara nodes (off-mesh) and associated peripheral links. There was also an outline of preferred site options for the remote station.

The October meeting featured the annual Blackwood Cup. Three entries were received - one each from Bernard ZL2BD, Ted ZL2TB and Mike ZL1AXG. The trophy went to Mike ZL1AXG for his adaptations of the BITX40 transceiver. But voting was very close. Mike will be writing up his BITX40 mods on the Arduino section of this website as time allows. The other projects included: a 4 way antenna switch (from Bernard ZL2BD) which was beautifully presented (the case was made with 2 aluminium channels and a ). Channel isolation was found to be around 70dB (i.e. excellent) with insertion loss in the fractions of 1dB; a collection of home brew single lever paddle (from Ted ZL2TB) that use magnetic latching to provide a nice key "feel". Ted has a few for sale as well if anybody is looking for a nice non-iambic paddle.

Our branch member, Bob ZL2AVM gave us an excellent presentation again this year on his adventures at sea. Bob returned to pick up on his journeys around the world's oceans with more "tales from the sea" at our September meeting.

Our August meeting featured competing teams in the most fun event of the year, creating our one valve oscillator transmitters! The winning team featured two ex-NZPO telephone exchange specialists. Maybe they had an unfair advantage?

Come along to our July 19 meeting! 7.30pm at the Lutheran Church Hall, King St, Mt Cook. More an opportunity for catching up with mates than formal business.

Our 20 June 2017 meeting at the Lutheran Church Hall, King St, Mt Cook reflected our ever popular mid-winter Nosh n' Natter. Plates of food (many heated up in the oven reflecting the colder weather) were pulled out after a very short business meeting. A valve VHF receiver was on display (thanks to the folk from Wrights Hill Fortress). There was lots of catch ups and chatter about amateur radio topics of interest to members. Bring food to heat up!

All attendees at the 17 May meeting were invited to provide a tip that would make life better for others. Bernard ZL2BD's tip at the April meeting got us started: Bernard ZL2BD suggests that the iCom 13 pin accessory plug is a bit of an oddball, and that you can make an adapter to a DB15 socket that takes away the pain of soldering wires to the 13 pin plug. A range of other equipment can then be connected using standard DB15 plugs. These are cheap and easily soldered. John ZL2HD brought along a bunch of 10 tips (not all amateur radio related). His best tips included: Use Google mail - you can use it to clear all of your email boxes and send from your old address as well. It removes all of the spam from your inbox. Google calendar lets you get your calendar on all your devices Use automated direct debit - Life's too short to be writing and mailing cheques or going in to pay a bill. John also suggested using Google Drive Scan to capture valuable documents (like your passport when travelling overseas). Mike ZL1AXG noted that Evernote Snanable (works on Android and iOS) would convert…

On 19 April 2017 Bernard ZL2BD and Frank ZL2TTS gave us a talk about and subsequently demonstrated this game changing SDR Txcvr from Icom!

The incoming WARC Inc Committee met on Monday 27 March and have come up with an advance programme for the balance of this year: Wed 19 April - SDR radios - a hands-on demo of the Icom IC7300 Wed 17 May - Vote on Remits Conference - A topic to be confirmed Wed 21 June - Nostalgia nosh-up night - should be a good evening! Wed 19 July - Topic to be confirmed Wed 16 August - Valve-era competition night. This will be a fun night! Wed 20 September - Our favourite presenter returns (subject to confirmation) Wed 18 October - Annual Blackwood Cup (get the project going now!) Wed 15 November - Remits night - topic to be confirmed Wed 6 December - Christmas Dinner (with a new venue!)

The Wellington Amateur Radio Club Inc is a registered charity. Each year we provide Charity Services (at the Department of Internal Affairs) with our financial reports. This year we had to provide a lot more detail, including a statement of service performance. The information we provided to Charity Services is included in the documents below.   [wpdm_package id=2995 order_field=title order=desc]   [wpdm_package id=2997 order_field=title order=desc]  

The Annual General Meeting was held on Wednesday 15 March 2017 at the Lutheran Church Hall, Mt Cook at 7.30pm. The meeting elected a new committee with a new Chairperson, John ZL2HD and a new Committee Member (Bernard ZL2BD). Our Secretary-Treasurer (Doug ZL2AOV) continues in the role, whereas Mike ZL1AXG continues as a committee member. The meeting farewelled Bjorn ZL2ET from the Committee. WARC will look to reform itself again to being simply Branch 50 NZART as a result of falling membership. [wpdm_category id=draft-annual-reports-feb-2017 order_field=title order=desc]

The 15 February regular monthly meeting was held at the Lutheran Church Hall, King St, Mt Cook. Frank ZL2TTS spoke on selecting a linear amplifier. This gave rise to a fair bit of discussion on the relative merits and problems with different types of high power amplifiers that amateurs in New Zealand are using, and the merits of homebrew and commercial equipment.

The BBQ planned for our regular meeting date in January was postponed due to the incoming weatherbomb (and just as well!). It was then rescheduled for 1 February. Unfortunately, the weather is not looking too great for the rescheduled BBQ date. Please note that the February meeting will be held as per usual at the normal club meeting rooms (Lutheran Church Hall, King St, Mt Cook) at 7.30pm. See you there!

WARC has no formal meeting in December, but a Christmas dinner function was held on Wednesday 07 December. The venue was the same as the previous two years: Evans Bay Yacht and Motorboat Club; 6.30pm for 7pm meal. There was a similar turnout to the previous year (18 members and XYLs). The food may not have been to quite the same standard, but we enjoyed the evening and celebrated another year.

A meeting was held on Thursday 17 November 2016, at the Tawa Community Hall at 7.30pm (thanks to VHF Group for facilitating this), to establish RemoteDX Inc. A total of 19 amateur operators, representing all local clubs, attended and became foundation signatories and members of the new society. There is free membership for the first 12 months. See the RemoteDX website for further information.

Club member Yan ZL4YY (also F1TUJ and XV4Y) talked about his operations from South-East Asia, where he lived for many years with his wife and son. He talked about the way amateur radio callsigns are obtained, licensing requirements, descriptions of other Vietnamese operators, and equipment at his home QTH (left outside on the verandah to reduce moisture damage). Yan demonstrated an impressive list of countries worked and DXCC twice over! Yan finally received his ZL licence last month, so you will no doubt hear him around the bands now that he has settled in to Wellington with his family!

At our October 2016 meeting (held on 16 October at the Lutheran Church Hall, King St, Mt Cook in Wellington) we held the annual Blackwood Cup contest for the best homebrew project over the last 12 months With only one contestant, Doug ZL2AOV, the outcome was pre-determined and Doug was awarded the Cup for his QRP SSB project. It's interesting that Doug's late father Frank (then Z2CD) won the Blackwood Cup back in 1931 with an Emergency Transmitter.

In the September meeting Bob ZL2AVM recounted his experience in working at sea as a Marconi tech and then subsequently on the boats that brought "10 pound poms" to New Zealand. His talk last year on Cornwall and Marconi was very well received by members and this year's was also well received.

John ZL2HD spoke at our Wednesday 17 August about the kinds of antennas, masts and towers that are permitted within the Wellington City boundaries. John outlined efforts involved in trying to protect Amateur Radio interests in the face of city council moves to regulate the proliferation of cellphone towers and streetside cabinets. The process has continued since 2010, when cellphone masts started proliferating. The council had no control over placement of antennas on the roadside utility corridor. Wellington has separate definitions for antennas and aerials in its District Plan – antennas are what telcos use, aerials are thin bits of wire that radio amateurs want. Masts are fine. Towers are something else again. The upshot: “Masts or supporting structures of any height are permitted if they are below 102mm in diameter (guys don’t count so long as they’re not thick); “fatter things” (including lattice masts) cannot exceed 18m in height on a residential site, or rise beyond 5m above the “building profile.” The building profile is determined by a surface at 45 degrees to the horizontal starting two metres above the ground on the property boundary. Rural sites have their own rules, seasides and ridgelines are special cases. Heritage areas are a separate problem. Existing installations survive…

End-fed 1/2 wave At the July meeting (Wednesday 20 July 2016) members Frank ZL2TTS and Doug ZL2AOV gave brief 15 minute talks about their favourite wire antennas. Frank told us about his 40m and up dipole (20m long) fed by open wire feeders. He showed how the feeders were routed between the antenna and the shack, and material used for separating the wires and anchor points. Doug talked about his all band (80m and above) end-fed antenna (40m in length) fed by a balun and coax (with a good earth connection at the feed point). The talks provided for some useful thinking about alternative antennas at city sites where installation of a collection of antennas - one for each band is simply not feasible. These ideas (open wire feeders and end-fed antennas) provide a means of avoiding the problems of lossy small diameter traps or large diameter traps that tend to come to grief in Wellington winds. We can all bemoan the lack of sunspots ... but nothing beats a better antenna in getting a contact!

People brought food to heat up! Wednesday 15 June at Wright's Hill Fortress, 7.30pm. Club members Don ZL2BL and George ZL2AG were our hosts for this event. The Fortress is at the top of Wrights Hill Rd, and while the views from the top of Wright's Hill are impressive, we weren't up there for the views. Instead we went underground to the rabbit warren of concrete-lined tunnels built in the second half of World War II as part of a protection system for Wellington from foreign invaders. The big gun installed at Wright's Hill could send shells around the harbour and further afield. Members got to have a chat, peruse the old war recruiting materials, and then venture out of the meeting room to check out the restored radio shack, complete with ZC1s and other vintage equipment. Overall it was a very enjoyable evening and not as cold as we had anticipated underground!

Field day operations At our May WARC meeting on Wednesday 18 May we were given a presentation on how the Patea/South Taranaki branch has approached NZART Jock White Field Day over the last 53 years. Glenn Kingston ZL2KZ, one of our own WARC members, has travelled north each year (with just one or two exceptions, such as when his XYL came down with a high fever) to assist with Field Day operations in South Taranaki. Glenn showed photos of two Field Day sites used over the last 50 years. For some time now, the South Taranaki branch has based their Field Day activities at a primary school located along the sea coast north of Patea. A 60' aluminium tower (sourced by a member who worked at the Motonui synthfuel plant) is stored on site. This is erected each year using a local farm tractor or RV as available. This skyhook allows for an 80m folded dipole antenna to be mounted at near a quarter wavelength above ground. A 40m antenna is mounted lower down the mast. More recently a secret weapon in the form of a vertical incidence 3 element 40 metre yagi pointed skyward has been added to the line up of antennas. The yagi has deployed knowledge provided by another WARC member…

Will Wellington continue to hold the Tony Fletcher award in 2016? This year's contest is from 2000 - 2300 NZST on Saturday 21 May and 2000 - 2300 NZST on Sunday 22 May. WARC members will need to work 20 contacts to qualify. Logs to be sent to Glenn ZL2KZ

The current Solar Cycle has proved to be a bit disappointing for amateur operators and will descend to a minimum within the next 2 to 4 years. We are already seeing dead bands in most daily forecasts. But how does our current cycle compare to earlier cycles? The following diagram shows peak sunspots from all observed solar cycles since the 1600's when sunspots were first recorded by astronomers. It turns out that cycle 24 is not particularly unusual in the scheme of things! And for an even longer perspective ... The last 12,000 years of sunspots! So what will happen in the next cycle (cycle 25)? You will find a number of predictions online. Because of the peak sunspot number in our current cycle there seems to be a growing consensus that we are unlikely to see the really nasty outcome of a second "Maunder minimum" (a period of almost 70 years with virtually no sunspots at all). It is likely, however, that we are exiting from the "Grand Maximum" period. We may well be entering a regular period that will look a bit like the period from 1724 to 1924 (a whole two centuries in duration!) in which sunspots are OK, but not good enough to make the record…

Our April 2016 WARC meeting featured a number of film clips of interest to ham radio operators and brought to us by James ZL2ET. We enjoyed finding out about the decline in electronics stores, but the rise in online electronics parts stores. We also went looking for gravity waves! The WARC committee presented a proposal for an honour roll for this website to recognise high achievers amongst our members - past and present. The proposal was adopted by members (the proposal is linked below). [wpdm_package id='1704']  

Our Annual General Meeting was a speedy one, meaning plenty of time for tea and coffee and a chat afterwards. The AGM was held on Tuesday 15 March 2016 at the Lutheran Church Hall, King St, Mt Cook, Wellington at 7.30pm. Officers and committee members from 2015 were re-elected unopposed. You will find posted below our final annual reports, financial accounts and draft minutes of meeting (to be confirmed at next year's AGM). [wpdm_category id=draft-annual-reports-feb-2016 order_field=title order=desc]

The QHUG remote site enclosure being fitted out Doug ZL2AOV writes in his report on the WARC February 2016 club meeting: "QHUG members are expecting “a very active year” – Bernard ZL2BD made a Powerpoint presentation showing his summer work fitting out the fibreglass box with solid-state linears and power supplies, switching regulators to provide 230v DC, 24v and 12v DC for the various items, plus a solar panel regulator and wiring harnesses for the huge battery bank. Progressive testing is imminent – any noise problems will be dealt with as they arise. Other jobs to do are: complete the antenna switching and the SCADA software to operate remotely (SCADA = Supervisory Controller & Data Acquisition). Frank ZL2TTS has been working on this. Cooling circuitry also needs assembly and installation; the enclosure’s front panel will be modified for this. Noted that Ralph ZL2AOH is stepping down as QHUG treasurer after many years."

WSPR shows open paths on the HF bands At our 16 February meeting, James ZL2ET gave us an interesting talk on WSPR (pronounced "whisper") and its applications. Doug ZL2AOV summarised it as: "James ZL2ET discussed the challenges and possibilities involved in low-power, very low-speed propagation testing. WSPR (Weak Signal Propagation Reporter) is a computer-driven way to find out which bands are open, when and between what sites; it correlates this data and provides it on-screen. "Using a presentation prepared by Steve Nichols G0KYA, James took us through the equipment needed: a computer with a sound-card to generate the slow-speed FSK used, a transceiver with accurate and stable frequency control, a source of accurate time (propagation paths are found by comparing accurate time slots of data), and an internet link to upload the data to a central repository for automatic analysis and dissemination. Viewers can see what’s going on by pointing their web browsers at www.wsprnet.org. The files can be analysed by band, time, and even by transmitter source ... allowing insights into amateur radio DX prospects. "Transmitters don’t want to be high-powered (maximum five watts is fine) and milliwatts is possible. A Raspberry Pi model B can be programmed to…

Out came the steaks, chops, chicken kebabs, salads, and cake at the annual summer BBQ at the QTH of club chairman, Mike ZL1AXG, on 20 January 2016. Attendance was similar to previous years, but several XYLs came along for the first time. Please note that the February and March meetings are on the 3rd Tuesday, NOT on the Wednesday as per usual.

A total of 23 people were paid up to attend the 2015 Christmas Dinner (including a number of XYLs) held on Wednesday 9 December at the Evans Bay Yacht Club. Four people were, in the event, unable to attend, but those who turned up had an enjoyable time of socialising and feasting on the traditional "ham" main course and wonderful cream puffs for dessert. Mike ZL1AXG welcomed everybody and gave a few updates. He provided a "soft" sell on the mesh kitset (including cabling, Wifi Access point and phones) available for purchase through John ZL2HD and himself! John suggested that we shouldn't make Christmas too commercial, so no profits are being made - just a small contribution from every sale goes to mesh infrastructure around the region.

Morseketeer JE1CLH Ralph Sutton ZL2AOH, our oldest member, mentioned during his talk on CW and FISTS at the November 2015 branch meeting that he conducted regular skeds with three hams, the Three Morseketeers! (Mack JE1CLH, David G3KMG and Jonathan W0XO/7J1AWL.). In 2009, all three of them happened to be in Mack’s shack in Kimitsu, a city just across Tokyo Bay from Yokohama. Jonathan recorded their QSO with Ralph ZL2AOH and posted it on YouTube. It’s a fine example of an enjoyable rag-chew in very good conditions.

Branch Award for Sangster Shield Contest Wellington Branch 50 NZART (WARC Inc) won the inaugural trophy for the most active branch in the Sangster Shield Contest. This award, in memory of Tony Fletcher ZL2ALJ - a long-time Branch 50 NZART member, was presented to the Chair by the Sangster Shield contest coordinator, Glenn Kingston ZL2KZ at the Wellington Branch meeting on 18 November 2015. WARC Inc thanks Tony's wife for the gift that enabled the trophy fund to be established. While Wellington Branch won the trophy this year, it is to be hoped that other branches will encourage their members to participate in the NZART Sangster Shield contest held each May. The contest involves contacts over two evenings in early winter on QRP CW. Sangster Shield Branch Award Certificate

Our regular Wednesday 18 November meeting featured speakers with an interest in CW. It was an interesting night about keys, paddles, bugs and thoughts on the future of morse code. WARC members admiring a Begali key. George ZL2AG's monster 12" key can be seen in the background. We welcomed three members of Titahi Bay Branch 42 - Phil ZL2OWL, Max ZL2CVW and Ken ZL2TKY. Phil and Max brought along their prized Begali keys. Phil has a collection of over 100 keys, but those he most frequently uses are all Begali keys. His Begali collection includes straight keys, mechanical bug keys, and single and double paddles. I wish I had one too! Ralph Sutton (ZL2AOH) gave a very interesting talk on his introduction to morse code when he joined the navy, and then his continued use of morse when he joined the Merchant Navy. Ralph joined the ranks of amateur radio operators when he retired in 1990 as a result of encouragement from Trevor King, ZL2AKW, another of our WARC members. Ralph subsequently initiated the establishment of FISTS in New Zealand when the Morse Code requirement for licensing of radio amateurs was proposed for removal. New Zealand membership of FISTS peaked at just over 300 members and there are still over 150 members today.

The first three nodes of the Wellington Amateur Radio Mesh Network went live on 18 November 2014. So the mesh is now a year old. From 3 to 35 nodes in a year is not too bad!

http://remote.zl6qh.com Check out the new ZL6QH Remote Site website. This will chronicle developments with the proposed remote site of the Quartz Hill User Group.

Table sales coming up: Saturday 7 November, 9am: Kapiti Branch 69 Clubrooms Saturday 21 November, 9am: Wellington Power Boat Club, Titahi Bay

The third in a series of Broadband-Hamnet (Mesh) SIG meetings was held at the Tawa Community Centre on Thursday 22 October at 7.30pm. A slightly smaller group turned up, due to proximity to Labour Weekend and hte. John ZL2HD provided an introduction to how to get a node working when it didn't seem to be responding to your computer. Mike ZL1AXG provided an update on the mesh coordinating group meeting earlier in the week, and mesh developments.

It was Blackwood Cup time again on Wednesday 21 October. Four members brought along home brew projects they had completed over the last 12 months and gave a brief talk on them. John ZL2HD somewhat surprised himself by winning the competition, and taking away the cup. Of course the winner gets to go and get the engraving put on the cup base! John's construction was a clock inspired by a clock he acquired from the estate of the late Bill Hamer ZL2CD. However, this one is controlled within microseconds of the real atomic time and sources its time via an arduino and a GPS chip. In a sign of the times, most of the project time was spent in writing the Arduino "sketch" or program that controls the clock. Well done John! The runner up in the competition was Col ZL2COL who produced a rugged lightweight box for his FT857, power supply, tuner and other bits and pieces, including a swivel out light for the portable shack! This was put to the test on the South Coast at Karori Rock Lighthouse in the International Lighthouse Contest. Other entries included James ZL2ET application of a Raspberry Pi to a miniature transmitter deployed on WSPR service. Don't know…

James ZL2ET, Doug ZL2AOV, Ted Zl2TB and Mike ZL1AXG were up on Mt Climie on Saturday 26 September at the invitation of Branch 63. We installed a temporary 20dBi Airgrid M2 at the site pointing towards Colonial Knob. We were somewhat surprised to find that the radio lock in (at least intermittently) with the tell-tale red light showing on the Airgrid. However, we had issues in connecting a PC at the "shack" end. The cold and sleet meant we didn't pursue this any further when we had trouble removing the Airgrid from its extension shaft. On arrival back in Wellington it became clear that the Airgrid was actually connecting intermittently with the Ngaio node. This had not been anticipated or we would have aimed the dish in a slightly different direction! It is hoped to install an Airgrid soon at Colonial Knob to connect more reliably with Mt Climie.

The Broadband-Hamnet mesh network is continuing to attract interest and new amateur operators. The committee of the Wellington Amateur Radio Club Inc has purchased two Ubiquiti Nanostation M2 devices one to be installed on Colonial Knob facing north to open up the mesh northwards to the Kapiti coast. Expansion in this direction is required to provide a path back to Wellington for a remote HF station (a QHUG project). An OM from the coast is already interested in linking up. the other to be used as a portable unit at monthly meetings and in testing the mesh. This will be able to be borrowed by members (talk to our equipment custodian James ZL2ET) A special interest group (SIG) meeting on 17 September, at the Tawa Community Centre, was again well attended and included new faces. John ZL2HD, James ZL2ET and Mike ZL1AXG, all WARC committee members, talked about existing services on the mesh. Things to check out: Saturday 19 September, 7.30pm - Teamspeak 3 QSO party on celestial. Every Saturday, 8pm - UHF National System Mesh Net WLG Mesh node view from James ZL2ET here.

Don Beswick ZL2BL spoke on underground activities at Wrights Hill, the possibility of an underground tunnel complex in Mt Cook (under the former Dominion Museum) and the No. 10 set used at the end of the second world war (and which was installed in several locations around Wellington).   Under Wright's Hill, Karori Doug McNeil ZL2AOV noted in his report of the evening: "Don Beswick ZL2BL entertained and informed members with a wide range of photocopied images from the Wrights Hill project and the No 10 set – a valve-based eight-channel multiplexed voice transmission and reception system operating around 4500MHz. He also outlined his research into what the military and/or civilians built under the Dominion Museum building in Buckle St, Mt Cook. Don is convinced there are still tunnels down there; though public records point only to several air raid shelters. Don is writing a book on the topic – “there’s a lot more down there than we’ve been led to believe” and is seeking Massey University (the site’s occupiers) support to excavate spots on the site. Don’s talk, and members’ comments, extended to similar developments at Palmer Head and elsewhere in New Zealand."

A bunch of Wellington amateur operators at the Special Interest Group held in early August. There's lots of things going on with Broadband-Hamnet. The mesh network is expanding. On 22 August 2015) new nodes were established at Gloaming Hill (to provide coverage in the Titahi Bay area) and at the Titahi Bay Branch 42 clubrooms. This also brought on board another amateur station. In addition an additional node in Johnsonville has resulted in improved stability for the link to Ngaio (with Nanostation M2s in Johnsonville pointing both north and south to provide the bridging path). A successful SIG meeting was held in Tawa on 6 August with 18 enthusiasts turning out. A range of speakers whipped up interest amongst a range of local hams from branches across the region to join the mesh. The next Mesh net SIG meeting is scheduled for Thursday 17 September. Catch you there! Several Wellington amateurs also caught up with Rob ZL1FLY on 24 August over some 807s. Rob is a mesh champion in Auckland and has an active role in providing IP services to NZ amateurs on the mesh. Since meeting up with Rob, James ZL2ET has extended on of his mesh nodes to be a virtual tunnelling (VTUN) client and has connected the…

Arduino uno An Arduino is a small computer, primarily used in controller applications. Arduinos are now very cheap to buy (from about $9 each for a clone on Trademe) and their application to Ham Radio can be quite varied. Mike ZL1AXG gave a brief talk about the Arduino. Bernard ZL2BD and Mike ZL1AXG then assisted members with a "hands on" project involving passing CW from one end of a long table to the other on 433Mhz, using an Arduino. Members found that working with arduinos wasn't as difficult as they thought. The powerpoint presentation and information on the project can be found here. Information on other arduino projects can be found here.

Marconi Centre, Poldhu, Cornwall We heard tales of trips "home" to Cornwall from Bob Morris ZL2AVM. There was a pirate mentioned... just one as it happens, but Bob ZL2AVM took us on a fascinating illustrated communications romp through parts of Cornwall over several centuries. From coast-top beacons, flag signalling, telegraph experiments and undersea cables he lured us into his world as a lad growing up. His family links with the area helped set the scene for a discussion of Marconi’s activities (with special reference to Poldhu and Porthcurno, and to the impetus the development of railways gave to electrical signalling requirements. There was even a glimpse of Goonhilly (further west) which began as a satellite telecoms tracking station, only to change its nature as reliable undersea cables and “stationary orbit” satellites became dominant. The site of Bob’s first amateur station G3KYB was disclosed, and he asserted that while he had been tempted, he never did run an antenna from the shack up the adjacent church tower.

The third in a series of "nosh n natter nights" was a cold and blustery evening. However a dozen members turned out, complete with a plate. There was plenty of food. Excerpts from branch newsletters from the last 50 years were read out stimulating conversation. There was also a tape recording or two of silent keys talking about the "good old days" of amateur radio and the second district radio club (aka Branch 50). Most people were able to contribute something nostalgic - whether it was about their first crystal set, the amateur op who introduced them to amateur radio, or commentary on some strange electrical object that mystified the experts abroad (George's dielectric constant measuring device). The night went on until 9.30pm before the Chair thought he had better call an end to the meeting (after failing to stop the nostalgic contributions 20 minutes earlier. There were no boring tales, but maybe a porky or two (from Richard?)!

Did you once have an amateur licence? Did it lapse when you had to pay the annual renewal fee? There are no annual fees these days ... Get your licence back today! John ZL2HD, our “resident” ARX, is issuing new licences for free to people who have previously held an Amateur Radio operator's certificate (and callsign) that has lapsed. To regain your licensed status just join our club! John cannot guarantee provision of the original callsign, however, as it may have been reallocated. About four people a month are approaching him to take up this offer! Email John now

Our last meeting on Wednesday 20 May built on the April meeting where we got the theory. The May meeting we got some insight into the practice ... How to get Hamnet up and running at our own QTH. James ZL2ET, Mike ZL1AXG, John ZL2HD and Bernard ZL2BD set up a multitude of Wi-Fi devices around the hall ... then showed how the Amateur Radio software for these devices (each a node in a common network) could be used to do a variety of things – from checking on how many Wi-Fi links were out there (there are dozens in the building’s vicinity, and the display number grows as devices report on what they’re connected to) to a digital camera watching Col ZL2COL preparing supper out in the kitchen. In between James and Mike talked us through the control and application layers. These things are fast; the bulletin board software leaves Packet for dead! There are a range of available devices (even using old Link Sys routers); with the right units and antennas line of sight contact over distances up to 15km is possible. Wellington’s problem is its hills and valleys, so more nodes are needed to propagate the signal. A possible application (also being…

Kordia has kindly donated some surplus equipment for the QHUG future remote site. This includes two Datron 1Kw linear amplifiers and associated 28V power supplies as indicated in the images below. These will be straight forward to connect up to amateur transceivers at the remote site. We were also gifted two Datron transceivers that could be used for a range of purposes (e.g. beacon stations or for fixed frequency digital mode use) and a Furuno receiver. These donations are huge boost to the project!

Experiments with equipment for a remote site continue ... Bernard has now completed breadboards for connecting his Four Square remote controllers to Arduinos (both Mega and Uno arduino boards are on the breadboard) at each end (remote site and in Wellington). Now, for writing the software ...

VE3GSODave VE3GSO will speak at our April meeting about his experience with digital modes in Ontario, Canada. Come along to the Lutheran Church Hall, King St, Mt Cook at 7.30pm on Wednesday 15 April.

The AGM on Tuesday 17 March 2015 set this year's subscription at $30, a rise of $5. Direct payment to the club's bank account is preferred. Use your name and callsign as identifiers. Please pay to Wellington Amateur Radio Club Inc ANZ Wellington South 06-0577-0121800-00 Deposits over $30 will have the balance treated as a donation. Donations are most welcome. Receipts will be available on club nights, or by special arrangement. Please note that cheques posted to the club mailbox may take some weeks to be delivered to the treasurer. Note that your newsletter subscription will be automatically come to an end if subscriptions are not in the treasurer's hands by the end of the club meeting on Wednesday 20 May 2015.

For at least 11 months of every year, for the past 50 years, the Secretary or the Newsletter Editor of Branch 50 NZART (now Wellington Amateur Radio Club Inc) has prepared a newsletter for mailing to members with club news. Most of these newsletters have made it into the club's archives, but sadly a proportion of issues have not been filed. You can now read back in time as all copies of newsletters that we have in our archives have now been loaded on to the website. They have also been backed up on to hard drives and the cloud so that the hard copies cluttering up committee member's garages can be disposed off. It would be great if somebody had the time to write up a history of key events and activities spanning the 50 year period and to make a list of those occupying executive roles in each of the last 50 years. Let Mike ZL1AXG know if you have the time to do the necessary research! It would also be good to fill some of the gaps where we do not have newsletters, particularly missing years (like 2009 and 1999 from recent history). If you have any of the following issues it would be good…

Christmas Dinner at Evan's Bay Yacht Club has been and gone. It was a very good Christmas ham meal with special vegetables and salad. We all enjoyed the great view over the water and the quiet and peaceful setting. I imagine we may want to return again next year! All the best of the season to our members. Don't forget the BBQ at the Chairman's home on Wednesday 21 January at 6pm. Everybody is welcome! See the contacts section for phone contacts. Mike ZL1AXG  

ZL1AXG now on Hamnet - a Mesh Network for amateur radio operators Three WARC members have recently established a Mesh Network (Hamnet) on 2.4Ghz using Ubiquiti Nanonstation M2 equipment and Linksys WRT-54 routers. These pieces of wifi equipment operate on WiFi channel 1, but because this is in the amateur 2.4Ghz spectrum we are able to load mesh software developed by amateurs and, if necessary, operate on higher power and with gain antennas. The Nanonstation M2s seem to have good signals over 2Km paths with just 500mW of power, allowing 130Mps traffic. The Linksys devices have a more limited range and lower speeds. An IRC chat node, webserver, bulletin board and demonstration video application are up and running! For further information contact James ZL2ET to get yourself connected as a new node. Cost is around $170. You will need a computer! Temporary installation of Ubiquiti Nanostation M2 equipment running on Hamnet

by Mike ZL1AXG A four square antenna has now been built and assembled, assisted by a number of local amateurs (Doug ZL2AOV is photographer, Bernard ZL2BD, James ZL2ET, flatmate Josh, and Malcolm ZL2UDF and myself are in assembly mode). Full testing wasn't possible because 20m at the test location in Grenada Village was full of local QRN at S6+ and peaking over S9. It did, however, pull in stations on 15m, even if it was not designed for that band! The team are busy assembling the portable four square array for 20m. The array takes about an hour to assemble: four antennas, four feedlines, a control box, coax and an ethernet line back to the rig and remote control, and 32 radials! Bernard ZL2BD measuring the impedance at the feedpoint with his antenna analyser. Note that we found in this first test that the initial feed arrangement wasn't satisfactory, creating too much coupling to ground. Doug reworked the "feet" giving them nice painted toenails (in British racing green). I started this project with the intention of engendering interest in phased vertical arrays. I imagine that the club will get to play with this antenna (and hopefully others like it) in our annual efforts in Oceania DX Contest and CQ WW contests. 20m was…

Baluns and antenna tuners with our special Canadian guest, Dave McCarter VE3GSO AND Our annual Blackwood Cup shoot out for best home construction project. Lutheran Church Hall, King St, Mount Cook at 7.30pm on Wednesday 15 October 2014 Supper will be served as always. Please feel free to join us.

As I mentioned at our last club meeting, I have been working on a paper that argues for a reconsideration of DX and contesting antennas for the low bands. This means that a smaller site would be required for any replacement station for Quartz Hill. I argue in the paper that phased vertical arrays make the most sense for 160m through 30m for a NZ DX location. Any site larger than about 1Ha would be adequate to build a collection of such arrays. You can download the paper on the ZL6QH website. Mike ZL1AXG

July's "Chat 'n Chew" meeting was an excellent night all round, despite the weather. Check the club meeting minutes for details. (The saussie rolls must have gone fast; none there when I looked!) The August meeting, on Wednesday 20 August 2014, is an early-start (7pm) "Home and Away" event: the club will be doing a show 'n' tell at the Newlands Marae (Nga Hau E Wha O Papararangi, in Ladbrooke Road, Newlands) . Members who cannot make it are invited to come on-air about 7.30pm -- 7050 LSB -- and provide some input for our guests to be suitably impressed by. Glenn ZL2KZ will be picking up passengers at the Lutheran Church Hall, King St, Newtown, at 6.30pm; let him know if you need a lift.  

The first draft of Auckland's Unitary Plan (District Plan) would have been a nightmare for amateur radio operators wanting to put up antennas in their backyard. Effectively, hams would have been required to seek a resource consent costing $1000's for every antenna system, and any change to that system. NZART and local branches of course have put in a submission. The feedback report on infrastructure released by the Council following submissions from ratepayers and interested parties had this to say about amateur radio antennas: "There were a number of comments seeking amateur radio structures and operations to be enabled. Divided views are evident between supporters and opponents of amateur radio operator masts and aerials. While operators suggest a height limit of 15 metres, those opposed suggest the adoption of guidelines from the legacy North Shore City Council which were much more restrictive." Town planning decisions in one district, ultimately impact on all other districts looking to update their district plans. Wellingtonians did not fare well when it came to mast height restrictions in our own District Plan. It is not too late to make a submission to the Auckland Council, but you must be in by Tuesday 22 July at 5pm. Glenn Kingston ZL2KT has been following…

The committee recently purchased (following agreement at the May club meeting) a new transceiver for the club. This is an Icom IC7410. The transceiver comes with a small switch mode power supply. Members may borrow the transceiver by contacting the Equipment Custodian, James Smith. Phone James at 021 164 8787 or email him at equipment@zl2wb.com

Welllington Amateur Radio Club Inc members have been invited to attend the next meeting of the Lower Hutt Branch 18 NZART meeting on 7 July 2014 at 7.30pm at their clubrooms for a talk by John Yaldwyn on Digital Modes. It would probably help the Hutt club arrange the chairs and prepare the supper if WARC members intending to attend were to let Br 18 president Don Cuthbert ZL2DON know in advance (donald.cuthbert@gmail.com)