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.
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?)!
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.
