Branch 50 Weekly Nets

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…

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.

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…