Branch 50 NZART
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