Wellington Amateur Radio Club - ZL2WB

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?