January - February 2026
January - February 2026
 WIA Member Digital Edition Download
Editorial
And it came to pass . .
In my editorial for Issue 1 last year, I reviewed the distressing demise of long established amateur radio events that served to nourish both innovation and imitation within the Australian radio amateur community – events like the annual Wyong Field Day, apparently slain by the disruption of the Covid 19 years, and the annual Gippsland Technical Conference, otherwise known as GippsTech.
While the Central Coast Amateur Radio Club’s Wyong Field Days offered a mix of traditional hamfest and tech-talk presentations in little more than half a day, GippsTech offered a weekend showcasing what amateurs had done, could do or should do – a Saturday and Sunday (mostly) of walking the walk and talking the talk, providing “brain food” for both audience and presenters alike.
Into the vacuum that followed these ritual ham radio calendar events stepped the Radio and Electronics Association of Tasmania (REAST). In November of 2022, REAST hosted the Tassie Ham Conference and Expo in Hobart. I could not resist such a drawcard. I was not disappointed.
REAST mounted a repeat event in late 2024, this time styled as Tassie Ham-E-Con. The only disappointment or dissuader here is the tyranny of distance. For an audience on the mainland, or “the big island” as some Tassie stalwarts might call it for derogatory purposes, Hobart requires serious commitment in time for the distance to be travelled.
From northern NSW or southeast Queensland, a Ham-E-Con may well as be in Mount Isa, as Hobart as the direct distances are of the same order, let alone other travel means.
To obviate the travel barrier in getting to Hobart’s Ham-E-Con, the Brisbane VHF Group conceived a similar event, to be held in the intervening years between Tassie Ham-E-Cons and announced QTech2025, to be held in Brisbane that November.
The trio of Brisbane VHF Group stalwarts – Kevin Johnston VK4UH, Scott McKenzie VK4CZ, and Peter Schrader VK4AE – spent many hours and much effort planning and pulling together the many threads needed for such endeavours and QTech2025 turned out to be a soaring success.
Kevin VK4UH said a year ago that, while the event’s parentage arises from both Gippstech and Ham-E-Con, “it will be different.” And it was.
While many of the presentations canvassed technical issues and advances in much the same vein as the forerunner conferences, QTech2025 introduced one particular outstanding presentation from two young local amateurs – Finn Barry-Smith VK4II and Otto Pattemore VK4OZ – who outlined the range of interests attractive to young people below the age of 25 from which new hams could be recruited and where such audiences can be found.
This talk was quite refreshing and entertaining, and certainly set the audience thinking. Hearing from locals among the target audience is something to be commended and set the tone for off-session conversations.
This was reinforced later the same evening by the pre-arranged international space station amateur radio chat session involving students from a local secondary school. Such ARISS events rivets the students’ attention, creating a barely suppressed excitement that broke out after contact with the ISS was passed. I’ve been present at a number of these events and witnessed the impacts on the students.
Inclusion of this as a feature of future amateur conference events demands serious consideration.
Table Of Contents
Technical
 Expanding the Icom IC-905 - Graeme Battistuzzi VK2QJ
Solar Cycle 25 - Roger Harrison VK2ZRH
General
When disasters strike, home batteries could be a lifeline - Jamshid Aghaei, Milad Haghani, Mohammad Reza Salehizadeh
Get that ‘buzz’ – pick a contest and give it a crack - Tom George VK3DMK
Election of Directors to the Board 2026 – Nominee Information - Returning Officer, Pete Cherry VK2LP
The Wireless Reserve and the WIA Part 1 - Peter Wolfenden VK3RV
VK7s celebrate 10 years of Sunday QSOs on 23cm - Rex Moncur VK7MO
A roundabout way into amateur radio - Xavier Nagl VK2XJN
Scouts, Safety and Signals: amateur radio powers a sought-after trophy - Justin Giles-Clark VK7TW
After seven years in hiatus, Tassie’s Miena Hamfest is back! - Eric van der Neut VK7EV, with Dave O'Brien VK7OB
Page Last Updated: Wednesday, 04 Feb 2026 at 21:36 hours by Webmaster
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