March - April 2026
March - April 2026
 WIA Member Digital Edition Download
Editorial
Conferences
Perhaps my first experience of a planned and organised technical conference for radio amateurs in Australia was colloquially known as “the Albury Conference,” held over a weekend in 1972. It was about settling the differences over FM channels for simplex and repeater operations on the 2m band; as much “political” as it was “technical.”
Perhaps five years later, the Frankston & Mornington Peninsula ARC, quite young then, organised the FAMPARC Convention, held over one weekend. For me, it was a “must go.” Speakers both well-known and unfamiliar gave a series of stimulating talks. Additionally, the out-of-session casual meet-ups and discussions were an equally important part.
Sparked by that experience, I proposed that the VK2 VHF & TV Group do something similar. This resulted in the 1978 and 1979 Future Amateur Communications Techniques (FACT) symposiums, each held in Sydney over a weekend.
Meanwhile, life and career moved on until, at a Central Coast Annual Field Day, I was invited by Peter Freeman VK3PF (then VK3KAI) to give a presentation at the annual GippsTech Technical Conference, which I did in 2007. I became a regular attendee and presenter. First held in 1998, within a decade GippsTech had gained a deserved reputation as the doyen of Australian amateur radio technical conferences. The global disturbance of Covid-19 disrupted amateur field days, hamfests and conferences everywhere. GippsTech was one of the casualties.
The following drought of “brain food” for many operators spawned not a little discussion until, eventually, the drought broke. In 2022, the Radio & Electronics Association of Southern Tasmania (REAST) held The Tasmanian Ham Radio Conference – welcome to REAST. While similarly styled, it broadened the topic range of forebear events and proved a success. An annual conference was not sustainable, so REAST’s Hobart-based event became bi-annual in 2024 as Tassie Ham-E-Con.
GippsTech drew its predominant audience from VK3s, naturally, but built an audience that expanded, getting regular attendees from across VK1-VK7. While Tassie Ham-E-Con is still building its audience, a coterie of GippsTech regulars in VK4 felt a conference in southeast VK4 could serve a wide local audience and also draw stalwarts from the past and new events.
A trio from the Brisbane VHF Group (BVHFG) succeeded in devising and carrying off QTech 2025 last November. However, while clearly derivative of forebears, the organisers introduced a different tenor. The ‘presentation sessions’ over the two days of the conference weekend were grouped into three subject domains: “the new, the now, and the future.”
The Australian amateur radio fraternity, and – importantly – others with an interest, now have a smorgasbord of conferences each year, or bi-annually, from which to source important brain food.
Table Of Contents
Technical
 Two-band transceiver for Foundation operators and new-hand constructors. Part 1. - Lou Destafano VK3AQZ
General
Accessing the ACMA Assist Portal - Justin Giles-Clark VK7TW ## available for download below
Foundation Operator HF Band Plans liftout -WIA Technical Advisory C’ttee
Scouts Queensland delivers Foundation operator group training - Chris Allen VK4CAP
EMR: Will the Hall of Doom reveal it, or are we cloaked in a Pall of gloom? - Dr George Galanis VK3EIP
Youngsters embracing amateur radio - Finn Barry-Smith VK4II and Otto Pattemore VK4OTZ
WIA Contest Champion results for 2025 - Peter Richardson VK2PR
How do you feel about doing exams? - Andrew J. Martin, Emma Burns, Joel Pearson, Rebecca J. Collie, Roger Kennett
Files For Download
Page Last Updated: Wednesday, 08 Apr 2026 at 22:32 hours by Armag
|
