The next meeting of the society will be held this Thursday night the 16th April at the Blackwood Uniting Church with doors opening at 7pm for a 7:30 start. This week’s presentation will be delivered by Tim Dixon VK5ZT and will cover the development of 3.4GHz panel transmitters. Tim has developed considerable skills in operating in the top end of the spectrum from VHF right through to long distance transmission of light.
The next Foundation licence training session will be conducted in the Baha’i Learning Centre, 275 Flinders St Adelaide on the 3rd of May so if you know anyone wanting to obtain their licence or sit an upgrade exam please have them register their interest on the AHARS training page.
Last year with the club’s support a training group embarked on a fairly ambitious training program that allowed over 100 new amateurs to enter the hobby. We have now found what I think will be a very suitable training venue at the Baha’i Learning Centre 275 Flinders St Adelaide. We need to have sufficient assessors on hand to conduct the practical examinations without having to draw on their support too frequently. This year I am exploring additional sources of potential students including the Air Cadets, camping/caravanning groups, STEM colleges and further engagement with local councils so I see the need for additional assessors only increasing.
The training group maintains club neutrality and assessors from all of the metropolitan clubs have helped with training and examinations over the last few years. If you have an advanced licence and would like to become an assessor please contact me via email vk5ph@wia.org.au or call me on 0418803177.
It is an ACMA requirement that all assessors possess a Working with Children Check (WWCC) that are valid for 5 years. The link for the WWCC is
https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/rights-and-law/rights-and-responsibilities/screening-checks/apply-for-a-screening-check . All checks are free for volunteers.
When you have your WWCC certificate you can apply to become an assessor by logging onto this site https://www.acma.gov.au/acma-assist
OR by filling out and submitting a form available on this page https://www.acma.gov.au/publications/2024-02/form/application-become-accredited-assessor-under-radiocommunications-accreditation-amateur-radio-examinations-rules-2023
If you require assistance, have any questions or issues with either approach please give me a call. Also if you do submit an application please let me know so that I have a handle on the number of assessors coming on stream. The WWCC clearances come through within days however the ACMA can take up to several months to process what amounts to a simple rubber stamping of your qualifications so it is important to send the application through as soon as possible.
The committee is looking at arranging more outside activities especially to reinforce the practical aspects of amateur operation. More on this to follow.
Geoff Bridgland has secured the Marion RSL for what promises to be another great BIG Buy and Sell to be held on Saturday the 11th of July – Sellers 0830 and buyers 0930. This will provide a great opportunity to rid yourself of surplus gear while catching up with radio friends.
I am a firm believer that the amateur radio community in Adelaide will only prosper if there is more collaboration between the various clubs so I would like to see members attend other club’s activities just as I commend them to attend AHARS’ events. Visitors are always welcome to our club meetings and students are coming in from all over the state to attend our training courses. Some of these students join AHARS as they fall within our patch while other join their local clubs but the end result is a welcome growth in the amateur radio ranks.
So with this in mind I would like to remind you that the North East Club is running their Buy and Sell on Saturday 18th April at a hall located at 144 Smart Road, St Agnes with sellers admitted at 1030 and buyers at 1100 with a modest entry fee of $5.
See you this Thursday
73
Paul
President AHARS