Wellington VHF Group, Inc: Online.

A recent Amateur Radio Training Course run by the Tauranga Emergency Communications Group Inc., NZART Branch 88, trialled Wellington VHF Group’s preparatory material and ARX facilities.

Part of the procedure is that each successful candidate receives a message, firstly enabling them to check the accuracy of the certificate that SMART has emailed to them. Then secondly, to assure each new amateur that future assistance with regulatory matters is known to be available. The message from the Examiner to each new radio amateur reads:

This from Peter ZL2VK:

On Saturday, 10th April, 2010, the Belmont repeaters were switched off while work proceeded to remove the old and rusty door from the repeater hut and replace it with a nice new green one.

The old, rusted door.

Attached are some additional photos taken during the recent open day at the new Ngaio repeater site.

Solemn contemplation over a lemonade...	Dick ZL2TGQ declares 'it's all good'
Final Adjustments care of Peter ZL3TC	Official "Opening Ceremony" is completed with Dick ZL2TGQ, President of the Wellington VHF Group, cutting the ribbon.

Come and visit our new repeater site and see for yourself the location and covereage of this new addition to Group facilities. Hosted by the Trustees, Peter ZL3TC and David ZL2SX, the site will be open for inspection of this new digital/analogue repeater.

WHEN: Saturday 5th December, 11:00am to 3:00pm

HOW TO GET THERE: In the suburb of Khandallah, from Burma Road, turn into Cockayne Road, then into Punjab Street. Look for a lane on your right between houses numbered 14 and 18. This is marked with a sign which reads;

ODELL RESERVE
to Piwakawaka track

Images during the dipole antenna installation for the new 70cm repeater at Ngaio Reservoir, courtesy ZL2KG:

Peter ZL3TC and Gavin ZL2TVM

Dick ZL2TGQ with Peter ZL3TC

Wider view of the area as well as our Repeater Trustees, hard at work!

955 Repeater, along with TX/RX Duplexer, in the Branch 74 Rack at Ngaio Reservoir repeater site.

Wellington VHF Group Trustees came together for a technical workshop to famliarise with and to program the new IC-FR6000 analog/digital repeater destined for our new Ngaio Reservior site. After a concentrated effort on the new repeater, discussion turned to technical matters for our other sites as well. This all proved very worthwhile.

The repeater and circulator have been previously set-up and commissioned by John ZL4JY, with Gavin ZL2ACT aligning the duplexer. Thanks to both for their skills and effort, which is most appreciated by all.

L to R, David ZL2SX, Steve ZL2KG, Gavin ZL2TVM, Peter ZL2VK, Paul ZL2BEZ (at back), Peter ZL3TC. Photo by Dick ZL2TGQ.

This new repeater, Ngaio 955, will be installed later in November, and an “Open Day” is planned, when members can inspect the site.

An enthusiastic team comprising members from Wellington VHF Group and Taupo Branch were joined on this occasion by two Amateurs from Rotorua. Backup batteries and a new power supply/charger were installed, and the National System equipment was checked over.

L to R, Back: Gavin ZL2TVM, Peter ZL3TC, Mike ZL1KAN, Kelvin ZL1KU, Mike ZL1BTB, Murray ZL1SY. Front: Dick ZL2TGQ, Graham ZL1BVO.

Taupo turned on some excellent weather, and once the chores were finished, we all enjoyed a chat in the sun, accompanied by apple muffins, date scones and ginger beer.

Participation and Teamwork

In my last month report I appealed to members to get involved in projects and activities.

I was pleased to host a working bee recently where a team literally got their hands dirty on the Ngaio Reservoir repeater project. This involved stripping down, cleaning, sanding, painting, and finally reassembling a rack cabinet that will house our repeater. (This rack cabinet was donated to us some while ago, and has been in storage).

Here’s a snapshot of the team at work on a sunny Saturday afternoon, l to r, Ross ZL2UAC, David ZL4TAC, Jim ZL1TYF, Henry ZL2TUQ, Peter ZL2VK, and Joanna ZL2TJB.

By the time that you read this, a second team will have carried out some heavy maintenance at the Belmont site, re-running the underground mains, levelling the shack, and fitting the replacement door and frame. I will have further infomation about this in my next column.

Together these two activities have started off our summer season of work at repeater sites. If you want to get involved in the fun, please contact Peter ZL2VK our coordinator.

Training Classes commence

I am pleased to report that radio training classes have commenced, with six teenagers and two adults registered. Thankyou to our keen mentors/tutors for their time and effort with this.

Supporting KiwiSAT and small-signal activities

Last month I reported our plan to manufacture a portable beam antenna suitable for use with KiwiSAT.

Your Committee have agreed to underwrite the cost of development, including tooling and manufacture of components, and I am pleased to announce that John Andrews ZL2HD has taken the lead on this new project. This project will result in the design and production of a kitset, dual-band, crossed yagi, portable antenna. Further details will be reported by the team as work progresses.

Digital ATV

Our strategy document for introducing digital ATV has been published. I wish to record my thanks to Ralph Sanson ZL2TV, and Doug Ingham ZL2TAR, for the effort they have put into this and for their knowledge and experience in one of our more high tech areas of amateur radio.

See the “Brief and Strategy” paper elsewhere in this issue, and please also refer to “Digital Amateur Television Transmission Standards” Q-Bit, July 2009.

Support for IARU activities

Your Committee has approved a subsidy of up to $3000 for our three members of the IARU Liaison Committee to attend the full programme of the 14th IARU Region 3 Triennial conference which is being held in New Zealand this time, at Christchurch on 12-16 October. The subsidy is to cover travel and accommodation expenses for Don Wallace ZL2TLL (NZART ALO), Fred Johnson ZL2AMJ, and David Andrews ZL2SX, who are all members of the IARU Liaison Committee.

In granting this, your Committee recognises the strategic importance of the work of the IARU Region 3 organisation in relationships with the regional telecommunications organisations, and the Intenational Telecommunications Union, and culminating at the World Radiocommunications Conference, WRC-11.

We are reminded just how important this work is in maintaining our spectrum privileges, especially at a time when our own privileges are under direct threat by our N.Z. regulator, MED.

73,
Dick Greenbank ZL2TGQ
President

Yesterday, Saturday 19th September, an enthusiastic group carried out some heavy maintenance at the Belmont site, levelling the concrete shack. An advance team comprising Peter Ford ZL2VK, Peter Pohl, ZL2AYX, Randall Prentice ZL2RJP, Karl Wessels ZL2KGW, Bob Waters ZL2GF, Bruce Packer ZL2ABC, and Dick Greenbank ZL2TGQ trekked the 5km from the road end to the site. A trench was dug to locate the power cable, then extended to three corners of the shack, ready for installation of new piles.

Around midday the two vehicles of Gavin Cross ZL2TVM and Rick Smith ZL2TVY, with Peter Cobb ZL3TC, and John Andrews ZL2HD, arrived with the trailer carrying the door and frame, shingle, cement, water and jacks and other heavy tools. After a quick lunch the shack was jacked up, the piles installed and cemented. Once the cement had hardened, the trenches were back filled and tidied with topsoil.

Backfilling the trenches

Back l to r Rick ZL2TVY, John ZL2HD, Karl ZL2KGW, Randall ZL2RJP, Peter ZL2AYX, Peter ZL3TC, Bruce ZL2ABC, front l to r Bob ZL2GF, Peter ZL2VK, Gavin ZL2TVM.

Another visit in the next couple of weeks will see the new door and frame installed.

This from Peter ZL2VK:

The Belmont "shack" has stood the ravages of time by unfortunately the door has suffered with considerable rust that makes it extremely difficult to open and close. The door frame has become quite distorted as a result of the corrosion.

The current state of the Belmont Shack.