Western Suburbs Radio Club Inc. August 2008 Newsletter ZL1AC, Branch 03 NZART 3000 Great North Road New Lynn, PO Box 15-122 New Lynn WAITAKERE 0640 President: Andrew Barnett ZL2ALW, Secretary: Vacant. Newsletter Editor – John Neill ZL1NE VHF Club Net Wednesday 07:30pm 146.525 MHz, HF Club Net Fridays 07:30pm 3.623 MHz Website http://www.qsl.net/zl1ac

Club Calendar

Saturday	9^th	August	Hamilton Market Day
Saturday	16^th	August	Bring and Show. Start 10 am. This replaces the Monday evening meeting scheduled for 11^th August
Saturday	11^th	October	Western Suburbs Radio Club Used Equipment Sale - Rosebank School Hall

August Meeting

The next Club meeting will be a daytime meeting on Saturday 16^th August. This will replace the usual Monday evening meeting. The meeting will be a show and tell. Bring your latest project and let the other club members know what you have been up to. If you have not got a recent project then bring something that may be of interest to others even a crystal set! With the wet cold nights of recent weeks, the Saturday morning meetings are proving to be an attractive alternative to venturing out on a cold wet night.

Waitakere Sprints

The Waitakere Phone and CW Sprints have been and gone. It is now time to get your log sorted if you haven’t as yet and post it to David ZL1DK the contest manager. David will receive logs in any format that you can manage at prc@ihug.co.nz. A list of logs received to date can be seen at http://www.qsl.net/zl1vk/LogsWSP2008.rtf. The preferred method is by email but a paper copy will be accepted at the Clubs postal address PO Box 15-122 New Lynn, WAITAKERE 0640 or the Papakura Radio Club.

AREC

During the recent storms the AREC members of Western Suburbs were monitoring the designated frequencies in case the need arose. Luckily the weather bomb did not wreak too much havoc on the Auckland region and no traffic eventuated. The frequencies being monitored were the 670 repeater and 145.1250 simplex.

Used Equipment Sale

Don’t forget the Used Equipment Sale to be held on 11 October. Start looking for that equipment that you do not require any longer and could sell or donate to the club to sell.

Hamilton Market Day

A number of club members will be travelling to Hamilton this Saturday 9^th August for the Hamilton Market Day at the Claudelands Showground. Doors open at 10 am.

ATV Working Bee

The ATV working bee has not occurred as yet mainly due to the inclement weather that we have been experiencing over the last two months and is showing no signs of abating. The working bee will be scheduled for later in the year.

Repco - Rally New Zealand 2008

Rally NZ gets underway this year on Friday 29th August. The itinerary is at: http://www.qsl.net/zl1vk/2008RNZItinerary.pdf Again, we would like your assistance to provide emergency communications for the rally. The form to complete is at: http://www.qsl.net/zl1vk/ARECRALLYFORM.html  If you are able to assist please forward your details to David.

David ZL1DK.

Branch reports May 1951. 57 years ago !

Copied from Break-In By Merv ZL1SK

WESTERN SUBURBS BRANCH NOTES (Scribe ZLIVA)

Hail to thee, spirits blithe and bottled. A lusty young voice from NZART's newest branch takes the air to add more power to the mutual QRM. As yet small of stature, 43 members, the branch is growing rapidly, having increased its membership by 70% in the past year, while finance upped 500%. With 100 hams in its area, the branch is making plans for plenty of activity. Some members are busy building the clubhouse, others are just busy while others yet are only just. At time of writing, the clubhouse was not finished-QRX roofing. When completed, however, this building will be really something. We might even do better than North Shore. Lecture and instruction equipment will be set up, some poor unfortunates elected, appointed, coerced or bludgeoned into running classes of instruction for all and sundry, ZL1RK (Club Call) put on the air and the brakes taken off. Gosh, what a noise!!

Recent elections for branch executive resulted in last year's team returning to office with 1HA Chairman, 1ST Secretary and 1ACN Treasurer. They made various excuses to get out of the job but didn't stand a show. It's their own fault, they shouldn't have made such a go of it last year. Efforts of branch members during the expansion have been grand. 1MH donated many week-ends of his valuable time to the organisation and supervision of the building, while another member dug some shady deeds out of a cabinetmaker's past, blackmailing him to the good effect of eight new seating forms for the clubhouse. 10L and 1ADW pitched in and jacked up the wiring. As far as activities on the air are concerned there is not much we can say. Just listen anywhere between 400 kc/s and 400 megs and you're sure to hear one of the gang. A keen newcomer is 1AHP who intends to thrill you all with his CW. The widely notorious 1BE has blossomed forth in full glory on 10. 1HA Quadmunicates round the world on 10 and 20 phone, while 1DK continues to knock spots off the Yanks with his sterba on 10.

Now that the grape season is QRT, 1WI intends to give the air a little more attention, that is if products of the said grapes don't work their havoc first. 1TO and 1VW continue to show the flag on 6 and 1ABD prepares to reinforce them. Heard 1UU on 80 phone other evening, must be something really wrong with old Keith. 1ST joins the nightly scraps on 40 and 20 CW having pitched battles with 2GH, 21C, 2MM, etc. An event of international importance recently was the appearance of 11M on 20 CW after three years QRT. First call he hooked a ZB1. Some guys. . . !! He assures me that his fancy pants are made of textile and that his lower parts are pure flesh and blood.

If you're ever out this way drop in and see us. We have to be seen to be believed. For a sked at meeting night contact 1ST.

OK fellas, tks swell QSO, 73, cu agn.

ZL1BVK Antenna Pictured below is the antenna situated at ZL1BVK’s QTH. Alex has no further use for the antenna and it must come down. A working bee of club members is required to remove the antenna for Alex. We will discuss when this can be achieved at the club meeting on Saturday 16^th August.

Club Nets

VHF Net 146.525 MHz 7:30pm every Wednesday, HF Net 3623 KHz +/- QRM/QRN 7:30pm every Friday. All are welcome to check in on the nets. The full HF Net Roster can be found on http://www.qsl.net/zl1ac/wsrc-hf-roster.html.

8-Aug-08	ZL1ACZ	Barry
15-Aug-08	ZL1WI	Roy
22-Aug-08	ZL1VRR	Ross
29-Aug-08	ZL1MW	Brian
5-Sep-08	ZL1NE	John
12-Sep-08	ZL1ACZ	Barry
19-Sep-08	ZL1WI	Roy
26-Sep-08	ZL1VRR	Ross
3-Oct-08	ZL1MW	Brian

Rainfall

Below are graphs of rainfall recorded at the editors QTH. As you can see rainfall for the first few months of the year was below normal. However June and especially July have been wetter than normal bringing the cumulated rainfall back to the average for this time of the year. It remains to be seen what the rest of the year will bring.