QNEWS for 30th August 2026

From Darling Downs and the World comes this week's grab-bag of news from the Darling Downs Radio Club. Hi, I'm John VK4JPM, Secretary of theClub. Coming up after QNEWS, starting at 1000 if this is the morning edition,you're invited to join our Club Net either via VK4RDD repeater on 146.750 (and don't forget the 91.5Hz CTCSS tone), OR - if you're brave - join via Echolink. Look for VK4DAK-L or node 6925. And on our website there will be link to the easy-peasy instructions for using Echolink. For those who went looking on the site last week and didn't find anything: it wasn't your fault. Despite being highly technical people, sometimes murphy wins. So... check it out. ddrci.org.au and if you can't find a mention on the home page directly, check that we might have hidden it as a calendar entry... that's the scrolly thing that is at the top of the home page. While you're there, check the detail on the next club meeting, coming up on Monday 14 September. We're visiting community radio station 4DDB-FM, where they are literally raising the roof as you hear this. That's in turn meant taking down the transmitter link, and changes in technology, so there will be much to discuss and learn. As hams we can experiment with microwaves, but if you're a 24x7 radio station everything has to be rock solid. We'll discuss 10GHz, 5Ghz and lots of digital stuff, like how much. forward error correction does it take to change a light bulb? The studio itself is good old analogue audio, so much to learn there. If you've never seen a broadcast station: here's a place to start. Details in the calendar entry on the home page and EVERYONE is welcome whether you're a club member, a licensed ham, or none -of-the-above. Just pretend to be interested and we'll let you in. The 52 Week Ham Radio Operator Challenge is now at week 36 because... it's week 36. And in week 36 you're invited to push the homebrew envelope. The first part of the challenge is to use a piece of homebrew gear to make the contact. It doesn't matter if you have to dust off that heathkit; build a tuned van-der-graaf generator, or construct a special antenna... although to be fair, EVERYONE makes their own antennas so it's an easy target. Then comes part two: to claim the prize in week 36 the person at the other end should be using home brew too. Here's a chance to phone a friend, or just get on air and see what happens. You could be really surprised. Next week we're going to report on some of our outreach work with scouts and guides, and don't forget that JOTA/JOTI is coming up in October. That's in our calendar too. But if you'd like something not in the calendar, ask about our tailored education and training. What would it take to update your skills from nothing to Foundation, or from a lower to a higher class licence? Let us help. Drop a line to [email protected] and let us help you to kick a few goals. That's it for this week: 2m net follows, and if you missed anything or you can't find an answer on the website, email [email protected] and someone who looks a lot like me will get back to you pretty quickly. Until next week, I'm John VK4JPM for the Darling Downs Radio Club.