Henry VK2ZHE writes:
On the weekend of the 15th and 16th of October 2016 the Oxley Region Amateur Radio Club will again be running two JOTA stations. The club station VK2BOR will operate from the club’s communications caravan to be located at the 1st Port Macquarie Sea Scouts’ boatshed at McInherney Park. The second station will operate from the Wauchope Scout Hall where Lyle Smith VK2SMI will set up his communications caravan for the weekend.
The ORARC Christmas party will be held this year at a fabulous new venue:
Jim VK2VIV writes:
The large viewing deck which overlooks the picnic area has been reserved for our Christmas get-together. There is one large table with seating but it might be advisable to bring a chair and a small table if you have one, there is plenty of shade with a covered BBQ and the toilets are nearby. Members can drive up to the area, unload then park back under the shade of the trees.
The club will supply the usual BBQ meal, as well as a pre lunch cheese platter.
For those wishing to venture inside the cellar door, they have on show a sample of local paintings, not to mention their array of wines.
I have suggested we postpone the December meetings usually held at that event to encourage our partners to attend and enjoy what I hope will be a most pleasant day (still to be confirmed by Committee).
The weekend of September 17th and 18th was a busy one for Amateur Radio, we had the Manly Warringah Radio Society Flag Pole Contest, the Westlakes ARC Annual Field Day and the WICEN (among others) SAREX Event at the Barrington Tops (who are looking for the lost light aircraft VH-MDX).
While all events were a success, the clear standout of the weekend has to be Bob, VK2ZRE, who made the Channel 7 news. Bob writes:
Hi all,
This is what we got up to on our weekend away in the Barrington and
Gloucester Tops area in NSW over the weekend of 15-18 September 2016.WICEN is a group of radio amateurs who provide emergency communications
to various emergency agencies. We are a specialist squad of the NSW
Volunteer Rescue Association (VRA).It was a camping experience complete with cold, wind and (a little) rain.
Spectacular views from some of the radio repeater points made it well
worth the effort. The ground search teams had a pretty tough time in the
dense rainforest understory.It was a multi-agency search and rescue exercise with a real target,
missing aircraft VH-MDX, albeit 35 years old. Unfortunately, we did not
find the missing plane this year either.Cheers…Bob
Watch the Channel 7 news item (as aired September 18th) here. Whilst this was certainly a large exercise with many involved parties it’s fantastic to see it (and by extension our hobby and affiliated organisations) getting the publicity it deserves.
Bob has been working hard to re-establish a WICEN branch on the Mid North Coast and has called for expressions of interest from ORARC members who’d like to participate. If you were absent from the monthly meetings where this has been discussed and are interested please let Bob VK2ZRE know at your earliest convenience.
The Westlake’s Field Day was most enjoyable from both a social and shopping standpoint! The turnout was excellent and there were many quality bargains to be had despite the soggy weather. I ran out of money way too early but am very happy with my purchases! I highly recommend the trip! Here’s a few snapshots from the day:
September Oxtales has been released!
Our regular thanks to John VK2AYQ and Trevor VK2TT for another excellent read – and thank you to all contributors.
Members should now have received their copy by email (several days ago actually), but website copies of the current and past editions can always be found here.
Richard VK2CHC has been in contact with the organisers of the Beechwood Billy Cart Classic and confirmed that the event this year will be held on October 23rd and that the services of ORARC will be required.
We will require Fifteen volunteer radio operators. Thirteen will be Checkpoint marshals including a net controller, Lyle on the PA truck and hopefully Paul in the commentary vehicle (Paul: Sold!).
Could existing volunteers please confirm their availability for the event with Richard? Members who are in a position to assist should also contact Richard via normal channels or email the club at vk2bor@orarc.org.