QNews for July 27th 2025

Sad news to impart that Col Christiansen VK4VIK lost his battle with cancer in Townsville University Hospital on Wednesday, 23rd July. Col hailed from the Charters Towers City suburb of Broughton and had been under treatment in Charters Towers and Townsville for 14 months, often shuttling from medical treatment in the big smoke back to his beloved workshop and radio shack.

Regional hams will miss the regular reports from Col and will mourn the loss of someone who, despite age, made good use of technology from heritage to the bleeding edge. Vale Col Christiansen VK4FVIK/VK4VIK - Another Silent Key

I'm John VK4JPM Secretary of the Darling Downs Radio Club, and this is our bit for QNEWS for week of 27 July. With the Club's AGM coming up, now is when we need remind everyone that it's also membership renewal time. Technically, all memberships expire at the end of June, but we've been holding back sending the renewal reminder because we have been working towards a big improvement in our membership process. And it's time for some exciting news. By the time you hear this, a new online system will be in place to allow membership applications and renewals be fully completed online, using any device that supports a browser.

Technorama is the peak body for all the technologists who support community broadcasting in Australia. We're getting together in Toowoomba over 8, 9 and 10 August 2025. TR25 would be a great way to meet your colleagues in person (maybe for the first time) and to see how amateur radio and broadcasting intersect. Both fields can feed from each other, and the theory you learn to get the amateur radio licence is perfect to help you do a better job in broadcasting. Who knows - it could turn into a career!

Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking. The world is really a dynamic place in which we live. Take technology and the developments that are being reported almost daily. Regardless of the politics surrounding climate change, the market forces of industry are driving changes to how things are done. For instance take the popular mode of personal transport, the motor car. Over the years the body shape and materials used in construction have changed and the internal combustion engine has been developed to try and keep the air we breathe cleaner than it had been allowed to go. Now the almost fetished single minded goal of some acolytes has been the development and promotion of electric motive power. What we seem to hear less of is the various alternatives such as engines running on various hydrogen based chemistry and hopefully prevent the disasters of self immolation from the lithium based early technology. Here is something that is happening as we live and breathe and we can be the interested spectators and take part in the choices that may select which items or technologies survive to contest the most “green” solution to pollution. Why am I talking about motor cars when we are promoting and enjoying amateur radio? When we engage a speaker it may be one of our fellows or a stranger to our club but it is certain if they have a favourite topic they will be able to illustrate the subject. Just because we like to hide behind the nerdy electronics banner should not mean that that is the only area that can be discussed. Hams are well known for having a broad range of interests and expanding the personal knowledge base with a good presentation sets the ground for further thinking. We don’t have to be tied to just history subjects directly related to AR and we don’t have to be bamboozled by technical detail that sails over our heads. There is the happy medium where learning and entertainment can live together. There is the possibility that something picked up during a talk and Q&A can provide the answer to a matter that you hadn’t found the answer for. We can all live in hope of a good time with our fellow enthusiasts. I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and that's what I think, how about you?