Wireless Institute of Australia

The VK QRP Club
(CW Operators' QRP Club)

Straight Key Century Club

Started: 03 Oct 10

VK2GAZ Amateur Radio

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My interest in Amateur Radio culminated in 1986 when I attained, with the assistance of many amateurs, my "Novice Amateur Operator's Certificate of Proficiency" and was allocated the call VK2MGC. This call was held for 10 months after which I passed the requirements of the "Amateur Operator's Certificate of Proficiency" and upgraded to the then Full Call (now known as the Advanced Licence Category) of VK2AGC.

The one person I owe the most to in being nurtured along in Amateur Radio was Rex Black VK2YA. We first made contact on Citizens Band (CB) radio and he soon had me on my way to the amateur bands. Rex gave his knowlege freely to anyone who was interested in becoming an Amateur Radio Operator, he (along with others) is accredited with starting what was then the Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) Education Service. Rex was a very keen Morse Code operator, making hundreds of contacts throughout the world using his trusty Yeasu FT-7.

Rex would be very pleased to see the advancements in the Amateur Radio service, I am sure he would welcome the introduction of the Foundation Licence as the first step towards attaining a "Full Call".

Below is an extract from the Blue Mountains Amateur Radio Club's magazine "Ragchew Lite" dated December 2007.

Rex Black Award

"Each year, the executive rewards a non executive club member for outstanding contribution to the club. This year’s recipient was Pascal VK2IHL.

A single trophy is presented to the recipient, while the name, callsign and year is engraved on a perpetual trophy which is kept in the club rooms.

Rex Black, (VK2YA) was a life member of the Club who , in the early 70’s instigated the Youth Radio Scheme and who, through dogged persistence was able to convince both Federal Government and the Radio Branch of the P.M.G’s Department that a ‘Novice’ Amateur Radio License would be of great benefit.

Many current club members owe their start in Amateur Radio to Rex Black."

Here is a link to Blue Mountains Amateur Radio Club's (BMARC) Rex Black Memorial Trophy page, there is a picture of the trophy and additional information on Rex and past recipients of the award.

As you may have gathered, I hold Rex Black in the very highest esteem and with his passing am very proud to now hold his callsign VK2YA along with VK2GAZ.

VK2GAZ Blog
Here is my blog of all things QRP, QRPP and Morse Code. Mostly consists of kits and projects which I have tried or built.
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Westlakes Amateur Radio Club
Westlakes would have to be the most progressive and forward thinking club in this state. I have been a member for more years than I care to remember and found the members to be warm, friendly and always willing to assist where ever possible.
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Learn Morse Code Online
At LCWO you can learn Morse telegraphy (CW) online in your browser. You don't need to install a program on your computer, and you always have your personal settings available, from any computer on the globe with an internet connection. You can also easily track your progress by means of different statistical functions. This is a fantastic way not only to learn Morse Code but also improve your skills if they are a little rusty like mine.
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The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is responsible for the regulation of broadcasting, the internet, (and most important for Amateur Radio Operators) radiocommunications and telecommunications within Australia.

This link to ACMA is for the Register of Radiocommunication Licences in Australia.
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Geocaching is an outdoor activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers (called "geocaches" or "caches") anywhere in the world. A typical cache is a small waterproof container (usually a tupperware or ammo box) containing a logbook. Larger containers can also contain items for trading, usually toys or trinkets of little value. Geocaching is most often described as a "game of high-tech hide and seek", sharing many aspects with orienteering, treasure-hunting, and waymarking.