CRARC Club Update – March 2026
The CRARC committee meets on-line on the second Wednesday of the month to discuss the running of CRARC. This email is an outline of items covered and other topics potentially of interest to CRARC members and is promulgated to keep members aware of what is going on.
Membership Price Increase
At the AGM in February the club voted to raise the membership fee to $50/yr. This will be implemented on the 1st April via the club’s membership system at crarc.tidyhq.com for everyone joining or renewing their membership on or after that date.
Membership
As at the March Committee meeting, club membership was at 203 financial members. As always, if you have any membership queries or problems, contact Graham on membership@crarc.org.au and visit crarc.tidyhq.com to renew or update your membership.
WICEN
The ACT WICEN group provided equipment support to the Dementia Australia Canberra Memory Walk & Jog in late February. Donations from these sort of events help fund the club and lets us keep our membership costs so low. If you participate in another sport or event that might benefit from communications support, mention us to them.
Education
Last weekend saw the Education Group run the March Foundation Course. 9 students attended and all passed. We look forward to seeing all new Foundation calls on-air soon and invite you to the new Foundation Night Meeting (See below for more information).
WIA Weekly Broadcast
A reminder that there is a broadcast of the weekly WIA News at 9.00am local time via our VHF and UHF repeaters on Mt Ginini, 146.950 MHz and 438.050 MHz. Callbacks are welcome on both frequencies after the transmission.
Club Website
The club runs a website at www.crarc.org.au where you can find information on the club’s activities, repeaters, beacons and events. It’s worth paying it a visit regularly and checkout the blog and events pages for new information and upcoming events.
Club Merchandise
A reminder the club has T-Shirts, Polos, Hoodies, Sweaters and Caps available via our merchandise store at merch.crarc.org.au. Items are printed with the club logo, your callsign and your name and each item sold provides a small contribution to the club. With Winter approaching it’s time to order that Hoodie or Sweater to wear to club meetings and events!
Upcoming Club Events
Tomorrow Night’s Monthly Meeting – Wednesday 25th March
This month’s meeting is tomorrow night at the club rooms – Doors open at 6:30pm The meeting will include a presentation by Andy VK2OGR on the Jindalee Over The Horizon Radar network (JORN). As usual, Pizza, Coffee, Tea and biscuits will be available. The usual $5.00 per slice of Pizza is requested to cover costs. There will be a Vegetarian option for those that prefer it.
Foundation Night Meeting – Wednesday 1st April
Foundation Night Meeting is a new initiative from the Canberra Region Amateur Radio Club, held on the first Wednesday of every second month (Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct, Dec).
These sessions focus primarily on Foundation-qualified operators within the club, including those recently qualified as well as longer term Foundation members who would like to become more active in this diverse and enjoyable hobby but may not yet have had the opportunity or guidance to do so.
The evenings are informal and practical, providing an opportunity to ask questions, see demonstrations, and learn from other members. Topics may include equipment selection and demonstrations, antenna building, contesting, and operating Amateur Radio outdoors.
All CRARC members are welcome to attend, and we especially encourage experienced operators to join us to share their knowledge through discussion and demonstrations, helping others become more engaged and enjoy the many aspects of Amateur Radio.
Even if you are not yet qualified but are interested in Amateur Radio (and perhaps considering gaining your qualification), you are very welcome to attend.
As usual Coffee, Tea and biscuits will be available.
Pizza may be available, dependent on numbers and consensus. The usual $5.00 per slice of Pizza is requested to cover costs with a Vegetarian option for those that prefer it.
Current Repeater and Beacon Status
| Repeater | Status | Comment |
| Isaacs 2m Analogue | Operational | |
| Isaacs 2m D-star | Operational | |
| Isaacs 2m Beacon | Operational | |
| Isaacs 70cm Analogue | Operational | |
| Isaacs 70cm DMR | Operational | |
| Bulls Head 2m Analogue | Operational | |
| Ginini 2m Analogue | Operational | |
| Ginini 2m APRS | Operational | |
| Ginini 70cm Analogue | Operational | |
| Ginini 23cm Beacon | Not Operational | Removed from site for upgrade and re-alignment |
| Ginini Goulburn Link | Not Operational | Qantar fault. Clashes with new UHF RX frequency |
Full details on each of the above services are available on the club’s website at www.crarc.org.au.
—
Carl,
vk1kcm,
A CRARC Vice President.
vk1kcm,
A CRARC Vice President.