CRARC News – June 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. 

Topics Discussed

The committee discussed 

• Foundation Course Quangsheng Radios 
  The club started a new initiative where successful Foundation Course graduates can elect to receive a Quangsheng UV-K5(8) handheld radio if they subsequently join the club.  This has been very successful with the majority over the past couple of courses electing to join the club and receive the radio.
• Merchandise.
  There were 2 orders last month consisting of 2 hoodies and a t-shirt.  

Upcoming Club Events

Tech Night –  Wednesday 17th June 2026 

This coming Wednesday is Tech Night and we will be looking at a 1948 vintage Collins radio and hopefully we will be doing some CPR to breathe some life back into it. Any knowledge on this radio will be welcomed.

There will undoubtedly be small groups discussing other topics of interest so please do not hesitate in bringing up any items of Ham Radio that may interest you

• As per usual, Coffee, Tea and biscuits will be available and Pizza will also be available for $5.00/slice. 
• Doors open at 6:30pm

General Meeting – Wednesday 24th June 2026

The following Wednesday is General Meeting Night.  Topic will be a discussion on the Quangsheng radios and radio modding in general led by Bob, vk1ed.

• As per usual, Coffee, Tea and biscuits will be available and Pizza will also be available for $5.00/slice. 
• Doors open at 6.30pm

Current Repeater and Beacon Status

The IRLP/Echolink node attached to the Isaacs Ridge 70cm FM repeater failed in late March, although the repeater itself remained operational. The SD Card in the Raspberry Pi had failed.  The system was rebuilt onto a replacement SD Card and returned to service. 

Full details on each of the above services are available on the club’s website at www.crarc.org.au.

Club News and Information

Membership

As at the June Committee meeting, club membership was at 217 financial members, 6 of which are life 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.

Education

The next Foundation Course will be on the 18/19 July.  It currently has 10 candidates booked.

WIA Weekly Broadcast

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 to checkout the blog and events pages for new information and upcoming events.

Club Merchandise

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 here it’s time to order that Hoodie or Sweater to wear to club meetings and events!