CRARC Update – September 2026
CRARC Update
September, 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
SK – David Thorncraft, VK2UDT (ex VK1UDT)
We’ve been advised of the recent passing of Dave, VK2UDT, ex VK1UDT. Dave was heavily involved in WICEN ACT and quite active in the club before he moved down the coast. The club will be writing to his wife Linda (Lin) VK2HTL and daughter Erin VK1FERN to express our condolences.
Southfest 2026 – 21st November
Rob, VK1RN and Graeme, VK1IO and a few others have stepped up to organise and staff the SouthFest 2026 stand. Volunteers are still welcome, and even if you can’t assist, then pop down and visit. Southfest 2026 is on the 21st November at Anketell St, Greenway, Tuggeranong.
More details at http://southfest.au/.
WIA Associations Training
The WIA has organised some sessions in governance training for affiliated clubs. The aim of the training is to provide practical and relevant training for club executive members in a number of areas including
- Terminology, law, tax status
- Board / Committee roles, legal duties, accountability, responsibility, conflict of interest
- Key documents, Constitution, By-laws
- Operation of the Board / Committee, including planning, agendas, minutes, confidentiality and finances
- Improving Board / Committee performance
There are only 2 slots available per club so the committee has nominated Matt VK1MA and Carl, VK1KCM. This training will occur over the next few weeks.
CRARC Net on Bulls Head
Graeme VK1IO advises that the Wednesday night CRARC net had some timing issues with it clashing with other CRARC activities. To avoid these issues the net is moving to every second Monday night at 7:30pm local time. The first net will be tomorrow night, 14th September on the Bulls Head VHF Repeater (146.900 MHz)
Quangsheng Radios
The Quangsheng UV-K5(8) radio has proved quite popular with 15 being sold so far to members along with the majority of recent Foundation course graduates electing to join the club and receive the radio. We still have a good stock of units so now is a good time to get yours. Visit www.crarc.org.au/shop/ to order and attend a Tech Night or General Meeting to pick it up.
Local Nets
-
- The CRARC Net happens on every second Monday night at 7:30pm local time on the Bulls Head VHF repeater and Allstar Link 61624.
- Local D-Star chat net happens every Sunday night at 8:30pm local time on the VK1RBM D-Star repeater on Isaacs Ridge. Remote stations can connect their hotspots or repeaters to VK1RBM-G, XLX301 module C or Allstarlink node 502341.
Upcoming Club Events
Tech Night – Wednesday 16th September 2026
This coming Wednesday is Tech Night.
This Tech Night we will be setting up an Allstarlink node, looking at power reticulation in the shack, continuing to work on the Collins receiver and looking at programming your radios using Chirp.
Due to the popularity of tech night, the normal smaller room we have been using has become somewhat crowded and noisy making it hard for people, especially newcomers to ask questions or have discussions. To help with this we will break out into some of the other rooms to try and make it easier for newcomers or to work on equipment.
Remember, if you have any questions on ham radio topics then come along this Wednesday Night and ask.
- 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 23rd September 2026
The following Wednesday is General Meeting Night.
Tom, VK1CAT will be presenting on “Operating Overseas as a VK Call”.
Topics covered would include:
- What to know before you go
- What to take
- Where to operate
- Making contacts over the air and in person.
- Resources and research
- 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
|
Repeater |
Status |
Comment |
|
Isaacs 2m Analogue |
Operational |
|
|
Isaacs 2m D-star |
Operational |
|
|
Isaacs 2m beacon |
Operational |
|
|
Isaacs 70cm Analogue |
Operational |
|
|
IRLP/Echolink |
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 |
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 September Committee meeting, club membership was at 213 financial members, 6 of which are life members. 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 19/20 September. It is currently fully booked with 12 students. The following course will be on the 14/15 November.
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. Spring has arrived and it’s time to order that T-Shirt, Polo or Cap to wear to club meetings and events!
Club Shop
The club is providing the Quangsheng UV-K5(8) handheld radio to licensed members. The UV-K5(8) is a 5W dual band VHF/UHF handheld which is quite capable, and also cheap enough that losing or damaging it is less of a problem. These radios come with a programming cable and USB-C charging but without the cradle. To get yours visit the CRARC Shop at www.crarc.org.au/shop/.
Carl,
vk1kcm,
A CRARC Vice President.