November Meeting: CQ DX de XV4Y

Club member Yan ZL4YY (also F1TUJ and XV4Y) talked about his operations from South-East Asia, where he lived for many years with his wife and son.   He talked about the way amateur radio callsigns are obtained, licensing requirements, descriptions of other Vietnamese operators, and equipment at his home QTH (left outside on the verandah to reduce moisture damage).    Yan demonstrated an impressive list of countries worked and DXCC twice over!

Yan finally received his ZL licence last month, so you will no doubt hear him around the bands now that he has settled in to Wellington with his family!

Annual Blackwood Cup Competion

At our October 2016 meeting (held on 16 October at the Lutheran Church Hall, King St, Mt Cook in Wellington) we held the annual Blackwood Cup contest for the best homebrew project over the last 12 months

With only one contestant, Doug ZL2AOV, the outcome was pre-determined and Doug was awarded the Cup for his QRP SSB project.  It’s interesting that Doug’s late father Frank (then Z2CD) won the Blackwood Cup back in 1931 with an Emergency Transmitter.

September Meeting – “All at Sea”

In the September meeting Bob ZL2AVM recounted his experience in working at sea as a Marconi tech and then subsequently on the boats that brought “10 pound poms” to New Zealand.  His talk last year on Cornwall and Marconi was very well received by members and this year’s was also well received.

August Meeting – What antenna can I put up in Wellington?

Tower and quad

John ZL2HD spoke at our Wednesday 17 August about the kinds of antennas, masts and towers that are permitted within the Wellington City boundaries.

John outlined efforts involved in trying to protect Amateur Radio interests in the face of city council moves to regulate the proliferation of cellphone towers and streetside cabinets.

The process has continued since 2010, when cellphone masts started proliferating.  The council had no control over placement of antennas on the roadside utility corridor.     Wellington has separate definitions for antennas and aerials in its District Plan – antennas are what telcos use, aerials are thin bits of wire that radio amateurs want.   Masts are fine.  Towers are something else again.

The upshot: “Masts or supporting structures of any height are permitted if they are below 102mm in diameter (guys don’t count so long as they’re not thick); “fatter things” (including lattice masts) cannot exceed 18m in height on a residential site, or rise beyond 5m above the “building profile.” The building profile is determined by a surface at 45 degrees to the horizontal starting two metres above the ground on the property boundary.

Rural sites have their own rules, seasides and ridgelines are special cases. Heritage areas are a separate problem. Existing installations survive (the cutoff being October 2013).  Thin supporting structures are possible right up to the boundary, and trapped verticals are thin enough to be fine.

NOTE WELL:  It is important that you check the city council’s rules and variations when planning to erect aerials, antennas, masts or towers.