Branch 50 (Wellington) NZART – Known as the Wellington Amateur Radio Club
Our first regular meeting of the year was held on Tuesday 18 February 2023 at The Collective Hub, 1/33 Johnsonville Rd.
Mike ZL1AXG gave a presentation on the strengths and weaknesses of a range of entry-level Chinese mobile radios based on online reviews. This includes VHF and UHF analogue and DMR radios. A follow up talk in March (at our AGM) will look at various Chinese handheld rigs.
We were asked to bring along something related to amateur radio to talk about at our meeting on Tuesday 15 November from 1pm – 3pm. We met at the Collective Hub, 1/33 Johnsonville Road and finished with tea, coffee and biscuits. Some of the things brought along included:
John ZL2JPM gave his perspectives on a recent visit to Tasmania for a hamvention.
This was our last regular meeting for 2022, but our Christmas Dinner was on Monday 5 December 2022 at 12 noon. Contact Malcolm ZL2UDF to confirm your attendance and that of your XYL.
Three members brought out their homebrew projects to have a go at winning the annual Blackwood Cup. We met at The Collective Hub, 1/33 Johnsonville Rd on Tuesday 18 October from 1pm to 3pm (followed by tea and coffee). The winner this year was George ZL2AG (not for the first time!).
The Blackwood Cup has been fought over since the early 1930s. The most recent winners:
| Year | Winner | Callsign | Project |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | J P Moriarty | Zl2JPM | QRP Magnetic Loop & Autotuner |
| 2020 | J P Moriarty | ZL2JPM | QRP Antenna Tuner modules |
| 2019 | R G Newlands | ZL2AG | Artificial ground system |
| 2018 | D McNeill | ZL2AOV | uBITx Txcvr & mods |
| 2017 | M H Woods | ZL1AXG | BITX40 Txcvr mods |
Who will win the cup in 2023? You have 52 weeks to get your project completed!
The September meeting of Branch 50 NZART was held on Tuesday 20 September from 1pm – 3pm at The Collective Community Hub at 1/33 Johnsonville Rd.
The Chair gave a report on NZART Conference 2022 held the previous weekend
The topic for the meeting was “DX Operating techniques and antenna options for your suburban lot for 20M – 6M band openings”. Members shared their DX hunting experience and there was discussion of importation of HF tribanders and monobanders.
We concluded with tea, coffee and biscuits.
