News Brief for Sunday 30th April 2023

Hello Club Members, Fellow Amateur Operators, and Everyone!
This is John, VK5RJ with this week’s news from the AHARS.
Lunch at the Blackwood RSL was well attended by the regular crowd, and it was great to see the ladies attending. Good conversation and some planning for the NanoVNA session developed.
On that note, for anybody interested in learning what a NanoVNA does, and how it can be used, make sure that you come along to the May Saturday Technical session, on the 6th at the Blackwood Uniting Church. This will be a practical hands-on workshop on how to use a NanoVNA to analyse the performance of an antenna, and how use the information it displays. There will be a number of units available for you to have a play with, and a number of antennas and other things to test on.  Lots to learn. You may want to buy one after this session!
Also, in June and August, John Dawes will be running some classes on “Learning about Radio” and “Writing for Radio”. More about this in future bulletins. These will be limited space events, so you will have to book a place when we get all the details sorted. These will be held as the Saturday Technical Sessions for June and August. See the Flyer attached to the email!
Don’t forget that if you want to reserve a table at the AHARS Public Buy & Sell on Saturday the 15th of July, you need to drop an email to VK5JB, on geoffb.100@bigpond.com .
He will get back to you and confirm your booking. Payment will be made on the day at the venue. Again, please see the attached flyer to this email.
Also, great news that Mas Oikawa (JA7FAS/VK5FAS) will be making a return visit to SA and will be happy to address us at one of the monthly meetings later in the year, He will speak about his experience going back over 53 years. Mas is now in the ARRL DX Hall of Fame, having recently achieved his ARRL #1 DX Certificate (340 countries confirmed in mixed bands/modes). What a great achievement!
If you are requiring access to the ARRL, please get in touch with Hans (VK5YX) vk5yx@wia.org.au  and he will provide you with the details.
As always, if you have anything of interest, or any exciting news, please let me know so we can share things with all our members.
And that's all for now from me, so keep looking at the emails, and listening to the Sunday broadcast, and stay away from COVID and other nasty bugs.
Cheers & 73 from VK5RJ and AHARS for this week.