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CQ QRS
What happened
Leaner

Next Tuesday

RagChew

Earlier start for ZL

Monday

SOTA / PARKS

- Swing

Shift... parallel 40m

and Wednesday

e This week’s

Ha!

RagChew

last Tuesday, and a reminder for the next net.

in your browser

and

80m

practice opportunities

primer

quiz questions

Reminder for 12Mar24
Our net seemed

CQ QRS

Net

to start a day early with nine team

members

posting

CQ or QSO Alerts on our new WhatsApp - Alerts message system on
Monday afternoon & evening - bit of a warm-up for Tuesday perhaps?
How did you go on Tuesday’s CQ QRS slow CW practice QSO
but again last week, the 40m
Indonesia, so we ended
pirates and DX QRM

band opened

net?

| had fun,

up to the US, Japan and

up with a jumble of QRS stations, Indonesian

(sorry for those DX-chasers reading this - DX and QRM

should be used as an oxymoron,

not a tautology - HI!).

Several stations

even tried using 500Hz above the 1LkHz points... and still they came - HI!
So at the risk of causing confusion (more confusion), the Board of
Management
Tuesday.

has directed that we try a slightly different format next

See About the QRS Net below - sorry, MailChimp won’t allow me

to insert a hyperlink to an internal location - so you’ll need to scroll using
the good old technology.... mouse
Leaner

(or PGDN for PC users out there).

RagChew

I’ve recognised that the previous RagChew

newsletters have been over 40

A4 pages long - far too long for even the most avid reader to digest every

RSS &\

week;

that’s six pages for everyone to read every day of the week.

might also explain why | was spending the whole week writing it!
slow (in many

This
I’m a

respects) sometimes - HI!

So this week I’m going to try a new
leaner approach to the RagChew
I’ve summarised

the reports into the

normal spreadsheets

below, and

summarised the members’
comments

report

(including mine) rather

than posting the whole lot.
Thoughts?

Last Tuesday’s

Net

Here’s this week’s

list of the 35 stations

heard:

5Mar24 CQ ORS Net
Total active stations this week:
Total QSOs

{note that this figure won't be correct- Q50s may be counted twice or m

Black text - SLed, Green text - heard but not worked,

MYCALL

/|CQ

| Qso1

| Qso 2

insert ©Q or Listening if no 50s)

VK1HF/p
VKIKVS

ZL3TK
ZL3TK

VKIPWE
VK1TE
VKIWA
VK12DJ

Qso 3

41
108

Blue text - incomplete QS0 (not OSLed).

qso4

Qso5

Qs0 6

Qso7

Qso8

Listening on TecSun SDR at Araluen and VK6QS SDR at Brookton.

VK2AOE
VK2BHO
VK2DLF
VK2GAZ
VK2IK
VK2IOW

VK7TA

VK3BTV

VKSCZ

VK2NNW

VK2TER

| VK2NNW

VK2KI 40m

VK3ACU

VKSBIV

VK2TER | VK/G4RWI

VK/TA

VK2DLF | VK2IOW | VK3BTV

VK2KI 40m

VK2NNW |

VK3KLE

VK3CGB

VKSHAA

VK6HRC

ZL3TK

ZLATE
VK4JM
VK/G4RWI | VK2IOW

VK3KLE

VK2IOW

VK5FA

VK2DLF

VK2GR

VK2KI

VK2NAP
VK2NV
VK2NNW
VK2TER
VK2WEO
VK2WF

VKSCZ

VKSET

VK3ACU
VK3ADX

ZL1HJ

VK3BTV

VK5CZ

VK5PH

VK3ACU |

VK2DLF |

VK3CGB

VK7TA

VK3AE
VK3BAP
VK3BTV
VK3BU

bit

VK3BYD
VK3CLD/p
VK3DBD
VK3DPH
VK3FG

VKSET

VK3KLE
VK3KO
VK3MJ
VK3RU
VK3TBR
VK3 WOW
VK3XU

VK2NNW | VKSHAA

ZL3TK

VK5CZ
VKSKFG | VKSAAR
VK3 WOW

VK6PZT

VK3XU

VK3/G4RWI

VK2TER

VK4JM
VK6TX/4

VK2NNW

VK7TA

VK5SAQ
VKSCT
VK5CZ
VKS5CZ cont

VKSCZ
VK3ACU
VK7KPC/p

VKSCT

VK2DLF

VK3TBR

VK2WF

VKSET

VK1TM?

VK3BTV

VK2DLF

VK3KLE

VK3SDRQ

VKSCZ

VK2WF | VK3DBD

VKSFA
VK5FD
VKSHAA

VK2NNW

VEZIOW

VK2DLF

VK6KHZ

ZLIAJY

VK6WE

VK6IS

VK2DLF

VKSCZ

VKSCZ
VK2DLF

|VK/G4RWI|

VK6QI

VK3BTV

VK3KLE

VKSIP
VK5KFG
VK5PH

VK3 WOW
VK3ACU

VKS5PL

VK3DRY

VK6AAV
VK6BEK
VK6CK
VK6DEV
VK6DV
VK6FN
VK6GAL
VK6HRC

VK7TA

VK2KI

VK6IR
VK6IS
VK6JDM
VK6JK
VK6KD
VK6KHZ
VK6KQ
VK6LD
VK6MK/p
VK6MU
VK6NC
VK6NT
VK6NW

VK6WE

VkK6aI

VK6PZT

ZL3TK

VK6Ql

VK6HRC

VK6Ql cont
VK6TY
VK6XU
VK6WE
VK6YV

VK6DEV

VK/TA

VK6IS

VK7WW
VK7KPC/p
VK7TA
VK7ZA
ZLIANY
ZL1HJ
ZL3TK 40m

VKITE

VK4JM

VK2NNW

VK6HRC

ZL3TK 40m cont

VK3KLE

VK1HF

VK2KI

VK6PZT

ZL3TK 80m

VKSET

VK3DBD

ZL4BDG

New

Team

Members

This week our team

has been joined

by Paul ZLIAJY at Birkenhead - see
his note below;

also Rob VK2COS

Hinchinbrook who Richard VK6HRC
worked on the net two weeks ago
and Pete ZL4TE at Cambridge who
worked Adam VK2NNW
Welcome

chaps.

last week.

| VK3WOW |

VK3XU | VK3DRQ |

VKIKVS

Sunset

Thanks to Nigel VK/G4RWI
RagChew

for the nice sunset image used for this week’s

header.

Cheers,
mb
Mark

Bosma

VK2KI / VK6QI
Beautiful South Bowning NSW
mark.bosma@icloud.com
0418161773
non impediti ratione cogitationis

Reports

& Comments

Here’s this week’s
This week,

reports.

I’ve tried summarising the reports into:

e the spreadsheets above, and
e

distilled comments from the team

reports below.

Comments:

From Craig VK3CLD/p:

From

°o Off air tonight mate.
©

Ron VK6KHZ

at Yangebup:

Hi Mark great to QSO with you just now. My TX is average but it is
very much a one way contact with my RX being about one word
an hour.
But | would be quick to add that | am over the moon if | can copy
a call sign and name | know many would like to chat further but
unless it is at snail pace i get lost quick. Would also add that
Tuesday nights are a little special now i can have a go on 40 and
80 and have some chance at a copy.

°o All your efforts are paying off with activity on the bands on
Tuesday nights picking up
© Thanks for all your time and hope to QSO again soon.
e

From Shaun

VK6BEK

at Quinns Rocks:

From
©

David VK5PL

at Williamstown:

G'Day Mark, | did remember to listen for a bit on 40m,

but the

noise was S9 and | struggled to copy much. | managed to pull out
3 callsigns who were talking with others but unsure of who the
others were.
=» Thanks David.

You might try using your front-end attenuator

- it might improve the S/N. A number of us use phasing-type
noise cancellers to good effect - I’ve published a number of
articles in earlier RagChews
them
e

about noise and | can forward

if you're interested in learning more.

From John VKS5ET at Hope Valley:
°

G'day Mark. Hope all is well your way. Good to get back in the
swing of things with CW.

Forty meters was busy with signals up & down with lots of
stations on or around same frequency calling CQ.

Listened

mostly as | couldn’t get any replies from calling CQ.
© VK3BTV was 599 with his signals but like a yoyo though
slow to head copy. Good
°

nice &

practice in receiving, anyway.

| worked three stations on 80m,

but then all quiet after 11:30z.

73's John, VK5ET.
e

From Stan ZL3TK at Waitarere Beach.
©

Like shooting fish in a barrel - herd or worked a bunch of the
team on 40m.

1100Z;

80m

has been very noisy fora

week or more since solar flares, the first of which was classified
by NASA as a severe X1.8 event.
o A hearty welcome
VKCW

Manny, VK3DRQ

- he has been a regular on

Net and NZ Net for many years and his adventures are not

limited to amateur radio. OM

Manny

is a very considerate sender.

Pretty sure he only uses a straight key.
on the 20 m VKCW

There have been times

Net when we were both so weak no one would

have known we were there.

Took a bit of time, but with a

generous dose of QSZ and QRS we still managed

to pass traffic;

email confirmed we achieved

FT8 would

probably have done it,

100 % accuracy.

but where's the skill in that?

There's

nothing quite like CW for dragging out some good old ‘British guts
and determination’, as they say!
Read

https://maritimeradio.org/in-distress/1966-monte-

palomares/
°
e

From

to see how lucky we are to have him in our midst.

Stan.

Peter VK3WOW

at Blackburn:

| can see now that |

spent much of my time on air calling CQ below our advertised
portion of the 40 metre band;
©

handling his first CW QSO
©

in Hawker

in quite a while very well.

| could hear VK6PZT calling CQ very clearly, and replied several
times without success;
reply to VK6PZT,

not too bright on my part.

One of the stations | worked was Arthur VK5AAR

| could hear ZL3TK was also attempting to

he was certainly being heard far afield.

Later | caught Drew VK3XU

who was calling CQ around

which | did my best to match.

18 wom,

Probably a doddle for Drew, but

this was a real hold onto your hat occasion for me!
With best wishes, Peter Dann.
=» Thanks Peter - glad you had such success;
Arthur will join the team.

I’m hoping that

I’d also like to invite Drew - he’s

become

a regular but | don’t have an email address for him -

anyone

know

Drew’s

email?

I've actually added

him to

the QSO spreadsheet above because he’s a frequent contact
for the team, even though he doesn’t get the newsletter.
e

From
e

Richard

VK6HRC

Hello Mark.

at Padbury:

Thank you for persisting with me last Tuesday, was

great to get VK2KI

in the log.

| put out a few calls to no

avail so | logged onto a KiwiSDR in VK5 and listened into the
activity over East.
°

Later on! went back to my rig at home and the band had come
alive - it was even difficult to find a clear spot to call on.
evening

A busy

in all.

Post Morseum

off to a slow start!

on the South West AllStar net got

But once it got going we kept the VK6RLM

repeater and the AllStar network going until it was time to hand
over to the 07:00 crew.
=» Max VK6FN

let us know about the gremlins that kept him

off air last night, hopefully all good for next week looking forward to his report in the RagChew.
=» Bob VK6KRC

made time to listen in last night and gave us a

favourable report on what he was hearing, thanks Bob.

=» No reports from the shortwave listeners.
°0 Thank you & 73 Richard VK6HRC
©
e

ps I’m enjoying the WhatsApp

From Adam
o

VK2NNW

Hi Mark.

activity, thank you.

at Deepwater:

| had a great time on Tuesday night with six contacts.

My rig was an FT 85/7, power was 30W

into a 3/8 wave, 7Mhz

doublet (15m across in an inverted V configuration, 7m above the
ground and fed with homemade

ladder-line).

The time went

really fast.
o Thanks and see you all next Tuesday.
Cheers
Adam VK2NNW
e

From Kees VK1KVS

at Wanniassa:

e Station:
°0 Yaesu

FT-DX3000 with

EFHW
O

e Stations worked:
o

| worked

into VK1 and ZL3

=» Stan’s signal was
difficult and | missed
much;

sustaining

concentration also an
issue as one gets
older! Good

practice!

RSN 521 from Stan.

o Stations heard:
=» | heard six other stations.
»

David VK3DBD
2OWPM

(RST 459) was on 3549 at a decent clip, 18-

- less time to overthink it as automatic pilot takes

over.
o

Keys
=» The keys above are a

bit of an anthropological

interest,

admittedly, and as ‘industrial archaeology’ on the fringes of
ham activities.
=» Despite the single purpose they all share, they area
wonderful example of the variability of material culture.
=» Impossible to include everything, but happy to make
something

of a ‘fist’© collecting representative types.

From Ketran VK3BTV

at North Ringwood:

Le
BKIN

ere

on
yf
er

NE eae

Four contacts on Tuesday

tonight (all 40m):
e The contact with Chris VK3CGB
at Beechworth

had lots of

Strange local QRM

at the time.

Enigma
°

By the way, |finally
noticed that you said
that I’d deciphered the
KPB Enigma Challenge
using a Raspberry Pi,
Mark - | actually used
Python on a PC. Easy to

get those confused, |
guess.

Rotors
ae

See

=» You could do it
using Python on an

RPi, but I’m not into

Lan

that sort of torture
- yet. ©

"> Keyboard
Plugboard

I'll attempt to listen in on the ZL SAS CW Traffic Net at 0600Z on
Thursday. Thanks for the intro, Mark.
| tried LCWO.net again tonight, and | struggled at Lesson 26,
15wpm,

10wpm

So in between

spacing after a month’s break - doh!
refining my Python language skills, relearning C#

after a 5 year hiatus, relearning CW after 30 years, brushing up
on my guitar skills and hunting for a new contract - this old brain
is overloaded.
Cheers
Keiran (Bad Tempered Victorian)

From Jordan
°

VK3ACU

at Meredith:

Hi Mark, | Spent quite a few hours enjoying the weather outside
and made a few contacts before running away from the mozzies
(sorry if | was sending a bit quick at that stage - HI!). Whata
ripping night for it and great conditions on 40 from the back yard
| worked six contacts - well 5-1/2 actually - Mick ZL1HJ struggled
to pull me out of the noise - | had the transmitter set to only 2
Watts.
Worked VK2GR... the fastest soeed QSO

I've ever had in my life

| made a few calls on 80 later and just could hear a few VK6
stations creeping

in, but not well enough to copy and | had to go

to bed.
I've included a few photos from my setup last night.
| was using a FT818 with a 3d printed key. My first 4 contacts
were made with 2 watts.
| was running an inverted sloping L

lazily strung up with a squid

pole that I’ve made a little ground spike thingamajigy shoved
the ground and tied the end of the antenna off to a stick, also
shoved

in the ground.

| had my two side tone
sniffers with me hihi
The ATU was a home

brew

antenna coupler also
pictured.
Thanks everyone who came
up was a great way to end
the day.
| also apologize. I'm going to
get a tattoo | think that says
7025kHz to 7040kHz and
3540kHz to 3570kH

it's

actually written down

in the

shack but | was naughty and

was operating 7015 ©

From

lan VK5CZ
from VK7

at Clare:

Four QSOs on 40m

and two QSOs on 80m

and a try with Peter

but no luck.

QRT tnx Mark and the team another great net. Keep up good
work everyone.

From
©

Peter VK7KPC/p

at Sellicks Beach SA:

Sri lan vk5cz - whip antenna

not making

it to Clare from Sellicks

Beach.

Might try on beach with terlin or end fed next time

de Peter portable 5.

From

| had

lan VK1HF/p:

a QSO

with ZL2TW

from

Mt Corree...and VK1KVS
also...feeling very chuffed at
my wading

pool achievement.

Special to me because way
back in 1995 when | learn CW
at 5wpm

| had a single QSO

with a ZL1 on 80mts on my
TS680S

.. took us half hour just

to work out each other's
names..then

no CW till 2024.

e Setup was IC-7000, Little
Tarheel2 screwdriver antenna.
With 8 foot long stationary
element made

up from sections

of my (otherwise useless)
Buddipole.

From

me VK6QI

via the VK6QS

SDR

at Brookton

and

the Southern

Electronics Group Remote at Bedfordale:
°o | had lots of fun on Tuesday - from the spreadsheet you worked
two stations on 40m
o

and heard another seven.

| had an early start the next day (bottling wine at a friend’s
vineyard) so | gave it away at around

1100z.

e Also from me VK2KI

at beautiful South Bowning

and via the Tecsun

SDR at Araluen NSW:
©

From this side of Australia, | worked three stations and heard
another 11, per the spreadsheet,

before heading off to bed early.

Its been a long time since | had such an early night on a
Tuesday!
Thanks to everyone for coming

up - another ripper of a week with at least

35 stations on and who knows how many

CQ QRS

Traffic from the CQ QRS
The CQ QRS WhatsApp Community
e

CQ QRS

listeners.

Feed

Groups.

has two sub-groups:

Alerts - for spotting CQ calls and QSOs during the net, and

for QRS alerts and members’ CQ calls (QRS or QRQ, simple exchanges
or rag chews) at other times.
e

Rag

Chews

- for chats and photo exchanges

between team

members

about who knows what - current projects, technical questions,

in fact,

anything of interest to CW operators... excluding religion and politics
of course.
Having two sub-groups allows you to have different alerts on your phone eg a sound when there’s an Alert, and silence when there’s a rag chew
message.

One

of this week’s

Learning

conversations:

Speed

CQ QRS WhatsApp Group

[12:06 pm, 04/03/2024] Zackery
VK6AAS Aislabie: Morning, Zack
VK6AAS

here. Which speed should |

learn at? | found this for the Koch
method:

https://www.g4fon.net/

[12:23 pm, 04/03/2024] Jordan
VK3ACU

Clarke: Hi Zack, lots of

different ways to learn. If you have
the ability have a listen
on Wednesday

nights to vk7ww on 3.567 he runs a slow morse course. |

learnt the characters at 20-25wpm

but with big gaps. So the effective

speed was slow. | think this was a good thing for me. Lots of great
webpages

around.

https://Icwo.net/ is great also

[12:24 pm, 04/03/2024]

Richard VK6PZT Ayre: whatever you do,,,

do not

learn the letters by writing down the dots and dashes - learn the sound only
[12:25 pm, 04/03/2024]

Richard VK6PZT Ayre: otherwise your brain will try

to look them up and thats too slow
[12:26 pm, 04/03/2024]
hampered

Richard VK6PZT Ayre: im 5 years in and still

by a look up table in my head

[12:25 pm, 04/03/2024] Jordan VK3ACU

Clarke: Good advice.

[12:25 pm, 04/03/2024] Claude VK1TE VK2CL Hastir: Hi zack | would
recommend

25wpm

per character with the spacing between characters and

words that you feel comfortable with, and gradually reduce that spacing to
increase the overall speed. In a nutshell. Let me know if you need more
explanations.

73 claude@inventati.org
[12:30 pm, 04/03/2024] Claude
VK1ITE VK2CL Hastir: Vk6aas, Zack,
you might have a look at
https://cwops.org/cw-academy/
There you will find everything you
need to know about CW. Cheers. 73

[7:03 pm, 04/03/2024] Chris VK2NAP Wilson: I'll weigh in with my two cents
worth. Don’t start too fast, but you don’t want to go too slow either.
talk about character spacing and character speed.

They'll

Try not to go more than

2:1 speed to spacing. So if you’re starting out at say 5WPM,

| wouldn’t be

pushing the character soeed beyond

up from there

SO you’re working ZOWPM

10-12WPM,

characters at LOWPM

then speed

spacing. | learned my

letters and numbers from the Morse Whisperer. That’s 10/5WPM.
relearned them at 20/10 with Lockdown
get my speed

| then

Morse, then used Morse Ninja to

up from there. Once | was comfortable at 1OWPM

| got on the

alr.
[7:07 pm, 04/03/2024]
LOwpm

Paul VK3KLE

Klemke:

Hey zak | agree . | can do

a bit tipsy and tired even lol ( single gent) | copy

characters ok with a spacing

. Max atm seems abt 25wpm

15 wom
characters with

good gap to process that character into short term mem.
[7:07 pm, 04/03/2024]

lan VK1HF Gilchrist: Re learning.. my thoughts.. just

keep at it. More than anything else just keep at it. Focus on receiving more
than sending. | agree to leaning the characters at about 15wpm

with

maybe

spacing up

8wpm

tonl5wpm

spacing. Then just working on making the 8wpm

spacing. If you are learning for SOTA/POTA/WWFF

very defined format. Plenty of folks who are 20wpm

etc...that is a

activators but If you

ragchew/go off script they are more like 12-15wpm.

[7:08 pm, 04/03/2024] Chris VK2NAP

cine Sone Fiaeticevel

Wilson:

————

https://mitxela.com/projects/morse_
code_ practice tool This is a neat

* cad Sawn neh oa
ats aa

online tool. Works well and you can

—

use it on your phone while you’re in

the car or walking around, doing
housework and such.
[7:09 pm, 04/03/2024]
1Owpm

lan VK1HF Gilchrist: If you learn CW too slow ..say

or less..it's like riding a bike...you need a certain speed before you

have gyroscopic stability and balance etc..slow moresounds|

oOo

wwwww

[7:11 pm, 04/03/2024] Chris VK2NAP Wilson: Yeah, you need that
throughout, and rhythm, but when you’re on training wheels, and you’re
getting your brain back into gear, it needs to be just fast enough where you
can’t quite count, but not so fast that your brain can’t pick it

[7:17 pm, 04/03/2024] Chris VK2NAP Wilson: Then you speed up from
there....now the way | got my speed up was, once | learned all the
character “rhythms”,

| would play stuff waaaay too fast 33WPM

and | would

listen until | could pick out a letter or two, keep going until | was hearing
the odd letter. Then

| would slow down to 30, and do the same, then 27, 24,

20 then by the time | was at 17-15, | was picking out most letters. But |
needed a

little bit more spacing to feel comfortable. Just 2-3WPM

difference. | could pick 20/17WPM

easier than 17WPM. That little break

gave my brain time to process :-)
[7:27 pm, 04/03/2024]

Nigel G4RWI

Spear: Probably the easiest bad habit

to get into is counting dots and dashes.

| know because | fell into it! The

mental look up table approach works up to about 12 wom,

beyond that

everyone hits a wall. It’s best if you start by only learning the rythmn.
Ideally don’t write stuff down, just go for head copy. It’s amazing

how much

you can understand even if you miss many letters. | try and only write
down callsigns and names, as | have a memory

like a sieve.

[8:46 am, 05/03/2024] Zackery VK6AAS Aislabie: Thanks for all the advice. |
will do some
Happy

reading through the week. 73, Zack.

Snaps

Here’s some of the recent images shared by team
WhatsApp

group.

members via our

Please let me know mark.bosma@icloud.com
team

members

in the CQ QRS WhatsApp

if you’d like to join the 39

Community,

with our Alerts and

Rag Chew groups - I'd really like all of our net participants to join in the fun

Other
Other things I’ve received
From

the 4Mar24

Morse

Code

DXing

from

newsletter

practice - CWops

Club members:

News

Chris VK3QB

our 140-odd

readers.

www.DXing.com.au

- give back in Oceania

and Graeme VK5GG.

Objective: To provide a regular on-air activity to help CW operators
improve their operational and conversational skills.
When:

Monday evenings, 0800Z - 1900-2000 VK3 time

Freq: 7.028 MHz +/Format: VK1CWO

will be calling "CQ CWO"

and providing relaxed QSOs for

operators looking to improve their CW.
Character speeds will be around
required.

18-20WPM

plus, but we can Farnsworth as

If you'd like to send or receive a little faster that's fine too.

For those looking to improve their CW speed and head-copy, the best
approach to challenge yourself. Listen to Morse Code at a speed above your
comfort zone...

this way you'll be teaching your brain to hear the

characters, rather than interpret and "count" the individual dits and dahs.
These techniques are successful taught by CWops

and the Long Island CW

Club - and are proven methods with thousands of students successfully
completing the program.
If you're not yet comfortable with higher speeds, come along and listen in copy what you can - in a relaxed fashion. Don't stress if you miss a
character or word. Move on.
When

you're ready, join in. If you'd like to arrange a sked or want more

information about CW Ops and the CW Academy,
vkicwo@outlook.com.

send an email to

73, Chris VK3QB

[Another terrific opportunity to get some tx or rx practice.
From Keiran

VK3BTV:

Our member Nic VK7WW also runs a Slow Morse Net

learning every Wednesday at 7om EDST on 3580 for 30 mins. He uses the
callsign VK7TAZ on that net which ts the callsign of the Northern Tasmania
Amateur Radio Club.
There’s also the VK5 CW net on Wednesdays,

along with an email group.

Any of our team able to provide details please?]
From

Stan

ZL3TK

at Waitarere

Beach:

Sufferers of Luddite Fever are rarely aware of any symptoms
would

never consider it a disease.

and certainly

A significant number of non-afflicted

persons consider it a benign symptom

of mental

incapacity.

For me it's

simply a lifestyle choice.
My most modern
years ago.

device is a 2G Nokia 100 bought for NZ$7.00

circa twenty

Still on its first battery and in perfect working order, therefore

far too good to just throw away!

In this instance, my ignorance of most

things 21st-Century means

I'm not trapped

clever hand held devices.

My cynicism suggests they have in many cases

become

by those ubiquitous and very

an acceptable substitute for intimacy in marriages,

regardless of

the weird range of flavours in which so-called 'marriages' exist these days.
Suffice to say,

obsession with social media gets no quarter in my shack.

But it also means

| have no way to install WhatsApp

on a laptop.

Is there a way to sync WhatsApp with some other messaging

Question:

utility

capable of operating on a PC?

Sort of equivalent to interconnecting IRLP

with echolink, one could say.

I've not been able to find anything and truth

to tell it's not all that important (to me), however such a utility,

if one

exists, might be useful to others similarly affected by Luddite Fever.
73

Stan

[Has anyone had a crack at running WhatsApp on a PC without having a
phone that can read the QR code for the encryption key?]
CATSync

Nigel G4RWI:

If you are a regular user of webSDRs,

take a look at CATSync.

It’s a bit of software that sits

ov =)

between your radio and the web
SDR.

In the free version, it does one

thing only - mutes the webSDR

audio when your radio transmits. No

more hearing yourself coming back,

P| oY

nih

allel
14226.00

‘aes.

Acciacca
kHz

selenite

[AB | AB

aaa

Filter. 2.40 KHz | narrower || wider

squelch

“autonotch

noise reduction

slightly delayed.
In the paid version, about 10 euros, it does a lot more. The webSDR

will

follow your radio - change frequency, the webSDR follows. Change

mode

the webSDR follows.
It works the other way round too. Tune the webSDR to a new frequency,
your rig follows. It works with all the standard webSDRs,
multiple SDRs. So you can easily switch webSDR

and you can store

and it will instantly be on

:
lh

the right frequency and mode etc. Makes using a webSDR

as your main

receiver a piece of cake.
More

info here:

From

Steve

https://catsyncsdr.wordpress.com/

VK6VZ

at Glen

Forrest:

| look forward to working some of
the participants on 40m

once | geta

few other things sorted out.
Vy 73
Steve,

VK6VZ

[Thanks Steve - | look forward to

hearing some of your classic gear on
air soon].

From

Paul ZLLAJY at Berkenhead:

Hi Mark
Thanks for the update...yup wondered

about the many VK slow

morse...very strong sigs here into North Shore Auckland.
was a regular on the NZ Net: 3535khz 9,00pm

Manny VK3DRQ

NZ Local week nights.

I'll be happy to have a listen Tues evenings and throw out a few RSN on 40
and 80m.
As the days get shorter 3.5 MHz should improve to ZL.
Out of interest, my wife and | were in VK7 last week for a visit. Stayed
Hobart (Glebe) not to far from the Tasmania

I’m definitely in the old bloke dept here..4#$%*;

| had the ZLIAJY call since

my high school day in 1972 - back in the time when
requirement for HF operation -15 wpm
operational ever since - mostly 80m
in Birkenhead.

Radio Club building.

Morse was a

for all HF bands. Been

more or less

& 40m these days from my QTH

here

Dipoles in the trees behind our property for these bands.

Radio is usually Elecraft K3 or QRP Labs QCX every now and then.
CW

is casual at the best of times..! Keying is iambic relaxed-mode-B

strict mode

B).

Something worth a mention

one. and using the opposite hand to normal.

(not

is learning to paddle from day
| simply started keying left

handed from day one, it soon was near automatic.

Leaves the right hand

free for radio and pencil/mouse duty.
( or coffee/beer ). Many years ago, | noted that with my acquired
handed-ness,
handed.

peeling oranges and media

For a grin, my right handed

left

remote or cellphone is now left

iambic paddle is fairly hard going @#.

My left hand iambic is back to front eg dash with thumb - eg right handed
operator can use my paddle... all totally
accidental - HI!!
My Contest call here is ZL1XH.
‘ZL1XH

For a quick video see YouTube:

FD 2021’.

Cheers - catch up on CW Slow Morse Tuesday

Paul

ZLIAJY
ZL1IXH

From

Pete ZL4TE

at Cambridge:

| was delighted to get your newsletter.
17/18wpm

but will slow down

| generally rattle along at

if the other station is slower.

| enjoy the

slower CW as | can now relax and send at 12wpm

(18 is my upper limit).

The only problem

Here for the bands but

is a. remembering

and b. time.

UTC is getting pretty late but I'm around
Happy to join the WhatsApp
As it happens,

most evenings.

group as well.

Mick ZL1HJ was chatting about just this sort of thing.

both go at about 18's but both slow down to whatever speed and leave
Spaces etc. there are a couple of guys here in Waikato, who want to start.
Not sure how far along they are, but my thoughts were that it should be
possible for us to meet an hour before you, and any of your guys want to
come on early then fine, and our guys could stay late.
What are your thoughts?
73
Pete
zl4te
[Welcome

Pete - four ZLs

in the team

have an earlier start for ZL.

40m

so far - terrific.

Great

initiative to

should be starting to open for two-hop F-

layer propagation around 0700z, then single-hop around 0800z.

| hope to

hear you on Tuesdays when you can make it].
Community

Radio

Many readers know already that | do
;

a stint as a volunteer
'

the local Community

presenter on
'

Prasonding cw acxa PAM:

Vineyard Selection

radio station,

YassFM

on Friday afternoons NSW

time.

We usually have a number of

the CQ

QRS

team

Mark Bosma
SMS: 0418161773

listening-in via the

- Fridays 1pm to 4om NSW time

Your Shed- Fridays 4pm to Spm NSW time
Live Stream:

waww.yassim.org

m
yassin

100.3

Live Stream on the

internet.

1pm

until 40m

Vineyard

NSW time | have a guest, my mate Dennis who has a

in Yass

share from 1pm

is a great classical music fan - and he brings his music to
until 49m.

And from 4pm

until 59m,

| do the Your Shed

program - things of interest to local rural businesses primarily
Be great if you’ join the others of the team who listen in via the Live stream
(www.yasstm.org
Cheers,
mb

VK2KI / VK6QI

- click on Listen Live) - and send me an SMS to say g’day.

This Week’s

Topic of Interest

SOTA/ PARKS

Primer

Lance Conroy VK/ZA
These days, for many of us entering the world of CW or in my case, coming
back after a long period of rusting, the very common

SOTA and VKFF PARKS

activations are a great way of having a crack at CW - the CW contacts are
usually brief, follow a standard format and more often than not, the
operators are not gun CW types - so they’re very happy to slow down,
repeat etc.
Chasing

Lance explains what it’s all about.

Parks and

Peaks

After a tough three hour "double black" hike | finally reached the peak of
the summit | was attempting to activate for the SOTA scheme.
needed

| only

a handful of contacts, but after an initial flurry of activity the well

had seemingly run dry.

The signal reports were weak, indicating the

propagation wasn't playing along.
consequence of not getting it would

| only needed one more contact, the
mean

all my efforts were for nought,

and I'd need to repeat the exercise at a later date and hope for better.
After a while of fruitless calling the
Summit was once again enveloped
in passing clouds with the
accompanying

wind and drizzle.

Sigh. CQ CQ CQ .... CQ CQ CQ. As
my spirits sank lower and lower, |
finally heard the call from a regular
activator and chaser.
was quickly made

The exchange

and the station

swiftly struck so that | could begin
my descent.

A warm

drink and soft sofa was still many

hours away, but |

had made the required contacts; life was good.
For the rather small cohort of CW
operators who participate in SOTA.
WWEFF and POTA, the pool of
chasers, those who answer calls
from home, are often few and far
between.

When

we're out in the

field we don't begrudgingly work
beginner CW ops, we
enthusiastically embrace you.

want your contact more than you
can imagine.

Home-brew 4 cell LiFePO4 battery powering a
Mountain Topper MTR-4b into an EFHW cut for
40m via a micro home-brew transformer.
VK3IL pressure paddle attached with a
magnet.

We only need to exchange
callsigns and signal reports, and if
it takes multiple repeats to get it
across, we'll willingly accomodate
YOU.

Do bear in mind though; Changing CW speed on portable rigs is often
difficult, so we may add large spacing between

characters instead.

We're

not being rude or trying to intimidate, just working within the limitations of
the tools we hNave..... and when

it’s blowing a gale and your fingers are

frozen.... fiddling with menus on the tiny transceiver just isn’t going to
happen.
Exchanges
The contacts generally follow a pretty standard exchange format which
makes

it even easier for beginners to participate.

Activator:
Chaser:

CQ WWFF/SOTA

DE (from)

K (over)

Activator:

GM/GA/GE

name>

(OP's name

Chaser:

BK GM/GA/GE

if Known)

(good morning/afternoon/evening)

(OP's name

(break, back to you)
Activator: TU/TNX (thank-you/thanks)

73 (best wishes) 44 (the WWFF

greeting, so not used with SOTA/BOTA etc.) SK (silent key, i.e. this is my
last over) E E (bye)
Chaser: TU/TNX 73 44 SK E E or to keep it simple, just TU 73 EE
Finding them
In Australia, Parks 'n Peaks is the definitive location for portable spots, so
keep a browser window or app open to one of the following tools:
VK - Current Activity (parksnpeaks.org)
Or other tools using the same data from Parks 'n Peaks:
Heimdall (conryclan.com)
iPhone: iPnP

(see vk5ayl.com for this brilliant iPhone application)

Android: VK port-a-log
| look forward to the melodic tones
of your CW signal finding me on the
next peak.
Lance, VK/7ZA

Thanks Lance - really nice article, and | hope it encourages

more of our

team to set up the CW SMS alerts from Allen VK3ATH’s
www.parksnpeaks.org

website, and have a go at the simple exchanges with

SOTA and PARKS activators - great practice.
Any other articles out there from other readers?
can share more thoughts and ideas;

Please let me know so we

email to cqgrsnet@gmail.com

Brain
How

Teaser
did you go?

Jules Perrin JP VK3JFP has created a terrific resource to help guide learning
for all levels of amateur radio licenses:
https://www.julesworkshop.net/Amateur%20Radio.html
With thanks to Baz VK6MU

for he idea, and Jules for the good

learning

website, here’s this week’s quiz questions from Jules’ Workshop example
test questions:
Calculate the following:
E=

20vl1=0.2A

The ability of a communications

receiver to distinguish between

signals

that are close in frequency is known as its:
e

selectivity

sensitivity

stability

bandspread

The sensitivity of a meter with a full scale deflection (FSD) of 300V and an
internal resistance of 300,000 ohms

is:

100 ohms/volt
300 ohms/volt
1,000 ohms/volt
3,000 ohms/volt
An emission designation
e

includes 6M25 which means:

(a) ATV signal with six monochrome

(black and white) dots for every

25 colour dots
e

(b) Six metre

band

transmission

with

25kHz

bandwidth

limits or 6dB to 25dB

(d) It has a bandwidth

of 6.25MHz

How did you go?

Answers

next week.

Answers

from

last week’s

Quiz:

Define and explain each of the units.
Answer:

E= Electromotive force measured

current measured

in amps and R is

in volts, | is the intensity of the

resistance measured

in Ohms.

This diagram shows the circuit of:

a full wave

rectifier

a half wave

rectifier

an oscillator

a detector

Answer:

740¥

50Hz {IE

a half wave

ona

rectifier

A 120 Watt 21.1 MHz frequency shift keyed

radioteletype transmitter has a

duty cycle of

Answer:1

Which of the following modes

is considered to be a "Wideband

(a) RTTY
(bo) FM telephony
(c) Slow Scan TV
(d) Fast Scan TV
Answer:

(d) Fast Scan TV

How did you go?

Tuesday’s

CQ QRS

Reminder.

Next Tuesday’s

Net

emission":

Our CQ QRS Net will be on as always on Tuesday from around 0800z - but
we're going to try starting an hour earlier in New Zealand;
the new

see below for

schedule.

Doesn’t matter whether you're brand new and want to try just exchanging
callsigns and RST reports, or you're ready for a good old rag chew.

We'll

have fun.
Reports
Please let me know by email to
on Tuesday’s net.

cgqgrsnet@gmail.com who you work or hear

The reports are important - because during the net, | can

only attempt poorly to listen-in and log QSOs while having QSOs
| really want your comments
interesting.

each week to make our RagChew

Also send me anything for the RagChew

myself - so
newsletter

newsletter that you

think might be of interest to our group.
And by the way, when you send reports material to me, please address it to
cggrsnet@gmail.com
email;

depending

rather than replying to the RagChew

newsletter

on your email application, sometimes what | get is either

unreadable by my iMac Apple Mail application, or attachments don’t come
through;

if nothing else, any attachments are right down the end of the

email... and if | don’t happen to scroll all the way to the bottom,

I'll miss

your pearls of wisdom... and that’d be bad n’kay!
Post

Morsum

And for those who are within earshot of an AllStar node, Richard VK6HRC
will run our Post Morsum

on the South West AllStar net (via repeaters and

hotspots all over WA) from 0600 WA time.

If you’re in WA, all you need is

an FM 2m or 70cm transceiver and an AllStar node nearby.

If you’re

elsewhere, you may be able to connect your local AllStar-enabled
to the net, or you

have

a listen via Echolink.

mark.bosma@icloud.com )

if | can help with that.

CQ QRS

can

We've now got a good
Groups.

Let me

know

repeater

(

Groups
bunch of 39 users on our two CQ QRS WhatsApp

We have fun exchanging

alerts and comments

the net, and also spot QRS stations on at other times.

during and after
If you’re not already

in the Group, I’d really like you to join in on the Group if possible. Please let
Stuart VK6MK stujen55@gmail.com
your mobile phone number,

or me mark.bosma@icloud.com

know

and we'll add you to the group.

Teamwork

Thank you so much to our outstanding team of 28 contributors (some
submitted several articles too) this week!

Thanks to:

VK6KHZ, VK6BEK, VK5PL, VK5ET, ZL3TK, VK3 WOW,

G4RWI, VK3CLD,

VK6HRG,

VK2NNW,

VK1KVS, VK3BTV, VK3ACU, VK5CZ, VK7KPC, VK1LHF, VK6AAS, VK3ACU,
VK6PZT, VKITE, VK2NAP, VK3KLE, VK3QB, VK6VZ, ZLIAJY, ZL4TE, VK3JFP
and special thanks to Lance VK7ZA for the SOTA/VKFF

Primer article;

thabks for sharing your thoughts with our 145-plus readers.
€Y CW on Tuesday,

Mark Bosma
VK2KI / VK6QI
Beautiful South Bowning NSW
mark.bosma@icloud.com
non impediti ratione cogitationis

“Without antennas, amateur radio just wouldn't be the same” - author:

dah-dah dit!

About

the CQ
Here’s

New

the

QRS

Net

details.

Schedule

The team will be on again for our usual Tuesday arvo / evening
QSO

Net. CQ QRS will start at 0800z until about 1300z+.

1600 - 2100+

WA time, 1830 - 2330+

Practice

This translates to

SA Summer time and 1900 - 2400+

Eastern Summer time.
e

For the first three hours (0800z to about 1100z) we'll be on 40m from
7025kHz

to 7040kHz.

e The ZL stations will try starting an hour earlier on 40m - ie 0700z.
The band is predicted to start opening to VK around then - so for
those who can make
e

From

it earlier - have a

1000z to 1100z, we'll try both 40m

listen.

7025kHz
=

to 7040kHz

& QRN

and

and 80m, depending

on your

levels.

3540kHz

to 3570kHz.

Easy-lah for those with automatic couplers, fun and games
for those of us with manual antenna couplers and finicky
noise cancelers!

For the last two hours (around
3540kHz

1100z to 13002), we'll be on 80m from

to 3570kKHz.

So tune around and call anyone you hear, or find yourself a quiet spot in
the designated segment and start calling CQ QRS at about 75% of the
speed you're comfortable receiving at;
send slower to their comfort level).

hopefully responders will match (or

If we’re on 40m

and you can hear that

the band is open outside Australasia, perhaps consider calling 500HzZ above
each 1kHz slot - to minimise the chance of having to copy our team through
QRQ

QRM

PSE

QRS

that’s often dead on the kHz markers.

And if someone

is sending too fast to comfortably copy - “PSE RPT PSE

QRS” or “AGN?

PSE QRS” will make

life easier for everyone.... and might

just encourage other listeners to have a go themselves.

The other thing to

remember - most operators are writing down what they hear... so when you
put it back to them, expect a delay while they read your words of wisdom,
before replying.

Matching
For the oldies like me, when you hear someone
sending speed - or slower.

new, please match their

The person you're replying to may not be as

deft on the decoding as you - it may be their first ever CW QSO - remember
your first?

Lather of sweat, key that refuses to send that you tell it, brain

that refuses to decode those complex

letters that were right there half an

hour ago, etc!
Speed
If you’re proficient at CW and can race along at 20 or 30wpm - terrific, but
please remember,

the net’s aim is to encourage,

not show how fast you can

hammer the key.

Please send slowly where you can and concentrate on

rhythm - listen to your side-tone, get that wrist action going and make a
special effort to make

it sound

like perfect CW;

net, the more | understand just how many

the longer we go with our

non-transmitting

have - and they will most likely appreciate your QRS!

listeners we

So, if you’re an

experienced operator, please try to send nicely balanced slow CW to give
them a chance to practice and gain confidence.... they’ll reward you one
day by coming

up on air to say g’day and thanks - how good

is that?

And if

you're new or like me, just rusty.... ignore the above... just have a go - the
lather of sweat will be worth it and there’s plenty of time to get the details
sorted out as you practice.
Whose

frequency

is this anyway?

The aim is to give everyone a go at contacting others - no-one owns their
calling frequency on this net.

So unlike working

DX, if you hear someone

signing off - jump in and call - doesn’t matter who was first on the
frequency - we really are all good

mates on this net.... and besides, at the

speed we’re sending, after a QSO

most of us will have forgotten who was

first!

If you really want to move off frequency (eg because of a spurious

switch mode

power supply signal that’s just drifted into the conversation),

you could try sending an abridged callsign of the person you’re after,
followed by “UP 5” or “DN 5” then K;

then call that person on the

designated frequency and keep your fingers crossed, they may have
understood you and followed... or not.
CW Tips
As always, for newbies, operating suggestions are available from the
operating

hints link here:

https://www.parg.org.au/
files/ugd/ebe236_ 3ca5ca08bb38429db4eee524b
da2f97a.pdf.
There's usually people around until after 1300z - so keep calling until you
catch someone.

| should be on as usual from home

in NSW and via the

Remote at Bedfordale WA, and I'll also be watching the proceedings using
the VK6QS
Landing

and Tecsun SDRs in WA and NSW

respectively.

Zone

If the band goes really quiet, call and listen on 7032kHz or 3555kHz.
catch someone, there’s no need to QSY - enjoy the frequency.
forget to tune around

If you

But don’t

if it’s quiet - we have lots of operators with crystal

locked transmitters - and they could be anywhere within the segments.
those who are locked, or can only transmit outside the segments, send a

For

message on our WhatsApp CQ QRS - Alerts group advising of your current
frequency.

VK2KI / VK6QI

The

opinions expressed

The

opinions

Send

in the

RagChew

do not necessarily

comments

newsletter are those

of the individual contributors.

reflect that of the editor or of the CQ

about the RagChew

QRS

Group

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