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CQORS

RagChew
Edition

Marginal

Bikes out and about - and

e When
e

conditions

you’re

Post Morsum

5/2025

but a good turn-out

hot you’re

in the garage

hot!

Report

e Traffic Report
e

Morse

Code Academy

e 3D printed
e

kneepad

Morse Training

Net

e Tuesday Traffic Net

Rotterdam
for portable ops

RSS

e Waitangi
e

Day Prefix

Di-dah-di-dah-dit

e About the CQ QRS

Group

As the weather continued to challenge us both on and off the airwaves, it’s
been a week of persistence, innovation, and camaraderie within the group.
Whether you've been operating from the comfort of your home or enjoying
some

portable ops on your motorbike,

it’s been encouraging to see such a

strong turn-out for Tuesday’s net—despite the less than ideal conditions.
| was pleased to see how many stations were on again this week - check out
the spreadsheets!

Great to see people like Mike DL3YZ using Paul VK5PH’s

lronstone Ridge KiwiSDR to get some

real live receiving practice too.

This week, our reports offer a mix of practical insights, thoughtful

reflections,

and a few good stories from both local and international members.

This week

also saw some interesting developments
3D-printed

kneepad

in equipment and techniques, from a

designed for portable ops to the ongoing success of the

Morse Training and Traffic Nets. As always, there’s plenty to learn and plenty
of room for improvement,
Welcome

Peter VK2GN

no matter where you are in your CW journey.

who's returning to the amateur radio fold after a long

break. Peter’s return to CW

is a reminder of how rewarding it can be to

reconnect with this timeless mode of communication,

and we look forward to

hearing more from him in the future.
As always, the contributions of our members

are what make the net such a

special experience. Special thanks to those who've taken the time to submit
their reports. I’d like to encourage more of you to share your experiences—
whether through your own QSO

reports, equipment setups, or just a note on

how you're progressing with your CW
stay connected

practice. Your input not only helps us

but also enriches the learning experience for everyone.

participation will always be appreciated
keep the community engaged

Your

by the team, and it’s a great way to

and growing.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support of the net, and for helping us
keep the art of CW alive and well.

Last Tuesday’s

Group

Here’s this week’s list of the 58 stations heard on the net on Tuesday evening:

CQQRS Team

Member

Qso1

Qso 2

Qso 3

JJLFXF

VK3IU

VK2Kl

VK1CT

VK2OP

Heard 40m
Heard 40m
Heard on air
Worked 40m
Heard 40m
Worked 40m
Worked 40m
Heard 40m

Worked 40m
Heard 40m
Worked 80m
Tried 80m

Worked 40m
VK2NNW

Heard 40m

VK2WP

Worked 40m | VK4ANS

VK2WP

Heard 40m

VK3XU

Qso 4

qso5

Qso 6

Qso7

Qso 8

VK3ACU
VK3ACU

VK3ADX

Heard on air

VK3AFH
VK3AFH

Heard 40m
Heard 80m

VK3BSE

Heard on air

VK3XU | VK2DLF
VK2Kl

VK2KI

VK3ECH | VK2NNW|

VK6RR

VK6KD

VK3BTV

Heard on air

VK3DRQ
VK3DRQ
VK3ECH
VK3ECH
VK3SKEV
VKSKEV
VK3KEV

VK4PN

Heard on air

VK5A0
VK5CZ
VKSKFG
VKSKFG

VK5LJ

Heard on air

VAQLI

Mediu

Vil

dll

VK6BEK

Worked 40m

VK6DV

Heard on air

VK6FN

Heard on air

VK5CZ

VK6GX

Heard on air

VK6HRC
VK6HRC

Worked 40m | VK6KHZ |
Heard 40m
VK6IS

VK6HRC

Worked 80m

VK6IS
VK6IS
VK6IS
VK6JDM
VK6JDM
VK6JDM

Worked40m | VK6FN | VK6WE | VK6KD
Heard 40m
VK6RR
Worked 80m | VK6GHRC
Worked 40m | VK6DU
Heard 40m
VK6WE | VK6GX | VK3DRQ |}
Heard 40m
VK4PN
VK6IS

VK6ZH
VK6FN

VK6GX

VK6RR

VK6IS

VK6FN | VK6HRZ |}

VK6JDM

Tried 40m

VK3DRQ

VK6JDM

Worked 80m

VK2Kl

VK6KD/3
VK6KD/3
VK6KD/3
VK6KD/3
VK6KHZ
VK6QI
VK6RR
VK6RR
VK6RR
VK6WE

Worked 40m
VK2KI
VK2ASB
VK6IS
Heard 40m
VK2DLF | VK2GAS | VK7KPC | VK3ACU | VK5CZ
Heard 40m
VK5A0
VKSLI
Heard80m | VK3KEV | VK3ACU
Worked 40m | VK6HRC
Heard 80m
VK6DV | VK6JDM | VK2KI
VK6IS_ | VKGHRC |
Worked 40m | VK4ACU | VK3DRQ |} VK5AO
VKSCZ
VKSLI
Heard 40m
VK2DLF | VK2GBR | VK5AO | VKSAAR | VK5SFN
Heard 40m | VK6JDM
Worked 40m
VK6IS
VK6GX
VK6RR

VK7KPC

Worked 40m

VK7KPC

Worked 80m | VK3ACU

ZL3TK

Heard on air

New

Team

VK6RR

VKS5CZ | VK6BEK | VK6RR

VK6FN | VK3DRQ | VK6BEK

VK4PN
VK6FN | VK6WE
VK6GX
VK6DV | VK6BEK

ZL3TK

Members

Welcome this week to Peter VK2GN

from Crookwell.

Peter is returning to

amateur radio after many years and is keen to get back into CW.
forward to hearing your return to the art of CW

| look

Peter, and like so many others,

hope you find the net just the ducks’ guts!

Masthead

Image

And thanks this week to another of our very active Sandgropers, Wayne
VK6NW

from Bridgetown for the image of his Bushcomm

Emtron 80/40 dipole.

dipole and TET

They are fed via the single TET Emtron

BALUN

(the

insulated wires are guys).

Reports
After next Tuesday’s Group, please send me a
who you heard using our web form here:

list of who you worked and / or

bit. lyV/COORSNET

Please help attract new and old team
report each week.

members to have a go by submitting your

Submissions close lunch time (Eastern Australian time) on

Thursday.
lf you hear or work one of our team on a different band on Tuesday,
use the 80m

please just

report area and use the instructions to annotate which bit applies to

which band.

Cheers,
mb
Mark Bosma

VK2KI

/ VK6QI

Beautiful South Bowning NSW
mark.bosma@icloud.com

non impeaiti ratione cogitationis

Reports

& Comments

Here’s this week’s

reports.

The spreadsheets above show the known stations on last Tuesday’s Group.
Comments

distilled from the reports I’ve received follow:

Comments:

From

Mike

DL3YZ

at Stuttgart Germany

[40m]
¢ Hello and greetings from the
other side of the globe. | had some
time
today, and so was browsing the
Australasia waves using the
ironstone SDR.
e Its a great practice for me to
hear actual QSOs and not computer
generated code. | was a bit jealous
about vk5ao operating mobile with
his motor bike.

Here WX

ts still

bad, and my own

iron horse is sitting in the garage,

waiting being finally assembled for more than a year.. Think now | have a

motivation

:-) Have a great week , 73 and gl DX Mike.

From Jordan VK3ACU

at Meredith

[40m]
e Nice to make quite a few
contacts tonight. Still got RSI issues
from keying
so tried out a cool little single lever
paddle 3d printed looks a bit dodgy
but it keys much

better than it

looks. Was great to work Rob who
was
portable 7 on the motorbike with his
G90, two of my favourite things
right
there portable radio operation and
motorbikes.
[80m]
e Great to work Peter and Kevin on 80m,
was his first QSO.

From

David

Kevin your CW

VK6KD/3

at 6km

Kevin reminded

me late last year |

is sounding great! Good to work you.

West

of Portland

Vic

[40m]
¢ Good to hear lots of CW activity
on 40m.
[80m]
e With a 3hr time difference
between vic and wa, you need to be
a real night owl on the East side of
Oz to make

use of the 80m when

opens, hihi..

From Donald

VK6JDM

20km

West of Esperance:

[80m]
¢ | again connected with VK2KI, this time on 80 metres. as the QSO
he was swallowed

progressed

by the noise..

[40m]
¢ 40 had a lot of stations replying to any calls, and there were lots of
stations working on 40. Managed

to get a lot of good reception practice..

e Last week | was in Kalgoorlie and so not on air. | was actually being
cooked. A disgruntled ED patients appears to be the one that set fire to
the air conditioning plant at the clinical school and the temperature
topped 40 degrees every day of the week reaching 48 degrees on the Friday,
falling to 45 degrees by 8 pm and still 36.5 at 4:30 in the morning when

rose to have breakfast in preparation for a retreat back to Esperance
(Where it had been 50 degrees on the farm on the Friday!.
¢ Still cooling off..
Kind regards and 73,
Donald

VK6]DM

Howarth

[Jeez!]

From

Wal

VK2WP

at Bathurst

NSW

[40m]

¢ A belt of lightning stretching from
Sydney to Tibooburra

pretty well

wiped
40M out. Had to close down for an
nour whilst a storm cell swept over
Bathurst...

From Richard VK6HRC

at Padbury

[40m]
e Mostly listening direct or on the Kiwi SDR nodes,

enjoyed the Traffic net

run by Stan ZL3TK.
[80m]
¢ Thanks to the WhatsApp traffic managed

to get a contact with Peter VKOIS,

and followed quite a few stations on Kiwi SDR nodes that | would have
missed otherwise..

From Roy VKO6RR at Geraldton
[40m]
\ 2
NNT

1 OINWN,
‘
v1

\ NN

S|
|

ala!
=

¢ On air late due having to change
flat tyre!

Good to hear a good

number on

——

the air..

From Peter VK6IS

at Wundowie

[40m]
¢ only local activity until later on,.
e where some weak ES stations were being heard..
[80m]
e the local bands are very quiet these days,.
¢ with only an little amount of activity around..

ae
{ . -

—______

From

Daniel

VK6WE

at Cottesloe

[40m]
e Rushed for time and late again |
expected a short session but ended
Up
naving three QSOs
nour.

lasting about an

It is getting more comfortable

and satisfying with practice.
Thanks to VK6IS, VK6GX and
VKORR..

From your editor Mark VK2KI

at Beautiful South Bowning

NSW

[40m]

e | was pleased to catch up with on of the Group's good supporters, Georg
VK2DLF

at St Marys on Tuesday.

Signals weren't great and there was QSB,

but Georg was Nappy to report a rapid temperature drop in Sydney from 42
degrees to 27;

his joy was short-lived, as a storm was brewing and he had

to disconnect the antennas and find something
e After Georg, | chatted to David VK6KD/3

else to do for a while..

at Portland.

David's RSN 588 was

an indication of how noisy the band was there - but later he reported on
our CQQRS

group that the noise suddenly disappeared - pointing

either to non-natural causes or auroral activity..
e | rounded out the pre-dinner drinks with a chat to Jordan VK3ACU
Meredith;
West

again signals were marginal, and | hoped all was well further

with the bush

fires..

[80m]
e After dinner, | listened around for
a while on 40 before going through
the
tune-up and noise canceller
adjusting routine on 80m;
$100

| love the

noise canceller (S9 noise

dropped to S2 on Tuesday - not
perfect, but much

better

than nothing) but it's really tricky to
adjust when there's static crashes
around!.
¢ On the VK6QS

KiwiSDR near Brookton,

I‘d seen Donald VK6JDM

near

Esperance
tuning up then calling CQ;

| was surprised when

Signals were marginal among
exchange

he answered

the static crashes - we sort of managed

RSNs but | didn't get a QSL back from him and | needed to use the

SDR to copy much

of what he sent, but it was fun trying anyway..

e | rounded out the evening with a nice chat to Sava VK4PN
Ommaney

my call;

up at Mount

near Brisbane..

Also from your editor Mark VK6QI

via the VK6QS

KiwiSDR near Brookton WA

[80m]

e | heard Nick VK6DV calling CQ from St James;
again.

good to hear Nick on air

| was still having trouble keying the Southern

Electronics Group

remote HF station at Bedfordale, but tried from here in VK2;

however,

the time | went through the antenna coupler adjustment (quick) and the
noise canceller set-up (slow and difficult with the static crashes) Nick had
disappeared..
« | then listened in to my (VK2KI) QSO with Donald VK6JDM
the SDR to copy much of Donald's transmission.

and had to rely on

And when

Sava VK4PN from VK2, we were both watching the VK6QS

| was chatting to
KiwiSDR - it was

interesting to note that once again this week, Sava's signal from his offcentre-fed dipole up 8m over the 3600km great circle path was about an
S-point better than my 50 Watt signal from my huge double-extended Zepp
(two five-eighth wavelengths

in phase) up 5 m over the 3100km

path..

* Great to hear a few more stations on 80m this week..

From Mathew

V VK3AFH

at Wantirna

[40m]
¢ Was looking for someone

calling CQ but only came across a few ongoing

QSOs.
Heard

Mark finishing up, but you got pounced

Portland to here, QSB notwithstanding.

on by David - strong sigs from

| threw out my callsign but heard

silence. Saw another strong signal pop up on my SDR and realised you'd
moved

on, your QSOs were great for headcopy

practice though!.

[80m]
¢ Tried to see what | could hear on 80m,

| think | heard Mark again in

amongst the noise, but nothing from VK6 that was apparently there..
[Sorry| didn’t hear you Mathew.

Glad to hear you're having fun learning the

head-copy, and that the net Is helping there. ]

From Rob VK3ECH

at Black River near Stanley, Tas

[40m]
¢ Extremely windy and cold
conditions at my campsite..
[48 degrees in some places, cold
and windy in others - a land of
flooding plains!]

Post Morsum

Net Report

from Richard VK6HRC
A small group checked

in and bigger group of SWLs at first on the AllStar/

Echolink and associated

Repeater network.

On the net on Wednesday
VK6KD/3

David

VK6QI

Mark

VKO6FN
e VK6HRC
and our SWLs

morning

Max
Richard
including Mulligan, VK6MRB

a regular checked

in before the net.

The network was fairly busy just before the net
Mark VK6BSA and David VK6NRA

with Max catching up with

before they started work for the day.

David called in 6km West of Portland in VK3 to let us know that he worked
three on

forty and heard two on eighty, still working through

his troublesome

set up on eighty. They are enjoying the cooler weather over there

going

bushwalking etc. before moving on to VK5 soon.
Mark got things squared away before the morning

inspection and then

joined

in for his report.

Mark worked three on forty and two on eighty, but had a

struggle working

Donald VK6JDM

near Esperance due to poor band conditions.

Max worked five on forty and enjoyed a few QRQ

contacts to blow the cobwebs

away. Not on eighty at this time due to antenna

problems.

| had two contacts on forty, one with Ron VK6KHZ

great to hear him back on

the net. | then went into SWL mode followed the traffic net run by Stan ZL3TK
and got a good workout with six and seven

number groups!

Thanks Stan,

Manny and the others.
We also had discussion about the excellent
and the VK7TAZ

CW training net run by Nic VK7WW

radio club on 3.580 LSB and their Discord link on Wednesday

evening, starting at 7pm

EDST.

Thanks to all on the net last night and this morning.
stay safe
73
Richard VK6HRC
[Thanks Richard;

CQQRS

neatly-run and squared-up net. ]

Traffic Report

from Stan ZL3TK
The Traffic Group convened

at 0840Z on 7.0257

MHz as usual.

Conditions

were quite satisfactory and two formal QTCs were successfully sent:
answer from VK7KPC

and a question from ZL3TK.

The speed at which the ANSWER
character, with Farnsworth,

QTC was sent has been estimated at 11 wom

between 4 and 5 wpm

The speed at which the QUESTION
character and 8.9 wom

word speed.

QTC was sent was measured

word speed.

at 15 wom

An explanation for the character speed

being only 75 % of the recommended

minimum

the number of repeats in the presence of QRM

training speed,
and/or QSB.

is to reduce

That compromise

worked very well.
During Wednesday’s

Post Morsum,

one operator admitted to listening to the

traffic (via an SDR).

He sounded challenged

by the question QTC which

included four map coordinates in simple DD format to four places. A sound
recording and description of that QTC structure may be found
at

https://bit.ly/zicqqrs

and remember,

it's open for anyone to answer.

73 de Stan
[Thanks for your efforts Stan;

I’m glad you're getting more listeners enjoying

the decoding and puzzle-solving.]

This Week’s

Topic

Interest
Morse Academy

Rotterdam

Course

3rd year in succession
from

The Grande
America

Dame

Roy VK6RR

S/S Rotterdam, the former cruise ship of the Holland

Line, now operated

by WestCord as a stunning

hotel with extensive

facilities for business, congresses, entertainment and personal enrichment,
become the home of the Morse Academy
Since its launch, the Morse Academy

has

(MA) in 2022.

has successfully completed two

comprehensive training courses. These courses have introduced amateur radio
enthusiasts to the art of sending and receiving Morse code at various speeds.
To provide a deeper educational experience, additional modules are offered,
designed to prepare participants to operate proficiently in CW
explore the world of radio communication

mode and

using this most traditional form of

wireless transmission.

Morse Academy - first year session in 2022

Using just a simple Morse key, supported

by a transmitter and receiver,

participants learn how to connect with the World without relying on cables,
satellites, or computers. The Morse Academy equips its students with the skills
to master this timeless and efficient form of communication,

placing the world

quite literally at their fingertips.
This initiative highlights the enduring relevance of Morse code and the
commitment

of the Morse Academy to preserve and share this invaluable skill

with the next generation of radio enthusiasts
To build on the success of the Morse Academy,

potential participants were

invited to attend an open day on January 18, 2025. This event is aimed at
introducing new enthusiasts to the Academy’s
opportunities it offers for mastering
world of radio communication.

programs and showcases the

Morse code and exploring the fascinating

Presentation in Odyssee Room
The open day of the Morse Academy was a resounding success, attracting
approximately 50 amateur radio enthusiasts to an event that offered a
professional and engaging

introduction to Morse code.

The day was packed with activities centered around the rich history and
application of Morse code. Attendees had the opportunity to explore a variety
of topics, including Morse code techniques, equipment demonstrations, and
the historical significance of this communication
The event was further enriched

method.

by well-prepared PowerPoint presentations

delivered by former Radio Officers, who shared their expertise and passion for
the subject. These presenters, drawing on two years of successful teaching
experience at the Academy,

provide unique insights into the technical and

practical aspects of Morse code.
The open day truly showcased the Morse Academy’s commitment to
preserving and promoting this fascinating art and science, leaving attendees
inspired and eager to deepen their knowledge.
On March

1 2025, the Morse Academy will begin a new course year, welcoming

both beginners and advanced

learners. The maximum

participants has already been reached,

capacity of 25

reflecting the growing enthusiasm for

this unique program.
Classes will take place in a dedicated classroom on board the ss Rotterdam,
equipped with individual sending and receiving stations for each participant.
The classroom

is also fully supported with state-of-the-art audiovisual tools to

enhance the learning experience.
The curriculum follows the renowned

Koch method,

ensuring an effective and

structured approach to learning Morse code. Additionally, advanced students
will have the opportunity to enrol in the Operating Practice module, allowing
them to further hone their skills and operate confidently on the airwaves as
experienced CW operators.
This initiative would

not have been possible without the generous support of

several sponsors and the invaluable cooperation of WestCord
Morse Academy

Hotels. The

is proud to have established something truly unique on board

the ss Rotterdam, also protecting the Morse Code recognition as intangible
cultural heritage and ensuring that this timeless craft continues to thrive.
73
Roy
[Thanks Roy - nice article!
wouldn't that be fun?!

Couldn't helo but let my imagination float away

Perhaps we should ask our adventurers Geoff VK6HD or

Mike DL3YZ to represent us if it’s being run again in the coming Dutch
Summer?]

If you have an article or two that you think might be of interest to our readers,
please let me know so we can share more thoughts and ideas;

to cqqrsnet@gqmail.com

On
A Knee

My Workbench

Pad for Portable Ops

From Geoff VK6HD
| got myself a cheap 3D printer from
Jaycar before Xmas - $250 fora
brand new Crealty Ender 3 V3-SE.
What fun, and got it across the line
because

| promised to design and

print outdoor table cloth clips for
the PLM.

Have printed up wire

winders, a 4 x HT holder and am
now doing a very nice aviator style
knee pad for QMX et al

Other
Other things

Morse Training
Nic VK7WW

I’ve received

News
from

our 200-odd

readers.

Net

runs a Slow Morse training net every Wednesday

at 7pm

EDST on

3580 for 30 mins. He uses the callsign of the Northern Tasmania Amateur
Radio Club VK7TAZ on that net.
Many of our team

learned Morse

code with the support of Nic, and
the weekly training session comes
highly recommended

for anyone

who wants to learn the Code, or

simply brush up.

Everyone’s

welcome - 3580kHz at 7pm
time every Wednesday.

Eastern

The NTARC

also feeds the CW live via the

‘Nic’ VK7WW

Tasmania, Australia

Discord phone / computer audio
stream, and previous weeks’
recordings are available.
Contact

Nic VK7WW

for more

info

nicholaschantler@hotmail.com
just

join

inon

- or

Wednesdays

“OTH

Legana,

15km North of Pasar

Grid Sq: QE388mp

LONG

QSO with: VK6Q|_

Fx: 3.554 Mhz
TX: H/brew BD139 PA

147.030414

147 1°49"E

RST:

479

Tasmania
LAT

Time/Date:

AUSTRALIA

-41.353883

41 21713”S

1Aug23

Mode: CW ~~ Pwr: iwatt
1100z
Rx: 1C751A — Ant: 80m Db! Extended Zepp
@15m

Mark, great to work you from your remote Stn VK6SR at Bedfordale, South of Perth wid 100
Watts output to a Marconi-Tee up 12m with a 60m flat top! 73 Nic. Tnx fer RST 539
My “CENT” Tx can be found on the NTARC website at:

_ https://ntare.net/projects

Tuesday Traffic Net
From Stan ZL3TK
Every Tuesday traffic with an Australian flavour is still being exchanged
7.0257

MHz

starting

As has always been the case,
slowly,

0840Z.
traffic is sent slowly,

some would say painfully

and carries an invitation for QRS members to send answers to this

week's traffic the following week.
Anyone

needing a repeat need only ask using the previously publicised

protocol.
In future there may be additional traffic in the form of AQRs
reports),

(answer quality

intended to raise standards further as well as provide general

knowledge.
73 de Stan
ZL3TK

Waitangi

Day Prefix

From John VK4TJ:
A reminder - some of us will be looking for that exotic ZM
Zealand on February 6, Waitangi
Cheers

prefix from New

Day for the SKCC Prefix Award.

& 73

John, VK4T]

Di-dah-di-dah-dit
Here we go.

So back to the Slow CW QSO

practice net.

Next Tuesday’s
Our CQQRS

Net

Group will be on as always on Tuesday from around 0700z until

about 1300z;

see below for details.

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.
There's usually people around until after 1300z - so keep calling in the
segment of the band designated

in the table below until you catch someone.

should be on as usual from home

in NSW or via the Remote at Bedfordale WA,

and I’ll also be watching the proceedings using the VK6QS
WA and NSW

respectively.

and Tecsun SDRs in

Hope to hear you there.

Reports
Please let me know via our Reports form bit.ly/CQQRSNET who you work or
hear on Tuesday’s Group.

The report form closes at lunchtime (Eastern

Australian time) on Thursday.

Post

Morsum

Richard VK6HRC

will run our phone Post Morsum

on the South West AllStar net

(via repeaters and hotspots all over WA) from 0600 WA time, then from 0700
WA time on 80m

(3605 LSB).

For the 0600 (22002) net, if you're in WA all you need is an FM 2m or 70cm
transceiver and an AllStar node nearby.

If you’re elsewhere in the world, if you

have an AllStar node (or you may be able to connect your local AllStar-enabled
repeater to the net via DTMF codes), connect to node 42482, 51077 or 42732 these are the hubs that tie the network of repeaters and nodes together in WA.
If you don’t have access to AllStar, you can connect to the network via
Echolink.

On Echolink, search for one of the following Nodes:

e VK2KI-L
e *VK6-HUB*
e VK6ZGN-L
e VK6RMH-R
e VK6NRA-L
When

you connect to one of those stations on Echolink, you'll be automatically

connected to the WA AllStar network, and you should hear us on soon after the
hour;

let me know (cggrsnet@gqmail.com)

AllStar or Echolink.

if | can help with connecting via

If you’re in WA and can’t connect, give Richard a call on

3605kHz SSB from 0700 (23002).

Teamwork

This week this old dog tried asking Staff Officer ChatGPT to generate the
newsletter’s introduction.
thanked

When

it had finished (about three seconds later) |

it... and here was its response:

“You're very welcome! I'm glad | could help. If you need anything else or have
more updates to share, don't hesitate to reach out. Enjoy your week, and
happy operating! 73!”

Thank you so much to our team of 27 contributors:
VK2GAS,

VK2NNW,

VK2WP,

VK3ACU,

DL3YZ, VK2ASB, VK2DLF,

VK3AFH, VK3DRQ,

VK3ECH,

VK3KEV,

VK4TJ,VK5A0, VK5CZ, VK5KFG, VK6BEK, VK6HD, VK6HRC, VK6IS, VK6JDM,
VK6KD/3, VK6KHZ, VK6RR, VK6WE,
course, ChatGPT;

VK7KPC, VK7WW

and ZL3TK,

plus of

thank you again team.

€U CW on Tuesday,

Mark Bosma
VK2KI / VK6QI

Beautiful South Bowning NSW
mark.bosma@icloud.com
non impediti ratione cogitationis

An Ode to CW - thanks to David VK3RU:
In days of old, when ops were bold,
And sideband was not invented,
Words were passed by pounding brass,
And all were quite contented.
- Unknown

author

About the CQ QRS
Group
Here’s

the

details.

The team will be on again for our usual Tuesday arvo / evening Practice QSO
Group.
Frequencies

and Times

Coordinated

Universal Time

0700z to 1300z

Western Australia Time
Australia

UTC + 8 Hours

1500 to 2100

Central Australian Time

UTC

+ 10.5 Hours

1730 to 2330

Eastern Australian Time

UTC + 11 Hours

1800 to 2400

Queensland Time
New Zealand

UTC

NZ Time

+ 10 Hours

1700 to 2300

UTC + 13 Hours

2000 to 0200

Sea

Frequency

0700z to 0900z

0900z to 1100z
0900z to 1300z

40m

7020kHz - 7040kHz

40m

7020kHz - 7040kHz

80m

3540kHz - 3570kHz

80m

3540kHz - 3570kHz

Wednesday (VK/ZL)

Post Morsum

2200z - 2300z

WA FM AllStar Network (direct or via Echolink)

QRL?
So tune around and call anyone you hear, or find yourself a quiet spot in the
designated segment,

send “QRL?” and if the frequency is quiet, start calling

CQ QRS at about 75% of the speed you're comfortable receiving at;
responders will match (or send slower to their comfort level).
already having a QSO and someone

sends “QRL?”,

hopefully

And if you are

respond with “R”, “C”, “Y”,

“YES” or QRL to let the caller know that the frequency is in use.
If we’re on 40m

and you can hear that the band

perhaps consider calling 500Hz above each
of having to copy our team through QRQ

is open outside Australasia,

1kHz slot - to minimise the chance

QRM

that’s often dead-on the kHz

markers.

Speed?

Rhythm?

If you’re proficient at CW and can race along at 20 or 30wpm - terrific, but
please remember, the Group’s aim is to encourage
not show how fast you can hammer the key.

participation and learning,

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;

we go with our Group, the more | understand just how many

the longer

non-transmitting

listeners we have - and they will most likely appreciate your QRS!
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.

Matching
And also for the oldies like me, when you hear someone
their sending speed - or slower.

new, please match

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!

PSE

QRS

And if someone
“AGN?

is sending too fast to comfortably copy - “PSE RPT PSE QRS” or

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,
Whose

before replying.

frequency

is this anyway?

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

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 in this Group.... 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.
Landing

Zone

If the band goes really quiet, call and listen on 7032kHz (7028kHz secondary)
or 3555kHz.
frequency.

If you catch someone, there’s no need to QSY - enjoy the
But don’t forget to tune around

if it’s quiet - we have lots of

operators with crystal locked transmitters - and they could be anywhere within
the segments.
segments,

For those who are locked, or can only transmit outside the

send a message on our WhatsApp

CQ QRS - Alerts group advising of

your current frequency.
And of course, put the frequencies in a memory so outside of the Group,

you’re not tuning around, leave your receiver on one of the primary
frequencies - you never know who you'll hear (7032

is used in VK and ZL for

SOTA/ PARKS during the day so you'll often hear activity there).
CW Tips
As always, for newbies, operating suggestions are available from the operating
hints link here:
httos://www.parg.org.au/ files/ugd/ebe236_3ca5ca08bb38429db4eee524bda2
f97a.pdf.

VK2KI / VK6QI

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opinions

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opinions do not necessarily

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