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View this email in your browser
CQQRS RagChew
Edition 22/2026
KiwiSDR? See below.
bit. lyiCQQRSNET
Dah-di-dah-di-dah
New Team Members
Reports from Tuesday’s CQQRS Net
Wednesday’s Post Morsum Report
The Perfect Age to Learn Morse Code
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e On My (Son’s) Workbench
e CW Practice
e CW Academy - 22May26
e
First Ever 40m DX
e Accessing the ACMA Assist Portal
e
National VKFF Parks Get-Together
e
Morse Training Net
e Guess Who?
e
Emails to the Editor
e Snowline KiwiSDR
e Weird Connector
e
Prosign of the Month
e
Di-dah-di-dah-dit
e Venus & Mars in the Ham Shack
e About the CQ QRS Group
Dah-di-dah-di-dah
| Know you’ll enjoy the reports this week from 40 of our team members about
Tuesday’s CQORS Slow CW Practice QSO net. Thank you again one and all for
penning such entertaining and readable reports each week - they’re part of the glue
that keeps our QRS family stuck to Tuesdays. I’d also like to acknowledge Richard
VK6HRC’s dedication for running the weekly voice call-back on Wednesday
mornings; 6am WA time week-in, week-out has got to be a challenge - not to mention
the challenge of herding all the discussions into a succinct report. Thanks mate.
This week, Ross MONNK has applied some of the Bayesian thinking he discussed
last week in an interesting article about the ideal age to learn Morse Code. And
what’s more, he’s also written Part 2 of his series about using Vband. Some readers
may recall Ross’ series of articles about setting up your page on qrz.com; well like
those articles, Ross takes the reader through the whole Vband thing, step-by-step outstanding work Ross - thank you.
Also this week, Lance VK7TO continues the discussion about the frequencies used
for our weekly CQQRS net, and down in the Emails to the Editor section, Lance also
throws some more thoughts in to the discussion about the use of the RSN reporting
protocol for CW. Excellent reading, thanks Lance.
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engineering masterpiece from the Dunns’ workshop at Yackandandah. And further
down the newsletter you'll find the CW practice segment from John VK2RU. Every
week this year and last, John has compiled an audio track of practice CW that can be
sped up or slowed down to match your practice needs; so even if you can’t get on air
for some practice, have a listen to what John has made each week - great work mate
- amazing what someone can do from a caravan on a track somewhere!
As discussed last week, | have been using the brilliant VKTHF Snowline KiwiSDR
during the net - the waterfall display and low noise level sure beats tuning up and
down on my old Trio TS-120S (which with it’s narrow CW filter can easily miss QRS
CW if | tune too fast). lan is building the SDR into a mobile comms trailer as shown
on our newsletter’s Masthead which can be set-up anywhere. So if you have a quiet
location and would like to host the unit, please let me know; see more below.
Finally, we round out this week’s offering with yet another edition of Venus and Mars
in the Ham Shack; Jordan VK3ACU has done yet another outstanding job!
So... on, on! I’ve got a V/Line coach to catch to start our travels tomorrow... and |
haven't started packing yet!
New Team Members
Welcome this week to Andy VK3XKA from Lysterfield East of Melbourne, and Mark
VK2XMB from Blaxland in the Blue Mountains West of Sydney. Both Andy and Mark
are on the current round of the CWops CW Academy being run by Chris VK3QB.
Welcome gents, and I’m sure you'll find when you do get on air, that our group of
over 240 team members will be very welcoming and will provide practice in a nice
safe environment. We have both new operators like yourselves and old-timers who
were born with a Morse key in their mouths so as to speak.... so lots of folks out there
ready to help.
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If you’d like to find out a bit about our net, or would like to pass information to others
about our Tuesday get-togethers, here’s the link to our website.
bit.ly/COQORSWebsite
So here we go - on behalf of the CQORS Editorial team, please enjoy the newsletter.
dit-dit
Mark Bosma
VK2KI / VK6QI
Patrick
Beautiful South Bowning
VK2Z2IOW
NSW
John
VK2RU
Milthorpe NSW
on a track somewhere
cqgrsnet@gmail.com
non impediti ratione cogitationis
Nigel
Richard
Lance
G4RWI
VK6HRC
VK7TO
our other grey nomad
Padbury WA
Margate TAS
Jordan
VK3ACU
Meredith VIC
Reports & Comments
Here’s this week’s reports.
Last Tuesday’s Group
With thanks to Nigel G4RWI’s clever software, and John VK2RU’s clever spreadsheet
work, here’s the 58 stations heard by 40 members of our team on Tuesday:
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Heard on air
MOKBJ
Tried 20m
VK3ACU
MOKBJ
Worked 40m
WW1USA
MOKBJ
Heard 40m
ZL3XDJ
VK2EBN
Heard on air
VK2IOW
Worked 20m
F2GL
VK2IOW
Worked 80m
VK3CTM
VK5FD
VK2JCC
Heard on air
VK2KI
Heard 20m
IU4FLS
ZL3TK
VK2KI
Tried 40m
ZL3ABX
VK2KI
Worked 80m |VK6MTF/MM|
VK2KI
Heard 80m
VK2RU
Heard 30m
JG2KJU
VK2RU
Heard 40m
| VK6MTF/MM|_
VK2TIG
Heard 40m
VK3EBN
VK3ACU | VK2JCC | VK2TM | VK/7TO
VK3ACU
Heard on air
VK7TO
KG2RG
VK2IOW | VK2KDX|
ZL3TK
Heard on air
VK3CTM
Worked 80m
VK2IOW
VK3CTM
Heard 80m
VK3KLEI
VK3DRQ
Worked 20m
VK6IX
VK3DRQ
Heard 20m
IU4FLS
VK3DRQ
Tried 20m
IU4FLS
VK3DRQ
Worked 40m
VK4IM
VK6RR
VK3DRQ
Worked 80m
VK3KLE
VK5KFG
VK3DRQ
Heard 80m
VK2IOW
VK3JFR
Heard on air
VK3KLE
Worked 80m
Heard on air
VK4BVM
ZL3TK | VK6KD | VK4PN
VK6MK
VK3BWN
VK3MXW
VK2KI
VKSKFG
VK3DRQ | VK/TO
Heard 40m
VK7JZ
VK1TX
VK4BVM
Heard 80m
VK2IOW
VK4IM
Worked 40m
VK3DRQ
VK4IM
Heard 40m
VK3JFR
VK3KLE
VK4PN
Heard on air
VKSET
Heard 20m
VK2IOW
VK3DRQ
VKSET
Heard 40m
ZL1HJD
VKSET
Heard 40m
VK6MTF
VK3BWN | VK6NLR | VK6KDX |VKGENNQ]} VK6KHZ | VK6OFN | VK7TA
VKS5ET
Heard 80m
VK6MTF
VK6JDM | VK2KDX | BOTWU
VK5FD
Worked 80m
VK2IOW
VK5FD
Heard 80m
VK3DRQ
VKSKFG
VKSKFG
Worked 80m
VK3KLE
VK3DRQ
VKSKFG
Heard 80m
VK6JDM
VK6KD
VK6DSL
Heard on air
VK6FN
Heard on air
VK6HRC
Heard on air
VK6JDM
Worked 80m
VK6KD
VK6JDM
Heard 80m
VK2NOW
VK3IOW | VK3KLE | VK5KFG | VK3DRQ|
VK6KD
Heard 20m
VK2IOW
VK3DRQ | IU4FLS | VK6TX
VK6KD
Worked 40m
VK6NQL
VK6KHZ
VK6KD
Heard 40m
VK6HRC
VK6RR
VK6KD
Tried 40m
VK6HRC
VK6KD
Worked 80m
VK6JDM
VK2KI
VK6KD
Heard 80m
VK2IOW
VK6MK | VK4PN
VK6KHZ
Worked 40m
VK6HRC
VK6WE
VK6KHZ
Worked 80m
VK6HRC
VK2KI
VK2KI
VK5FD
VK2KI
VK6FN
VK2XU | VK6FN
VK6RR | VK6KG
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VK6MTF/MM|
Translate v
Tried 40m
VK6DSL
VK6FN
KU3S
VK6MTF/MM | Worked 80m
VK3MXW
VK3ACU
VK2KI
VK6MTF/MM |
Heard 80m
ZL3TK
VK6NQL
Heard on air
VK6QI
Heard 40m
VK2KI
VK6QI
Heard 80m
| VK6MTF/MM]|
VK6RR
Worked 40m
VK3DRW
VK6KHZ | VK6FN
VK6RR
Heard 40m
VK6KEZ
VK6WE | VK6KD
VK6TX
Worked 20m
VK3DRQ
VK6TX
Worked 40m
VK3BWN
ZL3TK
VK6TX
Heard 40m
VK2EBN
VK3ACU | VK6DSL | VK2BPL
VK6TX
Tried 40m
VK6FN
VK6WE
Worked 40m
VK6KHZ
VK7JZ
Heard on air
VK7TA
Worked 40m
VK6FN
VK7TA
Heard 40m
VK2EBN
VK7TA
Tried 40m
VK6KHZ
VK7TO
Worked 40m
VK3CTM
ZL2GD
Heard on air
ZL3ABX
Heard 40m
ZL3ABX
Tried 40m
VK2KI
ZL3TK
Tried 20m
IU4FLS
ZL3TK
Worked 40m
VK6TX
ZL3TK
Heard 40m
VK7TO
ZL3TK
Worked 80m
VK2KI
VK2IOW | VK2KDX |} VK6MK | ZL3TK | VK6KD | VK4PN | VK2KI
VK7TO
VK6FN
VK7TO
VK2EBN | VK3KLE | VK6TX | ZL2GD
VK2KI
VK6FN
Comments:
John’s spreadsheet above shows the known stations heard or worked on last
Tuesday’s CQORS Net (reported via our webform bit.\y/COORSNET ); the comments
in the team members’ reports follow. The comments were compiled for us by the
clever software built by Nigel GARWI and the layout was perfected by Patrick
VK2IOW.
Thanks again to Nigel, Patrick and John for the work, and to every team member who
submitted a report -
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[40m]
Only heard a few this evening and the ones | did hear were
right on, or just below, my S7 noise floor. | did manage to
make one contact, (Finally!), with Manny in Blackburn, even
with seriously deep QSB we managed to complete the
contact. Thanks for your patience Manny.
From Mike VK6TX at Hervey Bay QLD
aA
Lots of QSB during the evening.
From John VK5ET at Hope Valley
[20m]
Noisy, much fading, hard to copy callsigns.
[40m]
Very noisy, signals disappeared completely at times.
Six VK6 stations heard with weak signals.
[80m]
Much the same as 40m & 20m. Two VK6 stations heard with weak signals.
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[40m]
A few nice QSO’s on 40m despite plenty of QSB. Great
to work my mate Kim VK6TQ who is a keen DXer and
competent CW operator but takes some convincing to
dust off key. Jim VK/7JZ was also a good signal from
the park tonight.
After spending some time finding a good frequency, Max VK3MXW and | had a good
QSO on 80m. Great keying Max, good to get you in the log.
Finished off my night with a long QSO with Mark who reminded me it gets cold in
VK7! Sounds like Sth Browning NSW gets cold and wet also. Cheers Mark.
From Stan ZL3TK at Waitarere Beach
[40m]
Low noise but surprisingly poor trans-Tasman
signals. Conditions had deteriorated somewhat
since RandomGram on Sunday night when some
fine DX, notably Alaska, was to be had.
[80m]
Starting at O600Z, listened for and somewhat optimistically called DOZEMR on 15 m,
but he didn't show up on either RF or Mike's Live Status Monitor. Moving to 20 m,
could just detect a CQ from Fausto but would never have been able to copy a signal
report. Nonetheless, called him in case he might hear me. The other two guys were
unavailable for various reasons, so finished on 20 m at O800Z after a fruitless two
hours listening and calling - just in case as they say. Strange thing though, no VKs
were heard, only a couple of random dashes several minutes apart which were likely
from VKs, but no one identified. RBN has been proving it shouldn't be relied on.
During RandomGram when RBN was reporting 'no dice - best go to bed’, in fact skip
into the US was remarkably good and the source of some useful points.
Strongly
recommend QRSers swallow their fear and take on Randomgram with gusto next
month.
It is conducted at a pedestrian speed out of necessity and Team Oceania is
showing goodly performance.
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[40m]
40m was quite active so there was the option of
waiting for the end of a QSO or move onto another
frequency and hope to catch the end of
aQSO. By
2130hrs WST there were still stations calling CQ
QRS on 40m. Noise levels SS were much the same
at my QTH for both 40 and 80m.
Once again 80m looked to open up and remain active for quite a while. While | could
just make out stations from the S5 noise it was interesting to note | was able to
decode more than what| originally thought would be possible. Yes it was hard work
but that's the challenge, hihi. Station from Italy (IU4FLS) was coming into my QTH in
Ballajura WA on 20m earlier in the evening but QSB changed conditions quickly at
my end. 73s until next week.
From Simon MOKBJ at Wolverhampton, central UK
[40m]
Radio propagation continues to bring surprises and today |
was thrilled to make two contacts with the USA on the 40m
morning (0457UTC) | was easily able to copy Justin KG2RG byith 2
band. Until now, that band has been great for working
around the UK and into Western Europe but early this
ve
in Albany, New York. Even better, Justin enjoys a proper chat rather than a brief
exchange, so he was able to tell me about his station. Today he was using a TenTec
Corsair with a Heathkit amplifier to drive 800W to an inverted vee antenna. He was
using a bug and | had no difficulty copying him. | sent 6(OW back the other way. We
subsequently exchanged emails and he sent me a video of an amazing shack, full of
vintage equipment, beautifully restored to working condition.
We both had to adjust our VFO to cope with a
little drift during the chat. And since
Justin was using a bug and | was using a straight key, every aspect of our
modulations was variable! Great fun!
| then briefly worked WW1USA, a special event station to commemorate the US army
and navy's involvement in World War 1. This station was in Kansas City, Missouri, on
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continent.
From Donald VK6JDM 20 km west of Esperance
[80m]
Well last week 80 metres was like an empty car park. You
could park your CQ there with little risk of colliding with
another station. Last night the 80 metre park was
chockers after the word went out that it was open. The
CW segment was silent early in the night, but a journey up
to the SSB zone revealed 80 metres was working; after a
quick tea | found it crowded to near capacity.
From lan VK7TA at Latrobe
[40m]
| only managed a short session on 40m around 6pm, and |
didn't hear many stations.
From Tony VK3CTM at Junortoun
[80m]
| will try to take part more frequently. Always very
entertaining. | will work 30 and 160 meters if possible
next Tuesday.
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[20m]
| almost managed a QSO with Fausto - | heard
ZL3TK calling him; then | heard Fausto calling CQ.
| replied, however there was no response, then
realised that | had BREAK-IN off on my FTDX-10
(CW practice mode), so nothing was going out!
After that we got hit by a rainstorm, which severely
detuned my 450 ohm ladderline (1 wondered
whether an antenna connection had broken). By
the time | sorted myself out, Fausto was gone. Though | did manage a nice QSO
with F2GL near Paris.
[80m]
Later in the evening | skipped down to 80 metres. Conditions seemed good. Good
QSOs with Victoria (VK3CTM), South Australia (VKSFD) and NSW (VK2KI)).
From Manny VK3DRQ at Blackburn
[20m]
From the Europeans, only OM Fausto was 331
QSB. | called him a few times without any luck. |
gave Edi, Ross and Mike a few calls just in case,
but nothing came back, not even a beep.
For those of you, if any, who are wondering about
my absence last week - there is an explanation.
No, | didn't fall from the 7-metre tall trees | was
pruning and cutting down.
Last Tuesday, the Rotary Club was having the "Rotary Community Grants" and since
Estela, the XYL is one of their volunteers we were invited to attend. By the time we
arrived home it was nearly midnight. Sorry gentlemen, too late and too tired to
operate the Morse Key.
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[20m]
As seems normal these days, | nearly missed the
early start on the higher bands.
| completely
missed checking for Edi DOZEMR on 15m, but |
could just hear Fausto |U4FLS on 20m - in and
out of the noise. Signals were getting weaker,
and by the time his 30 minute slot had ended, he
was way down in the murk. Thanks for trying
mate.
[40m]
Stephen ZL3ABX was very weak when| tried calling from 0700z;
| think | heard the
"3" each time he called me, but very little else. Thanks for trying, and for the email
Stephen.
| then took an early break for dinner, and when | returned and had a quick listen,
there didn't seem to be much going on on 40m.
| gave up on 40m and headed down
to try my luck on 80m.
[80m]
Great to have six nice back-to-back QSOs on 80m on Tuesday.
Steven VK2KDX was a new callsign for me, and he had a really nice signal from
Grenfell. Stan ZL3TK was rolling in nicely, as was Morgan VK6MTF/MM down South
of Hobart at Kettering.
Morgan reported a daytime temperature of 12 degrees with
20mm of rain - and no heating in the cabin of the yacht!
Patrick VK2ZIOW up at Millthorpe had a solid RSN 592 signal here and we enjoyed
chatting about the weather, hay, cattle breeding, regenerative agriculture - pretty
normal discussion by a pair of rural dudes!
David VK6KD called in next - great to have a full exchange with David - after what
seems like a long time where he's had to use an SDR to receive because of the
noise level.
| rounded out the night with a nice chat with Sava VK4PN up at Mount
Ommaney Brisbane; great to hear Sava home early from grand-kid duty, and able to
get on air during the net.
| then heard Stuart VK6MK at Australind calling Sava; unfortunately, Stuart lost Sava
in the noise - but it was really great to hear him on again - | think the last time |
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days, and set up our fantastic WhatsApp Alerts and Rag Chews groups.
Also from your editor Mark VK6QI at Beautiful South Bowning via the VK6SEG
KiwiSDR at Hoddys Well near Northam.
[80m]
Nice signals across the continent on 80m this week. For those
who haven't yet explored the wonders of 80m, come on down,
the water's fine!
From Paul VK3KLE at Stawell
[40m]
Not much happening on 40m 20:00 local time so after trying
CW | QSY’d to 80m.
[40m]
This week was a rather different in style for me;
rather than two or three long ragchews, | enjoyed
five shorter QSOs. No less enjoyable, especially as
| got to work some stations I'd not spoken to ina
couple of years, and met some operators I'd not
worked before.
| was particularly surprised to work
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Queensland.
Translate v
Unfortunately, before learning about his travels in the Eastern states
our circuit faded to nothing. Hopefully I'll catch him again before he returns west.
From Fausto IU4FLS at Bologna - Italy
[20m]
WX in Bologna was sunny and warm. Noise level 3
over the range 14044 - 14046 kHz.
Power 90w.
Having good weather conditions and low noise, |
naively expected reasonably clear signals, but | was
wrong. | started calling CQ at 14044. Replies were
floating in the QSB and noise. Impossible for me to
understand. Later | was forced to QSY to 14045.5
kHz due to a Russian OM intrusion on 14044. Finally |
managed to pick up ZL3TK’s signal : | gave RST 339, but | missed my RST due to
QSB and signal loss. Anyway it was nice to hear Stan.
Many thanks and regards to all of you. 73 de IU4FLS - Fausto
TAT AVAVAV AV AV AY AY AV AY AY AY AY AY
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From Richard VK6HRC.
Six on the VK6RLM rpir and AllStar/Echolink hub this morning.
VK6FN
Max
VKKD
David
ZL3TK
~=Stan
VK6QI
Mark
VK6HRC
VK6MRB Mulligan swl
Max had a great evening worked six on 40 m before meal time.
David heard three on 20 m and another three on 40 m and went on to work three
on 80 m.
Stan heard Fausto IU4FLS on 20 M briefly but conditions changed and his signal
was lost in the noise. On 40 m Max VK6FN and Mike VK6TX were heard then
Stan went on to work Mark VK2KI on 80 m.
Mark was busy but got on later heard Fausto IU4FLS and Stan ZL3TK ON 20 M
tried working Stephan ZL3ABX but conditions not quite good enough. Mark had
better results on 80 m worked a new station VK2KDX Steven had a good
ragchew with Patrick VK2IOW as well as getting Morgan, Stan and Stuart in the
log.
| had a good session worked two on 40 m and one on 80 m and followed other
traffic to improve my decoding. Had a bonus contact with Jordan VK3ACU this
morning on 40 m just before the Post Morsum a great way to start off.
Thank you to all on last night and this morning
73Richard.
9-14V
~
.
V/IM/ISAV
~
beiKits|
HB-1B 4 Band
CQ/SET
QRP Transceiver
ATT
RIT/MOD
IF Fl
ON =
CHARGE
KEY/PADDLE
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After next Tuesday’s Group, please remember to send me a list of who you worked
and / or who you heard using our web form here:
bit lWWCQQRSNET
Even if you didn’t hear anyone, we'd still like to know that you had a go. And to make
your report more interesting, please consider sending a photo:
cagrsnet@gmail.com
So, please help attract new and old team members to have a go by submitting your
report each week. Submissions close 1300 (Eastern Australian Summer time)_on
Thursdays.
The Perfect Age to Learn
Morse Code
More Bayesian Thinking
by Ross MONNK
It’s an oft-repeated adage that the best age to learn Morse code is when you're
young. But what a load of old cobblers! (IMO)
Young people certainly have flexible and agile minds that quickly acquire new skills,
and | think that’s what leads to the misconception. In practice, most young people
have become habituated to instant gratification. In Voand, where | regularly come into
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they fall victim to decoder dependency and shy away from the long hard haul of
learning to copy. The intuitiveness of modern tech means that they’re just not
prepared for mental skill acquisition that requires long-term self-motivation. Young
people certainly put a tremendous amount of time and effort into learning to
skateboard but that is a pursuit undertaken alongside their peers, whereas Morse is
an unfashionable activity undertaken outside youth culture.
Even if they do persevere with the copying challenge, the teenage years have many
distractions and are a time when one’s interests (and hormones) fluctuate wildly. The
drop-out rate is, thus, likely to be extremely high. And it’s not like learning to ride a
bike - when that early skill has gone, it’s gone, and in later years you'll be very much
back at square one again, but with added frustration.
No, that is definitely not the best age to learn Morse code.
Neither will it be for people in their twenties and thirties, with work, partners and
children all having greater and understandable demands upon their time. The
abandonment of radio as a hobby at this time of life is so common as to be a trope.
It doesn’t get any better during the ‘empty nest’ years either. The breadwinner is being
ground down by the lack of satisfaction at the tail end of their career; energy and
enthusiasm are fading, and what little remains are being drained to line the pockets of
strangers; the light at the end of the tunnel looks increasingly inviting. The housewife
(and let’s be honest here, it is usually the female partner who’s become the
homemaker by this time in their relationship) has her own social circle that does not
include radio among its group norms. There are exceptions but those are rare indeed.
Which brings us neatly to the perfect age to learn Morse code - your retirement years,
before you start to lose your marbles!
By this time in life, you have a thorough understanding of your strengths and
weaknesses, and how best to learn new skills. Age has gained you the wisdom and
resilience needed to see a difficult task through to its successful conclusion. You now
have time, that most valuable of commodities, and you’ve learned how to play the
long game to your advantage. You observe the radio hobby populated by your peers,
who revere Morse code as an admirable skill. Best of all, you now have the support of
a group of like-minded fellows here on the QRS Net.
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J
wv
Translate v
7
7
De
7~
NS
st
|
-ys
arguably a greater pay-off at the end because you don’t take your achievement for
granted.
After very many years
of selfless devotion to work and family, you have earned the
right to put your energies into a long delayed endeavour for yourself. Welcome into
the fold, OM/OL - you are among kindred spirits here.
Yes, there is life in the old dog yet!
Ross
Proposed New Net
Frequencies - Continued
by Lance VK7TO
Chaps, thanks for a really good discussion in
Proposed New CQQRS
RagChew Edition 21/2026.
Net Frequencies
In last week’s RagChew edition 20/2026, Lance VK7TO proposed new net
| think one of the issues the group is facing Is
that because of the amount of CW activity now
frequencies for 80m and 160m. In-turn, |
invited comments from members:
Proposed New CQQRS
Net Frequencies
« Would you be happy to make the
From Lance VK7TO
changes proposed by Lance?
found on Tuesday evenings, like any large
mass, it has an increasing gravity to the point
where many find and participate in the activity,
« Would you like to propose a new 80m
and 160m calling frequency based on
the
(COORS net, and in 80 doing, moving the BOm and 160m COQRS segments
Into the GW-onty ponton
of the bana.
Lance’s band-plan?
\’m really pleased to report that we’ve had a
good deal of feedback as follows:
probably unaware of any structure at all. Isn't
e
Makes total sense to me. In addition to
the points that Lance makes, nonmembers of our group are more likely to
it amazing that Australia now has one evening
a week where so many CW participants
congregate!
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be listening in the designated CW
segments. Those of us with scopes/
waterfalls tend to have the span
reduced, so someone calling ‘far north’
is likely to be missed, even more likely
with basic steam driven radios.
Nigel G4RWI
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Activity, but without hard edges. | think it offers the following advantages:
e
No defined block, which some participants erroneously perceive as frequency
ownership. | can see how some people took my previous images to mean there
were set ORS/QRO sections of the bands, rather than how we operate as a
group.
e Sort of sends the message that the whole band is there to play in, but if you
want to find other ORS participants, stick around the CoA.
Given that many people have waterfall displays, once they get on the bands, they just
operate and find other operators without worrying about edges. For those of us
without, it's not hard to tune around anyway.
Having said all that, | don't think we can underestimate the value of the safe QRS
space to beginners. | also think that whilst the net has fostered the activity we see
today and may need to adjust how we communicate about the net a little because of
it. The reality still stands that the only reason there is so much activity is because of
the net, and we should unapologetically continue to focus on beginners, and those for
whom slow CW Is what they enjoy.
Anyway, how about something along the lines of the following, which becomes
nothing more than a handy reference if people want to print and stick it to their
bench? If you want to forgo the images entirely and just list the frequencies, that's
fine by me too.
40 m
Lipp
ty»ryyy
typ
y
7030
|
|
COORS Net
|
3525
11
|
|
———
80 m
160 m
|
COORS Net
l
l
1830
|_|
COORS Net
|
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Lance
[Thanks Lance - nicely done. Readers’ thoughts for the next edition please.
cqqrsnet@gmail.com
Last week’s responses are here and there’s a link in that article to the previous
week’s discussion by Lance if you want to re-cap].
Vband Part 2: Sending
Without A Key
by Ross MONNK
Let’s jump right in.
VBand - Part 1
I’m assuming you've found the VBand website
tale
discussed In RagChew edition 21/2026 okay. It's
recast
definitely worth looking at all six tabs, but we’re only
mee
Change your callsign to something short and easy for
on
going to use the first three. Go to the Settings tab.
others to send, then make your settings look like mine
SoHo Sim Uauc
a
below:
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Channels
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Channel
B&Giuithl
Store
Callsign - Name: | MONNK - ROSS
Mode: | Straight Key/Cootie
14]
|
Support
About
|
v|
Volume:50
Keyer Speed:15 WPM
Tone: 700HZ
Decoded Text Max Length:80
Min Latency:750 (750 recommended)
Flip Paddle
_| Enable QSOBot
__| Auto Character Spacing
|| Enable Touch Pads
__| Enable Scratchpad
_| Same Tone for all
Use Mouse Buttons (not usually recommended)
|_| Debug Timing (when working with our team)
| Show Timing Stats
Private Channels
|| Add Private Channel |
_ Connect to CW Hotline | Learn more about CW Hotline
Now go to the Channels tab and select the Practice Channel. Nobody can see that
you’re on the Practice Channel and nobody can join you there, so it’s a “Safe Place”.
Computer Keyboard: straight key style
Once you are in the Practice Channel, tap the CTRL key on
your keyboard.
Hey! You just sent the letter E, and the decoder should show that.
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Do the same with the left Square Bracket key.
You can also use the left mouse button but most people find it very awkward, hence
the “not usually recommended” comment next to the Enable box. But we'll use this
functionality when the time comes to connect a proper Morse key.
Okay. You’re an intelligent operator - you can see how Straight Key Mode works. Now
let’s try Paddle Mode.
Computer Keyboard: Paddle Style
Go back to the Settings tab and change the Keying Mode to the paddle mode of your
choice, and adjust the Keyer Speed slider to your normal speed..
Ham Radio Solutions Virtual CW Band - VBand
Channels
Channel
4
Biull
Store
Callsign - Name: | MoNNK - ROSS
Mode: | Ultimatic
Support
Abou
|
v Eh —,
Straight Key/Cootie
lambic Keyer Mode A
lambic Keyer Mode B
Ultimatic
comes
20
peed:15 WPM
Hz
Text Max Length:80
ncy:750 (750 recommended)
_| Flip Paddle
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The Square Brackets keys are now a
paddle. The left is dits; the right is
dahs.
This is rather awkward on a computer keyboard but very much easier on a mobile
phone so let’s try that next.
Mobile Phone: Paddle Mode
Flip Paddle
_| Enable QSOBot
On the Settings tab, set the Mode and
(_) Auto Character Spacing
Keyer Speed as before and
C) Enable Scratchpad
additionally tick the Enable Touch
|) Same Tone for all
Pads box.
Enable Touch Pads
Lise Mouse Buttons (not usually recommended)
Now go back to the Practice Channel and you should see a Dit and a Dah pad below
the decoder.
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t)
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25 hamradio.solutions/v
SC)
(2)
Ham Radio Solutions Virtual CW Band - VBand
@ar-lalatsksee
Practice Channel
HAM-647
RScatislefsuumesice)c=
09:38 -15.0/14.4 WPM
EHS MITT T OH
Touch/Tap for Dits
Touch/Tap for Dahs
| haven't had enough practice with this to be competent but some operators are very
good with it. But you can, of course, use Straight Key Mode instead - you just get a
single touch pad for that.
VBand on your mobile phone is perfect for when you’re out portable, or dare | say,
waiting impatiently in the car for your partner to come back with the weekly shopping.
Leaving a Channel
I'll soeak more about the decoder in a later episode, but for now just be aware that it
takes 20 or 30 seconds for it to get the hang of your sending. So, ignore the Decoder
to start with and just send your best Morse.
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Decoder”!
When the time comes to leave the channel, please hit the Page Refresh icon.
v
HRS VBand - Ham Radio Solut
7
‘“ C
acs
TMM Gmail
°s
-}-
4
hamradio.solutions/vband/
Y Google Photos
G8 YouTube
Ham Radio Solutions Virtual CW Band - VBand
Channel4
BRetulsleiee)(e)
(=m
(M@NNK - ROSS}
This will take you back to the Home page. If you don’t do this, your callsign may linger
on that last channel, which can be mildly irritating to other users.
Next Time
Morse is always more enjoyable when you use the right tool for the job so, in the next
episode, we'll be looking at getting your favourite key connected to VBand.
Ross
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; for guidance on writing for
RagChew, see Articles below. Please email material to Mark VK2KI:
cagrsnet@gmail.com
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On My (Son’s) Workbench
Building Keys
by David VK3DBD at Yackandandah
As we all seem to drool over keys........ | attach a photo of a quite large paddle
constructed by my son Steve (who Mark has met, and who has little or no interest in
radio but has had to put up with it all his life!). He does like making and mending
things (and indeed inventing when required) and has a feel for aesthetically pleasing
items - it must be the artistic streak, inherited from his father!!
As Mark knows, we have a reasonably comprehensive workshop here and we both
collect "might be useful items".
| had a thick round disk of aluminium which caught his eye and for a year or three has
been awaiting a suitable use. With that as a basis with a few hints from a likely user
(me), Steve produced this quite substantial paddle key, which is about four inches
diameter and about two inches high (we do use metric measurements for most of our
machining, but often tend to think in Inches...).
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After a suitable test time on the air | came to the conclusion a small modification
would improve matters; | like a light touch on a paddle key, but | guess some folk
have different preferences. So | made a pair of Perspex finger pieces, a little longer
than the round alloy ones he had originally made and the extra leverage does offer a
lighter touch which | felt that was quite a noticeable benefit.
The few screw threaded parts are of stainless steel of
course. One might question the lack of weight of an
Aluminium paddle, but surprisingly it is around 1.5 kg -
just a little less than my all-brass Marconi 213 straight
key, which is nearly 2 kg. That key is nearly 11 inches
long and has a steel plate under the shorter composite
base.
73 to all of our QRS enthusiasts and try your best to have a short, but daily practice at
listening and copying, which is without a doubt, the best way of improving your speed.
David VK3DBD
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might be of interest to our readers, please let Mark VK2KI know; email to
cqgrsnet@gmail.com
For guidance on writing for RagChew, see Articles below.
CW Practice
This year we’re using Aesop’s Fables. These are short moral stories, often using
talking animals, that illustrate simple truths about human behaviour and character.
Aesop’s Fables originated in ancient Greece, traditionally attributed to the storyteller
Aesop who is thought to have lived around the 6th century BCE.
The fables are generally smaller files of two to three hundred words that have been
recorded at 15 wpm and run for about 15 minutes. If 15 wpm is a bit quick for you,
load it onto your phone and set the playback speed at 0.75 X or even 0.5 X —
whatever works for you. 0.75 X will play the MP3 at a bit under 12 wom.
It is suggested that you read the text file before listening to the audio file. That will
make it easier to follow the audio file and prepare you for any unusual words.
Any punctuation that is not usually used with CW has been removed.
This week’s fable is ‘The Fisherman and the Little Fish’, and the MP3 and TXT files
are attached here -
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If you prefer a different speed or tone, you can create your own MP3 files by
converting the text file with the Ebook2CW app —
httos://fkurz.net/ham/ebook2cw.html.
You can either play the MP3 files in any media player, or load the text file into the
Ditto CW: Morse Player app — https://dittocw.andro.io/.
Both options work well, however Ditto CW gives you complete control over all Morse
settings, while a normal media player only allows changes to playback speed, and
does that in steps (e.g. +1.25x, 1.5x, 1.75x).
Other News
Other things we’ve received from our 240-odd readers.
CW Academy - Notes from the CW Academy - 22May26
From Chris VK3QB
CWops Oceania Ambassador
Hello everyone,
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characters and numerals learnt in the first 3-4 sessions should be getting baked in by
now and you'll be adding the new stuff that's introduced progressively each session.
Of critical importance is rhythm and timing, as well, of course as character formation.
These skills will continue to strengthen as you practice... and don't forget to take
advantage of those extra practice opportunities, verbalising the code as you go about
your daily routines, and starting to listen to words and phrases on your phone/device
when out and about.
As you go into sessions 7 and 8 (this week coming) you'll be getting close to having
all the characters, numbers and punctuation marks in your vocabulary. Of course,
some of the newer ones will still be a bit tricky to master, but the practice will yield
results - as it has thus far.
Now is the time (if you haven't already) to start listening on-air. A lot of what you hear
will sound too fast, but still take the time to relax and listen; you'll be surprised what
you Can copy.
As we have discussed, going into your uncomfortable zone is a great learning
technique.
Tuesday nights are a great opportunity to start getting familiar with basic QSOs and
listening to ops in the Slow CW
Activity, also known as the QRS Net. It's not a Net in
the traditional sense of a Net, (ie no Net Controller and no fixed frequency) but its a
great friendly environment to start getting experience with on-air activity. There's
plenty of activity around the speeds your learning; ie character speeds of 17-20 wpm,
Farnsworthed down to 6-10 wom.
lts every Tuesday from about O800UTC with most activity on 80, 40 and 20m. You
can find out more here:
httos://bit.ly/CQQRSWebsite
And if you want to subscribe to the weekly newsletter drop Mark an email at
cagrsnet@gmail.com .
Mark VK2KI/VK6QI curates this event each week and publishes the newsletter - by
copy, Mark, please welcome those on this email list, the
CW Academy Beginners
class for Semester 2, 2026.
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as an adjunct to
Translate v
CW Academy and the monthly Zoom interviews | host; | hope its a
resource you will find useful as you build and develop your CW skills. Feedback and
questions are welcome, and will help drive additional content.
httos://masteringmorse.com/
Have a good weekend everyone, and see you on Monday.
73, Chris VK3QB
CW Ops # 2949
CWP Ops OC Ambassador / CW Academy Advisor
ZT |\TM
Lees) art form
of Moree Cade
www.cwops.org
[Thanks Chris; already, two of your students have joined our team - welcome gents.]
First Ever 40m DX
From Simon MOKBJ
Simon & Jo MOKBJ Harvey
MOKBJ
Chuffed to get my first ever 40m DX this morning. &
At O500UTC, lovely ragchew with KG2RG in Albany NY,
who gave 559 for my 60W into his inverted vee. Then got
oe
WW1USA in Kansas City. de MOKBJ, Wolverhampton UK
8:22 pm
& Ys
Accessing the ACMA Assist Portal
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management of Australian amateur radio licenses. With
thanks to the Wireless Institute of Australia and Justin, the
article has been linked into the Useful Information and Links
section of the COORS Website. The article is also available
here: Accessing the
ACMA Assist Portal
National VKFF Parks Get-Together - Albury NSW
300ct26 to 1Nov26
The Wagga Amateur Radio Club’s QRM newsletter has advice from Paul VK5PAS the
National VKFF Parks Coordinator, that the Annual Get-together will be at Albury this
year from October 30th to November 1st. Click on either if the images below for
details and registration.
2026 VKFF NATIONAL
GET TO GETHER
A I
BURY
NEW
SOUTH
SUMMARY OF THE EVENT.
The 2026 VKFF National Get Together will include:
WALES
e
Friday evening dinner - 6.30 p.m. 30th October 2026 - Sodens Hotel (more information below)
e
Saturday presentations — 8.30 a.m.-5.00 p.m. 31st October 2026 -
9
e
e
e
Commercial
Club (more information below)
Cost $25.00, which includes morning & afternoon tea
Saturday evening dinner - 6.30 p.m. 31st October 2026 - Commercial
e
$36.00 for main course
e
drinks at your own cost
Club (more information below)
e
Sunday morning BBQ - 8.00 a.m. - Australia Park, South Albury (more information below)
e
Sunday evening dinner - 6.30 p.m. ist November 2026 - Albury Brew House (more information below)
e
e
~ yu
meal & drinks at your own cost
$15.00 for the BBO.
meal & drinks at your own cost
can attend any or all of the sections of the 2026 VKFF National Get Together.
Morse Training Net
Our team member Nic VK7WW runs an on-air 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.
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Translate ¥
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 3580kKHz at 7pm Eastern time every Wednesday;
SERIES CODE COURSE
Learn Morse Code - Slow Morse
you'll hear lots of the CQORS team on that net.
Course
Jordan VK3ACU has ralso ecorded the complete set
er...
of lessons which you can now find here:
https:/Awww.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHSOmZz6fBXO
/swAfb TmutrbbEL1 /fUOL
Contact Nic VK7WW for more info nicholaschantler@hotmail.com including how to
join the NTARC DISCORD group to follow the action, or just come along and Join in
on Wednesdays.
Can you guess who the one on the left is? He’s a well-known
CQORS family member.
cqgrsnet@gmail.com
Emails to the Editor.
Hi Mark,
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wv
ad
back on the air in a couple of weeks.
Importantly one of my mates in the US tells me it’s
world CW day tomorrow, 27 May. You might check before you post as | am knee deep
In boxes.
Cheers
David Williams. VK3RU
[Good luck with your move to Mornington David. Don’t know about World CW Day but for several years we celebrated International Morse Code Day on April 27th
(Samuel Morse’s Birthday) with a Zoom Trivia Quiz hosted by our ABC TV Hard Quiz
Mug winner, Richard VK6PZT.]
Good morning team, | thought I'd share some thoughts on several running topics in
the RagChew.
In defence of RST
| don't believe the RSN report offers any utility.
the CQ ORS Net;
It is pretty much unheard of outside
I've never heard it used elsewhere, and expect operators will get a
bunch of ??s in response to its use from the wider CW community.
From my
perspective, (R)eadability is the key metric as to a QSO's viability. The stated aim of
of the RSN, being able to use the signal (S)trength and noise floor report to determine
how well the other station can copy you is not only redundant, but also ignores a host
of other factors affecting a QSO, such as flutter, QSB, QRM, desense etc. The other
factor I've found is that in very poor conditions (R=2,3) where multiple elements aren't
being received, the more markers (expected elements) in an exchange, the easier it
is to piece it together across multiple repeats.
Knowing that the third digit in the
signal report is a 9 can be very useful.
My recommendation? If you want to be understood by the wider CW community, stick
to RST.
In defence of 599 contest exchanges
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you want to push your station, and your copying ability to the limits, it can be
tremendous fun.
What about those meaningless 599 signal reports though? Talk about redundant
elements... or is there more to it? You may be interested to know that the 599 Is, for
many contesters, vital. In those conditions 599 operates less as a report, and more
like a sync bit used in many FSK type protocols. It serves to queue your brain to latch
onto the next group of characters as the exchange number/letters which must be
recorded. The brain effectively hears 599 . It's hard to explain, but anyone
who's done it will no doubt nod their heads with a "yep".
In defence of the wobbly fist
I'm sure we've all had QSOs where our partner's fist required us to focus that little bit
harder in order to decode what's being sent. Be it the learning curve, equipment
gremlins or muscles seemingly intent on ignoring the signals sent from the brain, the
choice of poor sending is often not one of choice.
| see little difference to chatting with people for whom English is not their first
language, or those with a medical condition which causes them to slur their words.
Yes it takes a little more effort, but | am all the richer for having engaged with them.
It's no different with CW. If you've got a shaky fist, or your paddles stick now and
then, | will take a QSO with you any day of the week. And thanks to the CQQRS Net,
there's one evening a week when countless others will too.
In that light, | was alarmed to read that our resident POG intends to stop participating
on the airways when his fist is no longer able to emulate a clockwork automaton.
Given the enjoyable QSOs we've shared in the past, that would be a grave loss to us
all. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would happily trade a bit of extra concentration
for the continued enjoyment of his thoughts and experiences in the form of the all too
familiar dits and dahs (with perhaps the occasional dahhhhh and dahit).
Kind regards,
Lance, VK7TO
Snowline KiwiSDR
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been switched off.
The good news is that the gear is
looking for a new quiet location; power
and internet aren't required at the site -
it'll be self-contained.
Would any of our rural readers like to
host lan’s set-up in a quiet location
perhaps? Please let me know:
cqgrsnet@gmail.com
W
am
“
Home ClubInformation Courses The Radio Bulletin YouTube
4
\.
yerrtrtae
~
a
Links
MemberLogin
Q
rg
EMDRC - Annual General Meeting
THE RADIO BULLETIN
12th June Friday - Doors Open 6:45pm - Meeting Start 8:00pm - Club Rooms
@
Burwood & Zoom
Updating Articles
14/10/2025 - 3:01 PM
USB Rig
programming cables
and Windows 11
21/04/2024 - 7:57 PM
#
Subaru Coax Install
#
Portable Power
15/04/2024 - 8:04 PM
10/11/2023 - 10:56
AM
EMDRC - IMPORTANT
DATES
12th JUNE 2026
MEMBERSHIP
APPLICATION FORM JOIN NOW
The required package of information for members will be in the ‘Member Login’
area, under EMDRC Administration Page of the website LINK. We need a quorum
and to make this happen, as an inducement and a thank you for your attendance,
pizza will be hot and waiting at 6:45pm prior to the AGM at 8:00pm on the 12th
June 2026 (moved a week due to the long weekend) We hope to see you there.
CLUB’S INTERNET
SPONSER
{A KernWi-Fi
Wireless Solutions
KernWi-Fi - Refer a friend
Addendum to Peter's VK3QI Presentation - VK3ER
$50 Credit Code:
Weird Connector
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James & Hilary - VK7JZ Semmens
—
PHONES
«
Look Mano Mic...
7:23pm
&
Yes | wondered what that weird connector was for and
=f who's mic?
7:26 pm
3
3
If you’ve read something that you think might be of interest to our readers, please
email to Mark VK2KI:
cggrsnet@gmail.com
QRZ? Who’s on the other end?
From your editor Mark VK2KI / VK6QI
Our net is afun get-together that people enjoy returning to each week. It’s really nice
to know who’s on the other end of the QSO. So, please share some thoughts about
yourself to cagrsnet@gmail.com for a future RagChew.
Prosign/Character/Signal
of the Month
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Prosign:
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ga =
=.
© @
Meaning: Clear - going off the air.
[Put it on a sticky note near your key as a reminder for Tuesday....
and tell us how you went!]
Di-dah-di-dah-dit
Here we go.
So back to the CQORS Slow CW QSO practice net.
Next Tuesday’s Net
Our CQQRS Group will be on as always on Tuesday from around 0600z until about
details.
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EEE
Ne
Coordinated Universal Time
0700z to 1300z
(Note - 20m DXperiments will be at different times to suit propagation)
Australie
Western Australia Time
UTC +8 Hours
1500 to 2100
Central Australian Time
UTC + 9.5 Hours
1630 to 2230
Eastern Australian Time
UTC + 10 Hours
1700 to 2300
Queensland Time
UTC + 10 Hours
1700 to 2300
NZ Time
UTC + 12 Hours
1900 to 0100
New Zealand
DXperiment times and
frequencies will be allocated
20m
14039-14051kHz
160m
1855kHz
by Mike DL3YZ prior to the
net.
7000
7020
40 rn pt
3500
one
I
3535
80 m|=
160
7040
ORO
m/>—
|
3
|
3560
&
COORSNet
|
——
&
|
Thanks to Lance VK7TO for the CQQRS trequency image.
&
Wednesday (VK/ZL time)
22002 - 2300z
On the WA FM AllStar Network
(Tuesday UTC)
(connect direct to AllStar Node 42482 or use Echolink to
connect to VK2KI-L or VK8MT-L from anywhere)
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 1200z - so keep calling in the segment of the
band designated in the table below until you catch someone.
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SS
Please let us know via our Reports form bit.ly/CQORSNET who you work or hear on
Tuesday’s Group. The report form closes at 1pm (Eastern Australian time) on
Thursday. And how about helping to make the reports even more interesting by
sending a photo? If you have a photo that you’d be happy to include, please email it
to: cqgrsnet@gmail.com
And of course, we’re always on the lookout for more photos for the newsletter, so if
you have something that might be of interest aside from the reports, please send it
through as well. Email to cggrsnet@gmail.com please.
Oh and by the way, | recommend that you don’t keep the Reports Form website open
between submission of reports from one week to the next. If you’re unlucky, there’s
an undocumented feature in the software that could cause your current week’s report
to be combined with your previous report - it’s happened to your editor several times much to the chagrin of our Reports editor :)
Post Morsum
Richard VK6HRC will run our phone Post Morsum on Wednesday mornings 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). See hitos://bit.ly/JCOORSWebsite and
navigate to the Net Details page for details of how you can connect via Echolink from
anywhere in the world.
Articles
Could you write a short article or articles for RagChew? You bet! Writing not your
strong point? Don’t worry, I’m very happy to help as much or as little as needed.
Oh, and one more thing (actually two) - copyright material:
e please use your own images - don’t use images copied from the internet unless
you have the producer’s permission, or they’re marked ‘Creative Commons’ or
similar;
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J
J
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|
XN
similar), and you'll need to site the source and author.
For more guidance on writing for the RagChew newsletter (including how you might
even try using one of the new Artificial Intelligence tools), head to our website
bit.ly/COORSWebsite then click the menu on the top right and then click RagChew
Newsletter.
Material
Areminder; if you send me any information by email, our report form or WhatsApp -
unless you specifically state that material is not to be published, I'll assume that
you're happy to see your thoughts in the RagChew newsletter.
Thank you so much to our team of 33 contributors:
IU4FLS, MONNK, MOKBJ, VKLHF, VK2IOW, VK2RU,
VK2TIG, VK3ACU, VK3CTM, VK3DBD, VK3DRQ,
VK3KLE, VK3QB, VK4BVM, VK4IM, VK5ET, VK5FD,
VK5KFG, VK5PAS, VK6HRC, VK6JDM, VK6KD,
VK6KHZ, VK6MTF/MM, VK6RR, VK6TX,
VK6WE, VK7JZ, VK7TA, VK7TO, VK7TW, ZL3ABX and ZL3TK.
And a special thank you to our editorial team, Nigel G4RWI (head of software
development), Patrick VK2IOW (our hard-working reports coordinator), John VK2RU
(the spreadsheet guru), Richard VKGHRC (post morsition), Lance VK/TO (director of
the frequency management department) and Jordan VK3SACU (our resident joker).
Great work all!
CY CW on Tuesday,
mb
Mark Bosma
VK2KI / VK6QI
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THIMIPCUIL
TAUUTIC
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CUYILALIVINDS
Wenus & Mars
Antenna Adventures
About the CQ QRS Net
Here’s where you'll find the details.
For the current schedule and more information about the CQQRS net, please go the
the Net Details page on our website:
The opinions expressed in the RagChew newsletter are those of the individual contributors.
The opinions do not necessarily reflect that of the editors or of the CQQRS Group members.
Any material and images received from members by the editor or published on the CQQRS WhatsApp groups
may be published in this newsletter unless specifically requested otherwise.
The RagChew newsletter is considered to be exempt from the Australian Government’s ban on social media for
under 16 year olds because it is a service that has the primary purpose of enabling users to share information
about products or services, engage in professional networking or professional development services or of
supporting the education of users per the Australian Government eSafety Commissioner FAQ webpage “Which
platforms have been excluded from the age restrictions” dated 10Dec25.
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