The society meets every Wednesday with scheduled activities the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Wednesdays. Four times a year there is a fifth Wednesday in the month. It was decided a while back to have these evenings set as Themed Show & Tell events. A theme is set long time ahead so that people can organise themselves, tables are setup early in the evening with members perusing around the exhibits. At 8pm, each exhibit is explained by the display host. This is then followed by a gold token vote, the exhibit with the most votes wins a bottle of red juice.
After few years, it was thought a second category should be added for the Best Story, as many people do not have much to show but a lot to tell. A Best Story Judge is nominated for the evening, another bottle of red juice is attributed to the best story.
Unfortunately we do not have a lot of videos of these events. The irony is that the “Microphone” evening was fully video-recorded … however the microphone of the camera was muted for the duration of the event!
| Date | Theme | Best Display, Best Story Winners | Votes |
| Mar-2011 | Morse Keys | Display: Russell VK2BYN – shiny Vibroplex | ? |
| Jul-2014 | Telephones | ? | |
| Apr-2015 | Clocks | ? | |
| Sep-2015 | Valves | ? | |
| Apr-2016 | E-Waste & oldest radios | Display: Bob VK2RL – direct conversion 40m receiver | ? |
| Jun-2016 | Test Gear | Display: Phil VK2BDF – homebrew Spectrum Analyser | 70 |
| Aug-2016 | Technology Made in ANZ | Display: John Douglas VK2ZWD | 65 |
| Nov-2016 | Military Communication Gear | Display: Bob Anderson – briefcase size steam powered generator to recharge the radio batteries | 118 |
| Mar-2017 | HF | Display: Russell VK2BYN – marine HF and the story that came with it | 119 |
| May-2017 | Microphones | Display: Ian Story: Phil | 110 |
| Aug-2017 | Cameras | Display: Ted VK2FLB – pin hole camera Story: Phillip – never ending roll of film for his wedding pictures | 83 |
| Nov-2017 | Portable Lights | Display: simple Aladdin oil lamp Story: Des – how to light up an oil lamp | 82 |
| May-2018 | Crystal | Display: Russel VK2BYN – Tecsun DE13 Emergency AM/FM/SW Solar Powered Radio Story: Roger Hynes VK2GHB | 103 |
| Aug-2018 | Power Supplies | Display: Roger Hynes VK2GHB – high voltage variable regulated power supply Story: Philip Leong VK2APL | 146 |
| Oct-2018 | Halloween / Knobs | 65 | |
| Jan-2019 | Old Manuals and Catalogues | Display: Sean VK2THT – 1970s Holden Sandman Panel van Story: John VK2ZWD | 80 |
| May-2019 | QSL Cards | Story: Robert VK2DH | 84 |
| Jul-2019 | 50 Mhz and up | Display: Roger Hynes VK2GHB – valve Collins aircraft receiver Story: Nick VK2FS – first UHF contact off the Island of Jersey | 144 |
| Oct-2019 | QRP | Display: Carmel VK2CAR – fabulous 80 and 40 mtr portable kit radios Story: John VK2ZWD – clandestine qrp military radio | 116 |
| Jan-2020 | AM Only | Display: Carmel VK2CAR – AM Highgain CB base station Story: Carmel VK2CAR – how she dealt with RF trouble makers | 132 |
| Mar-2022 | Aerials | Display: Nick VK2FS – septum feed for 23m moon bounce Story: Carmel VK2CAR – fishing rod looking aerials used on a beach | 53 |
| Mar-2023 | Old Kits | Display: Carmel VK2CAR – DSE catalogue and ad art work Story: Carmel VK2CAR – DSE ad’s inside story Adventure: Nick VK2FS – traveling linear amp | 104 |
| May-2023 | Batteries and Battery-Powered Equipment | Display: Colin VK2JCC Story: Gary VK2CRJ | 49 |
| Aug-2023 | Radio Scanners | Display: Colin VK2JCC Story: Russell VK2BYN | 41 |
| Nov-2023 | Computer based gear or projects | Display: Phil VK2BDF Story: Carmel VK2CAR | 58 |
| Jan-2024 | Solar Projects | Display: Brian VK2AXC Story: Carmel VK2CAR | 66 |
| May-2024 | Enclosures, Cabinets, and Carry Cases | Display: Nick VK2FS Story: Carmel VK2CAR | 103 |
| Jul-2024 | Mechanical Controls | Display: Russell VK2BYN Story: Phil VK2BDF | 105 |
| Oct-2024 | 100% Recycled | Display: Nic & Emmanuel VK2EMM Story: Nic & Emmanuel VK2EMM | 54 |
| Jan-2025 | Data Storage | Display: Dave EEVBlog Story: Richard VK2ARH | 81 |
| Jul-2025 | Calculator | Display: Brian VK2AXC Story: Richard ARH | 69 |
Future ideas!
5th Wed – TBA – Show & Tell night – Games & Contests
Technology based games, or games and contests using radios.
5th Wed – TBA – Show & Tell night – Chargers
How do you charge your batteries? From main, solar, manual crank or from another battery like the new generation.
5th Wed – TBA – Show & Tell night – Wires
Our hobby is all about wireless, however wires are required until it becomes wireless. Bring them on: small, big, single & multi strand, copper, AL, silver, cloth or PVC covered, enamel, green. If your display contains asbestos, make sure it is sealed. Next time you go to the club house, look at what we are using as door stop.
5th Wed – TBA – Show & Tell night – Paper clip project
Bring a radio or electronic project made with at least 1 paper clip. The greater the ratio of paperclips compared with other stuff to win. Some examples: CW key courtesy of Wlad US7IGN from Kyiv, Ukraine and N1JI, crystal detector, paperclip motor, wifi antenna, etc. NOT eligible as entry to the competition: professionally available offerings such as “holding paper pages together” or the “Clipplastic -Tenna” as reviewed by VK3BQ, and devices where a paper clip has been used to replace the fuse … we wouldn’t have enough room at the hall to fit them all.
5th Wed – TBA – Show & Tell night – handheld radio galore
Lets get the centre long table full of radio handhelds: new or old, big or small, transceivers or scanners, working or not. Make sure you write your callsign or name on the radio before filling the table. Best radio by vote, best story selected by the judge.
5th Wed – TBA – Show & Tell night – Cardboard anyone?
Finished the guts of your project with no box to hold the electronics so you use some cardboard or a cardboard box. Or it could be that you don’t have the resources to build a PC board, so you use cardboard like Mal VK2TMF did for his 555 construction or Bob VK2RL for his Retro Style Radio which reminded us why they were called “printed circuits”. Radios in cardboard boxes are available commercially, cardboard is also often used to build parabolic microphones. And we’ve also seen the Australian cardboard drones. What is your cardboard project? Bring it on, we want to see it.