In the club’s September lecture, Warren Lang spoke about Fiskville, a site once owned and managed by Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) Ltd. It was used as a long-distance radio communications station, part of the Imperial Wireless Chain. The name Fiskville of course came from AWA’s chairman, radio pioneer Ernest Fisk. You can also read about the […]
31-Aug-2024 University Sydney Open Day
The University of Sydney held its annual open day on the 31 August, and members of the Society came along to operate the club station VK2MB/p. Professor Philip Leong is the Director of the University’s Computer Engineering Laboratory. He’s also VK2APL, and a member of the Society, so VK2MB was there to help him tempt some of […]
Radio by Candlelight
“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds”, goes the motto of the United States Postal Service. The same could be said of the Manly-Warringah Radio Society. Well, we don’t deliver mail , but last night (27-Nov-2024) we did experience some minor […]
Jul 2024 – 5th Wed – Mechanical Controls
The Society’s Fifth Wednesday Show and Tell Night for 31 July was advertised this: “Prior to the microchips era, most controls were by means of mechanical interfaces. Even today’s mechanical potentiometers have been replaced by digital encoders, and on/off switches by logic switches. This evening is dedicated to the displays of simple and very complex […]
19-21 July 2024 – Trans-Tasman Low Band contest – Berrima
Goooooood Moooorning Berrima! Cold again this year. A contingent of 4 brave members spending the 3 days/night at the Berrima scout hall represented the MWRS fro the Trans-Tasman Low Band Contest. An addition 4 members came for a visit on Saturday. It was cold but luckily the fireplace and plenty of firewood helped survive the […]
July 2024 lecture: VK2MB KiwiSDR
If you haven’t yet tried the Society’s KiwiSDR receiver, you’re in for a treat. We’ve “customised ours for Australian conditions” so you’ll find features there that you won’t find on other web SDR receivers. This lecture by Richard VK2SKY explores everything from basic use to some of the lesser-known functions, and reveals many handy shortcuts to […]
Jim Kimpton G4WAO/VK2WAO – SK
Jim’s first visit to the MWRS was in April 1997. It all started with a visit to Australia to see his daughter Lorraine and meet his first grandchild. Being a UK Ham, a quick search for a local Radio Club directed him to the Manly-Warringah Radio Society, meeting weekly only few clicks from his daughter’s QTH at […]
June 2024 Lecture – Journey to the Red Centre and WA
Brian and Sue Bailey spoke about their road trip from Sydney to Western Australia via the Red Centre. This lecture was of particular interest to Amateurs who are keen on Four Wheel Driving. The trip was marred by their Prado’s engine blowing up on the border of WA and SA. They recounted how that had to get […]
on/off toggle switch to a push-on/push-off switch
I needed to convert from an on/off toggle switch to a push on/push off switch with discrete components from my junk box. Basically, the old system uses a simple on/off toggle switch: when the toggle is on, the system is on, when the toggle is off, the system is off. The new system has one […]
Barrenjoey Headland earning global recognition for starry night skies
Not only this is the banner on our website, our own Life Member Phil Angilley VK2BDF made it to the evening news on Channel 9, check the clip!
June 2024 ADX Buildathon
It all started with very good lecture by Richard Hinsley VK2ARH/W5ARH on the ADX (the Arduino Digital Transceiver) in April 2024 followed by an email to all from Michael VK2MDP asking around about interest for a club buildathon, very quickly the list of interested members grew to 28 people wishing to grab a kit, many […]
18-Jun-2024 Frenchs Forest Cubs’ visit
In between JOTA events, the club hosts visits from local Scouting groups. This evening, we had a visit from Frenchs Forest Cubs. 13 Cubs in all descended on the clubhouse, and were treated to some radio activities. Des VK2TGJ ran the “build a station” activity (one of our JOTA staples). The challenge is to put […]
May 2024 – 5th Wed – Enclosures, Cabinets, and Carry Cases
Having the best radio and test equipment enclosure requires a combination of ingenuity and art. Appearance and practicality are as important as the actual function performed by the equipment. We are looking for big & small, artwork, robustness, embedded functions, old, modern, classic, generic, jiffy, portability and more. There are prizes for the Best Display […]
May 2024 lecture – Quantum Key Distribution
In secure encrypted communications, one of the most important ideas is that the encryption key contains all the protection of the whole system. But what happens if the system isn’t already secure…if it is brand new (unkeyed), or the key is already compromised? Even public-key cryptosystems like RSA encryption suffer from this problem: how do the initial […]
Club members support CREST at 2024 Convict 100 event in St Albans
This weekend, 4-5 May 2024, St Albans just north of the Hawkesbury River is again hosting the Convict 100 mountain biking event. Our friends at CREST are again providing safety communications, and spent last weekend and yesterday (Friday 3 May 2024) setting up repeaters and other gear along the course. Of course, the multi-talented Manly-Warringah […]