Club Callsign: VK3CNE
WEB: www.nerg.asn.au
Email: contact (at) nerg.asn.au
Postal: Box 270, Greensborough, Victoria, 3088, AUSTRALIA

Incorporated 1985, Reg No A0006776V, Affiliated with the Wireless Institute of Australia.

Meetings: Briar Hill Community Hall, 126 Mountain View Rd,

Briar Hill, Victoria, AUSTRALIA (Melway map 21-C3)

The NERG is an amateur radio club operating in the North East Suburbs of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia.
The club runs a number of activities for prospective and practicing radio amateurs including:
social and technical meetings, classes and license exams, field days, contests, radio direction finding, fox hunts, and more!
Meetings are generally held on the second Thursday of each month from 7:45 PM, with coffee shop nights on the fourth Thursday.

News:

John Moyle Field Day Mt Macedon - Cancelled:
It is with some regret we announce that the 2013 assault on Mt Macedon by the NERGs has been cancelled. The DSE Ranger was unwilling to have us at the usual spot due to extreme fire conditions they are experiencing at the moment. There is a group of NERGs planning on going to a safer rural site near Naggambie running HF only and I am sure they would welcome additional operators.

VK3RMH goes QRT:
The VK3RMH beacons and Repeaters are off-air due to relocation activities.
The VK3RMH beacons and repeaters, and the Scouts 2m VK3RSR repeater were shut down and removed from the Wattle Glen tower last week.
Ever rising electricity bills and tower lease costs have finally taken their toll, consuming more than half the club’s annual income, even
with the generous support from PWB-Anchor in recent years.
VK3RMH was the first 6 metre repeater in Victoria and one of the first in Australia. It ran at another site in Hurstbridge for a few years
before moving to Wattle Glen where it has operated for 24 years. A 70cm repeater was added later, and was an early node in the IRLP and
EchoLink networks. About 13 years ago, the 10 metre beacon was installed. Later a 6 metre beacon was added. Both beacons received
good reports from around the world when propagation was open.
NERG hopes to relocate the beacons and repeaters to a new (cheaper) location in the club’s geographical area in the near future.

NERG End of Year BBQ:
The BBQ was held on the normal meeting night in December (13th) at the home of Greg VK3VT.
A great time was had by all, Tony G4XIV and his YF Kate came along to visit with us. Tony was visiting his son in Watsonia and contacted us through the web site. We were more than happy to invite them to the Christmas do and I think they enjoyed themselves. We trust you had a great Christmas with you family Tony and Kate.

Software Define Digital Radio on a shoestring:
At the December NERG meeting Peter VK3TBN gave a great overview and demonstration of SDR using a cheap USB Digital TV tuner dongle for receiving and analysing radio signals covering the HF, VHF & UHF bands. Using readily available software, you can not only listen in on all the usual modes such as AM, FM, SSB, CW, but also many of the digital text and voice modes including APCO P25.
The slides from Peters presentation are available here and make a good resource for anyone wanting to experiment with digital radio:
SDR talk VK3TBN 2012.pdf

Club meetings & events:

March 2013:

Thursday 7^th March - Bandpass filter tuneup night & alternative JM Field Day meeting.

Thursday 14^th March - What's a Panadaptor and what use are they?
Greg VK3VT will show us several Panadaptor set ups and demonstrate just how much they can assist in operating.
At the Briar Hill Hall 126 Mountain View Rd, Briar Hill - Melway 21C3

Thursday 28^th March - Coffee Shop night

All other Thursday nights - NERG NET 146.575 MHz FM
8.30pm-9.30pm local time

Radio net for NERG members and visitors run by VK3CNE. Tune in to 146.575MHz FM to share all the news and activities with the NERG.

Click on the calendar items below for further event information:

NERG Information, Newsletters, Activities and Services

	Wireless Institute of Australia - NERG is a WIA affiliated club
Join the NERG for only $30/year, simply fill out our NERG membership form and send it in!	Class details - for those interested in getting licensed
Contacting the NERG - send us a query	Radio exams - we have foundation training sessions and run exams for all amateur licenses
Latest NERG Newsletter - Feb 2013 and the NERG NEWS newsletter archives	Transmitter hunting- What's it all about? "Fox"-hunts, ARDF, Radio-O & Radio Orienteering events
Web-mail log-in for members - 'userid' is your complete e-mail address. Click here for notes on using NERG e-mail	Australian Transmitter Foxhunt Championships held annually at Mount Gambier on Queens Birthday weekends.
The John Moyle Field Day contest - 2009 and 2007 stations.	2009 Victorian Foxhunt Championships report
VK3RMH repeaters and beacons - NOTE: Our beacons, Repeaters, and Packet systems are currently off-air, awaiting relocation to a new site. IRLP node 6350, Echolink node 140587 & VK3CNE the NERG packet node.	ARDF Events - Amateur Radio Direction Finding events
Slides from VT's short DX presentation at the Nov. 2011 meeting. The Solar power comparison spreadsheet - from Greg VK3VT's talk on solar power in November 2009..	Software Library YagiCAD6 Antenna Designer, EPROMs for programming RT85A and FM92 / FM900 radios to the ham bands, etc..
MEMBER LINKS - look at our member's home pages	Interesting web links page

Meeting Location

The NERG meets at the Briar Hill Community Centre.

The Banyule Council has generously made this hall available to the NERG for regular meetings and provides NERG with a room dedicated to amateur radio education and communications activities. The large hall and surrounding grounds open up a range of activities including radio classes, promotion of amateur radio, and collaboration with the community. The NERG joins the Banyule Emergency Response team for Communications as part of the tenure.

This is one of Banyule Council's halls with a large seating capacity, a modern kitchen with catering facilities, and new gas heating and evaporative cooling systems. A level car park without steps eases disabled access from the 126 Mountain View Road car park. Additional parking is available in Campbell Road behind the hall. The hall is located on top of the Mountain View Road ridge with excellent VHF/UHF outlook.

Briar Hill Community Hall,
126 Mountain View Road (off Sherbourne Rd.),
Briar Hill.
Melway 21-C3 Click here for a location map

Donations

Make a donation to NERG's special project appeal

NERG is seeking donations to develop it's Amateur Radio Communications and Training Centre.

Funds will be used to purchase training aids and radio equipment for teaching Amateur Radio and Electronics skills to people of all ages, from school age students through to retirees looking for a community based hobby.

Banyule Gives is a service that securely manages the donation process for community groups in the Banyule Council region.
For more information, go to: www.ourcommunity.com.au/banyulegives/nerg

Last Updated 5 March 2013 - VT&BYY
photo bar