Latest News from VK3PH
This is the latest news from the home base of VK3PH at the end of December 2024.
It has been a very busy year, and I just don’t know where the time has gone. I have conducted thirty-six (36) assessments this year brining my total count to well over two hundred (>200) since 2016. These assessments have been conducted on behalf of the three official bodies (WIA, AMC, ACMA) during that period – an average of twenty-seven (27) per year. The majority of these have been new amateurs obtaining their Foundation licence for the very first time.
We usually run four (4) Foundation courses per year on behalf of the EMDRC who also run an advanced / standard course each year. We aim to have about six (6) candidates at each course held every three (3) months. It has become a tradition to run a foundation course between Christmas and New Year.
Latest News from Foundation course 28 Dec 2024
As usual, we ran the course and conducted assessments on Saturday 28 December 2024 at the EMDRC. This year we squeezed both the course and the assessments into a single day. A bit of an experiment as we usually run the assessments the following day.
I’m proud to announce that all candidates were successful this time. As a result, we have two (2) standard, one (1) advanced, and eleven (11) foundation licensees joining the amateur community in 2025. All results have been scanned and uploaded to the ACMA portal for processing. Given the holiday period, the ACMA will process these results early in the new year.
I would like to acknowledge and thank my assistants Damian (VK3KQ), Ralph (VK3LL), and Jack (VK3WWW) for all of their help. I couldn’t do this without them. I would also like to thank the EMDRC for advertising the courses and for providing the facilities in which we provide training and assessments. I also couldn’t do this without them.
It’s a team effort and my primary objective to: Promote the hobby of amateur radio, create interest, and attract new people in order to keep the hobby relevant and alive.
Keep up to date on when courses are scheduled at the EMDRC here.
Latest News from Cyber security and amateur radio
I have been writing about cyber security and amateur radio in the EMDRC club newsletter each month. I missed the last couple due to work commitments so will start again for the next publication. You can also read about cyber security on my website here.
The most important things to remember are:
- Use strong passwords or use a passphrase
- Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA)
- Install anti-virus / anti-malware software
- Keep your system up to date
- Backup your data
- Stay informed
- Be vigilant, don’t click on links unless you are sure of the source
Cyber-attacks are becoming more prevalent and more sophisticated, so be aware and stay safe online.
I’ll be presenting cyber security awareness at a club meeting in March 2025, so please come along and watch.
