Scout Radio Victoria

Agenda - May Monthly Meeting

Tuesday 9th May 2023, 7.30pm

BATCave, Legana Street, Mount Waverley



Chair: Luke Byrnes

Minutes: Alice Hayllar

Meeting Opened: 7.35pm


Attendees

Luke Byrnes, Andy King, Mark Perkins, Karl Donald, Kent Cochran, Neil Wilson, Daniel Gutsell, Philip Adams, Murray Taylor, Gemma Nash, Col Herbert,

Apologies

Apologies received from Matt Cengia, Damien Kuzek, Chris Ly, Peter MacDonald, Ross Swinton, Jenny Adams

Absentees

Absentees


Meeting Items

Administration

Chair's Comments


Previous Minutes


Finance

Report Pending


Work Health & Safety (WHS)


Program Review

No items this month


Program Enrichment - 8PM

Message Handling Course


Program Planning

Trello update

Trello Card Review

Cuboree

  • eDM to known Amateurs who are Scouting members to assist with Cuboree - Luke and Kent to complete this week.
  • Scout support at Cuboree as Staff - any updates?
  • Site visit outcome
    • Kent has provided Tower Photos for the second tower penned for transfer.

Amateur Events

none for May


Training Courses

Foundation Amateur Courses

Foundation Course @ Bay Park, 31/3/2023 - 2/4/2023

  • Results have returned success for all candidates. Luke to get extranet records updated to reflect this.

Foundation Course @ Camp Warringal, 2/6/2023 - 4/6/2023

Completed a budget for the course, all Foundation courses should be $220 (excl. ACMA and Callsign costs).

  • Trainees Phil, Luke, Kent, Sarah. Val Paton has accepted our reqeuest to cater.
  • Expecting a full course, possibly overflow - additional trainers may mean that we can increase our capacity.
  • Registrations low at the moment but Luke will directly contact interested parties this week.

Proposed course: July 30/31 @ MRP? Foundation Course @ Mafeking Rover Park, 28/7/2023 - 30/7/2023

Mafeking is already booked for the no-longer-running STS Pilot Program - we can change our booking to provide an Amateur Course this weekend? We could alternatively use the weekend as a skill-building course for the team. Thoughts?

Aim for a course in the West (suburban or rural) in the later half of the year - considering Geelong or Ballarat.

  • Foundation courses to be planned for 2023 to accommodate:
    • Interest from Hurstbridge Scouts and Venturers
    • Interest from Mallee Mud Kamp attendees (x2)
    • Interest for Western Vic JOTA to have another course at Cooinda Burrong
    • Interest from MRP team members
    • Follow up with registrants from previous course in Geelong who were unable to attend.

AOCP Advanced Theory

From Sarah Thom (VK3STH):

As I have been working through the syllabus for the AOCP Advanced theory exam I have started putting together study resources for others to use. It would be helpful for me to have feedback from those who are interested in doing their Advanced qualifications in the future about what sort of format they want to do this in so that I can tailor the resources to suit. For perspective, it might be useful to know that other places that run courses for this syllabus generally recommend 40+ hours of course time plus private study. This is for the theory exam only (50 questions, 90 minutes). There is also a regulations exam (30 questions in 30 minutes).

Sarah Thom, VK3STH

Option 1

We provide course material (slide decks, practice questions etc.) and everyone goes and does their own thing. I am happy to help people 1:1 if they want help or they can study independently if they prefer or we can have informal study sessions if people think they are more likely to actually study it in a group environment, but essentially we would be leaving it up to people to direct their own learning. When someone is ready to do an exam they'd let us know and we could help coordinate and supervise.

Option 2

We run this as a course in a fairly intensive format; 3-4 whole days non-residential spread over consecutive weekends (eg. Week 1: half day Saturday and full day Sunday, Week 2: Sunday, Week 3: Sunday) then schedule an exam day for a few weeks later so people have time to consolidate learning at home.

Option 3

We run this as a course over an extended period (eg. 2 hours a week for 20 weeks on a Monday evening). This is how most external providers do it.

ACTION: Trello Card to be made for discussion.

Marine Radio Course

SRCOP Course @ GSWAC, 6 May 2023

2 Scouting participants registered, course was integrated with Sailing Club course delivery. Thanks again to Phil and Jenny for successful delivery.


Program Support

ScoutHike 20/21 May 2023

VHF DMR Radio proposal has been approved, ordered, and shipped. It's expected they will arrive this tomorrow. These will be programmed and tested this week so the equipment will be ready. All equipment to support these radios at Sleep Points will be provided (radio, microphone, antenna, 10m coax) with the exception of power supply. Note that propagation calculations suggest that VHF reception should be adequate at 2m HASL across all Sleep Points, subject to environmental conditions. Radios will have PowerPole connectors and draw less than 4A @ 5w when transmitting. It is recommended that stations have at least 50Ah (100Ah recommended) of battery power available. Please see Luke tonight if you require additional power support.

An updated Comms Plan will be distributed for review this week to those attending ScoutHike.

Final briefing to be conducted virtually on Tuesday, 7.30pm 16th May 2023 online at https://meet.jit.si/ScoutRadioVictoria. Briefing folders including maps and updated comms plans will be left for your at your Sleep Point at ScoutHike on the Friday with your radio.

Thanks to our SP radio operators: Kent, Daniel, Andy, Mark, Matty, Adrian, Karl, Sarah, and Neil. If anything changes with these arrangements, please let me know ASAP so that any changes allow movement of operators to have access to Sleep Point catering services.

Night Owl 2023

Night Owl was originally scheduled for 2-4/6/2023, but have revised their date this past Sunday to move the event back to 8-10/9/2023.

They would like to use RadioActiv8 to run the event, allowing up-to-date patrol tracking and youth member radio communications funcationality.

As such our support requirements are:

  • Fresh RadioActiv8 instance and computer infrastructure (2-4 laptops + network are ok).
  • 3x staff at HQ to run RA8.
  • Radio Operators to assist guiding patrols to use radios at each of the 5 bases where required.
  • 2x VHF DMR radios (total 12) per base to minimize radio queues when checking into and out of the bases.
  • Maps (@mattcen)

JOTA at The Pines

Neil has followed up on an enquiry received last year to discuss.

Name: Daryl Gresty Message: Hi, I am wondering if you might be able to help us out with a radio team so that we can run an activity of JOTA in 2023 (21 - 22 October 2023) at The Pines Scout Camp in Altona. This is a new activity for us so we are not exactly sure what it will look like at the moment. We do understand that this would be a peak weekend for you so any help that you can provide would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to discuss this I can be reached on either email or on my mobile 0419 587 498

JOTA at Gilwell

Boost 2023 (Bay Park Boost) are now at Gilwell. Ged Hook has asked to discuss JOTA at Gilwell with people who have previously run JOTA at the site to discuss what works for them, and was invited to join us this evening.

Gilweroo

Request for provision of UHF handheld radios, approx ~20, for 17-19/11/2023.

Youth Net - past notes

No development at this time, to be followed up with this offline after ScoutHike.

  • Echolink is a struggle with youth registering, can be overcome, however mindful it is a barrier.
  • Scout radio Victoria have 4 talk groups on DMR. 1921-1924.
  • It works really well, if we can link it into IRLP and Echolink, DRM bridge it will allow more accessibility. Most important thing is getting radio in hand.
  • Kent has concerns around linking DMR and Echolink but is resolved happy hearing we have control over it.
  • It is a well dispersed network with very limited access points.
  • Would like to eventually buy some hotspots to send out with the radios.

Support Development

Hamfests

  • Well done to Kent and Murray, their efforts are much appreciated.

Scout Radio Victoria Assets


Additional Business


Meeting Closed:

Next Meeting: Tuesday 13th June


Appendix 1 - Finance Report

May 2023 Meeting

Report pending

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