Wanganui Branch History


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In April, members (under the direction of Mike ZL1BNB) took part in Leisure ‘88. On Saturday 23 April George ZL2BJ, John ZL2HK, Malcolm ZL2AMP, Max ZL2BEN, Peter ZL2TDI, Leo ZL2BGE, Colin ZL2TWM, Russ ZL2AXN, Barry ZL2AUS and Alan ZL2ADS spent the day at Maewa to site the repeater hut and toiled mightily in digging a hole for the antenna pole. The next day saw ZL2TDI, ZL2TWM, ZL2BGE and ZL2AUS put in a very long day finishing off the installation. This month also marked the departure on promotion to Dunedin’s 4ZB of Godfrey ZL3BB.

June 1988 saw many members introduction to the world of packet operation with our providing a station to assist in a Telethon.

The ‘All-New’ ‘690 WGI!

Friday August 12 1988 marked the firing-up of the new ‘690 from the old site after the Trustees had spent a frustrating couple of months attempting to get the relevant info for the devices. (The repeater equipment was part of a batch being produced for an American contract and needed some modifications for our purposes and frequency requirement.)

One problem evident after commissioning was that of random triggering. This proved to have been brought about by one - or more - of the host of electric fences surrounding the site. Information eventually came to hand and the necessary mod was carried out successfully. When conditions cleared up sufficiently, the repeater trustees installed the device at Maewa on Monday 29 August 1988.

Trustee Peter ZL2TDI then celebrated by retiring from the workforce on 1 September!

During the early hours of Christmas morning, Life Member Alan ZL2ADS passed away at the Wanganui Hospital.

June 1989 saw a welcome extended to a recently transplanted Wellingtonian, Mr Rod Greene ZL2ACE and the July 1989 edition of the newsletter was the first sponsored by Richard ZL1BOK through his firm COM-CENTRE.

August saw a notice of motion seeking to ban data transmission through 690 Wanganui between the hours of 0800 and 2000 NZST. Members finally adopted the amended resolution banning data between the hours of 0800 and 2200 NZST and any such transmissions to have voice ID prior to and at the conclusion of any such transmission. The death of one-time (and founding) member of Branch 48. Mr Barney O’Leary ZL2MF occurred on 4 August. September saw the Branch’s old repeater get the heave-ho by the Power Board from their Shakespeare site.

1990-95:
On March 25 1990. at the Wanganui Base Hospital , long-time Branch member and one-time Patron Mr Harold Burton ZL2AYS became a Silent Key and October of that year saw Debbie Wild ZL2VAY, Glenn Carss ZL2UXO (now ZL1MY) and Nigel Marshall ZL2CDH being congratulated on their new call-signs.

During July 1990 Barry ZL2RR was appoint-ed Manager of the NZART QSL Bureau Service (the second time a Wanganui holder of the callsign ZL2RR had held an NZA.RT office!)

At the October ‘90 meeting, members elected Mrs Kay Stewart ZL2TJW and OM Barry ZL2RR Honorary Life members of Br 48.

Late in November, Wanganui’s best-known non-amateur in the amateur world Mr Bill Lee passed away. Very few amateurs did not know of Bill because of his QSL printing activities. Unfortunately very few amateurs attended Bill’s funeral; this being through the family not putting an address in the death notice and most locals did not relate the Joseph William Lee to “our” Bill.


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