NZ Net News 164, 2 Aug 2025

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Featured key

Gil ZL4CU sent this photo of his Vibroplex Original bug which he modified to create a single-lever paddle many years ago. Notice the third binding post which has been added, and the new rigid lever which replaced the vibrating pendulum.

This was a fairly common type of modification when paddles were “the new thing” and bugs were plentiful.

Gil left the bug’s damper in place, although it no longer serves any purpose. Just in case you change your mind, OM? 🙂

Quick notes

Steve ZL2KE will be operating CW from Cook Islands as E51KEE 3-18 August. Listen for Steve on all bands 40-10 metres.

Has 80 metres recovered? After weeks of horrible conditions on 80, the last few days have been pretty decent. So if you’ve been hesitating about warming up the rig on a cold winter night, maybe it’s time to give it a try.

If you’re interested in NZ radio history, you’ll find heaps of it in the newly republished Radio Information Bulletins. These in-house newsletters were produced by the NZPO’s Radio Section in the 1950s and 1960s. There’s lots of details on the various Post Office radio stations and the work of radio depot staff around the country. The RIBs are on the maritimeradio.org website.

Contest news: The North American QSO Party (CW) is this weekend. The ZL Sprints begin next Tuesday evening.

Picture: After seeing that photo in NZ Net News 163 showing W9CNN with his lovely Collins KW-1 station, I remembered this photo from 2011, which shows one of the Collins stations at the wonderful Hammond Radio Museum. This operating position has two KW-1 CW/AM transmitters, one standing at either side of the desk. On the desk are two ham band receivers and above them two general coverage receivers. Further to the right is a 30K-1 transmitter and three sets of “Gold Dust Twins,” each comprising a 1-kilowatt KWS-1 CW/SSB transmitter and a 75A-4 receiver.

Photo flashback

I imagine most readers will recognise this photo. It’s a scene from the powerful 1959 film On the Beach, directed by Stanley Kramer and starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Anthony Perkins and Fred Astaire.

On his blog, John AE5X describes the apocalyptic theme of the film – and the significance of the morse key:

In 1964, World War 3 devastated the Northern Hemisphere, killing all humans there due to nuclear fallout. The only habitable areas are in the far reaches of the Southern Hemisphere, but air currents are slowly carrying the fallout south.

Australian survivors detect an incomprehensible Morse Code signal coming from the West Coast of the United States. The American nuclear submarine USS Sawfish, now under Royal Australian Navy command, is ordered to sail north to locate the source of the signal.

Once the source is located – a Coke bottle resting on a telegraph key – the crew member uses the key to report back to the Sawfish. While there is spoken dialog over the telegraphy, it’s quite easy to make out “coke bottle on key by window” in CW.

Thanks to Steve ZL2KE for suggesting this photo.

Net numbers

NR23 R ZL1NZ 37/34 AUCKLAND 0900Z 1AUG25
=
NZ NET
=
JUL QNI VK3DRQ 28 VK4PN 17 ZL1AJY 4 ZL1ANY 27 
ZL1BDS 13 ZL1NZ 31 ZL1PX 26 ZL2GD 17 ZL2KE 13 
ZL2LN 14 ZL4BDG 1 ZL4GW 9 ZL4KX 22 ZL4LDY 7
TOTAL 229 QTC 42
=
ZL1NZ

Video: The Secret History of British Radar

Mark ZL1MRT recommended this video, and it’s definitely a very good watch. Winning the Battle of Britain involved some brilliant scientists and a large measure of luck.

Net tip: QNP

We continue our look at Q signals with QNP (callsign).

It means: “Unable to copy you” or “Unable to copy (callsign)“.

So, if Net Control asks you “QNJ ZL4LDY?” you could respond with either a signal report or “QNP LDY” if you cannot copy ZL4LDY at all.

QNP is particularly useful when you are being asked to copy traffic from another station. If you give a signal report of RSN 235, for example, the sending station might assume you’re willing to give it a try even though conditions are poor. But if you send QNP, it means “forget it, it’s not going to work”. 🙂

» Download the Essential Q Signals

The A-Z of Q Signals

A well-run CW net is a lovely thing to experience. Communication between stations is quick and concise, and the net business is conducted with minimal time wasted.

As CW operators, we have many techniques to communicate quickly and efficiently. And if we know and use these techniques, we can often match or exceed the speed and accuracy of voice communication.

One of our most important tools is the set of Q Signals (or Q Codes), and in this series we look at the “essential” ones, in alphabetical order.

Poetry: Wireless

WIRELESS – meaningless – save that we know
That another man in a far-away land
Stands by the side of a gibbering spark,
Punching his message into the dark.

Into the dark of a summer’s night,
And around the world and into the light
Of our brilliant winter day
Speeds the vibrant, quivering ray.

And, caught in a web of sky-flung wires,
Sinks to earth – chatters – expires;
But before it dies, skillful hands of man
Have torn from its soul a marconigram.

KG Martin, Wireless Age – June 1914
Republished in Morsum Magnificat 10 – Winter 1988

Advertising archive

Ham Radio magazine, March 1978

Icom entered the amateur HF market with its IC-701. And of course any self-respecting operator had to have a chrome Vibroplex!

Suggestions?

If you have suggestions on how to make the NZ Net better, or things you’d like to see covered in these newsletters, please contact ZL1NZ. Articles and photos will be gratefully received!

Thanks for reading, and I hope to hear you soon on the NZ Net!

—

Neil Sanderson ZL1NZ, Net Manager
New Zealand Net (NZ NET)