FAQ

Here is a list of questions we've been asked and their answer.

Why am I paying to attend an AGM?

You're not. The AGM takes about 10 minutes during the morning proceedings and you are free to attend, and if you're a WIA member, you can vote during that time (if there is any vote to be taken). The remainder of the morning consists of an Open Forum in which a group discussion will be held among the attendees to discuss various aspects of Amateur Radio. The afternoon consists of a Technical Symposium during which speakers will present a topic of their interest. During proceedings we'll serve morning and afternoon tea as well as lunch. That's what your registration fee is paying for.

Do I have to be a member of the WIA?

No. Anyone who pays the fee can attend.

Where will all the profit from the conference go?

The conference is run on a cost recovery basis. We do not expect to make a profit and hope to break even. If you want to make a donation to any club who has participated in the organisation of the event, you're encouraged to do so because all of this has been put together by volunteers.

How will you know when my plane lands if I opted for a shuttle bus?

You'll tell us. Shortly we'll send an email to you indicating the preference you selected. You're expected to confirm those details 24 hours in advance, so we have up-to-date information about your planned movements. We'll track actual flight landing times based on your flight details, so make sure they're correct.

Do you know that the Airport Terminal has moved?

Yes.

I have special dietary requirements, can you help?

We will notify any caterer that you have requirements and encourage them strongly to facilitate your needs, but this is not an iron-clad guarantee. If you have a concern, come and see us during the conference and we'll work something out.

I registered and nothing happened.

It depends on your definition of "nothing". If you got an email, then all worked as expected and that's your invoice. The office will be in touch with you if you've not paid. If you didn't, check your spam filter and send an email to the Office.

I paid and nothing happened.

Payments will be matched to invoices, as the office received the same email you did. There are a few things going on at the moment, but the office will get to confirming your payment.

Who do I talk to if I have a question?

You can always phone the office. If they cannot help you, they'll take your message and send an email to us, the conference organisers, Bob VK6POP and Onno VK6FLAB. We will respond as required. Unfortunately we cannot take individual calls for each of your concerns - we're both volunteering this while running our own busy lives. If in doubt, send an email to the office.

Who is doing what?

That depends on what you're really asking. The WIA Office is managing money, various Amateur Groups in VK6 are handling their particular parts of events, our MC, Miles VK6MAB is organising the running sheet for the day, Doug VK6DB is organising the Technical Symposium, Bob and Onno are worrying about details such as table layouts, equipment, venues, catering, the national and state news broadcasts, event callsign registrations, etc.

I have a suggestion to do ...

Excellent. Send an email to the Office and we'll look at it. The closer we are to the event, the less likely we'll have time to implement it, but if the idea is great and we can pull it off, we will. If the idea simplifies life for you and others, let us know, we're into doing simple things better.

I have a car and I don't want the bus.

Great. Perhaps you can use it to share the ride with other Amateurs who might like to travel at a different time than the scheduled bus service.

I want to know what frequencies I should be using during the event.

During the WIA AGM and Conference we'll be using the Fremantle VK6RFM repeater for conference traffic. Maintained by the WA Repeater Group, you can set your radio up using 146.950 MHz as the output frequency and 146.350 MHz as the input. Thanks to Don VK6DN the repeater also hosts Echolink and IRLP so you can make contact with home base from your hotel room or throughout Fremantle and beyond. The Echolink node number is: 170709 and IRLP node number is 6200. Those numbers can also be found online at vk6.net where you'll find a full list of repeaters and beacons in VK6.

Check the frequencies online, and if you're consulting this month's AR magazine, the gremlins got in and some of the frequencies there show the input frequency rather than the output frequency for some repeaters, so check online at vk6.net for details.

In the week leading up to the conference, the Ham College Information Beacon, VK6RIB on 145.575 MHz will be transmitting information relating to the event. The information repeats every hour. You can listen to the beacon right now and you'll find the weekly news and other information there.

I understand that there is a special key note speaker coming to the dinner.

Yes.

I would like to know how I can operate the special VI103WIA call sign.

You can register your (club) station on the VI103WIA page and we'll allocate bands and times so everyone has the opportunity to do so. QSL cards will be distributed via the bureau and we're planning to show the live contact log on the VI103WIA page. Note that you don't need to be a full call to do this, any licensed Australian Amateur can register.

I've heard WA is a big place and there's lots to do.

Yes. Look here for some starting points.

I have a question not answered here.

Send us an email to: conference@vk6.net. Note that there are two of us and many of you. If it can wait until you arrive in Fremantle, please do so.

Contents

  1. 1 Why am I paying to attend an AGM?
  2. 2 Do I have to be a member of the WIA?
  3. 3 Where will all the profit from the conference go?
  4. 4 How will you know when my plane lands if I opted for a shuttle bus?
  5. 5 Do you know that the Airport Terminal has moved?
  6. 6 I have special dietary requirements, can you help?
  7. 7 I registered and nothing happened.
  8. 8 I paid and nothing happened.
  9. 9 Who do I talk to if I have a question?
  10. 10 Who is doing what?
  11. 11 I have a suggestion to do ...
  12. 12 I have a car and I don't want the bus.
  13. 13 I want to know what frequencies I should be using during the event.
  14. 14 I understand that there is a special key note speaker coming to the dinner.
  15. 15 I would like to know how I can operate the special VI103WIA call sign.
  16. 16 I've heard WA is a big place and there's lots to do.
  17. 17 I have a question not answered here.


Comments