Southern Electronics Group – VK6SR

Today is 5th of January 2025 – 2024 has been and gone very quickly and it is also time to hopefully renew your SEG Membership for 2025.

Achievements for SEG in 2024 included the third Ham-Camption at Mayanup/Boyup Brook in May (Many thanks Darren for all your hard work!), Ham Feast at Quinninup/Manjimup in November and upgrades & maintenance to the club RemoteHams stations at Albany, Carnarvon & Perth. Katanning Ham Feast will be back on again in 2025 also.

The club voice repeaters, Allstar linked repeater network and the usual maintenance tasks also kept us busy throughout the year.  A number of great 6M DX contacts from the VK6CRO Carnarvon and VHF/UHF contacts from the VK6SEG Albany RemoteHams stations is worth mentioning,

In 2024, SEG had 75 financial members in the club, including a number of members interstate & overseas, who enjoy using the RemoteHams systems and have joined the club to be part of our community.  Activity in the club creates more activity and I think this is something that we can continue to build on.  The bank balance is healthy and we have a good array of donated equipment, particularly for VHF & UHF, so if you have an idea for a club event or project, please don’t be afraid to put it forward.  The Ham Feasts and Ham Camp started as ideas over a couple of drinks and grew from there. 

Thank you to our generous donors, who have made large, in-kind donations to the club throughout the years, by way covering our power & internet bills, rent-free building and tower space, donating food & drinks at club events, donating equipment and items for raffle prizes and auctions and the generous financial donations to the club during the year.   Finally, thank you to everyone who is a financial member of SEG and participates in club activities.  

Our AGM will take place online, in February 2025 and members will be invited to nominate for committee positions and advised of the AGM details via email in the next day or two.

With the start of a new year, comes Southern Electronics Group (SEG) membership renewals. Everyone is encouraged to join SEG and being a member is a great way to get started in the hobby, meet new friends and help out others. Licensed amateur, shortwave listeners and radio hobbyists alike are all welcome to join us.  SEG continues to invest and upgrade its network of repeaters, Allstar links and nodes, the RemoteHams internet-controlled HF/VHF/UHF club stations, APRS digipeater & I-Gate services and club callsigns VK6SR, VK6SEG & VK6CRO.  These all cost the club considerable time & money to licence, maintain, upgrade and operate. Importantly, being a member of SEG helps us to share the cost of funding new projects and repairs. 

SEG is very conscious of the cost-of-living pressures on everyone’s budget at present and the cost for SEG Membership remains at $30.00/year.  Our membership year runs from 1 January to 31 December each year and this gives you access to all the SEG facilities, systems, services & events. 

If you joined SEG after 1 September 2024, please email me for a reduced, pro-rata membership fee.  And if club memberships aren’t your cup of tea, SEG are also happy to accept your donation.

Thie club membership registration & payment under new provider Race Roster (who bought out RegisterNow) was successful, with about 90% of memberships coming via their system. 

The layout & functionality of their system is quite functional for our club and provides an easy way to maintain accurate membership records and receive payment from members. 

The link to the SEG membership system is:  https://raceroster.com/events/2025/97665/2025-southern-electronics-group-membership

• Select 2025 Membership (or 2025 Membership and optional donation if you desire) and click on ‘Register’. 

• You will get a popup box, enter your email address, select ‘Yes, I have a password’ if you joined SEG via RaceRoster in 2024 or click ‘No, I want to create a password’ if it’s your first time using RaceRoster
• You will then be redirected to the Registrant Page. 
• Important Step: At this stage, if you are a New User you will receive an email from Race Roster and need to confirm your email address in your email program/software.  You only need to do this step once.
• Once on the Registrant Page, complete the details.  You can also change your membership & donation level at this point if you wish.  Unfortunately the ‘Date of Birth’ question is mandatory with Race Roster, we don’t need it and can’t be removed/deleted, but enter 1-Jan-2000 if you don’t want it in the membership database.  Enter all the fields, those marked with ‘*’ are must complete, then press the ‘Continue’ button.
• You will then be sent to the Payment Page.  Check the name, email, phone & payment amount are correct, enter credit card details and press ‘Submit Order’
• Your Membership should then be processed, email you a receipt, notify the Secretary/Treasurer and deposit the funds to the SEG bank account.
• Fees for Race Roster services and credit card payments are absorbed by SEG. (About $3 per standard membership on current rates).

If you’re having difficulties with the Race Roster system or needing some assistance, please email me and I will do my best to help get your membership added and processed.

As always, those who wish to pay by EFT/internet banking/cheque/cash can still do so.  Membership Forms can be downloaded in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF formats from the Membership page of the SEG website and sent via e-mail or by Australia Post to the Treasurer at PO Box 435 Mt Barker WA 6324.

Thanks again to everyone for 2024 and your ongoing support of SEG is greatly appreciated.

73,

Rob…
VK6LD