Wednesday Experimenter's Group - Moffat's Madhouse + Packet Radio + Dubus + LowKey + More

00:02:40 - Much can be gleaned about a person's life from their eulogy or Silent Key Notice.
Tom Moffat VK7TM SK is no different!

The following tribute is from Brian VK7RR via VK7ARNews

Tom was born in the United States of America. His father had contact with Australia as he was involved with the design of the navigation equipment for the Jindivik program in the 50's so it is no wonder that Tom ended up out here. Tom obtained electronic qualifications with the Bell Telephone Company for whom he worked until the wanderlust hit him.

Tom passed away August 2 2007

He initially worked in Victoria, as Chief of Staff for GTV-9, moving to Tasmania with his wife Gael, in the early 70's, whereupon he became the Motorola sales and service agent for Tasmania.
Tom was involved with the first amateur television broadcast of the Weekly news, the first mobile television broadcast in the southern hemisphere, amateur or commercial and of course, the first VK7RHT.

00:06:50 - https://www.armag.vk6uu.id.au/1975-de...

Tom soon became one of the best known names in Australian amateur circles through his monthly columns in various magazines, an interest which became an occupation over the past ten years or so. Who will forget Moffat's Madhouse and his monocle? Tom's optometrist made it for him as he refused to wear reading glasses.

Tom was a highly intelligent person who had an instinct for new technologies and took to computers like a duck to water. I wonder how many people built his weather satellite decoder over the years? He sold them in kit form and many yachties and amateurs were soon checking their own weather, long before sound cards and DSP, hit the scene.

00:12:20 - He also built an experimental robot known as the Tasman Turtle as I
remember it. https://collections.museumsvictoria.c...

Tom died peacefully on Tuesday evening, leaving Gael, his former wife, who continued to care for him as much as he would let her, two daughters, Jenny and Fiona, a son Steven and three grandchildren.

Farewell old friend. Brian VK7RR

00:09:55 - Moffat’s Madhouse in EA Magazine Examples
https://archive.org/details/1993.06-e...
https://messui.polygonal-moogle.com/s...

00:13:00 - Tom’s kits and projects
EA - August 1979 - RTTY Decoder using a DREAM 6800 computer
EA - January 1981 - DREAM 6800 RTTY Terminal
ETI - April 1983 - 4046 PLL chip simpler RTTY Decoder
ETI - September 1983 - Weather Fax decoder 4046 PLL - Picture Plucker using Microbee
AEM - July 1985 - XE2211 chip improved design - Microbee
EA - 1991 - Listening Post II - Jim Rowe - Z80 Custom Computer
EA June/July/August 1992 - Listening Post WeSat Station 1/2/3
EA January 1993 - Pocket Packet Modem using TCM33105 FSK Modem Chip

00:21:20 - Pocket Packet Built Kit

00:28:00 - New found interest in Packet Radio by VK7BEN, VK7HCH, VK7TW, VK7HSE - VK7HDM who has run a BBS/JNOS/NETROM/ROSE packet station for many many years and is the only Packet BBS still running in VK7.

Latest DUBUS & LowKey magazine

00:31:10 - DUBUS Magazine:
https://www.dubus.org/
P100 Q65-15C on Auroral Es Backscatter cf other Auroral propagation
P129 - Richard VK7ZBX - 10GHz EME from VK7

00:34:50 - Low-key Magazine - VK QRP Club Mag
https://vkqrpclub.org/qrp_home.php
P13 - Peter Marks VK3TPM - Review - DXExplorer.com Sputnik Regen Receiver - Front Cover Photo
P15 Peter Parker VK3YE - G-QRP club founded in 1974 - VK QRP club in 1983 - WIA in 1930s - Jim Watson VK3NQ articles - club had 17 members - back cover photo of VK3NQ shack
P18 - Bush Key
P19 - Working the Aerial Wire - Doc Wescombe-Down VK5BUG
P22 - Stories from my childhood - Jen Grigull VK4PE
P23 - RCA connects for RF by Jens
P25 - Chris-Crossword - Chris VK1CT