Greg Dirk Van Der Reis, ZL1GUD, doesn't just have a good read on amateur radio in New Zealand - he produces a good read too: As of this month, his free independent e-zine, the New Zealand and Australian Amateur Radio Magazine, has published its third edition electronically. Although it was originally intended primarily for amateur radio readership in New Zealand and Australia, it is now being downloaded in parts of Europe and in Greg's native South Africa, where he began his radio life in 1979 as a CB'er and later a licensed amateur.

A prolific writer as well as a reader, Greg recognised early on that hams benefit from good communication in between time at the workbench or making contacts. He told Newsline that his electronic magazine is the outgrowth of work he first did for a local club's magazine after moving to New Zealand two years ago. His daytime business, The Ham Shack, sells amateur radio equipment for the home, portable and disaster preparedness while keeping him in touch with what hams need and the direction trends are going. He sees POTA and SOTA as big growth areas and his pages provide coverage on those topics, as well as personal profiles, DXpeditions and international events.

Greg told Newsline that the next edition will have a subscription button but until then, anyone reading this month's issue, can email him directly to be added to the distribution list. See the link to the magazine in the text version of this week's Newsline script at arnewsline.org

In an email to Newsline, he wrote: [quote] "This fills a gap and I would like it to bridge the amateur radio communities in New Zealand and Australia. I hope to create joint radio events between the two countries. We are only 3 hours apart by air." [endquote] Now the two countries are barely a few downloads apart -- and the same is true for the rest of the world beyond.