Newsletter
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CBRANZ CB & PRS NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2007 Almost at the end of another year, in fact by the time
you receive this it will be in a brand new year. I, for one will be glad the old year will be
gone. On the whole it really hasn’t been a very good year at all although
there was some bright spots here and there.
I had thought that nothing more of the those adverse bits & pieces
could happen as most of the old year had been well peppered with these
irritating bits that seemed only to happen to make the fulfilling of various
things sliding just that much further behind instead letting you catch up.
You know the old saying “one step forward, and at least two steps
backwards”. Consideration is being given to discontinuing
the Call List. Sales of the 2008 issue has just managed to reach double figures,
no sales from outside of the Association. The
time spent in preparation [labour], the costs associated with running the
computer/printer [electricity- wear & tear etc], ink, paper, etc, all used
in printing out the pages for book setup prior to photocopying of the material
that will make up each book, is the same in cost
whether 1 or 100 are printed. Say it takes 4 hours to do all the required book
& cover alterations, print out the master pages at a labour cost say
$10 per hour [$40] and ink etc say [$1], a total of $41. This means up to
this point 1 book would cost $41 but for 100, each book would only cost $0.41
cents each. The first part, setup, is constant, regardless
of the number of books sold. Add to this the costs associated with making of
each book after set up, to the posting
of each book. Price of double sided photocopying: Small numbers are usually 20
cents per double side, over a certain number usually 100 it can reduce to 18
cents. This means 1 to 7 books cost
$2.80 ea. Above that $2.52ea is the cost of a cover, stapling, envelopes and
postage. A single book then rises to over $45.
A run of 5 books are $12.25
each, 10 would be $8.15 ea, 100 reduces to $4.50. All these prices excludes any
labour costs and any other incidentals. The above is only an example mainly to
illustrate how the cost of producing10 would leave a maximum profit of $18.50
less the cost of 2 free books that go to the Auckland Libraries each year
reducing this profit of $18.50 by $16.30 giving a profit of
$2.20. I haven’t done any costing on this years books but can
definitely say that this year 2007-08 financial year will record a loss of at
least $30.00. According to last years balance sheet we made a
theoretical profit of $41.82. What all of us didn’t take into consideration
was our listed liabilities. Here it lists “Call Books paid in advance
$50" for the 2008 book. Deduct that $50 from the last years Call book sales
for the 2007 book, it will then show that we made a loss of $8.18. This year the expected loss, even after adding the $50 we
received for the 2008 book prior to 31 March 2007, there will be a loss.
This years financial sheet will show sales as
$50, expenses at least $100 making a $50 loss before taking into account that $50, there will be a slight loss of
possible $5 to $10. Adding together
each years sales and each years expenses, we have Sales $160, expenses of
approximately $170 giving a possible loss for the 2 years of at least $10, or $5
for each year. I cannot see the
call book ever getting back in the black. As I stated some time ago, if the book
made a loss, it would be discontinued. On
the basis of a loss both years, no future book orders will accepted in the
meanwhile.
My attention to last years true loss all became clear
due leak in my roof. A few weeks
ago during some heavy rain a leak developed around one of the chimneys, not a
bad one, but enough to wet a sheet of wallpaper in an upstairs room. This room
is immediately above my living room where I have the computer, printer TV etc and do all my work. As soon as the
weather cleared I fixed the leak, then went back to getting the call book ready
for photocopying, finishing around 8pm so left it all on a desk beside the
computer table. During the night or
early hours of morning, there was a very heavy downpour. Before going downstairs to the living room, I
checked the leak area, great it was dry. On arriving downstairs, I was met by a
very wet desk of call book sheets. Another leak had developed in a different
place and the water had got onto the living room ceiling dripping through a
ceiling join onto the desk, meaning all the sheets were ruined and I had to
start entirely over again. While doing all this work again, I woke up to
the fact that each year, call book money is banked before 31 March each year and
as the book isn’t printed until the following October it is payment for the
next book, not the one already
printed. As it is money received for call book sales so it becomes part of sales
money received. The amount received for the next book is also list as a
liability. This means any profit on Call List sales
for the financial year require the Call List amount in the liability part
must be deducted to find out the correct profit of the previous book.
Latest news from Radio Spectrum Management Allocation of VHF and UHF Spectrum for Public Protection and Disaster
Relief Services
A working group of
the Government’s Emergency Telecommunications Services Steering group has
recommended that radio spectrum in the bands 138 - 144 MHz (ESB) and 494 - 502
MHz (ESC) be allocated for the use of recognised public protection and disaster
relief radiocommunications (PPDR) services: for example, Police, Ambulance, Fire
Service, and Civil Defence communications.
A consultation
document has been released by the Ministry of Economic Development that invites
public comment on the following.
· Confirming that the current ESB and proposed
ESC band allocations are the optimal use of the spectrum.
·
Measures to ensure technical compatibility between services in the PPDR
bands and services in the adjacent spectrum.
·
The method of assigning and managing the spectrum within the PPDR bands. As
expressed in the previous newsletter, this forthcoming AGM will be a face to
face one. At this AGM the future of CBRANZ will be discussed and decided. There
are 3 alternatives to be looked at. 1. Continue as is.
2. Put CBRANZ into Recess. 3.
Wind Up CBRANZ. 1.
26 MHz CB appears to be a dead duck all over the country. There are still people
using it but these people do not seem to have any interest in CBRANZ. On the
whole they go their own way and appear satisfied with it as it is.
For 26 MHz, the Association is mainly used for information re
repairers or parts. Truckies
& 4wd clubs seem to be one of the main
users, with Truckies usually using ch11. We haven’t heard from any of them for
years. Other uses are a few
community organisations ans few individual operators.
PRS.
Biggest users throughout NZ are businesses. There are a huge number of users out
there but it appears that no new PRS clubs are appearing. PRS Repeaters in
various places are controlled by a club, single persons (farmers – contractors
etc), or a PRS Repeater Group. Some own more than one repeater or have interests
in more than one. CBRANZ Individual
membership is still declining. 3 CBRANZ CB Clubs still operating.
Also membership of these clubs has declined to what it was 5 years ago.
2.
The answer to this one lies in the question, ‘will CBRANZ services be required
anytime in the future’. If this
is to be the one suggested a certain period be set to see if it is required to
do what it was formed to do. If
during that set period it is not required, then it then be wound up. 3.
Wind up. If it is now considered that the Associations used by date has arrived
or been passed then this should be the one. No
1. This one, as things appear at present, would
seem to be out of the contest. No
2. To me the most sensible. With a set recess date its life would be know, so it
would be, ‘use it or lose it’. No
3. Bang, that would be it. The
reasoning behind the above 2 & 3: Members do not appear to have any interest
in being a Member of Council of Management. Over
the last few years we have had difficulty in getting nominations. In the
newsletter December 12 months ago it was stated if we did not get enough
nominations for the required positions I would endeavour to get the required
number from the Otago Club. Result
President; one only (Robert a
further year as President). Vice President; One only (Alf [Otago] who offered to
help out again) Secretary/Treasurer; Only one (myself again). Committee; none.
(Managed to talk Denice to continue again and one other Otago member
who volunteered more to shut me up than a genuine wish to serve.
The
AGM is only one day so the necessary business is required to be done, Meeting
called to order, Roll Call, Welcome, Chairperson will be the
President as is usual with face to face, Notice of meeting read by Secretary,
Roll Call, Minutes 2007 AGM confirmed [as circulated]- Business arising,
Correspondence [as circulated] - Business arising. Chairman's
Annual Report (as circulated), Financial report - Balance Sheet Presentation,
Delegates reports (if any received), Call Book recommendations and a short
discussion on these if required, Remits [if any are received],
Trustees for Bank Account, General
Business Agenda (if any received), Special Business (Future of CBRANZ etc),
Election of Officers & Committee or Trustees
depending on the outcome of the Special Business section (I would suggest the
present Council of Management be the Trustees if CBRANZ Future is decided to be
2. or 3.), Set 2009 AGM Venue (if 1. is chosen), Thanks etc, Formal Meeting
concludes. There
will be Morning Tea, Light Lunch, Afternoon Tea and a Evening Dinner provided,
plus Photos, and a short get together. There
may appear to be a lot of business to be done but no reports, correspondence etc
needs to be read out at the AGM as all members will receive these in April so
can be put to the vote almost immediately.
Instead
of giving a delegates report at the AGM I will give a bit of a run down on
Otago’s Community Work for the 2007
Year. I hope most of you saw on TV some of the 1st Cricket test in
Dunedin. I can tell you it was very hot and they had very good attendances. The
Otago Club did the Road Control and the car parking and I for one hardly saw any
cricket. Most of us on the third day had very red faces from the sun. The
same 8 did the 3 days closing up 2 toads by 7.30am, and parking lanes installed
each day by 9.30am. Had to open all roads, remove parking lanes each day so we
didn’t get finished until around 8.00pm, then it was home to a very welcome
shower. We got roped into this
event on the Thursday and the match started the next day. Luckily it only went 3
days instead of the five set down. For
the year from 1 January to 31 December we did 130 working days on Community
events. As some events lasted 2, 3, or 4, days, the actual number of different events totalled the ton.
Luckily quite a lot lasted only a short time; Parades (2 hours) some
4hore bur some like filming 6 days of 14
hours a day, the rest usually between 6 hours to 10 hours per day [not going to
work out the hours spent by members but those are large).
On the whole we have a very dedicated team.
Those
ordering call lists will receive it with the newsletter, Notice of meeting,
nomination form and if I can get it done in time the AGM registration form. No
Sub invoices will be sent out until we know the wishes of the members re CBRANZ
Future. I
think that is all for the present as I want to get this away ASAP as we are now
in the New Year. CBRANZ
Council
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