About
About WAARN
WA Amateur Radio News Inc: the volunteers behind NewsWest and vk6.net.
WA Amateur Radio News (WAARN) is the amateur radio club that produces NewsWest, the weekly amateur radio news for Western Australia. Our callsign is VK6ARN. We’re all volunteers.
What we do
- NewsWest, every Sunday of the year: news from WA’s clubs and amateurs, on air across the state and relayed interstate, and online as a podcast.
- PerthTech: our technical day for amateur radio operators.
- Training: courses like NewsHound 101, which teaches amateurs to write, record and edit news items for broadcast.
- vk6.net: this website.
The NewsWest team
NewsWest is produced by a small team who take turns as producer: Anthony VK6AXB, Bob VK6POP, Darren VK6EK, Phillip VK6DEV and Steve VK6SJ. A production schedule plans the weeks ahead, so regular segments and contributions land in the right episode.
Our editorial policy is simple: every item must relate to amateur radio and Western Australia. We don’t use filler, so some weeks are longer than others.
Behind the team is a much bigger group of volunteers: the contributors who send in their clubs’ news and segments, and the broadcasters and repeater owners who put NewsWest to air. You can thank them with a callback at the end of the news.
How WAARN began
Amateur radio news has been broadcast in Western Australia since the early 1930s, produced over the decades by whoever was willing to take it on. In 2014 a group of amateurs met to give it a more lasting home: an incorporated club whose main job is the news, with room for education and other activities as well. WA Amateur Radio News Inc was incorporated on 20 January 2015, and became a WIA affiliated club. The history page tells more of the story.
vk6.net
The vk6.net website has been part of amateur radio in Western Australia for a long time, first as a gateway to amateur radio in the state. When it fell out of date, the NewsWest team took over its management with the permission of the domain holder, Robyn VK6XRE. WAARN now looks after it.
Join us or get in touch
New members are welcome, and so is your club’s news. Email newswest@vk6.net.