Mark · VK2KI
Amateur radio runs on introductions, and Ikara owes its first one to Mark, VK2KI.
It was Mark who put me in touch with Alan at Lychee Gold — the discussion that turned “Snowline SDR needs a new home” into an actual place to put one.
A home for slow Morse
Mark is also the driving force behind CQ QRS — a slow-speed CW practice net built for exactly the operators that high-speed Morse tends to leave behind. QRS is the Q-code for “send more slowly,” and that is the whole spirit of the group: an unhurried, welcoming place to get on the key, whether you are learning code for the first time or rebuilding your confidence after years away.
What began as a practice net has grown into a real community — regular on-air QSOs, a RagChew newsletter, and active WhatsApp groups that keep everyone in touch between skeds. It is a quietly generous thing to build, and exactly the kind of thing that gets people onto the key and keeps them there.
Take a look — bit.ly/CQQRSWebsite
Thank you, Mark — for the introduction, and for everything you do for slow CW. The station exists because you made the call. Find Mark on QRZ.