(In)famous Brisbane repeater VHQ07 finally off the air.

This article is dedicated to Val, best known for running VHQ07 trivia for many years, who sadly passed away in August 2020. Your key might be silent, but your memory lives on.

Much beloved and maligned Brisbane repeater VHQ07 is finally off the air, having fallen victim to the expansion plans of Philcom, the land mobile radio operator who has hosted the repeater at its Mount Glorious site for some years now.

Throughout its history, VHQ07 has been a magnet for a diverse array of operators, many of whom became well known in the Brisbane radio community. Reknowned for its banter, button-pushers, troublemakers and trivia, VHQ07 quickly became the unofficial home of the Brisbane CB radio community. Despite its foibles, VHQ07 remained an integral part of the community, becoming the impetus for an impressive list of social gatherings, on-radio friendships and feuds, as well developing a chequered reputation as the premier place to learn new insults.

Having survived multiple owners, failed repeater infrastructure and many prolonged outages, it appears that this time the tenacity and passion of its community and its dedicated group of volunteers was not enough to save VHQ07 in its current iteration. We reached out to Chris Blume, the repeaters technical manager, who was happy to answer our questions and share recollections of some of the people and moments which helped make the repeater the institution it became.

CBR: What are some of the most memorable moments in VHQ07 history?
Chris: The stories, the many stories from many users – most notable of which is the Gladys storyline, which featured in A Current Affair. The Christmas gatherings and, of course – Val’s trivia. Everyone has contributed over the years to make the entire life of VHQ07 entertaining.

CBR: It’s no secret that VHQ07 was home to a diverse array of personalities and characters – who were some of the most notorious users of the repeater?
Chris: Barry Muller, hands down. Although he isn’t on as much these days. Gladys, before she passed. Flano and, of course, Colin F with his endless rants/stories.

CBR: What are the repeaters plans for the future? Are there any plans for a revival?
Chris: It looks like a new site is not far away. We are in talks with a site owner and it is looking promising so far – they’re really keen to have us on board.

CBR: Is there any chance of a final VHQ07 BBQ?
Chris: We haven’t had a BBQ in years – perhaps too many conflicts these days, especially between the nighttime/daytime crew.

CBR: How about a tribute to Val?
Chris: Val was awesome – put up with a lot of crap from most of the others on air. We try to let everyone know when someone passes – we do a special tribute or minutes silence now and then to honour these moments.