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As many of you know that are engaged with club activities, we have had many things happening, Speakers, Q&A, Outside activities and more. what's Next? Shepparton Hamfest. Click Here After the Shepparton Hamfest, a few club members are heading north for a few days of camping and radio play. We are hoping to go to a place called, Terrick Terrick National Park. From Shepparton to Terrick Terrick National Park. 128k From Shepparton you head west to Mitiamo Vic then north to the Park Entrance. There are basic faculties at the camp ground, Toilets and that's about it. but enough room for a few campers with either tents, trailers and limited space for Caravans. Terrick Terrick N.P is also a POTA (Parks on the Air) site. AU-0236 So if the weather is looking good, why not come upfor a few days and kick back, relax and play radio. Check with Craig vk3ncr or Stanley vk3bot for further information. HOW DOES ALLSTAR WORK? How about we have a chat about Allstar and seeing that our own club repeater is now connected to the Allstar system (Node 66111) why not learn on how this simple yet amazing technology works and how you can connect to our repeater from almost anywhere on the planet? The clubs website already has a help page on this amazing technology, click here , however how about a chat on a Saturday afternoon. So keep an eye and an ear out for our next Speaker covering the operation and use of AllStar. WHAT'S THIS POTA THING? Many say that the ham bands are very quiet, well have you tried activating a park? Parks On The Air POTA. Parks on the Air (POTA) is an international radiosport award program that encourages licensed amateur radio operators to visit, enjoy and operate portable equipment in a variety of parks and public lands, always respecting other park users and local regulations. POTA issues awards to participants based on a wide range of criteria including the total number of radio contacts made, number made on each amateur radio band , and for different modes of communication including voice, CW, FT8 etc. There are allocated Parks and reserves around the globe, with many here in Australia, and many just on your door step. Famparc is arranging to have a guest speaker to explain the fun of POTA as well as other forms of Park Activation such as: WWFF , World Wide Flora and Fauna in Amateur Radio.. SOTA Summits On The Air SIOTA Silos On The Air So also keep an eye and ear out for this next club activity. COFFEE AND CAKE MORNINGS Don't for get our regular Coffee and Cake Morning at a local Cafe... We have a great time chatting about anything and enjoy each other's company. If you have a favourite Cafe that you would like the club to try, just make mention to Craig vk3ncr We are always keen to try a different location. FAMPARC FEILD DAYS Every so often a few members find a site to play radio, it can be a park, a club members home, or anywhere really.. We recently visited Devil Bend Reserver on the Mornington Peninsula where we experimented with a recent purchase by Daryl vk3hbp. Greg vk3qsl assisting Daryl vk3hbp. If you'd like to go out and play radion in a park, let's go for it. I'm sure you'll find some members to assist. FAMPARC CAMP-OUT OCTOBER 2025 It's on again, the Famparc Camp-Out... We have held 3 so far and many members have taken the time to either join us for a few days or simply drop in for the day. We have had an amazing and relaxing time, sitting around the camp fire, playing radio or simply taking in the bush. Ken vk3mjf... getting the fire going Click Here for More So why not join your fellow Famparc Members and come cam More to come !!! Keep watching this Blog for other update and additions..

What did you do today ?? Again Famparc is out and about playing and testing.. Daryl vk3hbp Ken vk3mjf Craig vk3ncr Ken came over to Craig's place and we set over to meet with Daryl at a POTA Reserve, Nyora Nature Conservation Reserve AU-0289. In between Nyora and Poowong.. we have worked this park before and although small it has a great take off back to Melbourne.. Nyora Nature Conservation Reserve  AU-0289 Craig managed around 30 stations from vk1, vk2, vk3, vk5, vk7. Using his IC-705 with the Famparc 40M Endfed antenna. Daryl, also managed to contact club members on our club repeater... The club repeater is turning out to be an absolute treat for club members and is getting plenty of use. The POTA contacts were non stop.. who says the bands are dead are simply not using their microphones!!! We were all amazed the amount of contacts pilling up one after another. And all with 10 watts. From there we headed to the for a drink and excellent lunch.. Sorry no pics of the POTA site.. just too busy working stations. And of course we then decided to had to another great radio spot, just out of the tiny town of Loch. This was about a 10 min drive from Poowong.. Did I say how good the weather was !! Pefect! Loch for a Coffee and Cake.. After that a quick drive to another brilliant lookout.. Not a workable POTA park, but still great fun to again play more radio.. Much better than sitting at home watching Netflix! Ken vk3mjf Cape Horn Lookout 220 meters above sea level. We had a heap of fun here.. I worked North Cairns on 20Mtrs... Mobile. And then with Daryl's 2M Beam setup we work the Famparc Repeater with full quieting.. Height is Might! So while we have a few regular members on the air, we then tried SSB, FM, DV (Digital Voice / DStar) Simplex . Cape Horn Lookout Loch All signals and contacts were excellent.. with some members trying modes for the first time. Members Worked: Jerry vk3vce Stanley vk3bot Mick vk3vh Terry vk3bmx Our club vk3ruv repeater is amazing and is a great place for members to congregate. The Digital Voice mode was amazing with absolute no noise and crystal clear. How this for a take off point for radio. So overall.. the clubs Repeater is getting a great workout, plus a few of us used such a wonderful day to get out and play radio.. Perfect for IC-705. Chat soon. Craig vk3ncr

Hi Members, We have been holding our monthly Coffee & Cake get together on a Monday for a while now, and was suggested we look for another location. Just want to get your thoughts on the one listed below.. (Leave a comment below) Beach Bar @ Carrum. 611 Nepean Hwy, Carrum VIC 3197 Click Here for Google Map Let me know your thoughts... And if you have visited, if you could let me know what you think of the venue ? Cheers. Craig vk3ncr

S.A.D.A.R.C. Radiofest, the ultimate meet-up for amateur radio and CB enthusiasts, tinkerers, electronics buffs, and tech lovers! Browse tables stacked with radios, antennas, parts, vintage treasures, and all kinds of electronics. Buy, sell, swap you never know what you’ll find or who you’ll meet! HAM, COMMS & ELECTRONICS FEST SUN 14TH SEPT 10AM to 1PM St Augustines Parish Church Hall 96 Orr St, Shepparton WHEN: 14 September 2025 10am to 1pm WHERE: St Augustines hall - Orr St Shepparton Location Map COST: $5 Entry NOTE: Weather depending ... a few members of Famparc will be heading bush after the hamfest for a few days of camping and playing radio. Details here..

Victorian Senior Card holders can enjoy Victoria with 8 days of free public transport from 5 to 12 October 2025. Free public transport is available to all Victorian Senior Card holders. Jump on public transport for free to visit attractions across Melbourne as well as regional and rural locations. Victorian seniors are also getting cheaper public transport from next year. From 1 January 2026, Victorian seniors myki holders will be able to travel for free on all public transport, every weekend. More Details Here.. Don't forget to take your Radio with you.. Hey it's in the Famparc Calendar.

One of our active members recently purchased a 2mtr Diamond Beam. Daryl vk3hbp is the proud owner, and recently displayed at the club rooms.. We found the antenna to be of very good quality and after some recent testing at a local park, it certainly proved itself, with excellent back to front, and signal enhancement. Our testing showed a vast improvement over an omnidirectional vertical, with increased signal to and from the location back to our club repeater. Our thanks to Daryl for sharing this information with us. You can see some images and video from a recent blog post here . A144S5 Base Station Yagi Beam A144S5 Base Station Yagi Beam 2m five element Yagi style antenna great for high gain directional signal. You can purchase from Elite Communications Qld

For many Famparc members that are lucky enough to own a Icom IC-705. There has been a Firmware update. Download Type Firmware Model name IC-705 Version Version 1.40 Update 2025/08/21 Major changes Changes from Version 1.32 -Improved the importing repeater list.    Supported importing repeater list while retaining the existing order. -Added the ability to select other near repeaters using the dial after entering an access repeater using the Near Repeater Search function on the DR screen. -Improved the Share Pictures function.  -Added the percentage display for the picture data received.  -Added the visibility of the received block.  -Improved so that a beep sounds after finishing the transmission using the DV Fast Data function. -Added an option for the Digital Repeater Set function. -Changed the display unit “m” from less than 1 km to less than 10 km on screens that display distance, such as the GPS position screen. -Supported for microSDXC cards up to 256GB   Formatting on the transceiver is required. TAKE CARE ! Updating your radio is very easy, but... you can damage or brick your radio if you do not follow the procedures as noted on the Icom Firmware page. The writer nor Famparc take any responsibility.. if you are not confident, do not do it. Click Here for the Icom IC-705 Firmware page... Take note of all instructions etc.. Check that the link above is correct for your radio! I updated my IC-705 which took around 5 mins. Thanks to Phillip VK3LRO for this information and notifying me.

For many Famparc members that are lucky enough to own a Icom IC-9700. There has been a Firmware update. Download Type Firmware Model name IC-9700 Version Version 1.50 Update 2025/08/21 Major changes Changes from Version 1.44 - Improved the importing repeater list.   Supported importing repeater list while retaining the existing order. - Added the ability to select other near repeaters using the dial after entering an access repeater using the Near Repeater Search function on the DR screen. - Improved the Share Pictures function.   - Added the percentage display for the picture data received.   - Added the visibility of the received block.   - Improved so that a beep sounds after finishing the transmission using the DV Fast Data function. - Added an option for the Digital Repeater Set function. - Supported for SDXC cards up to 256GB    Formatting on the transceiver is required. TAKE CARE ! Updating your radio is very easy, but... you can damage or brick your radio if you do not follow the procedures as noted on the Icom Firmware page. The writer nor Famparc take any responsibility.. if you are not confident, do not do it. Click Here for the Icom IC-9700 Firmware page.. . Take note of all instructions etc.. Check that the link above is correct for your radio!

Another great turn out at our monthly Coffee and Cake Morning at the Roundabout Cafe South Frankston. During the catch up, a handful of us decided to play some radio and test out Daryl's vk3hbp new 2M Beam. So around midday after much coffee and cake, a few went that way and a few went the other way.. So myself, Craig vk3ncr, Stanley vk3bot, Daryl vk3hbp and Greg vk3qsl headed back to my qth in Somerville for some more coffee and to some testing in my backyard with Daryl's 2M Beam. And with the help from Colin vk3cr, via the repeater we found that the beam was a great success. After some testing and chatting, and more cofee... We all decided to head to the Devil Bend Reservoir Park. Again we setup using one of the carpark bollards using Daryl's amazing and very well built 5Mtr alloy mast, with the beam above.. same setup as at my home. And with the help of Colin and Ken vk3mjf, we were very pleased with the outcome, finding far superior than a simple vertical or mobile whip. Devil Bend Reservoir Park Devil Bend Reservoir Park. A few snacks for the boys.. Greg and Daryl deploying the antenna. Daryl vk3hbp Another great asset to the club is the AllStar Node, we could also use an iPhone App to chat via the clubs Repeater vk3ruv, which makes the whole system very versatile. I also had my own Home Node running and after retuning the IC705 to my home simplex frequency, we could also contact the club repeater using the 705 via my home FT7800 on 2Mtrs.. After confirming that the beam worked a treat, I then instructed my home AllStar node to switch the Allstar UKHub network.. Using the 705 via the beam, into my home node, we then spoke to a chap mobile on his way to work from the Isle of Man. The Isle of Man, although part of the British Islands, is not part of the United Kingdom. The Island is a territory for whose international relations the United Kingdom is responsible in international law. Other contacts made via Craig's Mobile 20Mtrs setup, Cairns and New Zealand, as well as 40Mtrs using Stanley's Mobile setup. All in all a very very pleasant and fun day had by the members at FAMPARC. Both at the Coffee and Cake Morning followed some radio play. The Devil Bend Reservoir is an excellent place to test and play radio.. As you can see by the videos there are plenty of tree's tables as well a toilet and parking. However... I would not suggest doing it over a weekend.. You just cant move there. Thanks for all invlolved today... We all had a great time... And it's great for one's mental health. Cheers. Craig vk3ncr

Yes it's on again.. Thanks to Stanley vk3bot.. Famparc Campout OCTOBER 2025. WHERE: Poplars Camp Ground The Poplars Follow Loch Valley Road from the town of Noojee, stay on the road and you will drive straight to the camp ground. WHEN: From Wednesday, October 22nd to Wednesday, October 29th, 2025. This period spans from Wednesday to Wednesday, enabling other members to camp over the weekend. If possible, try to arrive by Friday afternoon, as weekends tend to be busy. You can see further dates listed on the Clubs Calendar here . Stans setup with the Camp Kitchen The camp ground is called The Poplars which is around 10k from the tiny town of Noojee. It's an easy and enjoyable drive via Neerim South, Noojee FACILITIES: Not much, but there are drop toilets , small camp kitchen and stunning scenery. There are plenty of campsites, but no power or showers. This is a free camping area. There are plenty of trees for wire antennas, and the best part is there's almost no RF noise. The campsite is approximately 10 kilometers from Noojee, and the road is paved, making it suitable for any vehicle. Noojee features two pubs, the Noojee Hotel and The Toolshed, along with a café. There is no supermarket, but the café offers a limited selection of basic items. The campground is suitable for all types of camping, including caravans, camper trailers, motorhomes, tents, and swags. Fire pits are available. Dog's are allowed. Telstra service was limited, and we were unable to connect to any FM or DStar repeaters. However, by using a DStar hotspot, we were able to access the DStar system. Join us to spend some time with other Famparc Members, and remember to bring your radio gear..

With our new Famparc Repeater now officially on the air, you may want to think about purchasing a new Mobile Rig for your vehicle or shack. Icom ID-5100 2M/70cm & DStar Transceiver The club is a good start to look for a pre-loved FM Rigs for either car or home use, as the club often has them for sale from owners that have no need for them or perhaps from a deceased estate, however if you looking for a new rig, listed below are a good selection from the trusted brand Icom.. Note: Famparc is not affiliated with the sellers listed below and does not earn any profit from sales. This is merely an effort by the club to help facilitate the purchase of a Transceiver for connecting to the club repeater. Our club's repeater functions solely on the 2M band, allowing you to use a Mono Band Rig. However, given our location near Melbourne, which provides access to a wide range of both 2M and 70CM repeaters, you might want to consider buying a Dual Band Rig. Below are screen products from: Click on the image to visit the site. Note: Specification & Prices are subject to change, please check with the dealer before purchasing. Graham & Amy Brennan from G&C Communications will offer a discount if you mention the Famparc Club, the discount varies from radio to radio. Dual Band (2M / 70CM) ID-5100A Dual-band radio with DStar. The IC7100 has 2M/70CM and 6M and HF and DStar You have to check out the price on this one!! It's a bargain.. IC-2730A This is a brand new version just out from Icom. IC-2730B MONO Band (2M) An excellent budget entry level rig for 2M only. IC-V3500 2M FM Now that we have our new repeater, pick up a new rig and join the local conversation with fellow Famparc members. Remember, our weekly Tuesday Famparc Net takes place via our new repeater. So, get your gear and start chatting. Want to see other brands? Drop a comment below.

REMINDER! VERY IMPORTANT!! Thanks to John VK3JDD who brought this to my attention. Rather than try and explain this on this blog, Hayden VK7HH has done a video. In brief, if you do not setup an account with the ACMA Assist portal and do not Reconfirm your Amateur Radio callsign/license, after five years, your callsign will be surrender AUTOMATICALLY. ACMA ASSIST PORTAL HERE. I advise you to watch this video, and !! setup an account via the ACMA ASSIST PORTAL , and reconfirm your callsign. I have completed all of this and reconfirmed my callsign, which now needs to be done again in April 2030. Thanks to online calendars and reminders, my Apple Calendar will notify me in early April 2030 to reconfirm my callsign. So, start this now. If you haven't done it yet, you have 4 years to complete it. A big shoutout to Hayden for making this video! Craig, vk3ncr