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I found this terrific YouTube video, which does show and outline the pitfalls of buying a cheap Chinese Amateur Radio Hand Held. Most of us Hams who have been licensed for a while now (I'm still a newbie too, 15 plus years), have a cheap Chinese Handheld or two.. Yep.. me too.. but.. I have like many found that the cheap Chinese Handhelds just can't always do the distance compared to the known Japanese brands like Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood to name a few. So.. if you are just getting into Ham Radio, this is a good watch for you.. It does point out the Spurious frequencies these cheaper radios transmit on. Plus, many of these cheap units are not approved by our ACMA, (FCC in the USA).. so be aware, check first. Note: The Youtube clip prices mentioned, are USA based.. And there is references to the FCC in the USA. Perhaps some of the Amateur Radio Guru's that read this, would like to add a comment or two to help guide the many newbies coming into our wonderful hobby. You just cannot go past the Japanese Brand Radios such as: Icom Yaesu Kenwood Alinco You will have these for years and years and much more support for them. Hope this is of help. Craig vk3ncr

Our clubs website is a wealth of information, from getting your Amateur Radio License, Antenna ideas and builds and more. One feature of our clubs website are the many Videos that I have added over the life time of our site. With Digital modes growing ever day, I have added another Video Channel to our clubs web site. There are many many videos from all around the world that are focused on Amateur Radio.. Take the time to look through them, you may learn something... I have ! Craig VK3NCR I will be adding more videos moving forward including more on Digital Modes such as DStar, AllStar, DMR etc.. If you find a video that you think will help others and it's related to Amateur Radio, and not Crazy Russian Drivers, please drop me an email with the link.

UPDATED 17th Jan. 2024 Received the AllStar Node, after a day of setup and testing at my home, I took it to the Wednesday Club Rooms day to install it at the club. I did find that it would not connect to our limited wifi at the club rooms. The unit I am finding works better with a wired connection direct to a Router, so Peter kindly offered to drive to Centrecom to purchase a Router that I had selected the day before. A TPLink MR100 4G modem Router. The Router has two Ethernet ports which allows for the AllStar Hot Spot to connect. That looked to fix all.. Still having a few issues which I am working. So when you are at the club, bring along your UHF FM Handheld and have a go at using the AllStar network. More updates to come. UPDATED 11th Jan. 2024 Glenn has posted the fully built and tested Node to me.. I expect to see the device arrive around the 15th Jan. Once I have tested it and worked out how it works I will do a demonstration at the club. Glenn VK4NGA will be putting together a price list on build kits soon. I have also uploaded to our website a PDF file on setup instructions for the built node. Glenn has done an amazing job. Here is the link to access the folder. UPDATED 5th Jan. 2024 Glenn VK4NGA has received my Raspberry PI board and is building my AllStar Node. Hope to see it soon so I can test, try and Demo.. Cheers. Craig. vk3ncr UPDATED 26th Dec. 2023 I have been speaking to Glenn VK4NGA, who is a very old friend of mine, and is the Digital Guru here in Australia. Glenn has offered to assist the club in getting a AllStar Node up and running so that members at the club can use their own FM Radio via AllStar. I have ordered a Raspberry PI 4 1Gig and have sent it on to Glenn. Glenn will assemble and set it up for me so I can demonstrate AllStar at the club. Once I have also gained an understanding of it. Will keep you updated as things change. NEW PROJECT FOR THE CLUB How about another project for our radio shack or perhaps for members for home use. An Allstar Node at our club rooms will allow a normal Amateur Radio running on 2M or 70cm FM, depending on the node we purchase for the club, to chat to other Amateurs around the would via the Allstar node. (running at the club rooms) Perhaps, with Glenns help, we could extend the range of the clubs Node so that many of our club members can use the Clubs Node from their homes. Love to hear your thoughts on this, so please make a comment below. Cheers. Craig vk3ncr With Thanks to Glenn VK4NGA Visit Glenn's Website Here. What Is AllStar? AllStarLink is a network of Amateur Radio repeaters, remote base stations and home nodes accessible to each other via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). AllStarLink can run on a dedicated computer (including the Raspberry Pi) that you host at your home or repeater site. It is based on the open source Asterisk PBX running our app_rpt application. App_rpt makes Asterisk a powerful system capable of controlling one or more radios It provides linking of these radio “nodes” to other systems of similar construction anywhere in the world via VoIP. AllStar is a busy network used worldwide. Many older 2m/70cm repeaters across the world are now connected to AllStar meaning that if you have a node you can connect to them. The great thing about having an AllStar node at your QTH is it is an FM node, so you don’t need a digital radio to access it. In fact you most likely already have a radio that you can use. Any FM radio with CTCSS that operates in the ham bands can access your node or an AllStar enabled repeater. Audio quality is generally extremely good because it’s FM so it doesn’t sound “digitised” like other digital voice modes. An AllStar RF Node such as the DuraNode is similar to the traditional “hotspot” in that it runs on a Raspberry Pi with an RF hat, and is connected to the AllStarlink network via the internet. The only difference is that the hat uses an FM radio chip, hence no need for a digital radio. You can control your node 3 ways. 1) Via “Supermon” which is a dashboard that you can add into the node’s software and can come up on any web browser that on the same WiFi network as your node. 2) Via an App called Node Remote which is available on Android and iOS . 3) Via DTMF tones from your radio. There are many repeater networks connected to each other using AllStar. The VK3RBA Hub is a fine example of this. VK Repeater Linked System – the information below is copied from the VK3RBA QRZ page: VK3RBA70 FM 439.675MHz (-7MHz offset) 91.5Hz         Site: Mt Buninyong (Ballarat) VK3RSU70 FM 438.100MHz (-7MHz offset) 91.5Hz         Site: Mt View (Glen Waverley) VK3RWU70 FM 438.675MHz (5-MHz offset) 91.5Hz        Site: Mt William (Grampians) VK3RCU70 FM 438.350MHz (-7MHz offset) 91.5Hz         Site: Mt Moliagul (Maryborough) VK3RBH70 FM 438.175MHz (-7MHz offset) 91.5Hz         Site: Geelong VK3RUT2 FM 145.075MHz (Simplex Gateway) 118.8Hz    Site: Warrnambool VK3RGV70 FM 439.775MHz (-5MHz offset) 123.0           Site: Mt Wombat (Shepparton) VK3RRU70 FM 438.525MHz (-5MHz offset) 91.5Hz         Site: Merbein (Mildura) VK3RBP70 FM 439.700MHz (-5MHz offset) 91.5Hz          Site: Horsham VK2RAY2 FM 147.225MHz  (+600Khz) 118.8Hz               Site: Albury NSW VK2RWB70 FM 147.200MHz (+600Khz) 123.0Hz            Site: Mt Gwynne NSW (Yarrawonga) VK3RJW70 FM 438.500MHz (-7MHz offset) 91.5Hz         Site: Werribee VK3RSW70 FM 438.600MHz (-7MHz offset) 91.5Hz        Site: Portland VK3RMM70 FM 439.275MHz (-5MHz offset) 91.5Hz        Site: Mt Macedon VK3RBO 438.025 MHz (-5MHz offset) 91.5 Hz     Site: Bendigo Use IRLP DTMF 9503 VK3RBU 438.475 MHz (-7MHz offset) 91.5 Hz     Site: Mt Hollowback (Creswick & North)  Use Allstar DTMF *88# There are also many international Hubs. These are mostly large interconnected networks. Hubnet UK: Click here to view their website. Founded in May 2016 by Steve M0HOY with the mandate of increasing radio activity through coordinating the linking of Repeaters and Simplex Gateways across the UK that in recent years had fallen into disuse. Heading into its 6th year in May 2023, HUBNet has pushed the boundaries of multimode Amateur Radio communications; with a great deal of work by Peter G7RPG and the support of many others, HUBNet has rapidly become the largest multimode AllStar communications platform based in the UK. The East Coast Reflector network is another example. Click here to view their website.

Vale Patrick Emery. The Board of the WIA offer their condolences to the family and friends on the passing of Patrick Emery from ACMA. A long time associate and friend of the WIA who has worked with many of the WIA volunteers for the betterment of Amateur Radio In Australia. We have received at the WIA in the past days the very sad news that Patrick Emery (Manager, Licensing Allocation Section) of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), experienced a medical event on Christmas Eve and was subsequently diagnosed with an advanced brain tumour. He was rushed to Austin Hospital in Melbourne however, Patrick passed away peacefully surrounded by his beloved family. Our thoughts and condolences are with Patrick’s wife, two daughters, family, friends and colleagues at this tragic and very sad time. Patrick was 52 years of age, a qualified Lawyer and someone that at the WIA we respected tremendously. He has been instrumental in leading the recent consultations in class licensing and someone that we at the WIA considered very engaging, professionally competent and fair. Patrick was also a well-known music writer and published articles in The Australian, The Age and a range of other print media. I know the music industry are in shock with Patrick’s passing and of course at the WIA, we will miss him immensely.

Down the l radio station. SPIRIT FM. Rocking Hard www.ncradio.com.Au Peter VK3TQ.

SPARC Fund Raiser. Bunnings Sausage Sizzle This Saturday January 6th. 08:00am - onwards. Bunnings 282 Boneo Road Rosebud VIC 3939. Feel free to drop in and say Hello to SPARC Fund Raiser. Bunnings Sausage Sizzle and grab a Snag or drink if you're out doing some shopping. Hey Famparc Members... Would someone like to arrange this for our club ?

Hello Fellow Members, It has been my intentions to incorporate some Digital Modes to the clubs shack for all to use. There were thoughts that connecting another device via the USB connection on the back of the IC-7300 would upset the connection to both the Amplifier and the Ultrabeam systems. I thought that as well.. Well.. after lots of experimenting and also the help of Youtube, I have tested today the operation of my MacBook connected to the USB port on the IC-7300, and after configuring the radio so it will talk to the Laptop & without interrupting the other devices as above, I am very pleased to say that it worked without a hitch. Using bands such as 40M, 20M, 15M & 10M.. I was able to make contact with around 20 or so stations around the globe. So.. after all of that, I decided to power down the whole system, remove the Laptop and restart it all so to make sure that all normal operation was ok.. I am very pleased to say that all worked as per normal with no interruption to the Amp, Beam etc.. Here I a quick video of the setup working on FT8, using the WSJTX App. All we need is a nice fast PC or Laptop.. Your comments and thoughts will be appreciated. Craig vk3ncr

The WIA Technical Advisory Committee – Band Plan Updates Proposed for 6m, 70cm and 9cm bands Date : 21 / 12 / 2023Author : Grant Willis VK5GR The Wireless Institute of Australia - Technical Advisory Committee are proposing changes to the Band Plan for 6m, 70cm and 9cm bands The WIA TAC has opened a new band planning consultation paper for comment. Changes are being considered to the following bands: •6m- with the AOCP(S) Standard class licensees gaining access to the entire band, a proposal has been made to remove the weak signal segment between 52.0 and 52.5 MHz and replace it with a new wideband segment, in support of new experiments including Reduced Bandwidth ATV using digital modulation techniques. •70cm- it is proposed to remove the grand fathered repeater segments and add an additional segment between 439.625-439.7875 which is allowed to use -7 MHz offset. In addition, the repeaters between 439.800-440.000 are also proposed to be granted access to -7MHz receiver offsets should the repeater operator wish to use them. •9cm- with the withdrawal of much of the amateur allocation between 3400-3600 MHz, as well as reports of interference and overload challenges with the weak signal segment currently being placed directly adjacent the 3400 -3420 MHz NBN LTE transmitters, a review of the band is proposed. Options are discussed and a new channel plan for wideband is also proposed. The full consultation paper is available here:Link We invite all radio amateurs to download and consider the proposals. Feedback is most welcome and can be forwarded to us on email at tac@wia.org.au. We are leaving the submission period open until January 31st 2024. Please take the time to review the proposals and contribute your feedback. Regards, Grant Willis VK5GR WIA TAC Chairman Page Last Updated: Saturday, 23 Dec 2023 at 18:26 hours by Peter Clee NOTE: Comment for Standard License Holders.. 6m (50 – 54 MHz) Band Proposed Narrow Band Mode Segment Changes Now that both AOCP(A) and AOCP(S) grade operators can access the whole band, the need to retain two narrow band mode segments has been made redundant.

Happy New Year to All!! I have created a new Category within our Forum for all to be a part of. NEW IDEAS For FAMPARC. So join in and add your ideas so we can continue to grow the our club. Simply Click the Button below which will take you to our Club Forum Page, then Select New Ideas For Famparc Category and then get busy and add your ideas..

Hello Famparc Members, We are proud to announce the club has a new addition to the Radio Shack. It's the sister radio to the clubs Icom IC-7300, the IC-9700. 144, 430/440, and 1200 MHz All Mode Transceiver Including Satellite, DV, and DD Modes The IC-9700 is an all mode Tri-band transceiver, covering 2 m, 70 cm, and 23 cm. In addition to the traditional SSB, AM, FM, CW, and RTTY modes, the transceiver also incorporates D-STAR (Digital Smart Technology for Amateur Radio) DV and DD modes. A full featured Satellite mode is built-in! There are three antenna connectors, one each for 144, 430/440, and 1200 MHz. RF Direct Sampling, for 144 MHz and 430/440 MHz, is utilized in the IC-9700. For 1200 MHz, the Down Conversion IF Sampling method is adopted. In this system, signals are digitized by the ADC and processed in the FPGA. The signals are processed in the digital domain, thus eliminating distortion and other nonlinear elements seen in the legacy superheterodyne receivers. The outcome is that the signal purity is very high, and clear audio can be generated. D-STAR Operation Friendly Functions The IC-9700 has the D-STAR Repeater (DR) function that has been well received by D-STAR enthusiasts. The DR function can be used on both the Main and Sub bands simultaneously to listen to two separate DV signals. Moreover, by using the DD mode, you can browse the Internet through a repeater station. D-STAR System Introduction As well as many more features... CLICK HERE UPDATE 30th Dec, 2023 With help from Terry VK3BMX, the new IC-9700 now has lots of memory stations for FM Repeaters and D-Star Repeaters. I also have exchanged an antenna for a Tri-Band Antenna (2M, 70cm, 23cm). We are still awaiting delivery of the Triplexer for the new Antenna. We are currently using only the 2M/70cm band Antenna that is at the front of the club rooms. So it is fully operational on those bands. The Digital side (D-Star) is working a treat, and many local and overseas stations have been worked by this amazing system. So.. feel free to use the radio, however I would suggest if you are unfamiliar with the operation that you ask someone at the club who is. You will be more than welcome to use it.. that's what the shack is for.

D-STAR QSO PARTY 2023 October 20th, 2023 ◆ Purpose Encourage use of D-STAR protocol in RF and IP around the globe as well as the picture sending functions available for newer generation D-STAR radios ◆ Rules The goal of the D-STAR QSO PARTY is to increase use of D-STAR communications in direct, via a repeater / repeaters as well as any Internet relayed voice communication means using D-STAR protocol. Exchanging pictures in a data mode will gain the highest points. All the operators who submit an approved log will be given a Party Certificate (PDF file). Operators who submit an approved log with at least 30 points worth of communications will be eligible for the prize draw. Winners will be randomly selected to each win a prize. The more D-STAR QSO’s you make, the more chances you have to win. Please refer to the entry QSO point rules below. QSO Points 10 points 5 points : Exchange pictures by D-STAR data mode in addition to voice communication: Direct, via a D-STAR repeater or D-STAR repeaters (Callsign routing) voice communication between D-STAR radios: Any other means between any devices using D-STAR protocol either in IP or RF (including use of 1 pointNote: QSO between the same station can be counted only once in a day. reflectors / internet relayed non-radio terminals) ➢ To quality for prize draw point, you need to successfully make contacts which total points are at least 30.➢ Every more 30points up to 210 will gain another draw right (30points = 1, 60points = 2, 90points = 3 / Max 7 rights).➢ Please refer to the event site and product manuals about picture exchange If you made D-STAR communications worth 65 points, you will have the two draw rights (double the chance of winning a prize than single draw right). ◆ How the above “prize draw right” system will work ➢  The name and/or call sign of each valid entrant into the D-STAR QSO PARTY will be collated and included in ➢  As per the explanation above, the number of prize draw right is multiplied depending on the points of result of ➢  Winners can receive only one prize. Therefore, in the case where a winner’s name/call sign is drawn again, D-STAR QSO Party 2023 details ◆ Date & timeUTC: December 27th, 2023 0:00 – January 5th, 2024 23:59 ◆ QSO Party organizerIcom Incorporated / Icom America Inc. ◆ Who can take part in the QSO party? All licensed Ham Radio operators. ◆ Participation bands and modes No restrictions (D-STAR protocol) ◆ Making a call “CQ D-STAR QSO PARTY 2023” ➢ The other stations RS➢ The radio or device name you used for the communication Example of rubber stamp QSO :<>CQ D-STAR QSO PARTY,CQ D-STAR QSO PARTY.This is JA3YUA，Juliett - Alfa - Three - Yankee - Uniform - Alfa，JA3YUA. From Hirano Repeater to Seattle Repeater. Calling CQ and Standing-by. <JA3YUA, This is N9JA, November - Nine - Juliet – Alfa From Seattle Repeater to Hirano Repeater. I am from the U.S. (country name)Exchange Number is “59” and “ID-52” Over <>N9JA, This is JA3YUA，Juliett - Alfa - Three - Yankee - Uniform - Alfa，JA3YUA. Thank you for coming back my call.I am from Japan.Exchange Number is “59” and “IC-9700” 73 <>You may additionally exchange pictures showing callsign as proof of picture QSO (i.e. digital QSO card like picture) in any D-STAR data mode (slow / fast data). ◆ Things to remember Abide by all Amateur Radio laws in your country. Party organizers are not responsible for any direct or indirect damage/trouble associated with this D-STAR When you use the repeaters, be considerate of other users who are not taking part in this QSO party. ◆ How to submit a logThere are two log formats accepted. Please use the supplied spread sheet files and submit it to the e-mail address listed below. Please make the name of the file your call sign. For example: JA3YUA.log.xls When a communication is accompanied with picture exchange, please supply the file (JPEG or PNG which size is less than 1MB each / use radio’s and/or smart device application screen shot function) together with the record. The file name of such pictures must include the callsign. You can download a summary sheet and log sheet from “Log Reporting” page listed below and submit the completed sheets by E-mail In addition to that, you can prepare your own log in an Excel spreadsheet. The same above-mentioned picture rule is applicable also for Paper submission. ◆ Due date for submitting (must arrive by date) January 21st, 2024 23:59 UTC ◆ Where to sendE-mail : D-Star.QSOPARTY_LOG@IcomAmerica.com ◆ Double check the following before submitting.1. Please fill in your name and call sign, in the comment column.2. Please fill in the model name of the radio or device you used for this QSO party.3. Please fill in your comments regarding the QSO party after participation, and share your ideas. 4. Please understand that winning call signs will be published when the winners are announced. ◆ JudgeIcom Incorporated / Icom America Inc. ◆ Prizes30 x Limited special D-STAR QSO Party Plaque ◆ Disqualification1. Participants who do not obey the relevant Amateur Radio laws of their country.2. Participants who do not obey the QSO party rules.3. Participants who submit false logs4. Participants who submit insufficient documents or send logs by normal mail at short paid. 5. Participants who are disqualified by the QSO party organizers for any other valid reason. ◆ Announcement of resultsResults will be announced on February 29th, 2024 ◆ Comments or inquiriesComments or inquiries will be accepted by e-mail until January 21st, 2024 23:59 UTC D-Star.QSOPARTY_QUESTIONS@IcomAmerica.com ◆ NotificationThe two e-mail addresses below, for correspondence regarding this D-STAR QSO party, will become invalid on February 29th, 2024.E-mail address to submit logs : D-Star.QSOPARTY_LOG@IcomAmerica.comE-mail address for comments/inquiries : D-Star.QSOPARTY_QUESTIONS@IcomAmerica.com

Richard, VK3TXD just sent me this link on a Youtube clip showing a way to help and assist Amateur's that are having massive noise problems. Thanks Richard... Great demo from this chap. How to MASSIVELY Reduce Your Noise level on SSB & CW.....For Free