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Famparc now have available our new Famparc UNUN Transformer and 4:1 Baluns. The UNUN Transformer is designed from top quality components and fully built and tested for use with a End Fed Antenna. The 4:1 Balun also made from similar components, and fully built and tested for use with a Off Center Fed Antenna . Each are selling for $60.00 and be purchased from the Famparc Club Rooms.. We can freight only within Australia for an additional $20.00 see more information here: UNUN Transformer Click Here. 4:1 Balun Click Here. Famparc 4:1 Balun for use with either a 80M OCF or 40M OCF. Off Center Fed Antenna. Famparc 64:1 UNUN Transformer for use with a 40M End Fed Antenna.

The club has reached out to Marty from Mad Dog Coils, a local manufacturer known for producing a wide variety of HF antennas. Marty has generously extended a 10% discount to all Famparc Club Members on his range of antennas and more. To receive your discount, you simply add the Code into the Discount Coupon Area. Please contact the club for the required Coupon Code. From Marty: "Marty Nelson VK4KC the owner, designer, maker and tester of Mad Dog Coils. I've been a Ham since 1990. My fascination with coils started when I got involved in portable radio activation's. Mad Dog Coils started out as Maddog's Ham Radio YouTube channel providing D.I.Y. videos on how to make your own coil. The videos are still viewed regularly. I'm now semi-retired and have the time to make coils commercially and offer them to you if you prefer to purchase rather than make your own. I realise that there are many different manufacturers selling similar coils and the price varies significantly. I'm very proud of the quality products that I personally handcraft and happy that I can bring them to you at affordable prices." You can see Marty's excellent vidoes on Youtube and also visit his web site: YouTube Link Website

The club has had a few new members join of late, and also passed their Foundation Exam. We welcome all to our club. To help you get on the air, here is a some help in Radio Procedures. On-air procedures and giving signal reports Before you start: It is good practice to work through a check-list before you get on-air. Even the most seasoned operators make mistakes. Are all my power cables connected?   Is my feedline connected and have I selected the correct antenna for my band of operation? If I unplugged my feed-line due to storm activity yesterday, have I plugged it back in? Are all radio controls set correctly? eg. Power level, Mic gain, Mode switch Is my VSWR acceptable? Any tests prior to calling CQ should ideally be performed with a dummy load or on a clear frequency. The Phonetic Alphabet The Phonetic Alphabet is an internationally recognised set of words used to help communicate when language differences or band conditions are inhibiting effective communication. A typical example might be: “My name is Harry, Hotel, Alpha, Romeo, Romeo, Yankee”. This would help clarify where the other station might think your name is Barry, or is simply having troubles copying your signal. You are not required to know the Phonetic Alphabet for the examination, but a complete list of the Phonetic Alphabet is provided in the appendix. Note that you use the phonetic alphabet to spell your call sign and name completely. Do not use a mixture of plain language and the phonetic alphabet, as that will lead to confusion. Q-Codes Q-Codes are three letter codes beginning with the letter Q. They were originally used for Morse Code but have made their way into voice communications. Typical examples will include: “My QTH is Sydney” (QTH means location) “There is QRN affecting your signal” (there is storm static affecting your signal) You are not required to know the Q-Codes for the examination, but a list of commonly used Q-Codes is provided in the appendix. Calling CQ and making contacts There are two ways to initiate a contact. When starting out it may be easier to respond to another station calling CQ. Let us work through an example: You are tuning on 40 metres and you hear “CQ CQ CQ this is K0XXX calling CQ and listening”. You respond “K0XXX this is VK1ABC VK1ABC over”. If conditions are poor you may need to use Phonetics “ Victor Kilo wun Alpha Bravo Charlie”; repeat twice. K0XXX responds “VK1ABC this is K0XXX thanks for the call, My name is Bob, Bob and your signal is five, nine. Five and nine, over”. Alternatively you want to call CQ. You have already listened and confirmed the frequency is clear. You call “CQ CQ CQ this is VK1ABC VK1ABC VK1ABC calling CQ and listening”. Depending on propagation conditions you may need to call a number of times before you get a response. If you are operating on a calling frequency (a frequency reserved for calling CQ – normally on VHF and UHF bands) you should move to another frequency once you have established a contact. “VK9ABC this is VK1ABC thanks for coming back to my CQ, shall we move frequency? 146.550 is clear. I’ll see you there. QSL?” to which the other station would respond: “VK1ABC this is VK9ABC, QSL, see you on 146.550, this is VK9ABC clear”. Operating through a repeater You will be required to demonstrate the correct use of voice repeaters including the use of Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System (CTCSS) and Dual Tone Multiple Frequency (DTMF) access control systems. As with any frequency, always listen first to ensure the repeater is not already in use. When operating through a repeater leave adequate breaks between transmissions. This will allow other users to access the repeater if required. If you are likely to have an extended contact and the other station is within range, you should move to a simplex frequency and leave the repeater available for other users. You normally do not call CQ on a repeater – just announce that you are listening – i.e. “VK2ABC listening” To view videos about this topic click on these links Repeaters Repeater Tones Signal Reports Signal reports are a standard protocol for reporting signal strength and readability. Generally, each station will inform the other of their signal report. A signal report comprises two numbers, the first being readability, the second being signal strength. Readability is a subjective measure and rates the readability on a scale of one to five. The agreed protocol for readability is described below: Unreadable Barely readable, occasional words distinguishable Readable with considerable difficulty Readable with practically no difficulty Perfectly readable The signal strength is read from your radio’s signal meter, commonly referred to as an S-Meter. This number will be between one and nine. (There is no such thing as a signal strength of zero) Above S-9 meters have a decibel scale indicating the number of decibels over S-9. When on air and providing signal reports you will need to apply a level of subjectivity, and over time you will become proficient at determining how to best provide the other station with a meaningful signal report. A weak station which is perfectly readable might get a signal report: “you are five and two. Five, two, over” A strong station suffering a some interference with some difficulty might get: “you are three and nine. Three, nine, thirty-nine. Over” Operators will also want to know how their audio sounds: “you are five and seven and your audio sounds great” or “you are four and seven and your audio sounds distorted”. If a station has bad audio you should do your best to describe what you are hearing, even if you cannot offer a solution. Language and Decorum Amateur Radio is a hobby with a long and well respected tradition. When any of us are on-air, we are representing all of us. The LCD prohibits any offensive language as well as any commercial advertising or messages for personal financial gain. In addition, the amateur code discourages controversial topics, so stay away from religion, sex and politics. You won’t always be aware who is listening, and sometimes your humour may not translate well to other cultures. What you and your friends find funny or unoffensive may not be the case in other cultures, or even with other local listeners. When speaking with international stations, be aware that English may not be their first language, so keep your conversations brief and try to avoid colloquialisms or Australian slang; chances are the other station will not understand what you are trying to say. Dealing with Abusive Stations Amateur Radio is a reflection of society. You may experience inappropriate behaviour such as jamming or even outright abuse from other stations. Such behaviour is very rare, but not unknown. In all cases, ignore the jamming or abusive station. This is often not easy to do, however it is the best strategy for defusing the situation. Never, ever “bite”, as this just gives the abuser what he/she craves – attention. COMMENT FROM A CLUB MEMBER (Thank you) Please please do have pencil and paper with you. Write down the call sign and name of person you are talking to. Please please. 90% of the issues I see on our Tuesday night net is because people forget who is next in line. If you can’t remember who is next pass it back to net control. Don’t just leave it hanging . In my egotistical opinion it’s plain rude not to use proper procedures. Next…… if you don’t know the phonetic alphabet…….. learn it. It’s not rocket science. Next……. Even on the repeater use the phonetic alphabet for call signs when starting the contact. I got one of our member’s call signs wrong because I mixed up letters in his call sign. Leave A Break! Although mentioned above, please please.. Leave a Break Between Overs.. Around 2-3 seconds on HF, FM etc... But when using Digital Modes, Leave a Break for around 4 seconds.. This allows the connected network etc to reset. For FM Repeaters, leaving a break will re-set the timer. So you will not get timed out. You know all of this stuff was hammered into us as beginners when we started. As one bad tempered crancy of fellow said “we’re not chicken band operators round here”. Rant over. I’ll get off my soap box now. Our thanks to RASA and the amazing efforts in assembling the Foundation Guide. Click Here for more information. Have a question, feel free to drop into our club rooms or join in on our Tuesday evening Net.

Richard VK3TXD , our Antenna and UNUN/ Balun Builder will be dropping into the club on Saturday 21st Sep. Richard will be dropping off the clubs order of 64:1 UNUN's for End Fed Antennas, as well as the 4:1 Balun's for Off Centre Fed Antenna. So if you have any questions concerning antennas, baluns or Unun's drop in, grab a cuppa and have a chat with Richard. Where: Famparc Club Rooms. When: Around 10am. Hope to see you there.

Information from Whistle Out Why shut down 3G networks? All wireless communications rely on radio frequency or "spectrum" (measured in megahertz bands, such as 850MHz or 2100MHz). Spectrum is a fixed resource. The amount available to use is determined by the physics of radio waves. Telcos buy access to "lots" of spectrum that they use to build their network, but once a band is full, that's it. We can't add more. As such, telcos have to make the most of the spectrum they have. For example, if a provider no longer runs 3G services on a certain band, it can redeploy that spectrum as faster and more efficient 4G or 5G. It's not a perfect analogy, but think of spectrum like a farm. You can change how you use your land - you could turn your apple orchard into a vineyard - but you can't plant outside of your property.  For much more information Click Here.

(Ian VK3KO Remote Station Officer) When: Saturday (14 Sep) at 10:00 Where: Famparc Club Rooms At the September business meeting (last Saturday) I demonstrated the trial Remote Radio System (RRS). This Saturday (14 Sep) at 10:00  we will hold an Induction Briefing at the club for members who would like to try using the RRS. The brief will take around 40 minutes and we will walk through how to: book a session login to the RRS operate the SmartSDR software to control the Flex 6400M and get on the air! What to Bring: Feel free to bring your laptop or tablet along and we will confirm everything is setup properly. You can download (before you come) the SmartSDR software from here . Helpful: It would be helpful (for account setup) if you let me know you are coming. Just email vk3frc.remote@gmail.com  with your name and callsign. See you on Saturday! Ian VK3KO

Use of microphone while driving At a recent Land Rover Club event I made a presentation that included the use of a microphone while driving. IT IS LEGAL to use a microphone while driving, and here is a summary of the applicable road rules, for various states around Australia. "Unlike Mobile Phones there is no legislation that prevents the use of CB radio or any other 2-way radio whilst driving. (See references below). However, there is legislation covering the proper control of a vehicle. So a driver could face prosecution while using the radio if it's use caused a distraction or affected the standard of driving. The more serious offence of careless or dangerous driving, causing death by careless or dangerous driving are also available to prosecutors if the distraction can be shown. Use of a CB radio or any other 2-way radio while driving is not illegal as long as a user maintains proper control of the vehicle. ACT: mobile phone includes any other wireless hand-held device designed or capable of being used for telecommunication other than a CB radio or any other 2-way radio.[Road Transport (Safety and Traffic Management) Regulation 2000, section 30B, subsection 3]. NSW: mobile phone does not include a CB radio or any other two-way radio. [Road Rules 2014, Rule 300, paragraph 4]. VIC: mobile phone does not include a CB radio or any other two way radio [Road Safety Road Rules 2009, Rule 300, paragraph 4]. QLD: mobile phone does not include a CB radio or any other two-way radio. [Transport Operations (Road Use Management-Road Rules) Regulation 2009, section 300, subsection 2]. SA: mobile phone does not include a CB radio or any other two way radio [Australian Road Rules 2014, Rule 300, paragraph 4]. WA: mobile phone does not include a CB radio or any other two way radio [Road Traffic Code 2000, Regulation 265, paragraph 1]." As you can read they key point is that you have full and proper control of your vehicle. The interesting grey area is what happens when using a handheld radio, especially when you consider the cameras they are now using to detect mobile phones. I decided that for the sake of a $50 outlay I would by a speaker/microphone for my ID-51A, so that I'm not risking having it confused with a mobile phone, and having to go to the expense and hassle of challenging a traffic infringement notice. Our thanks to Phillip VK3LRO for writing up and posting this on the clubs Forum!!

3 September 2024 New fees, reminder to reassign or reconfirm call signs New amateur radio fees From 1 September 2024, we will introduce new fees for the following call sign activities: Reassigning a: special event call sign: $34.00 VK0 and VK9 call sign: $34.00 contest call sign: $15.00 Transferring a call sign to another amateur operator: $15.00 The amateur radio call sign policy and website has been updated to reflect these new charges. Information about how we set fees is in the Fees for service cost recovery implementation statement . Reassigning call signs Special event, contest, VK0 or VK9 call signs have a designated assignment period of 12 months. We will contact you before the expiry to remind you to apply to have the call sign reassigned to you (the fees listed above will apply). If a reassignment application is not made before the expiry date, the call sign will no longer be assigned to you, and will be made available on the call sign register. Amateur operators with 2-letter, 3-letter and F-series call signs should reconfirm ongoing use of their call sign every 5 years There is no cost for amateur operators to reconfirm ongoing use of their 2-letter, 3-letter and F-series call signs.  We encourage amateur operators to log into ACMA Assist to reconfirm their call sign, or apply to transfer or reassign call signs. Update to the amateur operating procedures Following feedback, we have made a minor change to the Amateur radio operating procedures to clarify that communications established with another station is also referred to as a ‘series of transmissions’.

WHERE: Famparc Club Rooms WHEN: September Business Meeting (7 Sep) 10:00AM FAMPARC REMOTE RADIO SYSTEM At the September Business Meeting (7 Sep)  there will be a demonstration of the new FAMPARC Remote Radio System (RRS). The RRS has been developed for a six-month trial to gauge the club interest in having a remote service available. An induction briefing for interested members will be held the following week on Saturday 14 September from 1000  at the club. If you are interested in obtaining an RRS account, please email vk3frc.remote@gmail.com  prior to the briefing with your name and callsign. The RRS uses a FLEX 6400M radio (provided by Peter VK3IJ), so members will be able to use the Flex SmartSDR software to access the radio. The software is free on Microsoft Windows and can be downloaded here . Hope to see you there....

If you like to keep the old brain ticking along and you like the mix of Amateur Radio and Computers.. This could be a good one for you. If you have an interest in using the Raspberry Pi 5 with Ham Radio, but don't know where to start, then check out this new book from Elektor.  We go through the book and even perform some of the projects which are highly detailed within the book. http://www.elektormagazine.com/raspbe... You can purchase a range of Raspberry Pi products from Core Electronics here in Australia. Many links are in the Youtube Notes... Looks like a heap of fun... Perhaps the club could buy it for all to enjoy and build etc.. Let's see how many comments we get from members.

PerthTech 2024 Announced Saturday 21 September Caravans and Campers onsite  Friday to Sunday Trade and Club Tables available We're seeking expressions of interest from presenters. Bob VK6POP President WAARN More Click Here..