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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

Hi Members, As many of you know, a few of us Famparc Members are heading to the Flinders Ranges S.A and staying at a Station Stay, Almerta Station. Of course we will be playing radio as well as touring around this wonderfull place. We would like to keep in contact with our fellow members back home, so I have created a page on our site with details. Images : Almerta Station

Famparc is the place to be! We have many activities planned this year, including a members' trip to the Flinders Ranges in SA. It's actually Terry's vk3bmx Holiday, but we're joining in on the adventure. Stay tuned here and on the members' forum for updates. 17 Incredible things to do in the Flinders Ranges that will put it on your bucket list

Noojee Day Trip From Daryl vk3hbp Hello, Last week I obtained my TZ-OCF-40 wire antenna and I would like to erect it at the Poplars campground (the same place we had the camp).on Thursday 10th April 2025. The campground is at Loch Valley and the road passes through Noojee Township and is signposted. It is an off-centre dipole and I will attempt to set it up with the two squid poles and some macrame cord and a nail or two. I might even bring my surf rod to throw a line over a branch. I’ve never done this before. Then I’ll connect my Icom 7300 and see how I’ll go. It is a 1.5 hour drive and my plan it to arrive around 9-10am and after a successful morning, have a counter lunch at the Noojee Hotel around 1pm. Perhaps have some yummy smashed pavlova. Daryl vk3hbp Plan B is the Little Red Duck cafe which closes at 2:30 or the cafe at Neerim South. If anyone wants to join me you’re welcome to do so. Thursday was selected due to the warmish weather forecast. I haven’t booked anything at the pub and times are rubbery. People not going to the campground could just go to the Noojee Hotel at 12pm. Details may be discussed at the Famparc club rooms on Wednesday. I’ll suggest we can use the simplex frequency of 146.500 MHz. That's 146.500 Mhz FM Simplex Noojee Pub Noojee

Matt vk1mhz, one of our club members who lives near Geelong, have a shack clear-out of Ham gear. Matt is wanting to sell off the gear on behalf of a mate. So from the images below, if you see something that you may wish to purchase, you can contact Matt via matt@mattomeara.com

2025 MDRC Hamfest Information WHEN: Saturday the 10th of May Doors open at 10.00am WHERE:   Kingston City Hall 979-985 Nepean Hwy, Moorabbin VIC 3189 . The MDRC Annual Hamfest is held in May on a Saturday. The 2025 MDRC Hamfest will be held on Saturday the 10th of May.  The MDRC Hamfest is widely renowned as the Biggest Hamfest in Victoria, with a huge turnout each year. Many attendees travel great distances to attend the MDRC Annual Hamfest from Interstate and overseas. In 2025 the MDRC Hamfest will be held at the Kingston City Hall 979-985 Nepean Hwy, Moorabbin VIC 3189. Ticket sales from 9.00am. Doors open at 10.00am Traders can purchase tables from the M&DRC Shop . 70 car spaces on site and more parking behind shops on Western side of Nepean Hwy.

Join the Bendigo Technology Festival, hosted by the Bendigo Amateur Radio and Electronics Club. This exciting event will bring together enthusiasts, experts and hobbyists from all over to celebrate and explore the world of amateur radio, electronics, and technology of all types. Event Information Date, Time and Location Sunday May 4, 2025.Gates open at 10:00 AM. Fosterville Gold Pavilion,Prince of Wales Showgrounds, Bendigo, VIC 3550.Google Maps: 777F+3F North Bendigo, Victoria Admission is $7 per person, sold at the gate. NO food or drink is permitted on-site. Outside vendors will be accessible on the day. For more information, email techfest@barec.net.au , or phone our secretary, Peter VK3PWJ on Click to reveal, or Mark VK3PDG on Click to reveal. Vendors Tables are $25 and this fee includes 2 admissions. Additional persons required are available at $7 each.Table bookings are processed in the order they're received. Powered tables are limited so please ensure to register as soon as possible.Table booking will only be confirmed when payment is received. Vendors registration click here: Bendigo Technology Festival Vendor Table Registration Form .

WHO: Gippsland Gate Radio & Electronics Club WHAT: Hamfest WHEN: Saturday, July 5 2025 WHERE: Longwarry Community Hall in Longwarry On Saturday, July 5 the Gippsland Gate Radio & Electronics Club will be hosting a Hamfest sale. the venue is at the Longwarry Community Hall in Longwarry, approx 60km East of Dandenong, Vic. The venue is easy to find. It is just 3 km South of the freeway interchange, 150 metres South of the Longwarry train station and level crossing. Tea / Coffee and sausage sizzle will be available on the day. OTHER DETAILS: For Buyers: at 1:30pm. Doors open at 10:00 for buyers. Entry fee is $7 Entry includes a ticket for a Door Prize drawn For Sellers: Doors open at 8:30 for stall holders. Fees are $18 per table. Tables are approx 1.8 x 0.8m Tables must be paid for in advance of the event via EFT. A maximum of 30 tables are available. Table hire includes entry for two persons. EFT use BSB 633000 Account 146016746 Bookings are not confirmed until a booking number has been issued by the booking coordinator. No trading before 10:00 am please. Direct enquiries to lan Jackson VK3BUF via: hamfest@ggrec.org.au or call 5644 3118

A few weeks ago I gave a quick demonstration of HamSmith - an app I have written for impedance matching design by tracing a pathway through the Smith Chart with your finger. HamSmith is now available for iPad and iPhone in the Apple App Store! I hope to also have it in the Google Play Store soon. It has been an interesting and fun project.

Yes it's on again.. Thanks to Stanley vk3bot.. Famparc Campout March 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, March 19th to Wednesday, March 26th, 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..

For the many of you that are blessed in having an Icom IC-705 rig, here is another trick for you to experiment with. Say you are not within range of a DStar Repeater, and you still want to access the DStar network using your IC-705. Well.. after a little bit of playing, I managed to get my IC-705 to connect to DStar Reflectors without the need of a Repeater, or a DStar HotSpot on a Raspberry Pi. However, you will need a Raspberry Pi, any model I understand will be fine. So.. even a Raspberry Pi Zero will work. Raspberry Pi Zero W WHAT YOU NEED: You will also need the Pi-Star OS.. Pi-Star_RPi_V4.2.1_17-Feb-2024.zip Check here for any updates... Pi-Star UK Raspberry PI Mother board. Raspberry Pi Zero W SD Card for the operating system, 16Gig is fine You will also need two USB Cables: 1x to power the Raspberry Pi. Usually USB Micro to USB A if you have a power supply that has USB A power outlets. 1x USB Micro to USB Micro for the data, one end connected to the Raspberry Pi Zero and the other end connected to the USB Micro port on the IC-705. My 705 connected to the RP Zero, Orange cable Power, Black Data to and from the 705 Note: the Raspberry PI does need a WIFI connection or course! Pi-Star Dashboard running in DStarRepeater Mode There are a few small changes you need to make to the Pi-Star Software... I found this brilliant Youtube Clip from K9SWX. If you follow his steps to the letter as they say, you will get it up and running in no time. I have been testing it and it works a treat, and with out the cost of buying a Hotspot. You can also see and use his text to step through as well. Click Here. One trick you need to be aware of, when he says, "Now Connect you IC705" DO IT.. Other wise the Radio Modem Type will NOT show the Icom Terminal Mode selection. And yes.. I know... this is not real Amateur Radio.. And I suppose in one way it's not as the 705 is not transmitting RF, as a matter of fact you don't need an antenna of course. But.. you are still using your callsign and also the Amateur Radio Network. Note: This setup will only allow you to connect to the Reflectors, like REF023C for example and not directly to a DStar Repeater. But as you know, many DStar Repeaters are connected to Reflectors. Have fun... if you need help or have a question, leave a comment.. Cheers. Craig vk3ncr

After some delay, I have now been accredited as an Amateur Radio Assessor by the ACMA. It was one of our club goals to have at least two assessors in the club, given the number of Foundation Courses we are running. Hopefully, this will take some of the load off Michael (VK3UUU). Ian (VK3KO)