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Hmmm... Many of us may not call this Amateur Radio. However we need to embrace new things, this is what our hobby is all about. MOVING FORWARD What would our hobby look like if we did not embrace AM, SSB, then FM and now Digital modes. This may not be for everyone but, give it a try.. It's not hard! No doubt you have heard of DStar, DMR, Fusion etc etc.. AllStar Although it does use the internet to connect to other users, hubs, repeaters etc, it is not classed as a digital mode as it uses FM to connect to a AllStar connected Repeater, or your personal Node running on a Raspberry Pi mini computer. Well.. here is another way to access the AllStar system. An Apple IOS App called RepeaterPhone. It allows your Apple iPhone to connect to the AllStar network and it's very simple to use. There is one thing you need to do, prior.. Register for an AllStar Node. Note: This app is for licensed Amateur Radio operators only. RepeaterPhone provides the ability to connect your mobile device to EchoLink or AllStarLink nodes, including repeaters and conferences. Push to talk today! You will need an account with either the EchoLink or AllStarLink networks. Please see https://www.echolink.org or https://www.allstarlink.org, respectively, for more details - Push-to-talk interface - Browse or search the directory for available nodes - Mark favorites with a star for quick access - Supports various audio devices, including Bluetooth headsets - Fully integrated into your phone's recent call system - Includes a watch extension for dialling favourites and controlling push-to-talk - Sharing your device with a licensed family member? Switch accounts easily Turn your Apple iPhone into a Hand Held Radio.. You can chat to other Nodes and AllStar Connected Repeaters. It works and sounds great.

Gerard VK3GER When using telephony, particularly under adverse operating conditions, words and callsigns may be misunderstood because of phonetic similarity. Many letters of the Roman alphabet, when pronounced in English, sound alike. It is often hard to tell “s” from”f”, “c” from “e”, or “p” from “b”. Many ingenious phonetics have been devised and adopted  with various degrees of formality and informality but the current accepted and agreed upon standard alphabet on a world wide basis is the one promulgated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation ( the ICAO). This alphabet is now universally used by the armed forces of the NATO countries and by the radio services of most of the countries of the world whose language use the Roman alphabet. The ARRL also has a recommended phonetic alphabet for amateurs in the U.S. and Canada. Phonetics are valuable when properly used. Used improperly, they can be annoying, silly and often downright confusing. An example of proper use is: “this is VK3FRC - Victor Kilo 3 Foxtrot Romeo Charlie”. The ARRL version would be: this is VK3FRC - Victor King 3 Frank Robert Charlie”. The ICAO and NATO version is the one recommended for use by ACMA. But I will give you the ARRL  and Western Union substitute as well, just for completeness. Thanks to our club member.. Gerard VK3GER

Andrew VK3FS has excelled again with another brilliant video production showing off another area of our hobby. Andrew, as you can see is very passionate about these bands as shown in the state of the art video. Well Done Andrew ! I'm sure if you are interested in the amazing bands, Andrew would be able to assist you as he lives on the Mornington Peninsula.

A great day was had at the Sunday 4th Feb 2024 (BARG) Hamfest at Ballarat. They had a greta turn out. Did you attend ? Thanks to the guys who ran this terrific event.. Also to VK3FS for the video below.

As many Hams know, the Pi-Star Software that runs on the many models of Raspberry Pi Boards have been around a while now and it works very very well. However, I found this recently and just installed in on new Raspberry Pi 4B 1Gig board today. It was a very easy process of getting the Image up and running on a Micro SD for the RP. There is also a great Youtube clip that helps you setup the image on your SD Card and running on your Pi. It is very very similar to the original Pi-Star software, but with a few more features. Have fun !! Craig vk3ncr THE WPSD PROJECT Website:

Hey Members, Glenn VK4NGA has released his simple AllStar Node Build Kit. It has taken me few hours to put together a list of components that is required to build a complete node. If a few members are interested the club could place an order for all the components and then hold a build day.. (Glenn will be willing to assist us with the build.) This would reduce the stress in having to order all the components from different suppliers. If you would like to participate and build a AllStar Node.. Click the Agree Box below, enter you CallSign and tap Done Button. The AllStar Node page not only shows what AllStar is all about, but if you scroll down, you will see the build section. The links will take you to the appropriate sites where you can place the order for the components. Or as mentioned above, if we get enough takers, the club can order the kits.

Hi Fellow Members, With the success of our past Famparc Coffee and Cake Mornings, we are having another get together.. Roundabout Cafe. 1/19 Shaxton Circle Frankston VIC 3199 (03) 9785 6091 Come and join our Monthly Famparc Members Coffee and Cake morning? See Form Below... Monday 15th APRIL. 2024 10aM. This is good for all of us and allows us to chat about all aspects of life not just Amateur Radio. Have a good laugh! The Cafe does need to know numbers.. So please let us know if you are coming by clicking the survey below.. Thanks! Roundabout Cafe. 1/19 Shaxton Circle Frankston VIC 3199 (03) 9785 6091 Let us know if you are coming.. Monday 15th APRIL. 2024. 10am Monday 15th APRIL. 2024. 10am Hope to see you there !

With lots of Icom IC-705 rigs now owned my Famparc members, I stumbled across this great feature which I have not used before. Most radios have these feature, so it's not unique, but this helped me lots in receiving a low signal. Running on FM to a local Repeater that I have problems in receiving, I played around with Filter, Noise Reduction etc.. but, using the Receive Pre-Amp, WOW.. the change in receive signal and noise floor was amazing. SN Ratio The quick video demonstrates having the Pre-Amp on and off when receiving this low signal from VK3RSU Repeater. Try it for yourself on a low signal on say FM.. You will hear the difference between the SN ration on receive between the Pre-Amp on then off. Have fun with your IC-705. I am ! Craig vk3ncr

Hello Member, To further enhance our club, I have built a new page.. Famparc Projects This page can be accessed via the normal dropdown menu. Look for Famparc Projects. I have added our Famparc UNUN project as well as a new page to assist all to the world of AllStar. I have created a simple chart to view or download as a PDF. This is a simple chart showing the basics of the AllStar system. This will hopefully help with understanding what AllStar is. Beneath the graphic on the Allstar page, is my explanation to my graphic. I only hope that this inspires members to become involved in building either a club AllStar node and also their very own Node which they can use from their home or where ever. Any comments and suggestions, please fee free to make a comment below. Cheers. Craig vk3ncr

With all the new Icom IC-705 transceivers coming to the club now.. I thought I would pop up a Youtube Play list that a chap has put together. Perhaps these videos may help you learn what this amazing radio can do. Find the Videos in our Video Page Click Here

For those of you that are lucky enough to have an Apple iMac or Macbook, you know doubt know of the beautiful macOS operating system the these computers use, and the simplicity on how the OS works. There is an excellent macOS App called RUMLog NG, a brilliant full bells and whistles Ham Radio Logging program. I have been using this amazing Logging program since around 2010 for memory. It is updated on a very regular basis. I have been working with Tom, the App designer and builder to add the up and coming Australia Day Contest.. There are many many Contest that he has available. I have now Beta tested the Contest addition the program and also worked with Alan VK4SN to make sure the uploaded file is in the correct format for the contest. He has approved the file format. So Tom, the App designer and writer, has submitted the updated version to the Apple App Store. Once approved by Apple, it will be available for worldwide download. Note: This is not just a Contest Program, it is also a fully blown Logging program that will talk to you modern transceiver, as well as integrate into your WSJTS (FT8) software, as well as update, QRZ, HamLog, HamQth and much more. There is also IOS Apps for both iPhone and iPad, that also talk to your database that RUMLog NG uses.. For example, you can have your Database stored within the Apple Cloud, so that any changes are also updated across all devises and vice a versa. Note: Except for offering help to the designer which then helps other Hams, I have no affiliation to this program etc. Hope this helps.. Craig vk3ncr