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Robert G. Heil (October 5, 1940 – February 28, 2024) was an American sound and radio engineer most well known for creating the template for modern rock sound systems. We celebrate the remarkable legacy of Bob Heil, a true pioneer in the ham radio community. As the founder of Heil Sound, Bob revolutionized audio technology, bringing unparalleled clarity and innovation to the airwaves. His passion for the hobby didn’t stop there; through the creation of Ham Nation, he fostered a global community of enthusiasts, sharing knowledge and inspiring countless individuals. Bob’s dedication and ingenuity have left an indelible mark on the world of ham radio, and we are profoundly grateful for his enduring contributions. On behalf of the FAMPARC Club and Amateur Radio operators around the world.. Thank you for your amazing dedication to our hobby. Reference Wikipedia.

Hi Members, Don Johnson Many of you may not know of this chap, as he only joined our club last year during the Mens Shed Dromana Day. However some of you will remember Don and his quick wit, engaging smile, and humour. Last year not long after he joined our club I was concerned why Don had not been coming to the club rooms, so I sent a few text to him, only to find out that hen was battling Stage 4 Bladder Cancer.. I must say that I was deeply saddened and shocked! I have been keeping in contact with him since his diagnosis back in October, I thought he was going ok, but earlier this year I noticed that he was not replying to my text messages.. Kate, his daughter contacted me last week, and we finally caught up on the phone last Saturday only to find out that Don had passed late January. Of course this was shocking news!... I then asked if the family would allow us to make note of him and his sudden passing on our website. Although our friendship was very brief, I was hoping he would battle through this terrible diagnoses and continue to enjoy our club and it's members.. Please take the time to think about Don and his family. Here are a few words from his family. (Kate) Hi all This is Don’s family here. You might have known that Don/Dad/Pop had been battling cancer for a few months. Unfortunately his condition deteriorated suddenly  and he passed away peacefully at 1.20am on 29th January surrounded by his nearest and dearest. He leaves a lasting legacy of love, humour and strength. From Di, Drew and Nicola, Sarah and Stephen, Kate and Andrew, Cam and Kylie, and dad’s beloved 11 grandchildren and 2 great grand children. Rest in Peace Don.. Although a very brief friendship, you will be dearly missed. On behalf of the members of Famparc.. Craig vk3ncr

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From John vk3jco Subject: Amateur radio reconfirmation of callsign CRM [SEC=OFFICIAL] Dear amateur operator, IF you recently received an email from digital@acma.gov.au asking you to reconfirm your call sign. You can ignore this email and no action is needed. Apologies that you were sent the email by mistake from our new system. We are working with the IT team now to resolve this, so that no more mistaken emails are sent. All amateurs who have asked us to contact them via email will receive emails from the digital@acma.gov.au email address in the future, asking them to reconfirm and/or apply to have call signs re-assigned. However, these emails should not be sent to any amateurs until late 2024 at the earliest. Amateurs will get the email because, under the new amateur radio arrangements that started today, amateur operators will need to: For 2-letter, 3-letter or F-series call signs: re-confirm the call sign every 5 years. Our digital system will email the call sign holder 3 months before the 5 years, inviting them to confirm that they would still like to retain the call sign. The quickest way for the amateur to re-confirm their call sign is to log in to their ACMA Assist account and hit the ‘re-confirm’ button. For VK0, VK9, contest or special event call signs: apply to have the call sign re-assigned to them before it expires. Our digital system will email the call sign holder 3 months before the call sign is due to expire, inviting them to apply to have it re-assigned to them. The quickest way for the amateur to apply is to log into their ACMA Assist account and fill in the application, along with payment and any evidence required to support their application. If you have any questions about the new arrangements, they are outlined on our website, or you can get in touch by emailing info@acma.gov.au. Kind regards, Anneke Anneke Van der Weyde (she/her)Manager, Spectrum Licensing Policy Spectrum Allocations Branch | Communications Infrastructure Division _____________________________ Australian Communications and Media Authority +61 3 9963 6785 | +61 409 724 973 Anneke.VanderWeyde@acma.gov.au acma.gov.au

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.

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.

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:

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

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