Amateurs worldwide have picked up images on the initial passes today. Start your captures now! Series: ARISS Series 29 - World Space Week Images: 12 images using PD120 encoding Frequency: 145.800 MHz worldwide. Submit your images for a certificate to our gallery at: ariss-usa.org/ARISS_SSTV/ A note from the team about the recent changes to the event plan: "Given the significance of the 68th anniversary of the launch of the world's first satellite on October 4 1957, Sputnik-1, our ARISS-Russia colleagues elected to extend out the World Space Week SSTV event to October 9 and added 6 new slides to the SSTV event. We thank our Russian team for hosting this SSTV event on the ARISS Radio Click here for Tracking Details Thanks to Stanley vk3bot

As the president, my goal for the club is to ensure everyone enjoys their time here. A while ago, I introduced a Coffee and Cake Morning to the numerous events organised by the club. After more than a year, I am very proud to say how much this has grown, with more members attending each time. I would just like to express my gratitude to everyone who makes the effort to attend. Thank you! Like many attendees, I truly enjoy seeing all the smiling faces around the table. Well done to you all. Coffee and Cake Monday 29th Sep. 2025 Roundabout Cafe South Frankston. Craig vk3ncr Famparc - President.

Alpine Rally of East Gippsland WHEN: Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th November 2025 We need radio operators to volunteer for the Alpine Rally. The Alpine is the oldest surviving motorsport event in Australia and the second oldest rally in the world! It will be based in Lakes Entrance with stages being held in the Bruthen, Nowa Nowa and Orbost areas. It is primarily for pre-1968 and pre-1981 2WD naturally-aspirated production cars. You can expect to see the likes of Ford Escorts and a Mustang, Holden Geminis and a Monaro, Datsun 1600s and 180Bs, Porsche 911s, a Triumph Stag, a Leyland P76 and many other cars. WICEN has been requested to support the event with car tracking and backup communications for the rally officials. We will need a few dozen (or more) radio operators who enjoy being in the bush, can operate on 2 metres FM portable and like to see the older classic rally cars. If you are interested in volunteering, or would like to find out more, please contact Chris Morley. Chris Morley WICEN Event Commander morleycs@gmail.com 0417 583 239

Hey Members, I found this Youtube clip that may be of help to you... I know it will help me when travelling. I know it's not about Amateur Radio.. but with a few members using Wifi when out and about, this will save you a heap of data usage. Save LOTS of data on Starlink by changing these settings! Using these setting changes, you will drastically reduce the amount of data you are using on your Starlink connection. The 10gig plan or the 50gig may be good for you once you make these changes. Cheers. Craig vk3ncr

What did you do recently ?? Again Famparc Members out and about playing Radio.... Stanley vk3bot Craig vk3ncr 15th - 19th Sep. 2025. After the terrific weekend away with a few Famparc members and many other Amateurs at the Shepparton Hamfest, Stanley and Craig met up at Whroo Vic. Craig stayed until Thursday with Stanley leaving on the Friday. We had an absolute ball.. Campfire, Eating, drinking, chatting and playing radio. Phone coverage is a little average however we did manage to use Repeater Phone to chat on the Tuesday Famparc 8pm Net. Greens Campground Greens Campground has large camping areas set around a circuit track. Some have fire pits with barbecue plates.  Drop toilets are located in the back/centre of the campground.  Although spacious, Greens Campground is a fairly basic campground. Campers will need to bring their own camp tables and chairs.  Greens Campground is located within the Whroo Nature Conservation Reserve, around 9k from Rushworth Vic. Rushworth is a top little town offering a Supermarket, Cafe/Bakery, fuel and more. The Whroo Nature Conservation Reserve is also a POTA and WWFF park, so whilst camping within the campground, you can also activate the park. Pota AU-0206 WWFF VKFF2229 Craig managed to work around 30 stations between Monday and Wednesday, and could of easily worked dozens more.. but we preferred to sit and talk around the campfire. Stanley also did well working many stations on multiple bands. Craig running 10watts via IC705 and 40M OCF Famparc 4:1 Balun. Stanley running around 100 watts via Yaesu 991A and Famparc UNUN 64:1 40M End Fed. The park is well protected from Wind and has some beautiful views as you can see from the images/video below. The road in has around 6k of sealed road with around 3k of well made gravel. Easy for 2WD, and caravans. A great spot for another Famparc Camp-Out . How's this for a beautiful view from my camp. Craig. vk3ncr Click on image for location map. From Famparc to Greens Campground Whroo Vic

As many of you know that are engaged with club activities, we have had many things happening, Speakers, Q&A, Outside activities and more. what's Next? Shepparton Hamfest. Click Here After the Shepparton Hamfest, a few club members are heading north for a few days of camping and radio play. We are hoping to go to a place called, Terrick Terrick National Park. From Shepparton to Terrick Terrick National Park. 128k From Shepparton you head west to Mitiamo Vic then north to the Park Entrance. There are basic faculties at the camp ground, Toilets and that's about it. but enough room for a few campers with either tents, trailers and limited space for Caravans. Terrick Terrick N.P is also a POTA (Parks on the Air) site. AU-0236 So if the weather is looking good, why not come upfor a few days and kick back, relax and play radio. Check with Craig vk3ncr or Stanley vk3bot for further information. ANOTHER OPTION Stanley and I look to be heading to Greens Campground Whroo .. Details Here.. From. Shepparton to Greens Campground Whroo This is also a POTA Park available for Parks on the Air.. Stanley vk3bot, expects to head up on Sunday as he is not attending the Shepparton Hamfest, however I am (Craig vk3ncr) so I expect to arrive on Monday. Hope to see you there.. Craig vk3ncr Stanley vk3bot HOW DOES ALLSTAR WORK? How about we have a chat about Allstar and seeing that our own club repeater is now connected to the Allstar system (Node 66111) why not learn on how this simple yet amazing technology works and how you can connect to our repeater from almost anywhere on the planet? The clubs website already has a help page on this amazing technology, click here , however how about a chat on a Saturday afternoon. So keep an eye and an ear out for our next Speaker covering the operation and use of AllStar. WHAT'S THIS POTA THING? Many say that the ham bands are very quiet, well have you tried activating a park? Parks On The Air POTA. Parks on the Air (POTA) is an international radiosport award program that encourages licensed amateur radio operators to visit, enjoy and operate portable equipment in a variety of parks and public lands, always respecting other park users and local regulations. POTA issues awards to participants based on a wide range of criteria including the total number of radio contacts made, number made on each amateur radio band , and for different modes of communication including voice, CW, FT8 etc. There are allocated Parks and reserves around the globe, with many here in Australia, and many just on your door step. Famparc is arranging to have a guest speaker to explain the fun of POTA as well as other forms of Park Activation such as: WWFF , World Wide Flora and Fauna in Amateur Radio.. SOTA Summits On The Air SIOTA Silos On The Air So also keep an eye and ear out for this next club activity. COFFEE AND CAKE MORNINGS Don't for get our regular Coffee and Cake Morning at a local Cafe... We have a great time chatting about anything and enjoy each other's company. If you have a favourite Cafe that you would like the club to try, just make mention to Craig vk3ncr We are always keen to try a different location. FAMPARC FEILD DAYS Every so often a few members find a site to play radio, it can be a park, a club members home, or anywhere really.. We recently visited Devil Bend Reserver on the Mornington Peninsula where we experimented with a recent purchase by Daryl vk3hbp. Greg vk3qsl assisting Daryl vk3hbp. If you'd like to go out and play radion in a park, let's go for it. I'm sure you'll find some members to assist. FAMPARC CAMP-OUT OCTOBER 2025 It's on again, the Famparc Camp-Out... We have held 3 so far and many members have taken the time to either join us for a few days or simply drop in for the day. We have had an amazing and relaxing time, sitting around the camp fire, playing radio or simply taking in the bush. Ken vk3mjf... getting the fire going Click Here for More So why not join your fellow Famparc Members and come cam More to come !!! Keep watching this Blog for other update and additions..

What did you do today ?? Again Famparc is out and about playing and testing.. Daryl vk3hbp Ken vk3mjf Craig vk3ncr Ken came over to Craig's place and we set over to meet with Daryl at a POTA Reserve, Nyora Nature Conservation Reserve AU-0289. In between Nyora and Poowong.. we have worked this park before and although small it has a great take off back to Melbourne.. Nyora Nature Conservation Reserve  AU-0289 Craig managed around 30 stations from vk1, vk2, vk3, vk5, vk7. Using his IC-705 with the Famparc 40M Endfed antenna. Daryl, also managed to contact club members on our club repeater... The club repeater is turning out to be an absolute treat for club members and is getting plenty of use. The POTA contacts were non stop.. who says the bands are dead are simply not using their microphones!!! We were all amazed the amount of contacts pilling up one after another. And all with 10 watts. From there we headed to the for a drink and excellent lunch.. Sorry no pics of the POTA site.. just too busy working stations. And of course we then decided to had to another great radio spot, just out of the tiny town of Loch. This was about a 10 min drive from Poowong.. Did I say how good the weather was !! Pefect! Loch for a Coffee and Cake.. After that a quick drive to another brilliant lookout.. Not a workable POTA park, but still great fun to again play more radio.. Much better than sitting at home watching Netflix! Ken vk3mjf Cape Horn Lookout 220 meters above sea level. We had a heap of fun here.. I worked North Cairns on 20Mtrs... Mobile. And then with Daryl's 2M Beam setup we work the Famparc Repeater with full quieting.. Height is Might! So while we have a few regular members on the air, we then tried SSB, FM, DV (Digital Voice / DStar) Simplex . Cape Horn Lookout Loch All signals and contacts were excellent.. with some members trying modes for the first time. Members Worked: Jerry vk3vce Stanley vk3bot Mick vk3vh Terry vk3bmx Our club vk3ruv repeater is amazing and is a great place for members to congregate. The Digital Voice mode was amazing with absolute no noise and crystal clear. How this for a take off point for radio. So overall.. the clubs Repeater is getting a great workout, plus a few of us used such a wonderful day to get out and play radio.. Perfect for IC-705. Chat soon. Craig vk3ncr

Victorian Senior Card holders can enjoy Victoria with 8 days of free public transport from 5 to 12 October 2025. Free public transport is available to all Victorian Senior Card holders. Jump on public transport for free to visit attractions across Melbourne as well as regional and rural locations. Victorian seniors are also getting cheaper public transport from next year. From 1 January 2026, Victorian seniors myki holders will be able to travel for free on all public transport, every weekend. More Details Here.. Don't forget to take your Radio with you.. Hey it's in the Famparc Calendar.

One of our active members recently purchased a 2mtr Diamond Beam. Daryl vk3hbp is the proud owner, and recently displayed at the club rooms.. We found the antenna to be of very good quality and after some recent testing at a local park, it certainly proved itself, with excellent back to front, and signal enhancement. Our testing showed a vast improvement over an omnidirectional vertical, with increased signal to and from the location back to our club repeater. Our thanks to Daryl for sharing this information with us. You can see some images and video from a recent blog post here . A144S5 Base Station Yagi Beam A144S5 Base Station Yagi Beam 2m five element Yagi style antenna great for high gain directional signal. You can purchase from Elite Communications Qld

For many Famparc members that are lucky enough to own a Icom IC-705. There has been a Firmware update. Download Type Firmware Model name IC-705 Version Version 1.40 Update 2025/08/21 Major changes Changes from Version 1.32 -Improved the importing repeater list.    Supported importing repeater list while retaining the existing order. -Added the ability to select other near repeaters using the dial after entering an access repeater using the Near Repeater Search function on the DR screen. -Improved the Share Pictures function.  -Added the percentage display for the picture data received.  -Added the visibility of the received block.  -Improved so that a beep sounds after finishing the transmission using the DV Fast Data function. -Added an option for the Digital Repeater Set function. -Changed the display unit “m” from less than 1 km to less than 10 km on screens that display distance, such as the GPS position screen. -Supported for microSDXC cards up to 256GB   Formatting on the transceiver is required. TAKE CARE ! Updating your radio is very easy, but... you can damage or brick your radio if you do not follow the procedures as noted on the Icom Firmware page. The writer nor Famparc take any responsibility.. if you are not confident, do not do it. Click Here for the Icom IC-705 Firmware page... Take note of all instructions etc.. Check that the link above is correct for your radio! I updated my IC-705 which took around 5 mins. Thanks to Phillip VK3LRO for this information and notifying me.

For many Famparc members that are lucky enough to own a Icom IC-9700. There has been a Firmware update. Download Type Firmware Model name IC-9700 Version Version 1.50 Update 2025/08/21 Major changes Changes from Version 1.44 - Improved the importing repeater list.   Supported importing repeater list while retaining the existing order. - Added the ability to select other near repeaters using the dial after entering an access repeater using the Near Repeater Search function on the DR screen. - Improved the Share Pictures function.   - Added the percentage display for the picture data received.   - Added the visibility of the received block.   - Improved so that a beep sounds after finishing the transmission using the DV Fast Data function. - Added an option for the Digital Repeater Set function. - Supported for SDXC cards up to 256GB    Formatting on the transceiver is required. TAKE CARE ! Updating your radio is very easy, but... you can damage or brick your radio if you do not follow the procedures as noted on the Icom Firmware page. The writer nor Famparc take any responsibility.. if you are not confident, do not do it. Click Here for the Icom IC-9700 Firmware page.. . Take note of all instructions etc.. Check that the link above is correct for your radio!

Another great turn out at our monthly Coffee and Cake Morning at the Roundabout Cafe South Frankston. During the catch up, a handful of us decided to play some radio and test out Daryl's vk3hbp new 2M Beam. So around midday after much coffee and cake, a few went that way and a few went the other way.. So myself, Craig vk3ncr, Stanley vk3bot, Daryl vk3hbp and Greg vk3qsl headed back to my qth in Somerville for some more coffee and to some testing in my backyard with Daryl's 2M Beam. And with the help from Colin vk3cr, via the repeater we found that the beam was a great success. After some testing and chatting, and more cofee... We all decided to head to the Devil Bend Reservoir Park. Again we setup using one of the carpark bollards using Daryl's amazing and very well built 5Mtr alloy mast, with the beam above.. same setup as at my home. And with the help of Colin and Ken vk3mjf, we were very pleased with the outcome, finding far superior than a simple vertical or mobile whip. Devil Bend Reservoir Park Devil Bend Reservoir Park. A few snacks for the boys.. Greg and Daryl deploying the antenna. Daryl vk3hbp Another great asset to the club is the AllStar Node, we could also use an iPhone App to chat via the clubs Repeater vk3ruv, which makes the whole system very versatile. I also had my own Home Node running and after retuning the IC705 to my home simplex frequency, we could also contact the club repeater using the 705 via my home FT7800 on 2Mtrs.. After confirming that the beam worked a treat, I then instructed my home AllStar node to switch the Allstar UKHub network.. Using the 705 via the beam, into my home node, we then spoke to a chap mobile on his way to work from the Isle of Man. The Isle of Man, although part of the British Islands, is not part of the United Kingdom. The Island is a territory for whose international relations the United Kingdom is responsible in international law. Other contacts made via Craig's Mobile 20Mtrs setup, Cairns and New Zealand, as well as 40Mtrs using Stanley's Mobile setup. All in all a very very pleasant and fun day had by the members at FAMPARC. Both at the Coffee and Cake Morning followed some radio play. The Devil Bend Reservoir is an excellent place to test and play radio.. As you can see by the videos there are plenty of tree's tables as well a toilet and parking. However... I would not suggest doing it over a weekend.. You just cant move there. Thanks for all invlolved today... We all had a great time... And it's great for one's mental health. Cheers. Craig vk3ncr