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World Amateur Radio Day Every April 18, radio amateurs worldwide take to the airwaves in celebration of World Amateur Radio Day. It was on this day in 1925 that the International Amateur Radio Union was formed in Paris. Amateur Radio experimenters were the first to discover that the short wave spectrum — far from being a wasteland — could support worldwide propagation. In the rush to use these shorter wavelengths, Amateur Radio was “in grave danger of being pushed aside,” the IARU’s history has noted. Amateur Radio pioneers met in Paris in 1925 and created the IARU to support Amateur Radio worldwide. Just two years later, at the International Radiotelegraph Conference, Amateur Radio gained the allocations still recognized today — 160, 80, 40, 20, and 10 meters.  Since its founding, the IARU has worked tirelessly to defend and expand the frequency allocations for Amateur Radio. Thanks to the support of enlightened administrations in every part of the globe, radio amateurs are now able to experiment and communicate in frequency bands strategically located throughout the radio spectrum. From the 25 countries that formed the IARU in 1925, the IARU has grown to include 160 member-societies in three regions. IARU Region 1 includes Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Northern Asia. Region 2 covers the Americas, and Region 3 is comprised of Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific island nations, and most of Asia. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has recognized the IARU as representing the interests of Amateur Radio. Today, Amateur Radio is more popular than ever, with more than 3,000,000 licensed operators! World Amateur Radio Day is the day when IARU Member-Societies can show our capabilities to the public and enjoy global friendship with other Amateurs worldwide. World Amateur Radio Day 2024 IARU is very pleased to announce the theme of: “A Century of Connections: Celebrating 100 years of Amateur Radio Innovation, Community, and Advocacy”. IARU celebrates its centenary in 2025. Since its founding in Paris, France, IARU has worked tirelessly to promote innovation in amateur radio and to encourage the growth of the service in communities throughout the world. IARU has represented the Amateur Services at international and regional regulatory bodies by relying on our volunteers who come from many countries and communities. IARU has been a sector member of the ITU since 1932 and the work of our volunteers has continued since that date with unmatched success, as was highlighted with the accomplishments at WRC-23. Leading up to our centenary year, we should take time to reflect on the remarkable achievements of radio amateurs over the last 100 years. While the Amateur Services have been in operation for over a century, 1924 was the first year that intercontinental amateur communication became more or less commonplace. Since that time radio amateurs have made unparalleled advances in technology related to the Amateur Services that play a critical role today in sustaining world-wide communications and allow us to respond to global emergencies. World Amateur Radio Day is an opportunity to reflect on our achievements since 1924. We should celebrate our diverse community and the advances and innovations we have made as we look forward to celebrating the IARU centenary next year. Material supplied by : https://www.iaru.org/on-the-air/world-amateur-radio-day/ And.. YouTubers.

The Islands On The Air program (IOTA) is an amateur radio activity program designed to encourage operations from island locations.  It was created in 1964 by Geoff Watts who was a leading English short wave listener.  It was taken on by the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) in 1985. The team has agreed that if you are located in Oceania, South America, or Africa, we will accept your call at any time, regardless of which specific region we are calling. Dates of operation   14th April 2024 - 21st April 2024. Islands On The Air (IOTA) Flinders Island OC-261 World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) Investigator Important Bird Area VKFF-0175 For more information Click Here Thanks to Roy VK3GB for the information.

It is with great sadness that I announce the recent passing of Mrs Gloria Seabridge, loved and cherished wife of our club member Roy Seabridge. Gloria passed away peacefully on March 17th. This will come to all of us as a great shock, and our hearts and thoughts are with Roy at this time of grief. We wish Roy and the ones close to him the very best during this terrible time.

Hello Members, Yep.. this is for you to download, Print & Display... As mentioned at our recent Monthly meeting, a way of getting new members to our club is to promote... We chatted about using a Club Flyer and attaching to your local Supermarket, Sports Hall, or any Community Poster Board in your area. I posted this one this morning at Hastings Pelican Park Recreation Centre. They were more than happy to allow me to place our flyer. This can be done at most if not all Supermarket's etc.. Below is a PDF for you to download, print and display.. Sample of the Flyer. For those of you that are not able to print this file.. Feel free to grab a few of these at the club. It's easy.. we all need to go to the Supermarket! Thanks !!! Craig vk3ncr

Hello Famparc Members, We have important topic that I wish to bring to the attention of our members. The Famparc membership subscriptions were due for the year 2024, as of Jan 1st 2024. We are now approaching the month of March as you are aware, so membership subs are well overdue. We have a total of 69 members on our books, and out of those members excluding lifetime members, we have 30 members that have not paid their 2024 membership subscriptions. Total Members 69 Members Non-Financial 30 We ask that if you wish to continue as a member of the club, if you could please arrange payment as soon as possible. For members wishing to retire their membership, please feel free to contact us via the email address below. Payment details: Pricing as of 1st Jan. 2024 Current subs are: Normal $50 Retired /Student /Pensioner $45 Family $55 Our bankers are NAB, Frankston     BSB: 083-253 Acct No: 03-683-3688 MAKING PAYMENT: When making payment, please include your full name and callsign. You can email your payment details to vk3frcmail@gmail.com Your membership subscriptions are important to the club and its members. This allows the club to continue to grow and benefit all club members. You are one of them! LATE PAYMENT IN 2023: For those that are new to the club and paid their club membership mid to late 2023, there is no need to make payment for 2024, as your late 2023 payment will carry over for 2024. If you could please contact us if you made payment after June 2023. Thank you for your understanding and assistance. Kind regards, Craig vk3ncr

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.

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.

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

If the above links do not work....

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.