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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

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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