FAMPARC Search

Hello members... The year 2025 has been incredible for the club and many of its members, and we have also succeeded in attracting more members to join our wonderful club. Numerous improvements have been made to the club and shack, including the expansion of our Club's Remote HF Station and the addition of our new 2M Club Repeater VK3RUV, which has united our members. It's an excellent spot for conversations with fellow club members. This is all due to our outstanding members and their incredible efforts and dedication. What have we done this year? Continued upgrading the Remote HF system. Installation of the first club Repeater at the club rooms. vk3ruv. Setup and connection of an ALLStar Node to our Repeater. Coffee and Cake Mornings. Lunch at a Pub get togethers thanks to Daryl vk3hbp. Expanding the clubs website and adding more products for sale. Recent installation of Security Cameras within the club rooms, thanks to a wonderful new member Patrick vk3apl. A club getaway to the Flinders Ranges SA. Famparc Camp-Outs at the Poplars Noojee, thanks to Stanley vk3bot. Activating Parks (POTA). A new 3D printer which is getting some great use from many members. We have hosted numerous guest speakers at the club who have explained various aspects of our delightful hobby. Our delightful 50th Celebration was recently held at the Westernport Hotel Hastings and was enjoyed by many of our members. A heap of new members we welcome to our club! Not a bad list for one year! I have relished my role as president, and despite experiencing some highs and lows, along with a bit of frustration, I have been honored to serve the club and its members. I wish all our members a safe and healthy 2026 and extend my gratitude for your support and understanding. While 2025 was an excellent year, I would like to share my Wishlist for the club for 2026. My 2026 wishlist for the club: NEW DMR 2MTR OR 70CM REPEATER: Again we have managed to pick up another Repeater for the Club. KENWOOD TKR-D710 VHF DIGITAL REPEATER. This is an FM & DMR Repeater, and while additional Cavity Filters might be necessary, it offers our members an opportunity for some enjoyment, to learn and more. A CLUB MONTHLY RAFFLE: What do you think about having a monthly club raffle? I'm considering starting a monthly raffle for club members interested in winning prizes. These could include items like a radios, gift vouchers, or electronic gadgets and more.. I would greatly appreciate your feedback! club room split system air conditioner: This was on the 2025 wishlist... Still worth considering.. Our good friend Stanley vk3bot, along with others, proposed a Split system for the club to enhance our comfort. This is an excellent idea since it tends to get quite chilly in winter and very hot in summer. Sample Image Only, but you get the idea! MORE CLUB OUTING ETC: Club Coffee and Cake morning, typically taking place on a Monday each month, has been very successful, providing an opportunity for both members and non-members to catch up and chat. Depending on the interest from members, I would like to continue this event and possibly expand it to include a pub meal. The Roundabout Cafe has been a success.. and is in reach of most members. Roundabout Cafe - South Frankston A recent visit showing the new layout, making it far bigger. MORE FAMPARC CAMPING TRIPS: This year, Stanley VK3BOT organized our Famparc Camp-Out, which was once again a success, and I encourage Stanley to keep it going for 2026. In 2025, we camped twice at The Poplars , a beautiful spot about an hour and a half from the Frankston area, perfect for a few days to a week. Let's do it again! Gerard and Stanley attempting to cook! THANKYOU! That's all from me for now... until I think of another great idea! LOL.. If you have any project suggestions for the club and its members, please feel free to share them in the comments below. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the members who have supported me as president. It has been, and continues to be, a pleasure to serve the club. Your assistance, support, and guidance have been invaluable, and I thank you sincerely. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a safe, healthy, and enjoyable New Year 2026. Craig vk3ncr Famparc President

Ham Radio—There’s Still Magic In It. Ask 3 Million People Many believe that the hobby of ham radio is dying with all of the modern communications technology. Not so. There are currently three million hams around the world, a quarter of them in America. Ham radio operator Frank Krizan of Texas, who spends his summers in Scarborough, performs "Hunt and Pounce," a method of scanning the radio band for stations waiting for a turn to call them, during the 24-hour annual "Field Day" event capping off "Amateur Radio Week." The local chapter, the Portland Amateur Wireless Association, held the event at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth.(Photo by Jill Brady/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images) .. With all of the easy ways to communicate internationally now, many ask whether amateur "ham" radio still has relevance. Some call the hobby, which is communicating with other hams via radio waves, a dying breed of old fogies who haven't fully embraced new technology such as email and social media. More Here...

Sheepyard Flats Stanley VK3BOT is our and about.. I have a number of favourite campgrounds.. Probably at the top of the list would be Sheepyard Flats on the Howqua River out of Mansfield . That is where I will be for the from Wednesday 10th Dec , for around a week. I am leaving Chelsea Heights Wednesday 10th and hope to be there just after lunch. Purpose of the trip: play radio, eat food, lots of it and test my Starlink. Frequencies : I hope to use: mainly 40 metres, around 7.130+/- at around 1100-ish. I also intend to attempt contacts on the Space Station. 145.990 up and 437.800 down. Radio is my Yaesu 991A. Antenna should be my EFHW, although I do have a 40 metres dipole. For the satellite, Gerad has kindly loaned me his dual band beam. Finally, I hope to be on the Kandoss net daily at 1600 +/- Hope to hear you all on the air!!

Antennapalooza 2026 – Our Tenth Year! Program for April 18 & 19, 2026 In 2026 the theme will be about POWER. We hope to get some guest speakers lined up to talk about our power infrastructure, power in the shack and in the field. The 2026 program is still being prepared, but you can check out what we did in 2025: Saturday    12:30 pm                      Welcome and brief introduction to the event for 2025 (5 min) ——————————————————————————— 12:35 am                      Klaus Illhart VK3IU Klaus has operated a HF6V 6-band HF vertical antenna (The Butternut) for several years. It is an effective antenna for a small backyard. Klaus is going to talk about this design, its advantages and some of the issues he has had to confront along the way. (approx 30 min) ———————————————————————————- 1:20 pm                      Ian Jackson VK3BUF Amateur Radio is a difficult hobby to accurately portray to non-Amateurs. Ian will use this opportunity to present a new initiative aimed at encouraging more people to embrace Amateur radio and to showcase ideas for established operators to try. This is the first time this concept has been presented to an audience. comments and suggestions will be appreciated. (approx 25 min) ——————————————————————————— 2:00 pm                        A Workshop (With Fred VK3FWR) Workshop at the Pavilion on the new TinySA Ultra pocket sized Spectrum Analyser. These are an amazing and inexpensive device with lots of features, good from DC to 6 GHz for around $200. We will have a play with a couple of these units and see how they can be used for tracking down sources of interference and other tasks.  (approx 35 min) ——————————————————————————— 6:00 pm If you are not preparing your own meal, orders will be taken for a run to a Pizza shop in Drouin (They are very good) Small pizzas are about $12.50 Large are about $16.00. It will help if you have roughly correct change at hand. ——————————————————————————— If it is not a high fire risk day, we will light a campfire in the fire pit around 6-7:00 pm in the forest area. ——————————————————————————— Sunday 10:00 am                   Jim Frances, VK3UFO Jim is a seasoned bush traveller.  Today Jim will show us how he stays connected with the rest of the world from remote locations using the Starlink satellite based internet service. (approx 30 min) ——————————————————————————— 10:30 am                      Ian Jackson VK3BUF This presentation will be a walkthrough of the 20 metre band demo curtain array. The discussion will examine some of the design choices that were made and challenges overcome to put it all together (and keep it in the air!) (approx 35 min) 1:10 pm                       Move to the Curtain Array transmitter site (bring a drink and a chair) After re-locating to the Curtain Array transmitter site (rather than the pavilion), we will have a walk-through of the antenna in action and see what activity we can hear and how well others can hear us on 20 metres. (approx 40 min) Stay at the site and try your luck with some DX. Use your own callsign or the official Antennapalooza event callsign of VK3AZA. ——————————————————————————— (Other presentations on Sunday, not yet confirmed) ———————————————————————————If you would like to contact the event organiser, use the email: Some of the topics presented at previous years: A beginners guide to Amateur Radio Why Amateurs still use Morse Code What to expect from Amateur Exams Vertical antennas for 20 & 40 Metre bands Setting up your first home station Demonstrating D-star OKA off-road vehicle inspection Mobile antennas Modulated light transmission Erecting wite antennas in trees Introducing Raspberry Pi projects Wire antennas for small backyards Rhombic antenna demo Humvee vehicle inspection Sark antenna Analysers DX Pedition antennas Installing your Amateur Radio in your car Australian Repeaters Dealing with radio interference Using ultrasonics for tracking power line noise DF Loop constriction Antenna launching into trees Tracking interference – a professional perspective Automotive Electrics challenges Setting up a portable station The importance of ground plane radials Overcoming difficulties for Maritime radio operations LETS SEE WHAT THIS YEAR HAS TO OFFER… More Details Here...

12-04-2025 SSTV Series 30 Update: The RS-38S SSTV retread of the Series 30 SSTV campaign is scheduled to start at 00:01 UTC December 5.  The campaign will conclude at 23:59 UTC December 13.   SSTV Series 30 From Satellite RS-38S Upcoming transmission of Series 30 images will be from RS-38S on 437.825 MHz in Robot 36.   Starting date:  Week of 01-December-2025 Images:12 Series-30 images via Robot 36 Satellite:  Rs-38S (NORAD 57189) Frequency:  437.825 MHz Mode:  Robot 36 Timing:  36 seconds on, 2-3 minutes off Awards:  Certificates will be available via the ariss-usa.org/ARISS_SSTV gallery.They will be different than the earlier  Series 30 certificates. ***Upload your SSTV images to the gallery :   Welcome to the ARISS SSTV Gallery   *** More Detsails Here. Thanks to Stan vk3bot.

Another great video from Hayden.. The Easiest Way to Program ANY Radio (Seriously.) Programming a Baofeng can be confusing the first time you try it — but CHIRP makes the whole process fast, simple, and reliable. In this video, I walk you through installation, cable setup, downloading from the radio, editing channels, adding repeaters, and uploading your finished configuration. How popular are these terrific little radios! Cheers. Craig vk3ncr

Official Notice Regarding the Request for Frequency Clearance from the President of ORARI 27/11/2025 Admin Website To: All Members SocietiesSubject: Official Notice Regarding the Request for Frequency Clearance from the President of ORARI Dear Member Societies in the Asia-Pacific Region, IARU Region 3 hereby issues an official notice regarding a request received from the President of ORARI (the Indonesian Amateur Radio Organization) . ORARI has requested the cooperation of all Member Societies and amateur radio operators in the Asia-Pacific region to temporarily clear certain amateur frequencies in order to support ongoing emergency communication activities being conducted by ORARI in North Sumatera, Indonesia. Member Societies and amateur radio operators in the Asia-Pacific region are respectfully asked to take note of the frequency list below and ensure that these frequencies remain free from regular or routine communication traffic. Frequencies Requested to Be Cleared Band Frequency (MHz) HF 7.110 MHz 14.300 MHz 21.360 MHz VHF 145.100 MHz Please disseminate this information promptly to the amateur radio operators within your organisation. Continued cooperation among Amateur Radio Organisations in the Asia-Pacific region is essential to maintaining effective coordination and supporting operational needs as conveyed by ORARI. If you require additional information, please contact the IARU Region 3 Secretariat via email at secretary@iaru-r3.org . Thank you for your commitment to strengthening collaboration among Member Societies in IARU Region 3. Further Details Here. Sincerely, Wisnu Widjaja, YBØAZPresident, IARU Region 3

Hi Guys, At the meeting the other day, my recently built Aursinc Allstar Node was on display and connected to the club repeater through the AllStar system, using my iPhone hotspot. As you're aware, our club's repeater is linked to the AllStar system, Node 66111. This connection enables you to use the repeater not just through the standard RF method, but also with a suitable device, like a phone with the appropriate app, or via RF into a HotSpot Device, such as an Allstar Hotspot. (Below) All you need if a FM UHF Radio. Aursinc Allstar Device attached to a Raspberry Pi3B... These AllStar HotSpots can be bought on several websites, but I was able to purchase one for a discounted price of $76.00, along with a small shipping fee. Even though I already have a high-powered Hotspot Node at home, it's not very portable. Therefore, I created this one for portable use, like camping and other activities. .. You can connect it to a AllStar node such at our club repeater 66111, or any of the over 40,000 nodes around the world. What you need: Aursinc Allstar RF Device $76.00 (approx). Click Here Raspberry Pi 3/4/5 $63.00 plus (depending on the model) 3B is just fine. Click Here You can also use a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W $30.00 Click Here ASL3 OS Free. Click Here Available from AliExpress Click Here Setting it up can be quite challenging, but there is plenty of help available on YouTube. I'm more than willing to assist. The videos below can also be found on the Video page of our club's website. I have managed to get a Water Proof Box to enclose my device in.. A couple of leads off Ebay, one for the antenna and the other is the USB Power feed... Any questions.. drop in a comment below.. Cheers.... Craig vk3ncr

Hello Fellow Members, Colin vk3cr recently got in touch with Gavin, the person who has assisted us with our Club's Repeater. Gavin mentioned that he has additional hardware for the club if we're interested, and after discussing it with Colin, we decided... Why not! So.. Can I introduce another project for the club for 2026. Yep.. another Repeater! But.. this is a 2M DMR Repeater. TKR-D710 VHF DIGITAL REPEATER. GENERAL INFORMATION: (Ignore 70cm Band) So... Who's up for another project in 2026? I am also researching a similar Repeater (Digital) for the 70cm Band. Note: Other projectS for 2026. Stay healthy. POTA Presentation SIOTA Presentation Morse Code Course Kick Start our Foundation Course NEW ANTENNA FROM RICHARD VK3TXD Plus what ever our members want! All the best ! Craig vk3ncr

Solar Cycle 25 is fading… but the best HF conditions are happening right now. Don’t miss the openings! In this video I show why the bands aren’t dead, when to move from FT8 to SSB/CW, and how to find real activity fast. Another great video from Hayden. Hayden, VK7HH I must say I have to agree with him.. Cheers. Craig vk3ncr

ARRIVED ! We all love new toys... I am considering one of these neat little hand-helds. Baofeng UV5R Mini. Click here for the page.. I am not sure where Hayden gets the $20.00 from, plus the link he supplies on his Youtube clip will only ship 1x per customer/order. However at the time of this posting, the link I have found is for $38.79 with free shipping and almost no limit on quantity buy. As you know these prices can change by the hour. Watch the video and if you are interested, I can add to my order. Cheers. Craig. vk3ncr Note: I or Famparc cannot be held responsible for the product delivered or being lost in transit.. Any orders and payment is at your own risk. NOTE : Order placed for 12 units.. Sorry if you missed out but ya have to be quick! The final price with freight and GST $39.50 Latest shipment details:

Check out Hayden's recent Youtube clip talking about the Icom IC-705 Transceiver. Is the IC-705 still worth buying in 2025/2026 ? As an owner of the IC-705 for many years now, it is still my goto radio and is used every day, for FM/SSB/DStar and more, it's great for portable use, as this is what it was built for. For example our club's recent camping trip to the Poplars near Noojee, I took along my 100 watt IC-7300 rig, and never got it out of the carry box, yet I still managed over 50 contacts. Is it still worth buying today ? Yep.. I think so.... Craig vk3ncr