Author Archives: VK5GR

VK5ARG HF SDR Site: New FT8 Skimmer Installed

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FT8 Multi-Band Skimmer

AREG has today added a new experiment to the club’s remote SDR site that can help monitor HF propagation and provide insights into where in the world the bands are currently open to. Using a 125-14 Red Pitaya multiband SDR and software from Pavel Demin (see here) AREG is now able to give you a near real time view of what FT8 signals are audible here in central southern Australia.

The Red Pitaya is on loan from Josh VK4JNA. Thank you for contributing this very interesting experiment to the project. It certainly provides an interesting insight into what bands are open when! You can access the output from the skimmer via the pskreprter.info website

AREG June 18th: Extended SSB – Livestream Details

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AREG will be broadcasting this week’s meeting to the public via YouTube thanks to Hayden VK7HH and the HamRadioDX Channel. Ivan VK5RS will be talking about extended SSB.

The meeting will start at 7.45pm ACST (8.15pm AEST, 1015 UTC) on Friday June 18th.

Watch the session here: https://youtu.be/-UcdFl3F4_s

AREG June 18th Meeting: Extended SSB Audio

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Extended Single SideBand (eSSB) is any J3E SSB transmission that exceeds the audio bandwidth of standard or traditional 2.9kHz SSB J3E modes (ITU 2K90J3E), using increased bandwidth to support relative high fidelity, full range clean and articulate vocal audio.

At the next AREG meeting, Ivan VK5RS will introduce you to this interesting world of experimentation and will show why people are interested in eSSB and what is possible on the amateur bands. This should be fascinating indeed!

The Amateur Radio Experimenters Group meeting will start at 7.45pm on Friday June 18th. The location will be the Fulham Community Centre, Fulham, South Australia, off Phelps Crt.

The meeting will be streamed on Zoom for our interstate and country members and will be presented on YouTube via Hayden VK7HH’s HamRadioDX Channel.

We hope to see you there!

AREG Buy’N’Sell Friday May 21st

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The next meeting of the Amateur Radio Experimenter’s Group on Friday May 21st will be a Buy’n’Sell night. AREG members are encouraged to bring down their items for sale. Visitors are also welcome to buy and sell!

Entry is by gold coin donation.

We will open the hall at 6.30pm for sellers. AREG Member buyer entry is from 7.00pm and non members and general visitors from 7.45pm.

Sellers should email vk5arg@areg.org.au to request a table. (Note: We do not charge for tables).

Members are advised that there wont be a formal AREG business meeting on the night – that will be held online on a date TBA.

The venue will be the usual AREG clubrooms at the Fulham Community Centre, Phelps Court, Fulham.

This is a COVID-Safe event! People are asked to observe social distancing, check in at the door and follow the directions of our COVID Marshalls.

 

Next AREG Foxhunt: Saturday May 15th 5:00pm

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The next AREG Foxhunt will be held on Saturday May 15th, starting at 5:00pm.  This hunt is being called the “AREG Masters Hunt”. The aim is to encourage all of the old school fox hunters in particular, as well as our new generation hunters to come along and have some fun. It is an ideal chance to blow the cobwebs off your hunting equipment, particularly if you are planning an assault on the National Foxhunting Championships in Mt Gambier in June.

The winner of this series of hunts, which will be the first person to find both 2m fox transmitters, will  qualify for a special AREG Foxhunt trophy to be presented at the June AREG meeting.

There will also be a bonus 70cm fox deployed for those with 70cm equipment.

Team ZSN at the Mt Gambier Foxhunting Championship

The fox hunt will start from the car park of the AREG clubrooms, Phelps Court, Fulham. Hounds are asked to liaise via the VK5RSB 70cm repeater on 439.900 (-5MHz 91.5Hz CTCSS).

After the hunt, everyone will be invited to gather at a venue (TBA) for a coffee and a catch up. Details will be finalised over the VK5RSB repeater. We hope to see you all there!

 

VK5 WIA QSL Bureau News – April 2021

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6+ kg of cards sorted waiting distribution

AREG is pleased to announce that the next load of cards has arrived from the WIA National Inwards QSL bureau and is in the process of being sorted. Over 6 kg of cards are waiting sorting in the bureau at this time.

Over the next 2-3 months opportunities to collect cards will be made available at the North East Radio Club Buy’N’Sell in Adelaide on Saturday April 17th, as well as at the AREG General Meeting Friday June 18th.

WIA members will have their cards posted to them by the end of June as their yearly card mail-out. Should you want your cards sooner, please email: vk5qslbureau@areg.org.au and we can see what arrangements can be made.

Members of affiliated clubs will start to receive their cards in early July through their local radio club. Non members will need to contact Grant VK5GR at the VK5 inwards QSL Bureau and make arrangements to send a self addressed and stamped envelope or mail bag (check beforehand as some people have LOTS of cards waiting).

Cards will be stored for 12 months before being disposed of so if you are not a member of the WIA or an affiliated club, you need to make arrangements to either collect in person or send a mailbag for return postage.

Next AREG Meeting: 16th April – Meteor Scatter by Kevin VK4UH

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Image thanks to qrz.now

The Amateur Radio Experimenters Group is pleased to announce that we have a special guest speaker this month. (Dr) Kevin Johnston VK4UH will be talking to AREG about Meteor Scatter propagation and how to get started in the mode. Kevin will join AREG members assembled in our club-rooms in Adelaide via video-link from QLD.

Kevin will give us an overview of the astronomy and physics of meteors and their use for making long distance VHF contacts when no other mode of propagation is available.  The presentation is aimed towards those with no prior experience of this fascinating mode of communication.

(Dr) Kevin Johnston VK4UH

(Dr) Kevin Johnston VK4UH is a medical doctor and has been licences for 50 years.  He has had a try at almost all aspects of amateur radio through those years and is now focusing on long distance microwave operation, EME and Meteor Scatter

 

The presentation is scheduled to start as close as possible to 7:45pm ACST (1015z or 8:15pm AEST). The venue is the Fulham Community Centre, Phelps Court, Fulham. Doors open from 7:30pm.

 

For the AREG members outside of Adelaide, the session will be also streamed on Zoom.

 

Virtual visitors will be able to tune in via the “HamRadioDX” YouTube channel thanks to Hayden VK7HH.

Where are the AREG Clubroms?