AREG VHF Sprint – Oct 23rd 2022

When: Sunday 23-10-2022 1000 ACST
Duration: 30min
Where: 2m FM 146.425 -146.600.
Region: VK5

The Amateur Radio Experiments Group is looking to stimulate VHFsimplex activity with a  2m Sprint. In the first year, the frequency will be limited to the 2m band and the FM Mode. This is the most accessible with most hams having an HT or FM mobile radio at hand. The Plan is to have fun and introduce or reintroduce people to VHF and carry the newfound love of VHF into other Field days and Contests.

Sprint Contest Rules

Single Operator stations only, one call sign per operator/station. Different station types are permitted and encouraged eg Portable or Maritime Mobile. One point per contact, no reworking, 5 bonus points for working the AREG contest call; VL5X. Exchange is a Signal report and serial number starting from 1. e.g. 59001. Stations are to adhere to the VK band plan and operate in the FM Simplex range of 146.425 -146.600, stations may liaise on the call channel, but contest exchanges should occur somewhere either side of the call channel. Stations are encouraged to spread out, call CQ and search up and down the band.

Log Submission

Logs to be submitted in the calibro format using www.vklogchecker.com logs close 2 weeks after the contest.

AREG supports a fun and inclusive environment for the contest, please remember we are here to have fun.

Questions and feedback to: VHFSprint@areg.org.au

Spread the word, the more stations that participate the more fun it will be. #AREGVHFSPRINT

Please keep watching the website for any further news or developments prior to the contest.

AREG Lecture: April 2020 – Online !

This month the AREG will be taking it’s monthly lecture Online due to COVID-19.  Dave VK5FDAN will be talking to us about Solar Cycle 25 and what we can expect HF to do as we come out of the current Solar Minimum.

While we experiment with various Online meeting platforms we have elected to limit our initial lectures to members only.   I’m sure that once we have found our feet and have ironed out the bugs in our chosen system we can once again look at opening our doors to other interested Amateurs or groups in some form.

I know within our group we’ve wanted to look at online meetings and lectures since we have both international and interstate members, but for reasons it’s never happened.  Times are certainly changing and the impetuous to do so is now.  So please continue to watch this space…

From everyone within the AREG we wish you all the best, please maintain your social distance and stay safe !

Next AREG Meeting (March) – Cancelled !

The next meeting of the Amateur Radio Experimenters Group has been cancelled due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 virus.  Dave VK5FDAN’s talk on the ionosphere will instead be held over until our April meeting, please continue to check our website for details closer to the date.
In lieu of our usual monthly meeting members and friends of the AREG are encouraged to join us on VK5RSB 70cm at our regular meeting time for a Net and a chance to catch up for a chin wag.
Again our apologies to all members and friends for the short notice of cancelling this months meeting, I’m hoping to catch many of you on VK5RSB 70cm Friday night at 8pm.

River Paddling Marathon 2017 – Community Safety Comms Event

The River Paddling Marathon 2017 has come and gone, and once again AREG in conjunction with the Riverland Radio Club and a number of interested radio amateurs who approached us asking to participate was successful in providing three radio networks covering 200km of the River Murray through the canyon country of South Australia’s Riverland district. There was a 2m voice network for canoe tracking traffic, a 2m APRS network for tracking the safety boat locations, and a VHF commercial network for the safety boats and medics.

The following report from Matthew VK5ZM, AREG President, sums up the weekend:

“I just wanted to say a big Thank you to all the volunteers that came and assisted us with the RPM again this year.  Without your support and assistance there is no way the AREG could assist with this event.

This year I saw flexibility and professionalism being displayed across the board as small hiccups occurred people came with solutions and simply got on with the jobs and tasks.  With this many willing hands a vast amount of difficult work got done in a very short time.

To the checkpoint operators my profound thanks.  For some of you getting out of bed between 4-5am, driving for up to an hour to sit by the banks of the Murray in chilly temperatures and watch the sunrise makes for a very long day.  I truly hope that our volunteers enjoyed themselves and had fun.  This year I’d also like to note that both Scott VK5TST and I observed our accuracy in reporting boat numbers was far higher this year, this made the job at the Bus significantly easier.

I’d also like to thank Sharon VK5FSAW, Irene, Colleen & Nonna for packing the lunches, preparing dinner on Saturday night, kicking Sharon out of her kitchen for a bit and keeping the troops fed and dishes done.  With 31 people on ground that is not an insignificant number of sandwiches, slice, cake and fruit to pack each day.  There will be much swapping of recipes this year I think…

Again I’d like to personally thank Peter VK5KX for the use of his Bus each day for net control, without the Bus and Peters preparation of the net control radio  systems the Comms team manning net control wouldn’t have anywhere near as much fun.  I know this year with the increased number of people at the Bus, Peter spent a much larger time running around making coffee and keeping people ticking over, for which I am personally thankful and likewise all that attended the Bus.

I’d also like to thank Grant VK5GR (and team: Andy VK5AKH, Kim VK5FJ, Darin VK5IX, Scott VK5TST, Mark VK5QI and Marcus VK5WTF) for piecing the radio network together.  This year was a challenge and seemed like a war of attrition at times as equipment hiccuped within the network.  However the network and tech teams kept the beast running, cracking the whip when required or threatening to send it to Darin VK5IX for a reprogramming/tuning it would never forget.  This year, at least, Darin frightened the Tait 2000s’ into submission, not a single one gave a problem out on the water, unlike previous years.

Another monumental task is checkpoint planning and notes preparation.  So a big thank you to Andrew VK5XFG and Kim VK5FJ for stepping up this year.  I know that your help reduced the workload on Grant and I significantly.  It takes a good week to just prepare and print the materials necessary.  I’m waiting on Andrew to tell me how many pencil sharpeners we got back this year.

Lastly I’d like to thank Scott VK5TST for his work at the Bus and on the software/database that we use to track the paddlers.  Scott has worked in the background on this software over the past year (ok last two months prior to event *grin*), taking suggestions from bus operators last year and tweaking the GUI/HMI to suit.   The improvements in efficiency was huge, I often amazed at how quickly he could come back with answers to common questions, closing of checkpoints and reconciling of paddler numbers when asked.  Entering the data was fast and painless, better yet it assisted operators with keeping within the procedure which was fantastic.

At the presentations on Monday afternoon the Race Director Martin Finn and all paddlers thanked the AREG (led) Comms Team for a job well done to the applause of the entire crowd.  I think the comms team this year should also pat themselves on the back for a job well done.”

Flight of Horus #43 – Postponed

Yet again the weather in South Australia has taken a turn for the worst with extreme weather and rain predicted this coming weekend.

As a result the flight of Horus 43 has been postponed until the weekend of the 25th or 26th of February.

Further announcements will be made closer to the date.

FreeDV Broadcast 31st Jan 2016

sadfaceDue to technical issues this morning the FreeDV broadcast team were unable to take callbacks using FreeDV.

Announcements were made using analog SSB and a few reports were achieved.

Stations wishing to provide a signal report are encouraged to email the AREG with the usual details, email addresses can be found on the “contact us” page.

Thanks and our apologies again for not being able to participate in the callback in DV.

FreeDV Broadcast Team, VK5ARG