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VK7AX > BCAST 23.11.25 09:49l 815 Lines 30940 Bytes #300 (0) @ WW
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Subj: VK National News 23Nov25
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VK National News 23Nov25
Weekly news from the WIA:
MP3 edition of news available at: http://www.wia-files.com/podcast/wianews-2025-11-23.mp3
Text edition:
2025 NOVEMBER 23 WIA NATIONAL NEWS BROADCAST ON VK1WIA
------------------------------------------------------------*
THE BEST NEWS YOU'LL GET ALL WEEK
THIS LINK IS A VIDEO VERSION OF NEWS COMPILED BY VK5BD BEVAN
tinyurl.com/WIA-News-Videos
------------------------------------------------------------*
IN NATIONAL NEWS THIS WEEK:-
Roger VK2ZRH, Editor-in-Chief of Amateur Radio magazine. -
Felix VK4FUQ asks "Whatever happened to DXpedition H 40 WA?" -
Bruce VK3FFF has the story on 20 spacecraft landings at Australias
Koonibba Test Range. -
Alan VK2COD is searching for SANTA.
BUT WAIT - THERE'S MUCH MUCH MORE IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE
WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA FOR WEEK COMMENCING SUNDAY NOVEMBER 23,
2025..
I'M EDITOR GRAHAM VK4BB
WIA
JOIN THE WIA
tinyurl.com/yyj87b9y
Yep. This is Roger Harrison VK2ZRH, Editor-in-Chief of Amateur Radio magazine.
Our last issue for 2025 Issue No.6 pootled off the printing press last Wednesday in Bairnsdale, between the bright, broad waters of the Gippsland Lakes and the mounds of Morwells mining output.
With the beauty of those scenes now floating in your minds eye, it brings me to the theme of this issue OUTDOORS, OFF-SHORE AND ON-THE-AIR!
What was I thinking when I thought that up?!! Well, it seemed to sum up the wonderful collection of articles panting to be published.
Our feature article is about the 22nd World ARDF Championships ARDF means Amateur Radio Direction Finding, a cross between orienteering and traditional amateur radio foxhunting but on the run.
Held in Lithuania in August, a small country in northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea,
a team of hard-bitten enthusiasts from Australia travelled more than 15,000 kilometres away to take part, explains Jack Bramham VK3 W W W, our features author.
A total of 330 people from 23 Countries participated, with the largest team, of 46, being from Ukraine. They bring em up tough over there.
The WIA team of four Australian contestants comprised Jack VK3WWW, Peter VK3ADY, Jenelle VK3FTE, and Ewen VK3OW who is, by the way, a member of the Amateur Radio Publications Committee.
Never mind traditional on-air contesting, ARDF is amateur radio sport fast, fun, exciting, and global!
Hence, our front cover photo illustrates that perfectly.
Other articles under Issue sixs theme include a great yarn about Wagga Amateur Radio Clubs involvement with the Hume and Hovell Ultra Marathon.
This is a race having events of 22 km, 50 km, 100 km and 100-miles along parts of the Hume and Hovell Walking Track that stretches over 440 kilometres between Yass and Albury in southwest New South Wales that marks the legacy of those 19th century explorers.
This Ultra Marathon is also a part of the worldwide point system that involves ultra/trail running.
The Wagga Amateur Radio Club has had a long and successful relationship with this community event.
Now that your soldering iron has been idle while listening to all that, let me tell you about another great project for you Boat Anchor enthusiasts from the indefatigable Jim Tregellas VK5JST.
Jim explains how to build a digital dial for your boat anchor rig.
A keen participant in several HF nets, Jim found that setting up the wanted net frequency was difficult as the dial on his old transceiver was incapable of sufficient accuracy.
Based on an earlier project of Jims published in AR previously, the project employs a common, low cost digital display and some microprocessor jiggery-pokery, small enough to fit in a standard UB1 plastic jiffy box.
And the best part no setting-up is required!
PLUS! Issue 6 wouldnt be complete without the 2026 Contest Calendar Lift-out!
Youre gonna need it. Why do I reckon that? Because some popular contests have changed dates.
This issue has been brought to you by numbers greater than 5, and by the letter O.
As always, theres so much more in every issue of Amateur Radio magazine.
More guts. Less gab. Articles written by Australian amateurs for Australian amateurs and edited by an Australian amateur in Australia.
Serving hams across Australia since 1933. Proudly produced and printed in Australia.
Im Roger Harrison VK2ZRH for WIA National News.
------------------------------------------------------------*
INTERNATIONAL NEWS is with thanks to Amateur Radio Daily, ARRL,
DX-WORLD, eHam, Hackaday, IARU, IRTS, NEWSLINE, NZART, RAC,
Radioworld.com, RSGB, SARL and the World Wide sources of WIA.
The National Association of Amateur Radio in the USA, ARRL, reports that
the FCC has extended the filing deadline to March 5, 2026, for amateur
radio licenses that otherwise were due to expire from October 1, 2025,
to March 5, 2026.
The news follows the recent reopening of the federal government on
November 13, following a lengthy 43-day shutdown.
Since reopening, many federal agencies, including the FCC, have resumed
activities, though reducing backlogs and rebounding to full operations
may take some time. This includes continued delays in filing amateur
radio license applications.
Community generosity works in both directions, as one amateur radio club in Wisconsin found out recently, so, it was a special privilege for the
Fond du Lac Amateur Radio Club in Wisconsin USA to be on the receiving
end recently.
The Moraine Park Technical College donated five laptops to assist the club with its work in amateur radio education, license testing and emergency communications, including its Field Day operations.
The donations kept club member Lloyd Vandervort N9RPU hard at work setting up the club logging programs,
Dave McCumber, N9WQ, club president, issued a statement saying that the additional computing power will "strengthen our ability to teach, train and support both new and experienced radio operators throughout the region."
INSIGHTS INTO LOSS OF ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY
What happens when a material loses its ability to conduct electricity -- seemingly for no reason? Researchers have been working to solve that mystery and they think they've figured it out, as we hear from Kent Peterson KCDGY over at the Newsline studios.
It's uncommon but when it happens, as it does in the quantum realm, scientists have previously been left shrugging their shoulders. Now when material that had been capable of conducting electricity loses that property, becoming an insulator, they're nodding their heads in recognition instead.
As explained in a recent paper published in Physical Review Letters, an international team of researchers working at the DESY Institute in Germany made their discovery while working with a compound of the rare earth metals: tellurium, selenium and thulium. They found that the compound lost its inherent conductivity because of what researchers described as a "particle dance" involving a group of particles called polarons (POLE A RONS) -- quasiparticles which can combine and behave as one particle instead of several. The polarons can spur activity between electrons and the nearby atoms, impeding the flow of electricity by slowing it down and eventually halting it altogether.
The researchers wrote that their findings show "that the properties of a material cannot be explained by its chemical composition alone."
The scientists concluded that their findings about polarons may ultimately lead to development of new types of matter or the ability to alter some materials' optical, magnetic or electrical properties.
This is Kent Peterson KCDGY.
RSGB BUILDING OUR FUTURE.-
The RSGB National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park is hosting another of its popular Build Your Own Radio workshops. Morning and afternoon sessions
are being held today, Sunday, 23 November and offer young people aged
between 12 and 18 years the opportunity to learn more about amateur radio and electronics.
The workshops will use simple tools for participants to build their own VHF FM broadcast receiver, which they can take home with them.
A great initiative.
WRTC 2026 in the UK wont just be a contestits set to offer a more
immersive way to follow the action.
James Cribbs NWRL, founder and CEO of the World Radio League speaking on
Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio, has revealed the WRL team are building a custom
real-time QSO tracking and analytics system designed to echo the clarity
and drama of eSports coverage.
What began as a conversation at Dayton has become a ground-up rethinking
of how the wider world can watch and engage with radio sport. For
competitors, that means non-intrusive Raspberry Pi loggers feeding live
data without touching their main setups. For the audience, it means live
scoreboards, propagation maps, and real-time band-change alerts.
The systems first testduring IARU 2025was promising.
Then a full trial during CQWW Phone from the M6T superstation.
For WRL, WRTC is more than just a technical challenge; Cribbs sees it as
the platforms coming-of-agemoving from a beginner-friendly tool to a
robust, contest-grade infrastructure. And, the long-term goal is bigger
than any one event: its about legacy, youth outreach, and strengthening
the future of amateur radio.
youtube.com/watch?v=BRtVO7LnoXE
-------------------------------------------------------------------
OPERATIONAL NEWS - A FELIX VK4FUQ PRESENTATION
--------------
--------------
What ever happened to DXpedition H40WA?
Well sometimes, DXers believe that DXpeditions are profitable. Rarely is
that the case.
My case in point:
The H40WA Team paid a fully refundable $11K+ USD Customs bond to their
Solomon Island shipping company. The team allege that that bond was later
stolen by the shipping company and was never refunded. The Solomon Island
Government (Customs & Police) appeared to be completely unhelpful in
recovering this massive customs bond and it remains in the hands of the
shipping company.
One comment made to the Co-Leader of the H40WA team, Paul N6PSE was by
our own Grant Willis VK5GR who said, and I quote " Things like that have
always been my worst nightmares when trying to take teams and gear into
some countries.
It makes me very selective about where I will attempt DXpeditions to
these days. Even my small Pacific expeditions cost up to $15k AUD each
to execute and that was almost always self-funded - with not more than
$3k ever being raised in return from sponsorships (that was A3)."
So when YOIU work a rare one, a rare DXpedition, give thought to its
"back story".
facebook.com/people/The-Intrepid-DX-Group/100064781196182/
(intrepid-dx group)
----------------------
NOVEMBER 29-30
The CQ WW is the largest Amateur Radio competition in the world.
Over 35,000 participants take to the airwaves and the last weekend of
November is the CQ WORLD WIDE CW TEST.
The goal is making as many contacts with as many different DXCC entities
and CQ Zones as possible.
Starts: Zero hundred hours UTC Saturday.
End 2359 UTC Sunday.
---------------
YOTA Contests December
The Fishers Ghost Amateur Radio Club are hosting the inaugural
VK YOTA CONTEST, the entire month of December.
yota.fgarc.org.au/
Then just 3 days from the end of what we call the VK YOTA CONTEST comes
ROUND 3 of the YOTA contest organized by the IARU R1 Youth Working Group
in cooperation with the Hungarian Amateur Radio Society.
DECEMBER 29.
A great way to gain extra contacts for the VK Contest organised by
Fishers Ghost AR Club.
yotacontest.mrasz.org
--------------
--------------
NOW CONTEST WISE:- 2026
--------------
---------------
1st January 2026 NZART Centenary 100 QSO Challenge
You are invited to kick off the NZART Centenary year in style with a fun,
on-air event. Can you make 100 contacts in 24 hours?
1101 31 December 2025 UTC, i.e. 0001 NZDT 1st January 2026 to
1059 1 January 2026 UTC, 2359 NZDT 1 January 2026.
Object:
To celebrate the start of the 2026 NZART Centenary Year by making 100 QSOs with amateur radio stations in 24 hours.
All bands including WARC as this is NOT a contest.
All modes are permitted.
Special categories include
Most Portable stations:
Most DXCC Entities:
The fastest to work 100 QSOs as judged by the time of their hundredth QSO.
Most Modes: For the person who uses the most different modes in making
their 100 QSOs.
Full details on the new NZART site which Bruce will tell us about in a moment, but the link is in the text edition of this weeks WIA NATIONAL NEWS
sites.google.com/view/zl-amateur-radio-hsistory?usp=sharing
(NZART)
MARCH - Jock White Memorial Field Day
This annual contest is named to honour Jock White ZL2GX, NZART Contest
and Awards Manager for over 40 years, for the service that he gave to
NZART during that time.
Feb 28, Saturday, 1500-2400 NZDT and Sunday March one 0600-1500 NZDT.
40 and/or 80 metres, PHONE (SSB) and/or CW, 100 watts PEP maximum.
Stations using two transmitters may operate simultaneously on both bands,
however only one transmitter may be operated on a single band at a time.
Single transmitter stations may operate on one or both bands.
(nzart.org.nz)
--------------------
MAY:- HARRY ANGEL MEMORIAL SPRINT May 2nd.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NOW LET'S OPEN THE DX WINDOW TO THE WORLD ------------
Listen for Red, operating as TY 5 FR from Cotonou, Benin now through to
the 11th of December. Red will be using CW and SSB on 80-10 metres and
will participate in the CQ WW DX CW Contest
Red's home call is DL 1 BUG.
(newsline 2507)
---------
A 43 ND is the special callsign for the Royal Omani Amateur Radio
Society to celebrate Oman National Day (20-21 November).
QSL via EC 6 DX, LoTW, eQSL.
Also confirmed to take part in the celebrations are A60MA the
Emirates Amateur Radio Society as A 60 OMA individual operators
may append a serial number to the A60OMA special callsign and the
Bahrain Amateur Radio Society as A 91 OMA and the Kuwait Amateur Radio
Society as 9 K 9O MAN.
(425dxnews)
-----------
CROATIA
9 A 169 TESLA
This is a special callsign that will be used until 31 December in
celebration of the 169th anniversary since the birth of Nikola Tesla
(10 July 1856).
QSOs will be uploaded to LoTW, Club Log, and QRZ Logbook.
(425dex)
-------------
80th anniversary of the Technical University of Sofia operating
special event station LZ 80 TUS. On the air now through December 24th.
(ard)
-------------
REMINDERS NOVEMBER
-------------
ZL 100 C is the callsign celebrating the centenary of NZART
the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters which was formed
on 16 August 1926.
The callsign is valid until 6 August 2026.
QSL via the bureau and LoTW.
(425dxnews)
--------------
To mark the 60th anniversary since the first French satellite, named
Asterix, was launched into orbit, on 26 November 1965, members of the
Wingles Radio Club (F 4 KLR) will be active as TM 60 ATX on Fridays and
Saturdays between 14 November and 13 December and again on 19-23
December. All SSB and CW QSOs will be confirmed automatically via the
bureau; FT8 QSOs will be confirmed via eQSL.
(425dxnes)
--------------
South Africa.
The special event stations ZS 100 SARL, ZS 6 SRL and ZS 9 HQ
celebrate the 100th anniversary of the South African Radio League, the
S.A.R.L. until the end of 2025, so not much longer to work them if you need them in your log.
(sarl)
--------------
Celebrating the 70th anniversary of their organization, members of
the International Police Association's Swiss branch will be active as
HB 70 IPA between 1 November and 31 December. Activity will be on
various HF bands and the QO-100 satellite.
QSL via LoTW and eQSL,
(425dxn)
---------------
Well you may not WORK them BUT you MAY hear them.
Once again Italian radio amateurs have been authorized to use the
40 MHz band until the end of the year.
They are allowed to operate from 40.660 MHz to 40.700 MHz with a
maximum power of 10 watts.
The Italian regulator has given permission until 31 December also
for 70.1, 70.2, and 70.3 MHz.
(425dx news)
------------
Special callsign LA 100 A is active to end of year to mark the 100th
anniversary of the first amateur radio two-way contact between Norway
and the USA in November 1925.
QSL directly to LA100A, via the Bureau, or QRZ.com
(RSGB)
------------------------------------------------------------*
REPEATER NEWS
St George Amateur Radio Societys repeater team have recently completed
some repairs and upgrades at VK2RDX Mt Bindo.
The 2m repeater filters have been refurbished and realigned, with two
additional cavities installed to improve filtering.
Also, thanks to a generous donation of a commercial-grade dual-band
antenna, both the 2-metre FM and the 70-centimetre DMR repeaters should
provide improved coverage. Signal and coverage reports are welcomed.
For more information about all of the St George Amateur Radio Societys
repeaters, and other activities; visit the website
sgars.org
(sourced to VK2WI news)
------------------------------
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- ASTRONOMY (and Wireless Weather)
The High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) will be conducting a research campaign November 17-22 UTC dates.
Operating frequencies will vary, but all HAARP transmissions will be between 2.75 MHz and 10 MHz. Actual transmit days and times are highly variable based on real-time ionospheric and/or geomagnetic conditions.
REMEMBER THIS IS JUST A TEST SO all information is subject to change.
Scientific goals of these experiments include studies on the effects of ionospheric conditions on high-frequency radio wave propagation and generation and propagation of extremely low frequency/very low frequency ) waves. This campaign will also introduce a Rayleigh LIDAR system as a new diagnostic tool for measuring temperature and density at an altitude of 11-85 km.
November 22 suggested frequency between 0400-1100 UTC is 3.089, 9.6 MHz
tinyurl.com/2ym5tpp4
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - COMPUTING
Ok, well admit it. If you asked us what the first transistorized computer was, we would have guessed it was the TC from the University of Manchester. After all, Dr. Wilkes and company were at the forefront and had built Baby and EDSAC, which, of course, didnt use transistors.
Hackaday, via This week in Amateur radio went on to say :-
To be clear, we would have been guessing, but what we didnt know at all was that the TC, with its magnetic drums and transistors in 1955, had a second life as a commercial product from Metropolitan-Vickers, called the Metrovick 950.
Our text edition of WIA NATIONAL NEWS, best read at wia.org.au has a link to a simulator inspired by the old machine.
git.sr.ht/~nkali/mv950toy
The code is in Python, and you can find several programs to run on the
simulator, including the venerable lunar lander. If you havent heard of the Metrovick, dont feel bad. Oral histories say that only six or seven were ever built, and they were used internally within the company.
It seems hard to imagine now, but in the 1950s, transistors for computing were actually a disadvantage. The devices were slow. The TC, for example, used old point-contact transistors (200 of them) and 1,300 point diodes. The Metrovick 950, mercifully, used more modern junction devices.
The Metrovick wasnt totally transistor-based. Like the somewhat newer TRADIC from Bell Labs, it used a vacuum tube to produce a clock signal with enough oomph to feed the whole machine. The first fully transistorized machine is a bit of a moving target, but is probably either the Harwell CADET, the IBM 604, or an ICBM guidance computer from Burroughs. Want to know more? You can read the original engineering report
here.
ancientgeek.org.uk/misc/Report_on_the_Metrovick_950.pdf
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - CW
QSO Party Day Contest organized by Marconi Club is scheduled for Saturday, January 3rd, 2026 its as always in "short contest" format and is now in
its 8th edition.
The purpose of the event is to introduce the club and CW to the younger
generations and bring together all those who truly love and believe in telegraphy. The event will involve all members of the historic club, which has nearly 1000 members from all over the world, and all enthusiasts of the wonderful and magnificent art of CW.
Further information may be found at marconiclub.it
(IRTS)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - FINAL FRONTIER
AMSAT-VK Secretary - secretary@amsat-vk.org
BLAST OFF - VK6
Varda, and their team, with leadership and staff comprised of veterans
from SpaceX, Blue Origin, major pharmaceutical companies, and Silicon
Valley was founded in January 2021.
Now Varda has signed an agreement for 20 more manufacturing spacecraft
landings where? none other than at Australias Koonibba Test Range.
Koonibba Test Range was reported, in 2020, to be the world's largest
privately owned rocket test range and the world's first permitted by an
indigenous community to be launched from their land. The range allows
companies, universities, space agencies and other organisations to pay
for their rockets to be taken to the site, launched, and rockets and
payloads to be recovered.
Vada has a joint development agreement with United Semiconductor to
produce semiconductors in orbit.
Varda will also now operate two spacecraft simultaneously for the first
time, with the launch of their fifth capsule on Transporter-15,
joining their fourth mission still in orbit.
----------------
Three Chinese astronauts returned from their nations space station last Friday week after more than a weeks delay because the return capsule they
had planned to use was damaged, likely from being hit by space debris.
The team left their Shenzhou-20 spacecraft in orbit and came back using the recently arrived Shenzhou-21, which had ferried a three-person replacement crew to the station, Chinas Manned Space Agency said.
The original return plan was scrapped because a window in the Shenzhou-20 capsule had tiny cracks, most likely caused by impact from space debris, the space agency said.
--------------
SpaceX launched another batch of Starlink broadband satellites November 10
on a Falcon 9 rocket.
It was the 94th orbital mission so far this year from Cape Kennedy, breaking 2024s record of 93 launches.
A SpaceX executive said at a conference recently that he expected the company to finish the year with 165 to 170 Falcon 9 launches, which would also be a record. The total number of Starlink satellites launched so far in 2025 is 2,600. And the years not over yet
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - IOTA
iota-world.org/
OC-035 Vanuatu.-
Active YJ 0 GC from Efate Vanuatu is Stan, LZ1GC from 22 November
to 5 December on CW, SSB and FT8/FT4 using 160-10 metres with two working
stations on different bands and modes (one on digital modes and another
one on CW/SSB).
QSL YJ0GC via Club Log's OQRS (preferred) or via Stans home callLZ1GC.
c21gc.com
---------------
SA-001 Easter Island.-
Team 3 G0 YR will be active from Easter Island, SA-001 from
26 November to 3 December. Nine operators will be QRV on
"all bands, all modes" with 4-5 stations, and a focus on the low bands.
They will participate in the CQ WW DX CW Contest as CE0Y (M/2 or M/M).
QSLs via Club Log's OQRS or via RN 3 RQ; full LoTW upload will be
AFTER 6 months.
(425dx)
--------------
NA-145 Sint Eustatius. -
Sint-Eustatius is a public entity of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Together with Bonaire and Saba, it forms the Caribbean Netherlands.
Peter, PA4O and Ad, PA8AD will be active as PJ 5 C from Sint Eustatius
(NA-145) from tomorrow 23 November to 1 December, including participation
in the CQ WW DX CW Contest. Outside the contest they will operate
mainly CW with some FT8 and FT4 on 160-10 metres.
QSL via LoTW and Club Log's OQRS.
(425dxnes)
----------------
OC REMINDERS
------------
----------
------------
OC-031 - C21TS - NAURU
Phill, C 21 TS is active on the island of Nauru, OC-031, until the
30th of November. The station is spotted regularly using FT8 on the
HF bands. QSL via Logbook of the World or OQRS.
See QRZ.com for more information.
(rsgb)
---------
OC-047 - H44MS - Malaita Island in the Solomons.
Bernard, H44MS will be active from Manakwai village, nearby Maluu
(northern Malaita island) covering the period next year from
January 25 to April 10.
(dx-world)
-------------
OC-66 - TX9XG - Rangiroa Atoll.
Haru, JA1XGI has announced that he will be active from Rangiroa Atoll,
French Polynesia (OC-066) as TX9XG during April 1-8, 2026. He plans to
QRV on 40-10m; CW, SSB, RTTY & FT8 using the new IC-7300 MK2.
QSL TX9XG via Haru's home call, JA1XGI using OQRS Club Log.
(dx-world)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO AMATEUR YOUNG TIMERS - YOTA
(Youngsters On The Air)
WIA committee:- Steve VK6SJ, Alec VK2MV and Pete VK2LP.
ham-yota.com/category/yota-region-3/
facebook.com/groups/YOTAOC/
youtube.com/channel/UClAapljf0VQ751sOgu2IzaA
Santa Net is an annual December event where licensed amateur radio
operators use RF and EchoLink technology to connect children with
Santa Claus on the airwaves.
Did you know though that the organisers, particularly in the USA, are
experiencing a shortage of Santas? Yep, since 2020, the number of
experienced, available Santas has dropped by 10-percent, driven by
factors such as an aging workforce, pandemic-related health concerns,
and ... well ... performers "going to the North Pole in the sky."
Santa Net is an annual event hosted by amateur radio enthusiasts that
connect very young children, affectionately called "little harmonics,"
with Santa Claus via radio waves, according to a story we stumbled across
in The Times-Tribune.
For two decades, each December, families across the US and even here in
VKLand have tuned in to specific amateur radio frequencies, eager for
their children to share holiday wishes directly with Santa Claus himself.
So, now I am asking, what are the VK plans for contacting "Big Red" this
year?
We'd love to get news of your clubs Santa Net 2025.
Drop me a note care of nationalnews(at)wia.org.au and we'll do the rest.
(eHam)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RESCUE RADIO
The Peel Amateur Radio Group (PARG) was formed in 1982 by Australian
Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) licensed radio and electronic
enthusiasts. At that time some PARG members were also members of the State
Emergency Service Mandurah Unit.
As a result, a close association was formed between the two organisations
from the beginning. Today PARG has around 35 financial and licenced
members. There have been estimated to be around 100 licenced amateur radio
enthusiasts living in the Peel Region and Rockingham. Each individual
studied for and passed examinations set by ACMA, which then issued
individual radio callsigns. In Western Australia these callsigns commence
VK6. They are recognised worldwide by the International Telecommunications
Union (ITU). See qsl.net/pa3hjb/_private/Prefix%20List.pdf
Currently around 15 per cent of PARG members are also members of the
Mandurah SES Unit. This brings technical know-how to the Mandurah SES
communications section. The amateur radio callsign VK6SES haz been
allocated for use in the SES communications room when amataur radios are used for emergency communications.
The PARG region of responsibility encompasses the Peel region
(Serpentine-Jarrahdale, Murray, Waroona, Boddington, and Mandurah City,
plus Kwinana Town, and Rockingham City) PARG members created PARGESS, the
Peel Amateur Radio Group Emergency Services Support.
See parg.org.au/pargess (password vk6arg! ..... it is case sensitive)
PARG is a member of the Mandurah City Local Emergency Management Committee
(LEMC)
Today the Mandurah SES Unit and PARG have a written Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) which under pins the relationship of both
organisations. PARG has supported the Mandurah SES Unit operationally and
stands ready as the Plan B for communications support in emergencies.
PARG monthly meetings are held at Mandurah SES HQ.
PARG has a 2 meter repeater, and HF Winlink gateway located at the Mandurah SES HQ, plus the PARG Mobile Communications Unit is garaged at Mandurah SES HQ. PARG members built the Mobile Communications Unit which is fitted with amateur radios on Ultra High Frequencies (UHF), Very High Frequencies (VHF) and High Frequency bands (HF). Solar power and batteries, plus a portable generator. It has a Clark Mast driven by air compressor. This can be mounted with various antennas for the frequency bands just mentioned. The trailer configuration means it can be towed off road to isolated and remote. It can be fitted with a Department of Fire and Emergency Services VHF/UHF Western Australian Emergency Radio Network (WAERN) radio when required, which has a callsign allocated to it.
PARG is a nonprofit association, which raises funds through an annual
Mega raffle and the annual PARGfest (Swap Meet) every February.
------------------------------------------------------------*
IT'S A DATE
Clubs are welcome to email text with audio for this section,
nationalnews(at)wia.org.au
Details of all WIA affiliated clubs and societies can be found
on the WIA website, including email addresses and website links.
----------------------------
2025
VK8 - Darwin Amateur Radio Club Xmas Party 6:30pm Dec 3 (wiacal)
VK - Dec 7 WIA Affiliated Clubs briefing webinar (wiacal)
--------------------- SOCIAL SCENE 2026 ------------------
VK3 - Ballarat Amateur Radio Group Hamvention Sunday Feb 1 (wiacal)
VK6 - PARGFEST Mandurah Bowling Club February 7 9am (vk6pbs)
VK4 - Redfest - Deception Bay North State School 9am April 11. (vk4ble)
VK - WIA AGM May 2 at 2pm Albury VK2 (wiacal)
Reception Reports
No we DO like to hear where in the world you are listening to this,
the WIA NATIONAL NEWS SERVICE.
WIA News rebroadcasters often give Short Wave Listeners a
welcome to the broadcast as they commence call-backs
straight after the Local News. Local news follows National
news in all states. It would be great if those SWL's would
email their reception reports and location to
callbacks(at)wia.org.au
Not only but also those watching us on YouTube, leave a comment , access
is just below the picture on screen and again tell us where and maybe
even the day and time you are listening
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(Posted to the packet network courtesy Tony VK7AX)
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