| |
VK7AX > BCAST 15.02.26 07:33l 653 Lines 33289 Bytes #10 (0) @ WW
BID : 8662_VK7AX
Read: GUEST
Subj: VK7 Amateur Radio News 15Feb26
Path: ED1ZAC<ED1ZAC<CX2SA<ZL2BAU<WG3K<WW6Q<W9GM<WG0A<VE3CGR<PY2BIL<HB9ON<
VK7AX
Sent: 260215/0609Z 8662@VK7AX.#ULV.TAS.AUS.AUNZ LinBPQ6.0.24
VK7 Amateur Radio News 15Feb26
Text edition:
VK7 AMATEUR RADIO NEWS
SUNDAY 15th February 2026
Welcome to the VK7 Amateur Radio News for the 15th day of February 2026, your gateway to whatâ€Ös happening across the airwaves in Tasmania and beyond.
Coming to you from the Tasmanian Amateur Radio News Desk is Nic, VK7WW with the latest updates, stories, and insights from our amateur radio community.
Weâ€Öre broadcasting far and wide thanks to our dedicated team:
DMR Talk Group 5 & D-Star Reflector 91C via the Digital Group
HF relays:
1.862 MHz – Graham VK7GS
3.670 MHz – Ross, VK7ALH
7.140 MHz – Garry, VK7JGD
14.130 MHz – Dale, VK7DG
28.525 MHz – Tony, VK7VKT
And locally in Hobart on UHF CB Ch.24 and HF CB Ch.24 (11m) with Mark VK7FMAC.
Missed it live? Catch the replay Tuesday 8pm on repeaters VK7RAA (North), VK7RHT, and on UHFCB24/HFCB24 (South).
Stay tuned, and enjoy the news!
--------------------------------
WIA News
WIA Board Election Information
Please note the candidate statements for the up-coming WIA Board Election are available on the WIA Website at the link on the email edition of the broadcast. Voting is currently open until the end of February 2026.
https://www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2026/20260108-1/index.php
--------------------------------
Tassie Ham-E-Con Radio Conference
Save the Date
Planning is well underway for the 2026 Tassie Ham-E-Con.
The theme group has done a fantastic job and come-up with the following theme for 2026:
Hack the Ether: Education, Ingenuity, Connection
Hack the Ether celebrates the experimental DNA of amateur radioâ€öwhere education meets invention and community meets curiosity. The 2026 conference invites participants to push beyond nostalgia and build the hobbyâ€Ös next chapter through practical learning, creative collaboration, and purposeful leadership.
This is not just a conference; itâ€Ös a living experiment. Attendees will work their way through 1½ days of keynotes, workshops, poster sessions / talks, and hands-on sessions designed to connect makers, communicators, and educators. The conference will again be fully catered.
Tassie Ham-E-Con 2026 is the meeting point of experimenters, educators, and storytellers.
Itâ€Ös where education becomes exploration, ingenuity sparks collaboration, and connection builds the future.
There will be four focus areas to the conference:
1. Hack the Mind focusing on Education and Learning Futures
2. Hack the System focusing on Ingenuity and Experimentation
3. Hack the Culture focusing on Engagement and Connection and
4. Hack the Future focusing on Leadership and Purpose
WHEN:
Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th of November 2026 – Conference and we are planning pre and post conference events.
Location will be the UTAS Sandy Bay Campus.
Keep your eye on the conference website as details unfold.
https://www.reast.asn.au/news-events/tassie-ham-radio-conference/
73, Conference Organising Group.
--------------------------------
Contest News
John Moyle Memorial Field Day
Well, itâ€Ös getting close to the 3rd weekend in March so must be time to prepare for the John Moyle Memorial Field day. This year it will be held from 01:00 UTC on Saturday 21/3/2026 through to 00:59 UTC on Sunday the 22/2/2026. The contest is divided into 8 X 3 hour blocks and stations can be reworked in each block of time.
After some changes were made to the rules on 18/1/2026 it is now open to all amateur bands up to 241GHz except the WARC bands. All phone contacts will attract 1 point and all CW contacts will attract 2 points. There will be multipliers for all of the call areas that will be credited each 3 hour block.
Logging is always an interesting subject and as time marches on it would seem that N1MM is becoming the one stop shop for all of our VK contests along with many others. There is much information on configuring N1MM with the various custom UDC files that are available on the vk4sn.com web site. There is an Excel sheet that has been released that the contents can be cat and pasted into the vklogchecker site.
vklogchecker.com
It would also seem that VKCL can be used but the scoring will be incorrect and the cabrillo format isn't compatible natively but can be edited. It's important to get the format of the log correct, please if you have any issues reach out to the contest manager.
As there is no distance based scoring it is no longer required to exchange grid squares just the serial numbers beginning at 001 and incrementing per contact.
There are many sections to enter covering all of your favourite bands and modes, 6 hour section, 24 Hour section, single operator, multiple operator and these can be done either as a home station or a portable station.
Lets take this opportunity while the weather is still pretty good to get out and practice your portable operation. VK7 has had a great participation rate in this contest so let's try and get a few VK7's into some logs and burn some spiders from our radios.
Further information can be found at:
https://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/johnmoyle/
73, Richard, VK7ZBX
--------------------------------
Statewide SSTV Nights
A busy net night that saw the following participants, VK7s – TW, AX, ZAB, ZGK, ZCF and ZBX all sharing fifty photos.
The main themes were:
The equipment setup for a DATV station
The sixtieth anniversary of decimal currency and the advertising character Dollar Bill
Trains – Wee Gorgie at Tullah and the miniature railway at Evandale
Buses - A 1947 Flxible Clipper imported from Texas and a Greenline coach built in Australia by Ansair
For those interested there is a link in the text version https://flxibleclipperclub.com.au/wp/
People moving systems in the UK
Other highlights were:
Nicknames for co-workers and apprentice electricians
How strong do you like your coffee?
Camping without whisky
Whisky as a medical band-aid
An interesting use for business cards
A hard to understand medical condition
A common mode current test jig
A 3D printed whip antenna storage holder
A mobile antenna thread adaptor
A WSPR propagation map of 6 metres with Japan
And donâ€Öt tune up on my frequency
Again Tony VK7AX interconnected VK7RJG to his SSTV International Gateway and VK7s exchanged photos with PC1K in the Netherlands. Please remember to leave a 30 second break between transmissions to allow the European countries a chance to send photos.
Note - Ken VK7KRJâ€Ös and Steve VK7OOâ€Ös fully automatic 24/7 monitoring sites that allows anyone testing, to send a picture and the ability to check their transmission on these pages almost immediately, any time, both South and North Tasmania.
If you missed the net there are archives of these SSTV nights on Kenâ€Ös and Steveâ€Ös websites or on NTARCâ€Ös website under blogs.
https://vk7oo.tasme.com/vhfsstv/
https://sstv.vk7krj.com/scrolling%20web%20gallery.html
https://www.ntarc.net/blogs
https://www.qsl.net/vk7ax/sstvgate3/index.html
73 from Andreâ€Ö VK7ZAB
--------------------------------
WWFF, SOTA, POTA and IOTA Weekly Wrap Up
World Wide Flora and Fauna has released its 2025 marathon awards, with an impressive 3900 awards issued. Head over to the official WWFF website and search your callsign to see if there is any new wall worthy artwork ready to download.
A big shout out to Travis, VK7VXT, who logged his first CW SOTA contact as an activator this week while activating Herring Back Summit. That is a fantastic milestone and we look forward to hearing plenty more dits and dahs from Travis on future activations.
Hayden, VK7HH, headed to the east coast to activate a POTA 2fer, Bay of Fires Conservation Area and Swimcart Beach. A 2fer occurs when two POTA references can be activated at the same time, typically because one reference is located within the boundary of another. Hayden logged 23 contacts using an Icom IC-705 running 10 watts.
Jim, VK7JZ, has been busy once again with multiple activations during the week, including Mount Wellington Summit and Rodway Range Summit. These activations also activated Wellington Park Conservation Area and Mount Field National Park. While operating from Rodway Range Summit, Jim made his first ever JA CW contact while activating, followed by a small pile up of JA stations responding to his CQ. There was also a lighthearted moment on Mount Wellington Summit when, in the rain, Jim accidentally spotted himself on a VK3 summit mid activation. That quickly raised a few eyebrows among chasers wondering how he had travelled from VK7 to VK3 so quickly. The spot was promptly corrected. Across the two activations, Jim logged 39 contacts, 21 of them on CW.
Travis, VK7VXT, activated Collins Bonnet Summit and Herring Back Summit, making 18 contacts across the two outings. These activations bring his yearly total activations to seven so far.
Peter, VK7ZPE, and Al, VK7AN, activated from Trevallyn Nature Recreation Area and were rewarded with a nice run of contacts. Rumor has it a shiny new Yaesu rig made an appearance for the activation as well.
Itâ€Ös great to see so much activity around the state!
73, Matt, VK7MAT
--------------------------------
QSL News
Inwards QSL Bureau Information
The current updated list of QSL Cards held by the VK7 Inwards Bureau as at 13 February 2026 is in the email version of the Broadcast.
Do you see your callsign in the list below? Do you want these Cards? Please advise Herman either way by email so he can tidy up and remove cards that may be for Silent Keys or are unwanted and have been held for some time. Send Herman your QTH address so he can either mail them out (If enough Cards to make it cost effective) or deliver on an opportunity basis.
Email to westyh(at)ozemail.com.au
73 Herman VK7HW
Manager WIA VK7 Inwards QSL Bureau
--------------------------------
Sorted Cards held at 13 February 2026 ( Any errors in the listing are mine, I sometimes miss culling a call sign)
AA, AAA, AAC, AAD, AAH, AAP, AAR, AB, ACG, ACN, ADE, AED, AG(2014, 2016), AGC, AIJ, AIR, AJC, AKK, ALZ, ANC, AO, AP, APZ, AQ, AS, ATH, AXZ, AY
BA, BB, BBB, BD, BPV, BT, BU, BYE
C, CA, CBK, CBR, CC, CH/T, CJ, CK, CL, CMV, CTV, CV, CWB, CX
DAN, DBX, DHT, DI, DM, DN, DO, DQ, DR, DT, DV, DX, DZ
EG, EI, EM, ER
FAA, FADZ, FALX (alx), FAZZ, FCIA, FG, FGGT, FKLW, FLAR, FMI, FPRN, FRJG, FTAS, FTR
G, GA, GC, GEL, GGZ, GL, GOP, GR, GU, GZ
HCH, HDE, HDM, HDX, HL, HOB, HPD, HRS, HSA, HSE, HSJ, HSO, HVK, HZ
IAN, IK, IR, IS
JA, JAB, JAZ, JB, JCR, JOK, JP, JS, JW, JX
KAC, KAM, KBA, KD, KDO, KE, KJ, KKR, KL, KPB
LA, LDH, LJ, LL, LLL, LM, LT, LVH
M, MA, MAD, MAG, MBD, ME, MEL, MET, MI, MJ, MK, MS, MV
NB, NC, ND, NEC, NFI, NG, NIK, NJB, NRF, NRT, NRX, NSE, NSS, NTE, NVH
OB, OW
PAF, PBD, PDJ, PKJ, POL, PRN, PSH, PSJ, PSZ, PW
QK
RA, RB, RG, RW
SG(vi7SG), SIX, SN, SV, SW, SZ
T, TA, TCE, TED, TK, TM, TO, TS, TUX, TX
UJ, UT
VA, VAC, VAO, VAZ, VDC, VEK, VH, VM, VR, VTM, VZ
WA, WC, WL, WO, WUU, W (VJ7W), WZ
XTC, XV, XX
Y, YN
ZA, ZJJ, ZK, ZM, ZT
Cards in the box at REAST 0n 28/1 - AZ, HVK, ID, MAT, MRS, OO, STO
--------------------------------
NEWS FROM THE NORTH WEST
North West Tasmanian Amateur Radio Club
Silent Key Memorial BBQ
Before the NWTARC AGM on the 14th February we will be holding a memoriam Barby for club members who have passed away. Kevin VK7KEV who passed away January 2025 , Shirley VK7HSC who passed away April 2025 and Anne VK7BYL who passed away July 2025. It will commence at 10am and the Leven Districts Scout Hall, 73 Alexandra Road, Ulverstone.
The club will be supplying the barby meats, salads, soft drinks and the barbys, you just need to turn up.
Shirley and Anne were big fans of barbys whether with friends or at the club, so we thought this would be an appropriate send off.
All Tasmanian amateurs are invited to attend, as they had amateur friends all over Tasmania.
Attendees can if they wish, attend the AGM and General meeting, or leave after the barby
To ensure we have sufficient for all, could you RSVP to email - nwtarcinc(at)gmail.com by Sunday the 8th of February so we can order the necessary supplies.
--------------------------------
NWTARC Inc. Annual General meeting
The Annual General Meeting of NWTARC will take place at 1.30pm on Saturday 14 February 2026 at our usual venue, the Scout Hall, 73 Alexandra Road, Ulverstone.
The ordinary business of an annual general meeting will be to confirm the minutes of the last preceding annual general meeting.
To receive from the committee, auditor, employees and other persons acting on behalf of the Association, reports on the transactions of the Association during the last preceding financial year of the Association.
To elect the officers of the Association and the ordinary committee members.
To appoint the auditor and determine his or her remuneration.
To determine the remuneration of employees and other persons acting on behalf of the Association.
To appoint the Public Officer either from the committee or general membership.
All current office holder, committee, auditor and the Public Officer positions fall vacant at the AGM.
Nominations for each office bearer and the Committee members are invited, and should be made in writing to the Secretary, and delivered to the Secretary, at least 10 days before the day on which the annual general meeting is to be held.
The nomination is to be on the NWTARC nomination form, along with the signatures of the Nominator, Seconder and that of the member nominated.
Appointments will also be required for the positions of Auditor and Public Officer.
Members will need to have paid their 2026 membership subscription to be able to vote at the Annual General meeting,. And they will need to have paid their 2026 membership before they can be nominated or nominate or second someone for office, as only financial members can nominate or be nominated
The AGM will be followed by the February General meeting, after which afternoon tea will also be held, and members are encouraged to bring items for show & tell, and club rooms are open until 6pm for members to socialise.
A small plate of afternoon tea would be appreciated, and we have single packaged Tea, Coffee and Sugar and disposable cups for members and guests. Visitors are most welcome to attend.
Retired Broadcast Engineer VK7JAI Terry plans to do a show and tell on his time in the Army Radio Corp , complemented with photos maps and maybe some of his army radios
If you have any cold or flu symptoms, or are unwell, then please do not attend the meeting.
73, Eric VK7EV, News Officer
NWTARC
--------------------------------
New NW Amateurs
Saturday the 31st January, Club Learning organiser Brenton VK7HP, Held a refresher class for two people. After the class, Club Assessor Andrew VK7XR conducted ACMA Exams, and one amateur Jake passed his Standard exam, and now has the callsign VK7PYP, the other participant Tawny passed her Foundation, and is awaiting a callsign allocation
-------------------------------
Dragon Boat Racing Safety comms
The event is called the Nipples on Ripples Regatta.
On Saturday the 7th February, the Club provided safety comms for the Dragon Boat racing, for Breast Cancer Survivors on Lake Barrington.
Club members Brenton VK7HP, Eric VK7EV, Andrew VK7XR and Rob VK7ARG, were assisted by NTARC members Stefan VK7ZSB and Andre VK7ZAB.
Radio Comms were located on the Start Boat, Rescue Boat, Marshalling, Control, boat loading and finish.
We had a cracker of a day 28 degrees, and not much wind and clear skies.
Dragon Boat crews came from Montrose, North Esk, Devonport, Hobart and also Docklands, Geelong, Melbourne, Bendigo, Mackay and Bribie Island.
The day ran smoothly and we had a great time, with the organising committee feeding and watering the amateurs.
Around midday, the flowers on the water ceremony was held. In the ceremony, survivors of breast cancer boarded 5 of the colourful dragon boats, and they raft together in a memorial service remembering those that had passed away and frangipani flowers were scattered across the lake by those in the boats with a period of silence being observed. A very moving ceremony.
All programmed events were able to be run, and a big thank you to the amateurs involved giving up their Saturday, to assist this wonderful organisation.
We will post pictures and video of the event on the VK7 Amateur Radio FaceBook Page.
73, Eric, VK7EV
News Officer, NWTARC
--------------------------------
NEWS FROM THE NORTH
SOTA/WWFF PARKS GROUP
The Summits On The Air/World Wide Flora and Fauna parks group meets twice weekly – Mondays and Fridays 10.30AM till 12.00 at the Glebe Gardens Cafe, Henry Street, Launceston.
For more information contact Al on 0417 354 410.
73, Al, VK7AN
--------------------------------
Northern Tasmanian Amateur Radio Club Incorporated
www.ntarc.net
So what were you doing yesterday……. But sixty years ago?
Can you remember waking up on the 14th February 1966 to a brand-new currency, assuming you were in Australia? Pounds, shillings and pence to dollars and cents, I am not sure about the effect on amateur radio equipment prices, but the one thing I remember was I didn't get as many Musk Sticks as I thought I should have for one cent! A small moment in history - but a big one for the nation.
Last clubroom Tech night, Lionel VK7ZLB, continued the NTARCâ€Ös tradition of “Test and Measurement” with a presentation on: “The unseen variations between Radio Frequency connectors and adaptors.”
RF connectors may look the same or similar, but testing quickly reveals how differently they may behave, especially at higher frequencies. Key measurements include return loss, insertion loss, impedance stability, and mechanical repeatability. Precision connectors such as N‑type and SMA are designed to maintain a consistent 50‑ohm impedance and low VSWR across wide bandwidths. Time‑domain reflectometry exposes discontinuities, while vector network analysis quantifies performance under real RF load. So even though they may “visually” look the same, as evident from Lionelâ€Ös selection of samples on the table, connector choice directly affects system efficiency, noise performance, and overall signal integrity in RF equipment.
The demonstrations took place on a pair of SYSJOINT, Handheld Network Vector Analysers, one a SV4401A and the other a SV6301A, usable to 4.4 GHz and 6.3 GHz respectively. Lionel conducted testing up to 3 GHz.
Any mismatch that may be caused by wonky or misaligned geometry, dielectric variation, or poor assembly can introduce reflections that appear as bumps in return‑loss plots and Smith Charts.
Precision or industry sourced connectors seem to maintain a stable 50‑ohm profile, but cheaper online sourced types were showing impedance ripple that limits wideband operation. As frequency rises, even minor deviations become electrically significant.
Lionel also connected up a drum of co-axial cable with the far end left open circuit. This is effectively a plot of all the impedances from short to open circuit as you cycle through the wavelength multiples. The circular display closes in as the frequency increases and the attenuation becomes dominant over time.
Have a look at the resulting Smith Chart plot on the NTARC website under Blogs for this broadcast.
Hopefully this demonstration will be returned to, once we can effectively show the instrument displays, plots and charts on the club room main display monitor.
Now for something unexpected from Lionelâ€Ös test equipment. The signal generator side of his VNA, when switched off, continues to sweep the band but at full output level regardless of previous attenuation setting. i.e. maximum level! Not ideal if you happen to be connected to the input of sensitive equipment or a power amplifier with an antenna. Lionel has loaded the latest firm-ware revision, but still has the same problem. Heâ€Ös already been in touch with the distributor, and itâ€Ös starting to look like this may be an ongoing problem rather than a one‑off glitch.
UPCOMING EVENTS
On Air Test and Technical Net session - Every Wednesday night, Test-Net and CW course on 3.580 MHz from 7 pm, then a Technical Net on 3.567 MHz from 7.30 pm till 8.30 pm. Your host for the evening is Nic, VK7WW.
Club Room Technical night - The next session will be Wednesday the 18th February and will commence at the usual time of 6.30 pm at the Club Room Archer Street, Rocherlea.
Coffee Morning - Held every Friday in the NTARC Club rooms. Time is from 10 am to noon.
Finally - If you have any items of news please email them to the Secretary at the following address news(at)ntarc.net all items to be received no later than 5 pm on the Friday prior to the Broadcast.
73 from Stefan, VK7ZSB, Secretary NTARC Inc.
--------------------------------
NEWS FROM THE SOUTH
Radio and Electronics Association of Southern Tasmania
https://www.reast.asn.au/
https://www.facebook.com/reasttas/
https://www.youtube.com/reasthobart/
February Forum Night - WSPR Propagation Tool and Dataset
https://www.youtube.com/live/FGi3x_cKJD0
We started the night with a warning of serious atmospheric physics and science being undertaken with amateur radio datasets..HIHI!
We had a quick intro of Dr. Andrew Klekociuk who has been using the WSPR Dataset back to 2008 for research into some interesting propagation phenomenon.
Andrew looked at large solar X-ray flares and the flare effects being stronger at higher solar zenith angles and their influence on higher frequencies.
We then looked at the statistics on Sporadic-E and the wind shear and temperatures being the controls and the high latitude propagation modes.
Andrew then outlined the human factors at play with WSPR stats, the auroral zone and that these zones are less lossy than first thought. There was a slide on solar proton events blacking out comms on the poles and finished off with some other matters to consider along with reverse engineering the Hepburn charts used for tropospheric propagation prediction.
https://wspr.rocks/propagation
https://hamsci.org
https://www.dxinfocentre.com/
https://dd.weather.gc.ca/
We then went into an extensive sharing and question and answer session.
A huge thank you to Dr Andrew Klekociuk and all who took part in the forum night and the video of the night is available on the REAST Youtube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/live/FGi3x_cKJD0
73, Justin, VK7TW
â€ö-----------------
As a follow-up to the forum night there were some interesting long distance 6m WSPR contacts made over the 10/11 February between JH1GYE and VK7 and ZL3. VK7s ZAB, TW , DC and DIK all made WSPR contacts with Izumi and the longest contact being with ZL3TK @ 9512km and longest VK7 was 7TW with 8783km.
â€ö-----------------
Phil VK7JJ who is the author of the WSPR.rocks WSPR Analysis website contacted the VK7 AR News Team letting them know that he has added a WSPR VHF+ page to the website.
https://wspr.rocks/wsprmap/
Under the menu is now a VHF+ option. Put in your 6 figure maidenhead locator and the clickable hours ribbon tracks earth tilt with local daylight and greyline based on the locator provided. Thanks Phil.
--------------------------------
February 2026 - Annual General Meeting
https://www.reast.asn.au/event/2026-annual-general-meeting-and-bbq/
Today is the Annual General Meeting of the Radio and Electronics Association of Southern Tasmania Inc. from 11am in the Queens Domain clubrooms. The AGM will be followed by a free BBQ for members.
The ordinary business of the annual general meeting is to be as follows:
to confirm the minutes of the last preceding annual general meeting and of any general meeting held since that meeting;
to receive from the committee, auditor and servants of the Association reports on the transactions of the Association during the last preceding financial year;
to elect the officers of the Association and the ordinary committee members;
special resolution to vote on to amend the REAST Rules;
to appoint the auditor;
All AGM documentation was distributed to members earlier in the week - please bring them along with you.
https://www.reast.asn.au/event/2026-annual-general-meeting-and-bbq/
REAST Committee.
--------------------------------
Wednesday Experimenterâ€Ös Group (WEGs)
This Wednesday night we kick off our WEGs night for February with and update to the K3NG Keyer now with a keyboard and 12 memories - very handy! - a OZ1JHM Goertzal Algorithm Decoder, a look inside the evolution of hard disks drives from 8”, 5.25” 3.5” 2.5”, PCMCIA, etc and much more.
Wednesday evenings kick off early, with members drifting in from about 6pm, many armed with takeaway containers or home-cooked dinners they fully intend to eat while pretending to discuss RF propagation.
The DATV Studio broadcast begins at 7:30pm and goes out live on the REAST YouTube Channel. Around it unfolds the usual controlled chaos: lively debate, hands-on experimenting, gear tinkering, coffee consumption at industrial scale, the hatching of elaborate “cunning plans,” and the kind of wide-ranging amateur radio mischief and global problem-solving that somehow only ever truly makes sense inside the clubrooms.
https://www.reast.asn.au/news-events/live-stream/
https://www.reast.asn.au/special-interest-groups/amateur-tv/
https://www.youtube.com/c/ReastHobart/
Please note we are currently not broadcasting on DVB-T RF.
See you there or on the stream.
73, Justin, VK7TW
--------------------------------
March Presentation Night
Meshcore Communications Platform
https://www.reast.asn.au/event/march-presentation-meshcore-communications-platform/
Heath VK3TWO/VK6TWO will be taking us on a tour of Meshcore.
Remember Packet Radio in the 80â€Ös well Meshcore is a modern equivalent on the 900MHz ISM band so, you donâ€Öt have to be a licenced amateur.
MeshCore is developed by HAMâ€Ös, but available to all and is a decentralised text-based communications platform. It is designed to run on commodity, affordable development boards and uses LoRa radios to create a meshed network.
MeshCore works well over long distances and sub-optimal RF conditions due to the underlying LoRa radios. It uses flea power and has a small physical footprint. It is ideal for out-of-band communications that donâ€Öt rely on traditional telecommunications or electrical infrastructure to support it. Great for the Preppers out there!
Messages are sent from a Companion device, which are then relayed through Repeaters to reach the destination node. Guess what – there are even Bulletin Boards (BBSâ€Ö) out there…LOL!
Many of the Meshcore repeaters are stand alone solar powered so, look Mum no internet required – when all else fails the Meshcore nodes (like the cockroaches) will survive!
Oh and for those hard-core packet radio users – you can run APRS over LORA on Meshcore!
There are many different meshcore setups available and prolific documentation so, Heath will be decoding where and what information is available.
https://wiki.meshcoreaus.org/
https://www.reast.asn.au/event/march-presentation-meshcore-communications-platform/
73, REAST Committee
--------------------------------
March Forum Night – 2m/70cm Transceiver Testing
https://www.reast.asn.au/event/march-forum-night-2m-70cm-transceiver-testing/
This forum night will be a little different – we will have some HP & IFR Communication Service Monitors and Power Supplies available for testing your 2m/70cm radios and Allstar/DMR nodes.
We are looking to cover the following tests (these may be subject to change) - Frequency, Power output, Deviation, SINAD, distortion, Receiver sensitivity, DTMF Level (if available) and Audio level. Have a suggestion for some other tests – let us know.
Due to time constraints – we will only be testing and letting you know where things might need some attention and it is the responsibility of the owner to make these adjustments.
We hope to see you along with your radios.
https://www.reast.asn.au/event/march-forum-night-2m-70cm-transceiver-testing/
73, REAST Committee
--------------------------------
REAST Training and Assessment Update
https://www.reast.asn.au/information/amateur-licence-assessments/
Are you looking to join the world of amateur radio or upgrade your license? REAST has you covered with regular Training and Assessment Days for all license levels!
Key Dates:
Foundation Training and Assessment Days: Held every two months with the next one is next Saturday the 21st February 2026.
Standard, Advanced, and Regulations Assessments: Held on alternate months, next is on 28th March 2026.
Check out the full schedule on the REAST Events Page.
https://www.reast.asn.au/news-events/upcoming-events/
Do you need to secure your spot or ask a question - email: reast.assessor(at)gmail.com and your inquiry will go directly to the Learning Organiser, who be in contact.
We have learning resources available including our Foundation Licence Training Videos that are a must-watch for beginners. Find them on the REAST YouTube Training and Assessment Playlist.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsnsP_zjw831mdC6sY4XqavRUY-53ZWUn
Practice Makes Perfect so, prepare with the WIA Foundation Trial Exams and the link can be found on the email edition of the broadcast.
https://www.wia.org.au/licenses/foundation/onlineexams/foundation.php
Whether you're starting your journey or leveling up, REAST is here to guide you every step of the way.
73, Reg, VK7KK
--------------------------------
Regular VK7 gatherings and events over the coming months:
VK7 Regular gatherings:
Sewing Circle Net – Daily on 3.640MHz commences at 6:30pm AEST.
Statewide SSTV Net - held every Thursday night via the North/South Link on VK7RAF/VK7RJG from 7:30pm. In the North and North West - VK7RJG on 438.55 -7MHz and in the South - VK7RAF (146.650 -600kHz) CTCSS tone 141.3Hz to link RAF North-South. Plus VK7AX International SSTV Gateway connected to VK7RJG for the duration of the net.
State-wide – MICROWAVE QSO Party – following the Sunday broadcast call-back on 1296.15 MHz FM. One group in the greater Hobart area and another in the greater Launceston area.
Then North-south digital contacts on 1296.2MHz using Q65-60B.
Stations in the Launceston area transmitting on the odd minute. Southern stations on the even minute.
REAST - 6m AM Net on 53.1MHz Everyday from 4:30pm
SOTA/WWFF Group – Meeting Mondays and Fridays 10.30-12.00 midday at Glebe Gardens Cafe, Henry St, Launceston.
NTARC TestNet and TechNet session - Every Wednesday, TestNet/CW course on 3.580MHz from 7 pm, then a TechNet on 3.567MHz from 7.30 pm till 8.30 pm. Your host for the evening is Nic VK7WW.
NTARC Technical night session - Wednesday 18th February from 6.30 pm at the Club Room Archer Street, Rocherlea.
NTARC Coffee Mornings are held every Friday in the NTARC Club rooms. Time is from 10am to noon in the Rocherlea Clubrooms.
NW VK7 – Wednesday from 8:00pm local – NW Tassie Amateur Repeater Group Net on 2M VK7RMD and Allstar Node 56780
NW VK7 - Thursday commencing at 8:30pm local - N.W. Tassie 2m DX Net 144.190 USB
VK7 Events:
NWTARC - 14 February - Silent Key Memorial BBQ - Scout Hall, 73 Alexandra Road, Ulverstone from 10am.
NWTARC - 14 February - Annual General Meeting from 1.30pm followed by general meeting in Scout Hall, 73 Alexandra Road, Ulverstone.
REAST - 15 February - Annual General Meeting and BBQ from 11 AM AGM and 12 noon BBQ - Queens Domain Clubrooms.
REAST - 4 March - Presentation - Meshcore Communications Platform with Heath VK3TWO in the clubrooms and streamed
REAST - 11 March - Forum night - 2m/70cm Transceiver Testing in the clubrooms.
--------------------------------
A reminder to those people rostered for next weekâ€Ös broadcast:
Newsreader: VK7PD
Repeaters: REAST, NTARC and in the NW thanks to NWTARC, WCRG, NWCRRA, VK7AX, VK7JH and VK7DC
160m: VK7GS
80m: VK7DG
40m: VK7ALH
20m: VK7TW
10m: VK7JGD
UHFCB24 & HFCB24: VK7FMAC
DMR: Talk Group 5 and D-Star Reflector 91C - Digital Group
2026 Roster -
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iTod4MGlJRjXxi2vuDrHngoytZebSMph/view?usp=drive_link
--------------------------------
A big thank you to everyone who contributed to and supported this weekâ€Ös broadcast of the VK7 Amateur Radio News.
Thatâ€Ös it for this week! If you missed the live transmission, remember you can always catch the rebroadcast Tuesday at 8:00pm on VK7RAA in the North, VK7RHT, and UHFCB24/HFCB24 in the South.
Got news, stories, or updates to share? Weâ€Öd love to hear from you! Send them to vk7arnews(at)gmail.com by Friday 9pm. You can also join the conversation on our VK7 Amateur Radio News Groups.io page.
groups.io/g/vk7arnews
Stay tuned now for callbacks on this frequency, with each relay station using their own callsign.
On behalf of the VK7 News Team, this is Nic, VK7WW, wishing you good DX, and a great week ahead!
--------------------------------------------------------------
(Posted to the packet network courtesy Tony VK7AX)
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
