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VK7AX > BCAST 24.05.26 04:34l 437 Lines 24212 Bytes #59 (0) @ WW
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VK7 Amateur Radio News 24May26
Text edition:
VK7 AMATEUR RADIO NEWS
SUNDAY 24th May 2026
Welcome to the VK7 Amateur Radio News for the 24th day of May 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 Justin, VK7TW 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
MF & HF relays:
476kHz - Trial transmission NW VK7 - Brenton VK7HP
1.860 MHz – Any Takers
3.670 MHz – Garry, VK7JGD
7.140 MHz – Dale, VK7DG
14.130 MHz – Ross, VK7ALH
28.525 MHz – Tony, VK7VKT
And locally in Hobart on UHF CB Ch.24 - Mark VK7FMAC and HFCB24 with Luke (no Callsign).
Missed it live? Catch the replay Tuesday 8pm on repeaters VK7RAA (North), VK7RHT, and on UHFCB24/HFCB24 (South).
Stay tuned, and enjoy the news!
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WIA News
2.3GHz Usage
As heard on the WIA news and various social media channels - the WIA is looking to gain an understanding of the usage of the 2300-2302MHz part of the 13cm band within Australia. If you are an amateur radio operator who currently uses this band or are looking to use this band, can you please let us know the following information:
What amateur services are you currently operating in the 2300 – 2302 MHz band and an idea of the typical configuration details
Locations or geographic areas where this spectrum is actively used
Please email Justin Giles-Clark VK7TW who leads the WIA Spectrum Strategy Committee at email justingc(at)ozemail.com.au by the end of May.
Thanks 73,
Justin, VK7TW
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Tassie Ham-E-Con Radio Conference
Bookings are OPEN!!
The theme for Tassie Ham-E-Con 2026 is Hack the Ether: Education, Ingenuity, Connection â€ö a nod to the experimental DNA of amateur radio, where learning meets invention and curiosity drives everything forward.
This yearâ€Ös conference is all about moving beyond nostalgia and building what comes next. It brings together amateurs, experimenters, educators and storytellers for a fully catered weekend of practical learning, creative collaboration and ideas that actually go somewhere.
The program is built around four key streams: Hack the Mind exploring education and learning futures… Hack the System diving into ingenuity and experimentation… Hack the Culture focused on engagement and connection… and Hack the Future, tackling leadership and purpose. The preliminary program is online and bookings ARE OPEN.
It all happens Saturday the 7th and Sunday the 8th of November 2026 at the Sir Stanley Burbury Theatre at UTAS Sandy Bay, with pre and post-conference events in the works. Keep an eye on the conference website as more details roll out.
https://www.reast.asn.au/news-events/tassie-ham-radio-conference/
73, Conference Organising Group.
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WWFF, SOTA, POTA, LLOTA and IOTA Weekly Wrap Up
POTA mapping representatives have begun adding Water Management Areas as activatable references across VK. A Water Management Area is defined as a lake, reservoir, or dam managed by local, state, or federal government authorities.
The activation zone for a Water Management Area includes the terrestrial perimeter at 100% water capacity, along with associated infrastructure such as dam walls, surrounding grasslands, and car parks.
VK7 is fortunate to have an abundance of lakes, reservoirs, and dams, many located in some truly spectacular areas. So far, 21 Water Management Area references have been added across the state. These initial references have been distributed across multiple regions to ensure most operators have access to one within reasonable distance of their QTH.
More references will be added over the coming months. If you know of a lake, reservoir, or dam that fits the criteria and should be added, and your patience level for seeing it added is lower than your SWR, send Matt, VK7MAT, an email with the details.
Only one activation to report this past week, with Hayden, VK7HH, heading out to activate Mount Arthur, a summit standing 1188 metres high near Launceston. Operating on 146.500 MHz FM, Hayden successfully made five contacts from the summit.
Thatâ€Ös a wrap for this week. Hope to catch you on the air soon!
73, Matt, VK7MAT
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Statewide SSTV Nights
A quiet net night that saw the following participants, VK7s – AX, EV, ZAB, OO and ZIR, all sharing forty photos.
The main themes were:
Cute pets
Bridges and yachts
Radio checkpoints, base setup and a glorious sunset at the recent Bakers Beach horse ride event
Some horsing around and memories of the good old days
Other highlights were:
PA3EKIâ€Ös impressive radio shack
A Tassie Devil from the Netherlands
Wild Collingwood supporters
An old RF preamplifier from the Quoin Ridge monitoring station and a modern single chip equivalent
And instructions on how to open a glass door
Again Tony VK7AX interconnected VK7RJG to his SSTV International Gateway and VK7s exchanged photos with PA3EKI and PD0OKP 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
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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
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Northern Tasmanian Amateur Radio Club Incorporated
www.ntarc.net
Last technical night, following the REAST presentation, a few items still managed to make it in for a quick show-and-tell.
Colin, VK7ZCF, brought along a newly constructed dual‑band coaxial antenna he has been experimenting with. The design is based on a guide published by Frank Bremer, PA0FBK, for a 2 m / 70 cm antenna made entirely from RG‑58 coaxial cable. It states that “In principle, it is a variant of a J‑pole antenna and reportedly provides a good match to 50 Ω on both bands.”
Visually, the main element resembles a coaxial collinear, with every second braid section removed to form the radiating segments. A tuning stub, essentially a shorted length of coax shorted at the end, is also connected in parallel with the feed point to help achieve proper resonance. Colinâ€Ös finished antenna is approximately 1200 mm long, with the radiating section running up the 6 mm internal bore of a 10 mm fibreglass tube. Because the fibreglass rod was only available in 1 metre lengths, Colin 3D printed a joiner so he could add an extra section of tube. He also printed a base assembly to house the tuning stub and provide a mounting point for the SO‑239 RF connector. It will be interesting to see how Colinâ€Ös version of this unusual design performs once it is frequency swept for its performance.
Now hereâ€Ös one for the toolbox. Colin also brought along a set of three 120 mm long‑nose tweezers, available in straight, offset, and curved jaw styles. These are reverse-action tweezers often called cross-over spring tweezers, meaning you squeeze to open them and release to close and hold.
They feature robust stainless‑steel handles fitted with anti‑static, high‑temperature ceramic jaws. The jaws are screwed on, making them easy to replace when needed. This design also makes them ideal for holding some components during soldering, as the ceramic tips donâ€Öt wick heat away from the joint.
Theyâ€Öre very similar to the German‑made Knipex versions, but without the $100‑plus price tag per tweezer.
If you follow the Club Discord, you may have noticed a post in #building‑testing by Hayden, VK7HH. Over the past month he has been assembling a MeshCore repeater, and with the assistance of Nic, VK7NIC, the pair headed up Mt Arthur to install it on top of the old "Way-FM" wind‑turbine tower last weekend.
The repeater is now operational and with luck, this will mark the beginning of a North-South mesh link, early days but promising.
I encourage readers to watch the video Hayden posted on his Ham Radio DX YouTube channel. It provides an excellent look at what members physically endure when carrying out any kind of work on Mt Arthur in support of amateur radio. I understand there may also have been time for a SOTA activation and a few QSOs. Whether that was the main mission, the excuse, or simply a reward for the spectacular views is left to your imagination, hi‑hi.
Text version: Hayden and Nic up Mt. Arthur - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIIhBMTs4y0
While we are on the subject of MeshCore, letâ€Ös have an update on the happenings for the greater Launceston region, including some very interesting experimentation on the mainland.
With the latest software release, 1.15 there is a new pre-set of Australia Mid (medium) that addresses the limited range and minimises some of the LoRa interference issues. This may help locally as Launceston was an early adopter and is a heavy user of LoRaWAN IoT technology, therefore it is time to experiment again. After all thatâ€Ös what the hobby is all about. So in the coming weeks we will be trialling the various Australian pre-set bandwidth modes on some of the repeaters and companions. This will give a direct A-B comparison of the RF links using the same hardware.
After initial Test and Measurement, over the past few days, we have noted the following not insignificant differences:
An excellent increase in range for Narrow Band users and no loss of range for Wide band users
A tangible improvement in signal to noise ratio and random de-sensitisation
Also a much quicker "user feel" and faster messaging
Watch this space for further updates and if you are interested, check the links in the text version of this broadcast.
Text version:
Testing in NSW go to this link, https://zindello.com.au/well-that-was-something/
For an in-depth technical analysis go to this link, https://zindello.com.au/finding-the-sweet-spot-meshcore-lora-settings-in-the-australian-900mhz-band/
As usual pictures will be available on the NTARC Web site under “Blogs” for this broadcast.
https://www.ntarc.net/blogs
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 this Wednesday the 27th May 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@ntarc.net all items to be received no later than 5 pm on the Friday prior to the Broadcast.
Thatâ€Ös all folks,
73 from Stefan, VK7ZSB, Secretary NTARC Inc.
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NEWS FROM THE NORTH WEST
Sunday Broadcast to be transmitted on 476khz
Club member Brenton VK7HP, whose QTH is at Melrose in the North West. Has designed and manufactured a 476khz valve transmitter, The unit was tested during the week, and received in Ulverstone at Devonport quite strong, considering the two receiving stations, were using antennas whose lowest operating frequency is 80 metres.
This Sunday Brenton will trial transmitting the WIA broadcast on 476khz, so if you have the time or capability please listen in.
--------------------------------
North West Tasmania Amateur Radio Club Inc.
NWTARC Meeting
The next club meeting will be commencing at 1.30pm on Saturday 6th June 2026, at our usual venue, the Scout Hall, 73 Alexandra Road, Ulverstone. Afternoon tea will also be held.
Members are encouraged to bring items for show & tell, and club rooms are open till 6pm for members to socialise.
We have at least two members bringing along interesting items for show and tell at the meeting.
A small plate of afternoon tea would be appreciated and we have Tea, Coffee etc available for members and guests. Visitors are most welcome to attend.
If you have any cold or flu symptoms, or are unwell, or been in contact with a confirmed COVID case, then please do not attend the meeting.
73, Eric, VK7EV
News Officer, NWTARC 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/
June Presentation
Lets move further up the Electromagnetic Spectrum to light and ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY!
https://www.reast.asn.au/event/from-radio-waves-to-the-stars-an-evening-of-astrophotography/
Juneâ€Ös presentation night is set to lift our eyes well beyond the shack and into the cosmos, as Lisa VK7SGZ takes us on an inspiring tour through the art and science of astrophotography. Humans looked at the night sky and collectively decided “I should spend thousands of dollars photographing invisible gas clouds for six hours at a time.”
Lisa will share how she became involved in capturing deep-space objects including nebulae, galaxies and star clusters, and explain the equipment and techniques used to produce these extraordinary images. From telescopes, mounts and cameras through to image stacking, filters and software processing, the presentation will reveal what it really takes to transform faint signals from the night sky into breathtaking final photographs.
Many of the images involve multiple nights of patient data collection, careful calibration and detailed post-processing, blending technology, experimentation and persistence into spectacular results captured under Tasmaniaâ€Ös dark southern skies. Whether your interests are astronomy, radio, electronics, computing or simply the wonder of the universe, this will be a fascinating and visually stunning evening.
Wednesday June 3rd from 7:30pm at the Queenâ€Ös Domain Clubrooms and streamed online.
CU There.
https://www.reast.asn.au/event/from-radio-waves-to-the-stars-an-evening-of-astrophotography/
REAST Committee
--------------------------------
June Forum Night - DMR Codeplugs and Programming
https://www.reast.asn.au/event/june-forum-night-dmr-code-plugs-programming/
The June REAST Forum Night is diving into the world of DMR codeplugs, radio programming and hotspots on Wednesday the 10th of June from 7:30pm in the Queenâ€Ös Domain Clubrooms and streamed online.
If youâ€Öve ever stared at CPS software wondering why your radio suddenly talks to Kazakhstan but not the local repeater, this night is for you. Weâ€Öll take you through the fundamentals of DMR programming, explain what codeplugs actually are, how zones, talkgroups and channels fit together, and how to configure both radios and hotspots for practical everyday operation.
Whether you are completely new to DMR or looking to clean up and better understand your existing setup, this session will include practical demonstrations, programming tips, common mistakes and plenty of opportunities for questions and discussion. Bring along your radio, hotspot, laptop or just your curiosity. Everyone is welcome.
https://www.reast.asn.au/event/june-forum-night-dmr-code-plugs-programming/
73, REAST Committee
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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:
Standard, Advanced, and Regulations Assessments: Held on alternate months, next is on 30th May 2026.
Foundation Training and Assessment Days: Held every two months with the next one on Saturday the 27th June 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@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
--------------------------------
RF History News
WWII - TX/RX Leakage and Injection
RF Engineer Sariel Hodisan posted a fascinating WWII story - I was reminded today of one of the greatest RF stories of World War II because of leakage and injection locking phenomena I have been seeing on my RF power amplifier (Class E) board during lab testing.
During the Battle of the Atlantic, German U boats started getting destroyed at an alarming rate during night operations.
Submarines that once felt safe on the ocean surface suddenly found Allied aircraft appearing out of nowhere, illuminating them with searchlights and attacking before crews even understood what was happening.
The Germans responded with one of the earliest practical electronic warfare systems ever deployed at scale, a radar warning receiver called the Metox.
The idea was simple: listen for Allied radar transmissions, and dive immediately once radar energy is detected. For a while it worked beautifully. Then suddenly it stopped working. U boats began dying again, even while carrying active Metox receivers.
Aircraft were somehow still finding them in complete darkness. Panic spread through German command. Unknown to the Germans, the Allies had secretly deployed a revolutionary new microwave radar based on cavity magnetron technology.
The new centimetric radar operated at wavelengths the Metox simply could not detect. But here is where the RF legend begins.
The Germans became convinced that Allied aircraft were detecting leakage from the local oscillator inside the Metox receivers themselves. From an RF engineer perspective, this was not a crazy theory. Every superheterodyne receiver leaks a little. Local oscillators escape through shielding imperfections, traces, grounding paths, mixers, nonlinearities, and antenna coupling. Every receiver talks back, even when it is supposed to remain silent.
That is what made the story so psychologically devastating. The theory was technically believable. The Germans feared their own radar detector had become an RF beacon helping Allied bombers locate them across the Atlantic Ocean.
Eventually, use of the Metox was restricted and many submarines became electronically blind, while the real Allied secret, centimetric microwave radar, remained hidden.
Whether the leakage story was fully planted by British deception operations or partially generated by German paranoia is still debated by historians. RF systems are alive.
Transmitters radiate when they should not. Receivers leak when they should be silent.
Oscillators couple into places they were never intended to reach. Injection locking appears unexpectedly. Ground currents find hidden paths.
Physics never forgives arrogance. And sometimes the most dangerous signal in a system is the one you never intended to transmit.
Most people think World War II was fought with bullets and steel. RF engineers know better.
It was also fought with magnetrons, waveguides, mixers, antennas, superheterodynes, cavity resonators, propagation, and spectrum awareness.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sariel-hodisan_i-was-reminded-today-of-one-of-the-greatest-share-7462080682538917888-S4G6
Written by Sariel Hodisan and sourced from the Linked-in Website
--------------------------------
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 27th May 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:
REAST - 3 June - Astrophotography with Lisa VK7SGZ - Queens Domain Clubrooms from 7:30pm and Streamed
NWTARC - 6 June - Club Meeting from 1.30pm in the Scout Hall, 73 Alexandra Road, Ulverstone
REAST - 10 June - Forum Night - DMR Programming - Queens Domain Clubrooms from 7:30pm and Streamed
VK - 7-8 Nov - Tassie Ham-E-Con Amateur Radio Conference - UTAS Sandy Bay
--------------------------------
A reminder to those people rostered for next weekâ€Ös broadcast:
Newsreader: VK7ZIR
Repeaters: REAST, NTARC and in the NW thanks to NWTARC, WCRG, NWCRRA, VK7AX, VK7JH and VK7DC
160m: VK7GS
80m: VK7ALH
40m: VK7JGD
20m: VK7TW
10m: VK7DG
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 Justin, VK7TW, wishing you good DX, and a great week ahead!
--------------------------------------------------------------
(Posted to the packet network courtesy Tony VK7AX)
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