Message:23319 In: BCAST.WW
From: VK7AXDate: Sun, 31 May 26 01:38:00 Z
Newsgroups: BCAST.WW
Subject: VK7 Amateur Radio News 31May26
Message-ID: <12334_VK7AX>
Path: N2MH4|DK0WUE|PI8LAP|VE2PKT|VK3AT|VK7AX
R:260531/0207Z 31811@N2MH4.#SENC.NC.USA.NOAM LinBPQ6.0.24
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R:260531/0145Z @:PI8LAP.#ZLD.NLD.EURO [Kortgene] #:8044 XrLin505c
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R:260531/0143Z 26383@VK3AT.#MEL.VIC.AUS.OC LinBPQ6.0.24
R:260531/0138Z 12334@VK7AX.#ULV.TAS.AUS.AUNZ LinBPQ6.0.24
VK7 Amateur Radio News 31May26
Text edition:
VK7 AMATEUR RADIO NEWS
SUNDAY 31st May 2026
Welcome to the VK7 Amateur Radio News for the 31st day of May 2026, your gateway to what’s happening across the airwaves in Tasmania and beyond.
Coming to you from the Tasmanian Amateur Radio News Desk is Peter, VK7PD with the latest updates, stories, and insights from our amateur radio community.
We’re 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 – Graham, VK7GS
3.670 MHz – Ross, VK7ALH
7.140 MHz – Garry, VK7JGD
14.130 MHz – Justin, VK7TW
28.525 MHz – Dale, VK7DG
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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RAOTC
June Broadcast
Further to that mentioned on the WIA National News, this is another reminder about the RAOTC broadcast for Monday the 1st of June 2026 at 8 pm local time; that’s tomorrow night for those listening on Sunday.
This broadcast includes a special tribute to 2 highly esteemed amateurs: Bill Roper VK3BR and Jim Gordon VK3ZKK for their services to RAOTC and across a wide range of contributions to amateur radio in general.
The technical article about the Liddell Grid Scale Battery mentioned in the national bulletin has been held over until July due to time constraints.
However, the promised story about the ‘War of the Currents’ went ahead. Clive Wallace VK6CSW took up the story: Two prominent names were Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse, the latter being closely followed by Nicola Tesla.
Ways of dealing with voltage drop on long lines was always a problem; the hazards of electric shock from AC was another. The story goes on to detail how supporters of DC publicly executed a range of animals including a human with AC. A story not for the faint-hearted!
Listen at 8 pm Monday, local time, over the VK7RAA/VK7RHT state-wide network or at about 8:30pm as a telecast on VK7AX ‘Spectrum Tasmania’ via the BATC members’ stream or in the Ulverstone area on 445.50MHz DATV. Audio feed is available on VK7RDR, 439.775MHz, Dazzler Range.
The broadcast date again is Monday June 1st. Call backs will follow. Please call in if you are able; this provides the RAOTC broadcast committee with an idea of how many are listening to these broadcasts.
If you miss the off-air broadcasts you can listen to audio files on the RAOTC website:
https://www.raotc.org.au/
73, Peter VK7PD
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WIA Content News
VHF/UHF Field day
Well, the days are getting shorter and the temperatures heading downwards (well they are in VK7) so it's time for us all to dust off the VHF and above gear for a bit of an airing. This year is the weekend of June 20th -21st from 01:00 UTC on the Saturday through to 00:59 UTC on the Sunday.(0300 / 0259 in VK6) so pretty much 48 Hours so lots of opportunity to jump on and exchange some numbers.
This is the contest where distance DOES matter so make sure you look up your operation location maidenhead square to 6 digits to exchange with the other operators.
The contest rules outline the logging requirements. You can use the very popular VKCL or the alternative N1MM Logger +. Both these are available from links on the WIA contest page. The logs created by VKCL will need to be converted to Cabrillo 3 before being submitted. Download links are available in the email version of this broadcast.
Download N1MM Logger+ here: https://n1mmwp.hamdocs.com/
Download VKCL 4.15 here: https://www.vk4sn.com/Contests/Contesting
There are many categories available to participate in. If staying home is your preference then that's fine, come on and make some contacts with the hard nuts that pack up their gear and head for the hills and go portable.
Here in VK7 there will be the usual frequencies and modes where you will be sure to find many people laying in wait for a contact. On FM try 52.525, 146.5, 439, 1296.15, 2403.15, 3398.15, 5760
.15 and 10.368.15. There will be also many people lurking on 50.15, 144.15, 432.15 USB looking for contacts.
Here in VK7 there are over 50 people with 23cm equipment and many others with the higher bands so lets see how many people we can get together over the weekend to make some contacts.
Hope to see you in the log.
73, Richard, VK7ZBX
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Tassie Ham-E-Con Radio Conference
Bookings are OPEN!!
The countdown is on for Tassie Ham-E-Con 2026, and bookings are officially open. This year's theme, Hack the Ether: Education, Ingenuity, Connection, captures the spirit of amateur radio at its best, where experimentation, innovation and lifelong learning come together. Humans have spent more than a century finding increasingly creative ways to throw signals through the air. This conference celebrates that tradition while looking firmly toward the future.
Join amateurs, makers, educators, communicators and technical explorers from across Australia and the world for a fully catered weekend. The conference program is built around four major streams: Hack the Mind exploring education and learning futures, Hack the System showcasing ingenuity and experimentation, Hack the Culture focusing on community engagement and connection, and Hack the Future examining leadership, purpose and where amateur radio goes next.
Tassie Ham-E-Con 2026 takes place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November 2026 at the iconic Sir Stanley Burbury Theatre on the UTAS Sandy Bay campus. Pre-conference and post-conference activities have also been planned, making it a full weekend of radio, learning and networking. The preliminary program is now available and registrations are open via the conference website: https://www.reast.asn.au/news-events/tassie-ham-radio-conference/
73 from the Conference Organising Group.
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WWFF, SOTA, POTA, LLOTA and IOTA Weekly Wrap Up
Another great week for VK7 activators, with first-time POTA activations and successful outings to newly added POTA Water Management Areas.
The recent bulk upload of references to the new Lakes and Lagoons On The Air (LLOTA) program has now been reviewed, resulting in a significant reduction in the number of references across VK. The initial 829 references in VK7 have been refined down to just 37 qualifying references across the state. If you know of a lake or lagoon that meets the LLOTA criteria and would like to see it added to the VK7 map, please send the details to Dave, VK6DS.
For those of you using the Ham2K PoLo logging app, LLOTA has now been added. To enable LLOTA logging, open Settings, select App Features, then under Location-Based Activities, enable LLOTA by moving the slider to the right. If you're not already using Ham2K PoLo, I highly recommend giving it a try. It streamlines the logging process, making it quick and easy to record contacts, manage your logs, and upload your activations.
A big shout-out goes to Lisa, VK7SGZ, and Bruce, VK7SKY, who completed their very first POTA activation over the weekend. Lisa and Bruce headed to Mount Field National Park and called CQ on 40 metres, making 15 contacts during the activation, more than enough to qualify the reference. Well done, Lisa and Bruce, there'll be no stopping you now!
Matt, VK7MAT, visited one of the newly added POTA Water Management Areas, Curries River Reservoir, located not far from George Town. Operating with a Yaesu FT-891 and an EFHW antenna, running 80 watts, Matt logged 123 SSB contacts, including 22 different DXCC entities and a SOTA summit in Italy.
The Wednesday crew, Rodney, VK7HAM, Al, VK7AN, and Peter, VK7ZPE, also ventured out to one of the newly added POTA Water Management Areas, Lake Trevallyn, located approximately 5 km west of the Launceston CBD. They were spotted calling CQ on 40 metres.
It's fantastic to see some first-time activators getting on the air this week. If you've never activated a park or summit before, I encourage you to head out, set up a station, and give it a go. You might just find your next favourite amateur radio activity.
73, Matt, VK7MAT
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Statewide SSTV Nights
A busy net night that saw the following participants, VK7s – AX, PAK, ZAB, EV and TW, all sharing fifty photos.
The main themes were:
The town of Stanley and the Nut at Stanley
Murals at Launceston Royal Park
Tasmanian Lighthouses
Radio operators calling CQ
Radio checkpoints at the recent Sassafras and Bakers Beach horse rides
Trams and sports cars
Other highlights were:
A Hewlett Packard 5245L electronic Counter with Nixie tube display and pre-scaler that was presented on the resent REAST’s WEGs
The new word of the day ”Pistified”
The Icebreaker Nuyina after getting fuel in Burnie
Keeping in touch with love ones after your death
The start of the week is a real killer
And 73 from a sleeping puppy
Again Tony VK7AX interconnected VK7RJG to his SSTV International Gateway and VK7s exchanged photos with PD0OK, PC1K, PA3MHV in the Netherlands and DJ0ZK in Germany. Please remember to leave a 30 second break between transmissions to allow the European countries a chance to send photos.
Note - Ken VK7KRJ’s and Steve VK7OO’s 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 Ken’s and Steve’s websites or on NTARC’s 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 Andre’ 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
The first item is a quick update for NTARC. We are providing safety communications and rider tracking at an Equine Endurance ride held at Springfield this weekend.
Springfield rides are not new to us, but this year, Ride Base has been moved to a new un-proven location. As it is Friday when I pen this, earlier today we went out on site to reconfirm all locations and access. So when you hear this broadcast we all hope that yesterday was better weather than Friday, and that things went smoothly, with no technical problems and no rider or horse incidents.
No electronic tracking will be deployed so everything will rely on 2 Metre voice communications, and good old paper. It is intended for all the communications contingency to have arrived by 6 am Saturday morning and headed out to the checkpoints for the start of the 80 kilometre event at 6:30 am.
Thanks to all for the assistance given, especially to two REAST members that hopefully travelled up from Hobart on Friday. If the heavens did open up, as predicted, and we all do get wet…. as they say “it’s only water!”
Many of us can remember the many Heathkit HF and 6 meter radios and transceivers that were once manufactured and available. But how many remember the PS-23 work horse power supply?
At our recent clubroom technical night, Ross VK7ALH brought along not one but three PS-23 units, a first release and a version B and C. Although marketed as the same model and identical externally, once Ross had whipped the covers off, a look inside showed subtle physical and circuit differences.
Introduced in the 1960s and produced right through to the early 1980s it was a Heathkit work-horse. Two of the units Ross had were even “as new”, and still in original boxes, a rare sight six decades on. They certainly were not cheap units to purchase and we definitely won’t mention when you add freight from America for three beefy iron cored transformers, however they were needed and have completed a couple of transceiver pairs.
The transceiver and power-supply are interconnected via a cord fitted with a valve base circular type 11-pin connector. The connector delivers: 12.6 V AC for filaments, negative 130 V DC bias, 275 or 350 V DC high voltage, and even a higher 820 V DC. They could also be strapped for 110 or 240 V AC, making them suitable for operators around the world. All up they are a reminder of the rugged engineering of the valve era, it was built to last and still repairable now days. Thanks Ross
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 Wednesday the 10th June 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.
73 from Stefan, VK7ZSB, Secretary NTARC Inc.
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NEWS FROM THE NORTH WEST
North West Tasmania Amateur Radio Club Inc.
On the 13th June 2026 , Club Learning Organizer Brenton VK7HP and ACMA Assessor Andrew VK7XR, will be conducting licence assessments for some Scouts personnel, and a member’s licence upgrade in Ulverstone.
If you would like to participate, in either an upgrade or sit an initial amateur licence exam , please advise the club via nwtarcinc@gmail.com ASAP, as Brenton and Andrew will need to acquire the necessary exams etc and they can supply you with learning material.
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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.
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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/
Happy 100th Birthday NZART!
From all of us at REAST, we'd like to wish the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters a very happy 100th birthday.
For a century, NZART has supported amateur radio operators across New Zealand through education, advocacy, technical innovation, friendship and community service. That's no small achievement.
We'd also like to give a special shout-out to our many ZL friends who are REAST Club members and who regularly join us on the Wednesday Experimenter's Group stream in the wee small hours and who make the journey across the Tasman to attend Tassie Ham-E-Con every second year. Whether you're sharing technical knowledge, offering encouragement in the chat or presenting at and attending our events, know your friendship and support is greatly appreciated.
Take a look at the NZART milestones timeline on their website and especially the entries for 2018 and 2019 - they have a special VK7 flavour - https://nzart.org.nz/info/milestones-the-history-of-nzart/
Congratulations NZART on your centenary.
73 and happy birthday from your friends at REAST.
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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/
This Wednesday night is our June presentation night as Lisa VK7SGZ takes us on an inspiring tour through the art and science of astrophotography. 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 Tasmania’s 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 Queen’s 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
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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 Queen’s Domain Clubrooms and streamed online.
If you’ve ever stared at CPS software wondering why your radio suddenly talks to Kazakhstan but not the local repeater, this night is for you. We’ll 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:
Foundation Training and Assessment Days: Held every two months with the next one on Saturday the 27th June 2026.
Standard, Advanced, and Regulations Assessments: Held on alternate months, next is on 25th July 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
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History News
Where the Atomic Age met the Space Age- accidentally!
This story comes from the 1957 Pascal B nuclear test during Operation Plumbbob at the Nevada Test Site.
Scientists had placed a nuclear device at the bottom of an underground shaft and sealed the top with a heavy steel cap.
It was not a normal street manhole cover, but a welded borehole cover designed to help contain the blast.
The containment failed spectacularly. When the device detonated, the explosion shot upward through the shaft and blasted the cap into the sky.
A high speed camera reportedly caught it in just one frame, leading physicist Robert Brownlee to estimate that it may have been traveling around six times Earth’s escape velocity.
That is where the famous 150,000 mph figure comes from.
The catch is that nobody ever recovered the cap, and many scientists believe it likely vaporized almost instantly from atmospheric heating.
So it may have been the fastest object ever launched from Earth, but it probably did not survive long enough to become a space object.
The kicker is that Pascal B took place on August 27, 1957, just weeks before the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite!
https://www.instagram.com/p/DYtALviDgIV/?igsh=MW16YjF2dmhqZXQzZw%3D%3D
This story has been sourced from the HistoryFeels Instagram Page.
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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 10th June 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
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A reminder to those people rostered for next week’s broadcast:
Newsreader: VK7WW
Repeaters: REAST, NTARC and in the NW thanks to NWTARC, WCRG, NWCRRA, VK7AX, VK7JH and VK7DC
160m: VK7GS
80m: VK7DG
40m: VK7ALH
20m: VK7JGD
10m: VK7VKT
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
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A big thank you to everyone who contributed to and supported this week’s broadcast of the VK7 Amateur Radio News.
That’s 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? We’d love to hear from you! Send them to vk7arnews@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 Peter, VK7PD, wishing you good DX, and a great week ahead!
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(Posted to the packet network courtesy Tony VK7AX)
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