Author Archives: VK7TW

ADX QRP Digital Transceiver Build Intro

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A huge thank you to Richard VK2ARH and the Manly-Warringah Radio Society who have shared their wonderful kit build of the Arduino Digital Modes HF QRP Transceiver (ADX).

REAST organised with Richard a bulk buy of the transceiver kits and the Barb-a-Watt QRP power/SWR meters. The first introduction session with Richard on a Zoom Call from VK2 at the Experimenter’s Night on 19 March 2025.

ADX

The ADX was designed by Barb WB2CBA see his GitHub site for files and details of the project : https://github.com/WB2CBA/ADX.

About 30 kits that are being put together and the PCBs even have the REAST logo on them!

ADX Build Night

Richard went through a powerpoint slide deck about the history of the project, some expectation setting, tips and tricks and much more, thanks Richard.

All the information about the build including the construction manual can be found on Richard’s GitHub Site – https://github.com/VK2ARH/Cowtown-ADX-Project

We will be continuing the build over the next couple of Wednesday Experimenters nights.

REAST Visits Aunty (ABC)

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A huge thank you to Damien VK7SD and Allen VK7KAN for their wonderful interactive tour of the ABC studio and technical areas on Wednesday 12 March 2025.

ABC Tour 20250312

There was a group of 27 REAST Members who came along and toured all the facilities starting with the Radio Studios with the groups splitting into two and hearing all about the high-tech digital studios and the role of the presenters and producers. We where even treated to the Producer of the Night Radio programming letting us know all about his role.

ABC Tour 20250312
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WICEN Wake Luncheon

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As REAST and WICEN Tasmania (Sth) members will know there have been a massive amount of work done by David VK7DMG to bring WICEN Tas (Sth) under the Associations umbrella of REAST Inc.

This work was completed with the public notification in the Tasmanian Government Gazette issue of 5 February 2025, with the cancellation of the WICEN Tasmania (South) Certificate of Incorporation from 9 January 2025.

This prompted an invitation to all past WICEN Members to attend the WICEN Wake Luncheon at the Top Pub at Cygnet on the first day of Autumn 2025.

WICEN Wake 20250301

During the Luncheon there were a range of remembrance and thank you toasts made by the WICEN Tas (Sth) past president – Justin VK7TW that included:

  • Cedric Lockley VK7CL (SK)
  • Roger Nichols VK7ARN
  • Chris Webb VK7CDW
  • David Goodrick VK7DMG
  • Stu Braunholz VK7NXX
  • Brian Welch VK7BW

Emphasis was given that even though the WICEN Tas (Sth) Association has been incorporated into the REAST Inc organisation that it doesn’t mean that the traditionally WICEN supported activities stop. We are still involved in Equine Endurance and portable and mobile communications.

As per the amalgamation agreement signed between REAST and WICEN – the REAST Committee has created a WICEN sub-committee and this group has a budget, equipment and support of the REAST Committee.

We thank everyone who came along to the luncheon and celebrated WICEN history.

73, Justin, VK7TW

January Carboot Sale Wrap-up

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Well the weather was perfect, the BBQ fired up and snags, burgers and soft-drink flowed and there was money and equipment changing hands at a pace!

We had 10 sellers with stands and carboots that were doing a swift trade and it was great to see some sellers who had traveled all the way from the North.

There was significant redistribution of amateur radio treasure during the day.

We sold at least 11 x 8.1m Aluminium masts and still have a good number for sale. It seems that everyone who bought a mast was using the amateur adage that is used post storms – “if your antenna is still standing – then it’s not big enough” as they all bought 8.1m and not 5.4m masts…HIHI!

So we will be converting our 5.4m masts into 8.1m mast kits for the remaining masts.

If you are interested in purchasing one or more for the princely sum of $40 each then please make contact the club – reast@reast.asn.au.

A big thank you to all the helpers throughout  the day and special shoutout to Tony VK7VKT who was our executive chef on the BBQ plate.

73, REAST Committee

Tassie Ham-E-Con Conference – Wrap Up

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Highlights

The Tassie Ham Radio Conference showcased a compelling lineup of keynote speakers and diverse presenters, offering a rich blend of innovation, technical insights, and future-focused topics. Here are the conference highlights:

Welcome to Hobart

Welcome to Hobart

Our three keynotes were:

Dr. Tamitha Skov (WX6SWW) presented on “Space Weather and How It Can Work for You!”—a deep dive into the impact of solar activity on communications.

Dr. Justin Thurley explored “Amateur Radio: An Innovation Perspective,” examining the role of innovation in the amateur radio space.

Kristen McIntyre (K6WX) delivered an insightful talk titled “Ground is a Myth!” challenging traditional concepts of grounding in radio.

Our other presentations included

Dr. Paris Buttfield-Addison (VK7SYN) discussed “Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning in Amateur Radio,” demonstrating the potential for AI to enhance audio and other aspects of radio and congratulations to Paris on receiving a UTAS Alumni Medal last week.

Marcus Berg VK3TST talked to us about easy to implement cyber security measures for the shack.

Our very own Murray Southwell VK7ZMS gave a great talk on the fine line between innovation and improvisation.

Marty Nelson VK4KC demonstrated how easy it is to setup a POTA station and operate in a park.

Our very own Rex Moncur VK7MO presented on lightning scatter propagation experiments.

Our very own Martin Luther VK7GN gave a BC or “before computers” to Gameboy talk on contesting.

Andy Perryman (NoAPX) introduced the “World Radio League: Bringing Amateur Radio to the 21st Century,” showcasing cutting-edge logging and analytics tools.

Kyle Krieg AA0Z talked us through the used of the flow programming tool – Node-Red and the use of it on his Flex Radio Remote System.

Phil Wait VK2ASD outlined and announced the WIA’s new EME Flowchart and wonderful online calculator that the RSGB has agreed to allow the WIA to use.

Going up in frequency we welcomed back – David Minchin VK5KK took us on a 241GHz transceiver design for our highest amateur band.

Adam Kimmerley K6ARK took us on a journey of shrinkage where everything he touches becomes smaller and lighter for portable operation.

Hayden Honeywood VK7HH even ran a couple of Amateur Radio Quiz sessions to get everyone fired up.

Our last formal session was a clubs forum with members from the WIA, AREG and REAST as a panel using the online tool – Slido to capture innovative things the clubs were doing into on-screen lists and word clouds. The results from this exercise was distributed to all conference and online attendees for them to use with their clubs.

We finished with the Raffle Draw and we congratulate all raffle winners.

A huge thank you to all our sponsors, presenters, volunteers and participants.

Thank you to Lee VK7LEE our photographer.

The presentations will all appear on the REAST and Ham Radio DX YouTube Channels over the next few weeks.

See you back in 2026.

73, Justin, VK7TW

On behalf of the Conference Organising Committee. 

Special Joint (VK4 & VK7) Presentation Night – Optical Communications with Rex VK7MO

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REAST and BVHFG Joint Presentation Night Recap – 28th August 2024

On Wednesday night, 28th August 2024, the Radio and Electronics Association of Southern Tasmania (REAST) and the Brisbane VHF Group (BVHFG) made history with their first-ever joint presentation night. This special event, featuring contributions from both clubs, brought together amateur radio enthusiasts from across Australia, with a focus on optical communications.

Presentation Highlights:

  • History of Optical Communications: Rex provided an overview of the history of LEDs and lasers in amateur radio, referencing the pioneering work documented on modulatedlight.org.
  • Detector Choices: Discussions on the pros and cons of different detectors, including red, blue, and infrared options.
  • The “Something for Nothing” Law & Line of Sight: Rex explained the physics behind line-of-sight communications and how natural and man-made obstacles affect signal propagation.
  • Building Reflection & Over-the-Horizon: Techniques to extend the range of optical communications beyond the horizon, leveraging building reflections.
  • Stanley to Mt Horror and Beyond: The remarkable 288km optical communication link from Stanley to Mt Horror, followed by Mt Horror to Cape Liptrap. Rex also shared some gripping stories from the Mt Horror bushfire and police encounters.
  • Weak Signal Communications: Demonstrations of signal decodes using Weak Signal Communicator (VK3HZ) software, showcasing the power of weak signal modes in optical comms.
  • Recent Developments: Updates on the latest in optical communication technology, including the FST4 mode, advancements in LEDs, and lens performance improvements.
  • Test Results: A summary of tests conducted from White Hills to VK7ZBX using FST4 mode, comparing equipment performance at wavelengths from 630nm to 730nm.
  • Propagation and Signal-to-Noise Ratio: An exploration of how different cloud types in Tasmania and aerosols affect signal propagation and SNR.
  • Safety Concerns: Public concerns about the use of bright red LEDs and eye safety were addressed, emphasizing the importance of responsible experimentation.

The presentation concluded with a lively Q&A session, with special thanks extended to Rex VK7MO, Richard VK7ZBX and Justin VK7TW for their contributions.

Video of the event is available at the REAST Youtube channel.

For those interested in further reading, historic research papers on optical communications experimentation in VK7 can be found on the REAST website: Optical Transmissions.

REAST @ the Australian Antarctic Festival

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The Australian Antarctic Festival rolls around every two years and in 2024 REAST was asked if it would like to participate with a focus on radio in Antarctica.

https://www.mawsons-huts.org.au/2024-festival-program/

We jumped at the chance and thanks to Kim Briggs VK7KB and Justin Giles-Clark VK7TW we were able to source a chronology of ex-Antarctic radio equipment for the display.

AAF 2024 - REAST Stand

AAF 2024 – REAST Stand

From the 1911-14 Mawson Expedition we had a spark transmitter / receiver thanks to Richard VK7RO and we had the output going out loud on an amplified speaker that caused people to jump when they heard it – the kids thought it sounded like a fart which got people laughing!

We moved to Collins gear from the 1940-50-60 with some great supplementary pictures from the Australian Antarctic Division.

Eddystone and Collins gear covered the 1960-70 and ICOM gear covered the 1970-1980s.

There was the Ionospheric Prediction Service Beacon on display (VK0MA) and an aviation Non Directional Beacon Antenna Tuning Unit both from Mawson Base.

The 1980-90s were covered by a Barrett 950 HF gear and the 2000s to the present day was covered by ANARESAT Satellite Technology pictures.

Mike Hawkins VK7DMH bought along his weather satellite receiving gear and we had weather satellite pictures coming through over the weekend.

There were five Arduino based Morse code decoder available for kids and parents to learn Morse code on and they were definitely the highlight of the weekend.

Morse Code AAF 2024

Morse Code AAF 2024

Those people who came along to the festival were able to learn and play with the very code  that was being used to link Antarctic bases with the rest of the world in the past.

AAF 2024 - Morse Code

AAF 2024 – Morse Code

On the Sunday we also had a HF QRP station setup and live contacts were made with a range of stations including ALARA contest stations.

AAF 2024 - VK7WN Contact

AAF 2024 – VK7WN Contact

A great weekend of promotion and celebration of Antarctica, radio technology throughout the ages and amateur radio.

A huge thank you to Kim Briggs VK7KB, Herman Westerhof VK7HW, Mike Hawkins VK7DMH, Warren Nicholas VK7WN who helped out making this weekend a success.

73, Justin, VK7TW

Frederick “Pop” Medhurst – Local Telegraphy, Telephony and Wireless Pioneer

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The presentation night for May featured a fascinating history of a true Tasmanian Telegraphy, Telephony and Wireless Pioneer – Frederick “Pop” Medhurst.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QD7Px1IyE1w

The chronological journey of Frederick “Pop” Medhurst was given by Justin VK7TW who wrote the source article for AR Magazine at the start of 2024.

Justin started with an introduction of where Frederick “Pop” Medhurst came from in Chobham, UK and his early life and training. He met Alexander Graham Bell and was offered a job and corresponded with Bell for the rest of his life. He moved to Australia and then Australia and married his wife Edith Edney.

Federation created a unique technology test opportunity and Pop communicated ship-to-shore using spark in 1901.

Justin then showed pictures of the Medhurst Field Telephone that Pop invented and sold throughout the world. The Medhurst company installed the first electric light in Hobart. He was the first Life Member & Patron of the WIA Tas Division and was president over many years. He was also first president of the Hobart Radio Research Club. He organised the first and second WIA Federal Conferences in Tasmania in 1928 and 1935.

He was seen in photos at many events and field days around Tasmania up to quite an old age. The story was peppered with many firsts and Justin finished with the fact that the Medhurst Company still exist in North Hobart.

Frederick VK7AH sitting front centre in the WIA Blazer!

Nov 1932 VK7 Field Day Gang

November 1932 VK7 Field Day Crew

Amateur Radio in the Media

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Amateur Radio in the Media

Hayden VK7HH on ABC Local Radio

Hayden talked for a whopping 18m with Helen Shields on ABC Local Radio on the evening of Thursday 11 April 2024.

Hayden talked about how amateur radio is flourishing and how he got into amateur radio.

The presenter Helen Shields was surprised that Hayden was so young and interested in an “old persons” hobby!

Hayden covered his very popular YouTube Channel along with some of the interesting aspects like EME and SOTA.

A great promotional piece for the hobby.