PORT STEPHENS Amateur Radio Club
Would you like to become a
licensed amateur radio
operator?
If
you
would
like
to
explore
amateur
radio
as
a
hobby,
you
are
welcome
to
come
to
the
meetings
and
let
people
know
of
your
interest.
Before
you
can
key
your
first
transmission,
you
must
obtain
a
licence
from
the
Australian
Communications
and
Media
Authority
(ACMA).
To
receive
a
license
you
must
pass
an
exam,
but
this
is
not
nearly
so
hard
as
it
might
seem.
There
are
three
levels
of
licence,
and
the
entry
level is relatively easy.
Port
Stephens
Amateur
Radio
Club
has
amongst
its
members
those
who
are
qualified
to
supervise
exams
at
all
three
levels.
So
when
you
feel
ready,
you
can
sit
for an exam at the club meeting site.
Next Meeting
Please note we have changed to have
meetings on the second Sunday of the
month to avoid clashes with public
holidays.
The next meeting will be held on
Sunday May 11, 2024 at 10:30 am
at the Tilligerry (Tanilba Bay) RSL &
Sports Club.
(Click on link for map.)
Meeting will be in the Club’s auditorium.
Club repeater nets as follows:
Tuesday nights 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
70 cm Analogue Repeater
For frequencies & CTCSS see here.
Thursday nights 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
70 cm Digital (DMR) Repeater
Talk Group 3809 or the bridged
Brandmeister TG 5059
For frequencies see here.
Club HF Net
Saturday nights at 8 pm
Frequency: 3.565 MHz
All licensed amateur operators are welcome
to join in the nets.
Welcome
Is this what you are looking for?
Encouraging Amateur Radio Operators
All
around
the
world,
governments
have
allocated
portions
of
the
radio
frequency
spectrum
for
use
by
licensed
amateur
radio
operators.
These
operators,
sometimes
known
by
their
nickname
of
‘Ham
Radio’
operators,
explore,
experiment
with,
and
enjoy
the
ability
of
radio
waves
of
varying
wavelengths,
to
permit
communication
across
distances
without
wires.
Port
Stephens
Amateur
Radio
Club
exists
for
the
purpose
of
encouraging
amateur
radio
operators
within
its
region
to
enjoy
their
hobby,
and
to
advance
through
the
various
levels
of
licensing
in
order
to
develop
a
greater
knowledge
and
ability.
The
monthly
business
meeting
is
usually
followed
by
a
talk
on
some
aspect
of
amateur
operations.
A
great
deal
of
knowledge
is
also
exchanged
through
the
informal
conversations
over
a
‘cuppa’
around
the
tables
after
every meeting.
PORT STEPHENS Amateur Radio Club
About Radio Waves
The electromagnetic spectrum
From
the
16th
through
to
the
19th
century,
European
researchers
explored
the
relationship
between
electricity
and
magnetism.
This
culminated
in
the
work
of
Scottish
physicist
James
Clerk
Maxwell,
who
proposed
the
existence
of
electromagnetic
radiation
across
a
continuum
from
radio
waves
at
the
lower
end
of
the
spectrum,
to
light
waves,
and
then
upward
to
ultraviolet,
x-ray
and
gamma
waves
at
the
higher frequency end.
Maxwell’s
theory
about
radio
waves
was
confirmed
by
the
work
of
German
professor,
Heinrich
Hertz,
and
Italian
researcher,
Guglielmo
Marconi,
who
developed
proof
of
concept
and
practical
radio
transmitters
and
receivers.
It
was
within
that
range
of
electromagnetic
radiation
known
as
radio
waves
that
amateur
operators
found
their
field
of
exploration.
This
covers
a
rather
large
field
of
frequencies
and
their
associated wavelengths.
Transceivers and Antennas
Nowadays,
radio
transmitters
and
receivers
are
generally
combined
into
a
single
“transceiver”;
and
the
point
at
which
electrical
fields
either
leap
out
into
the
world
as
electromagnetic
waves,
or
where
those
waves
are
converted
back
into
electrical
current,
is
known
as
the
antenna.
Much
work
is
done
exploring
sophisticated
transceivers
and
the
many different types of antenna that can be constructed.
Propagation of Radio Waves
Radio
waves
are
able
to
travel
beyond
line-of-sight
by
being
refracted
by
a
layer
of
the
atmosphere
known
as
the
“ionisphere”.
At
the
centre
of
our
Solar
System
we
have
a
star
known
as
the
Sun.
The
Sun
consists
of
matter,
compressed
by
its
own
gravity,
to
the
point
where
nuclear
fusion
takes
place.
One
consequence
of
this
is
that
vast
loops
of
magnetically
charged
matter
leap
up
from
the
surface
of
the
Sun
and
sometimes
break
free
as
Coronal
Mass
Ejections.
These
charged
particles
collide
with
the
Earth’s
atmosphere
and
create
the
ionisphere.
Experience
has
shown
that
the
Sun
follows
an
eleven
year
cycle
with
respect
to
this
process,
so
that
the
ability
of
radio
waves
to
be refracted by the ionisphere varies with this Solar Cycle.
Behavi
our
of
Radio
Waves
at
Different
Frequencies
Radio
waves
behave
differently
at
different
frequencies.
High
Frequency
waves
(HF)
can
be
refracted
by
the
ionisphere.
Very
High
Frequency
waves
(VHF)
may
bend
to
some
extent
over
small
obstacles.
Ultra
High
Frequency
waves
(UHF)
are
usually
limited
to
line-of-sight,
unless
relayed
by
repeaters
and
other
man-made
devices,
or
through
unusual
atmospheric conditions.
PORT STEPHENS Amateur Radio Club
Membership
Holding on to a passion
There
is
an
old
story
about
a
man
who
was
watching
his
camp
fire
one
night.
The
fire
was
burning
well,
but
every
now
and
then
an
ember
would
be
expelled
from
the
fire
with
a
crackling
sound.
The
man
watched
the
expelled
ember,
and
soon
saw
it
lose
its
heat.
But
the
remaining
embers
remained
in
the
fire
and
helped
to
inflame each other so that the fire kept burning.
A
similar
things
occurs
with
our
passion
for
our
hobbies.
On
our
own,
we
can
soon
lose
our
enthusiasm.
In
the
company
of
other
amateurs
we
bounce
off
each
other and keep the passion alive.
Port Stephens Amateur Radio Club
Port
Stephens
Amateur
Radio
Club
exists
to
create
the
second
experience
described above. We meet together on the second Sunday of every month at
10
:30
am,
and
also
make
on-air
contact
in
the
intervals
between
those
dates.
We
learn
from
each
other,
and
our
on-air
routines,
once
an
occasion
for
anxietty,
become second-nature.
Joining the Club
If
you
feel
that
you
would
like
to
become
a
member
of
Port
Stephens
Amateur
Radio
Club,
simply
ask
for
an
application
form.
There
is
an
annual
membership
fee
of
$25
per
year.
Once
you
have
completed
the
form,
hand
it
in
with
the
fee
to
one
of
our
office
bearers
and
your
application
will
be
put
before
the
next
business
meeting.
PORT STEPHENS Amateur Radio Club
Rogues Gallery
Our Executive Officers …
… and additional Committee Members
… and the rest of the crew
Secretary: John VK2DLP
Treasurer:
Leigh VK2KAL
Executive Committee:
Allan VK2LTP
Executive Committee:
John VK2FJG
Henk VK2GWK
Sergio VK2GD
John VK4AJP
Mike VK2TNT
President: Richard VK2OKR
Mark VK2CMS
Harry VK2KOG
Peter VK2FPET
Jamie VK2YCJ
Warren VK2UWP
Diane VK2DNE
Silent Keys
PORT STEPHENS Amateur Radio Club
The Club’s UHF Analogue and Digital Repeaters
There
have
been
some
exciting
developments
in
our
Repeater
Project.
After
the
establishment
of
our
initial
UHF
analogue
repeater
on
Gan
Gan
Hill,
we
discovered
that
our
licence
conditions
permit
the
operation
of
a
second
repeater.
Project
leader,
VK2DLP
–
John,
suggested
a
second
repeater
operating
in
a
Digital
Mobile
Radio
mode
and
this
move
was
endorsed
by
the
Club.
If
you
simply
want
to
jump
to
the
frequencies
and
tones
necessary
to
operate
the
repeaters,
click
here:
Table
of
Frequencies and Codes.
Digital
Mobile
Radio,
(hereafter
summarised
as
DMR),
can
operate
in
similar
way
to
the
analogue
repeater,
linking
operators
within
physical
range
of
the
repeater.
However,
DMR
also
offers
the
ability
to
speak
to
other
operators
all
around
the
world
through
predefined
Internet
links
of
many
repeaters.
Operators
can
choose
the
scope of these Internet links by configuring the channels in their transceivers.
Consequently,
someone
operating
on
a
handheld
transceiver
near
the
Club’s
DMR
repeater
at
Nelson
Bay,
NSW
Australia,
can
speak
to
other
operators
within
the
State,
within
the
nation,
or
around
the
world,
depending
on
the
way
they
have
configured
channels
in
their
digital
transceiver.
Members
of
our
Club
are
currently
learning
how
to
do
this
by
importing
into
their
transceivers
“code
plugs”,
which
have
channels
already
set
up
for
this purpose.
Our
digital
repeater
can
also
operate
in
analogue
mode.
However,
when
digital
transmissions
are
flowing
through
the
repeater,
the
analogue
function
is
locked
out.
After
some
discussion,
it
was
decided
to
continue
to
use the original analogue repeater for our Tuesday night nets (7:30- 8:30 pm).
Getting the repeater antenna up
or
“Climbing a Stairway to Heaven”
Clearly,
the
height
and
radiation
pattern
of
a
repeater’s
antenna
will
affect
its
performance.
The
UHF
analogue
repeater’s
antenna
is
an
omni-directional
vertical
folded
dipole
which
sits
at
a
height
of
approximately
167
metres
above
sea
level
and
has
“unity
gain”.
This
means
its
radiation
lobe
resembles
a
donut
and
is
more
effective
at
reaching
transceivers
which
are
close
to
and
below it.
The
UHF
digital
repeater’s
antenna
is
an
omni-directional
vertical
co-linear
with
9dBd
gain.
This
means
that
its
radiation
pattern
is
concentrated
into
a
flatter
plane
than
the
unity
gain
antenna
used
for
the
original
analogue
repeater.
Thanks
to
the
assistance
of
Gencom,
we
were
able
to
have
this
antenna
mounted
by
a
licensed
rigger
high
atop
the
tower
on
Gan
Gan
Hill.
Consequently,
the
Club’s
9
dBd
antenna
for
the
digital
repeater
is
mounted at a height of 169 metres above sea level.
The adjacent photo shows the rigger ascending the tower.
Analogue Repeater
Transmits On Receives On
Tone
Repeater Setting
439.7 MHz
434.7 MHz
Your Transceiver Setting
434.7
439.7
91.5 Tx only
Digital Repeater
Transmits On Receives On Colour Code
Repeater Setting
438.825
431.825
1
Your Transceiver Setting
431.825
438.825
1
Table of Frequencies and Codes
Note that transmit and receive frequencies of your transceiver are the opposite of those of the repeater; and that no
CTCSS tones are to be used when operating a digital channel.
VK2RUM
(Newcastle)
Transmits On Receives On Colour Code
Repeater Setting
438.625
431.625
1
Your Transceiver Setting
431.625
438.625
1
VK2RNC
(Newcastle)
Transmits On Receives On Colour Code
Repeater Setting
438.675
433.675
1
Your Transceiver Setting
433.675
438.675
1
VK2RGL
(Great Lakes)
Transmits On Receives On Colour Code
Repeater Setting
439.775
434.775
1
Your Transceiver Setting
434.775
439.775
1
Talk Group 3809 can also be accessed through other DMR Repeaters as follows in the table below:
VK2ROJ (Nelson Bay)
